HEALTH

Importance of folic acid highlighted
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 5
Taking daily folic acid tablets can prevent serious birth defects of brain and spinal cord. Deficiency of folic acid can lead to birth of dead babies or babies who are severely deformed who often die in the first few days to weeks after birth. This observation has been made by Dr Asok Antony, Professor of Medicine and Haematology, University of Indiana, USA, in a research study conducted by him.

Dr Antony, an alumni of Christian Medical College and Hospital, plans to visit Ludhiana and other places of the state to educate women on the prevention of “neural tube defects with folic acid.”

According to Dr Antony about 10,000 cases of such birth defects may be prevented in India if all women of child-bearing age regularly take a daily tablet of folic acid. Folic acid is a very cheap vitamin, which costs only 10 paise a day and is available at all chemist shops. It has no side effects in the doses recommended.

He maintains that when a woman in the child-bearing age take just 1 milligram of folic acid daily, she helps her new baby in its brain and spinal cord development. In this way, she can rest assured that she has done all on her part to give birth to a healthy baby.

Dr Antony says that recent research from several countries in the west and confirmatory studies in China have clearly shown that taking folic acid daily even before a woman knows that she is pregnant can dramatically reduce the risk of having a baby with serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord up to 75 per cent.

Folic acid is critically important for brain and spinal cord development during the very first month of the developing baby’s life in the mother’s womb. It is very important for her to have adequate amount of folic acid in her body at all times when she is capable of becoming pregnant.

Dr Antony points out that most women cannot get enough folic acid even by eating a balanced diet. The only way for women in India is to get enough folic acid to take a tablet of one milligram of folic acid each day.

Yoga, health camp from Nov 6
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 5
Keeping in view the increasing number of diseases triggered by stress and sedentary lifestyle, Hero DMC Heart Institute here will organise a three-day yoga and meditation programme for the general public from November 6 to 8. Shri Swami Ram Deve, a spiritualist and yoga expert from Divya Yoga Mandir, Haridwar, will conduct the camp at Dumra Auditorium, where besides teaching yoga and meditation, pravachans on the Vedas and the Geeta will also be delivered.

Besides yoga and meditation, psychological counselling and guidance, health check-up, special health awareness lectures and consultation by physiotherapists, dietician and general physicians will also be provided by experts of the HDHI and the DMCH.

“To ensure better training we have decided to register only 100 persons for the camp. Our motto behind organising the event is to motivate people towards leading a better quality of emotional and physical life and to convey the message that prevention is better than cure,” informed Dr S.S. Rawat, organising secretary of the event.

A session on dhyan and meditation will be organised by Shri Shri Swai Ram Dev Ji. He will also deliver lectures on Pranic healing, Vedas and modern life and pravachan on the Gita. Dr G.S. Wander, Chief Cardiologist, Hero DMC Heart Institute, will deliver a health awareness lecture on “Stress management and hypertension.” Dr Sandeep Puri, Reader, Department of Medicine and Medical Superintendent, DMCH, will deliver lecture on general health.

Eyeing Olympic gold
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, November 5
Although boxing (women) is not included in the Olympics, Karamjit Kaur is hopeful that soon it will be and she would win a gold for her country. Standing 5'-9", stoutly built Karamjit Kaur of Kukar Majra village in Mandi Gobindgarh expressed her aspiration while talking to Ludhiana Tribune here today. Twenty one-year-old Karamjit Kaur, a student of AS College, Khanna, was here on Sunday to visit her uncle, Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, honorary secretary, Punjab Basketball Association.

Karamjit Kaur had made India proud by winning a bronze medal in the second Women’s World Boxing Championship in the 75 kg category held at Antalyia, Turkey, from October 21 to 27. Karamjit was a member of the Indian contingent that took part in the prestigious meet where India won four medals, including one gold and three bronze.

Giving information about her performance during the championship, Karamjit said though she hoped to win a gold medal, she had a very tough opponent in the semifinal. She went down fighting by just two points (6-8) in the three-round bout against her rival from Denmark. For the third spot, Karamjit outplayed a Ukrainian girl to win the bronze. Karamjit, a trainee of chief coach of India Anoop Singh from Delhi, had earlier competed in international meets (in Thailand and Istanbul) but narrowly missed a medal.

“With the participation in international meets, one gets exposure and gains confidence that helps a sportsperson to fair well. And updated technical assistance would certainly enabled her to win laurels in future meets”, Karamjit said.

Karamjit, inspired by her maternal uncle, an international boxer, Jagroop Singh, with already a bronze medal in her kitty is quite confidant that she will win a gold in the Olympics.