unani during swine flu

The Hindu Hyderabad, January 30, 2015 Updated: January 30, 2015 05:42 IST Zinda Tilismath scores even during swine flu season J.S. Ifthekhar The products from Zinda Tilismath - (from left) a Unani formulation for cough, colds and fever, a balm and a toothpowder.- A file photo As the swine flu scare spreads, the fastest moving product on the shelves is Zinda Tilismath. People are flocking to buy the time-tested drug which is effective in curing common ailments. As the name suggests, the ‘living magic’ of the over-the-counter drug prevails nearly a century after it was launched. For hundreds of people it still remains ‘har marz ki dawa.’ From toothache to cold, cough, body pain, nausea, vomiting -- it has a ready remedy for every ailment. Since the symptoms of swine flu are much the same, Zinda Tilismath is considered a sure-fire cure. “We do not claim it offers a cure for swine flu. But it definitely is effective in treating its symptoms,” says Masihuddin Faroouqi, managing partner of Zinda Tilismath. The basic ingredient of Zinda Tilismath is eucalyptus oil whose efficacy in treating swine flu and bird flu patients was established by a Pune lab in 2004. Even the former Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, commended the effectiveness of this wonder drug in combating the HINI virus. More than 70 per cent content of this Unani herbal medicine is eucalyptus oil and the rest is camphor, menthol, Thymol and Ratanjyoth, the bark of a tree. “All the ingredients have good medicinal properties in curing common ailments,” says Mr. Faroouqi whose father, Hakim Mohammed Moizuddin Farooqui, established the Zinda Tilismath Karkhana way back in 1920. Since then the liquid formulation remains the pharmacist’s envy and patient’s relief. Wonder what the logo of a coloured man doing on the Zinda Tilismath pack. The founder is believed to have been influenced by the Siddis, who were part of the African Cavalry Guard of the Nizam, in choosing the logo. Steady presence Zinda Tilismath has a steady presence in the market. The magic potion, which comes in 5 ml and 15 ml vials, sells about10 million bottles per annum. “Our product goes all over the world and its stronghold remains the erstwhile Hyderabad state comprising parts of A.P, Karnataka and Maharashtra”, says Mr. Farooqui. Interestingly, Zinda Tilismath can be used both internally and externally and it is another reason for its popularity.

treatments under Ayush insurance coverage

AMMOI recommends setting up of research facilities to ascertain efficacy of Indian traditional medicines Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai Friday, January 30, 2015, 08:00 Hrs [IST] Recommending some high-flying ideas to develop the Indian system of medicines (ayush streams) with a comparative preference to Ayurveda, the Organisation of Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers of India (AMMOI) has prepared an action plan to be submitted to the newly formed central Ayush Ministry. AMMOI’s action plan is in the form of a scientific document which heralds the need for modern scientific researches to establish the efficacy of Indian medicines (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy) and also to understand the mechanisms involved in the healing processes of the traditional drugs. It says that emphasise should be given on prevention and promotion of positive health through effective lifestyle programmes of Ayush. However, all the treatments under Ayush systems should be brought under insurance coverage. According to Dr D Ramanathan, general secretary of the organisation, the recommended strategies presented in the document have been developed as a result of an analytical study of the ayush sector in the national level, coupled with expert opinions. He stressed the need for considering the report in the backdrop of the effectiveness shown by the centuries old herbal medicines and also due to the manifold increase in various epidemic and lifestyle diseases. One of the major recommendations highlighted in the action plan is for adoption of preventive measures. The organisation opines that at least 30 per cent of the total health budget should be set aside for holistic programmes specified in the Ayush system for prevention of diseases. The report does not favour for building sky-scraper hospitals, spending huge money for expensive medicines, training specialists and super specialists.etc, but it favours for setting up a sub-committee to discuss and evolve methods of prevention by imbibing ideas from modern and traditional medical community. The experts in the organisation view that more importance is needed in educating the younger generation about Ayush systems. The curriculum at the school and college levels should contain separate health sciences with emphasise on traditional healing systems of the country. For employed people, special wellness leave and reimbursement for wellness to take yoga therapy, meditation, detoxification (body service) once in a year by naturopathy and Ayush panchakarma should be provided. PharmaBiz.com

