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November 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Treating cancer the herbal way New Delhi, November 10 The Vedic Centre has identified different anti-cancer herbs and prepared formulations from their extracts. These herbal formulations attack the cancer cells without harming the normal cells of the body. Director of this centre, Dr S. P. Kaushal says, certain herbal formulations increase the immunity of the patients that helps them to fight the cancer more successfully. These herbal medicines can be taken along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Dr Kaushal further says that a great deal of pharmaceutical research done in the various technologically advanced countries like USA, Germany, France, Japan and China for analysing the active ingredients of anti-cancer herbs has considerably improved the quality of herbal medicines. The anti-cancer effect of a herb is due to its specific phytochemical and the complex synergistic interaction among its various constituents. “With the advance knowledge of molecular science and the refinement in isolation and structure elucidation techniques, we are now in a much better position to identify different anti-cancer herbs,” said Dr Kaushal. These herbs act by inhibiting the cancer-activating enzymes; by inducing the protective enzymes; by stimulating DNA-repair mechanisms and by their antioxidant effect. Scientists all over the world are seriously considering the use of herbal medicines to boost immune defences of the body against cancer. |
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BODY &
MIND DISCRIMINATION
and deep-seated biases against HIV positive persons rob them of the right to live with dignity. The disclosure of their HIV status attracts a ring of stigma and they are compelled to retire into a shell sans day-to-day interactions with neighbours, friends and even relatives. But, there are exceptions who know how to brave the humiliation and trauma with confidence and hold their head high. The day-to-day life of one such person has been documented by Anita Khemka. A Delhi-based documentary photographer, 29-year-old Anita was able to go ahead with her proposal with the help of the National Foundation For India (NFI) media fellowship. Through 19 communicative black and white frames displayed at the Visual Art Gallery at India Habitat Centre, Anita has tried to present a face to HIV/AIDS through Naveen Kumar's photographs. Naveen Kumar is the President of the Delhi Network of Positive People, a group of 30 HIV positive people who provide care and counselling to others affected by the disease. What makes this endeavour unusual is that most HIV positive persons are not open about their status and rarely agree to face the camera. “Documentation was tough and I had to wait for the right moment when Naveen was pre-occupied or concerned. When you meet Naveen, he does not come across as an HIV positive patient. He is energetic, cheerful and confident. But, I knew that there was something behind that exterior. It was not a facade but his way of coping with the situation. I started interacting with Naveen and his wife in
June. They were very touched by the fact that I did not start shooting right away. By and by, I found that they had a lot of courage,” Anita said. Anita has been working with UNAIDS for the last 18 months and has done a photo documentary of 50 frames on persons with HIV in Maharashtra, Manipur and Tamil Nadu. She has been invited to Geneva on the eve of the World AIDS Day (December 1) for a slide presentation on UNAIDS projects. Immunoboost for 40-plus Tsar Health Private Limited, a Gurgaon-based company committed to providing scientific solutions for healthcare, recently launched its globally patented and unique multi-nutrient formulation 'Immunoboost'. As the brand name suggests, the multi-nutrient comprising 11 vitamins and seven minerals is targeted at persons above 40 years of age. It is backed by 12 years of research directed by Dr Ranjit Kumar Chandra, Director of Immunology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada and visiting professor of John Hopkins University, the US. His research is motivated by his observation that ageing is associated with impaired immune responses and increased infection-related morbidity. Dr Chandra who has been nominated for Nobel Prize for Medicine thrice says that the use of Immunoboost is known to increase immunity, reduce infections and improve memory and other cognitive functions. The formulation is available in a capsule form only on prescription in Delhi and will be available in other metros in the next 12 months. According to Dr Chandra, the product has attracted inquiries from Australia and New Zealand. It was launched in Canada and the US three years ago. Spain figured as a third choice for the launch as Dr Chandra has a lot of research collaboration there. A former Senior Registrar at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Dr Chandra said that the product could not be launched earlier in India as sponsors were not available. Immunoboost is available in two packs 'Regular' of 60 capsules and 'Family' of 120 capsules and is priced at Rs 5 per capsule. The prescribed dose is two capsules in the morning. Abilympics from Nov 22 The Amarjyoti Charitable Trust, appointed as the co-ordinating agency for the National Abilympics Association of India (NAAI), is busy monitoring arrangements for the three-day regional ‘Abilympics’ scheduled to begin at Talkatora Stadium here on November 22. The event known as the ‘olympics of abilities’ comprises contests of vocational skills. Supported by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Social Justice and Empowerment, it will be inaugurated by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi. According to Dr Uma Tuli, secretary general of the NAAI and founder and managing