Blog# 15

What are some possible strategies for women to use in finding balance in their professional, educational and personal lives?

Women are always busy. They always take of their house, children or family. Most of the women are also busy building their careers. They go to college, work as professionals.So, this is not an easy task for them to balance all these responsibilities. However, they can find a balance to run all these tasks smoothly.For an example; woman should seek a help from their family members to do household works if she has a job or she goes to college.All tasks should be divided in between all family members so that women could get more time to focus on her professonal or educational lives.If she goes to college, she should focus on her study.I don't think in today's western environment, any women spend a lot of time on household works because most of them are engaged in some kind of job outside the home.So, being a man, i have to understand that all women should get equal opportunity to pursue their career and we, men should encourage them by helping them on household works so that they can focus on their professonal or educational lives and find a balance in between them.

Blog# 14

What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault?

There are various things woman can do to reduce her risk of assault. Sometimes assault could happen inside a family by her own family members. This type of assault could be her biggest challenge as women try to hide these things because they think it would ruin her relationships. However, women should take a strict measure to avoid these kind of domestic assaults by informing to a law inforcement program. Most of the time when women go out they should make sure they are not creating the environment which could encourage the risky situation and could led to the attack.For an example, most of the women are assaulted by their own coworkers, college friends when they are drunk.So, she should make sure that nobody is going to take an advantage of her unconscious behaviors.Checking the house before going to sleep, checking inside a car before getting into it, avoiding lonely places are some of the things that she can take care of to avoid the risk of being attacked. Today's market provides women different types of security related equipments that could help them to get away with the risks. For an example, my sister always carry a pepper spray which could carried inside a hand bag and extremely helpful to save herself from any kind of assault.When going out, she should always inform her parents and friends about the schedule and with whom she is going out.So, there are many small things that we can take care of to avoid the risks of assault.So being a careful citizen could avoid women to reduce the risk of assault.

Blog# 13

Is it better to put drug addicts in jail or to send them to mandatory drug treatment programs?

I think drug addicts should be put on a mandatory drug treatment rather than a jail.Drug addiction is a serious problem and it should be treated with a care and a direct observation of doctors or rehab centers.We should not label drug addicts as criminals as it involves a great psychological disorder which simply can't be treated by isolating the victims for en example; putting in jail.However, we should watch their behaviors on a regular basis and force them to get involve in treatment procedure which might vary from person to person and on the basis of level of addiction.If we put drug addicts in jail then the risk of withdrawal and depression on those addicts might increase which could led to various problems.Can we take away the freedom of those people simply because they don't have control over their habits? the answer is obviously no. Drug addiction should be treated using various type of therapies.However, isolating them from rest of the world and putting them in a dark room inside a jail is not a solution.Drug addicts need help from people like us who can understand the depth of their disease. Drug addiction involves a lot of mental issues. Some drug addicts might develop suicidal thoughts simply putting them in jail and some drug addicts might even develop criminal behaviors.So, the best idea is to help them out finding out the best treatment and sending them in a mandatory treatment program.If given chance drug addicts might overcome their addiction and contribute to the society and country's development. However, putting them in jail is a kind of punishment and we should avoid that.

Blog# 12

Have you ever known someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing them?

Mental illness is a big health issue in most of the low or middle income countries.It impacts a patient's physical as well as psychological wellness. Mental illness is also associated with many sociocultural aspects.This disease might not be a big issue in developed countries but some developing countries still label this disease as a disease carried out by crazy people,some society label it as an outcome of evil deeds etc. The society where i grew up is a good example of this social stigma.I have seen many mentally challenged people living under a miserable condition without getting a proper treatment simply because society labeled them as crazy.When i was a little kid i used to think that all mentally challenged people are crazy and they deserve a secluded life. This kind of negative impact has been carried out by our own social norms and rituals.However, this negative thoughts changed later when i grew up.When i was about seven years old, there used to be this lady who was suffering from some kind of mental disorder. She used to talk a lot and roam around society all the time. Later, when she was taken to the local hospital, the doctor labeled her as a mentally ill person.Her condition later deteriorated and she was on the verge of psychological disorder.She spent her days inside a room where the door was locked from outside all the time. She was withdrawn from the school and she was isolated from her friends all the time. Later when condition became worst, the society told her parents to take her to India where the diagnosis of this disease was easy.She was taken to India and she spent there inside a mental hospital for four months. When she came back her condition was good. She later talked about the physical abuse that she went through during her entire illness. She was given electric shock whenever her condition became worst and she was beaten and kept inside a dark room for hours.She was given all kind of tranquilizers.Due to her illness her family members had to go through a lot of social abuse. People in the society labeled her family as a crazy family.They also came out with a stereotype that all of her family members are crazy.So, i have seen this incidence through my own eyes and the pain that she faced, the social denial that she went through was really a miserable situation.When i used to see her in a chain inside a dark room, my childish brain used to think that may be all people who are mentally challenged should be kept inside a dark room and subjected to be isolated from the society. But, later when i got a good information about the disease from my parents and teachers, i felt that my society was practicing a cruel way of treating these people keeping them inside a dark room, beating and giving them electric shocks.So, when a person goes through this disease, then her whole family members are also subjected to be crazy.So, the person who are diagnosed with this disease not only faces a mental health issue but also social denials, isolation and sometimes physical abuse.

