Nshima & Curry

Let's move -- to fight childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a major problem these days, and I’m not just saying that because someone cracked the seesaw in my neighborhood playground. All you have to do is visit any school and you’re likely to spot dozens of kids who have to walk sideways to enter the gym. That’s the only way they can squeeze past the gym teacher’s belly. (If the gym teacher is overweight, you know the kids are in trouble.)

According to the latest statistics, one out of every three American children is overweight –- and the other two refuse to step on the scale. Many of these children are considered “obese,” as determined by a mathematical formula in which a child's body weight in kilograms is divided by the square of his or her height in meters, then multiplied by the average number of Kit Kats consumed in a day.

Obesity puts children at risk for a number of health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep disorders, as well as back and hip pain, which, in most cases, is not related to falling off seesaws.

Thankfully, President Obama recently launched a campaign to fight childhood obesity. The campaign, called “Let’s Move,” will try to educate parents about the importance of nutrition and exercise. Obama hopes more parents and children will say “Let’s move” to each other, at least half as often as they say “Let’s munch.”

It’s a good campaign and I wouldn’t be surprised if most families do find themselves saying “Let’s move,” especially as part of a longer sentence such as “Let’s move to the dining room and munch.”

Glenn Beck flushes away again

Glenn Beck of Fox News has shared his opinion on why it costs less to get medical treatment in India than in America:

I decided to interview the renowned Indian proctologist Dr. Freddy Reddy to get his reaction to Beck's statements.

Me: "Dr. Reddy, Glenn Beck says that the extra money spent on healthcare in America goes to, quote, 'high-tech hospitals and doctors who studied at Harvard rather than Gajra Raja medical school.' What do you think of that?"

Reddy: "I'm very surprised. I didn't know that Gajra Raja was so well-known in America. The Medical Council of India recently derecognized Gajra Raja for not having high standards, but they may have to reconsider. I'm sure the administrators of Gajra Raja have already created an ad that says: 'Gajra Raja -- mentioned on Fox News in the same sentence as Harvard.'"

Me: "Glenn Beck also says that health care workers in America make more money because, quote, 'they have an American lifestyle, maybe a couple of cars, great union benefits, and homes with something that we in America like to call flush toilets.' What do you say about that?"

Reddy: "Flush toilet? What is that? Is it a toilet in an open area? When someone sees you, your face goes flush." 

Me: "No, it's a toilet with a tank and a lever. You flush everything down a pipe."

Reddy: "Oh yes, we built one of those in India once. When President Bush came here, he insisted on having a flush toilet and we built one for him. It was a mobile one, so he could take it all over the country. I believe it's in a museum now. The Museum of Western Oddities."

Me: "Glenn Beck says that India is a beautiful country, especially near, quote, 'that one big river they have there that sounds like a disease. Come on, it does. I mean, if somebody said, 'I'm sorry, you have a really bad case of Ganges,' you'd want Cipro.'"

Reddy: "That's interesting he should say that, because I just had a patient who came to me with a pain in his bottom. I examined him and determined that he had a bad case of Glennbeckroids."

Me: "Were you able to help him?"

Reddy: "Yes, I just pulled the stick out."

Book your flight for some Indian hospitality

If you’re looking for a reason to visit India, let me tell you about one of the biggest tourist attractions in my homeland. It has bright lights, talented performers and theatres that will put you in stitches. Yes, I’m talking about Apollo Hospital in Chennai, which has hundreds of fluorescent lights, well-trained doctors and several operating theatres.

Hey, you may not be in Paris, but at least you’ll be in plaster of Paris.

Actually, it depends on what procedure you’re having done. You can do almost anything at Apollo, except go to the moon. You can have your heart bypassed, your knee replaced, your face lifted and your wallet lightened.

It’s called medical tourism, the reason hundreds of thousands of people fly to India every year. And you thought they were heading there for jobs! Well, only a few of them are.

Thirty-year-old man: “First my job went to India, now I’m going to India for a job.”

Friend: “What kind of a job?”

Thirty-year-old: “A nose job. I’ve wanted to get one for a long time.”

Friend: “Really? How much will it cost?”

Thirty-year-old: “I don’t know the exact figure. But I’m certain of one thing: I won’t be paying through the nose.”

Sorry, Doc, I don't feel 'blessed by angels'

Before selecting my doctor -- let's call him Dr. P -- I wish I had checked out the doctor reviews at RateMDs.com. I would have realized that Dr. P is severely lacking in his bedside manner and I'd be better off consulting Dr. Z.

