DO THE MARKS IN AN EXAMINATION REALLY MATTER A LOT?

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE MARKS IN AN EXAMINATION?

Anuja’s suicide

When I was 10 year old, I remember once, there was a crowd gathered around Anuja’s (name changed) house, who lived about 100 meters away from our house. I too wanted to go there to find out what was happening, but was not allowed by my parents. Later on in the evening, I came to know that she committed suicide by hanging, as she scored only 81% marks in her tenth board examinations, which was well below her parents’ and her expectations. We hear several similar stories from different parts of our country. Depression, stress and anxiety are common before & during examinations. If one does not score high marks, they feel worthless, unfortunately leading to suicide in some cases.

Mental problems among students

I have been increasingly seeing young students with various psychological problems, such as sleep disturbance, anxiety, headaches, poor memory, body pains, decreased energy and depression. Fear of exam or fear of scoring low marks in an exam are the main reasons for these symptoms.

But is scoring high marks so important?

Marks have limited importance:
1. One needs to score “pass” marks in order to get promoted to the next class, which ranges from 35-50% in various classes/schools/colleges. 
2. One needs to score “qualifying” marks in order to become eligible to write competitive exams for UPSC, engineering, medical, etc (which ranges from 50-75% in various exams).

3. Class XII marks are taken into account for admissions into graduate courses of a few good colleges (which can be as high as 99% in some cases).

Drawbacks and demerits of marks:
1. There is no perfect correlation between marks and knowledge. A student with good knowledge may score lesser marks and someone with lesser knowledge may get very high marks. 
2. Examinations, unfortunately, do not assess the practical knowledge, intelligence, judgment and application of a student; they mainly assess the retention, recall and memory abilities. Communication skills, ability to deal with difficult situations, and interpersonal skills, which are so important in real life, are also not assessed by the “marks” system.
3. Marks obtained in 10th and 12th board exams do not have any meaning in the job/occupation one chooses later. For example, no patient of mine has ever asked me my marks from school or college days (however, I would be proud to tell those figures, as I scored high in most of the exams).

So, what should students do?
1. One should study to gain and acquire knowledge. Understanding the concepts is more important than just memorizing them. 
2. Marks do not matter much and obtaining high marks in an exam should not be the sole goal. 
3. Studies would be a pleasure, if it is taken as a means of gaining knowledge, rather than a means to score high marks in an exam. 
4. One should study “round-the-year” and not just before the exams. This would reduce the pressure prior to the exams. 
5. There is no need to feel bad, if one gets” low” marks in an examination. Most of the great men & women in the world were not class toppers in their school or college days.

I would be pleased to have your comments on this article.

DR SUDHIR KUMAR MD DM
Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad
drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com

https://www.facebook.com/bestneurologist/

WHAT IS AILING THE HEALTH OF OUR YOUNG GENERATION?

WHAT IS AILING THE HEALTH OF OUR YOUNG GENERATION?

Mr Parvesh (name changed), a 33-year old, was rushed into emergency department last night with sudden onset of chest pain and breathlessness. He was at his office at 11 PM, when he felt uneasy. He lied down on the sofa outside his office to take some rest. His friends found him unconscious and rushed him to the hospital. On arrival in ER, his pulse and BP were un-recordable. ECG showed features of massive heart attack. He was given the best cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, followed by the best medical care. All in vain, he passed away within four hours. 

Mr Parvesh is not alone. In my practice over the past 25 years, I have seen many young people (mostly men) in their 30s and 40s coming to the hospital with features of heart attack and brain stroke. This is unusual, as during my medical school training in early 90s, we were taught that heart attacks and brain strokes affect only older people in their 60s and 70s or even later. Now, about 40% of people suffering from heart attacks and brain strokes are young people (<50 years of age). 

So, what factors are responsible for this “undesirable” change?

1. Expectations to achieve everything as early as possible: Achievement and success are good things, but not at the cost of health. Young people work long hours. In my interaction with people, I have observed that 13-15 hours work schedules are not uncommon. Add to this, 1-2 hours of commute time, where is the time to unwind? Where is the time to relax with family and friends? Our bodies are not machines (even machines break down, when overused). Heart and brain work best, when working hours are 8-9 hours, with good breaks in weekends.

2. Working from home, working on weekends and even during holidays: Breakthroughs in communication (internet, mobile phones, etc) have their advantages; however, there are drawbacks too. People are in “work-mode” 24X7, 7 days a week, and perpetually. There is no time, when a person totally disconnects from work. Constant work or thought of work takes a heavy toll on the body, especially the heart and brain.

3. Lack of sleep: We need at least 7-8 hours of sleep in order to refresh and recharge. However, younger people are not getting more than 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Demanding work schedules, use of gadgets and late night socializing are some of the reasons for lesser sleep duration. Lack of sleep is strongly associated with higher risk of diabetes, high BP and cholesterol; all of whom are risk factors for stroke and heart attacks.