Blog# 11

If everyone lived "with our future in mind", do you think that we would live differently? (different habits, behaviors, etc)

Being concerned about your health is also a part of your physical and mental wellness.If all people in our society would think about the negative consequences that their unhealthy behaviors bring, then today, our society would be living under a different environment.We all should know the fact that our good health is an outcome of our healthy choices that we make in our daily lifestyles wheather it's associated with the dietary suppliments or exercise.Just imagine how many people die from lung cancer each year related to smoking habits? Today, people are involved in more careless behaviors in the name of modern lifestyle.For an example; people are consuming more fast foods than ever.School children have a negative influence of smoking habit.Some people have started smoking because they think it is a part of their personality.So, it's obvious that people are following unhealthy behaviors even if these behaviors are reducing the quality of their health.However, these unhealthy behaviors could be changed into something good habits which will increase the quality of their life.Many people do not realize that they are associated with bad habits untill and unless they get negative outcomes such as diseases.If people would be ready to change their smoking habits,millions of people would be saved from lung cancers,if people would be ready to quit unnecessary junk foods, people would be saving both money and health .Healthy people means a healthy society, and a healthy nation. So,if people would practice healthy behaviors, our society would face less problems related to diseases, government have to spend less on medicare and health related problems.So, a key factor to a healthy environment and a nation is the healthy behaviors that people will follow.The more healthy behaviors that we follow,the more benefits we will get associated with the health.

Blog# 10

Heart Disease and Potential Risk Factors:

There are no cases of any kind of casualties or diseases related to heart in my family’s medical history. However, my family members are aware of potential risk factors related to heart disease and its consequences. Heart disease is a deadly disease and millions of people die each year from this disease. There are various risk factors related to heart disease. Some factors are not under our control such as heredity related problems. However, some factors could be controlled such as environmental aspects, cultural, socio economical and educational. Urban areas such as big cities produce tons of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen, which directly affect the quality of air we breathe. Some chemicals such as lead and carbon monoxide are responsible for decreasing the oxygen carrying capacity of blood and affect the quality of our heart. Second hand smoking that is also called “ETS” (environmental tobacco smoke) is also an environmental factor that affects our heart and its functions. Culture is another factor which impacts the prevalence if this disease. Cultural beliefs are also among the important factors that impact the prevalence of cardio related disease. There are many cultures all around the world that practice unhealthy behaviors, which might contribute to increase the risk of heart related diseases. Cultural norms and values are sometimes labeled as risk factors which might help developing heart related diseases such as; hypertension, stroke, heart attacks. Cultures also directly influence the way we eat and exercise. Almost all cultures have their own dietary guidelines and unhealthy diets are the main cause of heart diseases. For an example; there are certain tribes in Nepal who smoke and drink a lot. Their diet contains lot of fats and oils, which might increase the cholesterol level of our body. These tribes also smoke home made cigars and “ Hookah” (a form of smoke) and they practice these unhealthy behaviors as a part of their cultural perspectives, which increase the risks of heart diseases. People’s unhealthy behavior such as a lack of exercise is also a risk factor related to heart disease. If you don’t exercise and spend your time sitting on a couch watching television, you are most likely to suffer from obesity and cardio related diseases. So, exercise plays a vital role, which helps our heart to remain healthy and function properly. Education is an essential part of our life because it helps us to make a good and a healthy choice in our daily lifestyle. Education helps us to know the risk factors that impact our heart and its functions. Education helps people to recognize the potential risk factors associated with a diet choice and heart related disease.