Here's what one patient wrote about Dr. P: "Horrible manners. He doesn't ask if there is anything else he can help you with or even say goodbye. He just walks out the door. Considering how long the wait is to see him, you'd think he would take a little longer with his patients."

Having seen Dr. P a couple of times, I'd have to agree with the patient's review. Dr. P is in desperate need of some people skills. Perhaps he can borrow some from Dr. Howard Schafer, the outstanding OB/GYN specialist in Lafayette, Indiana, who helped my wife through two pregnancies.

Here's what one patient wrote about Dr. Schafer: "Dr. Schafer is deserving of so much respect! His presence just makes you feel blessed by angels. I truely believe he is doing what the good Lord has put him on this earth to do."

Okay, that reviewer was probably the pastor's wife. But here's another who's more specific: "He's a very good listener. He will not rush you. Very patient and very good bedside manners. Very gentle. I moved to Canada and really missed him during my third pregnancy. Highly recommended."

Yes, Malathi did miss him during her third pregnancy, including that screaming session known as the delivery. I'm sure many of Dr. Schafer's patients feel "blessed by angels," while many of Dr. P's patients feel "cursed by witches."

Gupta Girls excited about the next Surgeon General

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, has been offered the position of Surgeon General in the Obama Administration, creating excitement not just among Indian-Americans, but also a group of women who call themselves the Gupta Girls. They've been maintaining a fan site for him, featuring a page of "pretty pictures"of Dr. Gupta. Naturally, I had to interview their leader, a woman who prefers to be known just as a Gupta Girl.

Me: "Where were you when you heard the news?"

Gupta Girl: "I was at 7-Eleven, getting a soda. One of my friends, who is also a Gupta Girl, called me. I screamed so loud, people thought I had won the lottery. I spent the rest of the day calling and emailing all the other Gupta Girls. We're so happy that our efforts have paid off."

Me: "Efforts? You mean you helped bring this about?"

Gupta Girl: "Well, we had nothing to do with the fact that Dr. Gupta is the handsomest, most intelligent, most eloquent doctor in the world ... "

Me: "On your website, you call him the 'Sexiest Doctor on the Face of the Planet.'"

Gupta Girl: "Yes, he's that too. We have nothing to do with any of that. But we did give money to President-elect Obama's campaign."

Me: "Did you ask Obama to appoint Gupta? Is this going to turn into a Blagojevich-like scandal?"

Gupta Girl: "No, nothing like that. Each of us just gave a little money and included a note that said: 'We love Barack Obama. He's almost as cute as Dr. Sanjay Gupta.'"

Getting Canadian citizenship the easy way

There are three easy ways to get Canadian citizenship: (1) marry a Canadian citizen; (2) get a Canadian family to adopt you; and (3) get your mother to give birth to you while flying over Canada.

Well, the third one isn't so easy, especially if you've already been born. But for at least one baby, it was a cinch.

A transatlantic flight arrived in America with an extra passenger after a Ugandan woman gave birth to a baby girl with the help of two doctors aboard.

Passengers cheered and applauded the arrival of little Sasha aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 59 from Amsterdam to Boston on New Year’s Eve, and even offered the new-born baby food.

The healthy 6 1/2lb infant was immediately taken to Massachusetts General Hospital on landing in Boston. But she is considered a Canadian citizen because she was born in Canadian airspace. [Link]

I'm not sure if her mother is thrilled about that. Perhaps she's saying to herself, "If only I had kept my baby inside me for a few minutes longer, she could have been an American."

It was an eight-hour flight that was normal for the first six hours -- until the woman went into labor. That's when the crew asked if there were any doctors on board.

Dr Paresh Thakker, returning home from his medical school reunion in India, and Dr Natarajan Raman, who had been at a wedding in India, both responded to the call. They found the woman doubled over and wailing in her seat in row 33 with labour pains.

The flight crew asked Dr Thakkar, a former emergency room doctor who now works as the medical director at a Massachusetts health centre, if he wanted the plane to make an emergency landing.

“I said, ’No, let me examine her first. I examined her and the head was coming out. So I said, ’No, it’s an emergency and we will do it here,’ “ he told the Boston Globe. [Link]

It must not have been easy, giving birth on a plane. But then again, how many Ugandan women -- or women of any nationality, for that matter -- get to give birth with two doctors assisting them?

