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| HEALTH TRIBUNE | Wednesday, April 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Cancer lies in fear of fear Facial hair in women AYURVEDA & TOTAL HEALTH HOMOEO TIPS |
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Cancer lies in fear of fear
The diagnosis of cancer, when announced,
gives quite a frightening experience which people react to in
different ways. Some totally reject it and say: "How can it happen
to me? I am in such good health, and nobody in our family ever had
it!" Others go into depression, as if the death sentence has been
passed. While still others seek a second opinion and, if that also
confirms the diagnosis, set about making arrangements for the
treatment. In my medical practice of nearly 50 years, I have come
across countless individuals who have handled the situation in a
composed and competent way. What follows is information that should be
valuable to a patient with recently diagnosed cancer and is expected
to enable him to handle the turbulence in his mind and in the minds of
other members of the family in such a way as to promote the best
chances of recovery of the patient with the least disturbance of the
daily life of the family unit as a whole. The fear reaction that
cancer generates is due either to the fear of pain or to that of
imminent death. For the control of pain very effective remedies are
now available, and no cancer patient is allowed to suffer pain.
Regarding the fear of death, one has to understand that the speed of
the spread of cancer is dependent upon its inherent nature and the
stage at which it has been diagnosed. If the diagnosis is made at an
early stage and the cancer is responsive to treatment, a majority of
the cases are completely curable. The second important factor in the
outcome of a case of cancer is its nature. Here again, only a small
number of cancer types are rapidly progressive. A large number may not
affect the quality of life of a person for several years. Here then
there is a case for an optimistic outlook. Why think of the worst case
scenario? Why not tell yourself in the words of Iqbal: Giri ho jis
jagah bijli woh tera ashian kyon ho? If one understands the
foregoing facts, one need not be haunted by the possibility of an
imminent disaster and can start living life in one's normal way, with
the hope of a cure and faith in the modern techniques of medicine,
which offer the best possibility of controlling the disease. One must
have the desire to live and that comes from shedding the idea of
hopelessness of the situation. Life is beautiful. There is so much of
love, friendship, companionship, laughter and music to enjoy. Why not
get down to enjoying these rather than purposelessly brood on why it
happened? "What did I do to deserve it?" Iassure you that
cancer is not the result of any punishment by God for an imaginary or
real sin you might have committed. It is simply the normal process of
cell growth gone out of control and your sins cannot have contributed
to it! The next important step is to find out a medical centre
nearest to your place of residence where modern treatment facilities
are available. Start the treatment and persist till the entire course
is completed. Half-hearted treatment only leads to early
recurrence. I am not aware of any indigenous method of treatment
which has stood the test of a scientifically conducted controlled
trial. So, one should not be misled by tall promises howsoever well
advertised or spread by word of mouth: our friends, though they wish
us well, are often not the best sources of information and may be
susceptible to their own biases as well as misinformation. Surgery,
chemotherapy and radiotherapy — the three modes of modern treatment
— are bound to produce side-effects for a day or two. These need not
disturb us too much as, after the course of treatment is completed,
several months of quiescence of disease follow during which period the
patient is completely symptom-free. An optimistic and a hopeful
outlook should be maintained at all times. New drugs which are more
effective and produce fewer side-effects are being discovered every
year. The technology for radiotherapy is improving
simultaneously. Join a support group for your disease. You will
realise that you are not alone. On the contrary, you will meet
numerous other persons who have adjusted with their situation and are
going about life in the normal lane. I have found that the generosity
of spirit, the warmth of relationships and ample praise for whatever
little anyone has done for you will encourage others to be involved
with you. The more you love the people around you, the more love you
will receive. If you withdraw into yourself, people shall ignore
you! It is good to be usefully engaged in something. This is done by
having a programme for the whole day — and following it religiously.
This would differ with different people according to their
preferences. Withdrawal from your business or vacation should be
gradual and not sudden, thus giving a chance your understudy to be
prepared for taking over your job. Besides those who are usefully
employed, do not have time to brood or go into depression. In your
daily programme try to include some time for prayer. More things are
wrought by prayer than this world dreams of, says a poet. It is true
that prayers and potions make a powerful combination for recovery.
