DO DOCTORS ACTUALLY LIVE LONGER?

DO DOCTORS ACTUALLY LIVE LONGER?

          I met this 89 year old doctor last night at his grandson's wedding . He looked fit, slim with neatly tucked in shirt, walked tall with a straight back and moved with agility. He knows me for the past 38 years.I had performed surgeries on his entire family of three generations.

          He is a well respected, most senior physician in that large town. He sat next to me throughout the wedding reception to welcome the guests and of course the bride and the groom.

         Almost everyone in the gathering came to pay their respects to him. My son Pravin who is a surgeon had accompanied me. We were introduced to almost everyone who had come to greet him.

         His thoughts were so clear when he articulated them. His instant grasp of the names and details of each person  who met him astonished me. He was 89 and not a tremor or lapse of memory; he was most jovial, cordial and kind to everyone.

        When there were moments of pause in group of admirers, he managed to fill me in with tit bits of interesting stores about some of the folks we knew together. 

        He had lost his wife recently. Though he had a couple of accomplished doctor children, he chose to live by himself and maintain his practice.

        His patients from his hometown when they visited me, used to tell me that he still sees outpatients the whole morning. Recently he had resorted to post lunch nap while he manages to meet more patients in the evening.

         In all the years I knew him, he neither smoked or touched liquor. He was a pious man without being overtly religious.

         When the moment was right, I asked him what had him going so strong, so long! I vividly remembered meeting a famous doctor 2 days before  in a similar sized town, who said that he himself had totally retired at the age of 55 in private practice.

          To my query, he answered that he continued seeing patients as that was his calling. He spoke of disdain how some of the newer generation work by the clock and give up the gift of seeing patients at an early stage of life , as they make a large saving to retire in comfort.

          This got me thinking - do doctors actually live longer than the rest of the population?

                                                            

                                                          (From huffington post)

- We know that doctors generally come from good families - either like mine, where the parents sacrifice everything to give you a good life in school and college OR from rich families where you're pampered with luxuries.

- As medical student, you learn about taking precautions about infections, diseases and advice patients on safe water, safe food and save air.

- When you graduate, you advice everyone not to smoke or drink or eat at all sorts of shady restaurants by the roadside to prevent gut infections.

- As a doctor, you are trained to pick up the main killers such as diabetes, hypertension, stress and heart diseases.

- As a practising physician, you tell folks that young people die early of heart diseases with sudden deaths and hence the need to change the jet setting, burnt out life styles with relaxation, holidays,enough sleep, yoga, meditations and the such.

- As a friend to the public, you advice everyone on diet - high fibre, bright colored vegetables with enough anti oxidants to prevent cancer; plenty of fluids to avoid urinary difficulties.

          So by al logic, a doctor should live longer. Your doctor should be more healthy, more disease free compared to the non medical common man on the road.

         You do not expect your doctor to be smoking when he tells you to give up your beedies, or not to be sipping on his whisky when he tells  you should avoid liquor.

         At  least you expect your doctor to live longer, hoping he will be able to diagnose his own illness earlier and treat it before complications set in. 

         

         This may be a tall order- like hoping that all dermatologists will have a bright skin, all plastic surgeons will be handsome and all orthopaedic surgeons will be arthritis free!

         

          Well, the stats on the longevity of doctors proves that this is not necessarily so!

          In USA, the average age of physicians at math was 73 years for whites and 68.7 for the backs compared to the average non doctor 70.3 and 63.6 respectively.

          In India the converse is true. A doctors lives upto 55-59 years whereas the common man lives to an average age of 69-72 years.

          The commonest causes for death in doctors are cardiovascular diseases, accidents and surprisingly suicides due to depression, when being a doctor is considered noble!

          Stress along with varying levels of depression has been blamed as the prime factor. It appears that the doctor who advices others to take holidays apparently does not follow his own prescription.

         So to my physician friends, relax regularly, exercise actively and live happily.