secretary of the Amarjyoti Charitable Trust, about 3,200 children have registered themselves for participation at all the regional Abilympics. Over 600 children will be selected for the National Abilympics scheduled to take place in November 2002. Of these, 100 will be selected for participation in the Sixth International Abilymlpics being hosted by India in November, 2003. Dr Tuli said that the trust's bid for hosting the International Abilympics was accepted at the IAF Assembly in the Czech Republic last August. She said that gold, bronze and silver medals will be awarded to the winners in 45 events, including vocational skills, technology and leisure, and living skill contest (for those above 15 years) and events for children (between 8 and 15 years). The events comprise contests in cane technology, silk hand painting, ceramics, jewellery making, wood carving, painting (water colours and oil), tie and dye, computer programming, chess, water reuse, crochet, hand knitting, embroidery, jigsaw puzzle, origami, modelling with plasticine and cartooning. The Delhi Chief Minister will give special awards to children with exceptional performance. As per the schedule, the regional Abilympics in the south (Chennai) and east (Kolkata) are over. While Delhi is hosting the regional Abilympics for the central and northern region, Ahmedabad will host the same for the west in November end. The NAAI has invited disabled children through the help of NGOs working in the field. The registration fee is Rs 50. Infant feeding The Voluntary Organisation in the Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE) and Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) recently conducted a three-day training workshop on infant feeding and safety related issues. The workshop was supported by Codex Co-ordinating Committee and WEMOS, a Netherlands-based non-government organisation. The focus of the workshop was to train participants from Asian countries on infant food and safety issues and its relationship with the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes, codex structure, mechanism and process. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the international body for food standards. The BPNI national co-ordinator and member of the National Breastfeeding Committee, Dr Arun Gupta, said, “The objective of the workshop was also to educate the participants on the steps leading to the standards laid down from time to time by Codex Alimentarius Commission headquartered in Rome." He said that participants also suggested adherence to the World Health Assembly resolution 54.2 adopted in May this year which recommends exclusive breast feeding for six months and ensure that cereal-based infant foods world wide carry labels prescribing use after six months. The workshop was attended by consumer activists and members of International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) from 12 countries Apollo’s life support kit Concerned by the rising number of accidents on Delhi’s killer roads, Indraprsatha Apollo has designed an emergency basic life support kit to serve as comprehenisve first aid for accident victims. The kit is priced at Rs price Rs 5,000. Apart from this, the hospital
is also offering a four-hour certificate training course trageted at students, corporate houses and tourists. So far, over 20 corporates and two schools have been trained by senior consultanst from the emergency an trauma unit of the hospital. The course is being
offered free of cost to corporates and schools. Tourists can enroll themselves for the programme by paying a fee of Rs 500. |
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Acknowledging
the Unani legacy India is now the only country in the world to have the most organised network of educational health care and research institutions in this system of medicine, if a catalogue issued by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine is to be believed. The Unani system of medicine owes, as its name suggests, its origin to Greece. The theoretical framework of Unani medicine is based on the teachings of Hippocrates. After Hippocrates a number of other Greek scholars enriched the system considerably. Of them, Galen (131-210 AD) stands out as the one who stabilised the foundation on which Arab and Persian physicians like Rhazes (851-925 AD) and Avicenna (980-1037 AD) constructed an imposing edifice. In India, the Arabs introduced the Unani system of medicine and soon it took firm roots in the soil. The Delhi Sultans, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs and the Mughal Emperors provided state patronage to the scholars and even enrolled some as state employees and court physicians. The system found immediate favour with the masses and soon spread all over the country. During the British rule Unani medicine suffered a setback due to withdrawal of state patronage, but continued to be practised as the masses reposed faith in the system. An outstanding physician and scholar of Unani medicine, Hakim Ajmal Khan (1868-1927), championed the cause of the system in
India. After Independence of India, the Unani system was recognised as one of the Indian systems of medicine and steps were taken to develop and propagate this system. |
