Healing touch that runs in the family

Ruwini Jayawardana

It was purely as a wish to please her father that Chandralatha Samarasekera took up the art of Ayurvedic medicine. Later however, she developed an interest in the field after years of training and hard work.

Samarasekera had achieved a position that many could only dream of today - specialist consulting physician and senior lecturer at the “National Institute of Traditional Medicine” Nawinna, Maharagama.

“My father, K.L. Wijetunga, was a well known doctor of a special type of Ayurvedic medicine called Rasa Medicine. This is something I inherited from him,” she explained.

“Though I learnt science at school and hoped to become a teacher or engage in a profession related to dental science, ultimately this is the field that my destiny chose.”

A past student of Kolonnawa Balika Vidyalaya and the Central College of Maradana, Chandralatha’s change of heart occurred after she realised that her father was in grief because he believed that the ancient form of medicine would no longer be perpetuated by the family after his death.

“My father was near the age of retirement and had taught Rasa Medicine to a lot of students from the Ayurveda Hospital, Borella (now known as the Ayurveda Teaching Hospital). He was in charge of the pharmacy. When I heard his wishes I felt very sorry. That was when I decided to embark on a career related to this field,” she observed with emotion.

Chandralatha’s father had developed a close friendship with Dr. D.D. Obeysekara, who was also his teacher, and Pandith William Alwis. He had received initial training at a temple in his hometown in Kanumuldeniya. The eldest child of his family was about to follow in his footsteps as Chandralatha was accepted at the college of Ayurveda, Borella.

“Dr. Alwis was the principal during that era. He was in the interview board. Everyone knew I was Wijetunga’s daughter. I was welcomed with open arms,” she smiled.

After a six year course, Samarasekara had an internship period at the Bandaranayake Ayurveda Research Institute. After the training she remained unemployed for about 18 months before being chosen to work at the Ayurvedic Hospital in Borella.

“Five other students were accepted along with me. The commissioner asked us to specialise in six different fields. He chose the field of Rasa Medicine for me.”

Like her father, Samarasekara had taught practicals for students at Ayurveda College, Borella. It was a tough but enjoyable period in her life. “I think it was in my blood. I gained experience that helped me to improve my skills,” she reflected.

After a lapse of 10 years, Chandralatha realised that in order to fulfil her goal, she had to examine and treat patients. She requested for this facility and eventually got the chance to do rounds at the wards and the OPD.

“I learnt Hindi and Sanskrit during those years because that knowledge is essential in this field. This type of medicine originated in India. Therefore all the original books were written in those languages. However, we make the medicine with our own ingredients and according to our own specific methods.”

“Rasa Medicine is more than 3,000 years old. Research had shown that even in the time of the Buddha, a Thera named Nagarjuna had used this method. We make the medicine out of metal and minerals. Mercury is used to make all the medicine.”

Chandralatha had also delivered lectures in countries such as China and India. Her most memorable experience was when she received an standing ovation after presenting a paper and winning an award in a programme in Bangalore.

“That was a touching moment. A lot of students who took part asked me to teach them how to make the medicine. I told them I had included everything from A to Z in my speech. I have no intention in holding back information,” she said.

The doctor had also written four books on Rasa Medicine. Rasa Medicine is the answer to any form of illness, said Dr. Chandralatha. She pointed out that not only does it give rapid results but it is also very reliable.

“This profession is time consuming as it is not easy to make the medicine. We import some of the ingredients and dedicate a lot of time and energy to make the medicine according to the correct dose. There are thousands of medicines related to his field and many new ones are being discovered each day,” she said.

“Ayurveda is a gift from God to humans but the plight of the profession is pitiful today. Many doctors are after money. They are not concerned about patients. Ayurveda had taught us it is not money that is important but the lives of our patients.”

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View point:

Images passing by...

From a discerning perspective on beggars, I believe it has been a medium of earning to many for years.

Today it has its diversions with changing patterns of begging that have emerged. For example, I was quite surprised to encounter a young, healthy lad, well dressed and wearing a cap, entering a bus.

Playing a musical instrument he sang of his poverty and then went from person to person expecting them to bestow some cash on him. He cast an ugly shadow on the youth of our country. I wondered why some people took pity on him thereby giving him encouragement.

I remember reading Tharuka Dissanaike’s article in the Daily News titled ‘Begging Away their Childhood’. The focus was on beggar children and toddlers on the laps of women begging at junctions and shops. I’ve even passed by women beating children so that when they cry, they attract more attention and sympathy from passers-by.

What about young girls who boldly enter the bus and narrate a sad story about their lives? Most of them are clad in nice clothes, wearing imitation jewellery and other ornaments.