healing powers

Jan 25 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi) Mega study on ayurveda's healing powers Shobita Dhar  Perhaps for the first time leading research and medical institutions in the US -Harvard University, Scripps Clinic, University of California San Diego, Mt Sinai University , University of California San Francisco and Duke University -are collaborating on a project to study ayurveda's healing powers. Called the `Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI) Research Study', the study is being conducted at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in California. The center, run by wellness expert Deepak Chopra, had earlier conducted a smaller study to examine the effects of meditation and yoga on gene expression. “The findings from the older study showed that a week of meditation and yoga practice led to an increase in expression of genes that support rejuvenation of the body , a reduction in expression of genes associated with the stress response, and a large increase in telomerase levels (an enzyme that helps maintain structural identity of genes),“ says Chopra. In the SBTI study , researchers will be analyzing the impact of ayurvedic treatments on participants' genes, certain hormones as sociated with metabolism and mood change, bacteria present in the gut and on the skin, inflammation markers, weight, stress makers etc. “The body's healing system is still little understood because of the complex inputs -thoughts, emotions, diet, stress, exercise, immune response -that affect healing. The picture is further clouded when isolated findings overlap or contradict one another. In the context of ayurveda, therapies and practices aren't done in isolation. Instead of focusing on local symptoms, the diagnosis is systemic.Only now is Western medicine beginning to understand that a blanket condition like `stress' or `inflammation' connects many diverse disorders, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes,“ says Chopra. Ayurveda is widely practised and followed in India. There are 2,458 ayurveda hospitals running in India under the government's directorate of Ayush (Ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homoeopathy). However since there have been few scientific studies on the safety and efficacy of the system in the West, it is often perceived as a pseudoscience there. Dr Rudolf Tanzi, a professor at the Harvard University and a co-researcher at the SBTI study , says that this perception is now changing. “Any scientist of worth will admit that most of time we are wrong. Just look back at science 100 years ago and ask how much is still correct today. Why would this not continue to be the case 100 years from now? Thus, it makes sense to look back to ancient remedies and wisdom, for example, as prescribed in ayurvedic medicine. So far, the results ranging from the effects of meditation on beneficial gene activity to ashwagandha on Alzheimer's pathology are certainly looking sufficiently promising to continue,“ says Tanzi who specializes in researching gene mutations linked to Alzheimer's Disease. The study also has the potential to throw light on which brain-function related genes and chemicals are turned “on“ or turned “off “ by an ayurvedic diet and lifestyle.“That type of information can help us not only better establish how ayurveda works at a cellular level but also how best to integrate it into a modern healthy lifestyle,“ says Dr Murali Doraiswamy , professor at Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and coresearcher on the study .

AYUSH in our 66 Republic Day

AYUSH in our 66 Republic Day Celeb.

ASU drug for MDR-TB

Integrated approach to treat MDR-TB mooted Afshan Yasmeen The Hindu Bengaluru, January 27, 2015 Updated: January 27, 2015 05:46 IST Research proposal sent to Directorate of AYUSH In an initiative that is aimed at effective management and treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis cases, the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) is working on integrating ayurveda with modern medicine. The proposal cleared by the institute’s Ethical Committee has been sent to the State Directorate of AYUSH for approval, RGICD Director Shashidhar Buggi said on Monday. “The integrated approach will not just benefit patients, but also help us in coming up with a scientific study on integration. We want to compare the sputum conversion rate, general well-being, and clinical and radiological improvement in patients treated with modern medicine, and those with an integrated approach,” Dr. Buggi explained. He said the proposal would also be sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) soon. A similar comprehensive management strategy was adopted in the institute by integrating homeopathy with modern medicine during the H1N1 outbreak in the State. Yoga therapy started “As part of the pulmonary rehabilitation programme, we have already started yoga therapy. We are also using the services of ayurveda and homeopathy practitioners as visiting consultants at the institute,” he said. Stating that treatment of MDR-TB was challenging, Dr. Buggi said the best firstline anti-TB drugs (rifampicin and isoniazid) were not effective against MDR-TB. Nearly 3 per cent of the newly diagnosed sputum positive cases are found to develop MDR-TB. One patient can directly spread the disease to at least 10 others if it is not checked at the initial stage.