Just as in a war two important elements for victory are the armaments
and the morale of the soldier, in the fight against a chronic disease,
these two elements are of paramount importance. Prayer will give you
mental peace as well as strength to face the difficulties inherent in
your situation with hope and faith! One of the important tasks that
you should undertake is to prepare your will and get it registered.
Your children and spouse will hesitate to speak to you about this
matter, lest they should be misunderstood, but you can save your
family a lot of financial difficulties if your will is clearly laid
out and duly registered. One word of advice while we are on this
subject is to try to be fair to all your children — even those who
have not been very obedient and caring, as otherwise you shall leave
seeds of permanent discord in your family. You may not reveal the
content of your will and entrust it to a friend, a lawyer or a
trustworthy relative. Also record all your assets and liabilities in a
diary and put it in your locker, so that your hard-earned money can be
safely utilised by those for whom it is meant. In general, if you wish
to give some money in charity, do mention it in your will or better do
it in your own lifetime so that you have the pleasure of seeing the
project to its fruition. Try to find a worthy cause which you can
volunteer for; when you start helping people, less fortunate than
yourself, you are likely to forget your own woes. This is the best
form of occupational therapy and gives us a reason to live and work
for. Jeenay ka raaz mainay muhabbat mein paa liya Jis ka bhi gham
mila apna bana liya Dr B.N.S. Walia is a former Director of
the PGI and a renowned child specialist. |
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Facial hair in women A
woman having facial hair, especially
over the upper lip or the chin, may have marked psychological
problems. Such hair in women seriously impairs the individual's
capacity to establish normal social relationships and may retard
psychological development. The medical term indicating such growth is
known as hirsutism. Hirsutism requires a medical evaluation first to
rule out an adrenal, ovarian or pituitary problem. Other medical
indications for hair removal include congenital or drug-induced
hypertrichosis, pseudofolliculitis, hair from grafted donor sites and
men undergoing sex change operations. Obviously, patients may also
designate other areas of hair growth as cosmetically undesirable (eg,
"bikini" areas in women and "excessive" back hair
in men). Unwanted hair can be dealt with a several different ways
with either a temporary or permanent intent. Types of hair removal
acknowledged to be temporary include shaving, use of abrasives,
plucking, depilatories, and certainly types of x-ray therapy. Laser
hair removal and photodynamic therapy are treatments that generally
lead to temporary hair removal. This article attempts to inform the
reader of the available means of hair removal and mechanisms involved
in hair growth that should be considered in planning a strategy of
permanent removal of hair. Androgen excess in females is a syndrome
with specific clinical signs, menstrual abnormalities, infertility and
metabolic disorders. The onset is at puberty and is associated with
genetic inheritance and heralded by elevations of the adrenal
androgen. The major clinical signs of androgen excess are acne,
hirsutism, androgenetic alopecia, seborrhoea, and menstrual
irregularities. It is observed commonly secondary to polycystic
ovarian disease. Other signs include obesity, idiopathic adrenal
hyperplasia, dyslipidemias and infertility. Insulin resistance,
acanthosis nigricans, diabetes, and hypertension are also late signs
that appear in the thirty to forty-year-old females. Women with
continuous androgen excess are noted to be at risk for early
atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer. Medical
management of hirsutism: Therapies for androgen excess are
dependent on the severity and complexity of the individuals presenting
the syndrome. Oral contraceptives (OC) can be used as anti-androgens
since they compete for the androgen receptor. Hormonal Replacement
Therapy (HRT)is useful in the perimenopausal and menopausal female.