4. High stress levels: I see many young people in my clinic, belonging to various industries such as IT & software, banking & finance, education, etc. More than 90% of them say they are under stress. Stress is related to jobs as well as personal lives. So, if one felt that not getting a job or not getting married are reasons to be under stress, think twice; those with good jobs and good spouses are also equally stressed, if not more. This cannot be real. Jobs and families need to be cared for and modeled to give joy & happiness.

5. Greed for material things beyond one’s means: Peer pressure is very high. One wants to own a good car and a good house in 30s and even in 20s. As the incomes are low, many end up taking huge loans to fund these dreams. People are also spending more than their means on education of children and vacations. Paying EMIs are no fun! Any unexpected expenditure and reduction in income takes a toll on health and stress levels rise. One must live within their means and avoid taking loans to fulfill the “desires”. We need to be satisfied with what we have and avoid competing with “neighbours or friends” in acquiring materialistic things.

6. Unhealthy diet and habits: Fast foods, irregular food habits and "eating out" have become common. We need to remember, home food is the best and healthiest. “Outside” food is high on taste (due to high amount of salt, sugar and oil) but low on nutrition. 
Most people are not exercising. Moreover, they use vehicles for travelling short distances. Walking as a habit is dying. Most people use lifts and staircases are “hidden” (only to be used in case of emergency or fire)! People sit for long duration (at work, while watching TV, etc). Sitting is as dangerous as smoking, if not more. 
Pollution is increasing- both air and water. Their negative impact on health is well known.

7. Poor financial planning: Younger people do not invest wisely. Either the savings are kept idle in the banks (for a meager interest of 3-4%, which is taxable at the highest slab) or they invest most of their savings in real estate (bought at high prices, with no scope of growth in the near future). The best investment asset class is equity. For someone with less time, investing in equity mutual funds via SIP (systematic investment plans) are the best. You can expect a return of 10-12 % per year (with current tax rate of 10% on the profits, if redeemed after one year).

8. Ignoring health checkups: Our body does give warnings. Any abnormal symptom such as headache, dizziness, tiredness, breathing difficulty, chest pain, etc should be seriously taken and a doctor should be consulted. Even if there are no symptoms, preventive health checkups can help in detecting diseases in early stage, which can be treated well.

So, what can younger people do to live longer and healthier?

1. Find a job that you like (which may not be with the biggest pay cheque).
2. Work for reasonable hours (8-9 hours on average).
3. Cut-off from work when out of office, on weekends and while on vacation (except for occasional emergencies.
4. Take regular vacations with family and friends.
5. Sleep well (on an average 7-8 hours per night). Avoid doing regular night shift duties.
6. Exercise- it can be anything you like, such as walking, jogging, cycling, etc. At least 30 minutes per day and 5 days per week.
7. Prefer home food as much as possible.
8. Keep expenses as per your income. Avoid taking loans as much as possible.
9. Start investing early after analyzing your financial needs and goals.
10. Don’t ignore small warnings about health. Consult a doctor and have preventive health checkups.

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM

Consultant Neurologist
drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com

https://www.facebook.com/bestneurologist/

WHY IS SILENCE GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN?

WHY IS SILENCE GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN?

Brain is, without any argument, the most important organ of our body. We depend on brain to ensure better performance of all useful activities, be it related to our jobs or household chores. Some of the important functions of brain include memory, reasoning, judgment, language, calculation, etc. Having understood the importance of brain and its functions, it is equally important to understand the measures needed to take good care of the brain.

Nutritious diet, regular physical activity, freedom from stress and anxiety, sound & adequate sleep, regular brain “exercises” (solving crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc), preventing head injury and avoiding smoking, are important measures that ensure good brain health.

The purpose of this article is to emphasize the important role played by silence in the wellbeing of brain. Who has not heard this- “If speech is silver, silence is gold”!

In our daily lives, we are surrounded by different kinds of noise and sounds most of the time. These include sound of vehicles, loud music, ringing of smartphones, and so on. This “noise pollution” has a detrimental effect on our brain and body. Various research studies have shown that exposure to noise leads to higher incidence of elevated blood pressure, which is an important risk factor for heart attacks and brain strokes. Noise pollution also causes impairment of hearing; sleep disturbances, and problems with memory and concentration. Studies have concluded that children exposed to households or classrooms near airplane flight paths, railways or highways have lower reading scores and are slower in their development of cognitive and language skills.  

If noise has so much of adverse effects on brain, silence should have just the opposite effect- and it is indeed so.

1. Silence leads to lowering of heart rate and blood pressure. This effect on BP lowering is seen with as little as two minutes of silence. Lowering the BP would lead to a lesser incidence of brain strokes.