Dabour Lakme Hamdard--- DLH

Starting up in the time of history: Stories of how three leading brands came to be Rakhi Chakraborty | January 26, 2015 at 9:40 am Despite tremendous growth and buzzword in the past few years, it is generally agreed that India is not to ready to support startups and foster an innovation oriented environment. The number of Indians who have made it big in Silicon Valley reiterate how they would never be able to do what they are doing had they been based in India. Entrepreneurs (at least the ones born without a silver spoon) who are based in India bemoan how difficult the journey of starting up is, how people don’t tend to give new ideas a chance and how everyone fears failure rather than treating it as a valuable learning opportunity. Yet there was a time, long before incubators and venture capitalists, when single individuals, without any resources so to speak of, created empires. Others came up with ingenious ideas sans social media. It was a time before the word startup existed and, in some cases, it was a time before the nation itself existed. It was in the time of history. Dabur: Diseases like cholera, malaria, dengue, plague, etc, were deadly epidemics that could wipe out populations if not checked in time. Born in 1856, Dr. S.K. Burman, a physician from Bengal, prepared natural and effective cures for these diseases and travelled far and wide to dispense them among the poor and the needy. Most of his patients were villagers who, but for him, would have no access to healthcare. Soon the good doctor’s name spread far and wide (word of mouth being the social media of those days), and he became famous Daktar Burman. The Da of Daktar and Bur of Burman somehow entangled to produce Dabur. In 1884, Daktar Burman set up Dabur from a small house in Calcutta where he sold his natural medicines commercially. His vision was good health for all. Daktar Burman passed away in 1907, but Dabur continued to thrive. Today, a hundred and thirty years later, it has grown to be the largest manufacturer of Ayurvedic medicine in the country, apart from being well known for many other wellness products. It is still managed by the Burman family. But in 1998 they began handing over the management of the company to professionals and downscaled their direct day to day involvement. Lakme: It was the early 1950’s. India had just won her freedom and the economy was shaky. Upper middle class women were spending valuable foreign exchange on western cosmetics while the more middle class women had no access to quality makeup because of non-availability in the Indian market. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru approached JRD Tata to come up with a solution. Tata, the always hungry entrepreneur, took on the challenge ecstatically. The biggest difficulty was coming up with a brand identity that appealed to both classes of women. He settled on Lakmé, taking the name from the French opera of the same name. Funnily the name is a western take on the Indian goddess of wealth Lakshmi. But, as this article puts it, Lakshmi lipstick or Lakshmi kajal would never have worked with the Indian ladies who were used to buying foreign cosmetics. This being the first time an Indian cosmetic company was being founded, extensive market research went into determining the needs of the Indian skin and colour. Experts were hired from every field. In 1952 Lakmé started as a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills. Simone Tata, the French wife of Naval H. Tata, joined as managing director in 1961 and rose to become its chairman in 1982. Being a western born woman who had made India her home, she understood the core formula of the brand and was instrumental in shaping Lakmé into the household name that it became. She was appointed to the board of Tata Industries in 1989. Observing the rapid growth in the retail sector, Tata sold Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever in 1996 for 200 crores. They imagined that a dedicated FMGC company would be able to do better justice to the brand. Hamdard’s Rooh Afza: This is an un-missable name on this list, given that Rooh Afza is beloved both in India and Pakistan. Hakim Abdul Majeed was born in 1883 in Pelivet, India. He hailed from a family of Unani practitioners, a traditional form of medicine practiced in Middle East and South Asian countries. He grew up being a proficient in the art as well. It bothered him immensely that each Unani practitioner would closely guard their recipes and only sell their medicine to their select roster of clients. He wanted everybody to benefit from the time tested medicines of Unani. In 1906, he opened a small shop in the by lanes of old Delhi and christened it Hamdard, meaning, ‘close companion’ and ‘sympathiser in pain’. In 1907, he launched the brand’s flagship product Rooh Afza, a cooling medicinal rose syrup that he packaged in used wine bottles. Hamdard flourished as people thronged to procure Majeed’s high quality products that delivered what they promised. By 1920, Rooh Afza and other herbal products were being distributed nationally. Majeed passed away in 1922, at barely forty years of age. His steely widow Rabia Begum and fourteen year old son Abdul Hameed took charge of Majeed’s life’s work, expanding it further and including the product portfolio vastly. The teenage Hameed not only ran the company but also saw his younger brother, Hakim Mohammed Said’s, education and upbringing. Like their father, both brothers were devoted practitioners of Unani. When both brothers took charge of Hamdard, it transformed from a local pharmaceutical company into a national welfare organization (Wakf). After Partition, Said chose to move to Pakistan. It was blindingly difficult to start and grow a business from scratch in a brand new country. Said started with renting two rooms and rented furniture. In 1953 he converted Hamdard into a Wakf (Islamic Trust) where almost all the revenues were used for nation building purposes, be it health, education and other philanthropic fields. Hamdard is a leading brand in Pakistan today, just as it is in India. Abdul Hameed, the elder sibling who stayed on in India,brought extraordinary vision and business acumen to the fore of Hamdard. He went about setting up modern laboratories and engineered new age drug testing all the while reviving and revitalizing the traditional wonders of Unani. He has been lauded with national and international laurels for his path breaking innovations. Today Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories with a wide portfolio of over 600 natural and herb based products is amongst the leading Health & Wellness companies in India. When you compare the hoodie and sneaker wearing young entrepreneur of today to the heavily suited and black rimmed spectacle wearing figure from the past, you’d be hard pressed to find any similarities. But once you begin to peel at the separating layers of history, language and culture you would realize that deep down you are fighting the same battle of transforming your vision into a tangible reality. This Republic Day, as you embark to forge your own path, learn from the legacy of those who tread those same roads long long ago.

