Why is the number of those who feel restless increasing? Why do people lose their temper so fast? Why is it that despite leading a very moderate life a person becomes a victim of a sudden stroke or kidney failure?
“The numbers are a shock: Almost 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, and over half a billion more will harbor this silent killer by 2025,” says Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer.
“It’s not just a problem for the ever-fattening Western world. Even in parts of Africa, high blood pressure is becoming common.
“That translates into millions of deaths from heart disease alone. Yet hypertension doesn’t command the attention of, say, bird flu, which so far has killed fewer than 200 people.
” “Even in the U.S., the majority of people with high blood pressure are not treated adequately,’ says Dr. Sidney Smith of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who advises the World Heart Federation. ‘Look at China, look at Africa, go around the world. It is a major risk factor.’
“The U.S. still needs to improve, too, Dr. Michael Weber (co-author of the report) hastens to add. High blood pressure affects nearly one in three adult Americans as well, or 72 million people. About a third have their condition well-controlled, not nearly enough but better than other countries that track treatment, the report found.
“Normal blood pressure is measured at less than 120 over 80. Anyone can get high blood pressure, a level of 140 over 90 or more. But being overweight and inactive, and eating too much salt, all increase the risk. So does getting older…”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.