Story of two friends

Ramu and Raman* are two close friends who studied together in primary school in a village . Ramu , son of a farmer continued his studies to become agricultural graduate and settled  in village only . Raman , son of a businessman became an engineer , did MBA and settled in Mumbai .

Ramu has a small farm  earning just enough for his families’ livelihood .

Raman on the other hand is top executive in multinational firm , earns handsomely, has too many responsibilities. Due to work pressure he is constantly under tension .

After a decade , Raman developed diabetes and soon hypertension followed . He had to take eight different tablets to keep his blood pressure and diabetes under control .He soon got frustrated with the chain of events . He remembered his childhood friend Ramu and rushed to his village .

Ramu was very glad to see Raman, he gave a bear hug and both gossiped  under the banyan tree . At night both sat for dinner together .

Raman asked Ramu , “How much do you earn ?”

Ramu replied humbly , “ Just enough to keep my family going , few thousands , but its enough for us .”

Raman laughed at him , “ Only thousands ! I pay that much of tax every quarter . Well what do you drive ? ”

Ramu replied ,” I have a bullock cart and also a bicycle , but I prefer to walk ”

Raman gave him a sarcastic look , “ I always travel by Mercedes. You know it costs 40 lacs . And you know Ramu , I have a flat in 13th floor from where I can see Arabian sea all around . That flat costs two crores . ” Raman looked around with pride .

“ Bhai sahib , should I give you some more rice ? ” asked Ramu’s wife .

“ Oh no , my blood sugar will shoot up ”.

“ Then will you like to have jhunka bhakar , bhai sahib , and also have some baingan bharta with pickle.” , she asked again .

“ Oh no  bhabhi , my blood pressure will go up , already I am on 8 different drugs to control it . And pickle ! My doctor will go mad if he comes to know about nimbu achar . I am on antacids round the clock. ” said Raman .

After  dinner , Ramu offered him rus malai but Raman refused due to diabetes.

While departing , Raman invited Ramu and family to Mumbai . “ Why don’t you come and settle in Mumbai , Ramu ? I shall help you in starting a business there . There is lot of money in Mumbai. ”

“ Yah , there is , but you get diabetes , hypertension and acidity free with that money . What is the use of such money which prevents one from enjoying jhunka bhakar , nimbu achar , baigan bharta and rus malai ?” said bhabhi innocently .

Raman thought that how foolish these villagers are , while Ramu felt lucky that he did not settle in Mumbai !

( Names changed )

Does the Religions prohibit Organ Donation ?

‘ My religion is very simple , my religion is kindness ’- Dalai Lama

All the religions around the world have emphasized on importance of love , charity , sympathy and empathy . Donation of food , alms , cows and  land have been well documented in religious scriptures . The giving of an organ is an opportunity for generosity. The giving of part of one’s body to a person in need is an example of a very high level of generosity.

In Mahabharata , an incidence is mentioned wherein  Karna donated his life-saving Kavach to Indra as the later approached him as Brahmin  in disguise , knowing it  well that this would cause his death in the battle.

No religion is against organ donation. Centuries ago , when the religious scriptures were written , blood or organ donations were not invented but these have become a reality today. So we need to focus on stretching the spirit of donation to organ donation to save lives . The jest of the religious scriptures  is that the saving  of  life  overrides all objections . Organ donation is thus a greatest sacrifice one can do.

There are certain religious groups who believe that the God created them as whole and  they prefer to return to Him as whole. With this belief , many people  bury amputated limbs, foreskin from circumcision ,  amnion and placenta from delivery. This belief also prevent them from organ donation .

In Islam, religious leaders, ‘ustazs’ , ‘ulamas’ and mufti have different interpretations on organ donations , but all agree that holy book Koran does not forbid tissue donation.

‘MUFTI’  are experts in Islamic law qualified to give authoritative legal opinions know as fatwas. Mufti are appointed by government  to deal with Islamic matters. ‘FATWAS’ are religious rulings made by ‘Fatwa Committee’ as official stand by government  on various issues. ‘Fatwa Committee’ chaired by MUFTI includes prominent religious leaders, lawyers, doctors and other members of public. Fatwas are not legal binding. Often these religious leaders have come out with fatwas to donate organs . But  despite Fatwas,  people are often reluctant to donate organs.

