Srinagar, July 14:

Two persons were killed in separate road mishaps while as many drowned in Kashmir Valley, a police spokesman said here on Sunday.He said a Tipper JK05C-1541 hit a pedestrian, Wali Mo-hammad Malik son-in- law of Mohammad Subhan Rather of Noorbagh Sri-nagar at Bongam Kunzar, resulting in his on spot death. In another accident, a Trac-tor turned turtle at Now-pora Kreeri in north Kash-mir’s Baramulla, resulting in serious injuries to the driver, Akhter Ahmad Lone son of Nisar Ahmad of Nowpora. “He was shifted to District Hospital, Baramulla where he succumbed to his inju-ries,” the spokesman said.Separately, four persons were injured when a vehi-cle (Innova—JK02AH-1207) they were travelling in turned turtle on Highway near Neepora Qazigund in South Kashmir’s Anantnag

See Mishaps on Pg. 7

Seeks subsidy or

cut down to reasonable

level Srinagar, July 14:

The Jammu and Kashmir has taken up the issue of highly inflated airfare for second time Hajj pilgrims from Srinagar with govern-ment of India. “The State government

has taken a strong note of exorbitantly higher air fare for the repeat pilgrims of Srinagar in comparison with Delhi or other embar-kation points as prescribed by the Hajj Committee of India,” a spokesman of State Hajj Committee said here on Sunday, KNS re-ported.The Hajj pilgrims from J&K who are going for re-peat pilgrimage this year as companion/mehram will have to pay highest airfare, almost double to what aspi-rant from other states are being charged.As against the subsidy for the first-time Hajjis who are being charged Rs 28000 as

airfare, the ‘repeater Hajjis’ from Jammu and Kashmir will have to pay Rs 1,54,000 for the travel while those from most other states are being charged around Rs 70,000.The spokesman said al-though out of total 8819 pil-grims from J&K, there are only 55 pilgrims registered under repeater category, the State government has taken up the matter with Union Ministries of Exter-nal Affairs and Civil Avia-tion with the suggestion that the benefit of air fare subsidy may be extended to the repeater pilgrims as well or at least the air fare for Srinagar Embar-

kation Point be brought down to a reasonable level comparable with the rates prescribed for other Embar-kation points like Delhi or Mumbai.He said Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Minis-ter for Hajj and Auqaf, Peer-zada Mohammad Sayeed are in constant touch with the Govt. of India in this regard.The State Hajj Committee reiterates its mission of fa-cilitating the holy journey of the people of the State to Harmain-e-Sharifain and ensures every possible help to all categories of pilgrims every time, the spokesman added.

‘Congress only can safeguard interests of Kashmiris’

Jammu, July 14:

State Congress Presi-dent Prof Saifuddin Soz-MP Sunday exhorted the Congress cadres to strive for and look to a bright future for the par-ty in all three regions of the state.Addressing a day long convention of party dele-gates of District Jammu Urban, Prof. Soz said that Congress has be-come a vibrant situation

in all the three regions and it augurs well for promoting secularism, democracy, unity and in-tegrity of the state. The Convention was orga-nized by DCC Jammu Ur-ban under the presidentship of Om Chopra, former MLA.The Convention was

also addressed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, MP Madan

Lal Shamra, Dharam Pal Sharma (Sr. Vice President); Ministers Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Ch. Aijaz Ahmed Khan,

Shabir Ahmed Khan, Vice Presidents Th. Hari Singh, S. Gurmukh

Singh, Prem Sagar Aziz, MLC Ravinder Sharma General Secre-tary & Spokesperson, Mula Ram-Ex-Minister, Janak Raj Gupta-Ex-MP, MLC Rani Billoria, MLC B.R.Kundal, MLA Indu Pawar-President Mahila Congress, Vinod Sharma, Hans Raj Bha-gat, Ch. Zaffarullah, and others.The Convention was at-tended by delegates from

See Soz on Pg. 7

Srinagar, July 14:

A 16 years old girl (name withheld) reported in Po-lice post Bazaar Kupwara alleging that she was raped by 30 years old Showket Ahmad Malik son of Jab-bar Malik of Hatmulla on Didikoot road in his Maru-ti Van (JK05A/8637).A case FIR number 34/13 under section 376 RPC was registered in police station Kupwara and

See Arrested on Pg. 7

Rapist arrested in Kupwara

Srinagar, July 14:

The body of Parvez Ahmad Teli of Nawab Bazar who died myste-riously in Mumbai was brought back to Srinagar by his relatives on Sunday.Parvez, according to family sourc-es, had gone to Mumbai on July 2 and since July 6 they had no con-tact with him. “His brother went to Mumbai on July 8 in search of Parvez and had reported the mat-ter of his disappearance to Mum-bai police,” a family member of Parvez told KNS. “When he showed the picture of Parvez to Mumbai police they took him to a hospital where he identified the body of his brother,” he added.The family members alleged that there were torture marks on the body of Parvez. He was doing busi-ness in Mumbai for the last 10 years, they said.Deputy Inspector General Police central Kashmir Afhad-ul-Muj-

taba told KNS that they were in close touch with Mumbai police so that the cause of his death is ascertained. “Parvez had gone missing after he left his cousin to get some cigarettes but did not re-turn. He disappeared somewhere near Church Gate in Mumbai on July 7,” he said.The DIG added that his body was recovered on July 9 by Mumbai police.Meanwhile, as the news about the mysterious death of Parvez reached Kalamdan Pora the whole area observed shutdown to protest against what they call a “murder”.Hundreds of people came on roads in the Nawab Bazar area to protest against the “killing” of Parvez. “Parvez has been murdered only because he was a Kashmiri Muslim,” said a pro-tester standing near a burning tyre on the main Chowk of Naw-ab Bazar.Meanwhile, Hurriyat Confer-

ence (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the death of Parvez as unfortunate and al-leged that Kashmiri youth are being subjected to worst kind of torture.Demanding a fair probe in the death of Parvez he said, “J&K Gov-ernment has failed on all fronts to safeguard Kashmiris. Our youth in outside states are unsafe,” he told KNS.He expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.Meanwhile, on the instructions of JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik a delegation of Front led by Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Bashir Kashmiri and Mushtaq Ajmal participated in the nimaz-e-jinazah of Parvez. The delegation expressed sympathies with the be-reaved family.Hurriyat (M) leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat also visited the residence of the deceased and participated in his nimaz-e-jinazah. He demanded a probe into the death.

Srinagar, July 14:

With a view to boosting sale and export of hand-loom and handicraft prod-ucts, the State Govern-ment has fully exempted Value Added Tax (VAT) on crewel cloths, embroi-dered chain stitch fabrics and their made ups from the current financial year onwards.This was announced by the Minister of State of In-dustries and Commerce, Sajad Ahmed Kichloo, while speaking to a gath-ering of Handloom Weav-ers, Handcrafts Artisans, Tourists and Amarnathji Yatries, after inaugurat-ing 15 days long Special

Handloom Expo-2013 at Sonamarg-AmarnathJi Yatra base camp today. Kichloo said that govern-ment is making every effort to uplift the living standard of Handloom Weavers, adding that 8000 Modern Looms each cost-ing Rs. 55000are being dis-tributed to weavers free of cost. He said about 15000 weaver families have been covered under weavers’ Health Insurance Scheme.The Minister said that The Special Handloom Expo has been organised by the J&K Handloom Development Department and sponsored by the De-velopment Commissioner Handlooms, Union Minis-

try of Textiles with a view to showcase world famous handloom products and to enable tourists and Amar-nathji pilgrims to get gen-uine products at reason-able price tag. The Expo will also provide platfor-mto Handloom weavers to sell their products directly to the customers without exploitation of the middle-man.Kichloo asked the weav-ers to avail benefits of various welfare schemes introduced by the govern-ment for them. He also instructed the officers of Handicrafts Department to ensure that benefits of different welfare schemes reach to the genuine weav-

ers. He called for launch-ing comprehensive aware-ness campaignto educate the weavers about various welfare schemes. The Minister alongwith Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Shantmanu went round various stalls set up by 25 Handloom Cooperative Societies from all over the State and inspected hand-loom products on display.Speaking on the occasion, Shantmanu called upon the artisans and weavers to produce quality prod-ucts which can withstand market competition and customer satisfaction. He said every part of the State