         I have stopped advising anyone beyond 70 years how to lead their lives , as they seem to know more about long lives compared to mere doctors who live shorter - at least statistically!

HOW TO AVOID STAGE FRIGHT IN STRING PLAYING!



When string players perform in public or at an audition, many suffer from stage fright. Performance is around 80% of what one achieves in practice.

It is due to the adrenaline effect which is responsible for the ‘ fright or flight’ body hormone coming into play. Effects include tremors, inability to do long bowing, good tone, inability to focus on the repertoire at hand, fear of making mistakes, inability to recover from mistakes, worrying about mistakes which result in more mishaps, shallow breathing, sweating and many more effects.

Anxiety is apparent more during a solo performance than playing in a group.

This blog is written to help the string players who have suffered from the above symptoms of nervousness and the inability to perform to the full capacity as in practice.

Here are some of the steps to avoid stage fright; some may overlap the steps to prepare for concert also:

1. PRACTICE PERFECT PRACTICE

Practice regularly and thoroughly. First practice the technique namely the intonation, the bowing, the timing and the fingering – slowly at first.

Remember, playing fast is impossible if it cannot be played slowly!

Perfect Practice means that the difficult passages have to be identified, and practice slowly with the above principles, and again practice in context with the preceding and succeeding passages before bringing it up to speed.

2. BE OVER PREPARED

Nervousness on stage costs approximately 20% from many players . So practicing the repertoire slowly at first, then at the correct speed and finally 20% faster than the actual speed helps.

3. PRACTICE WITH ACCOMPANIMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Reading the music at first the accompaniment helps in understanding the phrasing. It is important to practice with the piano accompanist repeatedly both the easy and the difficult parts with reference to the intonation and timing is vital to achieve a perfect , tension free performance. More the practice with the accompaniment, less the tension

4. ADEQUATE REST THE WHOLE DAY

Certainly no alcohol. Maybe a beta blocker to ally anxiety.

5. ATTAIRE

External appearance matters starting with the choice of shirts, coats in men and dress in women not to mention the shoes. All these may help to allay undue anxiety.

6. LEARN YOGA




Yoga helps to make to control your breathing and improve blood supply to brain.

7. MEDITATION


Meditation helps concentration and improves focus. Hence less tension.

8. PUBLIC PERFORMANCES


Playing in front of your friends, grand parents, cousins, church congregation and other students builds up confidence. Get as many public performances of this sort under your belt , prior to an audition or a major performance.

9. STRETCH

Stretching exercises while waiting to perform helps to relax the muscles aound the shoulder, arm, wrist and back.

10. BOWING

Playing slow bows either as open strings or as scales to get a pure tone and good intonation prior to going to perform helps one to relax and warm up.

11. CONTOLLED BREATHING

In general deep breaths prior to getting on to the stage help to regulate your low heart rate and also steady your nerves by keeping your fight or flight ( sympathetic tone of the nervous system) down as much as possible.

12. POSTURE

While waiting in the hall, keep a positive confident posture and the rest the violin fully tuned with the scroll up. Check your tuning with the pianist before you begin.

13. FOCUS



With all the above, learn to focus on the piece at hand to be played. The audience should not be a distraction. Playing for relatives, hospital patients and friends will prepare you for the presence of the audience.

14. FOOD

Not a heavy meal, but 1 to 2 bananas may help taken half hour before performance. These have a high energy content, high level of potassium and beta blockers. Top performers in sports and music are known to consume bananas just prior to the event.

15. TALISMAN

Some believe in talisman such as particular socks, or shirt, etc for performances. These are of psychological boosts. Anything to elevate your morale!

And good luck!



HOW TO AVOID SCRATCHY VIOLIN PLAYING !

HOW TO AVOID SCRATCHY VIOLIN PLAYING !