Corticosteroids, specifically dexamethasone, represent a safe and
selective adrenal suppressant without the induction of immune or
mineral abnormalities. Spironolactone (Aldactone) is an FDA-approved
drug of hypertension. It works as a diuretic. It is also a
non-steroidal anti-androgen and decreases the production of
testosterone. It competes for the dihydrotesterone binding of the hair
follicle and sebaceous gland receptor. Finasteride is an antiandrogen
which inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, type 2. This anzyme is
partially responsible for the conversion of testosterone in to
dihydrotestosterone. Extensive clinical studies in men and women have
shown it to be an effective drug for male androgenetic alopecia and
not helpful for women. Cosmetic management of hirsutism:
A simple home made bleach
consists of 25ml of hydrogen peroxide (20 volumes) to be mixed with 20
drops of ammonia (household ammonia or ammonia water). Talcum powder
can be added to this to make a paste. Depilation: Depilation
is the removal of hair at or just below the skin surface. Shaving:
Shaving is the easiest, cleanest and cheapest way of removing
superfluous hair. There is no scientific basis for the common belief
that shaving stiffen hair or increases its pigmentation or growth.
Shaving is usually done with a safety razor after lathering the area
with soap and water or after softening the hair with a shaving
cream. Abrasives: Abrasives remove hair superficially. The
commonest one is use is the pumice stone. Chemical depilation: Chemical
preparations for the removal of unwanted hair are very popular among
ladies mainly for the removal of hair from the arms and the legs. Epilation:
This means removal of the hair from the root itself. Plucking:
Plucking (using either a tweezer or a thread) is a common method
of removal of unwanted hair in the region of the eyebrows, the upper
lip and stray hair from the face and areolae of the breasts. Waxing:
It is more often used by beauticians than at home for removing hair
from the extremities and sometimes from the face. The major
disadvantage of waxing is that it can be used only to remove the hair
which is at least a few millimetres long. Some women find waxing
painful and the skin may show up redness or even folliculitis
(infection of hair roots) later on. Electrosurgical epilation: Electrosurgical
epilation is a safe and permanent method of removing unwanted hair.
Electrical epilation can be done by using a direct current
(electrolysis) or an alternating current (thermolysis). Electric
epilation is indicated most frequently in the following situations:
(a)
excessive facial hair (b) isolated large hair on the breasts (c) hair
on moles that are to be removed by shave biopsy and (d)hair that is
present in the skin graft obtained from a hair-bearing area used to
cover a defect in a non-hair bearing area. On an average, 15-25% of
the hair regrow after electric epilation. This is due to several
factors: (a) the phase in the hair cycle at the time of treatment since
early anagen hair is not visible on the skin and hence is missed on
treatment while telogen hair does not allow access to the hair root
papilla; (b) if an inadequate current is applied, the dermal papilla
may regenerate and (c) distorted follicles do not allow a proper
application of the current. Most patients experience some pain during
electric epilation and this is more with thermolysis. The chances of
scarring are less with electrolysis. Recent laser techniques: The
use of lasers to remove hair, pigmented lesions or tattoos is based on
the fact that pigments selectively absorb particular wavelengths of
light. Current laser hair removal techniques use wavelengths of light
that target melanin, the pigment that determines the colour of both
hair and skin. In light-skinned people, the laser energy safely passes
through the skin and is absorbed by the darker hair shaft, attempting
to destroy the hair and its root. Because darker-skinned people have
more melanin in their skin, those wavelengths would also be absorbed
and damage the skin. It is now possible to remove excessive hair
successfully and safely from people with darker ethnic skin using new
laser equipment and techniques. The diode laser emits light at a
longer wavelength than does the traditional laser and the longer
wavelength is less readily absorbed by melanin. It has been discovered
that using a longer exposure time affords even more protection to dark
skin.
Dr Gurinderjit Singh is the Head of the Department of
Dermatovenereology and Hair Transplantation at Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer
Treatment &Research Foundation, Ludhiana.
