'We will never leave our land, even if you behead us' - Dongria Kondh, India

Should Mercy Killing be Legalized?

Euthanasia, derived from the Greek word eu thanatos, which means "good death":  eu (well or good) + & thanatos (death)) refers to the practice of ending a life in a manner which relieves pain and suffering. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/euthanasia-could-be-forced-on-patients-mp-20101117-17x10.html. Mercy killing is known as euthanasia. The victim of a mercy killing dies a painless death after suffering an incurable ailment or serious injury.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmbills/012/2000012.htm

Places in the World Where Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide are Legal
Voluntary euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. (http://www.euthanasia.com/euthanasiamap.html))

Types of Euthanasia

• Voluntary Euthanasia 
• Involuntary Euthanasia

Voluntary Euthanasia refers to the action taken by the physician and the patient, who both agree (with informed consent) to end the patient's life.

Involuntary Euthanasia refers to a third party taking a patient's life without the informed consent of the patient. This is commonly practiced in veterinary medicine when animals are "put down" or "put to sleep."

While euthanasia is legal in countries like Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Switzerland, under the assistance of physicians, it's still a matter of debate in countries like India and the US.

The legal definition of Mercy-killing
The term normally implies an intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who wishes to die. Euthanasia is generally defined as the act of killing an incurably ill person out of concern and compassion for that person's suffering.

It is sometimes called mercy killing, but many advocates of euthanasia define mercy killing more precisely as the ending of another person's life without his or her request. Euthanasia, on the other hand, is usually separated into two categories: passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. http://www.euthanasia.com/page8.html. In many jurisdictions, active euthanasia can be considered murder, whereas passive euthanasia is accepted by professional medical societies, and by the law under certain circumstances.

On June 14 2005 , the newspaper headlines sprang the news that the central Government in India was mulling over the idea of legalising euthanasia -- under the garb of mercy killing.  When 25-year-old Venkatesh from Hyderabad died in 2004, it made headlines. http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/dec/17msg.htm. Not so much because he was a former national chess-champion, but because he had pleaded that his life support system be switched off. However, this amounted to euthanasia or mercy killling which is illegal in India.

Mercy killing should be legalized because of the following reasons:
1) The patient is near his or her end.
2) The patient has unendurable pain.
3) All possible ways to avoid the pain have been attempted but are useless.
4) The patient expresses his or her own will to accept mercy, they are never forced.
5) Forcing patients to remain alive against their wishes causes health care expenditures to rise astronomically.

If our Government provides Right to Live as a right to it's citizens, it also have to provide the Right to Die. Approx. 46% of physicians agree that physician-assisted suicide should be allowed in some cases because it's the life of a painful patient and if there have no use of her/his life, it's better to die on her/his will.

Think Global, Starve Local!

So far 3 trilion dollars have been spent on economic stimulus packages. One percent of this could feed 59 million hungry children for one year. It's time to change something.

UN report warns of deadly pollutants from glaciers

It is a problem in all parts of the world – pollutants do not respect borders. They travel thousands of miles and they continue to build'

Pollutants have travelled long distances and become trapped in ice in glaciers and ice sheets. But as the ice melts, or when temperatures go up, they are released back into the seas and atmosphere.

The UN study found that levels of POPs measured in breast milk and blood were rising in parts of the world.

Achim Steiner, the executive director of UNEP said freak weather events were releasing stockpiles of dangerous pesticides and other pollutants.

Higher temperatures can also make seals, whales and polar bars more vulnerable to pollutants.

Higher temperatures were likely to increase the spread of malaria – and increase the use of sprays such as DDT which are harmful to people.

Melting glaciers are releasing cancer-causing pollutants into the air and oceans. The long-lasting chemicals get into the food chain and build up in people's bodies - triggering tumours, heart disease and infertility.

The flow of pollutants into the lake peaked in the 1970s, mainly due to the production of plastics, electronics, pesticides and fragrances. The levels declined during the 1980s and 1990s when people realised that these compounds were toxic and they were banned.

Many toxic chemicals are still used in plastics and electronic equipment, such as brominated flame retardants. These could represent the next generation's problem: "They are deposited on glaciers today and will reappear in our lakes in a few decades."

Breast Cancer - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells grow in an uncontrolled way. Breast cancer is caused by the development of malignant cells in the breast. It arises in the milk-producing glands of the breast tissue.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. In the U.S, it affects one in eight women.



 Symptoms of Breast Cancer

• A change of size or shape of the mature breast
• Nipple fluid (not milk) leaking
• A change of size or shape of the nipple
• A change of color or texture of the nipple or the areola, or of the skin of the breast itself (dimples

Types of Breast Cancer

• Ductal Carcinoma In Situ DCIS
• Lobular Carcinoma In Situ LCIS
• Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Treatment
Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are all utilized in the treatment of breast cancer. Depending on the stage, they will be used in different combinations or sequences to effect an appropriate strategy for the type and stage of the disease being treated.

Radiation Therapy
Like surgical therapy, radiation therapy is a local modality—it treats the tissue exposed to radiation and not the rest of the body. Radiation is usually given post-operatively after surgical wounds have healed. The pathologic stage of the primary tumor is now known and this aids in treatment planning. The extent of the local surgery also influences the planning.

Breast Cancer Prevention
Breast Cancer Prevention treatment provided by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Hutchinson Center’s Prevention Center, a member of the Center’s Public Health Sciences Division, and author of “Breast Fitness”

1. Avoid becoming overweight
Obesity raises the risk of breast cancer after menopause, the time of life when breast cancer most often occurs. Avoid gaining weight over time, and try to maintain a body-mass index under 25 (calculators can be found online).
2. Eat healthy to avoid tipping the scale
Embrace a diet high in vegetables and fruit and low in sugared drinks, refined carbohydrates and fatty foods. Eat lean protein such as fish or chicken and eat red meat in moderation, if at all. Eat whole grains. Choose vegetable oils over animal fats.
3. Keep physically active
Research suggests that increased physical activity, even when begun later in life, reduces overall breast-cancer risk by about 10 percent to 30 percent. All it takes is moderate exercise like a 30-minute walk five days a week to get this protective effect.
4. Drink little or no alcohol
Alcohol use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Women should limit intake to no more than one drink per day, regardless of the type of alcohol.
5. Avoid hormone replacement therapy
Menopausal hormone therapy increases risk for breast cancer. If you must take hormones to manage menopausal symptoms, avoid those that contain progesterone and limit their use to less than three years. “Bioidentical hormones” and hormonal creams and gels are no safer than prescription hormones and should also be avoided
6. Consider taking an estrogen-blocking drug.
Women with a family history of breast cancer or who are over age 60 should talk to their doctor about the pros and cons of estrogen-blocking drugs such as tamoxifen and raloxifene.
7. Don’t smoke
Research suggests that long-term smoking is associated with increased risk of breast cancer in some women. Need help quitting? Consider participating in WebQuit, the Hutchinson Center’s online smoking-cessation study.
8. Breast-feed your babies for as long as possible
Women who breast-feed their babies for at least a year in total have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer later.
9. Participate in a research study
The Hutchinson Center is home to several studies that are looking at ways to reduce the risk for breast cancer. Check their website periodically for studies that might be appropriate for you.
10. Get fit and support breast cancer research at the same time
Regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Ascend some of the world’s most breathtaking peaks while raising vital funds for and awareness of breast cancer research by participating in the Hutchinson Center’s annual Climb to Fight Breast Cancer.