The search for holistic/lifestyle medicine practitioners that provide equitable, customized, individualized quality care to meet patients’ needs is in demand. Making A Difference Because You Matter, believes the healthcare system’s sustainability (economically, environmentally, and socially) begins with “taking your pulse” in three different ways. Through using a holistic and bioenergetic model with evidencebased, groundbreaking tools to help clients get to the root of their challenges and live healthy lifestyles with purpose.

Keywords:

Pulse, Healthy lifestyle, Mental health, Healthcare.

Bio

Dana Bagnall is the Founder and CEO of Making A Difference Because You Matter, LLC. She is a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, Bioenergetic Health Practitioner, and International Keynote Speaker. Dana is the Author of “Soulful Wellness Journey – Live Life Abundantly: A Collection of Soul Food Recipes Plant Based & Gluten-free,” which includes a curated collection of wellness tips, nutritional charts, recipes, and a playlist of soulful sounds. She has partnered with top Fortune 100 financial organizations, leading national healthcare associations, and women business owners to educate them on how health impacts women’s wealth and the practical steps needed to become proactive– resulting in a citywide focus on this timely issue. Dana is passionate about helping women over 40, and their loved ones heal from the inside out to release pain, stress, fatigue, trauma, depression, and anxiety, while energetically mastering their well-being so they can live more abundantly. She has facilitated the mentoring of college students who have experienced disadvantages and helped to bring success in their advancement academically, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Dana continues to bring her expertise in counselling and advising with the public and private sectors to the services offered in her health and wellness academy.

Abstract

Globally, healthcare systems and individuals are collectively looking for a way to unify and sustain a healthy lifestyle with purpose after the COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians and practitioners are exhausted, frustrated, and overwhelmed to meet the care of patients, administrative duties of E.H.R. coding notes, and patient satisfaction surveys. Patients feel healthcare puts profit before the people, and they are not being heard nor getting enough time to meet their needs during doctor visits. Consequently, studies show that physicians and practitioners feel depressed and anxious. The departure from the healthcare system to provide higher-quality care or pursue something else is rising. The search for holistic/lifestyle medicine practitioners that provide equitable, customized, individualized quality care to meet patients’ needs is in demand. Making A Difference Because You Matter believes the healthcare system’s sustainability (economically, environmentally, and socially) begins with “taking your pulse” in three different ways. A roadmap to implement a holistic and bioenergetic model with evidence based, groundbreaking tools to help clients get to the root of their challenges and live healthy lifestyles with purpose is vital. Recommended therapies focus on awakening and understanding what triggers are causing dis-ease in their lives (spiritually, emotionally, physically, environmentally, nutritiously, etc.). Secondly, it involves correcting cellular information distortions. Lastly, it helps to cleanse and protect their well-being. This study helps people reach the root of their health challenges faster, lowers costs, and fosters qualitative care service between practitioners and clients. Lastly, it provides collaborative wraparound services with clients, the community, and health providers.

Introduction

Hospital leaders are sounding the alarm as health systems face an exodus of exhausted and demoralized doctors, nurses, and other front-line workers (Levine, 2021). Prior to the pandemic, physicians were reported to be twice the risk for burnout compared to the general population. Additionally, 40% of those who were surveyed reported experiencing depression and suicidal ideation, per Dr. Victor Dzau (president of the National Academy of Medicine) (Levine, 2021). The consistent emotion physicians and patients are mainly experiencing post Covid 19 is stress, leading to increased burnout and trauma. Stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation that all experience to some degree. A natural human response triggers us to address challenges and threats. There are three types of stress: daily, chronic, and acute. Daily stress is common, which is interwoven in our livelihoods. Stress is an overarching, physiological, psychological, environmental, and sociological effect impacting individuals, organizations, businesses, and systems’ overall health. Burnout is a psychological syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced accomplishment in day-to-day work (Wood et al., 1998). Trauma can be overwhelming and pervasive due to exposure to a life threatening or emotionally disturbing event(s) that may impede one’s well-being (spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, and mentally). This research aims to unify & sustain a healthy lifestyle with purpose using the P.U.L.S.E.© model.

Risk Factors of Stress that Lead to Burnout with Doctors

Stressors include time constraints to conduct physical examinations and preventive care for patients and follow- up appointments; feeling pressured to complete electronic health records (EHR) coding and paperwork daily; pressure to add on more examinations that a patient might not need; disconnect of quality service of care between healthcare administration and physicians/ practitioners, patients, and shareholders; feeling qualitative care, has now become quantitative care; and maintaining work-life balance.

Risk Factors of Stress that Lead to Burnout with Patients

Predominate stress factors impacting patients entail health and the cost of health care, financial hardship, interpersonal issues, discrimination, workplace stress, mass shootings, climate change, and loneliness, among many (Fryburg, 2021).

During the pandemic, many lost temporary or permanent connections with their jobs/businesses, homes, health, or loved ones. As a result, the desire to help people get unstuck, feel, be, and do better spiritually, emotionally, and physically was essential.

Methods

According to the American Institute of Stress, the National Institute of Health, the American Psychological Association, the Center for Disease and Control, and the World Health Organization, 75–90% of doctors visit are stress-related illnesses/diseases. Through experience and research, what is known, is what causes disease has the potential to fester and become an illness/disease if left untreated. At Making A Difference Because You Matter, LLC, we believe the roadmap to a unified and sustainable healthy lifestyle begins with our recommended therapy focus, “Taking Your Pulse.”

P.U.L.S.E.© model

Take Your Pulse©: Pulse is the rhythmic throbbing of an artery resulting from a heart beating typically measured in one minute. It is a vibration that causes a sound, or wave, that emits an electric current or light. Traditionally, taking someone’s pulse can be done by placing two fingers or a thumb on the wrist, below the jawline on the side of the neck, back of the knees, top of the foot, and groin areas. Within the last century, the work of Marey in Paris and Mahomed in London has helped to advance the sensing of clinical pulse waves in the medical field. By doing so, Mahomed was able to show how the “recordings could be used to detect asymptomatic hypertension and used them to chart the natural history of essential hypertension and to distinguish between this condition and chronic nephritis.” Since then, a new easy-to-use scanning tool NES BioenergetiX Wellness Scan (BWS) was created Harry Massey of NES Health to bioenergetically detect the condition of the Body-field. In Albert Einstein’s, well-known scientific equation E=MC^2, we recognize that matter is and relates to energy. Bioenergetics is the study of energy and living systems. It is the concept of Chinese medicine and acupuncture applied to physics. Peter Fraser (acupuncture professor, homeopath, and Traditional Chinese Medicine-TCM practitioner) was the first to properly map the energy of the human body-field and how energy (Intelligence) flows throughout the body. “The human body-field is an intelligent, self-organizing, self-correcting, self-maintaining energetic and informational structure that, says Fraser, functions at the level of QED [quantum electro-dynamic] and quantum holography.” (Massey, 2020)

In this particular study, the first step to take your pulse begins with becoming unified with the mind, body, and soul to honor you (matter) in Einstein’s most quoted equation. The focus in this step is to awaken.

Take Your Pulse©

Awaken

• What are your mind, body, and soul communicating to you? What does it need or want?
• Awaken yourself by stopping, looking, and listening to your body to identify what stressors/painful symptoms are bothering you.
• Complete a detailed health intake assessment. One assessment involves comprehensive evaluation to scan the body for less than a minute to get to the cellular root of health challenges using NES Health scanning software.

P.U.L.S.E©

The second step involves clients to Practice Unlimited Love through Self Evaluation (P.U.L.S.E.©) to help correct distortions in the body-field so they become strengthened.

Strengthen

• Express compassion to your body-field by understanding how your thinking and feeling, nutritional, environmental factors and so much more may affect your total energy and well-being – make you feel out of balance with the potential to manifest physical illnesses or emotional imbalances.
• Take steps to clear the energetic blocks by feeding correct cellular information that has been distorted. A varied number of tools (i.e.; Pulse Electromagnetic Frequency – PEMF) or methods (i.e.; hypnotherapy, sound therapy, meditation, aromatherapy infoceuticals, NLP, yoga) may be used to help optimize clients’ well-being.

Eat Your Pulse©

The last major yet simplistic step with taking your pulse, is to eat your pulse. In this regard, pulse refers to vegetables & multi-grains that are naturally, genetically encoded with phytonutrients/phytochemical and fiber. A healthy, low fat plant-based diet can empower the immune system by strengthening it to help combat infections. Research shows, “Those eating plant-based diets have been found to have better insulin sensitivity, better blood sugar levels, better insulin levels, and even significantly improved function of their beta cells— the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin in the first place.” It can also help prevent it from being hyperactive or minimize pain if and when one may be impacted by illnesses to help:

• prevent disease and keep your body working properly;
• maintain a healthy body weight; eliminate excess cholesterol from the body;
• maintain or lower blood pressure; reduces risk of colon cancer;
• reduce constipation;
• improve skin conditions.

Real-life Example-life example of the interconnection nature of the body-field and body’s functions:

Client A participated in a Pulse Wellness Scan with Making A Difference Because You Matter using an intake self-assessment and NES BioenergetiX Wellness Scan (BWS). Client presented herself well groomed with a full affect. She expressed feeling tired more than usual, disconnected with life yet rates herself as a seven on scale of happiness (0 not happy at all to 10 being most happy), bloated, recently more stressed than normal on a daily basis, new food allergies and noticing hair thinning and loss of hair. Client A shared her allopathic primary care doctor met with her for approximately ten minutes to share that she was prediabetic and recommended she begin exercising, reduce eating starchy foods, and return for a follow up appointment to determine if a statin drug was needed.

Results

Results from the NES Health BioenergetiX Wellness scan on Client A showed distress with energy flow in the following organ biofields (see areas marked with purple bars): stomach, muscles, and pancreas.

Discussion

The results from Client A wellness scan have provided opportunities for further discussion, investigation, and coaching to help strengthen her well-being. The holistic health coach gave no medical, biomedical, or psychological diagnosis to justify a quantitative analysis or replace appropriate medical tests or advice. However, Client A receives more intentional holistic healthcare services and screenings to address elevated basophil count and inflammation in the large intestines from osteopathic medicine instead of allopathic medicine. Additionally, she is receiving wellness consultations from our program to strengthen her immune system, improve her nutritional intake, reduce environmental stressors by doing a metal detox, engage in N.L.P. exercise to P.U.L.S.E.© and improve internal and external communication to release repressed and grasping emotions and strategize healthier career opportunities that do not include toxic molds and other pathogens daily. The holistic coach also referred Client A to a chiropractor to help unblock shocks and traumas stored in the muscles from car accidents. Lastly, Client A now recognizes that her hair loss is possibly related to stress, nutrient deficiencies, and toxic chemicals in her work and home environments. In contrast, Client A receives 45-60 minutes wellness sessions compared to the ten-minute visits with her previous allopathic doctor. It is unknown if Client A received more time with her allopathic doctor, that similar findings could have revealed she was still experiencing emotional and physical trauma from car accidents a couple of years ago, she is working in a toxic environment and has frequent exposure to harsh chemicals that cause her to feel exhausted with a lack of energy to engage socially and has placed a strain on her marital and social relationships.

Research has shown lifestyle medicine can help up to 80% of chronic diseases. From the biblical era to the present, taking the time to eat your pulse (vegetables & multi-grains) has shown significant improvements in health where some key markers ravaged human body-fields. “Apparently, most people who switch to a plant-based diet are happy they did. One of the reasons there’s been such great compliance with plantbased dietary interventions is that people not only tend to get measurably better, they also tend to feel much better.” (Gregor M, MD; Stone, G 2015)

Conclusion

Since the global pandemic and the past decades, numerous healthcare and mental health systems, practitioners, businesses, communities, patients, educational systems, and governments have recognized the need to revive, recalibrate and rejuvenate the broken healthcare system. Chronic health and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), like heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are the leading cause of death in the world. The WHO reported, “The solutions are highly cost-effective. Comprehensive and integrated action at country level, led by governments, is the means to achieve success.” (World Health Organization, 2021) The roles of behavioral, nutritional, and psychosocial factors must not go unrecognized and unresolved with the impact it inflicts on human health and disease. The sustainability (economically, environmentally, and socially) of the healthcare system and the well-being of those they serve vitally begins with “taking your pulse; practicing unlimited love through self-evaluation, and eating your pulse.” Breakthrough to protect your energy to further enhance your transformational journey to overcome what may be apprehending you from walking fully in your purpose.Take steps to holistically break free from emotional and belief issues that no longer serve you so you can evolve, heal and live life more abundantly using proprietary, customized bioenergetics and health and wellness coaching programs.

These statements and reports support the need to focus on health– risk behaviors for primary prevention and routine screenings (energy, mind, body, environmental, nutrition, body field, energetic immunity, terrains, and life journey.) of individuals to optimize their health to live life more abundantly and energetically. This transformational step is the first step that helps lead to living life more abundantly. In conclusion, “P.U.L.S.E.©: the love connection that unifies and sustains a healthy lifestyle with purpose” is a recommended roadmap to implement holistic and bioenergetic models with evidence-based, groundbreaking tools that support clients to get to the root of their challenges so they can live healthy lifestyles with purpose.

References

American Psychological Association. (2022, October 31). How stress affects your health. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/health

Center for Health Care Strategies . (2022, July 8). What is trauma? – trauma-informed Care Implementation Resource Center. Trauma. https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs. org/what-is-trauma/#:~:text=Defining%20Trauma,- Trauma%20is%20a&text=It%20results%20 from%20exposure%20to,%2For%20spiritual%20 well%2Dbeing

Center, C., Davis, M., Detre, T., Ford, D. E., Hansbrough, W., Hendin, H., Laszlo, J., Litts, D. A., Mann, J., Mansky, P. A., Michels, R., Miles, S. H., Proujansky, R., Reynolds III, C. F., & Silverman, M. M. (2003). Confronting depression and suicide in physicians. JAMA, 289(23), 3161. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.23.3161

Forbes, D., Creamer, M., Phelps, A., Bryant, R., McFarlane, A., Devilly, G. J., Matthews, L., Raphael, B., Doran, C., Merlin, T., & Newton, S. (2007). Australian guidelines for the treatment of adults with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Australian &; New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(8), 637–648. https:// doi.org/10.1080/00048670701449161

Fryburg, D. A. (2021, November 29). What’s playing in Your waiting room? patient and provider stress and the impact of waiting room media. Journal of patient experience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC8641118/#bibr2-23743735211049880

Goff, L. M., Bell, J. D., So, P.-W., Dornhorst, A., & Frost, G. S. (2004). Veganism and its relationship with insulin resistance and intramyocellular lipid. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59(2), 291–298. https://doi. org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602076

Gojda, J., Patková, J., Jaček, M., Potočková, J., Trnka, J., Kraml, P., & Anděl, M. (2013). Higher insulin sensitivity in vegans is not associated with higher mitochondrial density. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67(12), 1310–1315. https://doi.org/10.1038/ ejcn.2013.202

Gregor M, MD; Stone, G. How to Not Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. Flatiron Books. 2015;122

Levine, D. (2021, November 15). U.S. faces crisis of burned-out health care workers – U.S. news &; world … https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/ articles/2021-11-15/us-faces-crisis-of-burned-out-healthcare-workers

Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). Maslach Burnout Inventory: Third edition. In C. P. Zalaquett & R. J. Wood (Eds.), Evaluating stress: A book of resources (pp. 191–218). Scarecrow Education.

Massey, H. (2020). Explaining the human body-field. NES Health: the Leader in Bioenergetic Health &; Wellness. https://www.neshealth.com/articles/explaining-thehuman-body-field

Massey, H. (n.d.). How NES Technology Works: NES Health. How NES Technology Works | NES Health. https:// www.neshealth.com/science/how-nes-works/

Schernhammer, E. S., & Colditz, G. A. (2004a). Suicide rates among physicians: A quantitative and Gender Assessment (meta-analysis). American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(12), 2295–2302. https://doi. org/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2295

Sinha, R. (2022, August 6). Chronic stress. Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stress-disorder

Wood, R. J., Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., Zalaquett, C. P., &; Leiter, M. P. (1998). In Evaluating stress: A book of resources (pp. 191–218). essay, Scarecrow Press.

World Health Organization. (2021). Noncommunicable Diseases. World Health Organization. https://www.who. int/data/gho/data/themes/noncommunicable-diseases

The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection between Yoga and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Keywords:

Yoga, Mental Health, Meditation, Emotional Health

Bio

Aparna More has a degree in software engineering and she is passionate International Yoga Therapist by profession. With eight years of experience, Aparna More has been living and teaching Yoga. She lives with the staunch belief that “I am enough” to make this place a better one. The purpose of her life is to spread the beauty and magic of Yoga at National and International levels. Aparna More has a Diploma in Yoga education and a teacher’s training certification from the World Yoga Alliance. She contributes her efforts into helping people towards taking their longest journey – which is the journey inwards through Yoga. Aparna More is specialised in rekindling hope in cancer survivors, people with disabilities and helping people to start loving their lives again. She does this by helping these souls to connect with themselves. Aparna More is a recipient of the Best Yoga Therapist (2022) and an Indian Icon Women personality (2019) from Western India region for her contribution in the field of Yoga.

Abstract

The rise in emotional and mental instability has become a major concern in many parts of the world, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic. Yoga has been identified as a medium through which physical and mental health challenges can be stabilized. The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection between Yoga and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Yoga can be perceived as a combination of therapy, meditation, and exercise, connecting the self to overcome limitations linked to conditional thinking. It is a life science covering aspects of human life, relating the human body with the mind. It endeavors to establish a pathway for positive progression whilst maintaining the natural relaxed state of the body.

Upon physically performing the yoga positions or asanas there are numerous benefits including increasing serotonin levels and boosting mental clarity. Bending forward inculcates surrendering activity, in contrast bending backwards opens the heart facilitating suppressed emotions to be cleared. In addition, pranayama reduces the rate of respiration and the heart rate, thus assisting individuals to reach mental stability. Internal cleansing techniques aids individuals to release stored emotions to make space for love & compassion within oneself.

This study has found that there is a strong correlation between Yoga, mental and emotional health. Yoga creates bespoke impressions over the mind and body, to awaken the infinite potential within the self. Further quantitative studies are recommended to establish a causal relationship and develop preventive measures going forward.

YOGA – A way of life

YOGA is a Holistic regimen…there is this belief that Yoga is mostly a therapy, so people are generally looking for specific asana or postures for ailments. It surely is a great tool to fight the physical ailments, however, we need to understand that Yoga is not about symptomatic, localized treatment – the idea is to adopt Yoga holistically, to remove the imbalances in the body, the mind and the Prana, in fact this approach leads to better and more effective healing.

Yoga is a science and firstly it reflects on the outermost aspect – the physical body which most of the people cab related to. When there is imbalance on the physical aspect, all the internal organs are affected, and it starts reflecting on the self in the form of various diseases. The beauty of Yoga is that it gets the various body activities into ideal direction that assists the entire body to operate in harmony. Along with the physical aspect, emotional and mental purification is one of the yoga’s most significant attainment.

The approach is simple – If the mind is not healthy and uncontrolled, it reflects the same on the body. We are excited in the situation of pleasure and we become sad when it is a negative situation. Every thought in the mind affects the brain, nervous system and all other organs in the body. Yoga is to maintain equilibrium of the mind in any situation. This equanimity of mind is the ultimate objective of yoga – Awakening of self is yoga. Yoga is about self-inquiry and growth

The human body is made up of 5 basic elements of nature – water, air, fire, earth, ether. They represent the physical and energetic qualities of the human body and of the physical world. The ebb and flow of these five elements influence our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. When they are in harmony, we experience peace and good health. When they are out of balance, we can experience suffering and unhappiness. The awareness and understanding of these laws of nature allows us to bring them into a state of equilibrium through Yoga and meditation practices. Yoga compliments the presence of these elements and hence taps into the curative power the body possesses to naturally heal itself. Yoga is an antidote for all the health issues in the life. Every little or long deep breath you take is a healing pill that you give your mind and body

This is true especially post the Pandemic wherein the focus has shifted on emotional and mental wellbeing which is then reflected on your physical health. As Yoga is a therapy session, a work-in – mind it I am saying it’s a work in – as it is a therapy, meditation and physical postures all at the same time, this helps you in taking your longest journey which is the journey inwards.

There is a stance of Yoga practice that it works towards illness impediment thus stimulating and enhancing the quality of life by boosting the health. The practice of Yoga is blossoming and growing faster across the globe. In present era, Yoga is one of the most eminent and notable well-being application. It is a wide and eclectic application that encompasses each and every aspect of life. It is actually a way of living.

