May 7, 2012 Clippings

Clove: The wonder spice!

This tiny little spice has many curative properties. Traditionally cloves are used as a table spice and mixed with chillies, cinnamon, turmeric and other spices in the preparation of curry powder.

They are also used to flavour paan. Clove oil is used in the manufacture of perfumes, soaps, bath salts and as a flavouring agent in medicine and dentistry. Cloves help stimulate sluggish circulation and thereby promote digestion and metabolism. In Chinese medicine, it is used for vomiting, indigestion and other related problems. If you are feeling stressed then, boil some water with basil leaves, mint leaves and clove. Then you can use this water for black tea. Add little bit of honey to it. This will help you ease tension.

Toothache

The use of a clove in toothache decreases pain. It also helps to decrease infection due to its antiseptic properties. Clove oil, applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth, also relieves toothache.

Digestive disorders

Cloves promote enzymatic flow and boost digestive functioning. They are used in various forms of gastric irritability and dyspepsia. Licking the powder of fried cloves mixed with honey is effective in controlling vomiting. The anesthetic action of clove helps in dealing with stomach pain and stops vomiting.

Coughs

Chewing a clove with a crystal of common salt eases expectoration, relieves the irritation in the throat . Chewing a burnt clove is also an effective medicine for coughs.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

07.05.2012

Leprosy raises its ugly head in Maharashtra again

Enjoying the status of being leprosy-free since 2005, Maharashtra is once more in the grip of the disease.

For the first time in six years, Maharashtra’s leprosy prevalence rate has jumped to 1.07 per 10,000 persons. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the upper limit for declaring an area with leprosy ‘under control’, the incidence has to be less than one in 10,000.

However, the annual statistics collated by the state leprosy department has brought to light that the ratio is much higher than this limit. Not just that, the new case detection rate (NCDR) of leprosy in the state has jumped to 15.59 per lakh population; the same was around 10 per lakh population during 2006-07.

Dr PY Gaikwad, joint director of leprosy division, directorate of health services, when asked about the rise in the number of cases, said that the increase in cases should not be viewed in an alarming manner.

“During 2011-2012, a total of 17,892 new leprosy cases have been detected. However, during same year, the health department undertook a proactive survey in 19 districts and many urban centres to study leprosy. We found 2,440 positive cases during this survey and that’s why the numbers have jumped,” said Gaikwad.

He added that from the epidemiological point of view, the rise in numbers can also indicate long-term benefits such as increase in
reporting of cases.

Though deformity cases have increased in number, 331 in 2011-2012 as compared to 281 cases in 2010-2011, the percentage has remained the samecompared to the total number at 1.8% of total leprosy cases.

Another important indication, say leprosy experts, is increase in child cases from 1,912 in 2010-2011 to 2,328 in 2011-2012.

“The rise in number of leprosy cases amongst children is an important indicator. While the state should be congratulated for maintaining if not lowering the number of deformity cases as it indicates people got early treatment, increase in number of child cases is grave,” said Dr Atul Shah, president, Indian Association of Leprologists.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

07.05.2012

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything

Malcolm X