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See
that mustachioed man in the picture? That's Earl S. Sloan. An
American veterinarian, Sloan, back in the 1870s or thereabouts,
developed a balm that was a quick remedy for aches and pains of
animals. Sloan also found that the balm he'd developed could relieve
muscular pains, joint aches and sprains in humans as well. In
1903, he marketed it as Sloan's Liniment and, legend has it, its
success made him a millionaire. The Sloan's brand was subsequently
bought by Warner-Lambert, a company that was in turn bought by
Pfizer Inc. about five years ago.
Why am I babbling about a pain balm? Well,
thousands of miles away from Chillicothe, Missouri, where Sloan
invented his wonder liniment, tucked away in a middle-class south
Kolkata neighbourhood is a power-lifting gym where burly young
men and women train daily, doing deadlifts and squats with mounds
of weights. Their balm of choice: Sloan's. And, according to a
friend of mine, a one-time dabbler in weightlifting of the power
variety, that amber-hued strong smelling unguent is used in abundance
within the portals of that dive. Before hauling weights that are
a couple of times (or more) heavier than themselves, powerlifters,
says my friend, smear their bodies-thighs before squats, back
muscles before dead lifts-with Sloan's. The original Sloan's was
composed of oleoresin capsicum and methyl salicylate, both compounds
that help increase blood flow to the area where they are applied
and absorbed subcutaneously through the pores of the skin. It
also listed methyl nicotinate, which dilates the capillaries and
further promotes circulation of blood to the affected area. When
blood flow is increased, it provides a sensation of warmth to
the skin and muscles, which explains why after rubbing in a pain
balm, the area heats up. The Indian version of Sloan's, which
comes in little jars, doesn't list the chemicals by name but instead
the herbs and natural substances that probably contain them.
At my gym the trainers swear that Volini
gel, marketed by Ranbaxy, has what it takes to fight aches and
pains when your muscles get really sore after an intensive workout
session. Volini, like Sloan's, also contains methyl salicylate.
But then at the snazzy, glass and chrome joint where I pull and
push the pounds, Sloan's would probably be too old-fashioned to
recommend to the spandex set that flexes its muscles there. But
I've tried both and must confess that Sloan's with its deep, deep
heat works better than the somewhat effete Volini.
Whatever be your balm of choice, a pain reliever
is an essential item for your gym-bag. Weight training grows the
body's muscles by first rupturing or making tiny tears in them.
These tears are "fixed" by the body which regenerates
the muscle cells by making them stronger. Often, after workouts,
the process of rupturing can make muscles sore. That's when you
need a good pain reliever to make things better. Why this sudden
discourse on pain relievers? Well, it's cold these days and a
little bit of post-workout soreness can seem like a lot!
-Muscles Mani
write to musclesmani@intoday.com
Caveat:
The physical exercises described in Treadmill are not recommendations.
Readers should exercise caution and consult a physician before
attempting to follow any of these.
FAQS
ABOUT JET LAG
WHAT
IT IS: jet lag is the disruption of the "body clock"
or circadian rhythm. Such alterations result from general malaise
and reduced physical and mental performance if travel covers more
than three time zones in a single day. Experts reckon flying west
to east takes a toll on one's health, as the body clock is pushed
ahead, attracting maximum exposure of sunlight. The result: deprivation
of sleep. Interestingly, women take more time to reset their body
clock to new time zones than men.
Symptoms: The main symptoms are disturbance
of sleep resulting in tiredness or loss of concentration, nausea,
constant headache, dehydration, loss of appetite and irritability.
Causes: The condition is not linked
to the length of flight, but to the transmeridian (i.e., east-west)
distance travelled. For example, a north-south journey is least
likely to result in jet lag because the executive may be able
to stay in the same time zone. Dr Raman Kapur, senior consultant,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, says, "Patients who come for treatment
often feel they are still on the flight. Body imbalances make
them feel giddy and mimimise their routine activities." Medical
experts have deemed that a recovery rate of "one day per
time zone" is a fair guideline.
Treatment: Acupuncture or acupressure
is a common treatment for jet lag. Says Dr Kapur: "Acupuncture
primarily stresses on increasing blood circulation in brain and
targets the points that are not performing well. It is also advisable
to change bed time before a journey, beginning approximately three
days prior to departure." Recent research shows that melatonin
may reduce the effects of jet lag. However, there is controversy
over the long-term use of melatonin because there have been no
studies to prove its safety. It is difficult to assess the efficacy
of any single remedy. However, good sleep promotes rapid recovery
from jet lag.
-Manu Kaushik
PRINTED CIRCUIT
Adieu, N-Gage
N-Gage
 Nokia's
honchos have emerged from behind the shadows and admitted that
their foray into mobile gaming with the N-Gage was a flop. Antti
Vasara, Vice President (Corporate Strategy), has admitted that
the N-Gage has only sold 2 million pieces in the three years since
its launch, against the target of six million. But, mobile gamers,
don't lose heart. The N-Gage QD is still on sale in India (and
is the cheapest Bluetooth-enabled device from Nokia) and Nokia
is taking the lessons and the software from the QD to incorporate
into its future Symbian series 60 phones like the N-series. So
mobile gaming is here to stay.
 iPod,
Therefore, iDJ
Numark iDJ
US-based
Numark has been making devices that have allowed DJs to spin their
vinyl records or CDs for quite a few years. So, it isn't really
surprising that they have launched a device to take advantage
of the new 'it' in music, the Apple iPod. The IDJ is a basic two-channel
mixer that has a three-band graphic equaliser with gain control
on both channels, a microphone input with its own controls, beat
matchers and some other DJ tools. It has two universal iPod connectors
(that accommodate any generation iPod) and has large operation
buttons for the iPod. The IDJ even borrows its design cues from
the Apple product, boasting a blue-on-white colour scheme and
an uncluttered layout. This device hasn't yet been introduced
in India, but select electronics stores in the US feature the
product for $250 (Rs 11,250).
Bend It Like LCD
Samsung's 7-inch flexible LCD
 Liquid
Crystal Displays (LCDs) have come a long way from the Casio digital
watches of the late 80s. Late last month, Samsung announced that
it had developed an experimental flexible-panel LCD screen that
can display broadcast quality pictures. Unlike a regular LCD screen,
it is not made of glass but plastic, and the Korean company is
(rightly) claiming that this is the biggest breakthrough in display
technology in a long while. Even though the maximum screen size
is only seven inches, with technology moving along at the pace
it does, flexible panel LCDs could find their way into a wide
variety of products (cellphones, TVs and laptops, among others)
in a decade or so. Of course, outdoor advertising may never be
the same again.
 PSP
Redub
Logitech PlayGear Amp
It's not just
the iPod which gets accessory makers all excited nowadays. The
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) is also getting a rash of accessories.
Like this PlayGear Amp from Swiss company Logitech, which had
earlier launched another PSP accessory, PlayGear Pocket. The PlayGear
Amp allows you to mount your PSP on a stand and enjoy stereo sound
through its quad-speakers while playing games or watching movies
through Sony's portable gaming gadget for the not so-cheap price
of Rs 3,495 (the PSP retails in India for Rs 19,990). The only
problem: the gadget is supposed to be portable and this kind of
ruins that aspect. Besides, its speaker cones are unprotected.
Still, PlayGear Amp is great for watching movies, and there are
more and more movies coming out for the PSP. Take that iPod Video.
-Compiled by Kushan Mitra
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