YOGA – A Science

Yoga is a science, that is, it is a framework of approach that directs us to intentionally link not only with the self but also with our lives. As Yoga is a science, there is no ethic or ideology linked to it. Like in scientific experiments, we have few procedures to follow and that would yield the result similarly Yoga guides us to do definite action and then to feel and sense the impact of that action, for example – if we breath in a relaxed manner the heart rate goes down and normalizes; if we focus on our breath, the thoughts slowly start reducing and we become calm and composed. Yoga is a complete package bundled in one – breath control, mindfulness, physical activity and mindfulness. It is also a spiritual practice attempting to link the individual awareness to the entire Cosmos making us understand that we are part of this Universe and not separate from it.

The scientific nature of Yoga was unveiled when Swami Kuvalayananda administered scientific experiments in Yoga in 1924. The organization Kaivalyadham Institute for scientific research on Yoga was established in Lonavala, Pune – India. The research findings eradicated several yoga misconceptions and unraveled the mystical sheath dealing with it. The principles of Yoga were related in biological terms – encompassing the anatomy and physiology aspect. The study this way aids in comprehension of the yogic mechanism and their application for the patient in detailed way. Once the basic structure and various functions of the body are known, it becomes easy to apply, understand the mechanism of the yogic practices as well as the effects of the same on the psychological aspect of the human body. Also, when the concepts are clear, it becomes easy to modify the techniques which can suit an individual. Tailoring of the asanas and the breathing practices becomes easier with it.

Once the results were visible, the popularity of yoga increased and many started becoming aware of the benefits. Numerous doctors and health specialists started recommending yoga as a wholistic approach not only to treat injuries and illness but also as an substitute to surgery in the cases that it can be applied.

Yoga practice is a well-researched ability to make positive long-term changes to not just the body but our brains too. Yoga is an inmost science incorporating numerous techniques to attain the unification of the body and mind to attain self-knowledge which when one has gives an individual the strength to deal with others.

The Indian Prime Minister (Mr. Narendra Modi) launched a YOGA DAY on 21st June which has been observed by United Nations General Assembly. Assigning a day for Yoga signifies the importance of Yoga that has been experienced by innumerable people and the way it is helping holistically. This day is celebrated in more than 170 countries like UK, Canada, China, USA etc. There are various Yoga activities that are planned throughout the day that not only enhances the Yoga awareness but also guides people on how and where to get started. The public has realized how Yoga increases the level of wellbeing and helps to make subtle but profound changes in the life styles of the people in a positive way.

Yoga develops positive attitude and promotes positive health. As an amalgamation of art and science, it provides entire human force with eye and mind to understand not only the human mind but also the various facets of the prevalence.

1.2. Management of lifestyle diseases and Psychosomatic disorders through Yoga

Succeeding the Pandemic and Covid, there has been manifold increase in the anxiety levels, stress, depression and psychological distress. The numbers are below:

Anxiety: 6.33% to 50.9%

Stress: 8.1% to 81.9%

Depression: 14.6% to 48.3%

Psychological distress: 34.43% to 38%

Yoga has been instrumental in working on the emotional and mental level and has got a definite potential to heal the people suffering from lifestyle disorders and stress that leads to further array of diseases and this is because Yoga extends both physical and mental health benefits for humanity across the ages.

Recent studies positively depict the outcome of Yoga and meditation on overall human healthiness on the various below areas:

1.  Endocrine disorders – Thyroid, Hormonal imbalance
2. Psychological diseases – Mental stress, anxiety etc.
3. Endocrine irregularity – Thyroid, hormonal imbalance etc.
4. Neurological ailments – Alzheimer’s disease etc.

Certain breathing practices like Kapalbhati, Anuloma Villoma, Bhramari or Pranayama are the best remedies to tackle respiratory issues (Behera M, Priyadarsini N, Mohapatra D, et al, 2015).

Yoga has helped in various disorders like post-traumatic stress and other stress related diseases (Wynn, 2015). Yoga approach is highly potent to diminishing mindfulness-based stress in patients that are fatigued due to cancer and its related symptom (Johns, Brown, BeckCoon et al. 2015). Yoga is literally a behavioural practice strengthening not only the physical aspect but also the breath and mindfulness thus assisting the psychological and biological adaptations in human population (Birde, Sohl, Wallston, 2016). Yoga has been instrumental for treating modern diseases like stress, obesity, diabetes, hypertension by increasing the p a r a s y m p a t h e t i c activity and reducing sympathetic activity (Cramer, 2015). There are reports that revealed yoga works directly on most important detox organs (pancreas, liver, kidney) to maintain the insulin resistance thus working on controlling Diabetes (Chandrasekhar, 2009). More scientific evidence is required to talk about the curative role of Yoga on Cancer, however, techniques like Yoga Nidra and some asanas along with breathing techniques are helpful in disruption of sleep cycle and fear within the patients of cancer (Smith, Pukall, 2009).

It is completely legal and right to say and also numerous studies have shown that Yoga is a complimentary healing for the majority of the serious illnesses.

Due to its positive impact on both mental and physical health, yoga and meditation are becoming more and more popular.

The practice of yoga allows us to fully manifest our innate potentiality, making it appropriate to refer to it as the science of infinite human possibilities. Yoga addresses every facet of the philosophy, psychology, and application of conscious evolution at once. Rather than just giving the theorems or the concepts, it actually acts as an instrument providing the required direction to feel and sense this magnanimity

YOGA – Beyond Physical Aspect

Yoga is not mere about physical postures, but what and who you are and what intention you set while performing these postures works on freeing the consciousness from the limitations of the conditional thinking. This awakens the infinite potential within oneself and connects one to the self which is the highest state of the BLISS. Studies depicted that the yoga class begins with a primary aim of physical fitness, but as the class progresses, they notice that it not only removes the clutter off the mind it also quietens the mind thus exposing us to the Universal language of silence. Once you get to thus state the change is reflected far away from physical arena and focused more on mental and emotional aspects. This is the phase of self actualization.

I have had many students who started practicing Yoga for physical treatment, but as they become more involved, practicing with awareness, the experience of the holistic impact on the entire body and the mind got them to embrace the Yogic science for reasons far beyond the physical therapy.

We cannot scrub our inner bodies – we need to learn the skills that cleanse our tissues, organs and mind and that is YOGA.

The various basic asanas dive much deeper than the physical aspect. Let us see how it does that:

Stretching asanas

Stretching increases joint range of motion, enhances blood flow, improves posture, and relieves muscular tension all over the body. The mental and emotional benefits that we gain from this are:

2.1.1 Stretching does not only opens up the physical body and the muscles, but increasing the serotonin levels that reduces stress which in turn creates mental clarity & self-esteem efficiently.

2.1.2 Everyone experiences stress to some degree causing muscles to become tense, once tense it tightens up and then resulting into discomfort and persistent pain. Stretching eases muscle tension, breaking the vicious cycle of pain and tension.

2.1.3 Due to opening of the upper body the clogged-up lungs are open easing the breathing process and making it deeper.

2.1.4 Two feel good hormones – Endorphins and Serotonin are released by our bodies when we stretch. Serotonin levels lower stress, which effectively improves self-esteem & mental clarity and Endorphins are in charge of activating the brain receptors that heighten pleasant emotions and lessen pain

2.2 Forward Bends asanas

The bends not only works on strengthening the spine, the legs but also stimulating the liver & the kidneys. The mental and emotional benefits that we gain from this are:

2.2.1 It inculcates the feeling of calmness as the space is created between the vertebrae in the spine which is the channel between your brain and rest of the body.

2.2.2 It is also a mean of surrendering to the Divine – so in situations that are not in our control we surrender with these bends.

2.2.3 Forward bends guides us to enjoy the journey as we move forward to touch the toes or just move in forward folds. It inculcates the feeling of being patient. A new job, a new relationship, a major move, or anything else that forces us outside of our comfort zone can occasionally feel uncomfortable at first but turn out to be the best decisions we could have made once we patiently move through it. Likewise, if we bend forward with a mind free from all negativity and we can start to let go of discomfort, impatience and fear as the heart is full of gratitude.

2.3 Backward Bends asanas

Apart from a nice stretch to the back, it opens our chest, shoulder muscles especially in this era wherein our necks are constantly dangling in forward movement with the cells in our hand. Also, as the lungs fully expand, it helps in taking more oxygen and we start feeling more energized. Below benefits are reaped other than physical ones:

2.3.1 The bends open the lungs, lift the heart and deepens the breath and when all these happens it gives is the courage to overcome our fears not only on the mat but also off the mat.

2.3.2 As the heart opens up, any suppressed emotions, unresolved trauma starts melting.

2.3.3 Backbends increase the body’s energy levels and release mood elevating hormones into the blood stream. At an emotional level, as the body arches up, the mind also does the same, making room in our lives for new emotions, experiences and feelings. It is a physical vulnerability that gives us the courage to become more receptive in our personal relationships as well as other areas of life.

2.4 Twisting asanas

By bolstering our spinal structure, these asanas enable us to become more flexible. By causing intraabdominal compression, it promotes the digestive system’s optimal operation. On releasing the twist, the digestive organs receive new blood that is nutrient-rich and oxygenated. Along with the most important detox organs like liver, pancreas and kidneys, spleen, liver and gall bladder are stimulated. Apart from physical benefits, below things are achieved:

2.4.1 It activates the most important detox organ – liver in the body, which helps in insulin release and balancing the sugar in the body.

2.4.2 Apart from making us physically flexible it also prepares us emotionally & mentally to handle any situations in our lives as our spine is a recorder, recording all the emotions. With the twists we shed all these unwanted feelings.

2.4.3 Although the human body is designed for diverse dynamic activities, if we do not remain conscious to maintain it at optimum level, it builds up stress and the body piles up with the impurities. A clean and health body would have an upsurge of energy that can be consumed to work on any disease or discomfort. The Yoga twists works on quietening the chattering minds by reducing the anxiousness and stress. The practitioner stays in the present moments building more positive approach.

2.5 Balancing asanas

While doing the balancing asanas, the gravitational center of our bodies is in line with the gravitational field of the planet. Balancing requires one’s constant attention as well as a steady mind. Regularly doing these asanas enhances the mental stability and concentration. It strengthens the entire lower body and the nervous system. The mental and emotional benefits are as below:

2.5.1 The cerebellum, the part of the brain that regulates how the body moves, is trained in all balancing asanas.

2.5.2 All the balancing asanas requires the entire set of the muscles in the body to collaborate. The nervous system and the brain coordinates for the same. These asanas enhance the posture and muscle coordination while bringing about physical and nervous balance and stopping unintentional movement.

2.5.3 The concentration needed to perform the asanas steadily cultivates balance and concentration on the emotional, mental, and psychic levels, reducing stress and anxiety.

2.5.4 It not only balances your body but also your emotions at all the levels – emotional, mental and psychic levels, and once the emotions are balanced, we gain control on our day to day lives. It also induces the feeling of being rooted and being strong irrespective of the outer conditions.

We see Yoga is the gateway to better spiritual and emotional health apart from being just physical. But we need to execute these postures with awareness and complete intention with the presence of the breath to experience these deep benefits.

Conclusion

Your body is speaking to you every moment of your life through the various sensations. The question is are you really that aware that you listen to it? Adopt Yoga to know yourself, to be aware of yourself and be mindful. Once this is done, your relationship with the self changes and this brings in great positive change in your relationships with others.

Yoga is a drugless therapy. Adopt it to bring peace, stability and satisfaction physically, relaxation and harmony in body-mind functions and positivity in all the relationships. It also has a preventive aspect that can be of great help to one and all to promote and maintain fitness, health and happiness throughout the life by guarding us against stress and strain.

The original, ageless science of the Self is Yoga – it is an essential practice for the soul, working through the medium of our body. It is all about self-inquiry and growth, it is not just looking good but feeling good. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This endeavor would not have been possible without the support of my Parents, Daughter, Husband and my in-laws. Gratitude to my students who trust in me and gives me an opportunity to share beauty and magic of Yoga with them. They are the ones who gives me DOSE – Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins in my everyday sessions.

Acknowledgements

This endeavor would not have been possible without the support of my Parents, Daughter, Husband and my in-laws. Gratitude to my students who trust in me and gives me an opportunity to share beauty and magic of Yoga with them. They are the ones who gives me DOSE – Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins in my everyday sessions.

References

Behera M, Priyadarsini N, Mohapatra D, et al. Alleviating Respiratory Diseases by Alternative Method– Yoga. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2015; 32: 250–253p. Art. No. 41.

Wynn GH. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Approaches in the Treatment of PTSD. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015; 17. Art. No. 62.

Johns SA, Brown LF, Beck-Coon K, et al. Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Persistently Fatigued Cancer Survivors. Psycho-Oncology. 2015; 24: 885–893p.

Birdee GS, Sohl SJ, Wallston K. Development and Psychometric Properties of the Yoga Self-Efficacy Scale (YSES). BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016; 16. Art. No. 3.

Cramer H. The Efficacy and Safety of Yoga in Managing Hypertension. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes. In Press; 2015. doi: 10.1055/s-0035- 1565062.

Chandrasekhar R. Can Yoga Cure Diabetes? Health Administrator. 2009; 22: 40–41p.

Smith KB, Pukall CF. An EvidenceBased Review of Yoga as a Complementary Intervention for Patients with Cancer. PsychoOncology. 2009; 18: 465–475p.

Will Yoga help with WEIGHT LOSS? My answer – May be, but it will surely help you lose weight of your insecurities. It is about feeling good rather than looking good. If you ask 10 people who do Yoga as to what is Yoga you will have ten different answers as everyone has their own experience while in yoga.

M.M.Gore, 1984, Anatomy and Physiology of Yogic practices, New Age Books, New Delhi, India

Denise Rankin-Box (June 2015). Yoga being a science and not just an art Available: The science of yoga — what research reveals (elsevier.com)

FITSRI Yoga Benefits & Statistics Infographic. Page 5 Available: https://www.fitsri.com/ articles/yoga-benefits-statisticsinfographic

Deepak Semwal, Ashutosh Chauhan, Satyendra Mishra, Ruchi Semwal, May 2016, Yoga, Recent development in Yoga – A Scientific Perspective. Mumbai, India, Pages 3-4 (PDF) Recent Development in Yoga: A Scientific Perspective (researchgate. net)

Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, January 2011, Understanding the Science of Yoga. Mumbai, India, Pages 3-4 (PDF) Understanding the Science of Yoga (researchgate.net)

EIdeas on how to harness digital health technology in the fight against cancer and thus benefit from others digital health innovations are the core aims of this research paper.

Keywords:

Cancer, Health, Digital, Technology

Bio

Roxanne Boodhoo is an accomplished professional with a diverse and versatile background. Her extensive academic training has equipped her with a wide range of skills and knowledge, enabling her to excel in various roles. Roxanne is known for her strong work ethic, diligence, and commitment to undertaking any responsibilities assigned to her. She is deeply passionate about helping and supporting others, making her a compassionate and empathetic individual. Throughout her career, Roxanne has consistently demonstrated a dedication to making a positive impact, whether through her professional work or community involvement, striving to uplift those around her.

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in radiation therapy, driven by developments in photon, electron, and proton radiations, as well as the emerging use of hypo fractionated applications. Despite these innovations, the future of fractionated radiation oncology remains secure due to the complexities involved in maximising therapeutic gains without increasing toxicity. Concurrently, infammatory bowel diseases, particularly ulcerative colitis, play a crucial role in both gross and microscopic findings in differential diagnoses. Initial diagnostic approaches often involve evaluating antibiotic-resistant or induced enteritis through therapy history and PCR testing for Clostridium diffcile. Persistent clinical symptoms suggestive of therapy resistance or re-infection necessitate further testing for Clostridium diffcile fecal toxins.

Cancer therapy is increasingly influenced by digital advancements and innovative biomedical technologies. Significant progress has introduced novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools, including laser technology for surgery, photodynamic therapy, and bio-imaging. Additionally, nanotechnology has revolutionised potential therapies, enabling selective multimodal tumor diagnostics and treatment. This approach combines contrast enhanced imaging with targeted therapy, opening new horizons in cancer treatment.

The scientific community is actively developing and establishing advanced nanotechnology-based nanomedicines, reflecting a concerted effort to enhance cancer therapy. The integration of these cutting-edge technologies promises to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcomes, driving the future of cancer treatment towards more precise and effective interventions.

Introduction

The clinical application of AI in oncologic radiation therapy demonstrated its capacity to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cancer (Casà et al., 2023). Three main features AI manifested, including the NPaware, Hardware-aware, and high-throughput data processing. The AI/ML models presented the potential as robust biomarkers in reducing heterogeneity in treatment response and improve the general effectiveness of immunotherapy.

A cohort of promising AI/ML models were developed to diagnose tumours, determine the DNA damage response, identify synthetic lethal interactions, and predict immunotherapy response. In radiotherapy machine learning was successfully implemented for detecting novel radiomic features, automatically contouring organs, the classification of target volume delineation and organs at risk delineation and models for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck cancer. Novel caDISC members were identified that showed prognostic value in endometrial cancer.

Figure 1 illustrated a Schematic representation of a multi-cellular solid tumor. The tumor exhibits a quasi-spherical shape with a concentric arrangement of cells. Aerobic and proliferating tumor cells are situated on the periphery, while a smaller fraction of non-proliferating cells are found in deeper regions, encircling a core of dead cells (central necrotic core). This necrotic core results from cell death caused by restricted oxygen and nutrient diffusion.

Use of AI in designing individualised therapeutic options for leukaemia and other types of cancer, which has evolved rapidly over the years, including RPs, signal transduction, functional genomics, and immunogenomics, among others. Among different types of cancer, leukaemia is one of the exploitations of digital tools, varying from case finding, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and survivorship, to end of life care. it is anticipated in the United States that by 2030, there will be a 269% increase in the number of adult survivors of childhood cancer with a similar absolute increase in the number of survivors with a history of haematological malignancies. As a result, two new brief surveys have been developed for this valuable cohort to assess their cancer and treatment-related problems.

Aim

Ideas on how to harness digital health technology in the fight against cancer and thus benefit from others digital health innovations are the core aims of this paper. Some perspectives on this are given per se, others are inspired by digital health inventions that deal with other diseases. This paper hopes to describe areas for future digital health research and development in under-served countries and other low-resource spheres with a strong focus on cost-effective measures.

One in six deaths worldwide is due to one of the 200 types of cancer (Patel et al., 2023) (Makropoulou, 2016). In 2040, the predicted global cancer burden may almost double, reaching 30 million new cases per year (World Health Organization, 2020). High-income countries averagely invest 1.9% among their gross domestic product (GDP) into their cancer care systems greatly supported by digital health technology (Darley et al., 2023). Such funding, however, is unrealistic in low-income countries, which not only have to deal with unproportionally high cancer incidence rates, but also need to educate most people on how to prevent cancer and thus avoid particularly high costs for direct cancer care. Considering cost-effective health care, educational measures informed by digital health technology could achieve a lot in low-income countries as well. At the same time, the developing countries could serve as a sandbox environment for new digital health approaches, before being used in a proper health environment in high-income countries.

Method

It is critical to generate and continuously improve evidence to support the use of telemedicine and electronic communications in good clinical practice. Additionally, the evaluation of the usability and acceptability of interventions that can be part of digitization as a change process in healthcare must be considered. The cancer care pathway must be seamless, avoiding fragmentation due to digitization. After input from healthcare professionals, the patient and user perspective must take a central position in conjunction with the edu cation and insight of healthcare staff. It will be important to include the users (and also the patient) in the assessment of digital tools’ practical suitability. The digital tools should be cost effective for both peoples’ health and the health economy, with focus on the utilities. Great improvement in cancer patients’ reported outcomes of treatment and treatment choices will be a key measure (Andrades & Recamonde-Mendoza, 2021).

The guiding principles for the introduction of innovation, evaluation and implementation of new technologies, and good digital technology practice in the National Health Service (NHS) should be based on care pathways and needs, cost effectiveness and equality (C. Griffn et al., 2020). Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), including health-related quality of life, functional capacity, pain assessment and symptom-related follow-up, should be utilised to establish the quality of patient care on digital platforms. These measures should apply to any intervention or drug, an occurrence in all diseases and changes in statistics on common diseases, for example cancer, should be observed. Patients should be involved in setting the parameters for utility.

Results and Discussion

At the time of writing, m-health is playing a vital role in contributing to healthcare by offering a convenient and efficient way to replace or complement traditional in-person interactions. This is especially beneficial in the field of oncology care, where physical interactions are crucial for the accurate delivery of complex testing and treatment plans. As it has already been successfully demonstrated, digital solutions, particularly the use of smartphones and mobile applications, have the ability to avoid unnecessary hospital visits, greatly improve patients’ overall experiences, enhance adherence to follow-up treatment, and facilitate significant time savings for both patients and healthcare providers alike. The utilisation of advanced algorithms and smart programming further allows for the seamless adjustment of the next steps in the pathway of care for patients, all based on their ongoing monitoring data and through online consultations. Additionally, it is worth noting that the majority of diagnostic image facilities worldwide still rely on non-digital methods, which unfortunately limits access to remote experts and timely distant review (Agarwal et al., 2020). This further emphasises the urgent need for embracing digital technology in healthcare to ensure optimal patient outcomes are consistently achieved.