See Kichloo on Pg. 7

CMYK

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MonDAY July 15 | 2013 | 05 Ramzan 1434 AH | PAGES 8 | VoL no: 3 | ISSUE no: 170 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FoR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Body of Parvez brought to Srinagar from Mumbai

Srinagar, July 14:

Reacting to Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Say-eed’s yesterday’s state-ment, National Confer-ence Additional general secretary Dr Mustafa Kamal Sunday alleged that Mufti’s intention was to create violence at Martyrs Graveyard on July 13.“They (PDP leaders) are responsible for burning Kashmir. In 2010 when stone pelting was at its peak, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that it was PDP cad-res who were involved in stone pelting in old

city. Even, this was cor-roborated by then Union Home Minister P Chi-damabaram,” Kamal told KNS.Mufti had on Saturday

said it was brazen viola-tion of democratic norms that political leaders had been imprisoned in their homes to prevent them from paying tributes to

the martyrs. He said it was condemnable that the present government had almost completely suspended civil liberties and fundamental right to expression. “We can’t claim to be a democracy as long as we have to re-sort to draconian laws and illegal methods to suppress the voices that government of the day does not like or does not have the capacity to en-gage and address politi-cally,” he said.Reacting to Mufti’s as-sertions, Kamal said, “It seems Mufti had not gone to Martyrs Grave-yard to pay homage to

See Kamal on Pg. 7

Kamal reacts to Mufti’s assertions: Who brought AFSPA to Kashmir?

Srinagar, July 14:

Senior Congress leader and Minister for Medical Education Taj Moh-ud-Din Sunday said that Jammu and Kashmir has remained victim of uncertainty right from 1947 and it continues till date.“Be it Bakshi Ghulam Moham-mad’s tenure or Sheikh Moham-mad Abdullah or coalition govern-ments, the process of uncertainty is a continuous pro-cess. It is not a new thing in J&K,” he told KNS.The Minister said that Congress is guardian of Article 370 in J&K and it is Congress only which can safeguard interests of Kash-miris. “There is already autonomy in J&K as our Assembly is empowered to frame laws on its own. Par-

liament has no role in form-ing laws in J&K and what bigger autonomy you can have,” he added. Taj, who returned to Val-ley after meeting Congress party in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir Ambika Soni, Union Health Minister Gh-

ulam Nabi Azad, Union Sports Minister Jitendra Scindia and Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami, in New Delhi, said at the time of accord of 1975 autonomy issue was settled.

“The accord was signed by two of the stalwarts of Con-gress and National Confer-ence (Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mohammad Abdul-lah),” he said.Sources told KNS that Taj had a detailed meeting with Ambika and Azad, in New Delhi on present

See Taj on Pg. 7

J&K victim of uncertainty right from 1947: Taj

Made ups of crewel, chain stitch exempted from VAT: Kichloo

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, July 14:

Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that if the daughters of the faith follow the life of Hazrat Fatima (RA) then it would be of im-mense help to alleviate the current social evils plagu-ing the society.Addressing a gathering at Masjid Dawood, Sheikh Mashkwooti (RA) Safak-

adal, Mirwaiz threw light on the sacred month of Ramazaan. He said that the month was full of blessings. He said the people should offer salat in this sacred month and beseech Allah for forgiveness andpity.He said that rewards of fast-ing are many, but in this month they are multiplied. Mirwaiz said that in

