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Health Guide
Compiled by Shanika Sriyananda

Writing therapy relieves stress

Writing therapy is known to heal mankind mentally and spiritually since olden days. It is believed that recording fears, sorrows, problems and concerns can help to allay stresses and promote well-being and health. Shanika Sriyananda interviews Dr.Rani Goonewardene about the writing therapy.

Q: What is writing therapy?

A: It is a form of therapy that puts feelings and thoughts into words. Words can be a therapeutic tool . It provides an insight, and reflection, to understand and deepen your path to self discovery.

Q: How can writing therapy help?

A: People who tend to bottle up their problems and worries, will be able to release the tension by writing, and bringing problems into perspective. Being an expressive therapy, it helps to give us an honest insight into our real selves and relationships.

The very act of putting pen to paper (or fingers on a note book,lap top) has always been refreshing,"a beautiful thought on a piece of paper, your daily journal, and a few lines of poetry," write down whatever is going through your mind and then watch your true self.

Q: What are the different types of writing therapy?

A: A thought on a piece of paper

Letter therapy

Writing poems. (Poetry therapy)

Journal therapy

Diary writing - keeping a log of daily events.

Letter therapy is writing letters to people alive or dead. Although these are never sent, it will help to express one's feelings, and thoughts. Letter writing is intended to express and tell someone the truth without the stress of a face to face encounter.

Q: What should one write about?

A: Studies show that most people, from teenagers to parents, grade-schoolers, nursing-home residents, medical students, doctors, to prisoners, feel happier and healthier after writing deeply about traumatic memories. Explore important relationships or times of your life. Celebrate them by writing, or putting them to rest.

Q: Who or what is important to you?

A: Through our writings, we are able to portray ourselves and meet one another.

Q: Can writing therapy affect the immune system?

A: Yes, studies show that students had more active T-lymphocyte cells, an indication of immune system stimulation, six weeks after writing about stressful events.

Other studies have found that people tend to take fewer trips to the doctors.

Q: What is the effect of writing therapy on day-to-day activities?

A: People function better in day-to-day tasks and score higher in tests.

Q: Can writing theraphy be used to ease symptoms of asthma and arthritis?

A: Yes, A new study, published in the April 14, 1999, issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," shows that expressive writing can even ease the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. If writing can help ease the symptoms of arthritis and asthma, other stress-related conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder etc are bound to follow.

Q: Can writing therapy result in mental well being?

A: Yes, it will have a psychological well being after such writing exercises. It provides a form of therapeutic release. Studies show that people feel calmer and more in control, when they write about their difficult emotions and memories into words...

Q: How can you explain the mental well being as a result of writing therapy?

A: Putting traumatic memories into words can help ease turmoil and defuse the danger. 'Writing gives you a sense of control and a sense of understanding'. To write about a stressful event, you have to break it down into little pieces and suddenly it seems more manageable.

Q: What are the health benefits of writing therapy?

A: Some scientists believe that the release offered by writing affects the body's physical capacity to withstand stress and to fight off stress-related infection and disease.

Writing therapy has also been shown to have a positive impact on heart rate and blood pressure.

Studies were being done to show that writing as an infertility treatment and they are also looking to see if such therapy can prolong the lives of heart disease and breast cancer patients.

Q: What are the otherhealth benefits of this therapy?

A: Writing therapy helps people with a number of physical and emotional problems, including life threatening illnesses such as cancer, drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, depression, stress related ailments and to overcome low self-esteem. Finally, writing therapy will help people cope with loss and grief.

Infant formulas - prepare with care

New babies have few defences against germs and it takes a while for them to build immunity, so good hygiene practices during preparation and storage of formulas are essential to prevent infections.

1. Sterilise bottles and teats in a bottle sterilizer or in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.

2. Wash hands and all utensils required for preparation, before preparing the formula. Fix the teat and bottle cap before mixing the formula in a bottle. Do not use fingers to cover the teat while shaking the bottle as this may contaminate the feed.

3. Use only boiled tap water to prepare the formula. Not all bottled waters are sterile, so the only safe source of water is water that has been brought right up to the boil just before adding to the formula powder (but be sure mixed formula has cooled to room temperature before feeding).

4. When preparing the formula, preparation instructions on the formula container must be followed and both, the powder and water, must be carefully measured. Too much water could deprive a baby of adequate nourishment and too little water could strain a, baby's digestive system and kidneys and lead to dehydration.