A religious practice that often comes in the way of organ donations among different  communities is that a body must  be buried as soon as possible after death – the sooner the better usually less than 8 hours , often because of procedural delays it is not possible. If the officials co-operate then this delay is avoidable.

Christianity promotes organ donation. John Paul II  stated that ‘ We shall receive our supreme reward from God according to the genuine and effective love we have shown to our neighbor ’. Bible  states , “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6 : 38).”

The attitude of Buddhism is in perfect agreement with organ and tissue donation; and in Buddhist Scriptures there are stories where donation of tissues have been referred to as an act of charity earning merits . In the Sutra of Golden Light, a Mahayana Sutra, where the Buddha in a previous lifetime (as a young prince) is said to have encountered a starving tigress and her cubs and killed himself in front of her to provide her with food .

What is important for a person at the time of death for a Buddhist is not the condition of their body but of their mind. A state of non-attachment to the body is desirable at this time, and this could be aided by the generosity involved in deciding that one’s body could be used to help others after death.

According to statistics provided by India’s Organ Retrieval Banking Organization, every year 1- 1.5 lakh kidneys are required in the country but only 3,500-4,000 are transplanted. At the same time 15,000-20,000 liver are required every year but only 500 are transplanted. If people donate the organs after death then these shortages will be overcome and many lives can be saved . We must realize that brain death is the reality today , once a persons’ brain is dead , he or she  ceases to survive .

As I leave this transient world

Let me kindle a ray of hope

In the eyes of those

Who can not see

A breeze of fresh air for those

Who can not breath

An  elixir of life for them

Whose kidneys have failed

Let my heart beat in those

Whose  heart is fluttering to stay alive .

On the occasion of  National Organ Donation Day, 6th August 2015

The Eternal Truth

This is a lovely world.

Its so beautiful 

The earth  , the sky , the rivers and ocean

The butterflies , koyal , the swine or a lion 

The people , some close , some distant 

I love you , I love you all 

In this universe 

There are so many stars 

So many Suns

The earth - a tiny planet among them 

So many continents 

So many nations 

A tiny India among them 

So may towns 

So many lanes , so many colonies 

So many apartments 

So many people 

So many families 

And among them , me, a small creature  

Oh how tiny I am 

My pride , my egos 

A feeling of superiority 

What do I own 

What do I possess 

Gradually the great time

Like sand 

Slipping  out of my palms  

The feeling of eternity 

Like a bubble 

Shall soon burst 

Meself a transient traveller 

In a transient world 

As I leave this beautiful world

Let me kindle a ray of hope

In the eyes of those

Who can not see

A breeze of fresh air for those

Who can not breath

A elixir of life for them

Whose kidneys have failed

Let my heart beat in those

Whose  heart is fluttering to stay alive 

As I become a memory 
Or not even that 
A dust 
Or not even that 
My 'I' breaks
My 'MY' dissolves

There remains 
The truth 
The awful naked truth 
The everchanging Universe 
And 
The mighty 'Time '.

Dangers of High blood pressure

              High blood pressure can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can severely damage important organs like heart , kidneys, brain and eyes.

  High blood pressure damages arteries 

 Healthy arteries are flexible, strong and elastic. Their inner lining is smooth so that blood flows freely, supplying vital organs and tissues with adequate nutrients and oxygen. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of blood flowing through your arteries gradually can cause a variety of problems, including:

Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
 High blood pressure can damage the cells of your arteries' inner lining. That launches a cascade of events that make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis , or hardening of the arteries.
Fats from your diet enter your bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis . These changes can affect arteries throughout your body, blocking blood flow to heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs.
The damage can cause many problems including chest pain (angina), heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and aneurysms.

  Damage to heart 

 Heart pumps blood to entire body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage heart in a number of ways, such as:

Coronary artery disease.
 Coronary artery disease affects the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle. Arteries narrowed by coronary artery disease don't allow blood to flow freely through your arteries, which can cause chest pain (angina). The condition also occurs when blood flow through your arteries becomes blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis. When blood can't flow freely to your heart, you can experience chest pain, a heart attack or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). People with high blood pressure who have a heart attack are more likely to die of that heart attack than are people who don't have high blood pressure.