visceral leishmaniasis

Jan 24 2015 : The Times of India (Kolkata) Kala-azar now a notifiable disease Sumati Yengkhom Kolkata   As a measure to erradicate kala-azar by 2015, the Union health ministry has included the vector-borne disease under notifiable diseases in the state. In addition to West Bengal, the ministry has said kala-azar is endemic to three other states -Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. It has been put in the list of notifiable diseases there too. Kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, is produced by the single-celled Leishmania Donovani parasite, named after its discoverers. Transmitted by sandflies, the disease affects organs like the liver and spleen. In some cases it becomes fatal if left undiagnosed or untreated. Out of the 54 affected districts in the four states, Bengal accounts for 11, including Murshidabad, Malda, North and South Dinajpur, Birbhum.Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and South and North 24-Parganas. “The disease was counted under notifiable diseases since January 1 this year. Now all doctors and hospitals have to inform the health department of a kala-azar case within 48 hours of diagnosis,“ a health department official said. In addition health workers will also search for people with symptoms of the infection and take them to the right place for treatment. The strategy is to diagnose it early and treat it using a single dose, called Li posomal Amphotericin B, ad ministered intravenously . This helps reduce the human reservoir of the infection. WHO (World Health Organisa tion) has agreed to supply the drug free of cost to the health ministry . “Along with the malaria eradication programme, we had worked on eradicating ka la-azar in the early 70s in Ben gal. It was assumed to have been eradicated within years. But it resurfaced in the 80s,“ said Dr Amiya Hati, former di rector of School of Tropical Medicine. The virologist who has worked extensively on kala azar explained that resurfac ing of the infection was due to the residual manifestation post kala-azar. In some pa tients skin lesions and nodules manifest even after the treat ment, in which the parasite lives on.82 4996. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/NasData/Publications/TheTimesOfIndia/Kolkata/2015/01/24/Photographs/004/24_01_2015_004_062_006.jpg

cross pathy

15 January 2015 merinews No cross pathy but Ayush systems and modern medicine specialists can work together Dr KK Aggarwal 15 January, 2015 All systems of medicine are different. You cannot become expert in one without reading the course and cannot practice one without being registered with respective council. Ayurveda is touching the world and India is the heritage country of Ayurveda. The need is for both of them to work together and if we can achieve the following we can conquer the world. • Combining principles of Panchkarma in chronic diseases and reducing the quantity and duration of allopathic drugs. • Combining Panchkarma and modern medicine in reversing ageing and life style diseases like heart, kidney diseases etc. • If we can reduce the duration and dose of antibiotics in modern system of medicine. • If we can tackle the problem of drug resistance in the country. • If we can find an indigenous vaccines from Ayurveda or Homeopathy etc etc. Ayurveda update in the recent media: 1. AMAI urges Union government to declare Ayurveda as the mainstream medicine of India: Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai; Tuesday, January 13, 2015: The Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI) has urged the Ayush Department to declare Ayurveda system of treatment as the mainstream medical system of the country. The AMAI passed a unanimous resolution in this regard at its 15th state conference held at Kollam in Kerala on January 11. For Ayurveda, challenge is to keep off allopathic drugs, says PM Narendra Modi- It was the headline of one of the news items appeared in Indian Express. 2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the valedictory function of the 6th World Ayurveda Congress in New Delhi on November 10th had said the biggest challenge for Ayurveda is the inclination of its practitioners towards prescribing allopathic drugs. "The biggest challenge for Ayurveda are the people who have dedicated themselves to it, but when a patient comes, often say let us start with allopathic medicine for the first three days and then move to Ayurveda. Ayurveda doctors need to be 100 per cent committed it Ayurveda," Modi had said in his address. Crosspathy is not allowed as a per a Supreme Court order, but that does not stop Ayurveda practitioners from prescribing allopathic medicines.