Shisheer Guragain

Blog # 9

How was the issue of food and weight discussed in your home? Was it ever a control issue or a point of conflict for you? How much influence do you believe your family has on the way you feel about food and your body today?

My family never had any kind of big issues related to food or weight. I still remember my mother feeding us different types of meals on a regular basis which was an example of a perfect diet. My mother is a health and environment teacher in a local school and my father is a district education officer who monitors hundreds of schools within a district. Being a health teacher my mother definitely knew all about a healthy and balanced diet. Inside a house, I used to eat whatever my mother used to cook and those diets were fresh and healthy. However, my parents were not satisfied with my body image. I was a typical skinny high school guy. My friends often called me a “stick” as I was the tallest and skinny guy among the all classmates. This skinny body image sometimes had a negative impact on me. I often had a discussion with my mother about this matter and I used to ask her, “why I couldn’t gain some weight and be a muscular guy?” This was definitely a negative influence of media and society’s so called “glamorous body image”. However, I never thought I had any kind of eating disorders or unhealthy diet. My parents believed that obesity brings a lot of health problems and it’s better to be a skinny guy, yet a healthy person rather than being a fat person. My family always focused on a healthy diet lifestyle rather than delicious food eating lifestyle which is often a big problem among all Nepalese people who often eat spicy, hot and oily foods. My parents never had any kind of restrictions over the foods that me and my sister ate. However, my parents considered binge eating and skipping meals as an unhealthy eating habit. Those family beliefs and teachings still influence my eating habits. My mother still calls me sometimes just to check what kind of foods I am eating. She often gets afraid of all those junk foods that we eat here in the United States and tells me to cook my own meal at home. So, somehow I believe that we are all influenced by those eating habits that we practiced in our childhood and some habits imposed by our parents during our early childhood.

Blog# 8 Menopause and Cultural Perspectives

Menopause could be a topic of fear and embarrassment for many women throughout the world but in medical term it is labeled as the end of menstruation which means that women, no longer be able to bear a child. Menopause could be a painful phenomenon for many women but physiological effects are more painful because in many cultures it has been viewed as a negative event. For an example, Menopause has been perceived in the United States as a difficult time for women, during which they experience uncontrollable moodiness, irritability, and depression ( Alexander et. Al, 2010) In Nepal, menopause is seen as a positive natural phenomenon. When Women and girls are having their regular menstrual cycles, they are not allowed to enter temples (a place where Hindu people go to worship) because it is seen as a sin to allow women to the temples when they are having menstrual cycles. Women are not allowed to cook or enter to the kitchen when they are having menstrual cycles. So, when menstruation stops or menopause starts, women feel themselves very delighted because many social restrictions they are facing no longer will be able to bother them. They are also given more respect as this phenomena is seen as gateway to an elderly life. In some of the Nepalese tribes, menopause is celebrated like other common festivals and it is believed that women have now gained a state of purity. In rural Nepal, some tribes force women to stay outside the home during the 4-5 days of menstrual period because they think it’s against the god’s will to allow them to enter the home. This cultural practice could be found in many educated families too. So, In Nepal’s context menopause is something related with the freedom of negative cultural practices. So, women will definitely be able to overcome this cultural burden once they go through this cycle regardless of physical pain they go through.

Works Cited:
Alexander et al. (2010). New dimensions in women’s health. 5th ed. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Blog # 7

Many people equate STDs with immorality, promiscuous behavior and low social status. What are you thoughts on this statement?

