5 August, 2013

Avoid fruits during fasts say doctors

The ongoing holy month of Ramzan and upcoming Shravan month have increased the demand for fruits in the market. To curb the rising demand, farmers are injecting fruits with chemicals to help them ripen fast and reach the market at the earliest. People have been complaining of vomiting, diarrhoea, dryness in the mouth and stomach ache.

‘Fruits that are on demand are water melons, papayas and pineapples. Though seasonal, they are available in the market throughout the year. This clearly means that they are artificially ripened through chemical injections. But due to rains, the fruit gets spoiled, and one’s chance of falling sick increases,’ says a fruit wholesaler.

The doctors agree that the effects of such fruits can be bad. ‘More than 30 patients visit me daily, complaining of vomiting, diarrhoea, dryness in the mouth and giddiness. When we ask them what they ate, they tell us they were fasting the whole day and ate some fruits later. People should buy quality fruits, and avoid non-seasonal fruits. Date is the only fruit which is good and has lots of vitamins,’ says Dr Shafique Ahmed, vice president, Kausa Mumbra Doctor Association.

Rehima Shaikh, a resident, says, ‘Earlier, we used to bring fruits for Iftar. But we realised that water melon and papaya are unseasonal and spoil during rainy season. Now we have stopped buying fruits, and make snacks at home instead.’

Source: http://health.india.com

05.08.2013

Pakistani youth can run again, courtesy Delhi hospital

Yasin Anjum Rafi, a 22-year-old soccer enthusiast from Lahore in Pakistan, will now be able to run again, thanks to a Delhi hospital which performed a knee ligament surgery on the youth. Rafi, who is the 22nd member of his family to undergo an orthopaedic surgery at an Indian hospital, was operated upon at Delhi’s Apollo Hospital Tuesday. Twenty-one other members of his family have undergone either knee or hip replacement here earlier. ‘Rafi’s 77-year-old grandmother, brother, brother-in-law, aunt and several other members of his extended family have undergone hip or knee replacements in Apollo Hospital. So far, 22 members of his family have undergone surgeries,’ Rajeev K. Sharma, senior orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon, Apollo Hospital, said.

Most of Rafi’s family members are hockey and soccer enthusiasts. ‘Young sports persons often suffer from ligament fracture. In Rafi’s case, he continued to play even after a ligament tear until one of his knees was swollen and he could hardly run. He required immediate surgery,’ Sharma added.

Thanking Indian doctors for the surgery, Asma Anjum, Rafi’s mother said many Pakistanis who wish to come to India for health-related issues face visa hassles. ‘Many times, we don’t get visa when we want to come to India in an emergency. Many from our country (Pakistan) would like to get treated here, especially for joints-related problems. Expert doctors are available in hospitals here,’ she said.

Sharma said that he performs about 100 surgeries on Pakistani patients a year, which can be increased substantially if visa issues are solved. ‘Unlike other patients from Afghanistan or Bangladesh, the visa issues are faced more by those coming from Pakistan,’ Sharma said.

Source: http://health.india.com

05.08.2013

Knowing is not enough, we must apply; willing is not enough, we must do

Goethe