DOC-TALK
Avoid smoke to fight asthma

Ludhiana, October 24
India has 15 to 20 million asthmatics. About 180,000 people across the world die of asthma every year. Over the past decade, there has been a 40 per cent rise in the number of children troubled by the disease.

Asthma is a condition that causes inflammation and obstruction of the airway. The muscles surrounding the air tubes of the lungs go into spasm, the mucous lining swells and secretions build up. Breathing becomes quite difficult. Lungs are the air pumping stations of our body which transfer atmospheric oxygen into our body and continue this process for breathing.

Asthma usually develops in childhood but may also begin later in life. Symptoms of asthma vary from time to time. During an attack, the person may make a wheezing or whistling sound while breathing, cough a great deal and spit out mucous.

Many things can trigger asthma, including allergens, such as dust, and pollen . In general, infections are the most common triggers of asthma. Other triggers include exercise; wood or cigarette smoke, changes in weather, cold or flu, chemical vapour from the household; analgesics, dyes, food preservatives and emotional stress.

Prevention and general remedies include avoiding things that cause these attacks.

Avoid smoke of all kinds. Stop smoking and avoid exposure to passive smoking. Avoid humid atmosphere. Work, travel and relax in smoke-free areas. Stay indoors when air pollution is high.

A person with this infection should avoid strong odour, fumes and perfume, fixed carpets, meat and oily and spicy food. Pets should not be kept in the bedroom at night. Over-the-counter cold and cough medicines should not be used, unless told to do so by a doctor. Asthmatics should not smoke in vehicles. Direct contact with grass, should be avoided.

Wash your pillow cases, bed covers and curtains regularly, preferably in hot water. Limit your anger and excitement. Close the windows at night since night air carries much pollen. Keep the storage area dry and clean.

Build up the strength of your lungs and airway. If you are feeling tight, stand or sit in a warm shower for 5 to10 minutes. Increase your fluid intake.

Asthmatics can take ayurvedic medicines. Asthma inhalants having steroids can increase the risk of glaucoma. This is a particular concern for adults. Use of Aspirin and Ibuprofen can cause severe reactions. These should be taken with caution.

Anil Dheer

Dental conference today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 24
The Indian Dental Association, Punjab state branch will organise the All-India Dental Students’ Conference at Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women (Gujjar Khan Complex), Model Town here from October 25 to 28.

Dr Bhagwant Singh, Chairman Organising Committee said the conference was an annual feature. This year two conferences were being held in the city. The conference will be inaugurated on October 25 by Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Health Minister, Punjab while Master Mohan Lal, Higher Education Minister, Punjab would be the chief patron of the Organising Committee. Dr J.S. Gujral, Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot will be the guest of honour, Dr U.S. Krishna Nayak, President, IDA (H.O.) and Dr V.M. Veerabahu, Secretary General, IDA (H.O.) will also attend the conference.

Dr Puneet Girdhar, state secretary, IDA, Punjab state branch said about 1000 students from more than 25 dental colleges all over the country would take part.

ADMINISTRATION

Is the admn geared up to deal with anthrax threat?
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 24
How much time does the district administration, the Health Department and the police require to respond to frantic calls made by a resident scared of a suspicious packet ? Well over two and a half hours if the experience of an NRI woman, presently living in Sarabha Nagar, who received one such suspicious packet last evening, was any indication?

While none of the six letters, suspected to be containing anthrax spores, have been tested positive. There is a general panic among the public over the anthrax scare. Due to the panic, residents make calls to the authorities concerned for speedy action. For these people each passing minute is important and the condition of one who had to wait for such a long time was quite imaginable.

Mrs Gurmeet Grewal, 60, received a packet from an unknown place. As she opened it she found some powder in the envelope which accidentally fell on her. The panic-stricken woman immediately took a bath. But as she felt some kind of itching on her hands, she rang up the Deputy Commissioner at his residence. The DC was not available. Operators attending the call told the woman to rang up the Sarabha Nagar police station and inform the Civil Surgeon.

The woman rang up the police station and the Civil Surgeon at 5.30 p.m. The police said they were coming immediately. The Civil Surgeon also said she was sending a team of doctors. However, by 7.45 p.m. none of them has reached her residence. The woman then rang up this correspondent and narrated her ordeal.

This correspondent rang up SP City-II Pramod Ban, who immediately sent a police team. When this correspondent talked to the woman after half an hour, she said a police as well as doctors’ team had come to her residence at about 8 p.m. The woman was shocked at the teams attitude as doctors and police personnel argued with each other over who would carry the packet. The doctors said it was the duty of the police, while the police refused to do so. The teams at one time even gave the packet back to the woman saying she could send it to a laboratory. However, later the police team relented and agreed to take the packet.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Rajinder Kaur, and the SSP, Mr H.S. Sidhu, were not available for comments. A senior police official said the woman should have rang up the special cells formed by the district administration to meet any such case. He insisted the police was not the main agency responsible for tackling the situation. It was the duty of the Civil Surgeon’s office or of the district administration. However, the woman said she called up some officials of the district administration who told her that it was the duty of the police.

The police official said the woman should have called up at telephone numbers (444610 or 100) of the special cell created for the purpose. The official said the numbers were published in all newspapers for the benefit of the residents.