Heart failure 

 Over time, the strain on your heart caused by high blood pressure can cause heart muscle to weaken and work less efficiently. Eventually, overwhelmed heart simply begins to wear out and fail. Damage from heart attacks adds to this problem. 

  Damage to brain 

 Just like heart, brain depends on a nourishing blood supply to function properly and survive. But high blood pressure can cause several problems, including:
 Transient ischemic attack (TIA).
 Sometimes called a ministroke, a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to your brain. It's often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot - both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that patient is at risk of a full-blown stroke.
Stroke
 A stroke occurs when part of brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. High blood pressure can also cause an aneurysm — a bulge in the blood vessel wall that can burst, causing life-threatening bleeding in the brain.
Dementia
Dementia is a brain disease resulting in impaired thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.

  Damage to kidneys 

 Kidneys filter excess fluid and waste from blood — a process that depends on healthy blood vessels. High blood pressure can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to your kidneys, causing several types of kidney disease (nephropathy). Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure can worsen the damage.

 Kidney failure
 High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Damage to either makes it so your kidneys can't effectively filter waste from blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. Patient might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.

 Kidney scarring (glomerulosclerosis).
Glomerulosclerosis is a type of kidney damage caused by scarring of the glomeruli . The glomeruli are tiny clusters of blood vessels within your kidneys that filter fluid and waste from your blood. Glomerulosclerosis can leave your kidneys unable to filter waste effectively, leading to kidney failure.

Aneurysm of artery supplying kidneys . An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. When it occurs in an artery leading to the kidney, it's known as a kidney (renal) artery aneurysm. One potential cause is atherosclerosis, which weakens and damages the artery wall. Over time, high blood pressure in a weakened artery can cause a section to enlarge and form a bulge - the aneurysm. Aneurysms can rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding.

  Damage to Eyes 

 High pressure damages the retina and can lead to bleeding inside the eyes and cause blindness.

  All the above complications can be avoided by good round the clock control of blood pressure . Salt restriction , avoiding obesity , yoga and exercise , diet control of fats , control of diabetes and medicines can control blood pressure .

Drawing Competition on 26th January 2012

CIKF had organized Drawing Competition for children of patients suffering from Kidney diseases on 26th January 2012. 72 children participated in this event .
It was held at Dhantoli Garden at 2.30 pm on 26th January 2012 .There was no registration fees.
Prizes will be distributed on 25th February by the hands of noted poet Shri Madhup Pande .
The new team of executive body led by Shri Anil Rathi , CA will be installed at the same time .

Protect your kidneys, Save your heart

Recent researches show that kidney disease somehow speeds up heart disease well before it has damaged the kidneys badly . Vice versa heart disease can trigger kidney damage . So now it is prudent that heart experts must check for kidney ailments while the kidney specialists should be watchful for existing heart disease in a patient .

Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is a quiet epidemic: In America , around 19 million Americans estimated to have it don't know they do. The kidneys lose their ability to filter waste out of the bloodstream so slowly that symptoms aren't obvious until the organs are badly damaged. End-stage kidney failure is rising fast, with 400,000 people requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive, a toll that has doubled in each of the last two decades.

And while CKD patients often are terrified of having to go on dialysis, the hard truth is that most will die of heart disease even before their stage of dialysis is reached .

High blood pressure and diabetes are chief risk factors for both chronic kidney disease and heart attacks. But the link goes beyond those risk factors . Once the kidneys begin to fail, something in turn accelerates heart disease, not just in the obviously sick or very old, but even in younger age .

There are three markers of kidney function . Firstly , the rate at which kidneys filter blood, called the GFR or glomerular filtration rate . Second , levels of the protein or albumin in the urine and lastly anemia . As the kidney markers worsen , there are more chances of having heart disease.

What about the heart's effect on the kidneys? People diagnosed with heart disease has twice the risk of declining kidney function in the next nine years. Heart disease narrows arteries all over the body, kidneys included. Also, some heart imaging tests use compounds ( radio- contrasts ) that harm kidneys.

It is thought that both the heart and kidneys send various signals to the bone marrow, which produces a type of stem cell that keeps those organs in good repair. When either starts to fail, this key repair mechanism falters.