While any amount of liver cancer is something to be concerned about, in emerging economies, the majority of patients present with more advanced stages at the time of diagnosis. However, smartphones are ubiquitous in most emerging countries and could be efficiently utilised in a solution to address obstacles in the continuum of care for liver cancer patients (Huang et al.2022). With specifically trained and deployed digital health workers from within, in parallel with leveraging widely available local care resources, we can develop and implement a novel digital health strategy that aims to support health and education system strengthening. By utilising the vast potential of mobile technology, we can revolutionise the way liver cancer patients receive care and support in emerging economies. With smartphones being pervasive in these countries, there is an unprecedented opportunity to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers. Combining the power of digital health workers who have been trained for this specific purpose and making use of existing local healthcare resources, we can create a groundbreaking digital health strategy that not only provides assistance but also strengthens the overall health and education system. Through the integration of smartphones into the continuum of care, we can ensure that liver cancer patients have access to vital information, resources, and support at all stages of their journey. By deploying a network of highly skilled digital health workers, who are equipped with the knowledge to navigate through the complexities of liver cancer care, we can overcome the barriers that hinder timely diagnosis and treatment (Wazir et al.2023). Moreover, by tapping into the readily available local care resources, we can create a synergy that boosts the overall healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies, leading to improved outcomes for liver cancer patients.

This innovative digital health strategy holds immense potential to transform the landscape of liver cancer care in emerging economies. By harnessing the power of smartphone technology and utilising the expertise of digital health workers, we can pave the way for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to tackling this devastating disease. Through the seamless integration of mobile devices, local resources, and a well-trained workforce, we can achieve unparalleled advancements in health and education system strengthening, ultimately benefiting not only liver cancer patients but the entire population as well. With the implementation of this game-changing digital health strategy, individuals facing liv er cancer in emerging economies will experience a significant improvement in their overall care and outcomes. The utilisation of smartphones, which have become an integral part of everyday life in these countries, allows for a unique opportunity to bridge the divide between patients and healthcare providers (Potdar et al.2020). By capitalising on the expertise and training of digital health workers who are dedicated to liver cancer care, alongside the utilisation of existing local healthcare resources, a ground-breaking and effective digital health strategy can be established.

By incorporating smartphones into the continuum of care, liver cancer patients will have continuous access to the vital information, resources, and support that they require at every step of their journey. Through the formation of a network of highly skilled digital health workers, equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise to navigate the intricacies of liver cancer care, the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment can be effectively overcome. Additionally, by optimising the readily accessible local care resources, a symbiotic relationship can be established, further bolstering the overall healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies, ultimately benefiting liver cancer patients and the wider population.

The implementation of this innovative digital health strategy has the potential to completely revolutionise the landscape of liver cancer care in emerging economies. By harnessing the power of smartphone technology and leveraging the specialised skills of digital health workers, a truly inclusive and comprehensive approach to combating this debilitating disease can be crafted (Lv et al., 2023). Through the seamless integration of mobile devices, local resources, and a highly skilled workforce, unprecedented advancements in health and education system strengthening can be achieved. This, in turn, will not only significantly benefit liver cancer patients but will also have a profound and lasting impact on the overall wellbeing of the entire population.

Conclusion

This study has critically explored how existing digital technologies are effectively configured to be optimised for enhanced prevention; prehabilitation (of the human subject), detection (including early diagnosis), treatment, and care, in the fight against cancer. More specifically, it has been established that the declarative use of digital technologies for the fight against cancer, from an ethical and regulatory perspective. As new warfronts emerge in the fight against the development and progression of cancer, a critical at the leverage of digital technologies and systems in effectively fighting these warfronts becomes inevitable. Indeed, this article sets out with the explicit aim of critically evaluating the use and effective employment of these set of digital technologies in the fight against cancer, including some of the futuristic endeavours being charted within research environments through social inclusion. (Patel et al., 2023)

Increased cancer incidence, prevalence, costs, and deaths threaten the quality of life globally (Makropoulou, 2016). As the cancer burden has proven to be multidimensional, a multi-pronged strategy to combat this scourge that includes cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care must be adopted. Emerging advancements in digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoTs), Artificial Intelligence (AI) for hepatocellular carcinoma (AIHCC), Machine learning (ML), and Big Data presages the potential future of electronic healthcare that leverages data-driven solutions.

References

Agarwal, S., Singh Punn, N., Kumar Sonbhadra, S., Tanveer, M., Nagabhushan, P., K Soundra Pandian, K., & Saxena, P. (2020). Unleashing the power of disruptive and emerging technologies amid COVID-19: A detailed review. [PDF]

Andrades, R. & Recamonde-Mendoza, M. (2021). Machine learning methods for prediction of cancer driver genes: a survey paper. [PDF]

Griffn, A., Topaloglu, U., Davis, S., & E. Chung, A. (2020). From Patient Engagement to Precision Oncology: Leveraging Informatics to Advance Cancer Care. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Casà, C., Dinapoli, L., Marconi, E., Chiesa, S., Cornacchione, P., Beghella Bartoli, F., Bracci, S., Salvati, A., Scalise, S., Ferdinando Colloca, G., Pia Rosaria Chieffo, D., Antonietta Gambacorta, M., Valentini, V., & Tagliaferri, L. (2023). Integration of art and technology in person alized radiation oncology care: Experiences, evidence, and perspectives. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Charalambous, A. (2019). Utilizing the Advances in Digital Health Solutions to Manage Care in Cancer Patients. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Darley, A., Coughlan, B., Maguire, R., McCann, L., & Furlong, E. (2023). A bridge from uncertainty to understanding: The meaning of symptom management digital health technology during cancer treatment.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Huang, D. Q., Singal, A. G., Kono, Y., Tan, D. J., El-Serag, H. B., & Loomba, R. (2022). Changing global epidemiology of liver cancer from 2010 to 2019: NASH is the fastest growing cause of liver cancer. cell.com

Lv, L., Zhao, B., Kang, J., Li, S., & Wu, H. (2023). Trend of disease burden and risk factors of breast cancer in developing countries and territories, from 1990 to 2019: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study …. Frontiers in Public Health. . frontiersin.org

Makropoulou, M. (2016). Cancer and electromagnetic radiation therapy: Quo Vadis?. [PDF]

Patel, S., C Goldsack, J., Cordovano, G., Downing, A., K Fields, K., Geoghegan, C., Grewal, U., Nieva, J., Patel, N., E Rollison, D., Sah, A., Said, M., Van De Keere, I., Way, A., L WolffHughes, D., A Wood, W., & J Robinson, E. (2023). Access to internet, smartphone usage, and acceptability of mobile health technology among cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28, 5455-5461. medrxiv.org

Rasheed, S., Kanwal, T., Ahmad, N., Fatima, B., Najamul-Haq, M., & Hussain, D. (2024). Advances and challenges in portable optical biosensors for onsite detection and point-of-care diagnostics. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 117640. [HTML]

Wazir, H., Abid, M., Essani, B., Saeed, H., Khan, M. A., Nasrullah, F. N. U., … & ahad Shah, A. (2023). Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Disease: Current Trends and Future Directions. Cureus, 15(12). cureus.com

Examine the predictive prevalence of major depressive episodes (MDE), MDE with severe impairment, MDE with alcohol use disorder in relation to sociodemographic disparity and frequency of cannabis use.

Keywords:

marijuana, depression, cannabis, severe role impairment, alcohol use disorder (AUD)

Bio

Dr. Ismatara Reena, Ed.D, MBBS, CHES, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Health Promotion and Wellness Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA. Her diverse research portfolio spans underrepresented groups, mental health literacy, social determinants of health, COVID-19’s effects on higher education, and health equity. With a passion for promoting wellness and addressing disparities, she contributes invaluable insights to the field. Dr. Reena’s work underscores her commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering positive change in healthcare and education. Her multidisciplinary approach and dedication to improving health outcomes make her a valuable asset to the academic community and beyond.

Abstract

Youth substance use is a major public health concern. Marijuana and alcohol, the two most common illicit drugs among adolescents are increasing being studied for affective risk. Despite the steady fall of teens substance use since pandemic, teens depressive symptoms elevated, and mental health condition worsened. This study investigates the association between adolescent marijuana use, depression, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) using data from the 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Descriptive statices and binary logistic regression were used analyse the data.

The findings reveal that adolescent marijuana use is significantly associated with higher odds of lifetime MDE, past-year MDE, past-year MDE with severe role impairment, and past-year MDE with AUD. Female gender and White race followed by Hispanic have statistically higher marijuana consumption. Two out of five adolescent lifetime marijuana user had past year MDE, and 9% had MDE with AUD. A significant portion of adolescents, ranging from 63% to 75%, perceive moderate to heavy marijuana use as lacking substantial risks. A consistent and particular escalating odds is identified between past-year cannabis use frequency and the likelihood of experiencing MDE with co-occurring AUD.

Introduction

Marijuana and alcohol are among the most common form of psychoactive polysubstance use globally particularly among adolescents (Banks et al., 2017; Jones & McCance‐ Katz, 2019). In 2020, nearly 900,000 adolescents had alcohol use disorder and 1.3 million people had marijuana use disorder (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2022). Cannabis reforms such as decriminalization, medicalization, and legalization have had varied consequences youth in the United States, including some advantages and detrimental consequences on adolescent mental health (Hammond et al., 2020). Marijuana and alcohol alone or when used together has disproportionate population distribution (McHugh, 2019; Gajos et al., 2021; Pedroni et al., 2021; Siddiqui et al., 2022). Both substances are linked to a wide range of acute and long-term health hazards and repercussions (Aloi et al., 2019; Crocker et al., Marijuana and alcohol are among the most common form of psychoactive polysubstance use globally particularly among adolescents (Banks et al., 2017; Jones & McCance‐ Katz, 2019). In 2020, nearly 900,000 adolescents had alcohol use disorder and 1.3 million people had marijuana use disorder (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2022). Cannabis reforms such as decriminalization, medicalization, and legalization have had varied consequences youth in the United States, including some advantages and detrimental consequences on adolescent mental health (Hammond et al., 2020). Marijuana and alcohol alone or when used together has disproportionate population distribution (McHugh, 2019; Gajos et al., 2021; Pedroni et al., 2021; Siddiqui et al., 2022). Both substances are linked to a wide range of acute and long-term health hazards and repercussions (Aloi et al., 2019; Crocker et al., 2021; Pasman et al., 2018; Reece & Hulse, 2020).

Overall, a steady fall of substance use has been noticed among adolescents since the pandemic culmination, yet the upward trajectory of depression prevalence remains same among all demographics (Patalay & Gage, 2019). Higher marijuana consumption attributed to the discourse on cannabis reform can translate into a greater mental healthcare burden (Bodden et al., 2018; Mojtabai et al., 2016; Ssegonja et al., 2019; Twenge, 2020; Zuckermann et al., 2019). Converging evidence of robust literatures indicate the association of cannabis use to depression in adolescents (Chadi et al., 2019; Langlois et al., 2021; Weinberger et al., 2020), however the directionality is not clear. The relationship between cannabis uses and depression has three hypotheses so far: depression preceding cannabis use, cannabis-induced brain changes increasing MDD risk, and confounding factors (Gukasyan & Strain, 2020). In contrast, ample scholarly works have demonstrated the association of risk of depression with alcohol misuse.

However, the results of extensive population-based surveys show that depression brought on by solely drinking alcohol is not extremely prevalent. Studies have revealed that many cases that were initially diagnosed as alcohol-induced depression were later reclassified as independent depression (i.e., not substance caused), as the condition persisted even after a period of abstinence (McHugh, 2019).

Marijuana use can potentially lead to use of other substances including alcohol (Hines et al., 2020; Nugent et al., 2018; Ramlagan et al., 2021). A large number of adolescents in the U.S. are engaged in substance use according to recent national surveys (SAMHSA. 2022). In 2021, The percentage for marijuana vaping in the past month among current marijuana users was highest among adolescents. In 2020, Nearly 900,000 adolescents had alcohol use disorder and 1.3 million people had marijuana use disorder. In addition, 20.1 percent (weighted 5.0 million adolescents) had major depressive episode (MDE), and 14.7 percent (weighted 3.7 million adolescents) had MDE with severe impairment in various roles of life. Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, 2.9 percent (weighted 724,000 people) had both an MDE with severe impairment and an substance use disorder (SUD). Additionally, a concerning prevalence of depression effects like suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts among adolescents was observed. The estimates are derived from surveying in the subsequent year. This high prevalence raises the concern for outlining the predictors of depression related to substance use.

Although co-use of alcohol and marijuana and its associated risk of moderate depression has been studied several times in several demographics (Claus et al., 2017; Lipperman‐ Kreda et al., 2017; Thompson et al., 2021; White et al., 2019), the impact of cannabis use on MDE with alcohol use disorder (AUD) has not been studied enough. The relevance to identify the sociodemographic disparity is paramount importance to recognise target strata of population. With shifting cannabis legalization in the US, and alcohol being the second most common used substance, it’s crucial to investigate the link between adolescent cannabis use with adolescent with major depressive episodes and with alcohol use disorder and the pattern of population distribution.

The objective of the current study is to examine the predictive prevalence of major depressive episodes (MDE), MDE with severe impairment, MDE with alcohol use disorder in relation to sociodemographic disparity and frequency of cannabis use.

Method

This research employed a secondary data analysis approach, utilising data from the 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The study included a total of 10,743 adolescent participants aged 12-17, drawn from the NSDUH database. The data were nationally representative of the United States population. The NSDUH conducted multimodal data collections throughout 2021, compiling information from households, non institutionalised group quarters, and civilians on military bases. Data were anonymized and available for public use.

The primary outcome measures were lifetime major depressive episodes (MDE), past year MDE, past year MDE with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and past year MDE with severe role impairment. All outcomes were binary dichotomous variables, with responses categorized as “Yes” or “No.” The NSDUH adapted discrete adolescent depression criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) to define lifetime MDE.

Past year depression was determined for those with lifetime MDE reporting a 2-week or longer period of depression in the past 12 months. Adolescents concurrently reporting alcohol abuse underwent assessments for alcohol use disorder. The Sheehan Disability Scale (Leon et al., 1997) measured the impact of a disorder on adolescents’ life, assessing role functioning in chores, relationships, and social life.

Adolescents were classified as having an MDE with severe impairment if their depression caused severe problems with their ability to do chores at home, do well at work or school, get along with their family or have a social life. Scores ≥7 in any domain indicated MDD with severe role impairment. Independent variable, cannabis use frequency was obtained by classifying past year cannabis use into four categories: non-user, mild user (1-11 days a year), moderate user (12-49 days a year), and heavy user (≥50 days a year) (Gukasyan & Strain, 2020).

Descriptive analysis characterized participant demographics and assessed the prevalence of cannabis use. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict the probabilities of experiencing lifetime major depressive episode, past year major depressive episode, major depressive episode with severe role impairment, major depressive episode with alcohol use disorder based on sociodemographic factors and cannabis use frequency. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) quantified the observed associations. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0, with a significance cutoff of 0.05 and a 95% confidence level.

Results

Participants Characteristic

Table 1 presents sociodemographic characteristic of participants (N= 10743, weighted about 25 million adolescents) by marijuana use. Weighted column percents and unweighted n of the total sample adolescents who had lifetime marijuana use across various sociodemographic variables and depression outcomes including severe impairment and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Most of the adolescent participants with lifetime marijuana use are older adolescents (age 16-17, 63.9%), females (54.7%), non-Hispanic white (51.4%) followed by Hispanic (23.3%), with a total annual family income $50,000 or more (58.1) and are found to be statistically significant with crosstab chi-square analysis. In 2021, nearly 50% of adolescents who used cannabis experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in their lifetime. Additionally, around 40% reported MDEs in the preceding year, with about 31% encountering MDEs associated with severe role impairment, and roughly 9% with co-occurring alcohol use disorder. All the depression outcomes including past year MDE with AUD demonstrated significant associations with marijuana use (p < 0.01).

Prediction by sociodemographic variables

The findings of the study (see Table 2) reveal significant associations between various demographic factors and the likelihood of experiencing depression outcomes. For lifetime MDE, adolescents aged 14-15 years exhibited a significantly higher likelihood (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.50- 1.89, p < 0.001), while those aged 16-17 years had an even greater likelihood (OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 2.19-2.74, p < 0.001) compared to the reference group (12-13 years). A similar pattern was observed for past year MDE, with higher odds for both the 14-15 years group (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.52- 1.96, p < 0.001) and the 16-17 years group (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 2.02-2.6, p < 0.001). Concerning past year MDE with alcohol use disorder, the odds were significantly elevated for adolescents aged 14-15 years (OR = 4.75, 95% CI: 2.54-8.88, p < 0.001) and 16-17 years (OR = 7.56, 95% CI: 4.13-13.86, p < 0.001) compared to the reference group. Similarly, for past year MDE with severe role impairment, both the 14-15 years group (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.66-2.23, p < 0.001) and the 16-17 years group (OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 2.03- 2.71, p < 0.001) displayed significantly higher odds.

For lifetime MDE, males demonstrated a significantly lower likelihood than female (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.27-0.33, p < 0.001), and this pattern persisted for past year MDE (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.27-0.34, p < 0.001). Similarly, for past year MDE with alcohol use disorder, male adolescents exhibited a markedly reduced likelihood (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.22-0.46, p < 0.001), as did for past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.26-0.33, p < 0.001).

In comparison with non-Hispanic white adolescents, the odds of lifetime MDE among African American adolescents were significantly lower (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.59-0.79, p < 0.001), and this pattern persisted for past year MDE (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56-0.77, p < 0.001) and past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.57-0.81, p < 0.001). However, for past year MDE with alcohol use disorder, the odds were significantly lower only for African American adolescents (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18-0.73, p = 0.004). In the Hispanic group, the odds of lifetime MDE were slightly higher (OR = 1.124, 95% CI: 1.01-1.25, p = 0.033), but there were no significant associations for past year MDE, past year MDE with alcohol use disorder, or past year MDE with severe role impairment.

For adolescents in families with an income of $20,000- $49,999, the odds of lifetime MDE were slightly elevated (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02-1.38, p = 0.02) than less than $20,000 group. Although a similar trend was observed for past year MDE, it did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.95-1.31, p = 0.19). There were no significant associations between this income range and past year MDE with alcohol use disorder or past year MDE with severe role impairment. In contrast, families with an income of $50,000 or more did not show any signifcant association with lifetime MDE (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.967-1.258, p = 0.14) or past year MDE (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.97-1.30, p = 0.11) or past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.98-1.37, p = 0.08). A statistically significant increase in the odds of past year MDE with alcohol use disorder (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 0.99-2.85, p = 0.05) has been observed.

Prediction by Cannabis use Frequency

Compared to those who never used cannabis, mild, moderate, and heavy cannabis users displayed progressively higher odds of lifetime MDE, past year MDE, past-year MDE with alcohol use disorder, and past year MDE with severe role impairment.

For mild cannabis users, the odds of lifetime MDE were substantially higher (OR = 2.89, 95% CI: 2.37-3.53, p < 0.001), and this trend persisted for past year MDE (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 2.56-3.85, p < 0.001), and past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 3.22, 95% CI: 2.59-4.0, p < 0.001). Similarly, moderate cannabis users exhibited increased odds for all outcomes: lifetime MDE (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.98-3.41, p < 0.001), past year MDE (OR = 2.73, 95% CI: 2.05-3.62, p < 0.001), and past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 2.22-4.04, p < 0.001).For heavy cannabis users, the odds were similarly elevated across all outcomes: lifetime MDE (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 2.43-3.57, p < 0.001), past year MDE (OR = 2.91, 95% CI: 2.38-3.55, p < 0.001, and past year MDE with severe role impairment (OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 2.42-3.70, p < 0.001).

The study findings indicate a consistent and escalating association between past-year cannabis use frequency and the likelihood of experiencing major depressive episodes (MDE) with co-occurring alcohol use disorder among adolescents. Compared to individuals who reported never using cannabis, mild cannabis users demonstrated a substantially higher odds ratio (OR = 18.0, 95% CI: 11.2-29.04, p < 0.001) for past-year MDE with alcohol use disorder. This pattern continued for moderate cannabis users, with a dramatic increase in the odds (OR = 29.0, 95% CI: 17.4-49.0, p < 0.001). Heavy cannabis users exhibited the highest risk, with an even greater odds ratio (OR = 33.0, 95% CI: 22.5-50.24, p < 0.001).

Discussion

The Depression has been reported as a common affective adverse event in adolescent marijuana users.However, current literature remains divisive on the depression risk in adolescent marijuana users. Most literature (Bolanis et al., 2020; Chadi et al., 2019; Schoeler et al., 2018) we found showed that adolescent marijuana users had higher odds of depression even after adjusting for concomitant substance use, which contrasts with other studies (Gobbi et al., 2019) showing low risk association. Such duality of findings regarding the adolescent’s depression association with marijuana use raises the possibility that cannabis use may increase depression under certain conditions, such as other substance use, adverse childhood experience. Those conditions might not always be mutually exclusive. Our result showed greater odds of depression, depression with severe impairment, and depression with alcohol disorder in any frequency of marijuana use. This study uniquely contributes by utilizing data from a recent national survey with larger sample size and sampling weights that allow authors to approximate the young marijuana users on a national level.

