147 elderly citizens felicitated

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TEHRATHUM, Feb 26 - A total of 147 elderly people aged above 70 years were felicitated in Jaljale VDC Tehrathum district at a function recently.

Resident of Jaljale VDC, Sita Ram Maskey had felicitated 70 elderly women and 77 elderly men aged above 70 because his mother, Padam Kumari had expired at the age of 70 and his father Bishnu Prasad at the age of 77 years. He felicitated them by offering each of them a shawl at his personal cost and a commendation letter.

At the function chaired by social worker Om Lamsal, a host of speakers, including VDC chairman Kapil Dev Singhak, headmaster Mohan Subedi, teacher Chhabi Rimal and other social workers, underlined the need to honour the senior citizens of the society.

Locals hand over guns, claim insurgents

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NUWAKOT, Feb 26 - Locals have started handing over their licensed guns to Maoist rebels, defying the Home Ministry’s recent instruction of returning arms to their respective District Administration Offices, a report received here said.

The Ministry had given instructions to its District Administrations to take back all the licensed guns from individuals keeping in mind the Maoist insurgency.

A Maoist source claimed that people from the Dangsingh, Bughsing and Gosyang VDCs had handed over nine guns to the rebels "for the cause of the People’s War."

A local from the Dangsingh VDC said he handed over his gun to the rebels out of fear of the Maoists.

Ways to curb crimes discussed

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KATHMANDU, Feb 26 - Increasing crimes in the valley and the ways to minimise them were discussed at an interaction programme held here today.

With a view to providing secure life to the citizens, the programme was organised by Lazimpat Club. The programme focused on how the co-ordination between security guards, who are appointed by private organisations and police can be made more effective.

Valley DIG Ananda Ram Bhattarai was present at the programme as a chief guest to answer the queries raised by the participants. Most of the participants were representing various private organisations from the valley.

One of the participants, Navin Khadka raised the issue on drug addiction. According to him, drug addicts are the ones who are responsible for increasing crimes in the valley.

President of Lazimpat Club, G.N ‘dai’ sharma raised the issue about the police booths handed over to the police by the Lazimpat Club which were vandalised a year ago and still remain un-repaired.

DIG Bhattarai stressed on the need of security guards to remain ever alert. "If the response is late, we won’t be able to solve the problems," he said.

He also said, "community involvement is indispensable to provide security to the citizens and such programmes can be very effective in solving such problems."

FPAN takes to streets against social evils

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KATHMANDU, Feb 26 - The Family Planning Associatin of Nepal (FPAN) has taken to the streets to create awareness about different social aberrations.

According to a press release issued by FPAN today, it is organizing an inter-school and inter-college music contest to bring awareness about reproductive health issues and concerns among the youths at the Birendra International Convention Center on 3rd March.

FPAN has been organising quiz and media shows, poster and photo contests, debates, eassys and oratory contests and musical programmes aimed at creating awareness about reproductive health issues and problems facing the youths today.

Nayantara Kankshapati the coordinator of the group says, "One of the ways to spread awareness among the young people is through music and entertainment."

Youth Central Committee of FPAN has performed twenty-one street plays all over the country. Social issues like rape, early marriage, ill treatment to girls and exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous members of society are depicted. Nepal has 24 percent youth population.

The plays performed show the trauma of victims who are emotionally, mentally and socially drained, incapable of leading productive lives because of their traumatic and unsupportive experiences with the society.

Though the literacy rate is higher in the urban areas, yet excessive exposure to commercial television, radio and print media as well the fast-changing lifestyle of youths make them equally vulnerable.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is soon opening regional office here in Nepal to give fresh impetus towards helping the youths to make their voice heard with more sympathetic and serious note among adults and policy-makers.

Cop gets jail term on rape charges

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CHARIKOT, Dolakha, Feb 26 - The Dolakha District Court has recently ordered to imprison Assistant Sub-Inspector, Rakesh Kumar Singh, for four years and has ordered to hand over half of his property to a Maoist woman on charges of raping her.

ASI Singh, 32, assaulted Himali Gole, 18, from Gairimudi VDC-1 at her own home at a gunpoint one year ago, when the convict was on patrol duty at the VDC.

The single bench of Justice Mahendra Raj Gautam ordered that the accused provide half of his property to the victim and remain in jail for four years on the rape charge.

