HEALTH

Surgery helps baby take feed
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 5
Loveneet Kaur, a-year-and-a-half-old baby, underwent a surgery for the treatment of a nasopharyngeal tumour in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital recently. The surgery that made use of endoscopic surgical technique was successful.

Dr S.C. Ahuja, Principal of the DMCH, in a press note issued here today, said Loveneet Kaur of Dasuya had a running nose for the past one year. Whatever she took in through her mouth used to come out of her nose. She could only take bottle feed. The nasal discharge was profuse and did not regress with any medication. A CT Scan showed a massive tumour blocking the back of her nose and attached to the base of the skull and the first vertebra of the neck.

Dr Munjal of the hospital said the tumour had originated from the bones of the floor of the skull. These bones separate the brain from the back of the nose. Under video endoscopic visualisation, the tumour was dissected and removed, maintaing the integrity of the bone separating the brain and the spinal cord. The tumour was white and suspected to be “teratoma”, which is six times more common in females than in males. The surgery was assisted by Dr Ashok Gupta, plastic surgeon of the DMCH, who will undertake reconstructive plastic surgery of a coincidental palatal deformity after six months.

Dr Munjal said that the surgery using endoscopes involved precise and complete removal, caused less bleeding and did not involve stitching or bulky packing. There was minimal post-operative swellings, reduced hospitalisation, less frequent post-operative check-ups and a low cost of surgery.

Natural therapies centre to open today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 5
The Christian Clinic and Research Centre of Natural Therapies will be inaugurated here tomorrow by Ms Anita Darshi, Assistant Commissioner (Grievances), with the aim of serving people suffering from diseases like diabetes, ulcer, constipation, lung cancer, immune weakness, weak eye sight, arthritis, asthma, migraine, kidney or liver infection, heart problems, using natural therapies. Dr Rosario George Christina, a Sri Lankan national, will be the consultant at the centre.

Dr Rosario said recent studies had shown that general health condition of people was fast deteriorating despite the fact that they enjoyed best medical facilities and modern convenience. Human body acquired toxins due to consumption of chemically contaminated vegetables, fruits, processed food, water and even through polluted air. These toxins were harmful to liver, kidney lungs etc, he said.

Dr Rosario said these toxins were the silent killers. “Our immune system is gradually weakened which exposes our body to various diseases like kidney failure, AIDS, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure etc,” he said.

Dr Rosario said, “We can say goodbye to 95 per cent of diseases from which we suffer due to sedentary lifestyle by having a clean intestinal tract.”

National basketball meet opens
Our Sports Reporters

Ludhiana, March 5
Modern sport is all about people and passion. Take out the passion people bring in with them and sport is akin to an empty utensil, devoid of its intrinsic value.

This was precisely the case at the opening ceremony of the 52nd edition of the Senior National Basketball Championship that commenced at the Guru Nanak Indoor Stadium here today. The ceremony was full of splendour and colour and well and truly reflected the rich cultural ethos of Punjab. Fans kept on pouring into the stadium despite the fact that it was a delayed affair.

The first time Ludhiana played host to an event of such a magnitude was in 1951, the same year New Delhi hosted the first Asian Games.

The rituals of the opening ceremony were performed with finesse. The organisers had been preparing for the event for weeks in advance. With a band in attendance, the participants were off to the traditional march past. The meet was inaugurated by Mr R.S Gill, President of the Punjab Basketball Association and Inspector General of, Patiala zone. Giddha and bhangra followed, reflecting the zest of Punjabi life.

Tickets for ODI

Tickets for the second one-day international cricket match (day-night) between India and Zimbabwe, to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, Mohali, are available in Ludhiana.

According to a press note issued today by Mr Vinod Chitkara, honorary general secretary, Ludhiana District Cricket Association, tickets of denomination of Rs 1,000 for the PCA block including dinner charges, are at sale. Interested persons may contact Mr Chitkara at UCO Bank, Civil Lines, (phone no 444785or 98140-43051), or Mr Rajiv Bajaj, treasurer of the association, at SBI, Dholewal Chowk, Ludhiana, (phone no 544416 or 98141-12144).