This year's word of the year announced by Oxford University Press (OUP) is 'brain rot'. The selection was done on the basis of public votes from a shortlist of six words compiled by Oxford University.

What does it mean?

As per OUP, 'brain rot' is defined as "the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration”.

The first time this word was used in an 1854 book by Henry David, called Walden, which described the experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world.

Does it have real health implications?

Well, we have al experiences zoning out and feeling foggy, a little sleepy and out of context during a conversation. It is hard to focus and we feel anxious, agitated and negative. This is what brain rot feels like.

These feelings stay even when we get enough rest. This is because our days pass by spending endless hours in front of hour phones or computer screens, causing a digital information overload. The result is brain rot, adding further to mental pressure.

For those who think brain rot is not a real phenomenon would be sad to know that it is. It is the state of this mental fogginess and cognitive decline that results from excessive screen engagement.

What causes it?

This happens due to excessive technology use, mindless scrolling and continuous surfing the Internet, texting, or checking your email, without actually having to do anything with it. It almost becomes your hobby.

Video Gaming: Would you believe it if we told you that there actually exists gaming disorder? This is when someone becomes too addicted to gaming and plays compulsively. The person becomes entranced by video games' alternate worlds, fancy characters, and complicated plots, often comparing them with their own world and thus having difficulty in real life. The person, during real-life situations, may zone out in the fantasy of the video game world.

Zombie Scrolling: This refers to mindless scrolling with no destination in mind. This makes you stare at your smartphone, without having anything in your mind. This could often be translated even when you are not on your phone, staring at nothingness, often leading to brain rot.

Doom scrolling: It involves searching for distressing information and negative news. Doom scrollers feel an overwhelming urge to be up to date on the latest information, especially when it is disturbing.

Social Media Addiction: It is the persistent urge to check social media, and your notifications, and a feeling of restlessness when you do not check it.

How does it affect you?

While on the surface, it may seem like a harmless activity, but it can damage your mental well-being. Such activities affect brain's reward system, because when you prioritize and remember negative information, such as in doom scrolling, you tend to look out for that even when not on your phone. It further could lead to a chain of negative news, once you land on one, you can just enter a rabbit hole of negative news.

A 2022 study published in Springer Nature titled Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing, showed that doom scrolling could lead to higher levels of psychological disorder and lower levels of mental well-being.

Another 2022 study published in Taylor & Francis by Bryan Mclaughlin showed that people who have high levels of negative news consumption also have poorer mental and physical health.

A 2019 study titled The "online brain": how the Internet may be changing our cognition, showed that the Internet can also produce acute and sustained alterations in cognition related to attention and memory. This can also affect the brain's grey matter.

Another 2023 study on the Effects of Social Media Addiction, published in the Journal of Psychology Research and Behavior Management analyzed 1051 young adults between 18 and 27 and found that social media addiction could ruin your planning, organization, problem-solving, decision-making and working memory capabilities.

These habits could also lead to a decline in self-worth, and heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Remember how a few years ago, a nagging cough or chest congestion in your child almost always meant a pediatrician prescribing nebulisation? That was the norm back then. But not anymore. These days, you will notice more doctors recommending inhalers instead. What changed? No, it’s not that nebulisers are suddenly seen as harmful. The shift is more practical than that.

Dr Amit Dhamija, Pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital explains, “Nebulisers usually deliver a higher dose of medication, while inhalers allow for better dose control. It’s clinically proven that inhalers help in better delivery of medicines to lungs, if the technique is right. Earlier, inhalers weren’t widely used because children and elderly patients struggled with the technique - they couldn’t always coordinate breathing correctly. So doctors opted for nebulisers instead.” Now spacers are the game-changers.

Dr Viswateja Chitturi, Lead Consultant Pediatric Intensivist at Apollo Hospitals, Vizag, adds, “Earlier, doctors were concerned that patients wouldn’t use inhalers properly, so they relied on nebulisers to ensure the right dose reached the lungs. Now, with the use of spacers, even kids can use inhalers effectively. That’s why inhalers have become more common.”

There’s also a common myth floating around — that inhalers are addictive or make you dependent. This isn’t true. Inhalers are clinically proven to prevent asthma flare-ups and manage symptoms safely. And for those wary of allopathy, Dr Chitturi says that the fact is that alternative medicines often contain more steroids than your prescribed inhaler.

Apart from convenience, inhalers are far more portable and time-efficient than setting up a nebuliser every time.

But here’s the catch: don’t self-medicate. Dr Amit warns, “Every medicine, whether through inhalers or nebulisers, has side effects. These devices should never be used without a doctor’s supervision. I often meet patients who have already tried both and tell me they didn’t work. What they don’t realise is incorrect usage or wrong dosage can be risky. And sometimes, neither may even be needed. A proper diagnosis is key.”

The takeaway is that inhalers haven’t replaced nebulisers because one is better than the other. They both have their place. The choice depends on the patient, the condition, and how the medicine needs to be delivered. What’s important is to use them under medical guidance and not because you saw someone else do it or read about it online.