Swine Flu ----- pork product

Swine Flu and Unani Herbal Treatment Swine Flu and Unani Herbal Treatment Camphor (Kafoor) Cinnamomum camphora (Linn.) J. Presl 12 g.m. Corn mint(Pudinah)Mentha arvensis Linn. 12 g.m. Ajowan caraway(Ajwayin)Trachyspermum ammi(Linn.)Spragne 06 g.m. The above said drugs boiled and collect its Vapors and condensed in glass bottle. Used as oral and local cured and prevent the swine flu. in chemist a product named "Arq Ajeeb" is available Manufactured by Hamdard,Tibbiya,etc New Delhi: Chemists are reporting a shortage of swine flu medication at a time when 39 people have died in the country over the last 24 hours and 624 people have lost their lives due to the deadly H1N1 virus in less than two months. However, the government is claiming that there are ample stocks of medicines. According to sources, the government has made Tamiflu accessible to over 10,000 licensed chemists across the country. Government sources said Health Minister JP Nadda held a high-level review meeting which was attended by health secretaries and drug control panel officials. The Centre will run online awareness drives as well, the sources said. The chemist shops outside Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, rue that they have fallen short of swine flu drugs. They grudge that syrup to treat swine flu has not been available for five days now and there is a shortage of vaccines to treat swine flu. The chemist shops outside Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, rue that they have fallen short of swine flu drugs. #swine flu #tamiflu #h1n1 virus #delhi "The demand for medication has increased by 10 to 20 times and we do not deal with government but we deal directly with distributors. We are facing shortage of medicines at distributor level," said one of them. However, RML Hospital's medical superintendent has denied reports of shortage of Tamiflu. The Delhi government claims they have authorised 25 hospitals - including seven private hospitals - to treat the flu. Most government hospitals including RML have created an isolation ward for patients, 20-25 beds reserved for patients. There have been 624 deaths and over 9000 cases have been reported countrywide, including seven deaths from Delhi. In Gujarat, 150 people have succumbed to the virus while 176 people have died in Rajasthan. In Telangana 46 deaths have been reported while in Maharashtra 58 deaths have been reported. One person has died in Srinagar too. The sources said the Health Minster is taking daily review meetings. Tamiflu has now been declared a schedule X drug. Hence, around 10,000 chemists across the country will be able to sell the drug The government claims they have enough medicines and they have provided an extra 60000 medicines and 10000 kits Major concern for the Telangana government is that cases have not gone down despite temperatures rising in Hyderabad. On Tueday alone, 30 cases were reported. The government hopes that the cases will go down with onset of summer. A total of 9,311 people have contracted swine flu in 2015 with Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh being the worst-affected states with their respective tolls standing at 150, 176, 46, 58, and 81 official figures said. In Uttar Pradesh, 139 people have died in the last 4 days alone. In the last 24 hours 39 deaths have taken place with 100 new cases reported. The Aligarh Muslim University has suspended classes after a student died on campus. In Gujarat, 150 people have lost their lives while 1,600 people have tested positive. Over 170 people have died in Rajasthan with over 2,500 positive cases. In Telangana, the death toll has reached 46 while 58 people have died in Maharashtra. According to sources, Union Health Minister JP Nadda held a high level review meet on swine flu with health secretary, additional secretaries and the drug controller. Sources also say senior Health Ministry officials did a surprise check at the instructions of the minister at the RML Hosptial in the national capital over reports of drug shortage. Swine flu drug Tamiflu will now be in Schedule X which means that 10,000 licenced chemists all over the country can supply Tamiflu now but itwon't be available over the counter. However, the medical superintendent of RML Hospital denied reports of a shortage of Tamiflu.19-month-old baby among 10 new cases of swine flu New Delhi, Jan 14, 2015, DHNS:Deccan Herald Wednesday 14 January 2015 News updated at 11:51 AM IST Ten fresh cases of swine flu were reported in the capital on Tuesday. Among those infected with the virus is a 19-month-old baby in south Delhi. The baby is the youngest one in this season to be infected with the H1N1 flu virus. “With 10 fresh cases on Tuesday, the total number of swine flu cases this season has gone up to 60 in Delhi. The 19-month-old female child is the youngest to be infected with swine flu this season. The baby, a resident of Freedom Fighter Enclave, Neb Sarai, is recuperating at home. The sample was tested at SRL Diagnostics,” said Dr Charan Singh, nodal officer of swine flu, Delhi government. A 35-year-old woman, also a resident of Freedom Fighter Enclave, and a 47-year-old man of South Extension are recuperating at home, he added. The others affected with swine flu virus are a 55-year-old man, a 40-year-old man, a 29-year-old man, a 33-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman. These include residents of Ashram, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Neb Sarai and Khirki Extension. Another 31-year-old woman residing in Lady Hardinge campus has been admitted to the Lady Hardinge Medical College. “Six samples were tested at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Three were tested at SRL Diagnostics and one at