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Anar: fruit and medicine Vaidya Shiromani Dr R. Vatsyayan, Ayurvedacharya Dadima or
dantabeeja literally means a fruit whose seeds resemble the teeth and
Lohitpushpa stands for red flowers; that is how anar — the popular
fruit — has been mentioned in Ayurveda. Though it is a native of
Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Persia, its small trees are cultivated in
large parts of India. The root bark, flower bud, fruit and fruit rind
of anar are used as medicine. Almost all ancient texts of Ayurveda,
including the works of Charaka and Sushruta have eulogised the
medicinal qualities of anar. Though it has been categorised under
three types — sweet, sweet-sour and sour, the Kandahari anar is
considered best. Anar is sweet, astringent and sour in taste and
light, unctuous and slightly hot in effect. It pacifies vata, pitta
and kapha — all the three doshas. Different medicinal benefits are
attributed to the various parts of the anar tree. The root and stem
bark are astringent, cooling and anthelmentic, killing specially the
tape worm. The flowers are styptic to gums and the fruit and seeds are
astringent, stomachic, aphrodisiac — and a heart tonic. The fruit
juice is rich in vitamins and citric acid and is antioxidant whereas
the rind and the stem bark contain tannin and many
alkaloids. Ayurvedic texts have prescribed the use of anar in several
diseases. The anar fruit is a drug of choice for treating anorexia,
hyperacidity, anaemia, urethritis, excessive thirst, general debility
and fatigue. The flowers and the fruit rind are used as a mouthwash
and also in diarrhoea, dysentery, bleeding piles and epistaxis. Apart
from medicinal purposes, the dried seeds of the fruit are commonly
used as a souring agent in chutneys and pickles. Some of the important
medicinal uses of anar are as under: Diarrhoea and dysentery — As
a home remedy, the dried and crushed rind of anar, which is known as
naspal, is perhaps the most commonly used medicine for controlling
diarrhoea. In dysentery, one gram of its powder, with an equal
quantity of dry ginger, can be taken two or three times a day. A
decoction of anar rind is a good and safe remedy for infantile
diarrhoea. Anorexia and acidity — Dried anar seeds (anardana)are
famous for stimulating the salivary glands, thus promoting digestion
and appetite. Unlike other citrus fruits, anar juice, if taken in a
small quantity, relieves acidity. Morning sickness, excessive thirst,
burning sensation, exhaustion and weakness respond well to the intake
of anar juice. Dental care — Whereas the ash of anar rind is
used in many traditional tooth powders, gargles of the decoction of
anar flowers is recommended for curing spongy and bleeding gums as
well as mouth ulcers. Rural people use anar twigs for oral and dental
hygiene. There are various classic ayurvedic formulations in which
anar is used. The famous Dadimashtaka Churna is an effective home
remedy for various digestive problems like the loss of appetite, gas
trouble, indigestion, diarrhoea and dysentery. This churna can be made
at home by mixing dried and powdered anardana 80 gm, bach, sonth, kali
mirch and magha (pippali) 40 gm each, banshaalochana, dalchini,
tejpatra and chhoti elaichi 20 gm each. Two grams of this churna can
be taken two or three times a day with satisfactory results.
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HOMOEO
TIPS Homoeopathic
prescribing is generally based on idiosyncratic characteristics of an
individual but if one medicine is to be favoured for treating a large
number of ADHD(attention deficit hyperactive disorder) cases,
Tarentula Hispana should be that one. Hyperactive kids requiring
Tarentula often have extreme restlessness and compulsion to hurry.
Their legs are in motion, and they have a lot of trouble sitting
still. The desire to run about, the urge to dance and to jump up and
down are usual for them. Great, fantastic dancing! Loss of all sense
of shame. Sudden and violent, or sly and destructive movements —
well, these are clear features of this medicine. One particular
symptom that distinguishes Tarentula is its strange relation to music.
Violence is a strong feature of the remedy — violence with anger!
His clothing strikes him. He strikes his attendants and best
friends! One more symptom that distinguishes Tarentula is its strange
relationship to music. Sometimes music ameliorates all the symptoms
and at other times it aggravates them. The child becomes violently
excited after listening to music. Can all hyperactive children be
lumped together under one diagnostic category? Can a child, who lashes
out in a violent manner at his family members and peers, fit into the
same diagnostic group as a sweet gregarious one who simply cannot pay
attention to the work in the class? A homoeopath would say that both
temperaments are as different as day and night and would prescribe
very different medicines. Individualisation stands as a key point in
homoeopathic treatment. A word of caution: As this is a
deep-seated disorder, any homoeopathic intervention should be done
under the guidance of a thorough professional. Next week: A new
approach to AUTISM
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