They appear healthy enough as to seek employment in a factory or as housemaids. An interesting book I read reveals the truth on this subject.

The ‘beggar king’ has a certain number of men, women and children whom he sends out to beg in the morning. Some have allotted places like those seen in the junction of Dehiwela. When they return to keep their tryst with the ‘king’, he takes a good amount of their ‘earnings’, provides them with meals and places to sleep in.

According to Dissanaike’s research, it is indeed “well-known that begging in the city is an organised racket.” She stresses that “by an amendment to the penal code in 1988, begging with children is a heinous criminal offence.”

Nevertheless one sees beggars in many places in the city with their children playing merrily on the pavements. These ‘beggar images’ portray a repulsive impression about our country to tourists while some passers-by drop coins into their outstretched palms or tins placed beside them.

I like to pose this question - do ‘beggar images’ capture vividly the problems of the Third World where there is opulence as well?

Caryl Nugara

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Rheumatoid Arthritis:

Healthy lifestyle keeps it away

Dr. Kaleel Cassim MBBS, MD (Medicine) Consultant Rheumatologist Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital

HEALTH: Four kinds of drugs may be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis - Analgesics, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and Corticosteroids

1. Analgesics

These drugs are painkillers.They are not useful by themselves as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, but they are useful to ‘top up’ the pain-relieving effects of other, more specific,drugs.

2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

There are now about 20 drugs of this kind available. They reduce pain and swelling and start working within a few hours.

3. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)

These drugs do not treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis but reduce the effects of the disease itself.

Biological therapies The most recently introduced disease-modifying treatments for rheumatoid arthritis

4. Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are often called ‘steroids’ for short. They are not the same as the ‘steroids’ used by athletes to build up their bodies - these are compounds properly called ‘anabolic steroids’.

Is there a diet which will help my rheumatoid arthritis?

There is a lot of publicity for diets which claim to cure rheumatoid arthritis. None do. There is some scientific evidence that diets may help the symptoms in some people. A few people notice that individual foods tend to make their arthritis flare up.

The foods which do this vary from person to person. If you find that an individual food causes your joints to flare up, then avoid it. Do not give up anything because it makes someone else’s joints flare up - remember, we are all different.

Do any diets help everyone?

Probably not,but the ones most likely to help are low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats, especially fish oils. Supplements of fish oils and evening primrose oil are likely to help.

There is some evidence that a very strict vegetarian diet can help, but you should consult your rheumatologist or dietician before starting any strict diet as the disadvantages may outweigh the advantages. It is a good idea to make sure your weight is kept down.

Does the climate affect?

The weather does affect the symptoms of some people with the disease, but does not affect the progression of the disease. Many people who are affected find warm weather better than cold, although damp heat often makes people uncomfortable.

Should I avoid becoming pregnant?

No, unless you already have a very large family which is consuming all your energy. Most mothers with rheumatoid arthritis feel better during pregnancy, and any flare-up of symptoms after the baby is born can be dealt with quickly.

What is important is to make sure you are not taking drugs which could harm your baby. Discuss your medication with your rheumatologist before you become pregnant.

What about having sexual intercourse?

There is no reason at all why you should stop having intercourse. You may find that some positions for intercourse are more comfortable than others.

Is it all right for me to take the pill ?

Yes, it will make no difference to your arthritis or its treatment, and it may be important if you are taking any drugs such as methotrexate or leflunamide which means that pregnancy must be avoided.

What about work?

The aim of treatment is to keep you doing as many activities as you did before the arthritis started. This includes both work and hobbies. You should be able to go on with your work, unless it involves a lot of manual effort.

Some employers worry that people with rheumatoid arthritis will have a lot of time off work. This is not the case, but attending out-patient clinics and for drug safety monitoring can get in the way of work.

Therefore it is important that these visits are, as far as possible, arranged at convenient times so that your work is distrupted only minimally

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Cuisine:

Chicken and mushroom in barbeque Sauce

Ingredients

1 kg chicken (cut into small pieces)

250 gms fresh mushrooms (chopped)

For the sauce:

2 crushed onions

30 medium cloves of crushed garlic

2 sp. black pepper powder

1 tsp red chili powder

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp. vinegar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tbsp corn flour

2 tbsp red pepper sauce

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 sp Worcestershire sauce

Method

Lightly coat the pan with oil and put the chicken and mushrooms to cook. Meanwhile start preparing the sauce. The chicken has to be 3/4 cooked before adding the sauce. Fry the onion in oil, till light brown.

Stir the brown sugar, corn syrup, corn flour and chili powder together, and then add to the onions. Add 1/2 cup of water and blend well. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the orange juice. Simmer on a low flame for 30 minutes. Stir in the orange juice now and boil. You can pour the sauce over the dish.