Dr Lal Path Labs. While three are recuperating at home, one has been admitted at Holy Family Hospital. Three patients have been admitted at Madan Mohan Malviya hospital, one at Lady Hardinge Medical College and one at Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital,” said Dr Singh. Till now, the Capital has recorded four deaths and the NCR has witnessed two deaths. Health Secretary S C L Das called a review meeting of the preparedness in the Capital at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday, said a senior health official. There is, however, no scare and the number of cases of infection are normal for this season, the official added. “The senior officials of the Directorate of Health Services were called in a meeting to review the situation. There is close monitoring of the situation,” said the official. N1H1 flu is also known as swine flu. It's called swine flu because in the past, the people who caught it had direct contact with pigs. That changed several years ago, when a new virus emerged that spread among people who hadn't been near pigs..... In 2009, H1N1 was spreading fast around the world, so the World Health Organization called it a pandemic. Since then, people have continued to get sick from swine flu, but not as many. While swine flu isn't as scary as it seemed a few years ago, it's still important to protect yourself from getting it. Like seasonal flu, it can cause more serious health problems for some people. The best protection is to get a flu vaccine, or flu shot, every year. Swine flu is one of the viruses included in the vaccine. .............................................................................. Causes........................... Swine flu is contagious, and it spreads in the same way as the seasonal flu. When people who have it cough or sneeze, they spray tiny drops of the virus into the air. If you come in contact with these drops or touch a surface (such as a doorknob or sink) that an infected person has recently touched, you can catch H1N1 swine flu. Despite the name, you can't catch swine flu from eating bacon, ham, or any other pork product.................................................................... Swine Flu Symptoms............................................................. People who have swine flu can be contagious one day before they have any symptoms, and as many as 7 days after they get sick. Kids can be contagious for as long as 10 days. Most symptoms are the same as seasonal flu. They can include: cough fever sore throat stuffy or runny nose body aches headache chills fatigue Like seasonal flu, swine flu can lead to more serious complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. And it can make conditions like diabetes or asthma worse. If you have symptoms like shortness of breath, severe vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, or confusion, call your doctor or 911 right away.......................................................................... Tests for Swine Flu............................................................ It's hard to tell whether you have swine flu or seasonal flu, because most symptoms are the same. People with swine flu may be more likely to feel nauseous and throw up than people who have seasonal flu. But a lab test is the only way to know for sure. Even a rapid flu test you can get in your doctor's office won't tell you for sure. To test for swine flu, your doctor takes a sample from your nose or throat. You may not need to be tested. The CDC says the people who need to be tested are those in the hospital or those at high risk for getting life-threatening problems from the flu, such as: Children under 5 years old People 65 or older Children and teens (under age 18) who are getting long-term aspirin therapy, and who might be at risk for Reye's syndrome after being infected with swine flu. Reye's syndrome is a life-threatening illness linked to aspirin use in children. Pregnant women Adults and children who have chronic lung, heart, liver, blood, nervous system, neuromuscular, or metabolic problems Adults and children who have suppressed immune systems (including those who take medications to suppress their immune systems or who have HIV) People in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities................................................................. How Is Swine Flu Treated?................................................. Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1 swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) seem to work best, although some kinds of swine flu are resistant to Tamiflu. These drugs can help you get over swine flu faster. They can also help keep it from being too severe. They work best when taken within 48 hours of the first flu symptoms, but they can help when taken later. Antibiotics won't help, because flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Over-the-counter pain remedies and cold and flu medications can help relieve aches, pains, and fever. Don't give aspirin to children under age 18 because of the risk for Reye’s syndrome. Check to make sure that over-the-counter cold medications do not have aspirin before giving them to children. Vaccine for Swine Flu The same flu vaccine that protects against seasonal flu also protects against the H1N1 swine flu strain. You can get it as a shot or as a nasal spray. Either way, it "teaches" your immune system to attack the real virus. Besides a flu shot, there are other things you can do to stay healthy: Wash your hands throughout the day with soap and water. Sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice to make sure you've washed long enough. Or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Avoid people who are sick.

