Creative Desk

Watch out for Popcorn Lung Syndrome! Popcorn lung is a rare pulmonary ailment inducing breathing difficulty due to the impairment of small airways in the lungs called bronchioles. Pulmonologists discuss the disease that is steeped in history. The origin of this indication can be traced back to the adversely impacted lungs of workers at the microwave popcorn factories who would inhale the flavouring chemical known as diacetyl. But now the same substance is also used in vaping electronic cigarette flavours.   Image Courtesy: Pexels.com BY PRAMITA BOSE Symptoms Usual symptoms like persistent cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness and fever are issues that develop gradually and if left untreated for a long time, can progress into a lingering or recurring disorder. “While popcorn lung is not curable, it is controllable with treatment. It’s important to understand that such lung diseases are often permanent and can potentially result in respiratory failure over a p...

Wabi Sabi: A Way of Life to Spot Real & Unconventional Beauty Wabi Sabi discovers and reimagines beauty in imperfect, impermanent and incomplete things . Image Courtesy: Pexels.com BY PRAMITA BOSE A thing of beauty is a joy forever . Quoting this opening line from English romantic poet John Keats’s immortal poem Endymion , one can easily fathom that beauty sprinkles delight and bliss till eternity. It evokes the force to tide over life’s hurdles and overcome any crisis with a smiling face. Hence, praising beauty in imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness and seeking pleasure from the same provides a purpose to live on, helps tread the path of progress and keeps the flame of inspiration burning in the heart. It’s like a cushion to cling to against all odds. Sustainable Living “ When green nature beckons you, you must respond to its call. The air quality in the lap of nature is very pure. So, inhaling cleaner oxygen on the beaches, up in the mountains or farther down in ...

    Herbal Fags or Traditional Tobacco — Just Kick the Butt! World No Tobacco Day was observed last Saturday, May 31. Though herbal cigarettes are considered a healthier option against tobacco-infused fags with high nicotine content, lung experts debunk this misconception. Photo Credit: Pexels.com BY PRAMITA BOSE Did you say no to smoking on the recently commemorated Anti-Tobacco Day? At a time when pure air is scarcely available to inhale oxygen, thanks to environmental pollution, addiction to smoking is like then dealing a double blow to one’s health and longevity. Whichever way cloudy fumes of toxic smoke enter our lung passages or airways, the same could cause harm and sometimes irreversible damage. So, kicking the butt seems the only safe solution. Toxic Outflow It is alleged that herbal cigarettes despite claiming to be natural and organic produce harmful chemicals like tar and carbon monoxide when smoked, which in turn, could jeopardise human health. “These chem...