Dr.Tilak Fernando

Several e-mails I receive often highlight some important health tips too. This goes to show how considerate we are in a continuous chain of human feelings. A Chinese quote sent by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”MervynƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ struck me thus: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-When someone shares with you something of value you have an obligation to share it with others!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Hence, the following:

Fundamental rules

We are trained and advised by parents and teachers, from childhood, the basics of hygiene – i.e: to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”wash our hands after using the toilet; wash food prior to preparation and fruits too before consumption to avoid contamination with bacteria and germs.

Cleansing of kidneys

Medically we are advised to flush kidneys, which filter blood, at least once a year to avoid accumulation of salt. For this purpose boiled Parsley, Dhaniya (Kottamalli) leaves are recommended as a natural remedy. A glass a day of the concoction is supposed to help release salt and other accumulated poisons to eject out of the kidney during urination.

Poisoning

A woman in North Texas had died after drinking coke out of a can. The autopsy had concluded that she died of Leptospirosis (condition affecting the kidneys and the liver) which was traced back to the can she drank from by holding it to her mouth direct. Separate tests have exposed that the can of coke had been contaminated with dried rat urine containing the leptospirosis pathogen! An independent study has established that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the tops of all canned drinks are more contaminated with bacteria and germs than public toiletsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢! ………… Never hold a can of drink to the mouth direct while drinking out of it.

Ladies watch out

When you go shopping for lipstick next time think of what a lady doctor (name concealed) who works at the breast cancer unit at St. Sinai Hospital, Toronto had to say:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Recently a popular brand of lipstick cut their prices from $ 67 to $ 9.90. It contained lead which is a chemical that can cause cancer. Today many expensive popular brands of lipsticks, lip gloss and lip conditioners, extensively used by sophisticated ladies, contain lead which is immensely harmful to health. Laboratory tests have deduced that a branded French lipstick ………….contained a great deal of Lead in them.

The reason behind any lipstick remaining for longer periods on lips, she says, is due to the higher content of lead in them. How does one find out which type of lipstick has lead that is harmful? The proof of the pudding is in the eating! She gives a simple ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”do it yourself test for this purpose: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-First, place some lipstick on your hand, then use a gold ring and scratch the lipstick patch. If the colour of lipstick changes to black it is a clear indication of having lead in it.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Shampoo

My friend Tony (a homoeopath) warns never to use Shampoo! Instead, he advises to use as a herbal soap to wash hair. Shampoos seem to contain Sodium Laureth Sulphate (sls). ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-All Shampoos use a chemical called SLS which is actually a floor cleaner. These are used so as to produce more foam. Imagine what a floor cleaner can do to your hair and scalp! It will damage the very roots of your scalp over a period of time and gets absorbed into the body via the scalp. – It is highly cancerousƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, he says.

His advice on toothpaste too is to look for SLS, the reason being the detergent in the toothpaste mutates cells in the mouth/throat and causes oral cancer. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Always use an ayurvedic recommended tooth powder and NOT TOOTHPASTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, he insists. The rise in oral cancer today is supposed to be attributed to tooth paste!

Ladies fingers

Okra (Bandakka) has a long history with its beginnings in Egypt where it was cultivated before the time of Cleopatra. During World War II, the shortage of coffee beans made them use Okra seeds as a substitute for coffee. Since then, OkraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s popularity has increased throughout the world.

The superior fibre found in Okra helps to stabilise the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. It normalises the cholesterol level. Mucilage in it binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. It helps to lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, OkraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s gummy substance soothes and facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic. Okra contains Vitamins A and C and is a good source of iron and calcium.

It also contains starch, fat, ash, thiamine and riboflavin. Vitamin C in Okra acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and curtails the development of asthma symptoms; believed to be good for atherosclerosis (artery disease); it protects some forms of cancer expansion particularly colorectal cancer.

Being non-toxic, non-habit forming and with no adverse effects but full of nutrients, Ladies fingers act as a divine gift for the week, exhausted and those suffers from depression. It also helps healing of ulcers and to keep joints limber. While it cures lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel syndrome, it has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements.

One Okra sliced into two and placed in a glass of water overnight and drunk the next day is said to be very good for diabetics to control blood glucose levels.

Okra is quite easy to grow and is considered as a divine gift to mankind in combating many a disease including diabetes, protection against trans fats and protecting structure of capillaries. Bandakka is highly recommended to be included in the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”grow more foodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ campaign to build a healthy nation!

tilakfernando@yahoo.co.uk