World Asthma Day - Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL

This year, the day will be observed on 6th May. It is a fight for combatting non-communicable disease in children and adults. This year, the theme of World Asthma Day is "Make Inhaled Treatments Accessible for ALL". The focus is to make sure that anyone with asthma has access to inhaled medications to prevent flare ups and manage asthma attack in a better manner.

Living a healthy lifestyle is crucial for your heart health. We all have heard this from our doctors, peers, as well as multiple studies across the internet. The number of things that could have a negative impact on your heart keeps seemingly increasing, leaving many of us wondering how many more things we should be aware of. New research has painted a clear picture for us and gives the exact number of everyday risks that could slash the risk of heart attack by 63%. In the study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, researchers were surprised to find that removing 56 unfavorable profiles, could lower the chances of declining heart health.

This shows that what we do every day has a really big impact on our heart health and our chances of this happening.

The researchers compared the people who had a sudden cardiac arrest with those who stayed healthy. They looked at 125 different things that people can change, like what they eat, how much they exercise, if they smoke or drink, how they feel emotionally, and even things like their job and money situation. The place you live at can also be a factor as the study noted that things like air pollution, traffic proximity and intensity, the percentage of natural environment can also affect your heart health. This helped them figure out which of these things were most strongly linked to having a sudden cardiac arrest.

Preventable Variables To Look Out For

The study found 56 things in our daily lives, our surroundings, and our health that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. If we pay attention to these things and make them better, like eating healthier or being more active, we might be able to stop up to 63% of these heart problems from happening. It's about looking at all the pieces of our lives.

The researchers expressed their astonishment over how many cases we could possibly prevent. He said that if people who have unhealthy habits or situations made improvements, we could see a big drop, somewhere between 40% and 63%, in the number of sudden cardiac arrests. This shows that making positive changes can have a much bigger effect than we might think.

How Did The Researchers Find This?

To learn more about what causes these heart problems, the researchers looked at a lot of information from a long-term health study in the UK. This study followed over 500,000 people for many years. During that time, more than 3,000 of them had a sudden cardiac arrest. By looking at all this data, the researchers could start to see patterns and find the things that might be increasing the risk.

The research draws attention towards the increasing numbers of people suffering with heart diseases in the world. According to the American Heart Association in just one year 436,000 American died due to cardiac arrests. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, taking 17.9 million lives each year. Hence, changing a few necessary things to protect your heart could save your life in the long run.

Fathers are always portrayed as the strong ones who keep the family together. Many are not given the space to express their emotions in a healthy way. The idea that dads need to be strong and stoic affects many men in different ways. The surprising state of men’s mental health is evident in different statistics. According to World Health Organization (WHO), men commit suicide twice the rate more than women. About 80% of suicides reported in the US happen to be men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that men are four times more likely to die by suicide.

Not only is the lack of mental health care affecting men all around the world, but new study shows, their depression may have an effect on their children’s well-being. In a recent report done by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that children, whose fathers have undiagnosed depression, are more likely to have behavioral issues.

What Kinds Of Behaviors Did These Kids Exhibit?

The study found that young kids whose dads were found to be depressed, undiagnosed, were more likely to be restless and act out as they got older. By the time they were nine, they showed more anger and defiance. They also had a harder time working with others and didn't feel as good about themselves. This suggests that a father's early mental health can shape a child's behavior for many years.

Experts point out that we usually focus on mothers' mental health, especially after having a baby. However, this study reminds us of that fathers' mental health is just as important. We need to think about both parents' well-being because they both play a big role in raising their children. Ignoring one parent's struggles isn't good for the family as a whole.

How Common Is Parental Depression?

It might surprise you to learn that many fathers go through periods of feeling depressed when their kids are young. In fact, around 8 to 13 out of every 100 fathers in the US experience this. If the mother is also struggling with depression after giving birth, the chances of the father feeling depressed can shoot up, affecting as many as half of them.

To understand how fathers' mental health affects kids, researchers looked at information from a long-term study. They followed over 1,400 children born in big cities across the US. When the kids were five, they asked the fathers about any signs of depression. Then, when the kids were nine, their teachers helped assess how they were behaving in school and with others. This helped the researchers see connections over time.

Parent’s Mental Health Affect The Child’s Behavior

The results of the study clearly showed that there was a connection between fathers who were depressed and children who had more behavioral problems. The researchers found a pattern suggesting that when fathers struggle with their mental health, it can have a direct impact on how their children act and feel as they grow older.

When a father is depressed, it can make it harder for him to be the kind of parent he wants to be. For example, he might find it difficult to give his children the emotional support they need, like listening to their problems or offering comfort. His own sadness can also create tension and arguments at home, making the environment stressful for everyone in the family, including the kids.

When parents show their children that it's okay to ask for help when they're struggling, it teaches a valuable lesson. It shows kids that everyone faces challenges and that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. This understanding can stay with children throughout their lives, making them more likely to seek support when they need it too.