HIGHLIGHTS

• Avoid tension in bowing arm.
• Practice bow holding with relaxed wrist.
• Practice bow holding with the relaxed fingers and thumb.
• Adequate resin on the bow.
• Appropriate tension of the bow hair.
• Violin strings should be free of resin before and after performance.
• Change to good quality strings and frequently.
• Respect the 'highway' with reference to the bridge.
• Tilt your bow away from the bridge.
• Maintain enough bowing speed while on E string near the frog.
• Avoid undue bowing pressure on the stings while playing.
• Regular perfect practice keeps the violin and the violinist perfect.

1.THE PLAYER! - BOWING ARM

1- A. Tension in the bowing arm: Playing with too much tension in the bowing arm can produce
scratchy noise. One should learn to keep the arm relaxed.

1-B. Relaxation of Bowing Hand: Way to learn relaxation of the hand is to alternate the right hand
( bowing arm) to make a clenched fist and a relaxed hand rapidly and then leave the hand in a
relaxed fashion with a dropped wrist and the fingers below the wrist level.

1-C. Position of right hand: Bow should be held gently at this position holding it between the thumb
and the ring finger around the bow. Bow is held at the frog ( metal end)

2. THE BOW

2-A. Tightening of Bow: Before playing, the bow should be tightened to tense the hair. Appropriate
tension is verified by inserting the index finger between the bow in the middle of the bow and the
hair. Naturally after playing , the bow should be loosened before returning it to the violin case.

2-B. Resin: There should be enough resin on the bow. Too much resin is not good for the tone ; nor
is too little which can lose grip of the bow over the strings.

3.THE VIOLIN

3-A. Strings: Strings should be free of resin and they should be cleaned with a dry cloth (flannel)
after every use of the violin before returning it to the case. Strings should not be frayed or old.
Appropriate good quality strings matter in the tone. They generally are changed every 6 months and
before any major performance for good quality sound. Scratchy noise is more with E string ; so pay
more attention to E string while cleaning and also while playing.

3-B. Bridge: Bridge needs the be placed at the level of the sound post. The placement of the bridge creates a reasonable distance for the bowing. Bowing too near the bridge can create a harsh loud tone.
Kreisler has referred to as 'the highway'. Playing close to the bridge for loudness and harshness.
Playing away from the bridge for soft and mellow sound.

4. THE TECHIQUE

4-A. The bowing technique:  Bowing technique involves dedicated practice. 'Perfect practice makes perfect performance'. Bow should be placed across the strings with the relaxed arm without any tension. In the beginning, this can be practiced in the static mode without playing the bow, but gently keeping it across and balancing it in the middle of the bow. Too much pressure of the bowing on the strings will create
friction and harshness. Too light a pressure will not produce a good tone. This comes with repeated
practice.

4-B. Bowing is performed at right angles midway between the bridge and the end of the finger
board. Too close to the bridge as mentioned above creates a harness and loudness.

4-C. In addition to the correct pressure, the amount of bow hair on the string also matters. Scratching and whistling noises become more prominent when playing on the E string. Playing near the Frog with
too heavy a pressure will create a scratchy noise. Avoid this by tilting your bow forwards so that
less of the hair is exposed to the E ( and other) string.

4-D. Bowing Speed: Use enough bowing speed ( do not be too slow on the bowing speed)
especially on the E string. Do not be too slow near the frog on the E string . Too slow at bowing
near the frog especially on the E string will subconsciously make you increase pressure which will
in turn will create a scratchy noise.

4-E. Constant and regular practice keeps the violin in shape. A 'played in violin' prevents stiffening
of the violin and improves the tone of playing.

SUMMARY

• Avoid tension in bowing arm.

• Practice bow holding with relaxed wrist.

• Practice bow holding with the relaxed fingers and thumb.

• Adequate resin on the bow.

• Appropriate tension of the bow hair.

• Violin strings should be free of resin before and after performance.

• Change to good quality strings and frequently.

• Respect the 'highway' with reference to the bridge.