5. If several bottles of formula are prepared and filled at one time, it's important to refrigerate bottles that aren't for immediate use straightaway. Discard unused prepared formula, if it hasn't been used within 24 hours.

6. Babies prefer formula at room temperature. Refrigerated formula can be warmed by placing the bottle in a bowl or pan of hot water and leaving to stand for a few minutes.

A microwave is not recommended for warming formula, as fluid heats unevenly, creating hot spots that could burn a baby's mouth.

Shake the bottle after warming it, turn it upside down and allow a drop or two of formula to fall on the back of the hand-it should feel comfortable and barely warm.7. Once a bottle has been warmed it is very important to never put it back in the refrigerator, even if the baby goes back to sleep before starting the bottle. The risk of bacterial contamination from heating, cooling and then re-heating is too great.

8. Always discard left over formula after the baby has finished drinking.

- Food Facts Asia

Is buffalo milk better than cow milk?

by Dr. A. Nandakumar, Veterinary Surgeon

While most rural Sri Lankans relish "Buffalo curd" and pany lavishly the urban population are worried over health factors concerned with buffalo curd and buffalo milk products.

It is well worth to note that there is no difference in nutritive value and digestibility of milk and milk products obtained from cows and buffaloes. Animal bioassays have shown that Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) value of buffalo milk proteins to be 2.74 and that of cow milk as 2.49. The beauty of buffalo milk is, that the buffalo milk has about 11.42% higher protein, higher calcium and ample vitamin A compared to cow's milk.

Buffalo milk is also superior to cow milk in terms of important minerals such a calcium, iron and phosphorus which are high by 92%, 37.7% and 11.8% respectively than those present in cow milk.

An added advantage of buffalo milk is buffalo's metabolise all carotenes into vitamin A, which is passed in to the milk.

Significantly one might think that with the high percentage of fat up to 15% could be a factor concerned about cholesterol, but the cholesterol content in the buffalo milk is 0.65mg/grm as compared to the corresponding value of 3.14 mg/gram of cows milk. Buffalo milk is commercially more viable than cow milk for the manufacture of fat based and solid not fat based milk products, such as butter, ghee, cheese, and milk powder because of its lower water content and high fat content.

Most significantly the low cholesterol content should make it popular in health conscious market. By the virtue of greater opacity of casein miscells, coupled with high levels of colloidal proteins, calcium and phosphorous, the buffalo milk is more densely whiter and has superior whitening properties as compared to cow's milk.

Higher levels of protein and fat render buffalo milk more economical alternative to cows milk for the production of caselin, caseinates, protein concentrates and wide range of fat-rich dairy products.

Buffalo milk is regarded as a better health food compared to cows milk as, the presence of high levels of various bioprotective factors such as immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, lysozymes, lactoperoxidase as well as bifidogenic factors render buffalo milk more suitable than cows milk for the preparation of a wide range of special dietary and health foods.

Balanced diet best for painful periods

by Dr. Y. M. Mousoom, Homeopathic and Unani Practitioner

During the menstrual cycle, blood circulation, thermoregulation of the body and the metabolism also undergo wave-like shifts, which are associated with the variations in the functions of the nervous system.

The breasts become firm, engorged and more sensitive before the menses due to the development of new foci of glandulous tissue.

The period preceding the menses is marked by accelerated heart rate, increased blood pressure and slightly elevated body temperature.

During the menses, the pulse slows down, the blood pressure and body temperature slightly drop.

All these phenomena subside after the cessation of the menses.

Any bleeding, pain or discharge between periods should receive medical attention, otherwise a mild analgesic will do. "Self-treatment is strictly advised and prohibited even with a mild analgesic."

Much more common problems are pre-menstrual tension and dysmenorrhoea or (painful menses). Pre-menstrual tension:- Beginning about a week to ten days before menstruation and ending within a few hours after flow begins.

It may produce nervousness and irritability, headaches, sometimes pain in the breasts and puffiness around the abdomen and elsewhere. Although it is certainly discomforting, but no indication in itself, any serious underlying disorders. If symptoms are mild, no treatment may be needed or a mild analgesic can be used. Consult a qualified medical officer for more severe symptoms, it is helpful to control the edema or fluid - retention.

This can be treated with a physician - prescribed diuretic along with an analgesic. But often it can be accomplished more naturally, without use of a drug, by limiting salt intake.