See Mirwaiz on Pg. 7

Daughters of faith should follow life of Hazrat

Fatima (RA): Mirwaiz

Congress would not compromise on its principles: Soz

Protests in nawab Bazar against the death

JK takes up inflated airfare for second timer Hajjis with GoI

2 die in road mishaps

New Delhi, July 14:

Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah visit-ed Pethub Monastery at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and paid his respects. He also interacted with the monks and visited a photo exhibition dis-playing the life and times of 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. Re-calling himas India's Ambassador in Mongo-lia, senior statesman, international diplomat and one of the best-known lamas of Ladakh, Dr Abdullah also re-membered his contribu-tion to fostering better ties between India and Mongolia and his efforts in furthering Buddhism

in Mongolia. He also praised his contribu-tion as an MP and his deep engagement with welfare and education issues.Later in the day, Dr Abdullah, attended the

Nadaam- the National Festival and the biggest festival in the Mongo-lian calendar. Nadaam festivities include a colourful parade of ath-letes, monks, soldiers,

See Dr. Farooq on Pg. 7

Dr. Farooq visits Pethub monastery, pays respects to Kushok Bakula

Corporate sector ready to offer jobs to Kashmiri studentsNew Delhi: Students from Jammu and Kashmir now have access to training with scope for jobs in the corporate sector through a programme monitored by the Chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Chakravar-thi Rangarajan.A group of students from the Kashmir Valley, which is cur-rently in New Delhi, had an interactive session with Ranga-rajan over the weekend.The Himmayyat and Udaan skill-cum-employment schemes are expected to provide jobs for young educated Kashmiris.Rangarajan said steps were being taken to provide employ-ment opportunities in the state, but added that these opportuni-ties should not be confined only to the state, but to other states as well."Ultimately, employment op-portunities in the state will in-crease only when there is rapid growth in the state. Ultimately, that is the real answer, but, at the same time, your employ-ment opportunities are not just confined to your state. Your employment opportunities are there all over the country," Rangarajan said.The Himmayyat and Udaan schemes were launched in 2011.Shafiya, a Kashmiri student, said: "I hope and I wish that youth of Jammu and Kashmir get these kinds of opportuni-ties and they come here with the companies not only in Yes Bank but coming through Udaan or Himmayyat. These are good programmes and students should try to avail this kind of exposure.

2 youths drown in Jehlum in South Kashmir Srinagar July 14, 2013: Two youth were drowned while bathing in Jehlum in south Kashmir on Saturday. 17 years old, Sakib Ahmad Ma-lik son of Abdul Rehman Malik resident of Cheek-i-Dar Mattan was drowned while bathing in river Jehlum at Cheeki-e-Dar Simthan, in the jurisdiction of Police station Bijbehara. Efforts are on to retrieve the body.Meanwhile, 16 years old, Adil Ahmad Kuhchay son of Mo-hammad Shafi resident of Bar-soo, Awantipora was drowned in river Jehlum while bathing near Barsoo, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Awantipora. The body of Adil was fished out and handed over to his rela-tives for last rites.

Wolves kill a boy in Baramulla Srinagar July 14, 2013: A group of Wolves attacked three boys who were collection apricots at Hail Jagir, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Kreeri, resulting in on spot death of 10 years old boy identified as Adil Hamid Sheikh son of Abdul Hamid res-ident of Hail, Jagir. The body of deceased was handed over to his relatives for last rites.

Leopard mauls 5 sheep in Anantnag Srinagar July 14, 2013: Fives sheep were mauled to death by a leopard in the Sheihkpora area of Anantnag District.Five sheep belongs to Aliys Ahmad Ganie son of Ghulam Mohi-u-Din resident of Sheikh-pora, Chittergul, Achabal were killed when a leopard attacked the sheep barn near his house.

Petrol price hiked by Rs 1.55 per litreNew Delhi, July 15: Petrol prices today hiked by one rupee and 55 paise per litre excluding VAT. The new rate will come into effect from midnight today. The new rate will come into

See Petrol on Pg. 7

Monday | 15 july, 20135

If you feel that your re-lationship is turning from deeply-in-love to boring, it isn't because you want to make it dull.

