TED Community » Madhavi Gavini

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• A reply on Conversation: Is the gut the key to disease?

  Apr 1 2013: Thank you for the explanation. Conventional treatment approaches tend to be unidimensional sometimes, for most disease states/conditions.
  The information you have presented is interesting. Are there any standardized studies being done to prove the effectiveness and safety of these methods of treatment?
  Are the digestive and pancreatic enzymes given as supplements?..if so what is their source?
  Is this really a ray of hope for any cancer patient? What about end stage cancer patients...
  My intention is not to discount your claims but to gain more understanding.

• A comment on Conversation: Is the gut the key to disease?

  Mar 21 2013: The gut is the key to somatic conditions like autoimmune diseases, heart disease, inflammation according to various studies.
  Alternative medicine like ayurveda does give a lot of importance to diet for that reason. According to research,the gut plays a major role in the body's immune response. Essentially, this is attributed to the naturally existing microbes in the gut.
  I do not think that the gut is the only factor for causing cancer,mental illness..I doubt if there are good studies to support this theory.

• A comment on Conversation: It's easy to separate a product from its production process. What can we do to change that?

  Mar 21 2013: Kelly, a product brand may play a role for choosing certain products, but cost/affordability is an important criterion for the majority. Factory farming/production has been using affordability to it's advantage.
  We can use the same principles that we use during food consumption ex: increasing awareness, implications on health,environment,future generations.
  However, it is a challenge to make an individual feel/react the same way towards our environment versus personal factors like health.

• A reply on Conversation: Is a persons reality, meaning, and purpose determined by their choice of study/job?

  Mar 21 2013: "I don't feel like this in my job, but when I look around me and hear people talking about their jobs, I feel like our society has forced many people to be in jobs that they do not enjoy and that do make their life unfruitful."
  Karim, why do you think so? I believe that it is still a personal choice/decision...our society does not force anyone to remain in jobs.
  " I doubt that the majority of the people who have a job are happy in it. They go to their job in order to sustain themselves, their family and home.The world we live in now is much more dependent on financial security than meaning of life"
  True. However, livelihood is important as well. We also have to take the individual's life situation in consideration. For ex:,there may be school loans to pay off or a family to support which may take precedence for that individual.

• A comment on Conversation: What do you like or dislike about Elon Musk's Ted Talk?

  Mar 20 2013: Elon's innovations in sustainable energy (through Solar City, electric Tesla cars) and reusable rockets are remarkable and inspiring.
  Information about the affordability and spread of his technology to the rest of the world would have helped .
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: what is a "good" question?

  Mar 19 2013: A question that is challenging and interesting.

• A comment on Conversation: Is a persons reality, meaning, and purpose determined by their choice of study/job?

  Mar 19 2013: The job/school may affect the purpose and meaning of life to an extent...depending on the (life)situation. The vast majority spend more time at school/job than with their family. A vocation that does not contribute to the purpose or meaning in life would be unfruitful, in my humble opinion.
  It is a choice..really...one can make valid arguments on both sides.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: How can we encourage children to start recognizing (and rising above) category boundaries from a young age?

  Mar 19 2013: A child learns to think and reason from family(parents, siblings, grandparents), teachers, caregivers and media (books,television). Creating an environment at home and school that is conducive to recognizing and transcending the boundaries would help. My son's school conducts various events to encourage learning about different cultures. Myself and my husband use every opportunity to introduce my son to different cultures,languages,music and cuisines.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: STEM is good, but where's the art? A question of STEM vs STEAM and why it's taking so long for the obvious to be seen.

  Mar 10 2013: Our education system tries it's best to meet the demands of the society i.e. foster education in STEM fields, to have a better chance of a stable career.
  I agree that STEAM is the way to go...Leonardo da Vinci is a great example.
  Interest in art can be self-cultivated, instead of depending on our education system.

• A comment on Conversation: Why Poverty? Is empowering Women at Rural Areas is the solution? or educating their community is more important as a first step?

  Mar 10 2013: Sarah, thanks for sharing the video. I was surprised to notice the ability of the women to learn and connect, in spite of not understanding English.
  "Is empowering Women at Rural Areas is the solution? ",
  Your question reminds me of the 'Grameen Bank' , the microfinance organization started by the Nobel prize laureate Muhammed Yunus. The organization has faced similar cultural problems as exemplified by Rafea's story in the video as the majority of the users of this bank are women as well.
  Women, especially mothers in general ,seem to be more motivated to improve the quality of life of their children.
  The two links below from Kiva, offer a great explanation as to why empowering women would be a big solution to eliminate poverty.
  http://blog.kiva.org/2013/03/08/women-who-start-why-these-entrepreneurs-should-be-honored-on-international-womens-day
  http://blog.kiva.org/2013/03/08/happy-international-womens-day-from-kiva
  
  " educating their community is more important as a first step?"
  Educating the community would be of great help..not necessarily as a first step. Training the community to make a livelihood ( either providing micro loans or teaching practical skills) has been proven to be more useful than formal education.