Salt tends to hold water in the body. Any reduction in salt intake you can achieve may help considerably in relieving fluid retention and pre-menstrual tension symptoms.

While it would be a healthy practice to put limits on salt at all times, even limitation of only 24 to 36 hours before you expect symptoms can help.Dysmenorrhoea or painful menstruation is primary when it begins at the time of puberty, the cause is unknown. Secondary dysmenorrhoea which begins later in life, is usually associated with an organic cause such as pelvic inflammation, cervical stricture, abnormal position of the uterus, endomentrosis, or tumour of the uterus or ovary.

It is characterised by cramps like discomfort pain that may be mild or severe and is usually located in the lower abdomen and back region.Urinary frequency, nausea, diarrhoea, backache, headache and pelvic soreness are some other symptoms of dysmenorrhoea.

Primary dysmenorrhoea is simply treated. Mostly no medicines are given. It also may benefit from physical activity, including sports and exercises.

For women who are sexually active but do not desire pregnancy, oral contraceptives will relieve dysmenorrhoea, as they suppress ovulation, without which cramps do not occur.

In case of secondary dysmenorrhoea, a thorough medical examination is done and treated for the underlying cause. Most of the causes are medically treated and some need surgery.

A balanced diet with exercises will always help you naturally. Avoid taking vitamin E or any other preparation without consulting a medical officer.

Holistic healing

Srotas: Channels of the body

by Dr. Danister L. Perera

Srotas, meaning channels or pores, are present throughout the visible body as well as at the 'invisible' or subtle level of the cells, molecules, atoms and subatomic strata.

It is through these channels that nutrients and other substances are transported in and out of our physiology.

It is also through these channels that information and intelligence spontaneously flow. When the flow of appropriate nutrients and energies through these channels is unimpeded, there is good health; when there is excess, deficiency or blockage in these channels, diseases can take root.

Some srotas have obvious correlates with western concepts (e.g. both ayurveda and allopathy recognise the anna vaha srota, or gastrointestinal channel and the prana vaha srota, or respiratory passageways. Other srotas have no western correlate: artava vaha srota or udaka vaha srota, carrying the monthly menstruum and the pure water in the body, respectively.

Together with knowledge of the doshic imbalances, the dhatus (tissues) involved, the state of the agni (digestive fire), and other diagnostic means, assessment of the srotas is one of the means in ayurveda by which diseases can be distinguished.

By knowing which srotas are affected and the nature and extent of their disturbance, one can understand a great deal about the disease process.

The Charaka Samhita describes thirteen srotas. Three srotas connect the individual to the external environment, by bringing air , food, and water into and out of the body.

Seven srotas are associated with the seven bodily tissues (sapta dhatus).

Another three srotas direct wastes out of the body.

That makes thirteen. However other ancient authorities recognise three additional srota relating to lactation, menstruation and the flow of thoughts through the mind.

This brings the total number of srotas to sixteen, which is the accepted description.

Here is a list of the sixteen srotas of the human being: Three srotas connect the individual to the external world: * Prana vaha srota - the channels carrying prana, the breath. * Anna vaha srota - the channels transporting solid and liquid foods. * Udaka vaha srotas - the channels transporting water (no Western equivalent). Seven srotas represent channels to and from the tissues (dhatus): * Rasa vaha srotas - the channels carrying plasma and lymph * Rakta vaha srotas - the channels carrying blood cells and specifically hemoglobin * Mamsa vaha srotas - the channels carrying muscle nutrients and wastes * Meda vaha srotas - the channels supplying the various adipose tissues of the body * Asthi vaha srotas - the channels bring nutrients to the bones and transporting wastes. * Majja vaha srotas - the channels supplying the bone marrow and nerves including the brain * Sukra vaha srota - the channels carrying the sperm and ova and supplying their nutrients Three srotas regulate the elimination of metabolic waste products: * Purisha vaha srotas - the channels which carry the feces * Mutra vaha srotas - the channels which carry the urine * Sveda vaha srotas - the channels which carry perspiration

Two srotas are specific for women:

* Artava vaha srotas - the channels which carry the menstruum

* Stanya vaha srotas - the channels carrying the breast milk during lactation

One srota is associated with the mind (manas):

* Mano vaha srota - the channels which carry thoughts, ideas, emotions and impressions.

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