Transmission of STDs are definitely a result of many careless sexual behaviors that people practice. However, sometimes it can be transmitted to an innocent people by their partners who suffer from this disease. I wouldn't say STDs are carried out by some kind of specific population but i think STDs easily affect those people who practice sex with more than one person without taking proper precautions. However, defination of a sexual practice with more than one partner could be labeled as immorality and promiscuous behavior by the society in one part of the world and same opinions could be labeled as a modern civilization in another part of the world. So, the question is whose socio-standards are relevant regarding to the transmission of STDs? For, example, i grew up in a society in Nepal where people usually hide these diseases because of a social denial. A person who practice sex with more than one person is labeled as a characterless and of lower moral standards. However, in United States people are involved in multiple sexual relationships and it's still valid.Some organizations have revelaed that widow and teenagers are among those people who are affected the most. But i would say that these STDs diseases have no barriers and could affect anyone whether they are old, young or teenagers but in my opinion STDs are really a problem of those people who practice unsafe sex with more than one person but i don't want to label them as low moral personalities. However, we can't deny the fact that some people tend to have developed those promiscuous behaviors and they are the most susceptible to these kind of diseases. So, it's people and their careless sexual behaviors who transmit and develop the STDs but i don't think it's an appropriate approach to label their behaviors as promiscuous and immoral acts.

Blog# 6

I think having children is a great responsibility in this 21st century's context. We all dream about having a family and children but i am not just prepared for this at least for some years because for me, career comes first. It's not that i am trying to escape from a responsibility of having a family and children but in my opinion we all have to think that whether you will be able to give your children enough time and care that they deserve? If not then there is no point of having children. My parents got married when they were 21 years old the they had their first baby when they were 24. My mother still gets angry when my father didn't come to visit her when i was born because he was too busy chasing his dreams and career. It was 20 years ago but now the time has changed. Today, childcare is one of the most important topic for all new parents who are planning to have children. Today's society and education that we are getting teaches us to take this matter seriously and raise our children with our presence all the time. But i am afraid that if i marry right now and have children i won't be able to cope with all these problems, like; family time, childcare and i don't expect that from my wife too because here in the United States we are all busy chasing our goals and career. I think when we talk about having children we are not just talking about our needs but we will have to consider basic children needs too which includes; adequate love, discipline and moral values. At the moment i am not sure how can i play my role of being a wonderful father and that what bothers me all the time. It's not that i don't want to have any children in my life but i think i am not prepared to be that father who can spend more time with his children and bear a responsibility of raising them nicely with a good learning environment.

Blog# 5 Contraception

In what ways could someone's culture, beliefs and practices influence contraceptive decision making? Provide thorough examples based on some of your readings and your own personal experiences. What were the beliefs about birth control/contraception within your own home and family?

It's true that in some places people's daily life activities are directly associated with the place's cultural norms and values. Family planning and acceptance of contraception are still a taboo in many cultural beliefs around the world. Even though today's 21st century has developed different types of educational materials to teach people about the use of contraception, some cultural beliefs still play a big role of whether to accept the use of contraception or not and the use of contraception is still seen as a sin in many cultures all around the world. For example, In many Muslim cultures , the use of contraception is forbidden because they believe that reproduction is a god gifted thing which shouldn't be ruined by the use of contraception. The Roman Catholic church still forbids the use of barrier methods of contraception which is seen as a some kind of abortion. So, i think our cultural values, beliefs really influence our decision of using contraception. In my family the use of contraception was discussed very often because both of my parents were also the teachers in my school and i got that teaching environment all the time whether it's in school or home. I still remember my mother helping out those uneducated women to know about the use of different types of contraception and their advantages. Sometimes the situation used to become very tensed as their husbands try to force their women not to follow the teachings that my mother used to give. I grew up in a small society of a North Eastern Nepal where people were so religious and in some cultures the use of any means of contraceptives were seen as a sin at that time. But, after some years their religious beliefs and norms were changed due to excessive learning environments about the family plannings and the use of contraceptives. So, i think misconceptions still do exist in many society where the birth control and the use of contraception are forbidden but we can change that by the means of education and other learning environment.

Blog # 4

Should sex education be taught in the nation’s public schools, and if so, what kind of education should be provided? (Abstinence-only? Abstinence-plus?)

Millions of people die each year from Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. These diseases are spreading rapidly among the teens and young generations due to a lack of appropriate sex education. There is no doubt that these diseases could be controlled if we provide a good sex education to our people, especially youth. I am positive about implying sex education throughout our nation's public schools and making our young generations beware of sexually transmitted diseases. However, today's main concern and dilemma is what kind of education should we imply? and whether it is Abstinence -only or Abstinence- plus? Being abstain from sexual activities could bring out some serious consequences among young people. So, i don't think abstinence- only will work out to stop youth from being involved in unsafe sex practice. However, in my opinion the idea of using abstinence-plus could be a beneficial for all of us and especially to youth as it focuses on both aspects of sex education i.e., preventive aspects by using contraceptives and discouraging youth being involve in sexual activities before marriage or before they become capable of making right decisions. This abstinence-plus education will teach youth how to avoid unsafe sexual activities and also give them a good knowledge about the contraceptives. But, both techniques have pros and cons and what i think is, it really doesn't matter which approach we take as long as it is associated with the prevention of STD s but one thing for sure is that if we provide a good sex education in our schools i.e., to youth then they will definitely imply the same education in their future and practice the same safe sex methods including use of contraceptives.