The victim had filed a complaint at the court stating that Singh assaulted her at gunpoint.

The convict, from the Chhanauna VDC in Sarlahi, was taken into judicial custody and was suspended from his job until the justice was given to the victim.

Record keeper of the Court, Basudev Lal Shrestha, said that papers relating to the verdict would be despatched to Sarlahi district and Singh’s half property would be handed over to the rape victim.

Maoists ransack house, manhandle people

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GULARIYA, Feb 26 - The CPN (Maoists) ransacked a house, manhandled people and burnt down a tractor in Bogatiya village of Kalika VDC-1 in Bardiya district.

According to Police Control Room in Gulariya, an armed group of about nine or ten Maoist workers in army uniform entered the house of Nepali Congress worker, Keshab Bahadur Khadka, at about 10 p.m. on Saturday and looted his property.

They manhandled Khadka’s wife, Raj Kumari Khadka, his sons Rudra Bahadur Khadka and Padam Bahadur Khadka injuring them seriously. They also beat Bhagawati Varma, son of Khadka’s sister and his neighbour Prakash Tharu, police said.

The Maoist insurgents then set ablaze Khadka’s tractor and most parts of the tractor were destroyed. They also looted a camera and Rs 2,500 from Khadka, and Rs 5,000 from Bhagawati Varma. There were three women in the group of the Maoist insurgents.

Khadka’s family members are undergoing treatment in Bardiya district hospital.

The Maoist workers later pasted pamphlets in the village, stating in the pamphlets that they had taken action against Khadka on various charges.

Endoscopic Sinus surgery : Treatment of Pinaas

By Dr. Narayan Prasad Bhetwal

Many people suffer from the problem of sinuses, which is commonly known as ‘Pinaas’ among Nepali people. These sinuses are hollow cavities in the head, which are present around the nose and they open into the nose. The lining mucosa of the nose and the sinuses is continuous. The commonest sinus to be affected is maxillary sinus, which lies below the eye at the side of nose. People suffering from the sinus problem may present as headache, nasal blockage, pain in the face, discharge from the nose, difficulty in breathing, postnasal drip, lack of sense of smell and taste of food, overall fatigue etc. These problems are increased in the environment of dust, cold, and allergy. The sinus problem may affect the quality of life considerably. These patients who do not respond to the medical treatment may be treated successfully with endocopic sinus surgery. Sinus problem is due to blockage of opening of the sinuses in the nasal cavity. When the sinuses are working well there is constant circulation of air and these sinuses produce water like secretion, which helps to lubricate the nose and keeps the nose healthy by removing the bacteria and dust. When these openings are shut down, the problems of sinuses may seriously affect our daily activities. The endoscopic sinus surgery opens up the sinuses by removing the blockage and removing the diseased mucosa from the sinuses.

These people are advised to seek advice from an ENT surgeon. Before endoscopic sinus surgery thorough evaluation is mandatory to discover the cause and extent of the problems. Patient may have to undergo endoscopic evaluation of nose, X-ray, computed tomography. Only after these evaluations the doctor may suggest for the endoscopic sinus surgery.

The endoscopy of the nose can be performed both for diagnosis (i.e. to determine the exact source of sinus problems) and the treatment. The endoscope is a thin telescope that permits an overall view of nose and sinuses. It is a narrow hollow tube in which light travels through small glass fibers to a lens that illuminates and magnifies the nose and sinus cavity. The endoscope is passed through the nasal openings so no incision is required. With the endoscope in one hand the surgeon work with other hand with fine instruments through the same nasal openings and operate upon the nose and sinuses. There is little tissues damage, there will be less bleeding and discomfort and there will be no scarring. These procedures can be performed simply by medication in the nose only or by making the patient fully unconscious (general anesthesia). Children, nervous people and those who need extensive endoscopic surgery require general anesthesia. The other beauty of the endoscopic sinus surgery is quick recovery and patient can be discharged on the same day of surgery. It can also be performed safely in children. The further advantage of endoscope is that if it is connected to a video screen, you can see your nasal problems with your own eyes.

