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Weekly Health Update:

07 September 2010
1. Where can you get help with quitting smoking?

Getting advice from a trained professional, such as a nurse, GP, or smoking counsellor can help you stop smoking. As well as prescribing aids such as nicotine patches, your GP will be able to recommend services in your local area, as well as national organisations that help people across the UK. Research has shown that people who seek help from the NHS or other organisations and make use of nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum, are four times more likely to succeed in quitting than people who try to quit without any help. NHS Stop Smoking services include the NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 022 4 332). By phoning this number you can find out more about local services, including one-to-one counselling, and stop smoking groups...Read more 


2. CHIEF supported the Smokefree Action Coalition advert in support of the ban on point of sale displayI attach the final version of the ad, which was published in the Independent on Sunday...


3. Do you wish to check out your first aid knowledge? if so, please click over this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/first_aid/skills_test/


4. Tune into our live weekly health talk show - `Health Hour` on Saturday, 11th September 2010 at 1.0 pm UK Time on Hidayat TV (SKY Channel # 803). Provided Eid is not falling on this Saturday, our topic will be prevention, treatment options and complications of Gallstones.. We have invited a senior G.P and a General Surgeon, so please pick up the phone, dial 0044 1274 294451 and ask a question in English, Urdu and Punjabi languages. 

Last Saturday, we gratefully discussed part 1of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) for about 2 hours with our guest of honour, Dr Sarfraz Khan FRCP, MRCS, MRCP, a senior cardialogist from Royal Preston Hospital. He would join us again on 18 September to discuss part 2 of CVD. Dr Khan is fluent in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Pushto language. You may contact him on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  for private medical advice. 

If you are interested to sponsor these health shows or like to be our honorable guest, please call us on 07929 193577. Thank you.


5. Ivabradine pill may prevent heart failure for thousands.. 

 

Pill costing less than £1.50 a day has the potential to save the lives of thousands of heart failure patients, medical trials suggest. The drug, ivabradine, is already available in the UK to treat angina. Prof Martin Cowie, who led the UK-based part of the study, said it could save up to 10,000 lives each year. The trial involved more than 6,500 people in 37 countries who already used standard treatments such as beta-blocker drugs. Over a typical study period of two years, ivabradine cut the risk of death from heart failure by 26%....Read more 

6. Hepatitis C and B undetected in over half a million people in UK..

Have you ever felt under the weather but the doctor has been unable to diagnose what is wrong with you? Have you ever shared your partner’s toothbrush or borrowed your friend’s razor? It is possible that you could be suffering from a disease which often goes untested. It is estimated that over half a million people in the UK are living with hepatitis B or C without knowing it. The Hepatitis C Trust with the support of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is calling on health services to introduce testing in pharmacies to ensure the early diagnosis of the disease, which could save thousands of lives. Please find enclosed herein PDF file for further reading.


Issued by:  

 

Dr Syed Nayyer Abidi 
Director General,
Community Health Involvement & Empowerment Forum (CHIEF)
Registered Address: 199 Woodlands Road, Cheetham Hill,
Manchester, M8 0GH
 
Multilingual Helpline: 0161 7739689

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CHIEF joins hands with Fire & Safety Association of Pakistan (FSAP) & SafetyPros International Inc. US, to alleviate the sufferings of millions of its Pakistani fellow citizens..

Pakistan and majority of its people are passing through the most difficult time of their life and history due to the on-going worst disastrous flooding that has swept almost 75% of the country. Hundreds of lives are lost; over 20 million people are forced to take refuge in the most difficult and dangerous areas and situations; and billions of rupees in asset/property/crop losses are visible throughout the devastation. The affected people are desperately in need of help in much ways.

FSAP strongly believes that no effort be spared by Government, non-government and private departments and businesses to bring relief to our fellow citizens.

Many socially responsible private business and organizations, including SafetyPros International Inc. USA, SACO Engineering and Elia Engineering Solutions, have come forward to help those who are in need of help. Fire & Safety Association of Pakistan (FSAP) announces its fullest cooperation and coordination with these entities as well as any other genuine entity, national or international, working on ground to help ease the miseries of flood-stricken people in the country.

In these efforts, FSAP President Capt. Dr. Suleman Mahtab, National Expert on Pakistan’s Fire Safety Policy and Technical Advisor to the SafetyPros International, is the resource person to be contacted. He may be reached at his mobile number: 03335912000 or through e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . He is already busy in his relief mission with his dedicated team in the hard hit areas of Multan, Muzzafargarh, Kot Addu, Liyyah and Rohilanwali and today they would be visiting Alipur, Rajanpur, Uch Sharif and Rahimyar Khan...

