Want to live longer?
Published May 27, 2010 | Now, what I am going to reveal you is a ‘public secret’. If you are a person who wants to live more and that too with good health, you have only one option – choose to live in the countryside. This is based on a recent research conducted in London by Office for National Statistics (ONS). The research report states:
“Living in countryside will make you live longer. Those born in village and dispersed areas could expect to live longer than those in town and fringe areas. Even the poorest people fared better in the countryside. Rural poor men lived for a year longer than their urban peers.”
The difference also examined among the older, wealthy migrants from the cities had demonstrable health benefits compared with the life of their urban peers, living in more crowded, less green spaces and served by more pressured public services.
Now, speaking of our Kerala, It’s a state with green luxuries and is now turning to a state that may face extinction on the same. The hot weather Kerala is facing today despite many showers of rain is an after effect of deforestation done by man to nature’s greenery. The cities are getting crowded and more polluted and, every morning we spot a new building sprouting up on another side of the city.
The accommodation business is now foreseeing a new possibility into the countryside building resorts in acres of land. Another painful factor is that the people living in countryside sell out their land for the price that do not even comes close to 1/4 of the price of land in a city. The people living in countryside find it very difficult to maintain acres of land that consists of coconut trees and other crops that are sources of income.
Despite of all this, it’s a fact that people who live in a city are now more on to buying lands in the countryside to spent their holidays. We can reduce global warming and the scorching heat of Kerala if each one of us can contribute by planting more trees and not allowing cutting trees that are already there. Let us also take care to protect the land we have in countryside and live longer!!!
Healthy and hygienic Kerala
Published March 3, 2008 | 
Mar 3: Kerala has long been considered as the top priority tourist destination among the global tourists. The main reason for this is attributed to the tourists-friendly ambiance prevailing in the southern part of India. The backwaters, houseboats, ayurvedic treatment packages, verdant landscapes and lot more inimitable qualities perfectly blend together to make Kerala an ideal destination that offer both rural calm and urban charm.
In the health care sector Kerala is considered as the role model for the rest of the country. Personal and public hygiene are the hallmark of Kerala, the alertness of the government and its willingness to take appropriate measures to implement preventive strategies to get rid of major epidemics is appreciable. As part of the National Malaria Eradication Programme right from the year 1965, the Kerala government took comprehensive measures to drive Malaria out of the state.
An expert committee was appointed in 1995 to ensure that the state is well protected from the threat of Malaria. The state is completely free from Malaria and other outbreaks and it is very much hygienic that stands very close to the nature. So don’t waste time to take preventive health pills, just relish irresistible pleasure from your outing to God’s own country. Get ready with your backpacks enjoy the charm and cheer offered by enchanting Kerala.
Medical tourism- the catchword for Kerala
Published February 2, 2008 | 
Kochi: Kerala holds an enviable repute of a model state where quality health care is accessible to all sections of the society. It goes without saying that the traditional alternative medical therapy of Ayurveda, which helps to rejuvenate and revitalize the body has always been popular among health watchers and both Indian and Foreign tourists.
However, many tourists touch down Kerala not for just experiencing the healing touch of Ayurveda but also to make use of the world class hospitals well backed up by a team of expert doctors and paramedical staffs to avail quality treatment options at a fraction of the costs in their country. Kerala is a state that takes pride in 100% literate society and quite naturally has one of the biggest pool pf qualified health professional to cater to the burgeoning needs.
These days, patients from far off countries such as the EU, the USA, Africa and Australia among others flock to Kerala hospitals for various surgical procedures, infertility treatments, dental implants and organ transplants. The exorbitant fees for medical procedures in their home countries have made the patients from the West and the Middle East to turn their glance towards Kerala.
Kerala has many doctors who have trained or worked abroad who have since returned to their homeland to work. It goes without saying that their reputation has indeed led to the surge in the Medical Tourism industry in Kerala. Kerala Tourism Department and many other private tour operators provide attractive tour packages that combine medical treatment with an unbeatable vacation in Kerala India. Superior hospital facilities, pre and post-operative care and a pleasant climate make Kerala a popular choice for medical treatment and recovery.
Kerala has many most modern hospitals that employ the state of the art facilities and treatment options. General Surgery for various medical conditions such as thoracic, abdominal and pelvic surgery, orthopedic implants, cancer treatments etc are performed in many hospitals in Kerala including Malabar hospital, Kozhikode, Specialist’s Hospital, Ernakulam, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Ernakulam, Atingal Multispeciality Hospital, Trivandrum and many, many more.