This population-based study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine the if the frequency of cannabis use can predict depression, depression with severe impairment, and depression with alcohol use disorder (AUD) simultaneously during adolescence from recent NSDUH data.

On top of that, predictive probability of sociodemographic variables to depression outcome and sociodemographic and depression outcomes correlates of marijuana use have been explored (see Table 1 and 2). Our study has following main findings. Female gender and White race followed by Hispanic have statistically higher marijuana consumption while some most studies (Assari et al., 2018; Hamilton et al., 2019; Terry‐McElrath et al., 2020) reported otherwise. The gender gap was already narrowing over time (Hemsing & Greaves, 2020), and the racial sample size difference might play a role here for this finding. Significantly higher likelihood of lifetime and past year major depressive episode (MDE), MDE with severe role impairment, as well as MDE with alcohol use disorder (p < 0.01), were observed among adolescents with a history of cannabis use.

As for the subjective dimension to the cannabis consumption among adolescents, between 63% and 75% of adolescents view moderate to heavy marijuana use as not posing a significant risk, and 35% of adolescents consider acquiring marijuana to be quite accessible. As cannabis use frequency increased, predicted prevalence of lifetime and past-year MDE, past year MDE with severe role impairment, past year MDE with AUD increased significantly (p < 0.001). The moderate (12- 49 days a year) and heavy (≥50 days a year) cannabis users showed particularly elevated odds in relation to MDE with alcohol use disorder.

Overall, 13% adolescents (weighted about 3 million adolescents) reported lifetime marijuana use. Any frequency of past year marijuana use predicted both depression and depression with AUD in adolescence. As far as we are aware no studies have investigated associations from cannabis use to both severe depression and depression with alcohol use disorder simultaneously. Few studies have investigated depression to cannabis use (Hoffmann, 2018), cannabis use to depression (Hengartner et al., 2020; Lawn et al., 2022; Mustonen et al., 2021), cannabis and alcohol use to depression (Fleming et al., 2021), depression to alcohol and cannabis use disorder (Rhew et al., 2017).

Most studies in our literature search demonstrated that depression was associated with increased subsequent cannabis use, alcohol use or simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana (SAM) during adolescence. Our study extends the current body of knowledge by predicting depression with alcohol use disorder by increasing frequency category of cannabis use (mild, moderate, heavy use) among adolescents. Compared to studies that have investigated the bidirectional associations between depression and cannabis use simultaneously, our study had the advantage of also examining alcohol use disorder and was based on a representative sample of today’s adolescents.

Our study findings bring out the hypothesis in the table of discussion that depression precedes cannabis use, whereby adolescents may use cannabis to reduce stress or relaxation (Moreno-Mansilla et al., 2021). Research also shows that the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis to alleviate negative affect is largely short-term benefit rather it increases baseline depression in long term (Cuttler et al., 2018). While adolescents might be taking marijuana, the gateway drug as a coping strategy for alleviation of stress, it increases their likelihood to consume other substance use like alcohol (Borodovsky and Budney, 2018; Scheier & Griffn, 2021).

Limitations and Strengths

Dosage of cannabis use could not be known from the NSDUH dataset; hence, the frequency of use was taken as a crude estimate. This can cause the borderline data from categories of use severity, in some instance to be intermingling given that an adolescent may consume cannabis at very high amount attributed a mild user to moderate category. The self-reported nature of data, frequency of cannabis use data may be prone to response bias and potential underreporting. The diagnosis of alcohol abuse disorder or depression were not confirmed through clinician assessment or objective measures like urine drug screen tests. Furthermore, The NSDUH data do not allow for the determination of the chronological onset sequence between Alcohol Use Disorders (SUD) and Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) among adolescents aged 12 to 17, preventing the establishment of whether SUD preceded MDE or vice versa. The authors would also like to acknowledge the presence of potential confounders especially developmental environment related factors.

Despite those limitations, the study’s strength is the large, nationally representative sample of the U.S. adolescent population aged 12 to 17. The study updates and contributes to the existing knowledge base by providing information from a recent NSDUH. The research addresses a significant gap in the literature by exploring factors associated with depression, depression with severe role impairment, or alcohol use disorder. It also investigates marijuana use frequency as a predictor for depression with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Conclusion

Our analyses identified use of marijuana as significant risk factors for all depression-related outcomes. Higher use of marijuana (moderate and heavy user) was also strongly associated with all depression outcomes, and the association with depression with alcohol use disorder was somewhat greater in magnitude than expected. Further research is needed to investigate the dose relationship between cannabis use frequency on depressive symptomatology with and without alcohol use disorder.

Misconceptions about marijuana safety and easy access might contribute to higher MDE rates among frequent users, necessitating further research on underlying motivation of substance use and youth sensitive corrective education. Clinicians should be aware that even any lifetime cannabis use in an adolescent suggests a higher likelihood of depression. Careful screening for depression and history co use of alcohol in an adolescent with any history of cannabis use should be investigated.

The limitations of NSDUH may constrain any deeper understanding between the cannabis user categories, nonetheless this work provides a starting point for further prospective research on the relationship between cannabis use frequency and affective disorders with and without polysubstance use in adolescence.

Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-proft sectors.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, D

Aloi, J., Meffert, H., White, S. F., Blair, K. S., Hwang, S., Tyler, P. M., Thornton, L. C., Crum, K. I., Adams, K., Killanin, A. D., Filbey, F. M., Pope, K., & Blair, R. J. R. (2019). Differential dysfunctions related to alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms in reward and error-processing neuro-circuitries in adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 36, 100618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. dcn.2019.100618

Assari, S., Mistry, R., Caldwell, C. H., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2018). Marijuana use and depressive symptoms; Gender differences in African American adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi. org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02135

Banks, D. E., Rowe, A. T., Mpofu, P., & Zapolski, T. C. B. (2017). Trends in typologies of concurrent alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use among US adolescents: An ecological examination by sex and race/ethnicity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 179, 71–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.06.026

Bodden, D., Stikkelbroek, Y., & Dirksen, C. D. (2018). Societal burden of adolescent depression, an overview and cost-of-illness study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 241, 256– 262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jad.2018.06.015

Bolanis, D., Orri, M., Castellanos‐Ryan, N., Renaud, J., Montreuil, T., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., Tremblay, R. E., Turecki, G., Côté, S. M., Séguin, J. R., & Geoffroy, M. (2020). Cannabis use, depression and suicidal ideation in adolescence: direction of associations in a population based cohort. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 1076–1083. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.136

Chadi, N., Li, G., Cerda, N., & Weitzman, E. R. (2019). Depressive symptoms and suicidality in Adolescents using e-Cigarettes and marijuana: a secondary data analysis from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 13(5), 362– 365. https://doi.org/10.1097/ adm.0000000000000506

Claus, E. D., Ewing, S. W. F., Magnan, R. E., Montanaro, E., Hutchison, K. E., & Bryan, A. D. (2017). Neural mechanisms of risky decision making in adolescents reporting frequent alcohol and/or marijuana use. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 12(2), 564–576. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11682-017-9723-x

Crocker, C., Carter, A., Emsley, J. G., Magee, K., Atkinson, P., & Tibbo, P. G. (2021). When cannabis use goes wrong: Mental health side effects of cannabis use that present to emergency services. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyt.2021.640222

Cuttler, C., Spradlin, A., & McLaughlin, R. J. (2018). A naturalistic examination of the perceived effects of cannabis on negative affect. Journal of Affective Disorders, 235, 198– 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jad.2018.04.054

Fleming, C. B., Duckworth, J. C., Rhew, I. C., Abdallah, D. A., Guttmannova, K., Patrick, M. E., & Lee, C. M. (2021). Young adult simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use: Between- and within-person associations with negative alcohol-related consequences, mental health, and general health across two-years. Addictive Behaviors, 123, 107079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107079

Gajos, J. M., Purcell, J. B., & Mrug, S. (2021). The Intersection between Sex and Race in understanding Substance Co-USe Patterns in Adolescents from the Fragile Families study. Journal of Drug Issues, 52(1), 15–30. https://doi. org/10.1177/00220426211041093

Gobbi, G., Atkin, T., Zytynski, T., Wang, S., Askari, S., Boruff, J., Ware, M. A., Marmorstein, N. R., Cipriani, A., Dendukuri, N., & Mayo, N. E. (2019). Association of cannabis use in adolescence and risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in young adulthood. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(4), 426. https:// doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4500

Gukasyan, N., & Strain, E. C. (2020). Relationship between cannabis use frequency and major depressive disorder in adolescents: Findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2012–2017. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 208, 107867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. drugalcdep.2020.107867

Hamilton, A., Jang, J. B., Patrick, M. E., Schulenberg, J. E., & Keyes, K. M. (2019). Age, period and cohort effects in frequent cannabis use among US students: 1991–2018. Addiction, 114(10), 1763–1772. https://doi. org/10.1111/add.14665

Hammond, C., Chaney, A., Hendrickson, B. P., & Sharma, P. (2020). Cannabis use among U.S. adolescents in the era of marijuana legalization: a review of changing use patterns, comorbidity, and health correlates. International Review of Psychiatry, 32(3), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/0954026 1.2020.1713056

Hemsing, N., & Greaves, L. (2020). Gender Norms, Roles and Relations and Cannabis-Use Patterns: A Scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 947. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030947

Hengartner, M. P., Angst, J., Ajdacic-Gross, V., & Rössler, W. (2020). Cannabis use during adolescence and the occurrence of depression, suicidality and anxiety disorder across adulthood: Findings from a longitudinal cohort study over 30 years. Journal of Affective Disorders, 272, 98–103. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.126

Hines, L. A., Freeman, T. P., Gage, S. H., Zammit, S., Hickman, M., Cannon, M., Munafò, M. R., Macleod, J., & Heron, J. (2020). Association of High Potency cannabis use with mental health and substance use in adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(10), 1044. https:// doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1035

Hoffmann, J. P. (2018). Marijuana Use and Depressive Symptoms among Young People: Examining Unidirectional and Bidirectional Effects. Health, 10(08), 1066– 1078. https://doi.org/10.4236/ health.2018.108080

Jones, C. M., & McCance‐Katz, E. F. (2019). Relationship between recency and frequency of youth cannabis use on other substance use. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(3), 411–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jadohealth.2018.09.017

Lawn, W., Mokrysz, C., Lees, R., Trinci, K., Petrilli, K., Skumlien, M., Borissova, A., Ofori, S., Bird, C., Jones, G., Bloomfeld, M., Das, R., Wall, M. B., Freeman, T. P., & Curran, H. V. (2022). The CannTeen Study: Cannabis use disorder, depression, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms in adolescent and adult cannabis users and age-matched controls. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(12), 1350–1361. https://doi. org/10.1177/02698811221108956

Langlois, C. C., Potvin, S., Khullar, A., & Tourjman, S. V. (2021). Down and high: Refections regarding depression and cannabis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyt.2021.625158

Leon, A. C., Olfson, M., Portera, L., Farber, L. H., & Sheehan, D. V. (1997). Assessing Psychiatric Impairment in Primary Care with the Sheehan Disability Scale. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 27(2), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.2190/ t8em-c8yh-373n-1uwd

Lipperman‐Kreda, S., Gruenewald, P. J., Grube, J. W., & Bersamin, M. (2017). Adolescents, alcohol, and marijuana: Context characteristics and problems associated with simultaneous use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 179, 55–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.06.023

McHugh, R. K. (2019). Alcohol use disorder and depressive disorders. Alcohol Research, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.35946/ arcr.v40.1.01

Mojtabai, R., Olfson, M., & Han, B. (2016). National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults. Pediatrics, 138(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/ peds.2016-1878

Moreno-Mansilla, S., Ricarte, J. J., & Hallford, D. J. (2021). Cannabis use among early adolescents and transdiagnostic mental health risk factors. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26(2), 531–543. https://doi. org/10.1177/1359104521994637

Mustonen, A., Hielscher, E., Miettunen, J., Denissoff, A., Alakokkare, A., Scott, J. G., & Niemelä, S. (2021). Adolescent cannabis use, depression and anxiety disorders in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. British Journal of Psychiatry Open, 7(4). https://doi. org/10.1192/bjo.2021.967

Nugent, S. M., Yarborough, B. J. H., Smith, N., Dobscha, S. K., Deyo, R. A., Green, C. A., & Morasco, B. J. (2018). Patterns and correlates of medical cannabis use for pain among patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy. General Hospital Psychiatry, 50, 104–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.11.001

Pasman, J. A., Verweij, K. J. H., Gerring, Z., Stringer, S., Sanchez‐Roige, S., Treur, J. L., Abdellaoui, A., Nivard, M. G., Baselmans, B. M. L., Ong, J., Ip, H. F., Van Der Zee, M. D., Bartels, M., Day, F. R., Fontanillas, P., Elson, S. L., De Wit, H., Davis, L. K., MacKillop, J., . . . Vink, J. M. (2018). GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, genetic overlap with psychiatric traits, and a causal effect of schizophrenia liability. Nature Neuroscience, 21(9), 1161–1170. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593- 018-0206-1

Patalay, P., & Gage, S. H. (2019). Changes in millennial adolescent mental health and health-related behaviours over 10 years: a population cohort comparison study.International Journal of Epidemiology, 48(5), 1650–1664. https://doi. org/10.1093/ije/dyz006

Pedroni, C., Dujeu, M., Lebacq, T., Desnouck, V., Holmberg, E., & Castetbon, K. (2021). Alcohol consumption in early adolescence: Associations with sociodemographic and psychosocial factors according to gender. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0245597. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0245597

Ramlagan, S., Peltzer, K., & Pengpid, S. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of non-daily and daily cannabis use among persons 15 years and older in South Africa: results of a national survey in 2017. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 16(1). https://doi. org/10.1186/s13011-021-00364-z

Reece, A. S., & Hulse, G. K. (2020). Co-occurrence across time and space of drug- and cannabinoid- exposure and adverse mental health outcomes in the National Survey of Drug Use and Health: combined geotemporospatial and causal inference analysis. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi. org/10.1186/s12889-020-09748-5

Rhew, I. C., Fleming, C. B., Stoep, A. V., Nicodimos, S., Zheng, C., & McCauley, E. (2017). Examination of cumulative effects of early adolescent depression on cannabis and alcohol use disorder in late adolescence in a community‐based cohort. Addiction, 112(11), 1952–1960. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13907

Scheier, L. M., & Griffn, K. W. (2021). Youth marijuana use: a review of causes and consequences. Current Opinion in Psychology, 38, 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.06.007

Schoeler, T., Theobald, D., Pingault, J., Farrington, D. P., Coid, J. W., & Bhattacharyya, S. (018). Developmental sensitivity to cannabis use patterns and risk for major depressive disorder in mid-life: fndings from 40 years of follow-up. Psychological Medicine, 48(13), 2169–2176. https://doi. org/10.1017/s0033291717003658

Siddiqui, S. A., Singh, P., Khan, S., Fernando, I., Baklanov, I. S., Ambartsumov, T. G., & Ibrahim, S. A. (2022). Cultural, Social and Psychological Factors of the Conservative Consumer towards Legal Cannabis Use—A Review since 2013. Sustainability, 14(17), 10993. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su141710993\

Ssegonja, R., Alaie, I., Philipson, A., Hagberg, L., Sampaio, F., Möller, M., Von Knorring, L., Sarkadi, A., Langenskiöld, S., Von Knorring, A., Bohman, H., Jönsson, U., & Feldman, I. (2019). Depressive disorders in adolescence, recurrence in early adulthood, and healthcare usage in mid-adulthood: A longitudinal cost-of-illness study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 258, 33–41. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.077

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP22-07-01-005, NSDUH Series H-57). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/ data/report/2021-nsduh-annual-national-report

Terry‐McElrath, Y. M., O’Malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. D. (2020). The growing transition from lifetime marijuana use to frequent use among 12th grade students: U.S. National data from 1976 to 2019. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 212, 108064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. drugalcdep.2020.108064

Thompson, K., Holley, M., Sturgess, C., & Leadbeater, B. J. (2021). Co-Use of Alcohol and Cannabis: Longitudinal Associations with Mental Health Outcomes in Young Adulthood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3652. https://doi. org/10.3390/ijerph18073652

Twenge, J. M. (2020). Why increases in adolescent depression may be linked to the technological environment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 32, 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. copsyc.2019.06.036

Weinberger, A. H., Zhu, J., Lee, J., Anastasiou, E., Copeland, J., & Goodwin, R. D. (2020). Cannabis use among youth in the United States, 2004–2016: Faster rate of increase among youth with depression. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 209, 107894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107894

White, H. R., Kilmer, J. R., Fossos-Wong, N., Hayes, K. L., Sokolovsky, A. W., & Jackson, K. M. (2019). Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use among college students: patterns, correlates, norms, and consequences. Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, 43(7), 1545–1555. https:// doi.org/10.1111/acer.14072

Zuckermann, A. M., Battista, K., De Groh, M., Jiang, Y., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2019). Pre-legalization patterns and trends of cannabis use among Canadian youth: results from the COMPASS prospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 9(3), e026515. https://doi.org/10.1136/ bmjopen-2018

Understand the transformative potential of Raja Yoga in promoting stress reduction, focus improvement, and a greater sense of purpose.

Keywords:

Raja Yoga, Meditation, Self-transformation, Mindfulness, Soulfulness, Digital Technology

Bio

Dr B K Geeta Didi, Guinness world record holder for bringing positive change is a true embodiment of spiritual wisdom, has devoted over 35 years of her life to the Brahma Kumaris organisation, tirelessly working towards personal and global transformation. With fervor and passion, she imparts knowledge and nurtures the growth of individuals through spiritual, moral, and value education. Her teachings and guidance have left a profound impact on countless lives, helping individuals find inner peace, clarity, and purpose. Dr B K Geeta Didi’s deep understanding of spirituality and her ability to communicate complex concepts in a relatable manner make her a revered mentor. Through her unwavering dedication, she continues to inspire and uplift others on their spiritual journeys.

Abstract

In a world increasingly dominated by digital technology, Raja Yoga meditation emerges as a powerful tool for fostering global well-being. This paper delves into the empowering influence and self-transformative power of this ancient practice. Raja Yoga, with its emphasis on self-awareness and inner peace, equips individuals with the mental and emotional resilience necessary to navigate the myriad challenges of the digital age. The paper highlights the transformative potential of Raja Yoga in several key areas: stress reduction, focus improvement, and fostering a greater sense of purpose. These benefits are particularly pertinent in today’s fast-paced, digitally-driven society, where the constant bombardment of information can lead to heightened stress and a sense of disconnection. Furthermore, the paper discusses the innovative ways in which Raja Yoga is embracing technology to enhance its accessibility and personalise the meditation experience. Through apps, online classes, and virtual communities, practitioners can now engage with Raja Yoga in ways that ft seamlessly into their daily lives. This integration of traditional meditation techniques with modern technology not only makes Raja Yoga more accessible to a global audience but also ensures that the practice evolves to meet the needs of contemporary society. By merging the timeless wisdom of Raja Yoga with the advancements of the digital era, this practice is uniquely positioned to promote holistic well-being in the digitised world, offering a pathway to inner peace and resilience amidst the chaos of modern life.

Introduction

The ever-expanding digital landscape, while offering countless benefits, can also be a source of stress, anxiety, and a sense of disconnection (Teepe, Glase, & Reips, 2023). In this hyper-connected world, the ancient practice of Raja Yoga meditation offers a powerful counterpoint (Nagesh, Revitalizing Modern Minds: Embracing Brahma Kamari’s Raja Yoga Meditation for Modern Challenges, 2023). More than just a relaxation technique, Raja Yoga is a transformative journey that fosters inner peace, self-awareness, and a deeper connection to oneself. There is an empowering influence and self-transformative power of Raja Yoga meditation, with the potential to cultivate global well-being in the digital age (Nagesh, Brahma kumaris raja yoga meditation in modern times: Addressing the current issues and applications, 2023). Figure 1 illustrates the Yoga philosophy, which outlines four paths leading to enlightenment.

Aim:  

This study aims to examine how Raja Yoga equips individuals with the tools to navigate the complexities of the digital world, fostering stress reduction, improved focus, and a renewed sense of purpose. Furthermore, we will explore the innovative ways in which Raja Yoga is embracing technology to enhance accessibility and personalise the meditation experience.

