Sports grounds in every village

Healthwatch will carry a detailed account with more pictures next week of the proceedings of the - Exercise as a stroke preventive, discussion the Institute of Sports Medicine had on Sunday March 8 at its auditorium at Independence Square chaired by its Director General Consultant Neurologist Dr. Githanjan Mendis with Dr. Arjuna de Silva Senior Lecturer Kelaniya Medical Faculty Kamal Chandana specialist Exercise and a few other doctors from the Institute participating.

To day we are giving our readers a few points of health interest to the public that emerged and were emphasised by doctors at the discussion.

Sri Lankan traditional diet of red rice and curry with fish and pol sambol is the best to keep in good health, with regular walking exercise. Although no research has been done on this diet, a visit to Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, the massive constructions, and irrigation projects done by our forefathers in the past is enough credible evidence to believe it.

Although there is controversy on the use of coconut oil, except for deep frying, we think coconut oil is alright for use in moderation.

Taking treatment for conditions like hyblood pressure, diabetes is life long with continued treatment you can lead normal life.

Consumption of fish is fine. Try to avoid red meat.

Time has come to do some research study on our traditional diet, as in the case of mediterranean diet where a study had been done, and we are all talking about that diet for healthy life.

Lifestyle modification is important for primary prevention of strokes.

Hypertension shows no symptoms that is the reason why regular checkups in pressure is necessary.

Unless diabetes is controlled, we are going to have one million diabetics with us shortly.

A person has to walk at least 1 kilometer a day in 10 minutes 20 minutes of walking 3 times a day is also good for health.

With early treatment strokes can be prevented.

The Sports Ministry is planning to setup sports grounds at village level, to encourage people to take to exercise for healthy living.

Stress has to be brought up as cause number two for strokes. At present it is far down.

We are now observing strokes in the young too, those who are under 45 yrs.

Glaucoma

What is Glaucoma?

In our eye there’s a fluid called Aqueous humor which is continuously produced and drained, thereby maintaining a constant pressure in the eye.

If there is an imbalance in the production and drainage of this fluid, the pressure in the eye goes up, causing the condition Glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure)

How is it brought about?

The fluid inside the eye is usually drained out through a series of drainage canals in a fine network located around the edge of the iris. When this drainage canals become partially clogged or obstructed, fluid accumulates inside the eye, increasing the pressure inside the eye.

Who are at risk?

• People above 40 years of age.
   
• Those with a family history of Glaucoma.
   
• In short sighted people.
   
•  People who had sustained injuries to the eyes.
   
•  People who has been on long term steroids.

What is the normal eye pressure?

Upper limit is 21 mmHg.

Are there different types of Glaucoma?

In the simplest form it is divided into 2 types.

* Open angle Glaucoma (Commonest type) - mainly in the older age group.

* Closed angle Glaucoma - Mainly in middle aged people.

How to detect Glaucoma?

In open angle glaucoma usually there’re no symptoms and is detected during routine eye examinations (probably while checking for reading glasses).

Some times in advanced cases it is detected later when certain vision loss has occurred. In closed angle glaucoma there will be pain and redness in the eye with visual disturbances.

Will reading too much or in poor light, improper nutrition, or wearing contact lenses lead to glaucoma?

No.

What will happen if not treated?

High pressure damages the optic nerve gradually which is irreversible and can lead to partial or total blindness.

How is it treated?

There’s no permanent cure for glaucoma. Treatment only keeps the condition under control. Open angle glaucoma is effectively treated with medicines usually in the form of eye drops.

Some people may eventually need surgery if the medicines don’t control it.

It is important to understand the condition and the treatment the doctor prescribed to prevent blindness, and control of the condition is greatly dependent on faithfully following the treatment instructions.

What are the common problems associated with medications?

Some drugs are contraindicated in patients who have asthma and heart failure.

Some drugs can cause reduced night vision.

Some tablets can cause loss of appetite and numbness of fingers.

Is the regular eye checkup important?

Yes. Because glaucoma can get worse without you being aware of it, it’s very important that regular follow up is done with the eye doctor, who will be monitoring and assessing the condition.

Is high blood pressure and the high eye pressure related?

No, they’re two different entities and treated differently.

