Entropy – Its relevance for our economy

In one of the recent articles published by Porosh it was highlighted how lockdown impacted us in more than one way. With all the shopping malls, restaurants and other places of entertainment having been closed, we were left with no choice but get accustomed to simple living not necessarily translating to high thinking. Now, one may wonder what has it to do with entropy, the Second Law of Thermodynamics!

Entropy as a term was first coined by German physicist Rudolf Clausius in 1868. It is a measure of the amount of energy no longer capable of conversion into work. This impliesan increase in entropy will lead to decrease of “available” energy. Hence, low-entropy economy is one of ‘necessities’ and not of ‘luxuries’. Lockdown has taught us to distinguish between the two. Do we thereby imply lockdown to continue till the economy is bled white? Certainly not.

We sincerely believe in building a sustainable eco system keeping in mind the future generations while serving the current generation including the senior citizens. Jeremy Rifkin in his path-breaking book Entropy: A New World View had observed,”… the Entropy Law tells us that a society’s energy flow must be reduced to as low a point as possible in order to sustain the unfolding of all of life as far as into the future as possible.” Hence, the economic activities should be geared to prioritize meeting the ‘necessities’ of the masses than ‘luxuries’ of a few which in any case accentuates entropy. As a corollary this involve deployment of a larger workforce and hence, bolstering our economy. After all, the law is infallible and we can only reduce its rate.

Let us quote Rifkin once again, “… ‘growth’ is really a decrease in the world’s wealth, nothing more than a process to take usable energy and transform it into an unusable state. … the more an economy grows, the more it digs itself into a hole.”

Hope our readers have enjoyed reading the blog. Porosh, as you know, does not shy away from sharing unconventional thoughts and ideas on this platform which need not always be in sync with mainstream thinking. We usually provide the ‘other view’.

Health benefits of sunlight

In some way, this way this week’s blog may be considered an extension of our previous week’s article which highlighted the importance for vitamin D in our lives.

During the recent few decades, it has been ingrained in our psyche that exposure to sunlight is bad for our health due to the UV rays. It is but partially correct. Actually a lot depends on at what time of the day we expose ourselves to sunlight. It is generally accepted that the early morning rays of the Sun is indeed beneficial for our health.

In this connection, we shall share with you the five benefits of sunlight.

Sunlight can improve mood

There is little doubt that a bit of sunshine can make a world of difference in our mood. When it is dreary and dark, we can feel depressed and lethargic; when it is a beautiful sunlit day, we are happier and more energetic. This mood change is not only in our imagination. When light enters the eye, it stimulates neurons in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that influences mood. These nerve impulses travel to the pineal gland, which regulates serotonin, the so-called feel-good hormone that is linked to mood.

Sunshine may prevent us from eating too much

The same part of the brain responsible for mood is also responsible for appetite. A recent study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences showed that eating in a dimly lit or dark environment may trigger us to eat more. “Darkness provides a high-risk environment for binge-eating for certain people,” says study author Joseph Kasof, who adds that those people who eat in a darkened room may find they lose their inhibitions against eating.

Sunlight helps stimulate the body’s production of vitamin D

When skin is exposed to the Sun’s UV rays, a cholesterol compound in the skin is transformed into a precursor of vitamin D. This fat-soluble vitamin is required for the absorption of calcium by the body. It’s also necessary for growth and protects against muscle weakness. But that doesn’t mean you should sit out in the sun all day; exposing your face and arms to the sun for fifteen minutes, three days a week is an effective way to ensure adequate amounts of vitamin D in the body.

Sun can help clear up skin conditions like psoriasis

The itchy, scaly, raised patches of skin that characterize psoriasis can be cleared up by the UV light. That is why, in general, exposing the skin to sunlight for about thirty minutes a day is recommended for those with psoriasis. (This treatment is effective for about eighty percent of people with this skin condition, who typically notice improvement within three to six weeks of starting sunlight therapy.)

Sunshine may help maintain the efficiency of the human eye

According to R. S. Agarwal, author of Yoga of Perfect Sight, “The human eye needs light in order to maintain its efficiency. Sunlight is as necessary to the normal eye as are rest and relaxation.” Agarwal’s suggestion: Start the day by exposing the eyes to the sun for just a few minutes with this treatment: sit comfortably facing the sun (morning or evening when the sun isn’t as strong) with closed eyes, and sway the body from side to side gently. Continue for five to ten minutes. Then come into the shade and wash the eyes with cold water.

We hope our readers have enjoyed reading the article and shall from now onwards resolve not to shun sunlight altogether from our lives.

(Insights are drawn from www.yogainternational.com)

Importance of Vitamin D for us

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for our overall health, but many people worldwide, are not getting enough of it. Although vitamin D can be stored in our body fat until it is needed, the problem is that it is not so easy to get enough vitamin D into our body.

The main job of vitamin D is to keep the right amount of calcium and phosphorus in our blood. These are the 2 nutrients that work together to make our bones strong. Without enough calcium and phosphorus being absorbed in our body, our bones would become brittle and break easily.

Until recently, experts believed that the main role of vitamin D was to keep our bones healthy and prevent them from breaking-up. But new research has shown many other reasons why this vitamin is so important for our health.

The Reasons Why Vitamin D Is So Important

It helps to:

• Prevent bone fractures

• Prevent falls in older people and osteoporosis

• Reduce the risk of cancer, especially colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer

• Reduce the risk of diabetes, especially in young people and in those living in high altitude

• Protect against heart disease, including high blood pressure and heart failure

• Reduce risk of multiple sclerosis

• Improved mood

• Improved lung function.

If You Don't Get Enough Vitamin D

• Bones can become weak and can break

• Children can get "rickets," a disease that prevents their bones from growing properly, delays their growth, and causes problems with their immune system

• Adults can develop "osteomalacia," a disease that weakens the bones and makes them hurt, and also causes fractures

• Older adults can get osteoporosis, which does not cause pain, but makes the bones thin and easy to fracture

The best way to know if one is getting enough vitamin D is to have a specific blood test. Otherwise, one may not know that one is not getting enough vitamin D until symptoms associated with vitamin D deficiency manifest.

What Are the Best Sources?

The best source for vitamin D is sunlight. Only a few foods supply vitamin D in significant amounts. The best source for this vitamin for humans is the Sun, not supplements. The problem is that too much exposure to the Sun can cause skin cancer, but too little Sun exposure is the reason that many people today don't get enough vitamin D either.

Because it's difficult to get all the vitamin D one needs from food, and since one does not want to be exposed to too much sunlight, most people need short-time sun exposures and daily vitamin D supplements. Spending a short time in the Sun each day, without sun block, may not be a bad idea, unless one has a special sensitivity to sun exposure.

If one is exposed to summer sunlight for about 10 to 15 minutes at least twice a day, the person is probably getting enough vitamin D. But when sunscreen is used, it prevents the skin from soaking up enough vitamin D.

Who Is at Risk for Vitamin Deficiency?

If one belongs to any of the following groups, he/ she may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency, in which case you should ask your doctor to for the vitamin D test:

• People who don't get a lot of exposure to sunlight

• People who use sunscreen often

• Older people are at very high risk, in part because aging skin doesn't absorb sunlight as well as younger skin

• People who are obese

• People who have medical conditions that interfere with their body's ability to absorb fat, such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or pancreatitis

• People who have liver or kidney problems

• People who take certain medicines, like anti-seizure drugs or steroids.