Please come forward and play your part in this crucial relief mission. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Syed Nayyer Abidi 
Director General,
Community Health Involvement & Empowerment Forum (CHIEF)
Registered Address: 199 Woodlands Road, Cheetham Hill,
Manchester, M8 0GH
 
Multilingual Helpline: 0161 7739689
Web: www.chiefcic.com
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Happy Ramadan!

A worth reading article for every Muslim!!

This year the holy month of Ramadan falls in August and September, which means that the days will be much longer and hotter than they have been in a long time. Fasting will prove even more of a challenge for many of us, so it is vital to take extra steps to look after our health. Preparing for the day ahead at the dawn time meal, and making sure we eat the right foods at the sunset meal will ensure we make the most of a blessed and beautiful month. Balance your meals: Make sure that your suhoor meal (pre-dawn meal) is the largest meal of the day.

Avoiding heavy foods and overeating in the evening allows for a larger meal in the morning. Cut caffeine: Limit coffee, tea and fizzy drinks as their caffeine content makes your body lose water. Avoid brain fog: Get your essential fats such as fish, cheese and meats to avoide midday fog.Avoid dehydration: It is very important to drink plenty of water in the pre-dawn meal before fasting and when breaking fast at dusk.Foods to avoid: Avoid simple carbohydrates such as cookies, cakes, crackers, chips, potatoes, white bread, white rice and pasta. Also having too much fried, oily and spicy foods will sap your energy and give you a stomach ache. Break with dates: Dates are an excellent source of natural sugar, fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. they provide energy and antioxidants.

Get energised: To boost energy, have slower digesting foods, such as whole grain breads and cereals like barley and oatmeal. Eggs are a power food because they are enriched with protein and iron for energy and mental stamina. Exercise: Take up light activities like beginner's yoga, walking or cycling. Go for a stroll with your family after iftar. However, to stay hydrated avoid working up a sweat or being outdoors on a hot day.Are you fit for fasting? Though fasting is often not an easy task and takes mental will power and physical endurance, Islam stresses the importance of keeping the body and mind from harm. Fasting is neither a responsibility nor a right for those who are too ill to tolerate it. Hence, it is very important to seek medical advice if you suffer from a chronic disorder such as diabetes or hypertension. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are exempt from fasting too.Individuals with diabetes who are able to keep their blood glucose levels stable through diet control are better suited to fasting than those who require medication or insulin injections, though most diabetics can fast with the right care. But, children with type I insulin dependent diabetes should avoid fasting.

Your doctor will determine if you can fast by checking your overall health including: Any uncontrolled high blood pressure or angina;Current infections;A history of uncontrolled diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis; Whether you require insulin or medications to control your diabetes;Whether you have kidney stones, emphysema or other disorders.For most diabetic Muslims, fasting is safe and can be beneficial, particularly if they have Type2 adult onset diabetes or are obese diabetics. However, a careful diet must be followed and glucose levels must be monitored cautiously. Long term complications, dehydration, infections, hypoglycemia (low glucose levels) and coma are real harms that can occur if diabetes is not carefully monitored.If you are on prescription medication for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, angina, high cholesterol and other cardiovascular disorders, it is very important to consult your doctor about changing your medication schedule. Do not reduce your dosage or stop medication on your own; this can have serious effects such as stroke and heart disease.If fasting will cause harm to a person afflicted with a dietary disease such as diabetes, they are not required to fast. Instead, they should provide food for the needy people for every fast they miss.

Benefits of fasting: Often recognised as the missing link in western conventional medicine and nutrition, fasting results in fascinating bodily processes, by which the body sheds toxins, heals, repairs and replenishes its energy supplies. Fasting has been shown to improve allergies, anxiety, depression, colds, headaches, muscle aches, skin irritations and other illnesses. Medical studies show that fasting and curbing calorie intake even contribute to a longer lifespan.

What happens to our body during a fast? During a fast, our body generates its own energy by burning stored resources made from excess fats, carbohydrates and sugars to produce energy. The liver is the most significant organ in this economical process; it converts the fats into chemicals called ketone bodies which are three water-soluble compounds that are then used as a source for energy. Detoxification is one of the most important benefits of fasting.A regular body process, detoxification occurs as the colon, liver, kidney, lungs, lymph glands and skin eliminate or neutralise toxins. This process speeds up during fasting as the body breaks down fats. Chemicals and toxins absorbed from food and the environment are stored in fat reserves and released during fasting.

Fasting is also a healing for the mind, body and soul in more ways than one. At a physical level, energy and resources are diverted from the digestive system (which is constantly in overuse as we graze on food) to the immune system and metabolic processes allowing the body to heal, rebuild and replenish itself.

Yours sincerely,  

Dr Syed Nayyer Abidi 
Director General,
Community Health Involvement & Empowerment Forum (CHIEF)
 
Registered Address: 199 Woodlands Road, Cheetham Hill,
Manchester, M8 0GH
 
Multilingual Helpline: 0161 7739689
Web: www.chiefcic.com
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it