Please help feed the starving models

I'm sure many of you donated money and food generously over the holiday season to help the  underprivileged. I wouldn't normally ask you to reach into your pockets again, but I've come across a dire situation that needs immediate attention. Just look at the picture of Tania Mehra, a model from the DesiClub.com Swimsuit Calendar 2009, and tell me that it doesn't touch your heart, make you feel like reaching out and helping. Mehra and her calendar mates need our help. We cannot sit idly by while they waste away. Even a few morsels of food would help.

Please donate generously to the "Feed the Models" fund, P.O. Box 3472, Jeneross City, Nevada. Because unless we act quickly, we may lose an entire generation of pretty women.

Please also consider participating in the "Adopt a Model" program. I'm sure there are lots of men out there (and perhaps some women) who would love to adopt Tania and pay for her food on a regular basis. As for me, I'm going to be sponsoring Stella Simone.

If my wife lets me.

Column: Swap a kidney, but don't try to buy one

Anyone want to swap a kidney?

No, I don't need one, but Lois Wilson's husband, Dave, does. The British Columbia woman recently placed an ad on the classified site Craigslist, seeking another couple to swap kidneys with. Basically, if you need a kidney and Lois's kidney happens to match yours, and if your partner can spare a kidney that happens to match Dave's, the kidney swap can take place, as long as the authorities approve and neither kidney files a motion in court.

Thankfully, kidneys can't hire attorneys -- they don't have enough money -- but even so, finding a kidney is a major challenge, almost as difficult as finding a comb in Don King's house.

That's why Lois and others are willing to do swaps. It's officially known as the "live donor paired kidney exchange program" and is legal in at least two provinces in Canada. The "kidney exchange program" is sort of like the "student exchange program" that everyone is familiar with, except that kidneys stay for an indefinite period and are more hard-working.

Kidneys are extremely important to us. According to Wikipedia, kidneys have numerous roles within our bodies, including "excreting waste products, regulating blood pressure, secreting a variety of hormones and ensuring that the spleen feels totally inadequate."

Despite their importance, we tend to take our kidneys for granted. We spend more time thinking about our heart, our lungs and, at least three times a day, our stomach. Even when we go to the bathroom, we hardly ever think of our kidneys, unless we've had too much to drink and run into the towel rack. "Ouch! My kidney!"

Most of us will never have any kidney trouble, will never have to worry about searching for a replacement.  We can concentrate on replacing other things, such as our hair, our teeth and our "Hillary for President" bumper sticker.

The heroic journey of Ramesh Ferris

Twenty years ago, in the summer of 1988, I drove across America with my friend and future brother-in-law Santosh. We traveled from Delaware to California in about four days, making as few stops as possible. I remember feeling like we had accomplished something, like we had passed some kind of endurance test. It takes a lot of effort, after all, to put your foot on the gas pedal.

Our cross-country trip was a breeze compared to the one Ramesh Ferris is taking. Ramesh, a polio survivor, is hand-cycling across Canada to raise money (and awareness) to fight the disease. He began his 7,200-km journey in Victoria, BC, on April 12 -- the 53rd anniversary of the release of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine -- and expects to complete it in six months. Accompanied by a support team of about five people, he is trying to cover 400 km every 10 days on his 27-speed hand cycle. That's 40 km a day, using mainly his arms to power his cycle forward. I don't know about you, but after about 10 km, I'd be sticking my thumb out at passing motorists.

I'm not sure if Ramesh is the first polio survivor to hand-cycle across Canada, but he's definitely the first blogging polio survivor to do so.

Yup, it’s truly spring now – I can smell it in the air. It’s a package deal though, complete with all the mucky dirt on the shoulders of the road.  Because of a short rain today I was covered in dirt from my face, head, back, chest, legs and toes.  Add to that all of the chain grease that accumulates on my jersey every day as I cycle, and you can imagine that I was feeling pretty gross by the end of the day.

This morning we reached Obed Summit, which is the highest point on the Yellowhead Highway, 1163.9 m above sea level. I thought it was all downhill after that, but to my surprise, there was steep hill after steep hill for the next few hours. [Link]

Ramesh is going to love it when he gets to the prairies, the flat provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The only time he'll need to go uphill is when he's climbing out of a pothole.

As I reflect back on today I got extremely dirty cycling down the Yellowhead, but it’s important to remember that the dirt comes off. In our world we have a culture of crawlers: children, teenagers and adults that have had their legs paralyzed for life because they did not receive the polio vaccine that would have protected them for life. In the lives of these crawlers they are almost always dirty, because many of them depend on cut up pieces of tires for their knees, and sandals on their hands to drag them through the streets of where they live. Awareness is important, but it’s donations that will help polio victims around our world walk. It’s donations that will provide those drops of the polio vaccine to children around the world to protect them for life.

