Prof Malkanthi Chandrasekara:

Diversity the key to her conquest of life

Ruwini Jayawardana

MULTI-FACETED: She is quite simply a pioneer. Having served in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya for 31 years including six years as the head of the Department of Anatomy she is now the Acting Dean of the recently established medical Faculty at the Rajarata University.

This marks her down as the first female dental professor to occupy the post in Sri Lankan history. She is professor Malkanthi Chandrasekara.

"My aim was to excel in the medical field. But unfortunately I missed out on admission to the Medical Faculty by just one mark," Chandrasekara said.

"I was in the first batch to read science subjects at the Advanced Level examination in Swabasha medium. During the same period the Government imposed the district basis entry. Since I was permitted to enter the Dental Faculty everyone in my family advised me to do dentistry. The Peradeniya university has the only dental school in the country at the moment."

Prof. Malkanthi is the second oldest in a family of eight. Her parents were from Padukka. Chandrasekara and her siblings grow up in Thimbirigasyaya with their mother as their father was a planter in his hometown.

She studied at Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo from Grade One before entering University and passing out as a Dental Surgeon with Second Class honours in 1974. Then she worked at the Dental Institute, Colombo, for a short period before returning to Peradeniya to follow postgraduate studies.

"In the beginning I wanted to become a surgeon but I turned to research and teaching. I was recruited as a lecturer in Anatomy. During this period I applied for a scholarship and received the Commonwealth Academic award to read my PhD.

This award was given to a selected number of academics from all over the island each year. I went to Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, on the scholarship and completed the PhD in 1983," she recalled. Unlike many others who choose to stay on in the West, she returned to serve her Motherland.

Prof. Chandrasekara pioneered a number of research projects connected with archaeology, tooth eruption, age estimation, research on archaeological specimens at Sigiriya, biometric studies on Purana (ancient) villages, research on indigenous people and the study of historic and prehistoric skeletons such as the Balangoda man.

She published three books, one on dentistry and two on human embryology. She was inducted as the President of the Sri Lanka Dental Association in 2005 and has visited around 15 countries to take part in congresses and present research papers.

"If you possess courage and knowledge to engage in an activity, there is a place for you in any field," she stressed.

"I usually plan my day. I take note of everything that I have to do for the following day in my diary. I arrange my schedule based on what I have noted down and I never go to bed without having done my work for the day."

She is also involved in many social service projects. She received a special award for her contribution to the Daham Pasal children in 2005 by the Governor Central Province. She is the founder of Gami Sarana, a project established to sponsor around 450 Daham Pasal students.

"I began my social service activities 10 years ago assisting medical students. I helped some of them financially, found sponsors for them, and circulated textbooks," she said. "You need to visit remote areas in the island to see how these people are suffering.

From my childhood I have been practising Buddhism. I strongly believe that as a Sinhalese Buddhist, we need to show society that we are Buddhists openly. Being an educated person people listen to you and recognise you when you visit these remote areas."

Prof. Chandrasekara had conducted a number of medical and dental camps in remote areas. She had played her part in helping a number of tsunami affected children and conducted English classes in remote areas.

Prof. Malkanthi leads a life that inspires many women.

"Becoming a professor was my real aim. I have achieved that today. My next goal was to educate my son, Deephthika. I feel he has fulfilled that wish too," she stated adding that her son is a student in his fourth year at the Medical faculty of the Peradeniya University.

"It was a memorable moment to have him in the audience while I was on stage," she smiled.

"Everything I obtained in life was through my own effort and determination. No one helped me to come to this position. Out of 1,000 people, if I could change the attitude of just one person, then I believe that my goal has been achieved because that person might change the attitude of another and it will continue.

"Forget about what you have lost. Go forward, You must try to achieve the maximum you can. There are many drawbacks and obstacles but somehow or other you need to have an aim.

You need to set targets in life. There are open fields for everyone in this country. I have not lost anything but achieved everything that I wanted because I had targets and completed my work at the appropriate time with energy and courage," she said, with well-deserved pride.

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Diet and arthritis:

Should certain foods be avoided?

Dr. Kaleel Cassim, MBBS, MD (Medicine)

* Some foods tend to produce substances in the body which may aggravate arthritis.

This is the case, for instance, with gout, although in this case the effects of losing weight and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink are more significant than the effect of cutting out specific foods.

* Fasting can have a temporary effect on rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is not recommended unless done under specialist supervision.

* Some people are allergic or intolerant to certain foods. This is highly individual, and varies from person to person. Finding out whether you really are sensitive to a particular food can be quite a difficult process.

Are there any foods or food supplements which might help arthritis?

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

One of the most exciting recent discoveries is that certain foods and food supplements really can help with arthritis. The effects are fairly specific to the type of arthritis you have, so you need to know which one it is in your case.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly as found in oily fish and the oil produced from them, can be helpful for inflammatory arthritis. (As already stated, inflammatory arthritis includes rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis; it also includes gout but oily fish should generally be avoided if you have gout because of the high purine content.)

Glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin for osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is the commonest form of arthritis. It is often regarded as a mechanical or 'wear and tear' form of arthritis and it particularly affects the weight-bearing joints of the legs and back, becoming more common with age.

The main problem in osteoarthritis is changes to the cartilage, the smooth tough, elastic 'gristle' which covers the ends of the bones making up the joint. These changes affect the ability of the bones to glide over each other and absorbs shocks.

Many people try glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin tablets that they buy themselves from health food shops and chemists. The reason behind their use is that joint cartilage normally contains glucosamine and chondroitin compounds and taking supplements of these natural ingredients may help improve the health of damaged osteoarthritic cartilage.

The research findings are conflicting; some recent studies have not shown a beneficial effect. Many people, however, report them to be effective and they appear to be safe, although they should not be taken by people who have an allergy to shellfish. If you want to try them it would be perfectly reasonable to try 1500 mg of glucosamine and 1200 mg of chondroitin (per day) for 3 months and if your joint pain is much improved you may wish to continue with them.

Vitamins and minerals for arthritis in general

Deficiency in some vitamins and minerals seems to be associated with arthritis progressing more quickly.

Are there any diets or food supplements which are supposed to help but do not? Some people feel that cutting out 'acidic fruit' such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit helps arthritis.

Others believe that vegetables from the so-called nightshade family (solanaceous plants) are bad for arthritis: this is a large plant family which includes several important foods - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot) and aubergines.

There is no scientific evidence that leaving out either of these groups of fruits and vegetables helps arthritis, and such diets may have the undesired effect of reducing the beneficial antioxidants in the diet. Cider vinegar and honey is also sometimes recommended for arthritis. Again there is no scientific evidence that it is helpful.

Can diet help if I am taking drugs?

Yes. A good diet still helps even if you are taking strong drugs for your arthritis or rheumatism.