|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 22 June 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Compiled by Carol Aloysius June 26 was No Alcohol Day: Alcohol - the 'gateway' drug Dependence on any kind of drug, be it nicotine, heroin or alcohol causes deterioration of health, personal degradation and social disruption. Recent studies have shown a risk in the number of drug Dependents especially in alcohol dependence.
These persons can be cured with proper counselling and motivation. Nicotine and alcohol play an important part in the development of dependence, not only to those drugs, but also to other drugs such as heroin. Almost all heroin dependent young people are tobacco smokers: and the vast majority are habitual drinkers. That is the reason why alcohol is called a "gateway" drug. It is a gateway to dependence on other drugs. This is another strong argument to dissuade people from smoking and drinking. Remember also, that drug dependence has close relationships with deviant behaviour and AIDS. Usually, dependence creeps stealthily upon people particularly young people. Many young people developing dependence start going down in their school performance, and in sports. Their school attendance becomes less regular, they keep late nights, and sometimes spend nights out of home. Dependence on any kind of drug, be it nicotine, alcohol or heroin, is a drain on one's purse. It is a habit that causes deterioration of health, personal degradation, and social disruption. It must therefore be treated. However, the patient must want to give up the habit. Thus, it is important to recognise dependence, and to motivate the person to seek assistance. Doctors could help a dependent person to stop taking the drug and may give gradually reducing doses of a substitute; but even that is not always necessary. The patient may also need other treatment to control the withdrawal symptoms such as pain and insomnia. Vitamins and nutritional supplements are often necessary. What alcohol contains Alcohol drinks contain ethyl alcohol. Methyl alcohol, which is the alcohol in methylated spirits, is used for commercial purposes and is much cheaper than ethyl alcohol. It is a strong poison and several poor people have either died or become blind after taking methylated spirits. Ethyl alcohol causes irritation and inflammation of soft membranes of the body with which it comes into contact. That is how drinkers are more prone to gastritis (i.e. inflammation of the wall of the stomach, and cancer of the throat. Once absorbed, alcohol could cause harm to most cells and tissues in the body. It particularly damages the liver, pancreas, heart muscle, and the brain. It is depressive to the brain. It is a well-known cause of cirrhosis of the liver. Due to its action on the brain, persons under the influence of alcohol behave differently; they lack control and judgement, and give way to their feelings without any inhibitions. Alcohol is known to cause permanent loss of nerve cells, and inflammation of nerve fibres resulting in numbness, various forms of paralysis, and psychiatric disorders. It may also precipitate attacks of epilepsy. It is now documented that moderate amounts of alcohol (up to 1 pint of beer or 2 small glasses of wine or 50 ml of spirits, such as brandy, whiskey or gin, per day for females, or 1 1/2 times this amount for males) would have a beneficial effect on diseases such as ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic strokes. However this finding should not be an excuse to get addicted; no alcohol is certainly better than trying to obtain the beneficial claims of a little alcohol. Alcohol should not be given to children, as it would create an addiction. In fact, WHO has recommended that no medications for children should contain alcohol. This is why the so-called "tonics" vitamin and cough syrups, etc. for children, should be alcohol free. This is already implemented in Sri Lanka. Alcoholics are not a strange breed of people; they are not more sinful than other people. When we try to understand that drug addicts are people who are trapped in a maze, we would appreciate the fact that they are in a web of inner pain and that they think, feel, and react differently from other people. The drug addicts do not need lectures on morals and good behaviour. They do not need someone to feel sorry for them or to pamper and protect them. They need people who understand them, and feel and sincerely care about them and their feelings. They need persons who can help them to become aware of the nature of addiction, and explain to them that there is hope and help. Alcoholics Anonymous-AA AA is an organisation that seeks to help the alcoholic by promoting a sustained contact and fellowship with other alcoholics and those who have been able to overcome their addiction. By sharing each others experiences, they can learn from each other, and gather strength and courage to resist the temptation to start drinking again. AA offers a "blue print" of an ideal way of life for its members - a practicable and attainable scheme for human improvement. If there is any meaning in the phrase "enlightened self-interest", it is to be found in this concept of individuals doing good for others and for themselves at the same time. The ultimate goal of AA is high. However the attainment of mental alertness and spiritual awareness would have to progress step by step, and stage by stage. From 'Your child ,your family' by Dr. Herbert Aponso et al ########## Infant feeding from birth to six months by Prof. T. W. Wickramanayake Nutrition Society Breast milk should be the primary source of food during the first 6 months. Human milk is the ideal food for the infant. It provides all the energy and water and nutrients needed by the infant, in the correct proportions. In addition, it has very special anti-infective properties which protect the infant and which cannot be supplied by other infant foods.
