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Anxiety can lead to stroke
Dr. Turin Chowdhury
Anxiety can have direct negative effect on our health sometimes. Continuous anxiety-related stress leads us to higher blood pressure increasing the risk of stroke or any acute sudden cardiac incident.
Anxiety disorders: Feeling worried or getting nervous from time to time is normal in our day-to-day life. However, there are times or situations when anxiety is severe. At such times one may have feelings of helplessness, confusion and extreme worry. In some people these feelings are out of proportion. Anxiety that becomes overwhelming and interferes with daily life is not normal. This type of anxiety can cause physical and emotional symptoms. Anxiety disorders occur when people have both physical and emotional symptoms. Anxiety disorders interfere with personal relationships with others and affect daily activities. The symptoms of anxiety can be considered in two aspects:
Physical symptoms of anxiety: Physical expressions of the symptoms may include-
* Visible trembling, unintentional twitching or shaking of hands, legs or the whole body depending on the severity of anxiety situation.
* Feeling of fullness in the throat or chest.
* Breathlessness or difficulty of breathing and very rapid heartbeat.
* Feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness.
* Profuse sweating or cold, clammy hands.
* Feeling fatigue.
* Complaints of inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, early waking or restless, unsatisfying sleep and sleep problems.
Mental symptoms of anxiety: The mental symptoms of anxiety make it difficult for a person to communicate with the surroundings effectively and reasonably. Emotional symptoms of anxiety include:
* Being unable to express oneself due to uncontrollable restlessness.
* Feeling of excessive worrying without reason.
* Inability to concentrate
* Constant irritability
* Constant feelings of sadness.
Anxiety and stroke: Till now the idea is like this, that anxiety itself does not cause persistent high blood pressure problem. Rather it can cause temporary high blood pressure levels leading to grim consequences.
If these temporary but sudden episodes occur frequently, they can cause just as much damage to the blood vessels, heart and kidneys as persistent high blood pressure can. Anxiety has not yet been identified to be a reason directly behind hypertension. When a person is anxious, he or she is more likely to be inclined towards unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking or overeating, which, in turn, can increase risk of high blood pressure. It is truer for people who are already having the risk factors of hypertension problem among them. People who already have hypertension, a diet high in salt may further increase their risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage.
Management: Self management, combined with professional treatment, can help relieve anxiety.
First of all one has to recognise and accept that he or she has an anxiety problem about specific fears or situations, and then make a plan for dealing with them. For example, if one may have constant worrying about financial issues and have anxiety problem regarding those issues. Friends and family have a great role here to make the person understand that he or she is undergoing an anxiety problem and it should be taken care of and the care has to be special.
Secondly, we can relieve tension with exercise or massage on a regular basis. There are quite a number of relaxation techniques which one can practise and get benefit from them. Getting enough rest is also important. Sleep problems should be discussed with the specialists rather than just taking sleeping pills.
Thirdly, any sort of stimulating food or drinks should be avoided. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, and nicotine. Stop smoking. They can increase anxiety level. On the other hand a healthy balanced diet will in the long run maintain a healthy body. Finally, trying to refresh mind is also very important. Try to get out and do something enjoyable. A good idea is to get involved in social groups, or volunteer to help others.
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The world of dictionaries
Faizul Latif
Some fifty years ago the dictionary was still used widely. Looking it up while reading was tiresome. So the word or words waiting to be unravelled were marked in the book they were found in and later their meanings were noted from a dictionary. The habit of consulting the dictionary is rewarding. It makes one familiar with words and their usage and thus helps to better one's grasp of a language. But this habit is out of favour these days.
No matter what people say about the aptitude for language being higher today than ever before, yet truly speaking the ability with words has gone down a little. This fact may perhaps be noticed in the books which are mass-produced in the book industry: a term popularly applied to the abundance of publication. Take the English language, for instance. Even those well-versed in it may occasionally commit the fault of wording it loosely and the result can be a lack of lucidity and directness of expression. This brings up the matter of the dictionary once again and how people's minds are not exercised in the craft of language through the disuse of the dictionary.
Of course reading a dictionary to while away time does not make as much sense as referring to it to satisfy curiosity as to the signification of an unknown word (or words) that "swim into the ken" in the course of reading. However it is not to be gainsaid that reading the dictionary for its own sake has a salutary effect of its own.
A certain dictionary had taken the fancy of past generations of readers though it does not affect readers of the present day in the same way. They remain oblivious of the dictionary's existence and of the eminent progenitor of its prototype. Yet it is the dictionary of dictionaries because all latter (English) ones derive from it. The Oxford English Dictionary is meant here.