What patients can do ?

Any one with heart disease should check for presence of kidney disease as well and vice versa . The tests for kidney disease are inexpensive – just get your urine examined for protein , check your blood pressure and hemoglobin . Presence of protein in urine accompanied by hypertension and anemia indicate advanced kidney problem and need further evaluation .

Remember that presence of protein in urine in any age group is pathological .
Keep the blood pressure below 130 systolic.

Smoking and tobacco chewing cause narrowing of blood vessels and rise in blood pressure , thus damaging both heart and kidneys . Diabetics must keep their blood sugar under control with diet , exercise and medicines . Fat content in blood especially low density lipoproteins should be below 70 . A relatively non-expensive drug called as ACE – inhibitor protects kidneys and delays onset of dialysis .

“Healthy Weight - Healthy Blood Pressure"

The arteries carry blood out of heart to all organs . Healthy arteries are flexible, strong , supple and elastic.”

Why control blood pressure ?

High blood pressure can quietly damage body for years before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, it leads to disability, a poor quality of life or even a fatal heart attack. Fortunately, with treatment and lifestyle changes, one can control high blood pressure and reduce risk of life-threatening complications.

What is Hypertension ?

Pressure on the wall of blood vessels is called as blood pressure . Blood is carried in blood vessels ( calelastic. Their inner lining is smooth so that blood flows freely, supplying vital organs and tissues with adequate nutrients and oxygen. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of blood flowing through your arteries gradually can cause a variety of problems .

When do we call it as hypertension ?

In an adult , Blood pressure less than 120 / 80 is considered normal . Between 120-139 systolic and 80-89 diastolic is prehypertension , systolic 140 – 159 and diastolic 90 – 99 is grade I hypertension, above 160 systolic and 100 diastolic is grade II hypertension .
The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) has recommended that clinicians reduce blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg or even lower if tolerated. In high-risk populations such as those with diabetes mellitus or renal disease, a treatment goal of lower than 130/80 mm Hg is recommended.

How hypertension harms ?

High blood pressure can damage the cells of inner lining of arteries . This make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis . Fats from diet enter bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis . These changes affect arteries throughout the body, blocking blood flow to heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs. The damage can cause many problems like heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease , bleeding inside eyes and blindness .

Heart disease.

Coronary artery are the blood vessels which supply heart muscles . Arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis do not allow blood to flow freely , which can cause chest pain (angina). People with high blood pressure are more likely to die of heart attack than are people who do not have high blood pressure.

Heart failure.

Over time, the strain on heart caused by high blood pressure cause heart muscle to weaken and work less efficiently. Eventually, overwhelmed heart simply begins to wear out and fails .

Transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Also called a mini stroke, a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to brain. It is often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot - both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that the person is at risk of a full-blown stroke.


Stroke.

A stroke occurs when part of brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. High blood pressure can also cause an aneurysm — a bulge in the blood vessel wall that can burst, causing life-threatening bleeding in the brain.

Dementia.

Dementia is a brain disease resulting in impaired thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.

Eyes .

Uncontrolled high blood pressure affects vision irreversibly . Blood vessel in the eye can rupture leading to bleeding inside eyes and sudden blindness . High blood pressure over long period causes narrowing of blood vessels , so the blood supply to inner layer of eyes called retina and also to optic nerve is affected leading to gradual onset of blindness .

Kidney failure.

High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure can worsen the damage. Damaged kidneys can not effectively filter waste from blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. Person affected might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.

What causes high blood pressure ?

Besides genetic causes , obesity , smoking , constant stress , high salt intake , taking some drugs especially pleasure drugs like cocaine , pain killers and steroids can cause rise in blood pressure .

Obesity specially among children is a cause for concern . Television culture , lack of socialization , junk food , lack of physical exercise lead to obesity . In obese people , body fat gets deposited in blood vessel wall making them stiff and hard leading to hypertension .

Reducing salt intake , healthy food habits , physical exercise , controlling obesity , relaxation techniques like yoga and avoidance of smoking are some ways to control blood pressure .

However in most cases medicines to lower blood pressure are a must . Once blood pressure has developed , diet control and yoga by themselves are not enough to control blood pressure .