Colostrum changes to mature milk in about 10 days. The volume of milk produced by the second day is about 100ml, which increases rapidly to about 500ml a day by the end of the second week. The volume secreted depends on how well the breasts are emptied during each feed. On the average, 750ml are ingested daily by an infant at the end of the second month and about 800ml at 3 months. Mothers of twins can produce volumes of milk sufficient for complete nutrition of both infants. During correct suckling, the nipple and much of the areolus are drawn well into the infant's mouth, forming a large teat that reaches the soft palate. The milk is removed by a stripping motion of the tongue against the hard palate. Increased suckling results in rapid emptying of the breast, stimulating increased secretion. When milk is swallowed, air is pushed into the stomach. From time to time it is necessary to stop suckling and to keep the infant straight, with head on the mother's left shoulder. Patting the back gently will help the infant to 'burp' and bring out this air. After a few burps suckling should recommence. The infant should not be allowed to sleep when feeding. A great deal of patience, and privacy in a quiet room, with skin to skin contact between mother and child, are essential for satisfactory feeding. Exclusive breast feeding must be continued for at least 15 weeks, The infant being given only breast milk; no water or vitamin or mineral supplements should be given. The mother should take an adequate diet, with vitamins, iron and calcium supplements, to secrete these in her milk. The infant should be fed on demand, and will soon settle down to a 3 or 3 1/2 hour schedule. A mother should be able to continue secreting 800 to 900ml of milk per day if she is well fed and her breasts are emptied at each feed. The growth chart will indicate whether the child is growing satisfactorily on breast milk alone. If the child does not gain sufficient weight, then introducing other foods while breast feeding, should be considered. Such complementary feeding should be started in the fifth or sixth month, if considered necessary by the clinic staff. Two table spoons of boiled rice, two thirds of a table spoonful of dhal, a piece of yellow pumpkin (watakka) and a piece of home grown spinach, thampala or gotukola, all well boiled and mashed with the rice, could constitute a complementary feed. Breast feeding should be continued. Night feeds may be necessary for a 4 to 6 month baby. There is danger of contamination of such complementary foods. However, satisfactory growth and prevention of growth failure is more important than the possibility of introducing infection. All precautions should be taken to keep the food and the feeding utensils clean. Summary The infant should be put to the breast within one hour of delivery, so as to initiate breast milk secretion and successful breast feeding, and subsequently fed on demand. Breast feed a long as possible. Night feeds may be necessary in the fifth and the sixth months. . The mother should continue to take all vitamin and mineral supplements she took during pregnancy, adding vitamin A capsules to the list, Vitamin A, calcium lactate and vitamin B complex being given in the morning, and iron, folate and vitamin C tablets after dinner. The diet the mother consumed during the last two months of pregnancy should be continued, extra servings of green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, pulses, fish and eggs being taken. At least one meal of fish should be taken daily. Fish is rich in the omega-3 long chain poly unsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosa hexaenoic acid (DHA), which are essential for the development of brain and nervous system of the infant. The infant should be taken to the MCH clinic at least once every month. The weight of the infant should be marked on the Growth Chart (given to every child at delivery). The child should be immunised against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough and measles at the current time, as indicated at the clinic. ########## Spiritual Dimension of Health Some years back the WHO recast its definition of health to include the spiritual dimension of health as well. Now it reads as "A state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity". We should be very thankful to Dr. Sunil Seneviratne Epa for raising the issue of the spiritual dimension of health on the occasion of his induction as the new president of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. As he has rightly pointed out the perpetual interaction between body and mind and how it affects the health of every individual had been known to the people in the orient for centuries. Our health and well-being is dependent on what is happening in our internal environment. It gets polluted by