Hemant – a chess prodigy in the making New Delhi, November 10 Chess coaching is a costly business, yet many parents are willing to loosen their purse strings to help their children master the intricacies of the 64-square sport. Nine-year-old Hemant Sharma is a player with immense potential and within a short span he has carved out a definite niche for himself in the chess firmament. A member of the All-India Chess Association (AICA), Hemant, born on July 3, 1992, has already won 30 tournaments in and around Delhi. One of his major achievements was the fourth place finish in the Piloo Mody International Chess Tournament held in Lucknow from October 19 to 25. In this tournament, he held Kazi Afzal, a rated player from Bangladesh, to a draw. Hemant, a Class IV student of Ramjas Nursery Primary School, Daryaganj, has been selected by the Delhi Chess Association for the Under-9 National Chess Championship to be held in Chennai from December 22 to 31 and the Under-19 National Chess Championship to be held in Goa in the last week of January 2002. The selection trials were held at Zakir Hussain College, New Delhi, on November 3 and 4. An attacking player, who excels in rapid and lightning chess, Hemant Sharma is a player with a lot of promise, who has the talent to scale dizzy heights with the right kind of coaching. Veteran players and coaches K. C. Joshi and G. B. Joshi have imparted training to Hemant who, they feel, is a player with a great future. V. S. Negi, an international-rated player, is the present coach of Hemant. Most parents cannot afford a decent chess coach, as good coaches cost good money, between Rs 2500 and Rs 3000, per month. But Hemant's father Naresh Kumar Sharma, who himself is a chess player, and who was the inspiration for young Hemant taking a fancy for chess, is doing what he can to provide decent coaching facilities to his son. Hemant's elder brother, Jairoop Sharma, is also a good player but not as good as Hemant. Chess experts feel that if Hemant is given the right kind of coaching and competitive exposure the boy has the talent and aptitude to make a name for himself in shatranj though the chess of now is a far cry from the shatranj of yore. |
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Delhi thrash UP, Bengal outwit Sikh Regiment New Delhi, November 10 Earlier, the newly-laid Astro-turf and the electronic scoreboard were inaugurated by New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) chairman Subhash Sharma. A colourful cultural programme by students of NDMC schools was the highlight of the opening ceremony. In a closely-contested first match, Bengal XI, helped by the tribal boys, Poulous Soi and Anil Ekka,
managed to outwit Sikh Regimental Centre, which looked a pale shadow of their formidable self of yore. Poulous Soi put Bengal in the lead in the fifth minute with a brilliant field goal. The lead was neutralised by Palwinder Singh in the 23rd minute. This too was a field goal. After sharing the spoils at half time, both the teams went for the equaliser on resumption. The Bengal boys, with their piercing attacks, put the SRC citadel under tremendous pressure. The inevitable happened in the 45th minute when Anil Ekka hit home the match-winner with a clean shot. In the second match, hosts Delhi were shaken out of their lethary when Sanjay struck home a field goal in the ninth minute to put UP in the lead. And before the din could die down, UP scored the second goal, through Harender, who converted a penalty corner, in the 12th minute. Delhi had to sweat it out for the next 17 minutes before they came near scoring, and the resultant penalty corner was blasted in by Sodhi. Buoyed by the success, Delhi mounted a series of quick raids, and the second goal followed quickly, when Prabhakar pulled off the equaliser in the 29th minute with a field goal. After sharing four goals at the end of the first half, both the teams fought tooth and nail on resumption to get the match-winner, which eventually materialised in the 55th minute when Navbir scored a field goal. Sunday's fixtures: Bombay XI vs BEG and Centre, Roorkee(11.30 a m); CRPF vs Bengal XI (1.30 p m); UP XI vs Corps of Signals (3-15 p m)–Shivaji Stadium. |
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Two Nepal teams for
Subroto soccer cup New Delhi, November 10 The month-long tournament, to be organised by the Indian Air Force, has attracted 34 teams in
the junior category and 24 in the sub-junior category. Sqn Ldr S Bhatnagar, secretary-general of the tournament committee, said the prize money this year has been hiked to Rs 80,000 in the junior category, and Rs 50,000 in the sub-junior category. "The prize money for this year's tournament has been increased in an effort to encourage the young football players in the country", Sqn Ldr Bhatnagar explained. He said the winners of the junior title will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 50,000 while the runners-up will get Rs 30,000. The winners of the sub-junior title will pocket Rs 30,000 while the runners-up will be awarded Rs 20,000. The tournament will kick off with a match between defending champions Rangadih High School, Purulia and Sanjay Public School, Chandigarh on November 17. Two teams from Nepal will also play in the tournament to give foreign touch to the contests. Sqn Ldr Bhatnagar said that stringent age verification will be done to detect over-aged players and those found cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. The purpose of the Subroto Cup was to unearth and nurture the talent at the junior level, he added. Though junior football in India is doing fine, and the talent is as good as the best in Asia, it has not percolated down to the senior level due to lack of patronage and sponsorship support. He said the Indian Air Force was planning to set up a soccer academy to train promising soccer talent in the country. "Such a plan is on the cards, but it depends on the response from the players and sponsors", Bhatnagar observed. |
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Delhi boy for under-16
soccer camp New Delhi, November 10 Pandey will report to chief coach Islam Akhamedov at the Sports Authority of India Centre (South),
Kangiri, Bangalore University campus, according to Delhi Soccer Association joint-secretary N K Bhatia. |
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THE world owes a great deal to Greek philosopher-physician Hippocrates (460-377 BC) for freeing the Unani system of medicine from the realm of superstition and magic and giving it the status of science.