What is the pressure reducing surgery?

It is a micro surgery called “Trabeculectomy” and a tiny hole is created in the fluid draining area, improving the drainage and thereby reducing the eye pressure.

This is done under local anaesthesia and may not need admission in the hospital.

This is done only to save the vision, but not to improve vision.

Sent to Health Watch by Golden Key Hospital for use in our Health Education Programme.

Drugs, doctors and dinners

Dr. D. P. Atukorale Consultant Cardiologist

I refer to a recent article with above heading by Dr. K. Balasubramaniyam (K.B.) appearing in most of the popular newspapers. According to K.B., glucose, Evion (vitamin E), Becosule, Polybion, Corex Syrup and Digene (some of which I have been prescribing to my patients during the last 44 years) are “irrational, non-essential and hazardous drugs”. K.B. says he is reproducing his controversial article from a newspaper published in UK.

Normal doses not hazardous

The above drugs are prescribed by me and a large number of Sri Lankan physicians (GPS, family physicians and consultant physicians) and as far as I am aware, these drugs are not hazardous as long as physicians prescribe these in the normal doses.

I am sure all my medical colleagues who are practising doctors will agree with me that any drug can cause toxic effects if prescribed in massive doses and most of the drugs including vitamins can rarely cause allergic reactions even when we prescribe these in normal doses.

In my 44 years of clinical experience I have not come across any hazardous effects or side-effects following prescription of the above drugs.

To be continued next Monday

Diarrhoea-Major child killer :WHO

Nearly two million children die of diarrhoea each year, even though treating the ailment is relatively simple and “almost miraculous,” the World Health Organisation said.

Research into childhood diarrhoea has declined since the 1980s, keeping pace with dwindling funds for a disease that nonetheless accounts for 20 percent of all child deaths, the WHO said in a statement.

“Funds available for research into diarrhoea are much lower than those devoted to other diseases that cause comparatively few deaths,” it said.

The most immediate challenge is to ensure all children suffering from diarrhoea can access a simple, 25-year-old treatment consisting of zinc tablets and a mixture known as Oral Rehydration Salts or ORS, said Dr. Olivier Fontaine, a WHO medical officer specialising in child health.

The WHO estimates some 50 million children have been saved thanks to the mixture, which costs only 30 US cents (25 euro cents) per child.

“ORS is essentially a pinch of salt and a handful of sugar mixed with clean water,” Fontaine said. “Having seen, first hand, the devastation that childhood diarrhoea can cause and also the almost miraculous, life-saving power of ORS and zinc, I certainly hope that we’ll receive the support we need to come up with answers to some of the key questions that remain,” he said.

Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs:

School near fast-food joint? Expect fatter kids

A fast-food restaurant within about 500 feet of a school may lead to at least a 5 percent increase in the obesity rate at that school, according to a study released on Friday. The study, conducted by economists at Columbia University and the University California, Berkeley, suggests that “a ban on fast foods in the immediate proximity of schools could have a sizable effect on obesity rates among affected students.”

Food nutrition programs don’t lead to obesity: USDA

Food stamps, school lunch and other public nutrition programs do not contribute to an obesity epidemic affecting millions of children and adults, despite blame levied by critics, U.S. and academic officials said on Thursday.

The Agriculture Department programs will cost about $73 billion in fiscal 2009.

They range from school milk to food stamps and the Women, Infants and Children food program.

Mushrooms, green tea may lower breast cancer risk

Women who get plenty of mushrooms and green tea in their diets may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, new study findings suggest. The study, of more than 2,000 Chinese women, found that the more fresh and dried mushrooms the women ate, the lower was their breast cancer risk.

One-shot feedback session helps problem drinkers

A single brief intervention that gives problem drinkers personalized feedback can help reduce their alcohol use, new research from the Netherlands shows. Dr. Heleen Riper of the Trimbos Institute in Utrecht and her colleagues looked at 14 studies of such interventions, including a total of 3,682 people.