integrative approach

Need for treatment facilities with integrative approach: Naik Last Updated: Saturday, January 10, 2015 - 23:35 Zee News Kochi: Observing that standalone modern medicine may not be sufficient to cater to the demands of an ailing society, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shripad Naik Saturday stressed the need to create treatment facilities with "integrative approach". "In the emerging world of lifestyle-related disorders and chronic diseases, the standalone modern medicine may not be sufficient to cater to the demands of the ailing society. At such a crucial juncture, there is a need to create such treatment facilities with integrative approach where patients can choose their preferred system of medicine under one roof", he said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Amrita Centre for Integrated Medicine and Research at nearby Edapally. "This approach will help promote referrals from one system to the other so as to achieve better understanding among medical fraternity," he said. The minster, who also holds the Independent charge of Ayush, said India was well-endowned with traditional systems of medicine mainly Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. "These scientific systems are based on strong fundamental principles having various discipline," he said. Stressing the need to generate scientific evidence for validation of these great sciences for their global acceptance, he said the Ministry of AYUSH has taken many initiatives to promote and propagate these systems. This is India's first centre for inter-disciplinary study of medicine to come up here under Amrita University. The Centre will have an integrated study, research and patient care in Allopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga under the university. "The purpose is to bring Ayurveda and Yoga into the mainstream healthcare in India," Dr Prem Nair, Medical Director of AIMS said. The centre will bring out replicable guidelines for introducing and practising integrated healthcare at various levels besides facilties for study and research, Dr Shanti Nair said. Central Council of Indian Medicines (CCIM) President, Dr Vanitha Muralikumar,said "we are still fighting for integrating Allopathy and Ayurvedic streams. It is a big fight." According to Vanitha Muralikumar,75 per cent of speciality postings are vacant in government sector as they do not want to go to rural areas. There are vacancies of about 16,000 doctors in rural areas. To tide over this situation, the CCIM decided to develop a bridge course of nine months in competence in modern medicine following the directions from Union Government. However, the Medical council of India (MCI) has sent a note stating it was a 'futile exercise', she said, adding, government was planning to train ayush doctors to be sent to rural areas, she said. The course was to be undertaken post MBBS and BAMS. Jaykumar, Secretary General, Vijnana Bharati, said there are only 281 Ayurvedic colleges in India, while Kerala has 163 engineering colleges. The entire North East and Jammu and Kashmir have only one Ayurvedic college each. PTI

Model Health Village

IMA to set up 'Model Health Village' Press Trust of India | New Delhi January 8, 2015 Last Updated at 21:15 IST The Indian Medical Association has decided to set up a 'Model Health Village' which can be replicated nationally by both the government and NGOs. "The 'Model Health Village' will have all parameters met within a year as defined by UN's Millennium Development Goals and would be operated under the 'Aao Gaon Chalen Project' of IMA," said IMA national president Dr A Marthanda Pillai. In a statement here, IMA also said it has written to all its 1,700 branches to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat' initiative. "Almost 20 per cent of the disease burden can be reduced if all doctors in our country are sensitised about having their medical establishments follow hygienic principles. "They, in turn, motivate their patients to follow the principles of respiratory, food, water and hand hygiene," it said. IMA also expressed concern about the inclusion of 'cross pathy' in the National Health Policy (NHP), which has been put up by the Union Health Ministry on its website. Cross pathy is the practice of prescribing homoeopathy and ayurvedic drugs along with allopathy medicines. Under NHP, the government plans to train AYUSH doctors for a limited period of time in order to allow them to become mid-level healthcare providers. In that respect, IMA said it is "not against AYUSH as a branch taking the front position and wants AYUSH to progress in their respective fields". "However, IMA is against AYUSH doctors practising modern systems of medicine as that will cause more harm than benefit to the patients," it added.

scientific validation of traditional knowledge

`Powerful MNC lobby behind pushing out WLL technology’ Former Director General of CSIR R A Mashelkar said powerful multinational corporation lobby came in the way of wireless loop technology for affordable cellular phone system in the country. Mashelkar, after his lecture on “Reinventing India as an innovation nation” here at International Management Institute, told Business Line that “powerful MNC” lobby was behind pushing out WLL technology by global system for mobile communication. It was ironical that the WLL technology, which was an innovation of an Indian – Ashok Jhunjhunwalla – first found its usage in Brazil and Madagascar. Talking about innovation, he said over the past few year there has been a paradigm shift approach. “Innovation is not just about quality, but sustainability and affordability,” he said. Scientific validation of traditional knowledge He said the public debate over BT brinjal was largely misplaced and skirted a rational approach. On the other hand, Mashelkar said, scientific validation of traditional knowledge like ayurvedic medicines was the key to reinventing innovations – bringing the past into the future. Mashelkar, who backed creation of a digital library for India traditional knowledge, felt that Global Innovation Index needed to take note of business process innovations as one of the intrinsic elements of the aggregation. “Think about open heart surgery, made 20 times cheaper by Narayana Hrudayalaya through innovation in the processes”, he said. He felt there are many other areas where India excelled in innovating businesses processes, which increased their affordability many fold. India would not have slipped in the global innovation scale from the 64th place in 2012 to 76th in 2014 had there been cognition of the business process innovation element. Mashelkar said for corporation investment in R&D and innovation was an opportunity to stay competitive.​