After surgery these people have to avoid dust, cold, allergies. You can again enjoy best things in your life. At present the endoscopic sinus surgery is just being introduced in Nepal. This is available only in the few health centers of the country. People who are suffering from ‘PINAAS’ as headache, breathing difficulty, lack of sense of smell and taste, nasal discharge can take a breath of relief. The endoscopic sinus surgery can bring dramatic change in your life. Once again you can savor the best things in your life, like the rich aromas of food and flowers.

Key to good oral health: Ten golden rules

By Dr. Neil Pande

1. Brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Brushing at night before going to sleep is a must. Clean between your teeth daily with a dental floss or an interdental cleaner.

This takes just a few minutes a day.

2. Use toothpaste that is fluoridated and has lesser abrasive (roughness) property. Change your brush, as soon as it starts going out of shape. It is better not to use a very hard toothbrush and not to brush vigorously but gently in an up and down manner.

3. Eat a balanced diet. Limit the amount of intake of sugar, chocolates, aerated drinks and in between snacks.

4. Visit your dentist regularly for a check up and professional cleaning. Make sure the instruments used at your dentist’s place are properly sterilized.

5. Inform your dentist about any medical problem you have and any medicines that you are taking.

6. Find out from your dentist the cosmetic possibilities for improving the appearance of your teeth that are crooked, chipped or stained.

7. Do not use tobacco, pan, betel nut and their products. They are the reasons for increasing rate of Oral Cancer in our country.

8. Do not bite on hard objects that could crack a tooth.

9. Do not ignore gums that bleed when you brush or floss. See your dentist soon, if such problem persists.

10. When playing active sports, wear a mouthguard.

Tips for healthy food planning

By Padma Shrestha

Health of a person starts in the kitchen or the type of food selected to eat. It is not that only the poor nations suffer from malnourishment because there is less food available and the quality of food is low. People from rich countries like America and Europe also suffer from malnourishment though they have ample of money and wide range of foods to select from.

Many people there rely on junk food. A junk food is the food processed and packed in an attractive way with added artificial colour, flavour and taste, which has less or no nutritive value except empty calories. It is advertised and marketed in such a way that people feel their status is raised by the procurement and consumption of that type of food.

Children, teenagers and younger generations are more trapped in this type of food product . And unfortunately this is the age when they should be taking a good food for their proper growth and development. In the Nepali context some examples of junk food and drink are instant noodles, packaged chips, aerated drinks, chocolates etc. These types of food is available even in small stores anywhere.

A fat person is not necessarily a healthy person. Well fed and well nourished are two different things. Here we are talking about the latter. In today’s competitive world one has to keep oneself healthy, no matter in what area of work the person is engaged in. Nobody likes to follow a sick leader be it in a family, community, or in some other field such as politics, religion, economy, different school of thoughts etc. In one sentence we can define good food like this : A good food includes whole grain cereals, legumes and pulses, minimal fat of animal origin, use of less vegetable oil and spices adding larger quantity of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, cooked and prepared with good flavour and taste. It has to be served in an attractive way to arouse appetite.

Food intake should include daily requirements of nutrients for healthy living. The science of food and nutrition has been slowly accumulated over the years through careful observations and experiments.

Medical science is developing so fast these days that new results of experiments on human health and their relationship to different nutrients is coming up rapidly. Daily requirements of seven food groups had been developed long ago which is still used to pllan a good menu is as follows

Group (1) Green leafy, yellow,orange colour, seasonal vegetables two or more servings.

Group (2) Citrus fruits, tomatoes, raw cabbage, other natural sour fruit etc. one more servings.

Group (3) Potatoes, tubers, roots other fleshy vegetables and fruits three or more servings.

Group (4) Milk, cheese, yogurt or other milk products two or more cups.

Group (5) Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dried beans ,peas or pulses(vegetarians could use more beans, pulses, peas, soybeans which is equally beneficial )two or more servings.

Group (6) Rice, wheat, corn, millets, whole grain, for example: rice unpolished, wheat product with barn, atta, instead of fine flour) three to four servings.

Group (7) Vegetable oil, ghee or butter at least one table spoon. We should include above mentioned food group in ourdaily diet to remain healthy .

We can add additional food depending on our choice, body weight, and type of work we do. It is not necessary to add all food groups in one meal. It has to be spread throughout the day’s diet in our three or four meals we take daily.

We should include above mentioned food group in our daily diet to remain healthy . We can add additional food depending on our choice, body weight, and type of work we do.