Important- Unpublicized preventative steps reg H1N1 - from a doctor

Some tips for prevention from AIMS doctor

Friends,

Thanks to media hype about H1N1, several people who trust me have either approached or called me to advise. The hype in media about the utility of face masks and N95 respirators as a tool for general protection against H1N1 can't be deplored enough. Yesterday, a friend who listened wanted me to write down briefly what I advised so that he could tell others in similar words. Hence this short email to friends whom I have advised recently (and others whom I haven't yet). Please realize that this is not an official advice, especially the one about face masks or N95.

Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella made of mosquito net.

Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation till the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/ throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps - not fully highlighted in most official communications - can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.


All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals.


Happy breathing!

I loved this article - 17.08.09 TOI

Don’t make a Big Deal of Shah Rukh Khan’s detention



Lesson For India: Stop Fawning And Start Upgrading Our Security Structure


Anand Soondas | TNN




After a long time actor Salman Khan has come up with a real gem. On hearing about Shah Rukh Khan being questioned by US security at Newark, New Jersey, he said it’s good that the country has such
a tight set-up. And that ‘‘there has been no attack after 9/11 because of this’’.
Salman has a point. SRK might be an icon to Indians, even to the desi diaspora spread across the globe, but to America hes just a visitor. We may be convinced he cannot be involved in anything that’s remotely violent, but the guard given the responsibility of stopping something like 9/11 from happening in his country again will want to take no chances.
Interestingly, the same day that SRK was detained in Newark, there came news that the great Bob Dylan, wandering around Long Branch, near New York City, was asked for an ID by two cops too young to know who he really was. When he couldn’t furnish one, Dylan was taken back to the resort where he was putting up and staff there vouched for him. And America is Dylan’s own country. Was there a furore? Not even a little blowin’ in the wind.
SRK says he’s ‘‘upset and angry because it was his Muslim name that caused all this’’. Countless Muslims are made to go through extra security checks everyday in America and other Western countries. Is he equally upset at that? He’s probably just miffed that it happened to him, India’s mega star.
Well, America is a different country after 9/11, one that takes the killings of its people with the seriousness it deserves, unlike India whose record on this is shameful.
There are two layers to the SRK incident and we must peel them off with care. One, it is quite ridiculous that Indians feel their icons are everybody’s icons. What the heck? If Jet Li came to India tomorrow, very few would give him a second look. For that matter, what if Gerard Depardieu came traveling? Matt Damon was here recently and there wasn’t a traffic jam in Delhi. These guys are huge back home.
Moreover, America doesn’t have a culture of fawning the way India has. Mike Tyson was treated like a common rapist and spent most part of his youth in the slammer. Winona Ryder was sentenced to a three-year probation for shoplifting. Chinese born Hollywood actress Bai Ling was fined US $200 for petty theft.
We are actually aggrieved because we are ‘‘not like them’’. Guess what, it isn’t a virtue. We should be like them and take the security of our country with solemn, no-nonsense professionalism. Frisk Brad Pitt when he lands in India next. Give Tom C r u i s e the same dose. Don’t spare Bill Clinton either. Isn’t he an exprez, just like Kalam? Who’s stopping you and what’s stopping you? Colonial hangover? Or is it plain callousness? Looks like both.
We are just whimpering over here like hurt puppies because we feel, ‘‘Oh, but we don’t do it to them’’. Oh no, we don’t. And it’s a scandal. We should.
Instead of making SRK’s detention an issue, we should think of upgrading our own security apparatus. Theres a lesson in this — a positive one. The bottom line: Stop fawning, shed the colonial hangover and make no compromise where the country’s safety is concerned.

Vaishnavi has occasional bouts of nose and throat problem.She is learning a lot of things in school...she likes it, but getting ready and boarding the bus is a "project".

The first week was bad, she was probably not comforatble telling them that she has to go to loo and she messed up her clothes, threw up after having snacks etc etc.

she is amused at certain things like following a line, keeping one arm distance, teacher taking attendance and she answering back "Yes, ma'am"......
The teacher asks them as soon as they reach class.."Anyone toilet?" and these kids form a line and go to the toilet.

The prayers are too good...

She sits and rubs her palm and wipes her eyes and does meditation. ha ha ha ..........
and the other day she was surprised as to y her "teddy" does not have a full name!!She has given it a FULL name. Guess what "Teddy Atreyasa"

she wore sandals and salwar kameez and stood in front of me and said.. 'sing...nithyam nithyam japo japo....achutam, keshavam, madhavam,,,,,hari narayanam..gopika vallabham..............." she said the teacher does like this.........
she says ..."once again (lets play) swing. come."

She knows 3 stories - the cap seller and the monkeys, fox and sour grapes and master & camel..........

Vaishnavi has learnt "shubh raatri" from Dora cartoon series. i asked if the teacher taught her. She said Dora tells this to her parrots.