This is why I’m cycling to walk.  Please donate or sponsor today. [Link]

He's doing the hard part. With just a few clicks, we can do the easy part.

The second fattest country in the world

If America is the fattest country in the world, you'll never guess which is the second fattest. No, it's not India, though it's got a middle class that's bulging in more ways than one. The second fattest country is a lot like India, a developing country full of brown people who love spicy food.

Fueled by the rising popularity of soft drinks and fast-food restaurants, Mexico has become the second fattest nation in the world. Mexican health officials say it could surpass the U.S. as the most obese country within 10 years if trends continue.

More than 71 percent of Mexican women and 66 percent of Mexican men are overweight, according to the latest national surveys. [Link]

I'm not sure how they define "overweight" or whether they considered the rate of obesity in determining the "second fattest nation." But these findings should, at a minimum, put to rest the myth that most Mexicans spend a lot of time running across the border. Many, like Francisco Princegali, can barely run to the refrigerator.

Francisco Princegali knew he was eating too much junk food when he bent down last week and heard a tear.

"I ripped my pants because of the fat," said Princegali, who's 20, crumbling up a wrapper of sweetened bread he'd purchased from a vendor. "I think I'm addicted to junk food."

Princegali, sucking in his stomach, said that many of his pants were too tight these days. Some people are addicted to alcohol and smoking, he said: "My problem is I love fried chicken— Kentucky Fried Chicken ." [Link]

You ripped your pants while bending over, Francisco? You obviously haven't been fat for long. Otherwise you'd know better than to bend over. If you drop something, you shouldn't bother picking it up, not unless it's a piece of fried chicken or something.

Photo by malias

Losing the weight in 2008

One of my New Year's resolutions is to lose weight and get into shape. It was my New Year's resolution last year too. And the year before. And the year before that. But this year, I'm really determined to do it. If you're trying to lose weight too, here are some tips on dieting that may help you:

---You will not find anything healthful in the vending machine. Even if the machine has something healthful, you will not see it.

---If your snack gets stuck in the vending machine, be thankful. You will burn a few calories shaking the machine. And if the machine falls on you, you will probably be thinner.

---Eating a lot of low-fat pies is a good way to get high-fat thighs.

---It is better to count calories than to count chins.

---Candy is not good for you, so stop flirting with her.

---Limit your intake of dates and nuts, as well as your desire to date nuts.

---You cannot eat just one piece of chocolate, unless it's the last piece in the country.

---Drinking three glasses of water before every meal will help you lose weight, because you'll burn a lot of calories running to the bathroom. [Link]

The important thing is to think longterm. Small changes can produce big results. If you lose a pound every month from January to November, you'll be able to pig out in December, gain 10 pounds, and still finish the year one pound lighter. By 2038, you will have lost 30 pounds, just in time to fit into that narrow rocking chair.

Photo by Gee-Kay

Lose weight before you immigrate

To immigrate to most countries, you have to pass a medical exam. They want you to be in fairly good health, so you're not a burden on the system. New Zealand's expectations are a little higher.

With years of experience as a submarine cable specialist behind him, Richie Trezise was looking forward to emigrating from Britain and using his skills to help New Zealand beat its brain drain. He had been headhunted by one of the country's biggest companies and was all set to begin a new life with his wife, Rowan.

There was a slight hitch, however. After Mr Trezise went to his GP for a medical, immigration officials told him he did not meet New Zealand's health requirements because he was too fat. The 35-year-old Welshman failed its body mass index (BMI) test, which measures the proportion of body fat to a person's height and weight. Mr Trezise's BMI was 42, classifying him as morbidly obese under immigration guidelines.

He was told he would have to slim before he was allowed in on an employer-backed skilled migrant visa.

"My doctor laughed at me. He said he'd never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life. He said not every overweight person is unhealthy or unfit," said Mr Trezise, who plays rugby and used to be in the Army. [Link]

It's quite understandable, really. New Zealand is a small country. They don't want immigrants taking up too much room.

Resident: "I can't breathe. It's so tight in here."

Friend: "Yeah, it's been like that ever since they let that Treesize guy in."

Friend: "It's Trezise, you idiot, not Treesize."

Rather than give up, he went on a crash diet, losing a substantial amount of weight and shedding 5cm from his waistline. He went back, passed the test and flew out in September to start a new job working to upgrade a submarine cable for Telecom New Zealand. [Link]

Good for him. He must have really wanted to immigrate. I've heard people say that New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world. It's fairly easy to immigrate, as long as you have a college degree, some work experience, fluency in English, and a svelte figure.