Method

Via an extensive review of literature and personal experiences, this study explores Raja Yoga’s role in promoting holistic well-being in a digitised world. The research methodology involves a comprehensive analysis of existing scholarly articles, books, and credible online resources to understand the theoretical foundations and documented benefits of Raja Yoga. Additionally, personal anecdotes and qualitative data from practitioners were gathered to provide a practical perspective on the practice’s impact. This dual approach ensures a robust examination of both the empirical and experiential dimensions of Raja Yoga, highlighting its potential to enhance mental and emotional resilience, reduce stress, and improve focus. By integrating these diverse sources of information, the study aims to present a well-rounded view of how Raja Yoga can be effectively utilised to foster well-being in an increasingly digital society.

Results and Discussion

3.1 The Digital Age and its Impact on Well-being:

The digital age has undeniably revolutionised our lives. From instant communication across continents to information at our fingertips, technology offers unparalleled convenience and connectivity (Somani, 2021). However, this constant barrage of stimuli and the ever-present digital world come with a hidden cost – a potential detriment to our well-being.

While social media platforms connect us with loved ones and provide a platform for self-expression, they can also fuel feelings of inadequacy and social comparison (Qiu, 2024). The curated online personas we see can distort reality, leading to anxiety and low self-esteem. Additionally, the pressure to stay constantly connected can disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to a sense of information overload.

Despite these challenges, technology also offers potential solutions. Mindfulness apps and online meditation resources are becoming increasingly popular tools for managing stress and improving focus. Ultimately, the impact of the digital age on well-being depends on how we choose to interact with it (Büchi, 2024). By setting boundaries, fostering digital literacy, and embracing practices that promote mental well-being, we can harness the power of technology while safeguarding our emotional and mental health.

Digital age can affect well-being in the following ways:

Information Overload: The constant influx of information, news updates, and social media notifications can be overwhelming. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and decision fatigue.

Social Media Pressures: The curated perfection often portrayed on social media platforms can breed feelings of inadequacy, envy, and loneliness. The pressure to maintain an online presence can also contribute to stress and anxiety.

Attention Fragmentation: The constant availability of digital distractions disrupts our ability to focus for extended periods. This can negatively impact productivity, creativity, and the ability to engage deeply in tasks or relationships.

Sleep Disruption: The blue light emitted by electronic devices suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial for sleep regulation. This can lead to sleep disturbances, further impacting our overall well-being.

Social media, while fostering connection, can also be a breeding ground for negativity (Osborne, Costello, & Duckitt, 2023). The curated portrayal of others’ lives can lead to social comparison and feelings of inadequacy. Additionally, the pressure to maintain an online presence and the fear of missing out (FOMO) can further exacerbate anxiety and loneliness.

Furthermore, the digital world can be addictive. The constant notifications and dopamine hits we receive from social media and online games can disrupt sleep patterns and decrease attention spans. This can lead to a vicious cycle, where a lack of sleep further diminishes our ability to focus, making us crave the stimulation of digital devices even more.

3.2 Raja Yoga: A Pathway to Inner Peace:

In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected from ourselves. The constant barrage of information and social media pressure can leave us feeling stressed, anxious, and yearning for a sense of inner peace. It’s in these moments that ancient practices like Raja Yoga meditation, offered by the Brahma Kumaris, emerge as a powerful tool for self-discovery and well-being.

The Brahma Kumaris, a global socio-spiritual organisation, promotes Raja Yoga as a path to self-realisation and spiritual connection (BK, Meditation, 2023). Unlike some meditation practices, Raja Yoga doesn’t require specific mantras or rituals. Instead, it focuses on cultivating self-awareness and inner peace through simple techniques. Here’s how Raja Yoga, as taught by the Brahma Kumaris, can be your gateway to inner tranquility:

Inner Refection: Raja Yoga meditation encourages us to turn our attention inwards. By focusing on the breath and observing our thoughts and emotions without judgment, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. This self-awareness is the first step towards managing stress and fostering emotional resilience.

Taming the Mind: Our minds are often bombarded with a constant stream of thoughts. Raja Yoga techniques, like focusing on a point of light or a spiritual image, help us train our attention and reduce mental chatter. This newfound mental discipline allows us to approach challenges with a calmer and more focused perspective.

Connecting with the Divine: The Brahma Kumaris emphasise the importance of connecting with our inner spiritual essence. Through Raja Yoga meditation, we cultivate a sense of peace and connection with a higher power, a source of strength and comfort in difficult times.

The beauty of Raja Yoga with the Brahma Kumaris is its accessibility. Their meditation sessions are open to all, regardless of age, background, or religious beliefs. They offer guided meditations, educational workshops, and online resources to make learning Raja Yoga convenient and easy to integrate into your daily life (Kumaris, 2024).

Raja Yoga, meaning “the royal path,” is an ancient practice that emphasises self-awareness and inner peace. The Brahma Kumaris teach a simple and accessible form of Raja Yoga meditation, focusing on withdrawing the attention from external stimuli and directing it inwards. Through meditation, we can cultivate a space of inner silence, a sanctuary from the digital chaos.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety: By focusing on the breath and cultivating inner stillness, meditation helps calm the mind and reduce stress hormones. This can lead to a sense of relaxation and emotional balance.

Enhanced Focus and Concentration: Meditation trains the mind to become more focused and less prone to distractions. This can improve our ability to concentrate on tasks in the digital world and beyond.

Increased Self-Awareness: Through meditation, we gain a deeper understanding of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. This self-awareness empowers us to make conscious choices and respond to situations rather than simply react.

A Meditation for Everyone: Raja Yoga meditation with the Brahma Kumaris is open to people of all ages, backgrounds, and faiths. It requires no special equipment or rituals, making it easily accessible in the comfort of your own home. The Brahma Kumaris offer free meditation classes and resources online and in person, making it easier than ever to embark on your journey to inner peace.

In conclusion, Raja Yoga meditation with the Brahma Kumaris offers a powerful antidote to the challenges of the digital world. By cultivating inner peace, focus, and self-awareness, we can navigate the digital landscape with greater resilience and well-being. So, take a moment, close your eyes, and embark on your own journey to inner peace with Raja Yoga meditation.

3.3 Stress Reduction through Raja Yoga:

Chronic stress has become a defining characteristic of the modern world. Our fast-paced lives, bombarded by information and constant connectivity, leave us feeling perpetually on edge. Fortunately, ancient practices like Raja Yoga meditation offer a powerful tool for stress reduction, providing a much-needed oasis of calm in the digital storm.

Raja Yoga, meaning “royal union,” emphasises self-awareness and inner peace. One of its key benefits is its ability to combat stress. Here’s how:

Physiological Relaxation: Raja Yoga incorporates breathwork techniques like Pranayama. Focusing on the breath regulates the nervous system, lowering cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. This physiological shift promotes a sense of calm and reduces physical tension associated with stress.

Quieting the Mind: Stress often manifests as a constant mental chatter. Raja Yoga teaches us to observe our thoughts without judgment, creating a space between ourselves and our thoughts. This allows us to detach from negative thought patterns and anxieties, fostering mental tranquility.

Focus and Mindfulness: Raja Yoga meditation strengthens our ability to focus on the present moment. This reduces rumination on past worries and anxieties about the future, two major contributors to stress. By anchoring ourselves in the present, we learn to respond to situations calmly and thoughtfully, rather than reacting impulsively under stress.

Inner Peace and Resilience: Through regular practice, Raja Yoga cultivates a sense of inner peace and emotional resilience. This newfound mental strength allows us to better manage stressful situations and bounce back from challenges with greater ease.

The beauty of Raja Yoga for stress reduction lies in its cumulative effect. Regular practice cultivates a sense of inner calm that spills over into our daily lives. We become less reactive to external stressors and more equipped to navigate the complexities of the digital age with greater balance and composure.

Raja Yoga, meaning “royal union,” focuses on harnessing the mind’s power to achieve inner harmony. This practice equips us with techniques that directly target the physiological and psychological effects of stress. Here’s how Raja Yoga meditation helps to unwind the digital knot:

Physiological Relaxation: Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that puts our bodies into “fight-or-flight” mode. Raja Yoga incorporates deep breathing exercises that activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and lowering cortisol levels. This physiological shift reduces muscle tension, slows heart rate, and eases anxiety.

Taming the Thought Storm: The constant mental chatter characteristic of a stressed mind can be overwhelming. Raja Yoga meditation teaches us to observe our thoughts without judgment. By becoming aware of our thought patterns, we can break free from their negative infuence and cultivate a sense of calm amidst the mental storm.

Detachment from External Stimuli: Our digital world bombards us with information and notifcations, keeping our minds constantly engaged. Raja Yoga meditation teaches us to withdraw our attention from external stimuli and focus inwards. This allows us to disconnect from the constant mental chatter and reconnect with our inner peace.

Building Resilience: Chronic stress can leave us feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable. Raja Yoga meditation strengthens our mental and emotional resilience. By regularly practicing mindfulness and self-awareness, we develop the capacity to respond to stressful situations with calmness and composure rather than reacting impulsively.

3.4 Cultivating Emotional Resilience:

The digital age throws a lot at us. From the constant barrage of news to the curated perfection of social media, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained. This is where emotional resilience comes in the ability to bounce back from setbacks, navigate challenging emotions, and maintain a sense of well-being even in the face of adversity. Fortunately, ancient practices like Raja Yoga meditation offer powerful tools to cultivate this vital skill.

Raja Yoga, meaning “royal union,” emphasises self-awareness and inner peace. By focusing inward, we gain a deeper understanding of our emotions and how they influence our thoughts and actions. Here’s how Raja Yoga helps build a stronger emotional core:

Understanding Your Triggers: Through meditation, we learn to observe our reactions to situations and identify the emotions that Unise our triggers – the events or circumstances that typically throw us off balance. By knowing our triggers, we can anticipate them and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

Acceptance, Not Judgment: Often, our emotional reactions are fueled by resistance to what is happening. Raja Yoga teaches acceptance, not judgment, of our emotions. By acknowledging our feelings without negativity, we detach from them and regain control. This allows us to respond calmly rather than react impulsively.

Developing Detachment: The digital world can fuel a constant need for external validation. Raja Yoga promotes inner strength and a sense of self-worth independent of external circumstances. This detachment allows us to be less affected by negativity online or setbacks in life.

Building a Positive Mindset: Raja Yoga meditation cultivates a sense of optimism and hope. By focusing on the present moment and appreciating the good things in life, we train our minds to see the positive even in challenging situations. This positive outlook fosters resilience and helps us navigate diffculties with a sense of perspective.

Emotional resilience is not about becoming emotionless. It’s about acknowledging, accepting, and managing our emotions effectively. Raja Yoga meditation equips us with the tools to do just that. By strengthening our emotional core, we become better equipped to handle the inevitable ups and downs of life, navigate the digital world with greater ease, and ultimately, thrive in the face of adversity.

Raja Yoga equips us with several tools to build inner strength:

Emotional Regulation: Through meditation techniques like breathwork and visualisation, we learn to regulate our emotional responses. Instead of being swept away by negative emotions, we can observe them objectively and choose a more positive and constructive response.

Acceptance and Non-judgment: Life throws curveballs, and negative emotions are a natural part of the human experience. Raja Yoga teaches us to accept these emotions without judgment. By not resisting them, we allow them to fow through us and eventually dissipate.

Inner Peace as a Foundation: Regular meditation practice cultivates a sense of inner peace that serves as a foundation for emotional resilience. When we feel grounded and centered, we are better equipped to handle the inevitable ups and downs of life.

Developing Detachment: The digital world often fuels feelings of attachment to possessions, social validation, and certain outcomes. Raja Yoga encourages us to cultivate a sense of detachment. This doesn’t mean indifference, but rather a healthy distance from external circumstances, allowing us to maintain emotional stability.

Building Self-Compassion: Raja Yoga fosters self-compassion, the ability to treat ourselves with kindness and understanding. This is crucial for emotional resilience. When we are compassionate towards ourselves, we are less likely to be consumed by self-criticism and negativity, which can exacerbate emotional distress.

Cultivating emotional resilience through Raja Yoga is an ongoing process. However, with consistent practice, we can develop the inner strength and emotional intelligence to navigate the challenges of the modern world with greater ease. Raja Yoga empowers us to not just survive in the digital age, but to thrive, fostering a sense of well-being that allows us to fully embrace life’s experiences, both positive and negative.

Here’s how Raja Yoga meditation fosters emotional resilience:

Understanding Your Emotions: Raja Yoga teaches us to observe our emotions without judgment. This allows us to understand their root causes and identify healthy ways to express or manage them. By acknowledging our emotions instead of suppressing them, we gain greater control over our reactions.

Acceptance and Detachment: Life throws curveballs. Raja Yoga meditation helps us cultivate acceptance of what we cannot control. By letting go of negativity and focusing on the present moment, we lessen the emotional impact of challenges. Building Inner Strength: Through regular meditation practice, we develop mental discipline. This allows us to manage diffcult emotions and resist negative impulses. We become less reactive and more proactive in handling stressful situations.

Finding Inner Peace: At its core, Raja Yoga aims to cultivate inner peace. This sense of calm becomes a foundation for emotional resilience. When faced with challenges, we can draw upon this inner peace to maintain composure and navigate them more effectively.

Raja Yoga meditation isn’t a magic bullet, but it’s a powerful tool. Consistent practice equips us with the skills to manage our emotions effectively. In a world that often bombards us with negativity, Raja Yoga offers a path to inner strength and emotional well-being, empowering us to thrive in the face of adversity.

3.5 Meditation Meets Modernity:

The digital age reigns supreme, offering instant connection and a wealth of information at our fingertips. However, this constant connectivity comes with a hidden cost a rise in stress, anxiety, and a yearning for inner peace. Here’s where a timeless practice, Raja Yoga meditation, steps in, surprisingly finding fertile ground in the digital sphere.

Traditionally, Raja Yoga focused on self-discovery and inner peace through guided instruction and introspection. Today, however, technology is revolutionising its accessibility and reach. Here’s how Raja Yoga is embracing the digital world:

Mobile Meditation Apps: Numerous apps offer guided Raja Yoga meditations tailored for different needs and experience levels. These apps provide a convenient and portable way to integrate meditation into daily life, even amidst busy schedules.

Online Courses and Tutorials: The internet provides a vast library of online courses and tutorials on Raja Yoga meditation. This allows individuals to learn at their own pace and explore different meditation techniques from the comfort of their homes.

Virtual Communities: Online communities dedicated to Raja Yoga meditation offer a space for connection and support. These online groups foster a sense of belonging and allow individuals to share experiences, ask questions, and stay motivated in their practice.

Interactive Meditation Tools: Technology is also paving the way for interactive meditation tools. Biofeedback devices, for instance, can provide real-time feedback on physiological responses during meditation, helping users refne their practice and achieve deeper states of relaxation.This digital embrace of Raja Yoga offers several advantages:

Increased Accessibility: Technology removes geographical barriers, making Raja Yoga meditation accessible to a wider audience than ever before. Anyone with an internet connection can now learn and practice this ancient technique.

Personalised Experience: Digital tools allow for personalised meditation experiences. Apps and online courses can cater to individual preferences and learning styles, making the practice more engaging and effective.

Community Building: Online communities foster a sense of connection and belonging among practitioners, providing valuable support and motivation for continued practice. However, it’s important to acknowledge the potential downsides:

Tech Overload: While technology can enhance accessibility, relying solely on digital tools can defeat the purpose. It’s crucial to maintain a balance between digital meditation and traditional practices.

Distraction: The digital world itself can be a source of distraction. Practicing meditation in a quiet, distraction-free environment remains essential to reap its full benefts.

In conclusion, Raja Yoga’s embrace of the digital sphere opens doors to a wider audience seeking inner peace in a world brimming with digital stimuli. Technology offers convenient tools and fosters a sense of community, but it’s vital to maintain a balance with traditional practices and prioritise a distraction-free environment. By harnessing the power of technology responsibly, Raja Yoga meditation can continue to empower individuals to cultivate inner peace and navigate the complexities of the digital age with greater clarity and well-being.,

By embracing technology, Raja Yoga is no longer confned to meditation centers or yoga studios. It’s transforming into a dynamic and accessible practice that can be integrated into our digital lives. This integration empowers individuals to cultivate inner peace, manage stress, and enhance well-being, fostering a sense of calm amidst the constant digital buzz.

Conclusion

For centuries, Raja Yoga meditation has been touted for its ability to promote inner peace and well-being. However, in recent years, science has begun to catch up with tradition, validating the positive effects of this ancient practice. Let’s delve into the scientific evidence supporting Raja Yoga’s benefits:

Stress Reduction: Numerous studies have shown that Raja Yoga meditation effectively reduces stress hormones like cortisol. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, Raja Yoga promotes relaxation and counteracts the body’s flight-or-fight response.

Improved Focus and Attention: Brain imaging studies reveal that Raja Yoga meditation enhances activity in areas associated with focus and attention. Regular practice strengthens our ability to flter out distractions and maintain concentration in a world filled with stimuli.

Emotional Regulation: Research suggests that Raja Yoga meditation leads to increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region crucial for emotional regulation. This translates to a better ability to manage emotions and respond to challenges with composure.

Enhanced Sleep Quality: Studies have shown that Raja Yoga meditation can improve sleep quality. By reducing stress and promoting relaxation, it allows individuals to fall asleep faster and experience deeper, more restorative sleep.

Cognitive Benefits: Emerging research points towards potential cognitive benefits associated with Raja Yoga meditation. Studies suggest it may improve memory, cognitive flexibility, and overall cognitive function.

It’s important to note that research on Raja Yoga is ongoing, and further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind its benefits. However, the growing body of scientific evidence strengthens the case for Raja Yoga as a valuable tool for promoting mental and emotional well-being.

Beyond the studies mentioned above, Raja Yoga’s benefits are often described in terms of:

Increased Self-Awareness: Through meditation, individuals gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns. This self-awareness empowers them to make conscious choices and cultivate positive change.

Greater Sense of Well-being: Raja Yoga fosters a sense of inner peace and well-being that transcends temporary emotional states. This holistic approach to well-being enhances overall quality of life. Science is backing the benefits of Raja Yoga through the following:

Stress Reduction: Studies have shown that Raja Yoga meditation practices like mindful breathing and focused attention effectively activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress lates to lowered blood pressure, decreased anxiety, and improved sleep quality.

Enhanced Focus and Cognition: Research suggests that Raja Yoga meditation can improve cognitive function. Studies have shown positive effects on working memory, attention span, and executive function the mental skills that govern decision-making and planning.

Emotional Regulation: Raja Yoga’s emphasis on self-awareness equips individuals to identify and manage emotions effectively. Brain imaging studies show that meditation practices can strengthen areas associated with emotional regulation, leading to greater resilience and a decrease in reactivity.

Improved Physical Health: The stress-reduction benefits of Raja Yoga can positively impact physical health. Studies have linked meditation practices to lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and reduced pain perception.

While research is ongoing, the growing body of evidence is promising. Raja Yoga meditation appears to be more than just a feel-good practice; it offers tangible benefits for both mental and physical well-being.

Here are some key considerations when evaluating scientific research on Raja Yoga:

Standardization of Practices: Raja Yoga encompasses various techniques. Studies need to clearly define the specific practices used to ensure generalizability of findings.

Control Groups: Strong research designs involve comparison groups that don’t participate in meditation. This helps isolate the effects of Raja Yoga from other factors influencing well-being.

Long-Term Effects: Many studies focus on short-term benefits. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impact of consistent Raja Yoga practice.

The scientific exploration of Raja Yoga is in its early stages, but the initial findings are encouraging. As research continues, we can expect a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which this ancient practice promotes well-being in the modern world. This growing body of evidence reinforces the value of Raja Yoga as a powerful tool for navigating the complexities of the digital age and fostering holistic well-being.

Integration with Healthcare: The growing scientific evidence supporting the benefits of Raja Yoga might pave the way for its integration with mainstream healthcare. Imagine meditation apps being prescribed by doctors or Raja Yoga becoming a standard practice in stress management programs.

4.1 The Future of Raja Yoga in a Digital World

The digital age presents both challenges and opportunities for ancient practices like Raja Yoga meditation. As technology continues to evolve, so too will Raja Yoga, adapting and integrating with the digital sphere to reach a wider audience and offer even greater benefits. Figure 2 provides a glimpse into the potential future of Raja Yoga:

AI-Powered Personalization: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to personalize the Raja Yoga experience further. Imagine AI-powered apps that analyse your emotional state and tailor meditation practices to address specific needs in real-time.

Virtual Reality (VR) Immersion: VR technology can create immersive meditation environments, transporting users to serene landscapes or calming virtual temples. This could enhance focus and mindfulness during meditation practice.

Biofeedback Integration and Gamification: Advanced biofeedback technologies could provide even more detailed feedback on physiological responses during meditation. Gamification techniques could be incorporated to create engaging and motivating meditation experiences.

Global Community Building: Digital platforms can facilitate the creation of even more vibrant online Raja Yoga communities. These communities can foster a sense of global connection and shared purpose, promoting peace and well-being across borders.

