The fourth edition of the Festival "Sea and Health", held annually by MU-Varna, was launched on 18th May. It was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Public Health and initiator of the Festival Assoc. Prof. Emanuela Mutafova with the words, "I am delighted that the Festival has gathered together so many people and friends of the science for yet another year."
In the overcrowded hall of the Museum of History of Medicine, lecturers, students and guests marked the beginning of the scientific part of the forum with an introductory lecture entitled "The Contribution of Varna Medical Doctors to Sea Tourism in Varna", delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Marinov. He told interesting facts about the beginning of the resort and health care on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
The film produced by MU.Vi Tv dedicated to the first textbook of Marine Medicine in our country provoked a great interest. The textbook is the work of a team of authors from the University, on the initiative of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimitar Stavrev, who has been teaching the elective discipline of Marine Medicine for ten years. He told the curious audience that the publication was unique in its nature, because it brought together the medical aspects of the relation human - marine environment, water rescue activities, diving medicine, marine toxicology and pharmacology. It deals with drowning, barotrauma, hypothermia, sea sickness and poisoning, characteristic of the marine environment, as well as with specific methods of treatment.
Mr. Lavrentiy Silov, Doyen of the Water Rescue Service at the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC), delivered an exciting lecture. He talked about the beginning of the Water Rescue Service, established in 1928, when the first 10 lifeguards were appointed by an Order of the Mayor of the city.
The poster scientific session on "Innovative Discoveries and Long-Term Studies Related to the Sea" presented discoveries and studies by lecturers and students from the medical universities. 33 works were presented to the general public and evaluated by a committee, including Assoc. Prof. Klara Dokova, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Stavrev, head of the discipline Marine Medicine, Assist. Prof. Dr. Theofan Kuyumdzhiev from the Department of Medicine of Disaster Situations and Marine Medicine, Assoc. Prof. Teodora Todorova, head of the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Capt. Todor Yotov - captain long - distance navigation.
The evaluation criteria were content, aesthetic layout and originality, as well as attractive performance. The committee awarded with prizes two posters - "Health Hazards at Unguarded Risky Beaches on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast" by Victoriya Zhivkova and "Diving Diseases" by Dimitar Dimitrov. Dimitar is also a participant in deep-sea physiological experiments and has made demonstrative diving during the previous editions of the Festival "Sea and Health".
The series of events continued on the following day with an interesting programme, which took place at Hotel Azalia, St. St. Konstantin and Elena Resort. Throughout the whole day, the guests at the Festival had the opportunity to enjoy the Thalassotherapy treatments for face and body, prepared by the students of specialty "Medical Cosmetician". The team of the University Centre for Eastern Medicine made demonstrations of manual lymphatic drainage of face and body, anti-cellulite massage and aesthetic acupuncture, which fascinated the guests.
A beach paneurhythmy was performed at the sea shore for the first time. Not only professionals but all the guests, enchanted by its great magic, took part in it. The system of gymnastic exercises, which combines movement, speech, music, thought, and the influence of the natural environment, managed to unite in a huge circle, lecturers, students and guests, dressed in white, who were able to perceive its magic energy.
Lecturers and students at TS Kinesitherapy at MU - Varna conducted a demonstrative workshop and showed basic exercises of healing and prophylactic gymnastics to all those wishing to regain their mobility and tone.
Traditionally during the Festival there was a demonstration of water rescue during a sea accident. The professionals from the Voluntary Team of Work and Disaster, Accidents and Catastrophes revealed what techniques needed to be undertaken in case of danger at sea, and demonstrated rescuing a drowning person.
The fun game with skittles started at 11.30 am, in which 10 teams took part: "Logopedia", "A", "Cherry", "Pharmacists and a Nurse", "Arabey", "Military Nurses", "Medicine", "The Grace of the Nation", "Military Doctors", and "Torpedo". "Torpedo", the team of BRC, won the first place in the complex ranking. In the university competition winners became the men's team "Military Doctors", and the women's team "The Grace of the Nation", who are studying Health Management.
Undoubtedly, one of the most entertaining events during the second festival day was the Caribbean Dances. The sports dance pair Victoriya and Maksimilian, a foreign student at MU - Varna, showed interesting movements to the audience, and together with them they danced under the rhythms of Caribbean music.
The variety of sports games, prepared by the head of TS Physical Education and Sports Zhulieta Videnova and her team, boosted the mood of the students to the maximum, and they spent nearly two hours together playing six different games.
The only Bulgarian Museum of History of Medicine has taken part in the initiative entitled European Night of Museums and Galleries for the second consecutive year.