The doctor wants to transplant what?

I've heard of blood transplants, hair transplants, bone marrow transplants and all kinds of organ and tissue transplants. But until this evening I had never heard of fecal transplants. They're being used in Canada and a few other countries to treat people who suffer from C. difficile infection.

Though C. difficile can be kept in check by good bacteria in the bowel, problems can arise when the superbug is treated by antibiotics such as vancomycin. The antibiotics sometimes wipe out the good bacteria but fail to completely kill the C. difficile — leaving enough of it that it later flourishes.

"If you wipe out the normal bacteria by taking an antibiotic, then this bug overgrows and it releases a toxin which causes severe diarrhea," Dr. Mike Silverman, an internal medicine specialist from Ajax, Ont., told CBC News. [Link]

How bad is the diarrhea? One Calgary woman had to visit the bathroom 40 times a day. I can't imagine doing that. I'd run out of magazines.

Calgary physician Dr. Tom Louie, head of infection control at Foothills Hospital, is  one of the few physicians in Canada who treats patients with chronic C. difficile with fecal transplants, or fecal therapy. He has done 38 procedures to date.

The procedure involves getting a close relative of the patient, such as a sibling, to donate several days-worth of stool. Louie tests the stool for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV and then mixes it with saline to create liquid feces. He then administers the stool to the patient through a barium enema.[Link]

I like the word 'stool.' Perhaps it shouldn't be called a fecal transplant -- it should be called furniture restoration.

Louie said the technique allows good bacteria from the transplanted stool to reduce the number of C. difficile bacteria in the intestines and to restore normal intestinal function.

He said the process is fairly quick.

"It takes me about an hour and I leave it in there overnight. I'm hoping that some of these normal bugs will come and find a home, and when they find a home it will kick out the C. difficile." [Link]

Let me get this straight: he's bringing normal bugs into a home and they're all sitting on stools?

Pulling your teeth with a pair of pliers

True or false: People in developed countries sometimes have to pull their own teeth using a pair of pliers or a string tied to a door.

Answer: True. According to Sky News, a drop in the number of National Health Service dentists in the UK has caused a rise in do-it-yourself dentistry.

Almost a fifth (19%) of those questioned said they had missed out on dental work because of the cost.

The research found 6% had even resorted to treating themselves because they could not find a dentist.

The 5,000-plus patients who were interviewed also spoke of taking out their own teeth or fixing broken crowns with glue.

One person in Lancashire said he had carried out 14 separate extractions with a pair of pliers. [Link]

Fourteen extractions! I wonder if they were all intentional.

Lancashire man (in bathroom): "Bloody pliers!"

Wife: "What's going on in there?"

Man: "Bloody pliers!"

Wife: "Stop using such language!"

Man: "All right then. My pliers are bloody!"   

The British government needs to do something about this. They need to offer citizenship to that street dentist in India. At least he has lots of experience using pliers.

Getting your teeth fixed on the street

During my handful of visits to India, I never once spotted a street dentist. So I was fascinated when I came across Matt Logelin's photos of a dentist at work on a Bangalore street, including the pic on the right.

this guy yelled at me from across the street...i thought he just wanted me to take his photo (like everyone else at the market that day) so i snapped his photo and ran across the street to show him the result. when i got over there, i saw a brief case with what appeared to be fake fingernails...turns out they were fake teeth and it turns out that he is a dentist (hours are 8:00 am to 6:00 pm everday, same street, same median). he insisted that i wait 20 minutes, observe, and take photos of him while he gave his patient a new tooth, so of course i did. ... when all was said and done, the patient walked away with a brand new tooth and it cost him only 50 rupees (that's $1.13 US) and i had one of the strangest experiences of my life. [Link]

Wow, you get a new tooth for 50 rupees. In America, you can't even get a new toothbrush. But I'm not sure I'd want to see a street dentist (though they do provide a good service for the poor). As Stacey Stowe of the New York Times wrote a couple of years ago, street dentists aren't too hygienic.

Between patients, Mr. Singh douses his weathered hands with a purple liquid, although he is less than consistent about using the antiseptic.

When approached by a former patient, who immediately popped out his dentures to register a complaint about an irritation, Mr. Singh plunged his fingers into the man's mouth seconds after they were in the mouth of another patient.

The occasional fly alighted on his hands, the instruments and patients. [Link]

Well, for 50 rupees, you can't expect much. At least Mr. Singh disinfects his hands now and then -- and  makes sure there are no flies on his hand when he puts it in your mouth.