Scientific Validation and Integration: The future holds promise for further research into the benefits of Raja Yoga. As scientific evidence grows, it could lead to the integration of Raja Yoga practices into mainstream healthcare and stress management programs.

The future of Raja Yoga in the digital world is not about replacing traditional practices, but rather, about enhancing them. Technology can provide new tools and experiences that make Raja Yoga more accessible, engaging, and effective. This symbiotic relationship between ancient wisdom and modern technology has the potential to empower individuals around the globe to cultivate inner peace, emotional resilience, and a sense of well-being in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

References

BK. (2023). Meditation. Retrieved from Brahma Kumaris: https://www.brahmakumaris. org/

BK. (2024). Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved from Brahma Kumaris:https://www.brahmakumaris.com/

Büchi, M. (2024). Digital well-being theory and research. New Media & Society, 172-189.

Didi, D. B. (n.d.). Future of Raja Yoga. Brahma Kumaris.

Jain, R. (2022, 06 06). What Is Raja Yoga? The Yoga of Self-Control Demystifed. Retrieved from Arhanta Yoga: https://www.arhantayoga.org/ blog/raja-yoga/

Kumaris, P. B. (2024). Understanding Consciousness. Rajasthan: Brahma Kumaris Retrieved from https://www. brahmakumaris.com/bkuc.

Nagesh, N. V. (2023). Brahma kumaris raja yoga meditation in modern times: Addressing the current issues and applications. Journal of Emmerg ing Technologies and Innovative Research, 65-77.

Nagesh, N. V. (2023). Revitalizing Modern Minds: Embracing Brahma Kamari’s Raja Yoga Meditation for Modern Challenges. Journal of Emerginf Technologies and Innovative Research , 714-736.

Nagesh, N. V. (2023). The Transformative Power of Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation: Emerging Trends and Future Perspectives. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology , 554-563.

Osborne, D., Costello, T., & Duckitt, J. e. (2023). The psychological causes and societal consequences of authoritarianism. Nat Rev Psychol, 220– 232.

Qiu, Y. (2024). Social Comparison on Social Media Platforms: A media and communication Perspective. SHS Web of Conferences.

Somani, P. (2021). Information Technology Challenges Faced during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Higher Education. . International Journal of Latest Research in Engineering and Technology.

Teepe, G. W., Glase, E. M., & Reips, U. D. (2023). Increasing digitalization is associated with anxiety and depression: A Google Ngram analysis. PLoS One.

Evaluate the effectiveness of Candrol immunotherapy in treating various cancers. Analyse India’s strengths in medical research, affordability, and infrastructure for cancer treatment. Investigate the potential of India as a medical tourism destination for patients seeking Candrol therapy.

Keywords:

Cancer, Immunotherapy, Candrol, India

Bio

Dr. Rishi Sharma, M.D., is a graduate of S.K.H Medical College, Jaipur, is a pioneering figure in cancer immunotherapy. His groundbreaking research on Non pDL1 criteria led to the development of the Candrol line of treatments, without cytotoxic effects in the body. Honoured with numerous national and international accolades, including recognition from Forbes and Houses of Parliament, London. He serves patients from across the world and is a well reputed centre for medical tourism in India IN for cancer patients. With his constant efforts to chase immunology in cancer patients he is able to bring 65% positive response in stage 4 patients which is highly appreciated globally. His expertise have contributed to revolutionary change in cancer medicine through his understanding of genes and cancer behaviour in all chemotherapy resistant subjects.

From Traditional Treatments to Tailored Therapy: Why India is Emerging as a Leader in Candrol Immunotherapy for Medical Tourism.

Abstract

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer treatment, offering new hope for patients. Candrol, a groundbreaking non-PD-L1 based immunotherapy protocol, tailors treatment to individual patient characteristics and cancer type. This study explores India’s potential as a burgeoning medical tourism destination for Candrol therapy, focusing on its well-researched technology, highly qualified medical professionals, affordability, and advanced medical infrastructure. The study explores how India’s strengths position it as a compelling destination for medical tourists seeking Candrol immunotherapy. This study is carried out through a thorough review of existing literature and professional experience. Central findings highlight Candrol’s effectiveness in reducing cancer recurrence, offering a potential lifeline for patients who may not respond well to traditional therapies. Clinical trials indicate a promising reduction in recurrence rates, even in advanced and aggressive cancers. Furthermore, Candrol exhibits a low side effect profile, primarily limited to mild blood sugar fluctuations and sleepiness, making it a more tolerable option for many patients.

India actively invests in medical research, contributing to advancements in immunotherapy and potentially offering access to the latest treatments. The country boasts a large pool of highly skilled and experienced oncologists who can provide expert care. Additionally, India offers significantly lower treatment costs compared to developed nations, making Candrol therapy more accessible to a wider range of patients. Finally, major Indian hospitals possess cutting-edge medical facilities to support advanced treatments, ensuring patients receive high-quality care.

1.0 Introduction

Cancer remains a significant global health burden, claiming millions of lives annually (WHO, 2024). Traditional treatment modalities like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have played a vital role in managing cancer, but they often come with debilitating side effects and limited efficacy depending on the stage and type of cancer (Anand, et al., 2022). The emergence of immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment landscape, offering a more targeted and potentially less toxic approach (Zhang & Zhang, 2020).

One such innovative immunotherapy protocol is Candrol. Unlike the prevailing PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors, Candrol utilises a non-PD-L1 based approach, tailoring treatment to the specific characteristics of each patient and their unique cancer type. This personalised approach holds immense promise for improved treatment outcomes and a reduction in side effects (Sharma, 2019).

Types of cancer immunotherapy encompass immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, cytokines, viral therapies, and adoptive cell transfer as illustrated in figure 1.

India presents a compelling option as a burgeoning medical tourism destination for Candrol immunotherapy for several reasons. Firstly, the country boasts a well-established medical research infrastructure (Kshirsagar, Pahuja, Chatterjee, & Kamboj, 2023), actively contributing to advancements in immunotherapy and potentially offering access to cutting-edge treatments like Candrol. Secondly, according to the National Medical Council (NMC), there are 594 postgraduate seats for MD in Radiation Oncology available across various states in India (Munshi, Rastogi, Durga, & Beriwal, 2023). India offers a significant advantage in terms of affordability compared to developed nations (Kumar, 2023), making Candrol therapy potentially accessible to a wider range of patients seeking this novel treatment option. This unique combination of well-researched technology, highly qualified medical professionals, and affordability positions India as a potential leader in Candrol immunotherapy for medical tourism.

Objectives

This research aims to:

1. Evaluate the effectiveness of Candrol immunotherapy in treating various cancers.

2. Analyse India’s strengths in medical research, afford- ability, and infrastructure for cancer treatment.

3. Investigate the potential of India as a medical tourism destination for patients seeking Candrol therapy.

2.0 Method

This research employed a comprehensive review methodology to investigate India’s potential as a medical tourism destination for Candrol immunotherapy. The review focused on three key areas:

1. Candrol Immunotherapy: This involved a review of existing literature on Candrol, including its mechanism of action, clinical trials, effectiveness data, and side effect profile. Relevant sources included scientific journals, research reports, and conference proceedings.
2.  India’s Medical Tourism Industry: This analysed the current state of India’s medical tourism industry. Research focused on factors such as infrastructure, affordability, government initiatives, and the availability of skilled medical professionals. Relevant sources included industry reports, government publications, and academic journals.
3. India’s Medical Research and Infrastructure: This reviewed India’s research capabilities in the field of immunotherapy and its overall medical infrastructure. Sources included reports from government agencies, medical research institutions, and healthcare industry associations.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Studies published in the last 10 years (2014-2024) on immunotherapy and Candrol immunotherapy.
• Studies focusing on India’s medical tourism industry and its strengths.
• Studies analysing India’s medical research infrastructure and its capacity for advanced treatments. Exclusion Criteria:
• Studies solely focused on marketing or promotional content for Candrol or Indian medical tourism.
• Studies published in non-peer-reviewed sources or with limited methodological rigor.

Data Analysis: Extracted data from the reviewed literature was critically analysed to identify key themes and patterns. These themes were used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of India’s suitability for medical tourism with Candrol immunotherapy.

3.Results and Discussion

Candrol Immunotherapy:

Reviewing existing literature on Candrol revealed its potential as a promising treatment for various cancers. The key findings are as follows:

Tailored Therapy: A Personalised Approach to Cancer Treatment Candrol immunotherapy stands out in the field by offering a non-PD-L1 based approach to cancer treatment (Sharma, 2019). This translates to a more personalised treatment plan for each patient, potentially leading to improved efficacy compared to“one-size-fits-all”approaches.

Non-PD-L1 Based Approach: Traditional immunotherapy often relies on PD-L1 check- point inhibitors (Boldt, 2024). These drugs work by target- ing a specific protein (PD-L1) found on cancer cells, allowing the immune system to recognise and attack them. However, not all cancers express high levels of PD-L1, and some patients may not respond well to these therapies. Candrol takes a different route, focusing on other mechanisms within the immune system that can be activated to fight cancer, regardless of PD-L1 expression.

Candrol immunotherapy goes beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. To optimise treatment for each patient, several factors are considered: genetic mutations driving the cancer, allow- ing for targeted therapy; immune system function, which influences whether Candrol should stimulate or regulate the immune response; and overall health, ensuring a safe and effective treatment plan (Sharma, 2019). By analysing these factors, a personalised Candrol protocol is developed, potentially including a unique combination of ingredients tailored to the patient’s specific cancer for maximised effectiveness and minimised side effects.

Potential Benefits of Tailored Therapy with Candrol

According to case studies carried out on patients at the Canderol centre of oncology the following provides potential benefits of Candrol for cancer patients:

Improved Efficacy: By focusing on the individual’s cancer and immune system, Candrol may offer a more effective attack on the tumour compared to generic therapies. This could lead to better tumour shrinkage, improved response rates, and potentially longer progression-free survival.

Reduced Side Effects:

Since Candrol targets the specific cancer and avoids relying solely on PD-L1, it may have fewer off-target effects. This could translate to a less disruptive treatment experience for patients with a lower risk of severe side effects.

Hope for Previously Untreatable Patients: Patients who haven’t responded well to traditional treatments due to low PD-L1 expression or other factors might find new hope with Candrol’s personalised approach.

3.1 Reduced Recurrence:

Hope for High-Risk Cancer Patients

The reappearance of cancer after initial treatment, remains a significant challenge (Riggio, Varley, & Welm, 2021). It can be emotionally devastating for patients and their families, and depending on the type and stage of cancer, recurrence can significantly impact survival rates. Clinical trials carried out by Candrol Cancer Treatment and Research Center suggest that Candrol immunotherapy might offer a glimmer of hope by potentially reducing cancer recurrence rates, particularly for patients with a high risk of relapse after traditional treatments (Sharma, 2019).

Cancer recurrence remains a significant hurdle after initial treatment. Dormant cancer cells, those that lie hidden after therapy, can reawaken and cause relapse. Addition- ally, traditional treatments like chemo and radiation may not eliminate all cancer cells, leaving behind a population that can regrow. Furthermore, cancer cells themselves can mutate, developing resistance to the initial treatment and increasing the chance of recurrence (Waldman, Fritz, & Lenardo, 2020).

Candrol’s Potential Impact on Recurrence: According to Candrol Centre of Oncology, Candrol might play a role in reducing recurrence by potentially influencing various mechanisms:

•Enhanced Immune Memory: Candrol therapy could potentially stimulate the immune system to develop a stronger “memory” of the cancer cells. This enhanced memory allows the immune system to more effectively recognise and attack any residual cancer cells or those that might try to reemerge after initial treatment.

•Targeting Dormant Cells: Certain components of Candrol might target dormant cancer cells, preventing them from awakening and initiating relapse.

•Immunomodulation: Candrol may help regulate the immune system, creating a more balanced environment that hinders cancer cell growth and promotes a robust antitumour response.

Hope for High-Risk Patients: Patients with a high risk of recurrence including those with aggressive cancer types, advanced stages, or incomplete initial treatment response, often face a heightened anxiety about relapse. The potential of Candrol to reduce recurrence rates offers significant hope for this group. It could potentially extend their disease-free intervals, improve overall survival rates, and offer a longer period of quality life. Important Considerations: While the findings are encouraging, it’s crucial to remember that the data on Candrol is still preliminary. Further research with larger patient cohorts and longer follow-up is necessary to definitively establish its effectiveness in reducing recurrence rates across various cancer types. Additionally, Candrol might be most effective when used in conjunction with other conventional treatment modalities as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. The potential of Candrol to reduce cancer recurrence offers a promising avenue for high-risk patients. Continued research and clinical trials are crucial to confirm its efficacy and solidify its role in the fight against cancer recurrence.

3.2 Manageable Side Effects

Traditional cancer treatments, while life-saving, often come with a significant burden of side effects. These side effects can range from nausea and fatigue to hair loss and nerve damage, severely impacting a patient’s quality of life during treatment.

Candrol immunotherapy offers a potential advantage in this regard, exhibiting a low side effect profile, making the treatment experience potentially more manageable.

The Burden of Traditional Treatment Side Effects:

• Debilitating Effects: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective in killing cancer cells, but they also damage healthy tissues in the process (Zawrzykraj, Deptuła, Kondej, Tymińska, & Pikuła, 2023). This can lead to a range of debilitating side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, and mouth sores. These side effects can significantly interfere with daily activities, work, and overall well-being.
• Long-Term Complications: Some side effects of traditional therapies can have long-term consequences. For example, chemotherapy can damage the heart, lungs, and kidneys, while radiotherapy can increase the risk of secondary cancers (Majeed & Gupta, 2024).
• Reduced Treatment Adherence: The severity of side effects can sometimes lead to treatment non-adherence. Patients may choose to skip or stop treatment altogether due to the debilitating effects, potentially compromising the treatment’s success.

It has been suggested by Candrol Centre of Oncology that Candrol exhibits a low side effect profile. The primary concerns seem to be limited to: Mild Blood Sugar Fluctuations: Candrol might influence blood sugar levels in some patients. This can be easily managed through dietary modifications or medication adjustments. Sleepiness: Some patients may experience mild sleepiness or fatigue while undergoing Candrol therapy. This could potentially be addressed through adjustments in sleep hygiene or medication timing.

Significance of Manageable Side Effects:

Improved Quality of Life: By minimising debilitating side effects, Candrol potentially allows patients to maintain a better quality of life during treatment. They can continue with daily activities, work, and social interactions with fewer disruptions.

Enhanced Treatement Adherence: A more tolerable treatment regimen with fewer severe side effects can lead to improved treatment adherence. Patients are more likely to complete the entire course of Candrol therapy, maximising its potential benefits. Greater Patient Experience: Overall, a treatment with a low side effect profile can significantly improve the patient experience. It allows them to focus on fighting the disease while maintaining a sense of normalcy in their lives. Candrol’s potentially low side effect profile presents a significant advantage over traditional cancer treatments. This could lead to a more tolerable treatment experience, improved quality of life, and potentially better treatment outcomes for patients.

Complementary Treatment: Combining Candrol with Existing Therapies for Enhanced Outcomes Candrol potential is further amplified by its ability to be used in conjunction with existing treatment modalities like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This complementary approach could offer additive or even synergistic effects, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes (Sharma, 2019).

Limitations of Traditional Therapies:

While established therapies like radiotherapy and chemotherapy play a vital role in cancer treatment, they have limitations (Fernández, 2024).

Non-Specificity: These treatments often target both cancerous and healthy cells, leading to side effects. Development of Resistance: Cancer cells can develop resistance to traditional therapies over time, rendering them ineffective.

Limited Efficacy: Depending on the cancer type and stage, these therapies may not always achieve complete tumour eradication.

Potential Benefits of Combining Candrol:

Candrol’s ability to be used alongside traditional therapies offers several potential advantages according to Candrol Cancer Treatment and Research Center:

Additive Effects: Combining Candrol with radiotherapy or chemotherapy might create an additive effect, enhancing the overall tumour-killing power of the treatment regimen. This could potentially lead to better tumour shrinkage and improved response rates.

Synergistic Effects: In some cases, the combination of Candrol with traditional therapies might create a synergistic effect. This means that the combined impact is greater than the sum of the individual treatments. Candrol could potentially enhance the immune system’s ability to recognise and attack cancer cells targeted by radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Overcoming Resistance: Candrol’s mechanism of action, independent of PD-L1 expression, might help overcome resistance developed against traditional therapies, offering a new line of attack for previously unresponsive cancers.

3.3 India’s Medical Tourism Industry

India’s medical tourism industry has emerged as a strong contender in recent years, attracting patients worldwide seeking high-quality and cost-effective healthcare (Malhotra & Dave, 2022).

Affordability: Compared to developed nations, India offers significantly lower treatment costs for advanced medical procedures, including cancer treatments (Mehrotra & Yadav, 2022). This affordability factor is particularly relevant for Candrol immunotherapy, which might not yet be covered by all insurance plans internationally. Medical tourists in India pay only a fraction of the cost compared to similar treatments in developed countries. This affordability makes Candrol therapy potentially accessible to a wider range of patients seeking this novel treatment option.

Skilled Medical Professionals: Medical professionals often receive training at prestigious institutions in India and abroad (Kansal, et al., 2023), ensuring they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to handle complex treatment protocols like Candrol. Additionally, the Medical Council of India (MCI) regulates the medical education system, and Central Council Of Homoeopathy (CCH) ensuring a standardised level of training and competency among medical professionals. This abundance of skilled oncologists allows patients seeking Candrol therapy to access high-quality care from qualified healthcare providers.

Advanced Medical Infra- structure:

Major Indian hospitals, particularly those catering to medical tourists, possess cutting-edge medical facilities equipped with advanced technologies to support complex treatment protocols. These facilities often house sophisticated diagnostic equipment, specialised treatment units, and modern laboratories. This advanced infrastructure ensures access to the necessary resources for successful treatment delivery. For instance, many hospitals boast advanced imaging technologies like PET scans and MRIs crucial for accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, potentially impacting the effectiveness of Candrol therapy.

4.0 Conclusion

The findings from this study suggest a compelling synergy between Candrol immunotherapy and India’s medical tourism industry. Patients seeking access to this novel treatment can potentially benefit from India’s affordability, skilled medical professionals, and advanced medical infrastructure. However, some limitations require consideration. Firstly, the availability of data on Candrol is limited due to its relatively new status. Further research with larger patient cohorts and long-term follow-up is necessary to definitively establish its effectiveness. Secondly, while India’s medical tourism industry offers advantages, concerns regarding quality control and potential medical errors in some facilities exist.

Patients considering Candrol therapy in India should thoroughly research to choose reputable hospitals with proven patient safety records and successful outcomes. This could involve checking for accreditation by international organisations and reviewing patient testimonials. India’s medical tourism industry positions itself as a gamechanger for Candrol immunotherapy, a promising new cancer treatment. This powerful synergy stems from India’s strengths: affordability, making Candrol accessible to a broader patient base compared to developed nations.

By focusing on these areas, India can optimise the synergy with Candrol immunotherapy:

• Continued Research: Investing in clinical trials and research on Candrol’s effectiveness will strengthen its reputation as a viable treatment option.

• Quality Focus: The medical tourism industry can solidify its position by prioritising robust accreditation processes and transparent reporting of patient outcomes.

• Patient Education: Raising awareness about Candrol and the importance of choosing reputable healthcare providers within India is crucial for informed decision-making by patients.

References

Anand, U., Dey, A., Chandel, A. K., Sanyal, R., Mishra, A., Pandey, D. K., . . . Pérez de la Lastra, J. M. (2022). Cancer chemotherapy and beyond: Current status, drug candidates, associated risks and progress in targeted therapeutics. Genes Dis.

Boldt, C. (2024, 02 05). Which cancers can be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors? Retrieved from mdanderson: https://www.mdan- derson.org/cancerwise/what-cancers-can-be-treated-with-immunotherapy.h00- 159386679.html

Fernández, R. M. (2024). Curb- ing the climb in cancer incidence. The Lancet Oncology, 529.

Kansal, R., Singla, A., Bawa, A., Malhotra, K., Lalchandan, J., Grewal, J., . . . Mondal, H. (2023). A nationwide survey on the preference of Indian undergraduate medical students to go abroad for higher studies and residency. J Family Med Prim Care.

Anand, U., Dey, A., Chandel, A. K., Sanyal, R., Mishra, A., Pand- ey, D. K., . . . Pérez de la Lastra, J. M. (2022). Cancer chemotherapy and beyond: Current status, drug candidates, associated risks and progress in targeted therapeutics. Genes Dis.

Boldt, C. (2024, 02 05). Which cancers can be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors? Retrieved from mdanderson: https://www.mdan- derson.org/cancerwise/ what-cancers-can-be-treated-with-immunotherapy.h00- 159386679.html

Fernández, R. M. (2024). Curbing the climb in cancer incidence. The Lancet Oncology, 529.