Few hold the OED and its significance in their memories now and in these parts it is virtually unknown because of its formidable twelve or thirteen-volume length. It began life as the crowning achievement of Dr. (Samuel) Johnson at his fairly advanced age. This man of letters and literature par excellence was famous for his wit and wisdom. But he was as much remarkable for his humour as for his wit. His humour found expression in his dictionary as it did in the company of his outstanding friends at a particular Coffee House in London. In his dictionary 'oats' is described as "something men eat in Scotland and horses eat in England." There are other definitions in the first ever English dictionary which are marked by hilarity and mirth. It happened when Doctor Johnson was visiting Scotland he had got a bit under the wind and weather of that land. On that occasion he had remarked in his customary light-hearted manner that "the best road in Scotland is the one that led out of it." Indeed it was not the intention of the benevolent Dr. Johnson to be derisive.
Such is the sense of humour of the English that when they have a dig at someone it is not with malice that they do so, indeed no. The humour lies in the way of saying a thing, not in what is said. The fun is in the words and not in the substance.
In fact Dr. Johnson had a fondness for Scotland and its people and his biographer was Boswell, a Scot, whom he had met after his great feat of the dictionary had been achieved. Boswell's life of Dr. Johnson ranks among the hest biographies in the English language. The Johnson dictionary is the essence of the colossal work that has come to be the OED through the diligence of teams of scholars - lexicographers down the ages. The germ of the OED of course came from Dr. Johnson. The shorter version of the OED called the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is itself extensive. It ran to two immense volumes in close-set types and the shorter OED came complete with magnifying glass. Today it might have gone to three volumes and is of less than academic interest in this part of the world.
The dictionary that gives the widest range of English words and is set out in fine pithy language is Chamber's 20th Century Dictionary. Its red binding takes one back to earlier period. It is truly a font of words and a true mentor, if you will. But the later lexican from the same house, namely, the dark blue-coloured Chamber's 21st Century Dictionary is nowhere near being the successor to the '20th century' volume. It is the kind of work that suits the advance learner but does not serve the purpose of its "20th century" precursor. There are men and women who still go to a dictionary for words and meaning and yearn for Chamber's '20th Century" (with its red bind). It is a kind of extract of the OED and is top draw.
The American dictionary which is also obtained from the OED is Webster's and its success across the world wherever English is read, is a measure of its high worth. Another American dictionary widely acclaimed in some academic circles at least is the New Standard (English) Dictionary and a four volume affair. It may provide enrichment of vocabulary for generations to come in a family with a proclivity for the language.
Here, select and fovoured English dictionaries are not to be had nor are books. The reading public around here is a narrow and exclusive band of women and men and it is small wonder that good English dictionaries and paper-backs of preference do not occupy book-sellers' shelves. But however this may be, this wordy matter (for what it is worth) must stop here.
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Colonial rule in Bengal began after Palashi tragedy
S A Hannan
In Bangladesh a number of organisations observed the 23rd day of June as Palashi Day, the day on which the British forces under the command of Clive defeated Mirza Muhammad Sirajuddowla, the independent ruler of Bengal. The place of occurrence was the field of Palashy, now in West Bengal of India.
There was no real fighting as the commander-in- chief of the army of Sirajuddowla, Mir Zafar Ali Khan, was already won over by bribing and the army did not act. The British came for trading but gradually made fortifications and raised armed forces and made plan to take over political power. The battle in 1757 was the beginning of taking over Bengal by the Britishers, first in the name of East India Company and later on directly. Afterwards the European imperial powers colonised almost the whole of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Australia.
Betrayal
History has proved that this was done for basically plundering of the rest of the world by the European powers of that time. It was indeed treachery and immorality of the highest order.
Sirajuddowla was a young man but he was betrayed by a part of the then business interest, military generals and officials of his government. It is strange that moral standard of a part of Bengal elite at that time was so low. This requires a separate study why it was so. Even now the people in the sub-continent are suspicious about foreign companies as they may try to take power in weaker countries in a covered manner.
British historians
The British historians and their admirers made false stories about the ineptness and character of Sirajuddowla. All later studies have shown that it was nothing but character assassination of Siraj as is the general habit of the victors to malign the vanquished.
Sirajuddowla is a symbol of resistance against colonialists. Though the day has been observed in many places with due spirit we have been dismayed by almost blackout of its news in a number of well-known dailies. Only a few newspapers have covered it properly. What is the purpose of not properly presenting or blacking out this significant event. Those who love independence of Bangladesh will always remember Siraj as a great patriot who made supreme sacrifice for the cause of his motherland Bengal.
Sirajuddowla was the grandson of Nawab Alivardi Khan and son of Amina Begum and Zainuddin Ahmad Khan. He was born in 1733 and soon after his birth Alivardi Khan was appointed the Governor of Bihar. So Sirajuddowla was regarded as a 'fortune child' in the family and his grandfather had special affection and favour for him. It is stated that Alivardi had given his heart to Sirajuddowla from the day of his birth and 'never kept him apart from himself'.
The old nawab had Siraj educated in his house. According to Muzaffarnamah of Karam Ali, Alivardi Khan trained him in the art of governance and other qualities that go with a crown prince.
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