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PRECIOUS KASHMIR<br />

HEALTH<br />

5 common causes of a bloated belly<br />

Here are five common causes<br />

of a bloated belly. The reasons<br />

could be trivial but it’s better<br />

to get a check-up.<br />

You’re not pregnant and<br />

you haven’t gained weight,<br />

but your jeans are straining at<br />

the waist. What’s going on?<br />

Irritable bowel syndrome<br />

Could be the cause if:<br />

You’ve been bloated on and<br />

off for a long time and have<br />

also experienced symptoms<br />

including pain, constipation<br />

and/or bouts of diarrhoea.<br />

A common bowel condition,<br />

IBS is a functional<br />

disorder which means there’s<br />

nothing wrong with the<br />

structure of the bowel itself,<br />

but the way the gut works is<br />

abnormal. Peter Whorwell,<br />

professor of medicine and<br />

gastroenterology at the University<br />

of Manchester, says,<br />

“We think the gut is over-sensitive<br />

in IBS sufferers so it’s<br />

normal processes which<br />

cause the symptoms.”<br />

Bloating is one of the<br />

most disruptive side-effects<br />

FROM FRONT PAGE.....................<br />

Gunmen........<br />

of IBS. Some women go up<br />

a couple of dress sizes and<br />

even need different clothes<br />

depending on whether or not<br />

they are bloated. For many, it<br />

tends to worsen towards the<br />

evening, so it can disrupt your<br />

social life. There’s no cure for<br />

IBS, but you can manage the<br />

symptoms. “Cutting out cereal<br />

fibre eases symptoms by<br />

between 30% and 40% in the<br />

majority of sufferers,” says<br />

Professor Whorwell.<br />

This means avoiding<br />

wholemeal bread, oats, muesli,<br />

digestive biscuits, cereal<br />

bars and all breakfast cereals<br />

other than rice krispies. But<br />

white bread, cakes, cream<br />

crackers and most biscuits<br />

are fine. Try doing this for<br />

three months to see if it<br />

helps. Probiotics may also<br />

ease symptoms. Try yoghurts,<br />

as the probiotic strain they<br />

contain has been shown to<br />

help IBS.<br />

Doctors can prescribe<br />

medication such as anti-spasmodics,<br />

laxatives and<br />

reports said the terrorists are between 18 and 25 years old.<br />

University Chancellor Dr Fazal Rahim said there are over<br />

3,000 students present inside the university along with an additional<br />

600 guests who are present for a poetic symposium to<br />

mark the death anniversary of Khudai Khidmatgar Khan Abdul<br />

Ghaffar Khan alias Baacha Khan who died on <strong>January</strong> 20, 1988.<br />

The terrorists barged into the university where the event<br />

was being attended by a large number of students.<br />

Rahim said four guards of university and one policeman<br />

were killed in attack.<br />

Geo TV reported that Professor Hamid Hussain of chemistry<br />

department was also among dead.<br />

"A teacher of the varsity after evacuation said Chairman<br />

Chemistry Department Hamid has been martyred by the firing<br />

of the militants," it said, adding the terrorists barged into Hamid's<br />

room and fired at his head, killing him instantly.<br />

The Taliban militants massacred over 150 people, mostly<br />

students, in an attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in<br />

December, 2014.<br />

Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif among other<br />

leaders have strongly condemned attack on Bacha Khan University<br />

that claimed twenty lives, Dunya News reported Wednesday.<br />

In a statement issued, the Sharif condemned the terror attack.<br />

PM Nawaz has vowed to cripple terror network and eliminate<br />

extremism from the country.<br />

In a message posted on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra<br />

Modi has denounced the attack in Pakistan’s university.<br />

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has<br />

also condemned the attack. The opposition party chief is about<br />

to leave for Charsadda to visit the attack site and review the ongoing<br />

operation.<br />

Mehbooba.......<br />

anti-diarrhoeals. “There’s no<br />

problem taking laxatives and<br />

anti-diarrhoeals in the long<br />

term if you have IBS,” adds<br />

Professor Whorwell.<br />

Flatulence<br />

Could be the cause if:<br />

You are passing a lot of wind,<br />

but don’t notice any other<br />

symptoms. We all experience<br />

flatulence from time to time<br />

— it’s perfectly normal to do<br />

so up to 15 times a day — and<br />

sometimes you may not even<br />

notice that you are doing<br />

it. While there’s no medical<br />

definition of excessive<br />

flatulence, if it’s bothering<br />

you and makes life awkward<br />

or feels uncomfortable, there<br />

are steps you can take to<br />

reduce it.<br />

Try cutting down on foods<br />

that are high in non-absorbable<br />

carbs. Common culprits<br />

include beans and pulses,<br />

broccoli, cabbage, prunes and<br />

apples, and foods containing<br />

the sugar substitute sorbitol.<br />

These tend to be digested<br />

very slowly and can release<br />

How to prevent and<br />

treat cold & cough<br />

As the temperatures drop, more and<br />

more people have been falling prey to<br />

common ailments such as chest congestion,<br />

cough and cold.<br />

We have all been hearing of<br />

colleagues, friends and family calling<br />

in sick to work, mostly due to<br />

these ailments, which might seem<br />

small but have a huge and detrimental<br />

effect on one’s work and<br />

personal life due to loss of productive<br />

work hours.<br />

“While there are numerous remedies<br />

and solutions available to treat<br />

chest congestion, this alarming statistic<br />

forces us to think about why it affects<br />

such a large number of our population.<br />

We are exposed to a number of viruses<br />

all day long, but some people seem<br />

more susceptible to catching colds or<br />

the flu than others,” says Dr. Sanjeev<br />

Mehta, Chest Physician, Lilavati Hospital,<br />

Mumbai.<br />

One can easily prevent this condition<br />

from recurring and having a detrimental<br />

effect on our day to day lives<br />

and overall productivity by keeping the<br />

following easy tips in mind.<br />

Step #1 to fight cold & cough<br />

Deciding on a ‘Suppressant’ or an<br />

‘Expectorant’<br />

The first and foremost step towards<br />

finding a solution is to identify the kind<br />

of cough you have and treat it with the<br />

right kind of cough syrup. There are two<br />

kinds of cough: ‘dry’ or non-productive<br />

cough and ‘wet’ or productive cough.<br />

While a ‘wet’ or productive cough is a<br />

condition where one produces phlegm<br />

while coughing, a ‘dry’ cough sees no<br />

such production.<br />

Different types of cough syrups are<br />

required to treat the different symptoms<br />

of these ailments. One suffering<br />

from a dry cough requires a suppressant<br />

that will curb the urge to cough,<br />

while an expectorant that helps in<br />

thinning, loosening and expelling the<br />

mucus accumulated in the lungs helps<br />

relieve a wet cough.<br />

Step #2 to fight cold & cough<br />

Eat spicy and warm foods<br />

Foods such as chili, ginger, jalapeno,<br />

garlic and black pepper that are spicy<br />

may help if you are suffering from a bad<br />

case of chest congestion. These food<br />

items help in thinning the mucus and<br />

making it easier to breathe. Consuming<br />

food at a high temperature also helps as<br />

the heat kills the harmful bacteria that<br />

can aggravate the condition.<br />

Step #3 to fight cold & cough<br />

Steam inhalation<br />

This is one of the easiest and best<br />

home remedies to supplement your<br />

medication and beat chest congestion.<br />

It is advised to heat water in a bowl and<br />

add any vaporizer or eucalyptus oil.<br />

Vaporized steam also helps in thinning<br />

and loosening of the solidifying mucus<br />

and makes it easier to breath, giving<br />

immediate relief.<br />

Step #4 to fight cold & cough<br />

Fruits, vegetables and juices<br />

Consuming food products rich in<br />

vitamins and minerals such as vegetables<br />

and fruits help boost immunity<br />

levels. Juices as well as warm liquids are<br />

also advised during sickness as they are<br />

high in essential vitamins and help in<br />

flushing out toxins from the body.Step<br />

#5 to fight cold & cough<br />

Milk and turmeric<br />

While turmeric is well known for<br />

its medicinal properties, milk is equivalent<br />

to a complete meal owing to the<br />

high nutrients it contains. Taking a<br />

warm glass of milk with a spoon full<br />

of turmeric powder two to three times<br />

a day helps in fighting the bacterial<br />

growth caused by cough and chest congestion<br />

as well as in loosening phlegm.<br />

Step #6 to fight cold & cough<br />

Regular exercise<br />

Maintaining a moderate and consistent<br />

exercise regime goes a long way<br />

in helping one stay physically fit and<br />

increasing immunity levels, and gives<br />

a temporary boost in the production<br />

of the cells that attack bacteria, helping<br />

one avoid illnesses and maintaining<br />

overall good health.<br />

people and the Government of Pakistan in their resolve to fight<br />

the menace of terrorism and condemn use of violence under<br />

any circumstance,” she said and added that the atrocity of this<br />

proportion should outrage the feelings of every human being.<br />

Mehbooba said the attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan<br />

in December 2014 and the recent attack on an airbase in<br />

Pathankote area of Punjab are a grim reminder of how the terrorists<br />

are trying to destabilize the region by shedding the blood<br />

of innocents.<br />

She said such gruesome and heinous attacks only reiterate<br />

the inevitability of greater cooperation between India and Pakistan<br />

to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the region.<br />

Pulwama........<br />

which was retaliated. “During the ensuing encounter, more<br />

than 50 civilians who had got entrapped due to cross firing in a<br />

nearby mosque were rescued safely by the Pulwama police. In<br />

the gun battle, one dreaded militant of HM outfit got killed who<br />

was later identified as Shariq Ahmed Bhat of Brow Bandana,<br />

Awantipora.<br />

“During the operation, a large number of protesters came<br />

towards operation site and pelted stones on the security forces.<br />

Security forces exercised maximum restraint and 17 security<br />

force personnel got injured - including Nazir Ahmed Ganai,<br />

DySP of 18 Bn. IRP who sustained multiple fractures in his leg. A<br />

police vehicle was also set ablaze by the protesters. During the<br />

uncontrolled protests, three protesters got firearm injuries, out<br />

of which, one Parvaiz Ahmed Guroo resident of Naina later succumbed<br />

to his injuries. The condition of other two rioters is said<br />

to be stable. Case FIR No. 10/16 and 11/16 stand registered in PS<br />

Pulwama and investigation is on.” (CNS)<br />

Guv........<br />

legal framework is suitably modified to enable effective investigations<br />

in terror cases.<br />

"The existing Schedule to the NIA Act also requires to be<br />

reviewed for enlarging the list of offences to particularly cover<br />

those under the Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, NDPS Act, Explosive<br />

Substances Act and Cyber Terrorism offences, among others,"<br />

he said.<br />

Inclusion of Ranbir Penal Code, which is a substitute to Indian<br />

Penal Code(IPC) in Jammu and Kashmir, means that National<br />

Investigation Agency (NIA) can take over any case registered<br />

under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act<br />

as well as RPC.<br />

Under the NIA Act, which came into force after the 2008<br />

Mumbai attack, the agency can take over any case related to terror<br />

suo-motu except for Jammu and Kashmir where it requires<br />

permission of the state government before taking up the investigation.<br />

Both PDP and NC have been opposing giving sweeping<br />

powers to NIA to take suo motu cognisance of terror-related<br />

cases in the state.<br />

PDP leader Nayeem Akther said that his party requires time<br />

to study the statement of the Governor and that it will come out<br />

with its response later while NC spokesman said that the party<br />

will not support any such move.<br />

"The Governor should leave such decision to be taken by a<br />

small amounts of sulphur gas<br />

while they pass through the<br />

gut.<br />

Nutrition consultant Ian<br />

Marber says, “Eat food slowly<br />

and remember to chew. Without<br />

chewing, food is more<br />

likely to pass into the gut<br />

partially broken down and<br />

there’s a higher chance it will<br />

ferment and produce gas.” Be<br />

aware that occasionally, an<br />

underlying health condition<br />

— including those that are<br />

listed here — could also be<br />

causing flatulence.<br />

Coeliac disease<br />

Could be the cause if:<br />

You often feel tired; you’ve<br />

lost weight for no apparent<br />

reason; you are suffering<br />

from abdominal pain. Coeliac<br />

disease is an adverse reaction<br />

to gluten, which is found<br />

in wheat, barley, rye and<br />

all foods containing them<br />

— everything from pasta<br />

and bread to pies and some<br />

gravies and sauces. It is an auto-immune<br />

condition where<br />

the body mistakes substances<br />

in the gluten for a threat<br />

and attacks them, leading<br />

to damage to the surface of<br />

the small bowel, which then<br />

affects your ability to absorb<br />

nutrients from food.<br />

It used to be mainly diagnosed<br />

in children, but it’s now<br />

known that people can go<br />

undiagnosed into middle age.<br />

If you have these symptoms,<br />

see your doctor and ask to<br />

have a blood test for coeliac<br />

disease. National Institute for<br />

Health and Clinical Excellence<br />

guidelines state that anyone<br />

with bloating and other<br />

IBS-type symptoms should<br />

be tested for it. If you’re diagnosed,<br />

you’ll feel better once<br />

you start avoiding all foods<br />

containing gluten.<br />

Ovarian cancer<br />

Could be the cause if:<br />

Bloating is persistent and you<br />

have other symptoms such as<br />

a perpetual feeling of fullness<br />

and abdominal pain. The<br />

symptoms of ovarian cancer<br />

tend to be quite vague, which<br />

is often why it’s diagnosed<br />

popularly elected government," the spokesman said.<br />

CPM leader and MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami saw the<br />

statement as a move to encroach upon the autonomy of the<br />

state. "This is an attempt to encroach on whatever autonomy is<br />

left," Tarigami said.<br />

Youth........<br />

late when it’s harder to treat.<br />

So it’s important to be aware<br />

of potential signs. Cancer expert<br />

Annwen Jones says, “Key<br />

symptoms are bloating that is<br />

persistent rather than coming<br />

and going and increased<br />

abdominal size. Look out for<br />

persistent and frequent abdominal<br />

pain, difficulty eating<br />

and urinary symptoms.”<br />

Hormonal fluctuations<br />

Could be the cause if: You<br />

are premenstrual or in the early<br />

stages of pregnancy. During<br />

pregnancy, and just before your<br />

period, levels of the hormone<br />

progesterone are raised. This<br />

can slow down gut mobility or<br />

movement, which means food<br />

passes more slowly through<br />

the body, leading to bloating<br />

and possibly constipation. But<br />

you can beat the bloat. Exercise<br />

can help improve gut mobility<br />

and walking for 30 minutes a<br />

day could be enough to make<br />

the difference. Also, drink plenty<br />

of fluids and eat lots of fruit,<br />

vegetables and whole grains to<br />

avoid constipation.<br />

Type more to cut-down<br />

blood pressure!<br />

If you are often nabbed by your parents<br />

for text messaging, then you must<br />

make them read this article as a new<br />

study has revealed that typing could<br />

help reduce blood pressure.<br />

Researchers from have found that<br />

the high blood pressure is a common<br />

condition that can be managed successfully<br />

with tablets. To prove the<br />

research, health workers used mobile<br />

phones linked to blood pressure<br />

measuring devices to collect health<br />

information about patients and text<br />

messaging was managed automatically<br />

using an affordable calculating<br />

system.<br />

Professor Lionel Tarassenko from<br />

the reseacrh team said that there was<br />

a great potential for mobile phone<br />

technology to help with the management<br />

of chronic diseases world-wide<br />

through automated messaging to the<br />

right person at the right time. He<br />

added, through this study, that they<br />

have demonstrated that how this<br />

could be done in an area where large<br />

numbers of people are at risk because<br />

of uncontrolled blood pressure.<br />

www.preciouskashmir.com<br />

Srinagar | Thursday<br />

<strong>21</strong>.01.<strong>2016</strong><br />

36<br />

Antidepressants<br />

easily<br />

available<br />

Indian American psychiatrist<br />

Dr Nagareddy Narendra<br />

Kumar Reddy may have<br />

been dubbed ‘Dr Death’<br />

for allegedly prescribing<br />

overdose of benzodiazepines<br />

to his patients in USA, but<br />

back home several anti-depressant<br />

drugs are easily<br />

available off the shelf.<br />

Senior psychiatrists<br />

point out that benzodiazepines,<br />

which are prescribed<br />

for depression, sleeplessness,<br />

schizophrenia and<br />

other mental health conditions,<br />

are largely abused by<br />

unscrupulous elements in<br />

AP and Telangana. As these<br />

drugs are freely available despite<br />

stringent prescription<br />

norms, many patients end<br />

up consuming higher doses<br />

leading to addiction. There<br />

have been several instances<br />

of people popping up an<br />

overdose of benzodiazepines<br />

to commit suicide.<br />

Dr Narendra, who graduated<br />

from Kurnool Medical<br />

College in 1981, has been<br />

charged with prescribing<br />

an overdose of opiates and<br />

benzodiazepines. Though<br />

the drug control authorities<br />

in AP and Telangana<br />

succeeded in restricting<br />

the availability of opiates<br />

to the general public, they<br />

could not restrict the sale of<br />

benzodiazepines.<br />

“Opiates should be<br />

prescribed only by cancer<br />

specialists. Psychiatrists are<br />

barred from giving opiates to<br />

their patients. A prescription<br />

for benzodiazepines is valid<br />

only for the number of days<br />

a psychiatrist recommends<br />

the drug use. For instance,<br />

if a psychiatrist prescribes<br />

an anti-depressant drug for<br />

14 days, the prescription<br />

expires once the medicine<br />

is issued to the patient or on<br />

the 15th day, whichever is<br />

earlier. The same prescription<br />

cannot be used to buy<br />

medicines again.The patient<br />

needs to bring a new prescription<br />

next time. But this<br />

rule is not followed properly<br />

,” says psychiatrist Dr Minhaz<br />

Nasirabadi.Psychiatrists<br />

caution that benzodiazepines<br />

and other anti-depressants<br />

should not be used for<br />

a long time as they cause<br />

physical and psychological<br />

dependence. If the drug is<br />

stopped abruptly, it leads<br />

to what is called withdrawal<br />

symptoms, which are<br />

difficult to manage.<br />

The Maharashtra<br />

government recently introduced<br />

a system to curb<br />

repeat sale of anti-depressants<br />

to people.<br />

treated many young patients who developed depression after<br />

the uprisings.<br />

“Young men have a continuous fear of getting arrested<br />

again,” he said, adding that long-term incarceration has been<br />

linked to post-traumatic stress disorder. “We have younger people<br />

coming to seek help. We have an epidemic of mental health<br />

problems, particularly depression.” Hussain then compared the<br />

way cholera used to hit Kashmir every year to the way depression<br />

now affects the region.<br />

In 2009, a study on the relationship between conflict and<br />

depression in Kashmir found that the prevalence of depression<br />

in the region is over 55 percent.<br />

The decline in psychological health has led to an increase<br />

in substance use and suicide in Kashmir. Over the years, the<br />

number of patients seeking help at the Srinagar facility, the<br />

only psychiatric hospital in the region, has increased rapidly. According<br />

to doctors, around 1,700 patients visited the hospital in<br />

1989, compared to more than 100,000 last year. Private clinics<br />

and district hospital centers have also opened to accommodate<br />

patients.<br />

In 2009, a study on the relationship between conflict and<br />

depression in Kashmir commissioned by the Sher-e-Kashmir<br />

Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar found that the prevalence<br />

of depression in the region is over 55 percent. Moreover,<br />

it found that people in rural areas, women and young people<br />

were particularly affected.<br />

There are many causes of mental illness, Hussain says, but<br />

ongoing political conflict is a major one. “It was thought to be an<br />

illness of middle-aged people but now large numbers of people<br />

are between 18 and 35 years old.”<br />

Mental illness carries a social stigma in Kashmir, and researchers<br />

say it has not been easy for young people to see<br />

psychiatrists. According to Hussain, there are many people in<br />

Kashmir in need of mental health services who have never been<br />

treated. “In our society, people don’t talk about depression. They<br />

don’t detect depression. People never go to psychiatrists.”<br />

The lack of awareness has likely resulted in fewer medical<br />

consultations, though government and community organizations,<br />

such as Action Aid India in Kashmir, have held campaigns<br />

to promote mental health treatment. Since 2003, Action Aid India<br />

has worked in roughly 100 villages a year, distributing pamphlets,<br />

conducting workshops and organizing medical camps.<br />

To reduce stigma around mental health problems, Action<br />

Aid India also started a campaign in which they write descriptions<br />

of the symptoms of the depression on public walls. In the<br />

village of Lelhar 19 miles south of Srinagar, a painter was at<br />

work on a large banner that would read, “Symptoms of depression<br />

include sadness, anger, excessive sweating, sleeplessness,<br />

nightmares, loss of interest and low appetite.”<br />

Beyond awareness, there are other problems. Project manager<br />

Tanveer Ahmad Dar says mental health issues are often<br />

chronic and require continuous follow-ups. This, he says, can be<br />

expensive: “Costs incurred in treatment are very high.”<br />

Zeba lives in Lelhar in a mall mud-brick house. Last August,<br />

her 22-year-old son, Lateef was shot several times in the lower<br />

back during a protest. One bullet was removed and another<br />

is still lodged in his spine. He is now unable to work, and his<br />

mother has also suffered as a result of his injury.<br />

“I have depression and can’t sleep,” says Zeba, who describes<br />

her typical mood as agitated, restless, hyperconscious and worried.<br />

Each day she smokes around four and a half pounds of dry<br />

tobacco for relief. A few weeks ago, she burned all her medical<br />

prescriptions.<br />

Since the uprisings, Hussain, the psychiatrist in Srinagar,<br />

has treated many families like Zeba’s. “Families are drifting because<br />

of mental illness,” he said, adding that rising anger has<br />

been an “indirect effect” of these dynamics.<br />

As the political conflict continues, the need for mental<br />

health services will as well. In Kashmir, Dar says, recurring traumatic<br />

events keep people trapped in a cycle. Until the environment<br />

changes, he says, the “mental health situation in Kashmir will not improve.<br />

With one person, the whole family is affected.” (Al-Jazeera)<br />

Delhi........<br />

for severely damaged Kacha house and Rs 20,000 for partially<br />

damaged Pucca house and Rs 10,000 for partially damaged Kacha<br />

house. In this way, the assistance under all the three categories<br />

of damaged houses would be much more than the same<br />

provided earlier,” the report said.<br />

NC........<br />

PDP has said Mehbooba is in the process of reviewing the implementation<br />

of the 'Agenda of Alliance' during the 10-monthrule<br />

of PDP-BJP government headed by her father and a decision<br />

would be taken in due course. PDP has said it was "highly<br />

unlikely" that it would form the next government with BJP till<br />

"we receive concrete assurances on key issues flagged by our<br />

party leader Naeem Akhtar last week".

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