Blog # 3

How can we encourage adolescents to follow healthy behaviors? Any ideas for parents, healthcare providers, health educators, media, society, etc?

In my opinion there is no better school than your own home and no better teachers than your own parents. Today's 21st century may have provided millions of youth a sophisticated learning environment but parent's knowledge and their influences are always important on their children. If parents could teach their children how to follow healthy behaviors, we can definetly lighten the load that health educators and media are facing. First, parents have to set themselves as an good example. Parental time is so important for children and it's the time when they get instructions and lessons of a daily life activities from their parents. During this time parents should teach their children about healthy behaviors including sex education. Parents should know about the outside influence on their childern including media and internet. It's a universal truth that children watch and imitate parents. So, it's very important that the parents should establish a healthy diet habit and positive comments infront of their children. I have seen that many of my friend's parents still hesitate talking about the sex education and they think that their children will definetly going to find out and learn about those stuffs when they get older.But, the fact is parents should tell them and educate before they embrace some bad attitudes towards a healthy behavior. Healthy behaviors could be anything ,from healthy diet habit to a safe sex practice and i think parents should be more educated to handle this kind of behaviors which directly influence their children.

Blog # 2

Do you believe that access to healthcare is a right or a privilege?

A nation where 45 million people are uninsured and many more still can't afford to go for a minor check up, i think healthcare should be a right not a privilege. We just can't ignore the fact that a nation's progress entirely depends upon it's people health and giving access to healthcare to all people regardless of race, gender and socio or economic status could be an incentive approach towards an establishment of a sound healthcare system. However, today people are given opportunities on the basis of his/her economic status. I think Our entire healthcare system shouldn't run on the basis of so called money minded government. Thousands of people get sick but can't go for a treatment early untill the last minutes when only emergency care could be provided because lot of people can't afford the regular treatment due to poor income status. So,i think we must end all these disparities and provide everyone with comprehensive health coverage. If we think that healthcare should be a privilege then we won't be able to gather everyone under a same condition where all people won't be ignored for at least a basic healthcare. So, healthcare should be a right, not just a privilege to some who could get all benefits. It should be a right guaranteed to all people.

TWU -HS 3133.50 Blog # 1

What health issues you are most concerned about? Why? Interview 2-3 women (different ages, ethnicities and/or cultures if possible) and ask them the same question. Are your concerns similar or different? Explain.

My biggest concern about the health issues are Diabetes and Obesity. Obesity and Diabetes lead to many diseases and today these problems are growing day by day all around the world. These problems occur due to unhealthy diet habits and lazy lifestyles. But for me, it comes with our family health history as my uncle and grandfather were diagonized with type-2 diabetes. Obesity could lead to heart related diseases. Today, obesity is one of the most concerned health related issues in America as young children are being overweight and diagonized with diabetes and other problems.

For, this blog purpose i decided to interview two women of different ages and backgrounds. First, Monica, a 22 year old lady from India told me that her biggest concern is related to AIDS. She told me thousands of people die each year in India and other parts of the world with this disease and there is no cure for it. She also told me that people are still lacking a good knowledge about preventing this disease so that they are still involved in unhealthy and unsafe sex activities.

Second lady, Qurina, 23 year old student from Nepal told me that her biggest concern is health insurance. She thinks that being an international student she couldn't afford to get a good insurance program and university's insurance only covers minimum health coverage. So, she is always afraid of getting into a health related problems and expenses that could make her life miserable.

So, in my opinion, AIDS is a big concern all around the world and specially for women as they are more vunerable of getting abused by their male partners and unsafe sex practice. Health insurance is also a big concern as we might not afford to go to the hospitals when we become ill due to the cost of high insurance fees and minimum coverage.