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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".