2. Silence is relaxing and rejuvenating. In this 24X7 work environment with exposure to various sounds, our brain gets muddled and then, we cannot focus and concentrate. Therefore, we need periods of quiet and calm to allow our brains to recharge. Some people use music to relax. While music does relax the brain, it is interesting to note that silence has far greater effects on brain relaxation than music.

3. Silence promotes better sleep. We have all experienced the difficulties in falling or maintaining good sleep, when exposed to sounds or noise. In silent environment, on the other hand, sleep is sound and relaxing. Better sleep translates into better functioning of brain. Growth hormone is secreted in brain during sleep. Consolidation of memory and learning also occurs during sleep. Good sleep is also a stress buster and lowers BP.

4. Silence may improve memory. In an interesting experiment conducted on mice, it was found that exposing them to two hours of silence per day led to development of new neurons in the hippocampus area of the brain. Hippocampus is mainly involved in memory, emotion and learning. So, there is a high possibility that these brain functions would improve, if one is exposed to even short periods of silence on daily basis.

5. Silence is a stress buster. When a person is stressed and anxious, one of the best and easiest quick fixes is to take rest (sit or lie down) in complete silence. While it may be tempting to get a counseling done by a family member or a psychologist for stress, it is equally important to have periods of silence to overcome stress.

6. Silence improves our ability to concentrate and focus. In our daily lives, we are constantly exposed to stimuli- sounds as well as sights. This makes our brains foggy and inattentive, leading to difficulty in concentrating. In this situation, the ability to solve problems or to come up with new ideas is greatly hampered. Silence, even for short periods, comes to our rescue in this condition. Silence makes the brain fresh and energetic. One can solve complex problems and come up with bright new ideas after a brief period of silence.

7. Silence helps us tap the hidden talents and strengths in our own brain. Brain has immense capacity and resources, which largely remain untapped. This is because one cannot look deep inside his brain, when exposed to distractions of sounds/noise. On the other hand, in a silent environment, one can daydream, fantasise or think and be more creative. As Herman Melville once wrote, "All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence."

8. Silence reduces the risk of heart attacks and brain strokes by reducing plaque formation in the arteries. 

All these beneficial effects of silence on brain should prompt us to seek silence everyday in our busy lives, even if it is for a brief period. Moreover, sitting in silence is free, easily accessible, and has no side effects.

This article was modified and published in September 2016  issue of B POSITIVE magazine, a heath and wellness magazine.

DR SUDHIR KUMAR MD DM (NEUROLOGY)

CONSULTANT NEUROLOGIST

APOLLO HOSPITALS, HYDERABAD

PH-04023607777

Email: drushirkumar@yahoo.com

HIGH STRAIN JOBS LEAD TO A HIGHER RISK OF STROKE

HIGH STRAIN JOBS LEAD TO A HIGHER RISK OF STROKE

Today's job requires working long hours, often stretching into late nights. Several jobs also require doing night shift duties. With increased internet connectivity, there is a boon to communication. However, it has also blurred the boundaries of "work time" and "leisure time". It is common to see people bringing work to home. At home, instead of relaxing, they remain busy on "business calls" on their smartphones, or work on "projects" on their laptops. While all these long and unearthly hours of work have increased their productivity making these employees "valuable assets" to the company; it has also taken a big toll on their health.

A recent study, published in NEUROLOGY Journal (Nov 2015) has shown a significantly higher risk of brain stroke in people with high strain jobs. The risk was higher for ischemic stroke (where the blood supply to a part of brain gets blocked), resulting in paralysis, impaired speech, blindness, and so on. The risk of brain stroke due to high strain jobs was found to be higher in women as compared to men.

Several reasons may be involved in increasing the risk of brain stroke in high strain jobs:

1. Work strain may lead to unhealthy lifestyles such as increased smoking, reduced physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, untimely meals, reduced sleep, lack of health check ups, etc. All of them are risk factors for stroke.

2. Work stress is often associated with certain cardiovascular risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome, high body mass index (obesity), impaired glucose metabolism (diabetes), and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol), which are also known to be risk factors for stroke.

3. Work stress can also lead to neuro-endocrine disturbances, leading to increased inflammation and plaque destabilization, leading to ischemic brain stroke.

Therefore, one needs to maintain a good work-leisure balance. Maintaining good work out put and efficiency are important, however, it should not be at the cost of strain and stress.

1. Working hours should be restricted to 8-10 hours per day.

2. Work should not be brought home.

3. There should be adequate time left (after work) to spend with family; and exercise on a regular basis.

4. Smartphones and laptops should be in silent mode during sleep, so that sleep is not disturbed.

5. Avoid night shift duties as much as possible.

6. Avoid excess travel, as it leads to disturbed sleep rhythm, as well as increased strain.

7. Periodic breaks and vacations with family are advisable, to get relaxed and recharged.

DR SUDHIR KUMAR MD (Medicine) DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
Email: drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com
Phone: 040-23607777/60601066

Online Consultation: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar