Friday, January 21, 2011

USAGE OF TURMERIC (-HALDI- ) -TO BE REDUCED- A REPORT

Here is an exchange of emails from a member of sss-global and the IISc researcher on the abuse of Haldi powder and her clarifications. The press report is towards the end. My enquiry and researcher's reply are given just below here. All of us must thank Dr Dipshika 
for her quick response.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <dipa@mcbl.iisc.ernet.in>
Date: Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:14 AM
Subject: Re: Fwd: [sss-global] USAGE OF TURMERIC (-HALDI- ) -TO BE REDUCED- A REPORT
To: Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy <vyasamoorthy@gmail.com>


Dear Sir,

It is indeed a pleasure to interact with a group of senior citizens.

I will make you understand in very simple language.

Turmeric, known as Haldi is consumed daily by us. The amount which we use
in our house is just a pinch and that is no problem at all.
Haldi contains a component called Curcumin. This component has
anti-inflammatory effect, that means it can reduce the swelling of throat,
reduce the joint pain ect. Now in a way Curcumin has immunosuppresive
effect. Now if you consume haldi is large amount or you take turmeric
pills (these tablets are marketed by ayurvedic companies), these pills can
induce suppression of your immune system. if your immune system is
suppressed, you can suffer from infections very easily. Hence, a pinch is
fine, not more that than. 

During any infection, stop consuming haldi altogether. after the infection
is cleared start again.

That is the reason during sore throat we drink milk with haldi, that
actually only reduces the swelling, but not the infection. Infection
should be cured, then all its related symptoms will get cured.

Don't have any fear in mind. continue eating a pinch of haldi what your
wives are putting in curries but don't do more than that!

pl. contact me for any further clarifications

Regards
Dipshikha

Dipshikha Chakravortty, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology and Center for Infectious disease
Indian Institute of Science
CV Raman Avenue
Bangalore 560 012
India
Tel:  0091 80 2293 2842
Fax:  0091 80 2360 2697
Web page:- mcbl.iisc.ernet.in
 
===============
> Dear Madam
>
> I request you to kindly give me a summary of your research on turmeric and
> bacterial infection in simple plain English: What precautions should a
> layman take against excessive use of turmeric, when and why?
>
> We are a group of 600 senior citizens and do not want to be scarred by
> media  hype or misinformation.
>
>
> Your reference:
>
> http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0011511
>
> Regards
>
> Dr P Vyasamoorthy
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Raghavendra Rao Venkatasubbarao <vrvrao45@gmail.com>
> Date: Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 8:01 AM
> Subject: [sss-global] USAGE OF TURMERIC (-HALDI- ) -TO BE REDUCED- A
> REPORT
> To: sss-global@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>
> *In a path-breaking study which may well make Indians think twice before
> using turmeric (haldi) in their dishes, researchers from Indian Institute
> of  Science's (IISc) Microbiology & Cell Biology Laboratory (MCBL) have found
> that turmeric actually boosts salmonella bacteria and worsens stomach
> infection.  Turmeric, an antiseptic, is considered a cure for all internal and
> external infections. But the study blames curcumin, the main biologically active
> agent in turmeric that gives it its yellow colour, for worsening
> infections  caused by salmonella bacteria.
> Salmonella infection—called salmonellosis—is common in India due to
> consumption of raw, undercooked, or unclean poultry or meat, cut fruits
> and  vegetables. Cooks also transmit salmonella to food if they do not wash
> their  hands after excretion.
> "Although curcumin protects against cancer and H pylori infections it
> should be consumed with caution during salmonella infections," say MCBL
> researchers in a paper. Rampant consumption of turmeric leads to a problem. For
> instance, the Helicobacter (H) pylori bacteria cause low-level
> inflammation  of the stomach lining and are linked to gastric ulcers and stomach cancer.
> Turmeric is used as the traditional grandma's cures; but without knowing
> that salmonella, too, expresses similar symptoms, resulting in worsening
> the condition rather then curing it. Symptoms of salmonellosis include
> diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps, and vomiting –
>
> V.RAGHAVENDRARAO,*
> *18/301, P.M. P. APARTMENTS,*
> *MTP ROAD,THUDIAYALUR POST,*
> *COIMBATORE.641034.*
> *91 9442206327 AND  919171023799*


-

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

MOBILE REMITTANCE NOW IN INDIA - compilation of some news items

Mobile remittance comes to India

I was so fascinated by this latest development (only recently I was lamenting that there must be some simple mechansm of making payments (say for instance our directory purchase OR sss-global meeting charges) that I have made a compilation of news items on this mobile remittance. Only aspect on which I could not get any info: Safety and security of such transactions. Minor duplications of news could not be avoided. PVM


============
The prescribed limits are Rs50,000 per day for end-to-end encrypted transactions and Rs1,000 per day for unencrypted transactions. At present, the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Union Bank of India, Yes Bank and Bank of India
The NPCI has asked banks not to levy any charges to the customers till March 2011 for the service. The NPCI too is not charging banks for offering the IMPS facility to people.

After March 2011, the NPCI will charge banks 25 paise per transaction. At present, customers will only have to pay the nominal charge levied by the telecom service provider for using GPRS to facilitate the transaction.

Using the facility is simple. All one needs is the mobile number of the vendor apart from the seven-digit mobile money identifier (MMID). The MMID is a unique number assigned by the bank for each account linked to any cellphone number. Money can be transferred to the vendor's account within seconds and the customer will get a confirmation immediately after.

==
Mobile remittance now in India
22 November 2010
press trust of india
MUMBAI, 22 NOV: India today moved a step closer to making mobiles virtual wallets by launching services that allow seamless and real-time fund transfer from one person's bank account to another through cellphones. 
Mobile remittance services, which have done wonders in other emerging market economies such as Kenya and the Philippines, are expected to change the retail payment landscape in the country that has over 600 million mobile subscribers and 300 million bank account holders. 
The Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS), which currently has seven banks including the largest lender SBI on board, was launched by the Reserve Bank Deputy Governor, Ms Shyamala Gopinath. 
She said the service has the potential not only to change the retail payment landscape in India but also help push financial inclusion, on the back of high mobile penetration. 
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), promoted by 10 banks, will act as the settlement agency between banks and deliver the back-end support to the system. 
"This is the first-of-its-kind system in the country and the real power would be when it starts delivering in the rural areas," NPCI's chief executive, Mr AP Hota, told reporters. 
To avail of the service, an account holder will have to get mobile money ID (MMID) from the bank. MMID will be his ID for all mobile commerce transactions. 
The banks will install special application on the mobile phone from where the remitting will be done. 
Once the process is complete, the bank account holder can remit money to anyone, provided he has the receiver's MMID and mobile phone number. 
In case of a low-end phone, where the application cannot be installed, money can be transferred through SMS. 
Initially, the service will be free for the account holder with banks bearing the cost of 25 paise per transaction. 
In case of SMS-based remittance, the user will be charged Rs 2 per SMS, which NPCI is trying to get waived by talking to mobile phone operators, an NPCI official said. 
Currently, the Reserve Bank regulations cap the maximum amount to be remitted through mobiles at Rs 50,000 a day. 
Ms Gopinath said the launch of such a service will help in financial inclusion because of the success of mobile telephony in the country. 
She said stakeholders in the scheme ~ banks, merchants and mobile phone companies ~ should work together for greater integration to help reduce the use of cash and encourage the use of "mobile wallets". 
Ms Gopinath said, the RBI is encouraging the bank-led model for m-commerce, which allows the whole gamut of services such as deposits, withdrawals and remittances rather than the less secure non-bank led model.
-- ---
SBI has already registered 8.5 lakh cutomers uunder this system while ICICI has got 4 lakh people registered, Hota said.
===
Paying bills through mobile banking just became easier. The National Payments Corporation Of India, which oversees and facilitates all retail payments and settlements, has taken the next big step in customer-friendly banking. It has launched a service providing interbank mobile transfer facility. So far, a customer of one bank could transfer money only to accounts of the same bank. To ensure safety, only customers registered with their bank can avail of this service. Currently, seven banks have launched the scheme.
Shyamala Gopinath, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), said, "We have permitted about 40 banks to offer mobile payments to their customers. The IMPS has the potential to change retail payment scenario in the country."

Seven other banks are in the process of going live with the service and some 20 banks are at an early stage of adopting IMPS, said AP Hota, managing director and chief executive, NPCI.

In India, there are more than 60 crore mobile phone subscribers, but there are less than 20 crore 'active' bank accounts. Although on record there are about 31 crore savings bank accounts, many of them are either multiple accounts or they are not operational. IMPS could help revive these accounts.
Transactions up to Rs1,000 a day can be facilitated by banks without end-to-end encryption.

================

On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 6:01 AM, Raghavendra Rao Venkatasubbarao <vrvrao45@gmail.com> wrote:



Mobile remittance now in India

22 November 2010

press trust of india
MUMBAI, 22 NOV: India today moved a step closer to making mobiles virtual wallets by launching services that allow seamless and real-time fund transfer from one person's bank account to another through cellphones. 
Mobile remittance services, which have done wonders in other emerging market economies such as Kenya and the Philippines, are expected to change the retail payment landscape in the country that has over 600 million mobile subscribers and 300 million bank account holders. 
The Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS), which currently has seven banks including the largest lender SBI on board, was launched by the Reserve Bank Deputy Governor, Ms Shyamala Gopinath. 
She said the service has the potential not only to change the retail payment landscape in India but also help push financial inclusion, on the back of high mobile penetration. 
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), promoted by 10 banks, will act as the settlement agency between banks and deliver the back-end support to the system. 
"This is the first-of-its-kind system in the country and the real power would be when it starts delivering in the rural areas," NPCI's chief executive, Mr AP Hota, told reporters. 
To avail of the service, an account holder will have to get mobile money ID (MMID) from the bank. MMID will be his ID for all mobile commerce transactions. 
The banks will install special application on the mobile phone from where the remitting will be done. 
Once the process is complete, the bank account holder can remit money to anyone, provided he has the receiver's MMID and mobile phone number. 
In case of a low-end phone, where the application cannot be installed, money can be transferred through SMS. 
Initially, the service will be free for the account holder with banks bearing the cost of 25 paise per transaction. 
In case of SMS-based remittance, the user will be charged Rs 2 per SMS, which NPCI is trying to get waived by talking to mobile phone operators, an NPCI official said. 
Currently, the Reserve Bank regulations cap the maximum amount to be remitted through mobiles at Rs 50,000 a day. 
Ms Gopinath said the launch of such a service will help in financial inclusion because of the success of mobile telephony in the country. 
She said stakeholders in the scheme ~ banks, merchants and mobile phone companies ~ should work together for greater integration to help reduce the use of cash and encourage the use of "mobile wallets". 
Ms Gopinath said, the RBI is encouraging the bank-led model for m-commerce, which allows the whole gamut of services such as deposits, withdrawals and remittances rather than the less secure non-bank led model.

--
V Raghavendra Rao
16-09, Scott Sentral Condominium,
Jalan Scott,
Brickfields,
Kuala Lumpur 50470
Malaysia
==============

Monday, January 3, 2011

Vishranthi Charitable Trust bags award (Savithri Vaithi)

(Ms Savithri Vaithi is well known for her charitable activities
towards destitute older women in TN)

Vishranthi Charitable Trust bags award

Express News Service
First Published : 02 Jan 2011 04:16:01 AM IST
Last Updated : 02 Jan 2011 08:58:17 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Vishranthi Charitable Trust on Saturday received the
Hamsdhwani R Ramachandran Award of Excellence from Gopalakrishna
Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal.

Savithri Vaithi, founder and chairperson of Vishranthi, an old age
home, received the award.

The occasion was organised since 2008 to mark the birth anniversary of
R Ramachandran, who was a journalist and had a brief stint in the
Indian Express, followed by The Hindu. He retired from The Hindu as a
chief sub-editor. After his retirement, he joined the cultural wing of
Exnora.

R Ramachandran passed away in 2007.  The first recipient of the award
was N Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, followed by the Amar Seva
Sangam and the Voluntary Health Services Hospital.  This year, the
Vishranthi Trust has been awarded `15,000, for their services to old
women, deserted by their children.

According to the treasurer Natrajan Ramakrishnan, the Trust gives
individual care and attention to old women, and makes their life
better by serving all their needs. R.K.Raghavan, Former Director, CBI,
was present for the occasion.
============
http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/vishranthi-charitable-trust-bags-award/236178.html
Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph
040-27846631 / 9490804278.
My blog: http://vyasa-kaaranam-ketkadey.blogspot.com/

Saturday, January 1, 2011

MAKING OLD AGE WORTH LIVING

Here is a forward from Sri Raghavendra Rao. I like this article for many reasons. It describes a number of diagnostic tests a senior citizens may undergo to prevent health problems. Useful statics on Ageing Population in India are given in Box. Importance of timely screening efforts are highlighted. The author is a competent GEriatrician who has set uo three healthcare institutions in tricities.

Now read on --------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Raghavendra Rao Venkatasubbarao <vrvrao45@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 1, 2011 at 7:22 AM
Subject: [sss-global] MAKING OLD AGE WORTH LIVING
To: sss-global@yahoogroups.com

Making old age worth living
Brig M.L. Kataria (retd)

One can live a full span of life with proper eating and drinking, clean actions and pious and tranquil thinking

MORE than 2500 years ago, deeply grieved at the sight of disease, old age and death, Gautama, a young prince, renounced his palace, a pretty princess and a sweet son, to discover the cause and cure for these three inevitable states of life. For 12 long years he roamed around in forests and hills, and deeply meditated. The enlightened Buddha discovered 'Karma' as the cause, and an eight-fold middle path of divine lifestyle as a cure to attain 'Nirvana', and emancipation of the soul from the ailing body, to prevent a millennium of rebirths.

But what about the ailing body?

From the ancient period till modern times, medical scientists have also been struggling to find out the cause and prevention of disease, how to deal with the agonies of old age, and how to keep death at bay, to enjoy 100 conformable years of life, as promised and prescribed in all holy scriptures. Long strides of success have been achieved, and new paths of progress are being discovered year after year. Some of these, which make old age worth living, are highlighted here.

FACTSHEET

  • India has more than 76 million people above the age of 60
  • Today, India is home to one out of every 10 senior citizens of the world
  • Their number is expected to swell to nearly 200 million by 2030 and 326 million in 2050
  • There is virtually no social security net for them from the government's side
  • Of the elderly in India, 3.7 million live with dementia, each spending Rs 43,000 per annum on medical care
  • Dementia mainly affects older people, although about 2 per cent of cases start before the age of 65
  • After the age of 65, the prevalence doubles every five years with over a third of all people above 90 years being affected
  • Senior citizens face three serious problems: poverty, loneliness and disease

Abandoned

According to a survey conducted by the Agewell Research and Advocacy Centre conducted earlier this year, 22.01 per cent of elderly persons in the urban areas said they had no say in their family matters. In rural areas, 17.36 per cent felt the same way. In rural areas 22.68 per cent were helping their families and societies by giving general guidance or direction.

Old age is a syndrome of several ailments, creeping in individually, but multiplying into many with every decade after 60 years of life. Most notorious of these maladies are hypertension, ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, cataract, glaucoma, retinal degeneration, osteoarthritis, prostate hypertrophy, diabetes mellitus and its complications, loss of memory, tremors, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke with loss of motor power of limbs and speech. In women there are cervical and breast cancers, obesity and hirsuitism due to hormonal imbalance, senile and fungal vaginitis, osteoporosis, uricaemia etc.

Pessimistically, in all our geriatric health care centres, we find that every senior citizen has three to six of the ailments mentioned above, depending on his/her age, but optimistically these are preventable, curable or manageable to ensure a conformable, mobile and physically non-dependent and self-managed old age, well into the eighties and nineties.

Buddha's eight-fold middle path of life, which broadly advocates clean eating and drinking, clean actions and pious and tranquil thinking, are very relevant for preventive do's and don'ts for geriatric good health. Modern lifestyle of haste and hurry, defective fast-food eating and so-called social drinking are responsible for hypertension, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes with all its complications.

Awareness, early detection and timely curative measures are imperative steps to nip the evil in the bud. Geriatric health care centres for every 500 enrolled senior citizens, run by state of NGOs, should play a vital role for upkeep of geriatric health care.

Every senior citizen must get a bi-annual lipidgram done. Serum cholesterol must remain below 200mg%, Triglycerides below 15 mg%, High density Lipids above 40 mg%, Low Density Lipids below 150mg%. control of diet and weight must be regulated accordingly under medical advice.

Similarly, a bi-annual electro-cardiogram — and where necessary a treadmill and Holter's tests — shall depict ample assessment of cardiac functioning. When indicated, angiography, angioplasty and stent insertion, which now are routine procedures, must be done immediately when advised. Why wait for a heart attack?

To suffer from high blood pressure, leading to strokes and heart attacks in modern times is an inexcusable lapse. There are very effective drugs, such as beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzymes inhibitors and sleeted diuretics to keep the blood pressure within the accepted range of 120/80 mm Hg.

One can live a full span of life with a controlled diabetes-preventing ocular, cardio-vascular and kidney complications, by a well adjusted diet, exercise and drug regime. A monthly blood sugar assessment should remain around 100 mg% fasting and about 130-140 mg% post parindial level.

Besides injectable and oral spray insulins, a plethora of oral drugs for diabetes, like Metformins, Glybenclamides, Gliclazide, Glimpride are available and their use singly or in combination under medical advice can effectively control 24-hour blood sugar profile.

Foldable intra-ocular lens insertion through a button-hole incision has revolutionised the cataract surgery, permitting the patient to go home after a few hours and to work after 3-4 days. Laser and photo dynamic therapy and intro-ocular injections for retinal degeneration, though expensive, go a long way towards arresting the degenerative process. Gradual and painless loss of vision due to the rise of ocular tension (glaucoma) in elders discovered on routine examinations is easily controllable with Latanoprost, singly or in combination with Timolol eye drops, if discovered in time.

Herbal glucosamines, glucontinin and intra-articular steroid injections with physiotherapy not only arrest the osteo-arthritic pains but also control the deteriorating osteo-arthritic process, necessitating joint replacement.

For insomnia, most elderly resort to increasing doses of Alprazolems. These are not only habit forming but, also lead to degenerative changes in the brain with prolonged use.

Frequency of micturition, particularly at night, retention and dribbling of urine, may be due to enlarged prostate gland. Per urethral partial resection of only the enlarged part of the gland has considerably simplified the surgical cure of this very common problem. An annual prostatic specific antigen test in elderly men and a cervical smear test and mammo-graphy in women to detect any malignant changes is necessary, to ensure a timely cancer cure.

Fractures of bones due to trivial slips, falls and injuries, sometimes spontaneous fractures, particularly in women, and nightly bone pains, are due to gradually depleting calcium and osteoporosis. An annual accurate assessment of osteoporosis with a bone-density-meter is necessary and severe cases should preferably, be dealt with by an orthopaedician.

Due to sluggish digestion assimilation of essential vitamins and minerals from natural amount of food is reduced. Therefore, supplements as daily doses of calcium with Vit D3 500-1000 mg, Vit 'E' 200mg/day, along with daily diet may be required in most cases.

All the drugs mentioned above have on-the-counter availability with chemists without a medical prescription. Therefore, many a time, educated elders are inclined to self-medication, which has proved to be dangerous in several cases.

Although, our economy is improving every year, yet health care in India has a low priority, and geriatric health care still lower. India has seven crore elders, maximum in the world, and this number will increase by 1-2% at every census. In view of rapid changes in our social and family setup, both in urban and rural population, we need an old age home and elders nursing home in every city, town and a group of 3-5 villages. The state should encourage NGOs and private sector to undertake this responsibility.

Dr (Brig) Kataria (retd) is a pioneer in geriatrics health care and has established five senior citizen health care centres in the tricity, besides several rural health centres. 
Top


--
V.RAGHAVENDRARAO,
18/301, P.M. P. APARTMENTS,
MTP ROAD,THUDIAYALUR POST,
COIMBATORE.641034.
91 9442206327 AND  919171023799



__._,_.___


Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___