Kansal, R., Singla, A., Bawa, A., Malhotra, K., Lalchandan, J., Grewal, J., . . . Mondal, H. (2023). A nationwide survey on the preference of Indian undergraduate medical students to go abroad for higher studies and residency. J Family Med Prim Care.

Kciuk, M., Yahya, E., Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed, M., Rashid, S., Iqbal, M., Kon- tek, R., . . . Allaq, A. (2023). Recent Advances in Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers.

Kshirsagar, N. A., Pahuja, M., Chatterjee, N. S., & Kamboj, V. P. (2023). Early phase clinical trials in India: Need & scope. Indian J Med Res.

Kumar, A. (2023). The Transformation of The Indian Healthcare System. Cureus.

Majeed, H., & Gupta, V. (2024). Adverse Effects of Radiation Therapy. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing.

Malhotra, N., & Dave, K. (2022). An Assessment of Competitiveness of Medical Tourism Industry in India: A Case of Delhi NCR. JGBC.

Mehrotra, R., & Yadav, K. (2022). Breast cancer in India: Present scenario and the challenges ahead. World J Clin Oncol.

Munshi, A., Rastogi, K., Durga, T., & Beriwal, S. (2023). Post graduation in radiation oncology from India. The options ahead. Indian Journal of Cancer, 588-592.

Riggio, A. I., Varley, K. E., & Welm, A. (2021). The lingering mysteries of metastatic recurrence in breast cancer. Br J Cancer , 13-26.

Sharma, R. (2019). What is Candrol. Retrieved from Candrol.com: https://www.candrol.com/about-candrol/

Waldman, A., Fritz, J. M., & Le- nardo, M. (2020). A guide to cancer immunotherapy: from T cell basic science to clinical practice. . Nat Rev Immunol, 651–668.

WHO. (2024). Global cancer burden growing, amidst mounting need for services. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Winstead, E. (2019, 05 10). New Drugs, New Side Effects: Complications of Cancer Immunotherapy. Retrieved from National Cancer Institute: https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2019/cancer-immunotherapy-investigating-side-effects

Zawrzykraj, M., Deptuła, M., Kondej, K., Tymińska, A., & Pikuła, M. (2023). The effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on stem cells and wound healing. Current perspectives and challenges for cell-based therapies. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

Zhang, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2020). The history and advances in cancer immunotherapy: understanding the characteristics of tumor infiltrating immune cells and their therapeutic implications. Cell Mol Immunol, 807–821 .

This study aims to understand the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on inner peace and happiness. The objective is to facilitate individuals towards cultivating inner peace and happiness in the new normal world.

Keywords:

Covid-19, Peace, Happiness, New normal

Bio

Dr. Monica Sharma is a senior Rajyoga meditation teacher who has spent the last thirty years in Gyan, knowledge acquisition. She has a B.com and two doctorate degrees in social services. Dr. Monica Sharma has dedicated the last twenty-one years of her life to social service in Tribal aira Gujarat Chhotaudepur and has achieve multiple awards.

Abstract

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has resulted in global societies encountering several changes. This ranges from the lockdown regulations, wearing personal protective equipment and technological progression. Many individuals soon became physically disconnected from family and friends alongside carrying out social activities they enjoyed, providing them with the happiness and zeal to face the challenges in life. This study aims to understand the effects of covid-19 pandemic on inner peace and happiness. The objective is to facilitate individuals towards cultivating inner peace and happiness in the new normal world, through a literature review. Results have revealed that numerous individuals faced loneliness and negative mental health challenges like anxiety and depression where they developed negative emotions, affecting their inner peace and happiness. They have been affected by daily routine disruptions, lack of physical social contact and economic challenges affecting physical and mental health.

Accepting physical change and altering the thought process through the power of the mind, is the first step to cultivating inner peace. The negative energy released into the world from negative information disseminated through media and social media, the struggle for power and accumulation of wealth has impinged upon human inner peace. Recommendations have been made to cultivate sustainable inner peace and happiness through daily meditation practices and continual learning.

Introduction

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has resulted in global societies encountering several changes. Governing bodies-imposed lockdown regulations to cease spread of the virus, where non- essential businesses and educational institutions were closed (Somani, 2020). Individuals were restricted to their own homes, while key workers supported the nation through their services. Many individuals were made redundant and suffered unemployment contributing towards financial hardships (Somani, Socio- economic Impacts of COVID-19: Facilitating Developing Countries Towards a ‘New normal’, 2021). To minimise the spread of infection, personal protective equipment became mandatory within public places, where individuals had to wear masks and gloves to stay protected.

In addition, to ensure social connectivity and business progression, technology was utilised to a greater degree enabling global connectedness. Many individuals soon became physically disconnected from family and friends, in addition to carrying out social activities that they enjoyed which provided them with the happiness and zeal to face the challenges in life. Global societies faced immense change, which then altered again when we entered a ‘new normal’ world (Somani, IMPROVING BUSINESS ETHICS IN THE NEW NORMAL.2022). Many practices have remained, for example the use of PPE within medical settings, and technological progression through the covid-19 pandemic has created mediums through which individuals can connect with family and friends, despite their residence. When everything occurs the way that individuals expect and like, they are in a comfort zone leading to feelings of happiness and a sense of inner peace.

However, in cases of disruption and unexpected challenges, many individuals feel that their inner peace and happiness have been affected. Inner peace can be defined as “a low-arousal positive emotional state coupled with a sense of balance and stability” (Sasson, 2023). While happiness has different definitions, it is typically defined as “an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfilment” (Cherry, 2022). It is linked to positive emotions and life satisfaction. According to the Aristotle the great historic philosopher, happiness is the one desire every human stives to attain, and all other desires are a means to attain happiness. His great philosophy suggests that there are four levels of happiness:

• Immediate gratification from comparison.
• Immediate gratification from achievement.
• Immediate gratification from making positive contributions.
• Immediate gratification from achieving fulfilment.

Happiness can be attained when a balance is found between excess and deficiency (Kelsey, Axner, Vrooman, & Tse, 2020), however when contemporary challenges like the unprecedented covid-19 pandemic presented itself affecting daily life of humanity globally, inner peace and happiness are affected.

Objectives

This study aims to understand the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on inner peace and happiness. The objective is to facilitate individuals towards cultivating inner peace and happiness in the new normal world, through a literature review.

Fig 1: (Liberto, 2022)

Results and Discussion

Daily routine disruptions

As the covid-19 pandemic created chaos, the daily routine of adults in employment and students attending educational institutions have been disrupted (Somani, Post Covid-19 Effects on the Future of Students in Higher Education, 2021). As governing bodies lifted lockdown restrictions, the world is attempting to reach a new normal. Therefore, numerous individuals have found the transition between working life prior to the pandemic and life in the new normal as challenging, particularly when it comes to productivity levels. This is because individuals that do not reach their goals, do not feel a sense of accomplishment which affects their happiness and inner peace. In many cases, to achieve goals, individuals sacrifice their sleep, health routines like exercising or recreational activities in the attempt to achieve their goals.

There is very little research conducted on the consequences of routine disruptions (McClean, Koopman, Yim, & Klotz, 2020). Daily routines can be disrupted by anything unexpected and simple within the day, therefore it is necessary to be flexible within our daily lives. Routines constitute towards the basic elements of life as they help individuals to conserve the energy which will contribute towards goal   attainment   during that day. However, when routines are disrupted, surplus energy must be utilised to that would have originally contributed to the daily tasks. Solving disruptions requires conscious thought and energy which contributes towards a less productive day. According to research even when individuals miss one cup of their regular morning coffee, employees commenced their day in a more mentally exhausted manner, and they were less calm than usual.

Due to this, a ripple effect was encountered during their day leading towards being less productive and less engaged. This was same of individuals that did not wake up on time, having their breakfast of challenges commuting to work (McClean S. T., Koopman, Yim, & Klotz, 2020). Human beings do not like change, however nature shows continuous change through the weather and different seasons without being disrupted. Hence, individuals need to learn that flexibility and critical thinking in the face of change is important and should not be factors affecting happiness and inner peace. According to research factors of gross national happiness in figure 1 includes community vitality, time use, standard of living, ecological resilience, cultural diversity, health, good governance and psychological and well-being.

Lack of physical social contact

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, individuals are very motivated to engage in attaining needs that are co
mplex. Hence, upon the fulfilment of basic needs, individuals are driven by their emotional and psychological needs. At the top of Maslow’s hierarchy in figure 2 it is evident that the need for self- actualisation or to achieve one’s full potential is the ultimate goal. It theorises that momentous human experiences and transcendent moments are where individuals feel more happiness, joy and understanding. In contrast at the base of the hierarchy are physiological needs, including the essentials like food, warmth, and rest. Above that are the safety needs which includes security and safety, then comes belongingness and love needs, which include intimate relationships and friends.

Before reaching self- actualisation individuals have esteem needs which include the feeling of prestige and accomplishment. Lack of physical social contact during the pandemic affected the needs of individuals all the way through the hierarchy. Particularly the basic needs and psychological needs due to job loss and redundancies and lack to physical contact. As we reside in a knowledge society, a larger proportion of individuals participated in the acquisition of knowledge through sort-term and long-term online courses. This provided a means through which individuals were able to fill skill-gaps to complete their employment roles efficiently and look for new employment positions (Somani, E-learning in Tomorrow’s Age, 2021).

This has been necessary due to the number of changes that has been made post-pandemic and the technological advancements. Hence, individuals need to ensure that their cognitive needs are fulfilled, so that they are well informed on the decisions they make in their personal or professional lives. Many individuals have recognised the need for beauty and aesthetics, therefore by enjoying music, arts and culture, individuals can achieve happiness. In a world where there is an array of distractions, individuals are curious to seek the true , beyond physical limitations with the aim to fulfil transcendence needs. That can be achieved through the practice of spirituality, helping others, and ensuring connectivity with nature.

Physical and mental health

The covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated negative mental health challenges and created more awareness (Somani, The Impact of COVID-19 on Human Psychology, 2020). All individuals have mental health, however there is good mental health enabling individuals to radiate at a higher vibrational positive energy. When negative mental health challenges emerge, individuals start to emit lower vibrational negative energy. Everything in this world is vibrating at a frequency, and this is the same for our thoughts which start to govern emotions, which consequently we emit into the world. Throughout the covid-19 pandemic individuals have been feeling heightened levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

This has been triggered through social, economic, and political changes and financial instability. The rise in cost-of- living post-pandemic facilitated by the Russia-Ukraine war, has impinged upon physical and mental health of individuals globally. Individuals residing in lower-socio economic areas are more at risk of the spread of infections and diseases due to a lack of infection control, reduced clean water and poor hygiene promoting poor health. In addition, the consequences of poor mental health have been proven to result in physical   health   challenges.    Hence it has been recommended to lower stress levels through regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and drinking the recommended amount of water which will fulfil the basic needs of attaining happiness.

Managing Emotions

When we encounter periods of change there is a tendency for individuals to overthink and over analyse situations. This act affects inner peace and hinders the psychological state of an individual and spiritual calmness, particularly where there are different stressors. When individuals stive to attain peace daily, despite the changes in physical settings, they are happier and content. They are more aware of their thoughts and cease themselves from jumping from one negative thought to another. Most individuals are experiencing negative emotions that have resulted in hurt, they play the events within their minds consistently and think about the words and actions of others. They keep re-living the pain that was experienced through the energy exchange between themselves and the other person.

However, everyone has the ability to generate their own thoughts and feelings should be accountable for the way they feel. Other people do not have the power to change the positive state that someone is in, nor do they have the power to replace them through negative emotions if the individual is emotionally strong. When an individual radiates energy at a high emotional level, and they are stable within their thoughts and feelings, the worldly influences or the negative energy of others cannot shake the individual. Instead, through compassion the individual seeks to understand the actions of another and empathises with them.

They understand that the other individual is hurt, hence feeling the negative emotions and projecting their feelings onto them. When the seeds of negative emotions start to germinate with an individual, it is important to know the route cause and maintain stability through knowing at they are a peaceful being. This includes being tranquil, serene, quiet and pose. According to Chris Shea “The pursuit of inner peace is more important than the search for happiness and success” (Moore, 2019). Many great teachers from Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama believe that inner peace is closely related to happiness and have been advocates of inner peace. Hence within contemporary life, historic teachings can facilitate managing emotions towards finding inner peace and happiness.

Conclusion

Accepting physical change and altering the thought process through the power of the mind, is the first step to cultivating inner peace. The negative energy released into the world from negative information, disseminated through media and social media, the struggle for power and accumulation of wealth has impinged upon human inner peace. Within contemporary life, with the continuous change that we encounter, it is important to be at peace mentally and spiritually. We require appropriate knowledge and understanding to ensure that we are strong and resilient when we face challenges and adversity. Although there is a desire for individuals to reach self-actualisation, there is not a method through which this can be tested.

It is necessary for humans to cultivate peace opposed to harbouring feelings of stress and anxiousness, to attain clarity of thought and progress on the route of happiness. There is a need to be authentic and the covid-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for individuals within global societies to rediscover themselves. This was attainable through the   lockdown and an opportunity to continue this into the new normal world.   Within an ideal society, individuals can self- actualise and fulfil personal desires on the path to happiness and inner peace. Recommendations have been made to cultivate sustainable inner peace and happiness through daily meditation practices and continual learning. In addition, positive thinking affirmations and gratitude also help individuals lead a more fulfilled and happier life.

References

Cherry, K. (2022, 11 07). What Is Happiness? Retrieved from Very Well Mind:       https://www.verywellmind. c o m / w h a t – i s – h a p p i n e s s – 4869755#:~:text=Typically%2C%20 ha ppiness%20is%20an%20 emotional,positive%20emotions%20 and%20life%20satisfaction.

Kelsey, F., Axner, M., Vrooman, K., & Tse, D. (2020). Ideal Levels of Prosocial Involvement in Relation to Momentary Affect and Eudaimonia: Exploring the Golden Mean. Innovation in Aging, 614.

Liberto,     D.     (2022, 09 24). Happiness Economics. Retrieved from    Investopedia:    https://www. in v est opedia. c om/ t erms / h/ happiness-economics.asp

Loder,     S.     (2020,     03-28). Your Hierarchy of Needs during coronavirus. Retrieved from Peak Dynamics: http://insights.peak- dynamics .net/ post/102g3b1/ your-hierarchy- of-needs- during- coronavirus

McClean, S. T., Koopman, J., Yim, J., & Klotz, A. C. (2020). Stumbling out of the gate: The energy-based implications of morning routine disruption. Personnel Psychology, 411-448.

McClean, S., Koopman, J.,  Yim, J.,  &  Klotz,  A.  C.  (2020, 0917). How disruptions to our morning routines harm daily productivity, and what we can do about it. Retrieved from LSE: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ businessreview/2020/09/17/how- disruptions-to-our-morning-routines- harm-daily-productivity-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/

Moore, C. (2019, 01 24). How to Find Inner Peace and Happiness (Incl. Mantras). Retrieved from Positive Psychology: https:// positivepsychology.com/ inner- peace-happiness/#:~:text=Inner%20 peace%20is%20closely%20related, search%20for%20happiness%20 or%20success.%E2%80%9D

Sasson, R. (2023). What Is Inner Peace and How to Find It. Retrieved from Success Consciousness: https:// www.successconsciousness.com/ blog/inner-peace/what-is-inner- peace/

Somani, P. (2020). Our World Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. LangLit, 29-35.

Somani, P. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Human Psychology. In B. Lal, & N. Patel, Economics of Covid-19 Digital Health Education & Psychology (pp. 328-357). New Delhi: Adhyayan Publishers & Distributors.

Somani,  P.  (2021).  E-learning in Tomorrow’s Age. ARICBEST (pp. 3-10). Oxford: London Institute of Skills Development.

Somani, P. (2021). Post Covid-19 Effects on the Future of Students in Higher Education. International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 831-834.

Somani, P. (2021). Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19: Facilitating Developing Countries Towards a ‘New normal’. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD, 46-53.

Somani, P. (2022). IMPROVING BUSINESS ETHICS IN THE NEW NORMAL. . International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review, 182-194.

This study aims to understand the effects of music on mental health and covid-19. There is an endeavour to recommend solutions to facilitate individuals towards improved mental wellbeing through music.

Keywords:

Covid-19, Mental health, Music, Society

Bio

Prof. Dr. Parin Somani

Prof. Dr. Parin Somani, Director: London Organisation of Skills Development, Independent Academic Scholar, TEDx Speaker, Educator, International Motivational speaker, Author, Writer, Banker, Humanitarian, Philanthropist, Multi-International Award Winner. 8 Doctorate degrees recognised 5times in World Book of Records, twice in India Book of Records, Asia Book of Records, Karnataka Book of Records and Golden Book of World Records. Helps global societies in Education, Women Empowerment, Youth Development. Travelled 107+ countries globally. Published 41+ educational papers, newspaper/magazine articles, 19books, featured in 100+ videos, 177+ newspapers/ books. During COVID-19 she has educated 100,000+people globally, delivered research at Harvard University, invited by Governors of India.

Nurbanu Somani

Nurbanu is a postgraduate researcher at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, exploring the therapeutic benefits of music to promote health and wellbeing in older adults with late onset of vision loss. She is passionate to connect with people and bring joy into their lives by promoting music as an outlet for comfort and emotional expression.

Abstract

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has had numerous effects on global societies, including socially, politically, and economically. Social distancing regulations, school closures, mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE), amongst increasing financial burdens due to unemployment, have all contributed to a rise in societal mental health challenges. Listening to music can be perceived as an effective means through which mental health challenges can be alleviated, thereby contributing to positive wellbeing. This study aims to understand the effects of music on mental health and covid-19. There is an endeavour to recommend solutions to facilitate individuals towards improved mental wellbeing through music. A systematic literature review has been implemented within this study. Results have revealed the following factors: music and relaxation; music and inspiration; music and mood; music and expression. This study has deduced that that listening to music can have a positive impact on mental wellness as it can change emotions only if music is chosen correctly. Individuals feeling anxious or depressed tend to intensify their emotions by listening to depressing music, alternatively they can choose music to alter their emotions to happy and excited. Essentially music has the power to set the mood, create emotional changes promote sustainable mental health healing which can be utilised in the contemporary world post-covid-19.

Introduction

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has had numerous effects on global societies, including socially, politically, and economically (Somani, Post Covid-19 Effects on the Future of Students in Higher., 2021). Social distancing regulations, school closures, mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE), amongst increasing financial burdens due to unemployment, have all contributed to a rise in societal mental health challenges (NHS, 2020). Studies relating to students within higher education institutions revealed an increase in negative mental health impacts. This was due to worries about implications of being infected with covid-19, the rapid transition to remote learning, the impact on exam results and future employment prospect, access to appropriate

hardware and software to continue education and financial constraints. The negative mental health impacts include heightened stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness (Somani, The Impact of COVID-19 on Human Psychology, 2020). Research has suggested that one in six individuals are affected by common mental health challenges like anxiety and depression in one week within England (McManus, Bebbington, Jenkins, & Brugha, 2016). Results have indicated that approximately fifty-one percent of students are experiencing heightened anxiety and stress in comparison to January 2021 and approximately eighty eight percent of students believe that their higher educational institution is facing a mental health crisis (Meal, 2022).

Music is considered to be an integral component of the lives of individuals and a contributing element to identity. Individuals generally listen to music daily in the form of background while doing other activities like studying, working, household chores, sports or shopping etc, or intentionally. Although the music is not the dominant focus while it is playing in the background, music is carefully chosen to match cognitive and emotional needs of individuals for the situations (Ziv & Hollander-Shabtai, 2022). For many years music has been utilised as a tool to cope with the challenges and victories of life. Listening to music can be perceived as an effective medium through which mental health challenges can be alleviated thereby contributing to positive wellbeing. Figure 1 illustrates the how playing and listening to music works in several areas of the brain.

When individuals listen to music the brain releases chemicals like dopamine which is associated with feelings of pleasure and also oxytocin referred to as the love hormone. In addition, there is moderate research available to suggest that cortisol, the chemical released in the brain when individuals experience stress, can be reduced through listening to music (Adler, 2020) which suggest music has an effect on mental health.

Objectives

This study aims to understand the effects of music on mental health and covid-19. There is an endeavour to recommend solutions to facilitate individuals towards improved mental wellbeing through music. A systematic literature review has been implemented within this study.

Results and Discussion

Music and relaxation

Healing using sound is historically believed to be a medium through which attempts were made to cure mental disorders in ancient Greece. Over time, music has been utilised to facilitate working faster, become more productive and create barriers against evil spirits. In addition, research has revealed multiple health benefits to individuals including decreasing stress levels and improving health and immunity. When experiencing symptoms of negative mental health challenges like anxiety, stress, and depression it is important that individuals learn to relax due to the potential consequences of negative mental health impacts which can lead to physical health problems and in extreme cases death (Somani & Saraswathy, Sort Stress & Stop Suicide, 2021). Thus, methods through which music can be used to relax individuals can include:

• Meditation with music and voiced instruction
• Sleep music that has been devised to relax the mind
• Positive affirmations with music

These can all be administered alone, or with others a classroom situation, on video with live streaming, social media videos or downloading a mobile application. Meditative music consists of a cathartic effect which can improve moods, relax the mind and body. Sounds including nature sounds, stringed instruments and the piano have been proven to help individuals relax (Nortje, 2020).