For every eight people who participated, they found, one could be expected to curb their drinking. “Despite the modest effect sizes overall, personalized feedback could have a major health impact at the population level, in view of the high percentage of problem drinkers who potentially could benefit,” they write in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Students often unwilling to alter sleep habits

Among Australian high school students involved in a 4-week healthy lifestyle class, researchers report the “surprising” finding that 95 percent of the subjects had at least one type of sleep problem. Still, “It seems the Sunday morning sleep-in is something they don’t want to give up,” Dr. Michael Gradisar, at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, told Reuters Health.

Ovarian changes may link obesity and infertility

Obese women have alterations in the environment around the ovary before they ovulate that appear to play a role in the well-documented association between obesity and reduced fertility, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. “Characteristics of eggs are influenced by the environment in which they develop within the ovary,” lead author Dr. Rebecca Robker, from Adelaide University, Australia, said in a statement. “Our study found that obese women have abnormally high levels of fats and inflammation in the fluid surrounding their eggs, which can impact an egg’s developmental potential.”

Topiramate safely prevents migraine in adolescents

Topiramate is safe and effective in preventing migraine in 12- to 17-year-old patients, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics. While topiramate is FDA-approved for migraine prophylaxis in adults, the authors explain, there are no approved drugs for migraine prophylaxis in pediatric patients.

Stigma worse for “gender-typical” mentally ill

How we feel toward a mentally ill person has a lot to do with how closely that person’s symptoms hew to gender stereotypes, new research shows. People “don’t have much sympathy” for someone with more stereotypical problems, specifically a woman with major depression or an alcoholic man, Dr. Galen V. Bodenhausen of Northwestern University in Chicago explained in an interview. But when a person’s symptoms are out of line with these stereotypes — say, an alcoholic woman or a depressed man — we will view them more positively, and want to help them, he said.

REUTERS

Prof. Wijeratne inaugurates World Kidney Day clinic

Prof. Mandika Wijeratne, Consultant Transplant & Vascular Surgeon and Prof. Surgery of the Colombo Medical Faculty opened a free Kidney screening clinic at the Western Infirmary Hospital in Borella on Thursday March 12 to mark the World Kidney Day which fell on that day.

At this clinic the SLMA President Prof. Rezvi Sheriff who is a pioneer Nephrologist in the country participating at the ceremony gave his free services to the clinic.

Prof. Wijeratne is also the President elect of the Sri Lanka Association for Nephrology and Transplantation.

SLMA on:

Sri Lankan context in Telemedicine

The Sri Lanka Medical Association which will have their 122nd Annual Scientific Sessions this month from March 19 to 21 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo is billed to have two-day pre-congress workshops on March 14 and 18 at the PGIM and the SLMA Lionel Memorial auditorium.

Among these workshops the one on Telemedicine at the PGIM Colombo on March 14, and the one on Occupational Health at the Lionel Memorial Auditorium at the SLMA also on March 14 are expected to draw much attention of the public, as the topics relate topics of much common interest to them.

Workshop on Telemedicine

The workshop on Telemedicine will be chaired by Dr. Vajira Dissanayake and will begin at 9 a.m. Introduction to Telemedicine will be by Dr. Dhammika Nishanta.

Laughter the best medicine

A very famous author was giving a lecture in Erics class on the art of short story writing.

“The essential ingredients are religion, sex, mystery, high rank, every day language and brevity,” he said.

The next day class teacher asked her class to write a short story, bearing in mind what the author had said in the lecture.

She was surprised when Eric got up to hand in his short story within minutes.

“Read out your story” the Teacher told Eric.

So he read “My God, said the Duchess, I am pregnant! I wonder who done it”?

Sent by: Mahesh Donalds, Rajagiriya.

Prof. Sir Roy Calne Chief Guest

Prof. Sir Roy Calne Emeritus Professor of Surgery of the Cambridge University U.K. will be the Chief Guest at this year’s (122nd) Annual Scientific Sessions of the SLMA which opens on March 18 at 6 pm at ‘Oak Room’ Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo.

Symposium on Food safety

At this sessions the symposium No. 12 on Saturday March 21 will be on food safety.

Life style Modification

Symposium No. 13 on March 20 will be on Lifestyle Modification in chronic disease.

Re-Generative Medicine

Symposium No. 7 on Thursday March 19 will be on Re-generative medicine.

Management of Doctors

There is a seminar on Management of Doctors in the State Health Sector scheduled for March 21 after tea 11.30 to 12.30.