21 june Yoga Day

The United Nations declared June 21st as International Yoga Day, just three months after India's newly-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi used some of his valuable minutes during his address to the U.N. General Assembly to introduce it. With an unprecedented 177 countries signed on, including the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia, it might be an indication that the winds are changing. The resolution adopted by the General Assembly garnered a record number of co-sponsors. In my recent meeting with Minister Sripad Naik of the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), I saw for myself how incredibly optimistic he and his team are about their work and the role of AYUSH for a wider community. I left our meeting so encouraged to know that India is leading the way and remaining courageous to bring forth, perhaps the most missed agenda item in world policies, that of spirituality. There are many forms of yoga today and in America alone, there are 155 yogic practices and over 60 million practitioners. India has historically been known for its mysticism, yoga and meditation. During the recent launch of HuffPost India, at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, Arianna Huffington, the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, said to a group of leaders that India is in the unique position to offer the Eastern traditions of meditation and yogic methods to de-stress folks in the West. In this fast moving time, with India moving so fast, both in the East and West, the question here in India, is "Are Indians ready to return to its mystical ways of being as a people and a country, rather than chasing after the Maya of the West?" Through practicing Raja Yoga, which directs the intellect to connect to the Divine so that the energies of "ALGAE," an acronym I use that represents, Anger, Greed, Lust, Attachment, and Ego, reduces and we become fully awakened in thoughts and actions. The gift of the present day is that we have so many forms of support to choose from to take better care of ourselves. Ultimately, it's about our own consciousness and what serves it best. I wonder and remain optimistic that International Yoga Day is not only shifting the body, but it becomes an official day where everyone can choose to shift their minds towards a more empowered state. Could this be a means of declaring world peace? One thing is for sure, Prime Minister Modi and his Ministry of AYUSH are leading the world to awaken. To all leaders of the world, are you ready to chant your "OM" and find your own inner peace when you choose to lead?

old vs new

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essential unani medicien

IMA warns docs

IMA warns docs against hiring ayurveda, homoeopathy practitioners By Jyoti Shelar, Mumbai Mirror | Jan 3, 2015, 12.00 AM IST The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has issued directions to the 10,000 healthcare facilities and 2.5 lakh doctors it represents that it will initiate action against those physicians and establishments found hiring homoeopaths and ayurveda practitioners to fulfil allopathic functions. According to a senior IMA functionary, the system of employing those qualified to prescribe traditional cures in hospitals and clinics that specialise in allopathic healthcare has resulted in hundreds of medical negligence cases being filed against IMA members. The decision to call for a ban was taken by IMA's central council last week and has been communicated to all its members. The notification stated, "Directions are being given to hospitals and doctors not to appoint Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) Doctors as Resident Medical Officers (RMO)/Assistant. Strong action will be taken against those violating the directions". IMA could revoke the membership of a doctor or institution found flouting this directive - outcasts will lose the support of IMA in battling medico-legal and malpractice cases. "It is a simple and clear message to our doctors. No ayurveda or homeopathy practitioner should be hired as an assistant or as an RMO in any allopathic medical set-up," Dr KK Aggarwal, senior national vice-president of IMA told Mumbai Mirror. "Such cases have only increased across the country in the past few years which forced us to call for the blanket ban," said Aggarwal. Such hiring practices are prevalent primarily in government hospitals in rural areas, which retain the services of Ayush doctors owing to lack of qualified allopathic practitioners. Incidentally, the state government recently passed a bill which allows those practicing ayurveda and homoeopathy to prescribe allopathic cures upon completing a year-long bridge course called 'Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology', which will be designed by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). "If a homoeopath or an ayurveda practitioner stops practicing his own stream, he is obviously degrading it. Even if they do that course, our stand will remain the same. As far as the issue of shortage of doctors is concerned, the government should increase the number of medical seats instead of allowing this," said Aggarwal, adding that doctors flouting these norms will loose their IMA registration. Many Indian courts have excoriated homeopaths and ayurveda practitioners for prescribing allopathic medicines. In a 1996 case of medical negligence, in which a homoeopath's prescription of allopathic treatment to aman afflicted with typhoid resulted in the patient's death, the Supreme Court, which adjudicated, said: "A doctor must not only be qualified but he must also be registered with the appropriate Medical Council in order to practice as a doctor. A homeopath would not have knowledge about allopathic medicines and its drug reactions. So the mere administration of allopathic treatment by a homeopath would be enough proof to establish negligence." Senior eye surgeon Dr T P Lahane, a medical professional of 32-years' experience, and head of the state-run JJ Hospital, was of the opinion that allowing homeopaths or ayurveda practitioners to administer modern medicine is extremely unjust. "If they have not learnt the science thoroughly and extensively, they cannot be allowed to practice it so easily," he said. However, those Ayush doctors that are the target of the IMA's ire point out that they fulfil a vital need. "These modern medicine practitioners who are making so much noise should survey the hospitals and see who is treating the poor in Primary Health Centres in rural areas," said Dr Bahubali Shah, administrator, Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy, adding there are over 60,000 homeopaths, 81,000 ayurveda practitioners in Maharashtra, as against 1.21 lakh allopathic doctors. "We are not simply asking for permission to practice allopathy. We want to do it legitimately by doing the course."