Guides to good health

ONE OF the useful purposes for which the net can be used, apart from education, research and news is to gather information about everyday life that will be of practical use. Take health, for example.

To live healthily one needs not only good food and a clean environment but also knowledge of what to eat, when and how much. And what does one do if one falls sick? One need not rush to the doctor for educated people are supposed to know what to do in emergencies. In general, common sense about health matters are vital.

Health professionals themselves have opened websites offering information that acts as practical guide to healthy living. One such useful site is www.thehealthmantra.com. To start with you can ask questions on various problems but they must be general in nature. The doctors take care to warn you that the answers are only explanatory and for remedies you have to consult your physician.

The site is special in the sense that it is a place where you can find medical and health information about children, youth, and the elderly. For women there is a separate section. This is a bold site which provides information of value. Addiction to drugs, teen pregnancy, use of Viagra and such subjects are not taboo on this site. Adolescents and the youth ought to read the information given as it is of great use.

The doctors do emphasise that the body cannot be shipshape only by means of food and medicine. You have alternative systems like yoga and meditation. These are discussed in the spiritual health segment. In tune with the interest that abounds in the modern world about body and sex, discussions on healthy sexual life form part of this comprehensive website.

You can locate a doctor of any speciality in key cities of India through this site.

www.growingwell.com

The health of children is of utmost importance not only to parents but to the nation as only healthy children ensure a better future for the nation. This exclusive Indian site is an excellent guide on the net for those who are interested in the health of their offspring. To spare the rod or not is the question that is posed in the latest update on the site. It goes on to explain what is discipline and how to discipline children. In an age when parents and teachers tend to treat tiny tots like machines merely to get marks, honours and accolades without bothering about their mental and physical health, this site comes as a great relief.

At each and every stage of the growth of a child there are special problems and challenges. To meet such a demand the site offers guidance from the first month up to 12 years. If you log in to the section pertaining to 10-year-olds, for example, it tells you about peer problems and also reminds you that your child is due for his typhoid and tetanus toxoid shots.

There is a corner for mothers on this site where opinions are aired and special problems discussed. A panel of doctors offers free advice on medical problems affecting your child if you choose to shoot questions at them. Live chats with medical specialists and experts on child care are also organised. Registration is free on the site.

Contests are organised by the site managers and prizes are up for grabs for the parents of healthy children who have to send photos of their kids.

Teachers and school authorities also have a great responsibility to look after the mental and physical health of children. How can they do it in the present scenario where it is study, study and study alone that matters? Schools can just enrol with an NGO called School Health Annual Report Programme (SHARP) which maintains a website at www.5q.com/schoolin/.

Health records of school children are kept and maintained online and the advice of medical and other experts sought and given. This will be a useful forum for all schools as computer education has assumed importance and select teachers can be entrusted with the job.

Compiled by

K. KIRUBANIDHI

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