Highly complicated organ implants are also conducted in many Kerala hospitals. In many cases these are life threatening conditions which require emergency intervention. Hospitals in Kerala focus on providing complete medical care solutions and have well-equipped operation theatres, trained trauma and critical care teams and the back-up support of labs and blood banks, to deal with any emergencies.
3 Crore earmarked for eco tourism projects in Kerala
Published January 15, 2008 | 
Kuttiyadi, Kozhikode: The State Government has allocated a 3 Crore budget outlay for promoting ecotourism projects in the state for the year 2008. Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the eco tourism spot at Janakikkad, 7 Km from kuttiyadi. This project was developed to spread awareness on ecotourism apart from offering the stunning natural spectacles to the visitors. It is located at a sprawling 131 hectares of breathtakingly beautiful land on the banks of the Kuttiyadi River without marring the natural beauty of the surroundings. Visitors would have facilities for trekking, rafting, bird-watching, butterfly tracking and bathing in the river. The Kerala Forest Department would be implementing the project, in association with the Janakikkad Forest Protection Committee.
It is proposed to start ecotourism projects at 75 selected places of which work in 47 centers has already started and nineteen projects have already thrown open to the public. Special emphasis has been given to develop the tourist spots in the Malabar region such as Peruvannamozhi, Thusharagiri and Kakkayam among others. To provide further impetus to the tourism projects in this region, the State Government has allocated almost 50 percent of the total funds. Apart from this a subsidy of 15 percent would be provided to tourism promoters and entrepreneurs making investments in Malabar. It has many untapped regions, worth exploring, which makes it a hot spot for ecotourism projects.
The Tourism Department is planning joint tourism ventures with the assistance of the departments of Forest, Environment, Water Resources, Kerala State Electricity Board Fisheries and Health. The latest entrants in the tourist map of health and hydel tourism are pointers of this new trend. With the introduction of the monsoon tourism package, Kerala has become one of the few destinations in the world that caters to tourism all through the year virtually with no lean phase.
Kerala ranks an impressive 10th position in the international tourist map with a healthy 10% increase in the arrival of tourists. While the foreign tourists accounted for 5 lakh footfalls domestic tourists amounted to 65 lakhs. These days, Indians are giving more importance to vacation plans than ever before thanks to the slashed airfares and a buoyant economy. Gone are the days when tourism used to be a privilege of a hand full of the elite and the well heeled of the society. Today the head turning catchphrase of people’s tourism has changed the conventional equations of tourism industry in the contemporary era.
To promote tourism in grass root levels government is planning to provide financial grants to promote tourism clubs in higher secondary schools. Eco tourism projects are sure to benefit the economy of Kerala as it is naturally blessed with lush green forests, hills and perennial rivers, which makes it a class apart from the umpteen cookie cutter destinations.
Kochi beckons fitness freaks
Published January 8, 2008 | 
Fitness regimens of Kochites are no longer just early morning strolls or a bout of tennis in their patio! City folks have plunged head long into some of the latest training modes from aerobics to weight training and more. The six pack abs of matinee idols and pin up models has gone a long way in inspiring the city folks to notch up the ‘look good’ factor as never before. Almost all the city folks irrespective of age or sex have fallen head over heels on the fitness fad. The latest catchphrase of Kochites seems to dress better, to look great and to feel good. People are ready to experiment new techniques and state of the art facilities, which were not thought possible a few years back; even though it might mean breaking their bank.
Kochi of today is a happening place for fitness buffs and nearly every health conscious men and women make sure to work out in a gym at least 5 times a week. There are dime a dozen fitness centers such as Zest for Life, one of the earliest fitness centers in the city. In addition Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium is a haven for fitness freaks as it has an array of impressive line up of activities such as tennis, swimming and weight training for its privileged members. Kochi is festooned with many body building gymkhanas as well, which pack a punch to the abs building dreams of Kochites. Weight lifting has caught up the fancy of even women today, which spells out the dramatic change Kochi has witnessed it the fitness segment in the recent past.
Aerobics and machine based training are hot favorites among all classes and there are qualified trainers to ensure that the users get the maximum benefit. Pilates is a relatively new concept that is used in perfecting the mind- body co-ordination. Did you know that dance, Yoga or sports are the best options of cardio exercises? Exercise is not everything about making you trim and prim but also in making you feel good. Remember, obesity is more of a medical problem rather than just a cosmetic problem.
There are many innovative work outs like the pool aerobics offered by Talwalkar fitness centre, which conduct aerobics steps in a swimming pool making it fun and effective all at once. Medicine balls or bands, used to firm up the lower back are some other piping hot options. It works magic on your spine and what more, all these widgets are easily available in the local sports stores.