• Tilt your bow away from the bridge.

• Maintain enough bowing speed while on E string near the frog.

• Avoid undue bowing pressure on the stings while playing.

• Regular perfect practice keeps the violin and the violinist perfect.

Running a MARATHON!

RUNNING A MARATHON

“Never accept anyone else’s definition of you;

But define yourself”

Today I ran with Pravin my son and his wife - Vodofone for the cause of cancer cure.

He had done all the work of registration, getting the electronic bibs, charting out the route and briefing me on the entire route.

We took a cab to venue at 4.30 am for the 6 o’clock race today. Some were running 21 Km, some 10 and many 5K.

Crowd was so massive  and enthusiastic. Families, single persons, really old people and kiddies running. 

Everyone enjoying themselves for a cause! Everyone got a medal in the end!

I met some friends including Ganesh Gopalakrishnan who taught me some yoga exercises on   posture! He is maha  yogi apart from being a world famous urologist.

My thoughts went back to the time I ran when I turned 50.

Never being an athlete in my life, I wanted to do something physical on the track . I trained on the treadmill for nearly 8 months and on the morning I put on my cap, looked down at the road and ran 20 steps at a time…. completed the marathon

Finishing the race was a big event for me; many who knew me well were quite surprised.

Running long distances gives  you confidence, builds up your determination, makes you set goal which you thought were not possible and achieve them successfully.

You meet friends, support a cause and most of all you enjoy the running and the finish.

For folks who ask why should you run a marathon, my question is simple- 

If not now, when are you going to do it? Certainly not when you are bed ridden!

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS ! & REMAIN FRIENDS FOREVER !!

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS !

&

REMAIN FRIENDS FOREVER !!

GOOD FRIENDS, 

GOOD BOOKS & 

A SLEEPY CONSCIENCE: 

THIS IS THE IDEAL LIFE

Mark Twain

A friend by definition is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relationships.

There are no rules and regulations to form or maintain friendship. Only common sense!

But guidelines need to be emphasized, as most of us do not know how to go about making friends. You can see an occasional stranger making his or her way very easily in a society where as most of us do not have a clue as to who the next door neighbor is!

Also in the present days of facebook, twitter and what not, you may have thousands of virtual ’friends’ or ‘followers’. But still you maybe lonely and depressed, without any real friends.

If you are one of any of the above type of persons, then this blog may help you.

The progressive steps discussed below hopefully will benefit the lonesome!

If you are a Superstar, stop reading now and do something more useful!!

Do not sit around- ‘No man is an island’:

If you sit around in the house watching TV or playing video games all the time, you will never get any friends. You need to spend time with people. Take time to mix with a group of people. You don’t even have to say much. But if you are not going to be with them, you are not going to get friends.

Join a club:

A club is an association of people dedicated to a particular, common interest. This interest may be social service, music or even an old school. Whatever, a common interest like book reading, fan club, etc holds people together. You need to have the same binding interest to be associated.

Volunteering:

In any housing welfare association or colony of houses, topics like clean the city, tree planting, plastic free zone, paint the locality are some of the popular themes for volunteering. You can always volunteer for any of these activities. The motto in general is ‘the more the merrier’. Anyone, especially you can fit in easily into these groups and you will enjoy being of use to the community.

Sports club:

Sports is a great binder. Like a comment on cricket or golf or football shows you immediate association with enthusiasts and one can hit upon a friendship almost instantaneously. You don’t have to be a superstar. I think it helps if you are not that great at the sports. This gives you a chance to meet more people and develop a laid back attitude which is good for friendship. This group need not be entirely sports, it could be a band or orchestra.

Smile:

Making eye contact is essential before a smile and goes without saying. A smile is worth a thousand words. A smile shows you are a pleasant person welcome to a conversation. Good morning or a similar greeting can follow up with a smile shows you are ready to communicate. If  you do not smile and do not say anything, you want to be left alone.