various pollutants and pathogens which enter our body especially with food, water and air. In addition many of us poison it with alcohol, tobacco and other licit or illicit drugs. In addition to all these our brain and related organs secrete poisons as reactions to what is taking place in our mind. There is enough research evidence to prove that evil thoughts and negative feelings such as anger, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, self-pity, loneliness, hopelessness, helplessness, frustration, depression and anxiety produce harmful chemicals which are released to the internal environment depressing the immune system. Conversely positive feelings such as compassion, loving kindness, joy and cheerfulness, hopefulness, self-confidence, self-worth, etc. Produce chemicals which enhance the ability of the immune system to fight disease. Meditation has been known to reduce tension and bring about physical and mental relaxation. The beneficial chemicals that are secreted into the internal environment during this process boost the immune system. Similar beneficial changes could also take place during prayers, Bodhi Puja and other religious activities. Art, music and other recreational activities which reduce stress and bring about physical and mental relaxation also increase the efficiency of the immune system. Even laughter has been found to produce the same beneficial effects. As Dr. Epa has suggested the training of doctors in the spiritual dimension of health is very important. It will make them better and more caring doctors. In addition, it will help them overcome their own stresses and emotional problems that they may have. As a long term objective I would like to suggest the training of field staff engaged in preventive health care services eg: health educators, public health nurses, midwives and community health workers in this dimension of health. It should form an integral part of their preventive health programmes. A multimedia awareness programme should be launched to make the public aware of the results of research done on the psycho-spiritual aspect of health and its importance to the health and well-being of man. The ultimate message they should get is they do not have to wait till the end of this life to reap the benefits of spiritual practices. Psycho-spiritual dimension of health should also be introduced into schools and teachers colleges. D. Dharmawardhana ########## Medical update : 'Magic' mushrooms get medical nod It has taken several thousand years, but the message is finally getting through to western researchers that Asian cultures which routinely use medicinal mushrooms as cancer treatment might be on to something. A report published by Cancer Research UK marks growing excitement among scientists over the potential of medicinal mushrooms to boost the immune system of cancer patients, to combat tumours, and to ameliorate the harsh side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. "A vast amount of information has been collected which suggests that compounds derived from mushrooms could have a hugely beneficial influence on the way cancer is treated," said Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programmes for Cancer Research UK, and an author of the report. Cancer Research warned future mushrooms-based treatments would have to be subject to western clinical trials, regardless of how long they had been used in the east. "We hope that more western cancer doctors will be encouraged to set up trials to assess the potential of these compounds in treating cancer," said Dr. Sullivan. The report focuses on mushrooms use in Japan, Korea and China, where the earliest medical handbook dealing with beneficial mushrooms dates back to the second or third century. There are 270-plus species of mushrooms known to have therapeutic properties. One, Ganoderma lucidum, known in Japanese as reishi or mannetake, has been taken medicinally in extract form for at least 4,000 years. The report lists a range of effects caused by extracts of the fungus: it is said to work as an anti-inflammatory, an antibiotic, a blood pressure lowering agent, an anti-tumour agent and an antioxidant. "There is now increasing evidence that the medicinal mushrooms offer a remarkable array of medicinally important compounds that have yet to be evaluated by western scientists," said John Smith of the University of Strathclyde, who led the research team. Until relatively recently, reishi could only be harvested from the wild. Now, like some other medicinal mushrooms in the Cancer Research report, it can be cultivated. Around the world an alternatively mushroom pharmacology has grown up in parallel with western drugs. Cancer Research believes the two systems should intersect. East African Mushrooms - for AIDS management As AIDS statistics continue to rise in