News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (September 20, 2025 - September 26, 2025) September 26, 2025 18 Health Book Launch Raises Nearly $175,000 To Support New Jersey’s First Charitable Pharmacy M ore than 300 people gathered at the Mogul Ballroom restaurant in New Jersey on Septem- ber 13, 2025, to support Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy (RSCP) and the celebration of the book launch of his memoire ‘Pills to Purpose.’ Organized by RSCP President Joe Howe, the evening was filled with emotional tributes and photo sessions. Beautifully decorated Ballroom set the stage for heart- warming keynote speeches, symbolic lighting of lamp, and unveiling of the book by Ritesh Shah. Keynote speaker Senator Vin Gopal spoke about ‘Empathy: a Prescription for Hope’ saying that RTCP was created to serve the underserved communities. Keynote speaker Raj Mukherjee sang the song, ‘Seva: the Pharmacist:s Purpose’ from Shah’s book which empha- sizes the mission of service and sacrifice in healthcare. Special guests including New Jersey State Rep. Vin Gopal, right, 2nd from right, State Senator Raj Mukherji, pose with other guests and Ritesh Shah, holding a check for $50,000 donated by Friends of Union County to the Ritesh Shah Charitable Foundation. A video ‘Mission Moment’ highlighting patient impact was also shown during the evening, followed by Serena Cutenio’s live art auction, at the end of which the guests enjoyed a buffet dinner and dessert. The evening ended with book signing for those who purchased the book by Shah. Speaking on the occasion, Shah said, “I feel humbled and inspired to see our community come together in such numbers.” He said the night was not just about launching his book, but also about paying respects to the memory of his sister Rena. “Her light is guiding this mission,” he said. “The support for his book proves that Pills to Purpose is more than a book: it is a movement to leave no patient in New Jersey without life saving medication,” Shah added. Book, Pills to Purpose, displayed at the event. Copies of Pills to Purpose : A True Story of a Pharma- cist are now available on Amazon, Shah informed. He said each book purchased will directly support RSCP’s mission. “Sell one book: Save one life,” Shah said. More information can be found on pillstopurpose.com and rescprx.org . By a StaffWriter PHOTOS:CourtesyDr.Tushar Patel Author and Pharmacist Ritesh Shah answers questions at the fundraising gala for New Jersey:s first charitable pharmacy. Book, Pills to Purpose, displayed at the event. Special guests including New Jersey State Rep. Vin Gopal, right, 2nd from right, State Senator Raj Mukherji, pose with other guests and Ritesh Shah, holding a check for $50,000 donated by Friends of Union County to the Ritesh Shah Charitable Foundation. Try This Simple, Science-Backed Trick To Fall Asleep Faster I struggle with getting good sleep. What can I do about it? Try heating up your feet at night with one of these methods: -Take a warm bath or shower. -Do a quick foot soak in warm water. -Wear socks to sleep. Warming the extremities before bed has been shown to help people fall asleep more quickly. It does so as well as many over-the-counter sleep aids. “It’s a natural sleep medication,” saidWilliamWisden, a professor at Imperial College London who studies how nerve cells signal sleep. Many animals – humans included – “nest” in prepara- tion for sleep to create a warmmicroenvironment sur- rounding their bodies, whether by curling up, wrapping themselves in bedding or donning fuzzy socks. “Having warm skin, especially hands and feet, induces drowsi- ness,”Wisden said. Studies have found that warming the skin before bed not only makes you “feel” tired but also creates changes in your brain activity corresponding to longer periods of deep sleep. Decades of studies have confirmed this effect. An oft-cited 1999 study published in Nature found that the degree of dilation of the blood vessels in the feet, such as occurs when we wear warm socks, was the best predictor of how quickly people would fall asleep – more so than melatonin levels or even how “sleepy” the subjects felt. And a randomized controlled trial of 46 men over the age of 60 found that warming the feet in the bath one hour before bedtime every night for six weeks resulted in improvements in how quickly the men fell asleep and how long they slept. These findings have been supported by multiple additional studies in older adults. If you do opt for a full-on warm bath or shower, a 2019 meta-analysis found that doing so even for as little as 10 minutes one or two hours before bed helped people fall asleep about nine minutes quicker and boosted sleep efficiency – that is, the time of objectively measured sleep compared to time spent in bed. For perspective, melatonin supplements help people fall asleep about seven minutes quicker, and zolpidem, sold as Ambien, helps people fall asleep around 10 to 20 minutes quicker. So, all things considered, falling asleep nine minutes quicker is pretty good for something as simple as warm water. Wisden cautions that warming the extremities is only impactful when implemented later at night, when your By Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH - Continued On Page 26