A leaf from the book of life

Manu Gunasekara strolls down memory lane:

Ruwini Jayawardana

Skimming through the pages it might seem as if some of your own memories are brought before you. Readers are taken on a voyage down memory lane through six touching stories based on personalities close to the author.

Yet when you have absorbed the words on each page you get the feeling of familiarity. Alter the names and locations and you may find a chapter of your own past looking back at you.

Manu Tissera Gunasekara launched her simply bound book, “Recollections”, recently. The tales are woven around

 the central character of her father, Sumith Tissera, who had worked for the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Development programme (UNDP). He was a leading source behind the introduction and sustainability of life - skills education in the school curriculum.

“My father was an educator, a mentor and above all a humble human being who taught all those near him the value of truth and goodness,” Manu recalled with a sense of nostalgia also adding that her father had been the deputy director at Ceylinco Sussex Educational Services at the time he passed away.

The stories included in “Recollections” are focused on personal bonds and bring out values forgotten in contemporary society. Love, tenderness, beauty, understanding, respect, traditions, honour, loyalty and contentment flow through the lines as they are laced together to present simple but charming memorials.

Manu is a graduate of the University of Kelaniya and holds a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Colombo. She was a Japanese Foundation (JF) scholar at the JF Institute in Kansai during 2002, and a recipient of Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship while at the University of Colombo (1999 - 2003).

She admitted that her occupation, as the head of Publications and Communications at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, had an impact on her approach to writing.

“Though it was mostly publications related to the economy that came my way they also inspired me with the tendency to write,” she explained.

“I never intended to present these past experiences as a book. I just penned them down as a past time activity without the intention of getting them published.”

The reason behind the publication of this book is that it is done for a worthy cause. The author had decided to channel all her royalties to the Diabetes Association of sri Lanka for the benefit of children with diabetes.

“Diabetes was one of the causes for my father’s death,” she said.

“The message I hope to bring out to society is be positive. Be optimistic. Do not always ponder on the dark qualities of people. Positive thinking purifies the mind. Then you would be able to see the beauty of all those around you.”

She urges critics to read her book and make their comments.

Speaking on her student’s collection Professor Kusuma Karunaratne, Emeritus professor, University of Colombo said that good reading material for the young is not in abundance today.

“Parents have to search for appropriate texts for their children. I will be more than happy if Manu can persuade young readers to love and appreciate the beauty in life,” she commented.

Dr. Maithree Wickremesinghe, senior lecturer, University of Kelaniya referred to “Recollections” as a “fresh breeze in the midst of disillusionment and frustration” and “a refreshing change” as it reveals Manu’s conscience to see only the best in others.

With the appreciation towards her debut book the author had already made plans to write a second book.

“I have a fundamental idea but all I can reveal is that it will be a combination of the personal and the imagination,” she smiled.

Turning my attention back to “Recollections”, I was reminded of several lines from Shakespeare as I leafed through the pages.

So long as men can breath and eyes can see

So long lives this and this gives life to thee

The love, admiration and devotion for Manu’s father and all those dear to her were evident in these ‘eternal lines’ that she had engraved in her maiden experience and the minds of her readers.

Picture by Palitha Gunasena

Needlecraft exhibition

EXHIBITION: ‘Stitch N Patch’ the debut patchwork and needlecraft exhibition of Nilanthi Tharanga will be held on September 16 from 9.a.m to 6.p.m at the Panadura Town Hall.

Tharanga and 100 students of her Tharanga School of Hobby Craft will display items such as quilts, cushion covers and bed rooms decorated with patchwork, hand embroidery, ribbon embroidery, Brazeelian and paper tole.

The event will include a school students’ category too.

Tharanga was a pupil of popular patchwork designer Daisy Vittachchi.

 

Lupus part iv:

How can it be treated?

Dr. Kaleel Cassim MBBS, MD (Medicine)

Lupus cannot be cured but it can be controlled

If you have joint pains and skin rashes you can often be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/or with an anti-malarial drug, usually hydroxychloroquine, which is also effective at treating tiredness caused by the disease. NSAIDs can damage the lining of the stomach and cause bleeding.

The newer ‘COX-2 drugs’ are less likely to cause this problem, but they have been linked with increased risks of heart attack and stroke, so they are not suitable for people who have had either in the past, or for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

If you are on NSAIDs on a long-term basis (more than 6 months) your doctor should do blood tests to check for a fall in the haemoglobin level in the blood. There is much debate among rheumatologists as to whether eye tests need to be carried out regularly for people taking hydroxychloroquine.

Most rheumatologists continue to ask for eye tests as a precaution, although very few have ever seen any serious problems due to this drug.

If you have more serious complications, such as pleurisy or pericarditis, you will be given corticosteroids (often called ‘steroids’). These drugs were introduced in the late 1940s and are remarkably effective, sometimes life-saving.

The dose prescribed will be kept as low as possible to minimise the possible side-effects. These include lowered resistance to infections, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and diabetes.

When lupus is particularly active, it can cause inflamed kidneys, severe anaemia or a very low platelet count. In these cases you will usually be given very high doses of steroids together with other immunosuppressive drugs including azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporin and mycophenolate.

These are powerful drugs which need to be carefully monitored with blood and urine tests. The rheumatologist will usually reduce them as quickly as possible as the activity of the disease subsides.

