Employees who stay at jobs out of a feeling of obligation are prone to several health problems, including exhaustion, stress and burnout, researchers say.

“Our study examined whether some forms of commitment to an organization could have detrimental effects, such as emotional exhaustion and, eventually, turnover,” study co-author Alexandra Panaccio from Concordia University in Montreal said.

“It may be that, in the absence of an emotional bond with the organization, commitment based on obligation is experienced as a kind of indebtedness — a loss of autonomy that is emotionally draining over time,” Panaccio said.

The research found that employees who stayed at organizations out of either a feeling of obligation or a perceived lack of other job options were more likely than other employees to experience mental and physical health problems. Researchers based their findings on a study of 260 workers from a variety of industries.

(more…)

A new research has linked loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health.

Researchers found that people who were more lonely showed signs of elevated latent herpes virus reactivation and produced more inflammation-related proteins in response to acute stress than did people who felt more socially connected.

These proteins signal the presence of inflammation, and chronic inflammation is linked to numerous conditions, including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the frailty and functional decline that can accompany aging.

Reactivation of a latent herpes virus is known to be associated with stress, suggesting that loneliness functions as a chronic stressor that triggers a poorly controlled immune response.

(more…)

Scientists in China, UK and the US have found a link between passive smoking and syndromes of dementia.

The study of nearly 6,000 people in five provinces in China revealed that people exposed to passive smoking have a significantly increased risk of severe dementia syndromes.

Passive smoking, also known as “second-hand” smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is known to cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

However, until now it has been uncertain whether ETS increases the risk of dementia, mainly due to lack of research.

Previous studies have shown an association between ETS and cognitive impairment, but this is the first to find a significant link with dementia syndromes.

The study is a collaboration between scientists at King’s College London and Anhui Medical University, China, along with colleagues in the UK and USA.

(more…)

Dr Gowthaman, Medical Director, Dr Gowthaman’s Ayurveda Panchakarma Center, Chennai, answers readers’ questions on Ayurveda. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Tuesday.

This week’s answers:

I am 30 years old. My height is 5.1. My weight is 65 kg. I do eant to reduce some weight. Please suggest any medicines in ayurveda.
Kumudhavalli Nancy

Hi Kumudhavalli Nancy,

Ayurveda and Obesity

Obesity is not a new condition as we think. Ayurveda one of the oldest systems of medicines explains better about obesity, its pathogenesis, management, Prevention and better cure etc were elaborately described in Ayurveda. Some of the Integrative medical experts still claims that Ayurveda have better solutions than any other available solutions to prevent and tackle this problem.

(more…)