HEALTH

Punjabis more prone to heart diseases
From A Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 5 — Dr R.P. Singh, a cardiologist here, has said that the people of Punjab are more prone to develop coronary artery diseases.

Delivering a talk on “Heart illnesses: their management and prevention” at the Rotary Club, Mid Town, Ludhiana, Dr Singh said that the lifestyle of the Punjabis was the root cause of the problem. An average Punjabi diet was very rich in fats and when coupled with sedantary life, smoking, high alcohol intake, high blood pressure and diabetes, it formed a strong basis for the development of coronary artery diseases.

He advised the audience to reduce the intake of high-calorie foods like snacks, fast food, sweets, ice-cream etc. He said the food habits needed to be corrected from childhood.

It has been noticed that the heart diseases had started afflicting even young people and women. Up to menopause, women are less likely to have coronary artery diseases, but after menopause there was no difference between males and females.

Dr Rajeev Gupta, consultant psychiatrist and in charge of community services of the club, expressed concern over the rise in the number of heart patients in Ludhiana and blamed the lifestyle of the Punjabis, which made them more vulnerable to heart diseases.

Dentist advocates fibrous diet
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 5 — Indulgence in fast food, negligence of the health of our teeth and the myths about dental care are collectively responsible for the occurrence of dental diseases in almost 99 per cent of the cases.

This was stated by Dr Vikas Jindal, a periodontist, at the inaugurated lecture of a three-month long school dental health education programme launched by the Indian Dental Association ( IDA ) at Kundan Vidya Mandir here today.

Lala Lajpat Rai, Member Parliament, lit the lamp to mark the inauguration of the education programme.

The programme has been launched on the national level at the instructions of the IDA. In the first leg of the programme, the local chapter of the IDA will cover school children in the age group of 7 to 12 years. The focus will be on the prevention of dental diseases. Children will be taught the right technique of brushing, evaluation of dental diseases and countering myths prevailing in society regarding dental treatment.

Addressing a packed hall, Dr Jindal stressed on the need of rich fibrous diet and less indulgence in candy food if the health of our teeth well to be preserved. He lamented that the practice of chewing ‘datun’ daily in the morning, which was a habit of our forefathers, had been forgotten by the present generation. He also lamented that instead of eating fruits today, people preferred juice which was devoid of fibre content, an element necessary for the health of our teeth.

Through slides , pictures, and charts the doctor informed the gathering about several types of the dental diseases prevailing these days. One of the most interesting part of the lecture was regarding the aesthetic dentistry.

SPORT

Shooting range inaugurated
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 5 — A 10-metre shooting range suitable for air rifle and air pistol events was inaugurated at Kundan Vidya Mandir here today.

The school has produced some shooters who have competed in inter-school shooting championships at state as well as national levels. This shooting range has been inaugurated to further enhance such skills. Paramvir, Nikhil, Jainendra and Arjun Mehra who have represented their school at various championships were very delighted to have a shooting range in their own school.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Col J.S. Brar, president of the District Rifle Association, who was present on the occasion said: "With the opening up of shooting ranges in schools of Ludhiana, we will be able to judge the talents at the grass-root levels. I am happy to see that some of the schools have set up a shooting range on their own premises".

Among others who were present on the occasion were Lala Lajpat Rai, MP, Mrs Indira Kumar, Principal of the school, Mr N.S. Bhogal, senior vice-president of the District Rifle Association and Mrs Chandra Sharma, coach.