She got up at 5 and wanted to to do "susu"...I took her to the loo....she usually closes her eyes and finishes and back to sleep... today she was awake.. and she told me ...
"we should not tell susu....we have to tell toilet...that is how they have taught in school"

She has started using "yah" instead of "yes"...............

she knows only DORa, Toma nd Jerry and Mickey........
she does not know any ohter cartoon characters...and she has not seen me riding a two wheeler...

she is doing a lot of hungama now a days...she goes on and on...playing in water and soap....she climbs up the kitchen platform and cleans vessels.....scrubs...etc...

she mixes boost and sugar in one glass and asks for plain milk in another tumbler..then she eats the mixture and drinks milk...god know where this idea came from.......

she comes and complains to me if someone says something to her. she tells me to scold them loudly.....if am soft..she says..."u r a big girl...u can shout and scold them............"

vaishnavi does lot fo jumping around, colorsing, swing....cartoon....(she know Dora, toma nd jerry and mickey only)....on a normal day she sleeps for 3 hours ....during day time....
evening she goes for a walk or she cycle to the temple....

her school starts from 22nd june...monday..
we had a "reach out" program in their school on saturday...
they made one big prez to all parents.....

she will be in PRe KG F section..her teachers names are Lakshmi Ravi and Chitra....she will have to go alone in the school bus from july 6th...i have told her all these and she has agreed....

she asked me "Did u tell in padma sheshadri (new) school that I am not going to KIDZEE (old) school.? is that y u went to the new school today?"..............

the strenght of each class is 35....

our Vaishnodevi trip

IT was still dark when i woke up to get ready to leave to the airport. I was looking forward to our trip to vaishnodevi and other places around. This was the second time i was going there.

We left home and reached the Bangalore Airport to catch the Delhi indigo flight. Vaishnavi was still sleeping when i picked her up from the bed and left. She woke up in the airport surprised. The lights, her fav trolleys, escalator....We had breakfast of idli, pongal. It was good.

We reached Delhi to and went straight to the Honeywell Guest house. We rested for a while and got vaishnavi ready and went to karol bagh. This photo of vaishnavi in a garment shop.

Back from shopping and getting ready for the train. KP somehow mistook the 20:40 train timing as 22:40!!!!! As a result we could not board the train. We had to stay put in Delhi for another day. The next morning we went to the Delhi office.

We boarded the bus directly to Katra that evening at 7 pm. That was a terrible journey. Then i knew what it meant when people said.... its simply not possible to go to vaishnodevi shrine untill the goddess gives you a call. When we reached katra it was 1030am. We quickly had a bath and rushed to the helipad.....KP had made arrangements so quickly that we dint waste a minute..except for the small tiff we had :( . We took the "Pavan hans" helicopter to sanji chath helipad, walked from there to the shrine. The durbar was awesome . we could not take an pics there.



Back to helipad on horseback. Vaishnavi dozing and falling off to the sides every now and then. We flew down to katra around 530 pm. The pilot showed me katra university, railway station and when i looked down, i felt i am diving into the forest. The first trip was a little scary, but the trip back was coool.....

We stayed in katra that night and left for Patnitop the next morning. The drive to Patnitop was around 4 hours and it was beautiful.

"Green top" hotel at Patnitop. the Landscaping is superb.







Vaishnavi in the sit out. The temperature there was around 8/10 C.
You know something! Any hotel in Patnitop does not have either FAN or AC. A few more photos of Patnitop

We enjoyed horseride, saw apple, acrot trees. We bought loads of kashmiri dress materials. We went to the famous Nag Temple of patnitop. And remember to take enough cash to this place. There are no ATMs . The nearest ATM is at Batote on the srinagar highway. IT is just about 12 kms from Patnitop, but takes an hour to reach on road. The next morning we played in the park. A few photos of vaishnavi playing in the park.

The last time we were in Patnitop was in the year 2005 and believe me it was deserted then. This time the number of tourists were in 1000s....
we drove back to Jammu railways station. The rajma chaval was in a dhaba after Udhampur was too good!
Vaishnavi enjoyed. I was happy.
Our flight to bangalore was at 10 am and we reached Delhi just in time and zoomed off to the airport....

KP told vaishnavi in the flight..."days eating paneer and rajma is over..now only rasam rice....."...Vaishnavi said..."haan...now only anna, saaru, MUDDE............." ha ha ha.........
Finally in Bangalore.

my first post........

What should i write about!! am thinking.....
should i write about how how yucky am feeling right now...becos of the recession, becos am not able to spend time with people I want to……. how anxious i am about the coming week at Vaishnavi’s school, how difficult it is to write.......!!!...

And these lay offs. Pay cut fears…This morning I heard someone say…you will have this job..eh…but 25% of your pay is cut!!!!!
Now how am I to cope with that….what do I do for the living..what about the insurance premiums…….I should stop dreaming about expensive red framed spectacle, swimming classes, dance school for Vaishnavi…………….Will I be able to give her the best ? I can imagine not using the Audio and video CDs for song, rhymes…………instead I have to sing and dance….funny eh…….I would love to do …but all these for cost cutting?......

Not feeling so good…my first post is so negative!!!