Tanzania, medical scientists have proposed medicinal mushrooms as a dietary supplement for the disease's management because it has been found to enhance body immunity and reduce HIV replication. "It is not specifically active against the HIV virus in terms of killing or immobilising the virus, but it enhances body immunity scientists said. ########## After a tooth extraction .... by Dr. Hilary Cooray Widespread oral cancers, periodontitis and diabetes have led to an increase in the number of people with dental problems in Sri Lanka. The standard of living has also increased over the last few decades, so that many people are no longer willing to accept removable, partial or full dentures. Cardiac bypasses, implant lens for cataract and now DENTAL Implants for missing teeth are becoming more and more routine treatment procedures. Even the replacement methods must match the economic, technological and scientific advances and culture that is prevailing in the world at this time. A dental implant can replace a single tooth, extracted due to carries or gum disease. Implant can be used to replace two or more teeth by fixing a bridge over the implants. They are mostly useful in stabilizing loose dentures especially the 'floating' lower denture. Habits Research has shown that if one connects an implant to natural dentition with a rigid system of attachment, the implant failure and complication rates such as screw loosening were dramatically reduced. This idea of connecting implants to natural teeth has received universal acceptance, and there is now an abundance of articles and research work published on the subject. Major studies the world-over indicate that one of the primary factors leading to failure of dental implants is due to: Smoking, Poor oral hygiene is also a complication. Smoking is very important factor with about 75% or oral cancers linked to tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Tobacco users include smokers of cigarette and beedi, chewers of betel and tobacco. There is a very high rate of oral cancer in this country and a large number of patients are receiving radiation therapy. With the advent of implants, more people seek this treatment option for replacement of lost teeth after cancer surgery. A report by Jissander S. et al. (International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants 12: 666-673, 1995), states that irradiation for the treatment of oral cancer does not seem to reduce the survival rate of implants compared with those placed in non-irradiated jaws. The prevalence of periodontitis is extremely high in Sri Lanka. In fact, the majority of teeth loss in adults is due to periodontal disease. It is estimated through National Oral Health Survey (94/95) that the prevalence of gingivitis is from 98%-99% in urban areas to nearly 95% in rural areas. Therefore dentists are aware of appropriate management protocols in such cases before and after implant work, and to advise the patient of any anticipated infection around the implant. The number of diabetics in Sri Lanka is also extremely high. Consensus was expressed recently that the placement of implants in patients with metabolically controlled diabetes mellitus does not result in a greater risk of failure than in the general population. However we have found that the success rate for dental implants is very good in controlled diabetic patients. Implant systems Initially very few implant systems were introduced in Sri Lanka. This gave a very limited option for selection of a system. The most preferred implant type is Endosseous. In this category Root form, either screw type or cylinder is the most common in use. The latest system introduced in Sri Lanka is the Sendex MDI Mini Dental Implant System. This system has many uses, with the main use being a hold a patients complete lower denture securely in place. Basically, four implants are threaded into the patients mandible through the attached gingival. There is hardly any surgery Four implants are placed in the mandible. The denture is then fitted onto the ball heads of the implant in one and the same visit. The patient walks out with a secure lower denture that won't move around, pop up, or a fly out of the mouth every time they sneeze or cough. There is very little post operative pain and the cost to the patient in much less when compared to conventional implants. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
The frightening fact is that more young people between 20-30 are
alcoholics. The result: a higher incidence of alcohol related diseases and
premature deaths.
Colostrum: The secretion during the first few days is yellowish, thick,
transparent and is called colostrum. It contains more protein, vitamin A
and minerals than mature milk and is very rich in anti-infective
immunoglobulins. Colostrum must be fed and not discarded.