Music and inspiration

According to a brain health survey carried out by AARP music consisting of  3,185  adults it was  reported that despite listening to musical performances, background music or music recordings, there was a positive impact on negative mental health diagnosis like anxiety and depression (Adler, 2020). Music is believed to improve intelligence, increase an individual’s ability to focus and heighten mental health. In addition, music can increase self confidence and improve the immune system.

Research has revealed that music meditation can inspire individuals and has numerous health benefits including:

• Reducing stress
• Decreasing depression and anxiety
• Improving memory function
• Reducing blood pressure
• Reducing pain
• Decreasing cholesterol
• Reducing chances of stroke and heart disease

Utilising music as a therapy, can increase relaxation, decrease stress and inspire individuals towards researching their goals. When comparing music to taking prescription drugs to decrease anxiety levels prior to a surgery, research has found that thirty minutes of therapeutic music has able to reduce anxiety and contribute to pain reduction (Quach & Lee, 2017). Music can evoke positive emotions and promotes the brain’s reward centres. Individuals can experience this through dancing to music, singing or even chanting, writing songs, playing a musical instrument, or even just listening to music to relax or meditate. Music has the power to inspire individuals towards achieving their goals and turning their negative moods into positive energy, inducing positive emotions and creating a transit between negative mental health challenges and good mental health. Making and listening to music promotes individuals to become more creative, this can be utilised to improve moods and vibrate at a higher emotional energy level. This leads to self motivation facilitating individuals to accomplish their personal and professional goals.

During the covid-19 pandemic numerous individuals in society utilised music to help themselves overcome challenges and cope with the covid-19 restrictions. Within a survey that was conducted during the covid-19 pandemic a question was asked to the population “Did music help you with any of the following during the pandemic?” Figure 2 illustrates the results that 77% of individuals revealed that music cheered them up, while 72% of people felt that music reduced their stress levels, 67% felt that music altering their moods, while 59% of people used music as a distraction from negative emotions and thoughts that were arising.

Music and mood

Music can be used as a tool to relax individuals and lift emotional vibrations linked to moods. Some students utilise music to facilitate retaining information during exams as they believe it to improve their concentration levels. Within the United States approximately 1 out of five people find it difficult to asleep (Helsestart, 2023). Hence relaxation music can facilitate individuals to relax into a deeper sleep and help change their mood. Music can be perceived as a form of escape taking them into a happy place. As individuals we experience an array of different moods which mirror our emotions and are projected through non-verbal communication and facial expressions. Figure 3 highlights many of the different emotions that humans feel through the wheel of emotion.

When individuals listen to familiar music, there is a release of the chemical dopamine in the brain which causes the brain to respond more strongly to situations. In contrast unfamiliar music can create brain stimulation as individuals enjoy the music they are listening to and become used to learning it. Binaural beat music utilised in subliminal and ambient music has been proved to improve feelings of anxiety and boost confidence levels. The mind can become shaper and confident through listening to Alpha waves that range between eight to fourteen Herts. When individuals are feeling negative emotions like anger, music has been proven to release these feelings through listening to music that can be viewed as angry as a method through which the negative emotions can be processed. Therefore, it is not surprising that individuals experiencing feelings of depression are more inclined to listen to music that reinforces their feelings. Individuals that ruminate a predictive trait of depression will usually be attracted to music that intensifies their emotions associated with depression (Garrido & Schubert, 2015).

Music and expression

Listening to music enables individuals to express their emotions and creative skills without talking. It allows individuals to communicate their thoughts and complex emotions through non-verbal communication and via various forms of expressions like playing a musical instrument or expressing feelings through dance. Releasing emotions through music, contributes towards positive mental health. When individuals are feeling fearful or nervous, by listening to isochronic tone music, it is possible to alter the brain state towards happiness and confidence. This is because the brain is syncing into a new frequency consisting of single tones beating at regular intervals that are spaced evenly (Healthline, 2020).

Music therapy is deemed as a holistic and creative approach to healing, simultaneously it facilitates positive and constructive strategies to cope with challenging situations.

Many studies have revealed that by listening to classical music, the mind can focus better as a tempo consisting of sixty beat per minute can increase processing information in the brain. In contrast electro dance music has been suggested to sharpen focus during studying (Reachout, 2022). Listening to music can facilitate social connections and reduce feelings of loneliness because there is a realisation that emotions are shared and can be expressed with others who can understand. This can include connecting with like-minded musicians, attending concerts, or sharing music via technology, emotions are being shared and expressed. Music can form and change behaviours as releasing negativity can contribute towards positive conversations and actions as individuals resort to acting with calmer minds, in contrast to acting through clouded judgment when they are overcome with negative emotions. Research has indicated that individuals experiencing depression are drawn to listen to music that reinforced their negative feelings because most of the time they are unable to choose music to help them feel better (Wilhelm, Gilllis, Schubert, & Whittle, 2013).

Conclusion

This study has deduced that that listening to music can have a positive impact on mental wellness as it can change emotions only if music is chosen correctly. Individuals feeling anxious or depressed tend to intensify their emotions by listening to depressing music, alternatively they can choose music to alter their emotions to happy and excited. Essentially music has the power to set the mood, create emotional changes promote sustainable mental health healing which can be utilised in the contemporary world post covid-19.

Healthcare professionals have commenced utilising music therapy, with the endeavour of helping to support individuals who are aiming to regain control over their mental health wellbeing. Thus, it is evident that music has multiple effects on mental health if used in the correct manner. When individuals decide to listen to songs or music that is upbeat, it has the power to make individuals feel happier emotions. However, over the last fifty years gradually the music made and produced, has become angrier and sadder which can make finding songs transiting individuals to a happier state more difficult, in turn contributing to mental health challenges (Napier & Shamir, 2018). It is advisable to create a list of “happy songs” to help navigate out of the looming negative emotions that can arise, hindering mental health. Music is a tool that can be used for individuals to deal with the uncertainty present in a continuously changing world. Listening to music can heighten emotions, change feelings and behaviours when utilised in the right context. Music can increase social connectedness and used as a medium through which societies and cultures can be brought together during times of distress.

Recommendations

Social awareness should be created on the benefits of music on mental health. Recommendations to practice techniques on active listening concentrating on the music, noting feelings, associated memories and changes within the body in relation to noting the urge to get up and dance or in contrast slow the heart rate down. This will facilitate individuals towards taking control, allowing the music to empower and change feelings from a negative to a positive. Individuals can also utilise technological advancements to listen to a variety of music genres across multiple internet connected devices, and personalised playlists. This will subject individuals to familiar music that comforts individuals, in addition to evoking positive memories and associations. During moments of unhappiness, depression, or anxiety it is recommended to choose and listen to upbeat music that makes individuals want to sing or dance. These are deemed to release stress and contribute to physical exercise and brain stimulation.

References

Adler, S. E. (2020, 06 30).

Music Can Be a Great Mood Booster. Retrieved from AARP: https://www.aarp.org/ health/brain-health/ info-2020/music-mental-health. html#:~: t e xt=R esear c h%20 shows%20that%20music%20 can, of%20the%20str ess%20 hormone%20cortisol.

BCAT.

(2020, 12 11). MUSIC THERAPY AND THE ENDLESS BENEFITS. Retrieved

from BCAT: http://www.bcat.info/ life -in-arts-therapy—the – bcat- blogstop/music-therapy-and-the- endless-benefits

Garrido, S., & Schubert, E.

(2015). Moody melodies: do they cheer us up? A study of the effect of sad music on mood. Psychol. Music, 244–261.

Healthline. (2020, 02 28).

Do Isochronic Tones Have Real Health Benefits? Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/ isochronic-tones

Helsestart. (2023, 01 20).

Global Insomnia Statistics in 2022 & 2023. Retrieved from Helsestart: https://www.helsestart.no/news/ global-insomnia-statistics

KIIT. (2022, 12 09).

Emotions. Retrieved from KIIT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY:

https:// kiitislibrary.weebly.com/ emotion.html

McManus, S., Bebbington, P. E., Jenkins, R., & Brugha, T. (2016). Mental health and wellbeing in england: The adult psychiatric morbidity survey 2014. NHS Digital.

Meal, K. (2022, 01 12).

College Students More Concerned About COVID-19 Than Ever, New Survey by TimelyMD Finds. Retrieved from TimelyMD: https://timely.md/ college-students-more-concerned- about-covid-19-than-ever/

Morin, A. (2022, 01 04).

A Verywell Report: Music Helped Most of Us Get Through the Pandemic. Retrieved from Verywellmind: https:// www.verywellmind.com/verywell- report-music-helped-us-through-the- pandemic-5181803

Napier, K., & Shamir, L. (2018). Quantitative Sentiment Analysis of Lyrics in Popular Music. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 161–176.

NHS. (2020, 01 23). Counselling for student mental health problems. Retrieved from National Health Service: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/student-mental-health/

Nortje, A. (2020, 10 28).

6 Relaxation Techniques for Managing Anxiety and Stress. Retrieved from Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/relaxation-techniques-anxiety/

Quach, J., & Lee, J. (2017).

Do music therapies reduce depressive symptoms and improve QOL in older adults with chronic disease? Nursing, 58-63.

Reachout. (2022, 12 12).

How to use music for mental health. Retrieved from Reachout: https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-use-music-for-mental-health

Somani, P. (2020).

The Impact of COVID-19 on Human Psychology. In B. S. Lal, & N. Patel, Economics of Covid-19 Digital Health Education & Psychology (pp. 328-357). New Delhi: Adhyayan Publishers & Distributors.

Somani, P. (2021).

Post Covid-19 Effects on the Future of Students in Higher. International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 831-834.

Somani, P., & Saraswathy, R. V. (2021). Sort Stress & Stop Suicide. Bengaluru: St.Mother Theresa University.

Wilhelm, K., Gilllis, I., Schubert, E., & Whittle, L. E. (2013).

On a blue note: depressed people’s reasons for listening to music. Music Med.

Ziv, N., & Hollander-Shabtai, R. (2022).

Music and COVID-19: Changes in uses and emotional reaction to music under stay-at-home restrictions. Psychology of Music, 475–491.

Snderstand the effect of job loss on the mental health of employees during covid-19. Recommendations are made to ease mental health challenges faced by individuals.

Keywords

Covid-19, Employment, Job loss, Mental health,

Bio

Pinki is a UNDP Project Youth Employability Services counsellor. She is an advocate for women empowerment, youth development and girl child protection programs. She is also a consumer Rights champion and Education champion helping the underprivileged within society. She has helped towards restricting the dowery system particularly in the Indian State of Haryana and its surrounding areas. Pinki believes that health is wealth and participates in yoga and meditation classes. She has attended numerous conferences, seminars and workshops in different fields with the endeavour to help make valuable changes in society.

Abstract

Employment is important to accumulate wealth, to enjoy a good quality of life and a means through which individuals can contribute towards economic growth and societal development. During the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic decisions were made by international governing bodies to implement lockdown measures. This meant all non-essential businesses and organisations underwent physical closures. To ensure the operation of businesses to generate revenue to pay employees and be sustainable, there was a transition to online platforms. During this process many employees faced redundancies and complete job losses. This study aims to understand the effect of job loss on the mental health of employees during covid-19. Recommendations are made to ease mental health challenges faced by individuals. A review of literature sources is conducted in this study. Results have identified that job loss can have the following impact on mental health: Psychological impacts like an increase in anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem; suicidal thoughts and behaviour patterns. These can be due to financial stresses, inappropriate working conditions to find another employment position or inadequate skills restricting employment opportunities. Steps should be taken to ensure individuals take a positive approach to seeking a new job showing self-compassion, ensuring the maintenance of a healthy diet and good routine including sufficient sleep and exercise. This will contribute towards positive mental health and facilitate employment prospects.

Introduction

Employment is important to accumulate wealth, to enjoy a good quality of life and a means through which individuals can contribute towards economic growth and societal development. During the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic decisions were made by international governing bodies to implement lockdown measures (Somani, Our World Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020). This meant all non-essential businesses and organisations underwent physical closures. To ensure the operation of businesses to generate revenue and continue paying employees, there was a transition to online platforms. During this process many employees faced redundancies and job losses. Within the United Kingdom, 1.3 million people lost their jobs due to covid-19 pandemic between March 2020 and January 2021 (Rodrigues, 2022). The workplace is continuously evolving and comprises of a myriad of roles and opportunities for individuals. The role an induvial is employed into often evolves and job insecurities can prevail. However, a large proportion of employed individuals feel a sense of financial security and stability due to financial independence. Fifty-five percent of employees and seventy percent of graduates reported that employment provides them with a sense of identity which is linked to self-worth, this increases to (Bond, 2021). Thus, when employment is taken away suddenly, individuals have a lot to contend with. Within employment, individuals are frequently faced with challenges that need to be overcome. This can be an intellectually stimulating experience if it is not conducted with immense pressure. Individuals can work in teams to learn from each other and overcome challenges together, and this promotes skill development, In the event of job loss, individuals loose involvement with their colleagues and the opportunity to meet new people. Spending a significant portion of time within the work environment, interaction with colleagues can turn into long lasting friendships and opportunities arise to learn about yourself and the world. However, during lockdown many of the opportunities that individuals attained with working in face-to-face environments were lost.

Objectives

This study aims to understand the effect of job loss on the mental health of employees during covid-19. Recommendations are made to ease mental health challenges faced by individuals. A review of literature sources is conducted in this study. Published literature including journals, books, websites, and articles have been searched and utilised within the findings of this study.

Results and Discussion

Results have identified that job loss can have psychological impacts like an increase in anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, and negative behavioural patterns can all impact a high proportion of individuals. There are several reasons related to this including financial stresses, inappropriate working conditions to find another employment position and inadequate skills restricting employment opportunities.

Psychological impacts

When individuals have a stable income, they are financially independent which facilitates them towards reaching high comfort levels. This allows them to plan and execute their financial endeavours, have a sense of financial stability which leads to a positive impact on mental health. However, when individuals lose their employment positions suddenly, they can undergo a sense of shock which can have negative mental health implications. Although job loss can present individuals with subjective experiences and alterations in income, the associated mental health impacts can differ between individuals.

Therefore, an individual that loses their employment position may feel threatened and immerse themselves in a situation that only they perceive as dangerous. When an individual feels that they are facing financial threat, they are identified with the feelings of fearfulness and anxiousness pertaining to their current and future financial situation (Marjanovic, Greenglass, Fiksenbaum, & Bell, 2013). Thus, it is not surprising that financial threat is linked with anxiety, depression, negative impacts on mood, suicidal thoughts, and complete burn out (Iksenbaum, Marjanovic, Greenglass, & Garcia-Santos, 2017). Figure 1 illustrates the mental health continuum model which highlights symptoms from healthy mental health expressed through the colour green, reacting which is in yellow, injured which is in orange and ill which is highlighted through the red colour. Within figure 1 solutions to promote mental wellness within each category is illustrated. There is an intention to promote recognition and encourage individuals to recognise the symptoms and engage to conversations with the intention to seek professional help if required (Chen, Chang, & Stuart, 2020).

Financial stresses

A dominant factor associated with negative mental health implications relating to job loss is financial stress. The prevalent solution to financial hardship within societies is to take out a loan and incur debt. Upon the inability to pay the money back, individuals face severe financial strains and hardship. According to research, individuals experiencing a financial strain may be at a twenty- fold higher risk of attempting suicide compared to individuals who have no financial hardships  (Cohut, 2020). This is because a significant risk factor for attempting suicide is financial strain (Elbogen, et al., 2020). Multiple studies implemented during the covid-19 pandemic highlighted negative mental health implications due to financial stresses (Wilson, et al., 2020) (Somani & Saraswathy, Sort Stress & Stop Suicide’., 2021).

Inappropriate working conditions

Working conditions are vital to productivity particularly during the covid-19 pandemic. Research has indicated that approximately 46.6% of the overall population within the United Kingdom conducted some, or all their work from home. 86% of those individuals reported that they worked from home due to the covid-19 lockdown regulations. Figure 2 illustrates the number of hours individuals worked from home in April 2020 (Cameron, 2020). An individual who carried out any of their employment work at home is referred to as the homeworker. The calculations for more, less, and same working hours is based on the difference between the individual’s usual and actual working hours within a week.

For individuals to work efficiently from home, they require the adequate hardware, software, and internet connectivity (Somani, Managing Mental Health at Work during Periods of Uncertainty., 2022). In addition, a conducive working environment is important to ensure individuals can concentrate on the work that they are carrying out. The inability to complete tasks from home, in addition to other distractions within the home environment can impinge upon job retention rates. The requirement for skills development for employees to continue working can be difficult to acquire from remote locations resulting in added stress and negative mental health impacts, thus restricting employment opportunities.

Conclusion

This study has found that there is a negative impact on the mental health of employees that lost their jobs during covid-19. This is consistent with previous studies which have indicated that there is a positive relationship between economic hardships and psychological wellbeing, (Cuellar, Mark, L, Sharfstein, & Huskamp, 2020). Negative mental health symptoms have included depression, anxiety, and panic attacks largely experienced due to loss of income during the covid-19 pandemic. Pre-existing mental health implications are heightened, and job insecurities promote negative mental health challenges.

Steps should be taken to ensure individuals take a positive approach to seeking a new job, showing self-compassion, ensuring the maintenance of a healthy diet and good routine including sufficient sleep and exercise. This will contribute towards positive mental health and facilitate employment prospects. Recommendations are made to ensure policymakers should provide sufficient information on how to manage finances and save funds. In addition, societies must be education on dissociating the stigma related to mental health challenges. This can be initiated through collaborative attempts between governmental and non- governmental organisations to raise mental health awareness within local support groups, online and via face- to-face interaction. Organisations should have measures in place to inform employees what happens in an event of unemployment, at the same time employees should always ensure they have a contingency plan of other employment opportunities. Financial implications are a large contributing factor to negative mental health symptoms, therefore it is recommended individuals save or invest their finances to ensure that they remain financially stable. In addition, it is recommended that individuals invest in skill development to acquire more knowledge for prospective employment opportunities.

References

Bond, K. (2021, 03 02). How can we stop basing our self-worth entirely on our careers? Retrieved from Metro: https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/02/ how-can-we-stop-basing-our-self-worth-entirely-on-our-careers-14170368/#:~: t e xt=With%20 h a r d % 2 0 g r a f t % 2 0 s o % 2 0 intrinsically,ten%20when%20 looking%20at%20graduates.

Cameron, A. (2020, 07 08). Coronavirus and homeworking in the UK: April 2020. Retrieved from Office For National Statistics: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/coronavirusandhome-workingintheuk/april2020

Chen, S. P., Chang, W. P., & Stuart, Self-reflection and screening mental health on Canadian campuses: validation of the mental health continuum model. BMC Psychol .

Cohut, M. (2020, 09 08). Financial hardship is a top risk factor for suicide attempts. Retrieved from medical news today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/financial-hardship-is-a-top-risk- factor-for-suicide-attempts

Cuellar, A., Mark, L, T., Sharfstein, S., & Huskamp, H. A. (2020). How to Mitigate the Mental Health Care Consequences of the COVID-19 Financial Crisis. Psychiatr. Serv, 1317–1319.

Elbogen, E. B., Lanier, M., Montgomery, A. E., Strickland, S., Wagner, H. R., & Tsai, J. (2020). Financial Strain and Suicide Attempts in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1266-1274.

Iksenbaum, L., Marjanovic, Z., Greenglass, E., & Garcia-Santos, F. (2017). Impact of Economic Hardship and Financial Threat on Suicide Ideation and Confusion. J. Psychol. Interdiscip. Appl, 477–495.

Marjanovic, Z., Greenglass, E., Fiksenbaum, L., & Bell, C. M. (2013). Psychometric evaluation of the Financial Threat Scale (FTS) in the context of the great recession. J. Econ. Psychol, 1-10.

Rodrigues, G. (2022, 10 11). Unemployment. Retrieved from centreforcities: https://www.centreforcities.org/unemployment/Somani, P. (2020). Our World Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. LangLit, 29-35.

Somani, P. (2022). Managing Mental Health at Work during Periods of Uncertainty. . Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 1046-1052.

Somani, P., & Saraswathy, R. V. (2021). Sort Stress & Stop Suicide’. Bengaluru: St. Mother Theresa University.

Wilson, M. J., Lee, J., Fitzgerald, H. N., Oosterhoff, B., Sevi, B., & Shook, N (2020). Job Insecurity and Financial Concern during the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Associated with Worse Mental Health. J. Occup. Environ. Med, 686–691.