Greeting:

We are not the race, who travel in tube trains reading newspapers and take pride in being reserved. You need to speak to the next person in the bus or train. You can always start with a non-committal ‘hi’ or ‘hello’. Unless you say something first, there is no conversation. This is because other people are also shy and reserved like you!

Initial Conversing:

Weather or road traffic can always the topic of discussion between strangers. Follow it up with a question as to how the other person feels about it . This will show you if the other person is ready to communicate and some insight if the other person opens up to you. Do NOT say anything controversial like politics or religion which may be an instant conversation killer with a stranger.

Content of Conversation:

Most important aspect of the conversation is listening. Once the other person opens up, learn to keep your part of the talking to around 25% of the entire conversation. The rest should be only listening – and that is the essence of good conversation. Stick to general, non-controversial topics. Avoid giving free, unsolicited advice.

Introduce yourself:

You can always mention that you are so and so, somewhere along the way. This will help the other person to mention his / her name. Remember the name as this means you have been listening. This will have a bearing on continuing a long friendship. Be pleasant to the other person. Good manners help.

Meeting up:

By now you will have a good working knowledge about the other person and if you want to continue this, you need to arrange for another meeting so that you can initiate a sustaining friendship. This can be as an informal coffee in a common place.

Discover identical interests:

Meeting up the person the next time, you will know the interests of the other person, like in males - sports, books or in a woman - cooking or stitching, painting, etc. There may be binding interests like church groups or music groups or book reading. It is good to discover these interests as they help to foster long associations and friendships

Knowing more about the other person:

Get to know the family of the other person and his / her friends. This is important for you to make a balanced opinion on the person. This will also help you to get more friends. It is also good for the other person to meet your family and friends so that everyone knows everyone else. This friendship should be above board and transparent.

Don’t be jealous:

An occasional phone call or a coffee or meal is okay. But do not badger them to be with you on a regular basis. Always announce your visits and do not overstay your visits. Remember good friendship is never rushed and takes a long time to grow. Do not be jealous of the friendship of your friend with others. This leads to adversity and misunderstanding.

Loyalty:

Loyalty is the faithfulness of the persona and is the basis of long lasting friendships. You will always have friends when you are young, rich and successful. But true friend is around when the chips are down, when you need a shoulder to cry on and to wipe a tear. You don’t have to give advice, just lend a shoulder.

Being a good friend:

You need to spend your part in being around and spending valuable time. When you are sick, your friend is around. When you are depressed, your friend is asking you how you feel. When you need a friend, he or she is there for you. So you should reciprocate.

Be a Rock:

Stand and be counted. You must be punctual and always show up when needed. If you cannot come, make it known to your friend. You should not say you’d be there and not show up.

Confidential matters:

There may be confidential matters between friends. Confidences should be respected. Don’t be a blabber mouth. If you are uncomfortable with what is being told to you, you can always say that it is better to withold the secret for now and discuss it later. Never be pushed by your friend in confiding things to him or her that you do not want to share. This can be dangerous.

Choice of friends:

This is most vital. You will meet many people. You will make many acquaintances. When you are successful, you will have many so-called friends. But the true friends are only a few. If you can count your real friends with the fingers of both your hands at the end of your life, you are extremely lucky. Choose wisely.

Keep in touch:

Good lasting friendships over a lifetime, take people away to different states, countries and continents. You must keep in touch. It is not difficult to do so in these days of instant communication and internet.

Negatives:

Now for the negatives, do not change yourself to fit in a group or friendship- it will not last and is not worth it. Conversely, do not try to change the other person to fit into your group or your liking. Very often dissimilar personalities hit upon a great friendship as differing points of view can be entertained. Unlike poles attract!

Don’t abandon:

When you are rich and successful, when you get new friends, do not discard and abandon your old good friends. 

Keep the news ones on –

‘Make new friends, 

but keep the old; 

one is silver & the other is gold’