Sixth sense

This refers to Freud?s tips (March 21) which encourage us to make use of our unconscious mind to take decisions. While conscious, our mind is influenced by external arrangements. But at an unconscious stage it can think, and take decisions without any bias, just like a double blind trial (in which neither the experimenters nor the subjects know what?s offered for consumption) in any drug testing. This is why great thinkers, who have total control over their minds, can get hold of the big picture of any complicated phenomenon quite easily. In our conscious thought process ? in a wakeful state ? several barriers such as prejudice, fear, apprehension etc. come in the way of free thinking. In the conscious state the mind flows uninhibited, offering clues to solving complex problems of life. You may call it split personality of a human being, as the unconscious mind directs the conscious one in the right direction.You may also call it the sixth sense.

F. Maji & K. Sengupta
kiriti_sengupta@mailcity.com

Alternative cure

In dealing with sinusitis indiscriminate use of antibiotics aggravates the problem by opening new avenues of infection with drug-resistant bacteria (Trapped bugs, March 28). Instead, temporary measures like saline nose spray or nasal saline wash may offer some respite to the sufferer. The role of spicy food as a remedy is questionable, because it may further complicate the situation by jeopardising the digestive system.

Shouvik Chattopadhyaya
Sodepur