Young India Network for Good Health

Expressing solidarity with people of Vietnam and supporting comprehensive alcohol policy solutions in open letter to Prime Minister, Health Minister, and National Assembly Chair To: H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam H.E. Vu Duc Dam, Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam H.E. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health H.E. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Chairwoman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam H.E. Nguyen Thuy Anh, Chairwoman, National Assembly Social Affairs Committee Your Excellency, It is our distinct honor and privilege to address You by way of this letter. We are the assembled delegates of the 69th Session of the IOGT International World Congress. Founded in 1851, IOGT International is today the largest global network for evidence- based policy solutions and community-based interventions to prevent and reduce alcohol harm. We, the delegates from more than 40 countries, are wri...

“This is no quick fix. There is no band-aid big enough for this life.” ---Daniel Abbott, The Concrete The story of an 18-year-old Shubam is a classic example of what is happening to our youth today and an eye-opener for us, especially parents. Shubam was a sincere student and loved by all at home and school. He was the only child of doting parents, who put him in a leading school and provided him all facilities. A car ferried him to school and back, he had private tutors at home who helped him with his homework and his parents left no stone unturned to keep him happy. But they never spoke to him about various life skills and soft skills needed by the youth today. They never taught him how to be emotionally strong and assertive. They never spoke of peer pressure, drugs and good behaviour. They loved him, but hardly communicated all this to him because they did not know this was important. Shubam passed out of school with good grades and got admission in an Engineering college a...

Prof.T K Thomas 03 Jul, 2018 at 17:07 PM Last Tuesday [26th June] was International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. One casually tuned into the lead story at 7 in the morning on Asianet News to find out that drug addiction in Kerala had gone up five times after a majority of bars were closed down in 2016 by the Congress led UDF government. During this period alcohol consumption had declined, the story mentioned. This turned out to be one’s thought for the day. Is alcohol a drug like cannabis, opiates etc? One has studied the problem of drugs and addiction for almost four decades and has learned that alcohol is indeed a drug. It comes in the category depressants [Drugs incidentally are categorized in to seven types on the basis of their effect on those who use them- for example while a depressant slows down, a stimulant speeds up or a hallucinogen disrupts communication within one’s brain and so on.] Alcohol unlike other drugs is licit or legal ...

Alcohol Marketing in India: #enoughNCDs  Suneel Vatsyayan* The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy identifies the importance of reducing the impact of marketing, particularly on young people and adolescents, as an important consideration in reducing harmful use of alcohol.It has been observed that alcohol use has escalated as one of the leading risk factors for global burden of disease.   The Cable Television Network (Regulation) Amendment Bill, in force September 8, 2000, completely prohibits cigarette and alcohol advertisements.  However, it is evident that we are living in a media dark era. The industry circumvents the bans on advertising by surrogate advertising, and the images in alcohol advertising have changed from voluptuous pin-ups (targeting the traditional market of middle-aged male consumers) to depictions of a ‘good life’, aimed clearly at women and youth. This is also an era of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, wher...

Knowing ADHD THE ASIAN AGE. | KAVI BHANDARI Published : Apr 27, 2018, 12:20 am IST Updated : Apr 27, 2018, 12:20 am IST Here’s why it’s important to consult a mental health professional when someone starts showing the symptoms of ADHD. While it is normal to have some inattention or unfocused motor activity, even this slight deviation is unacceptable our society.... .....Some people are hyper all the time. Their attention span is very low and they can’t focus completely. At times they appear naturally high. We talk to psychologists to find out why it happens..... “In clinical terms, hyperactivity is one of the symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which is a developmental disorder in children having low levels of attention and increased hyperactivity. Children with ADHD are unable to sit patiently or wait in queues. The origin of this disorder may be genetic or exposure to certain substances during pregnancy, which might cause structural changes in the brain and i...

Vindhya Vatsyayan came to the 2nd Global NCD Alliance Forum as a youth delegate, eager to learn how to better represent the voices of those who suffer NCDs in silence. Today she is using the knowledge and inspiration gained there to do just that. Here she shares some of her key reflections. My father always keeps an eye on what is happening around the world and where he can send his daughter to learn new things, and that's exactly how I ended up attending the Youth Pre-Forum Workshop at the 2 nd  Global NCD Alliance Forum in Sharjah, UAE. I filled in the application form very meticulously; but honestly, it was quite simple because all I had to do was share my story, experiences and the change I want to see in the world. "People will forget what you did but will remember how you made them feel." - a person living with NCDs It was not just focused on my qualifications, but more on why I feel so strongly for a cause and how I plan to bring change. For the first tim...