For the most difficult cases of lupus other forms of therapy can be used, including intravenous gamma globulin injections and plasma exchange. However the occasions on which these are needed are rather few and far between.

What are the long-term prospects if I have lupus?

For many people, lupus is often no more than a nuisance. However, for some it can be a very troublesome and unpredictable condition. Only careful monitoring over many years will make sure the disease is neither over- nor under-treated, so it is essential for all people with lupus to be assessed regularly.

For people with severe lupus this is an exciting time as new treatments including B-cell depletion and bone marrow transplantation are showing promise of significant benefit in cases where other, more conventional, approaches have failed.

What can I do to help myself?

There are a number of things you can do to help yourself:

Keep out of the sun

Avoid sunbathing. Too much ultraviolet radiation can cause the skin rash to flare and sometimes the lupus in the internal organs. If you have to go to a hot climate, use a sun-blocking cream, factor 25 or greater.

Avoid infections

If you have lupus, then you are more susceptible to infection. Take sensible precautions and avoid those family and friends with obvious known infectious diseases, especially chickenpox. You may already be on immunosuppressive drugs for the disease, which will also increase your susceptibility.

Watch what you eat

People are very interested in whether altering the diet can help to control lupus. Unfortunately, the evidence is very limited. There is some evidence to suggest that a diet low in saturated fat and supplemented by fish oil may be helpful.

Avoid stress

Where possible try to avoid situations which you know will cause you stress.

Lupus in special situations

Conception and pregnancy

If you have lupus you should use contraceptive pills which contain only progesterone or low dose oestrogen, or consider physical methods of contraception (such as the condom or the cap).

This is because oestrogen can in some cases make the disease more likely to flare up. If you are given oestrogen after the menopause as a treatment for thin bones (osteoporosis) the risk of a flare developing is slightly increased, to about 1 in 7.

Lupus after 50

Relatively few cases begin in this age group and it is often thought that lupus activity in people who already have it begins to decrease after menopause. However, there is one extra problem for older people with lupus if they are treated with corticosteroids.

As mentioned earlier, one of the side-effects of corticosteroids is to cause thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). This can increase the risk of bone fractures, as older people are already more likely to have osteoporosis because of their age.

Overall, in people over 50 lupus tends to be less severe, but the side-effects of treatment can be more of a problem than in younger people.

(The writer is Consultant Rheumatologist, Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital)

Benefits of green tea:

Have it green

The Chinese were the first people to realise the properties and benefits of green tea. It was only later that tea came to be treated as a beverage. Research has provided hard-core evidence of the health benefits of green tea.

In addition to being a wonderful anti oxidant it also destroys malignant cancer cells leaving healthy tissue untouched. Black tea, oolong tea and green tea have the same origin - the Camellia sinenisi plant.

Green tea is often spoken of in the context of cardiovascular disease. It helps to lower LDL cholesterol, which is responsible for the formation of blood clots and thus reduces the risks of stroke and heart attacks. The anti oxidants in the green tea are supposed to ensure that the liver is protected against toxins present in cigarette ad alcohol.

Green tea also helps to burn those extra calories and when combined with caffeine augments the calorie burning. It increases the energy that is expended, helps to oxidize fats.

The anti oxidant present in green tea help to decrease inflammation of blood and this in turn helps to prevent arthritis. New studies indicate that the beneficial effects of green tea could also include means to combat cancer especially lung cancer.

It acts as an antibacterial and antiviral agent and in some cases has known to help in influenza and diarrhea. It relieves stress, improves bone structure and delays the onset of osteoporosis. The contribution of the components of green tea is varied.

The catechins, which form the main component of green tea, is known to prevent halitosis. The vitamin B component helps in carbohydrate metabolism, vitamin C reduces stress, the amino butyric acid lowers blood pressure, the flavonoids strengthen blood vessel walls, polysaccharides help to combat elevated levels of blood sugar, and the vitamin E component helps to combat aging.

Even People suffering from HIV and Parkinson’s disease have been helped by green tea. This miracle tea needs to be tapped further for who knows what the future holds for it.

Courtesy: www.indianchild.com

Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients:

Fish pieces - 500 gms

Cummin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Green chillies - 6

Chilly powder - 2 dsp

Sliced onions - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 2 cups

Pepper - 10

Turmeric - 1 piece

Pieces of tomatoes - 1/2 cup

Garlic sliced - 1 dsp

Refined oil - 3 dsp

Method:

Grind Cummin, pepper, turmeric and coriander first, then crush the coconut on the grinding stone. Take them out, pour 1/2 cup of water first and 1 cup of water 2nd time and draw the milk.

Fry half the onion in oil till brown and then add the other half, garlic, slit green chillies and tomato. Stir well and add fish and salt.

Carefully stir for sometime. Pour the second milk, put the lid on and slowly cook till the gravy is reduced. Add the first milk and the vinegar and allow it to simmer without the lid. Before removing sprinkle some minced coriander leaves.

Exalted Miscellaneous Lady

You are a sovereign beacon of strength and hope

Manifest women’s rights activism with greater scope

Source of redress; resort unto insecure minds

Humble and honest, truth you cease to hide,

Preamble to a dignified life; reflects ethical values

Surrender all amenities, resolve fellow ‘Sister’s’ issues

Aloft lives proactively; an eminent, amicable role model!

Societal fortress; brave & wise- triumphantly conquer endless

hurdles!!

- Dhinesha Perera