The reason is that you sim-ply find yourself in no mood for romance. Grab these foods to spice up your relationship and sex life.The reasons for a lacking libido can range from too many things on your to-do list and working too many hours to your hormones

being out of whack. This is where food plays a role. Here are four delicious items you can work into your diet that will increase your libido, and help you work out of your clothes...

1. WatermelonCoined 'the new Viagra',

watermelon contains citrul-line, an amino acid that re-laxes blood vessels thereby

increasing your sex drive.2. AparagusAsparagus is high in the

B vitamin folate that helps increase your production of histamine. Histamine is im-portant for increasing the sex drive in men and women.

3. AvocadosLoaded with potassium,

avocados boost libido for both sexes. And they're rich in folic acid that provides energy and stamina - both

of which are important once your libido is restored.

4. ChilliesIf you like it hot and spicy,

this one will bring a smile on your face! Chillies contain capsaicin, a chemical which also increases blood flow and triggers the release of mood-enhancing endorphins that naturally pump up your li-bido.

4 Foods for a raging libido

Research claimed that women who cut down on red meat are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. We explore...

According to a study by the Deakin University, Australia, women who cut down on red meat are likely to suffer twice as much from anxiety and depres-sion. The study showed more than 1,000 women completely switching to pro-tein such as chicken and fish are not as healthy as they are supposed to be. Fe-lice Jacka from the university says, "We had originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health, as studies from other countries had found that the consumption of red meat to be associated with physical health risks — but eventually it turned out to be impor-tant."

Wellness experts are of the opinion that eating a moderate amount of lean red meat, which is roughly about three to four small, palm-sized pieces a week, would be important for overall health and would help women fight depres-sion and anxiety.

Red meat contains high level of nu-trients including Omega-3 fatty acids which are crucial for mental as well as physical health. Dr Jivesh Shetty, nutrition expert, says, "Red meat has

protein that satiates your hunger and keeps you happy. Red meat is also a source of Vitamin B which makes you more energetic."

Though red meat is good for your health, stick to lean-cut meat to avoid excessive fat consumption and heart is-sues. Make sure you exercise enough to utilise excessive calorie/ protein intake say experts.

Dr Namita Nanal, nutritionist, says, "Red meat is an excellent source of pro-

tein. It is rich in iron with good bio-avail-ability which helps in the development and well-being of the mind. But make sure to not consume preserved meats like ham, bacon, salami as they are high in their fat content and are often held responsible for chronic conditions like cancers."

Fitness experts also suggest to not pairing meat with whole grains as they lack in fibre. You should ideally con-sume red meat only twice a week.

Red meat – to eat or not to eat?Farting may help cure high BP

Flatulence could help treat patients with high blood pressure, according to a new research.

Hydrogen sulphide — a toxic gas that is generated by bac-teria living in the human gut — has been shown to control blood pres-sure in mice.

The study showed that the rodents with high-er levels of the gas had lower blood pressure than those with less.

Boffins at Johns Hopkins Univer-sity, in Baltimore, Maryland, US, found that hydrogen sulphide in flatus — informally known as a fart — is also produced by an enzyme in blood vessels where it relaxes them and lowers blood pressure.

Now researchers at China's Southeast University in Nanjing are trying to figure out the possibility of using this to create a treatment for people suffering from high blood pressure.

"Despite the treatment's potential, using gas to treat high blood pressure has yet to be tested on humans," the Sun quoted Professor Yao Yuyu from the uni's Zhongda Hospital as say-ing.

"The effective dosage could prove difficult to establish due to the difference in size between humans and mice.

"The gas could also have negative effects on other parts of the body," he added.

Men and women have different drinking capacities and being drunk slows down your reaction time and ability to process informa-tion. Clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany says that binge drinking is a common pattern of excessive alcohol use and refers to drinking heavily over a short period of time with the in-tention of getting drunk, resulting in immediate and severe intoxication. “The National Insti-tute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams per cent or above. This typically happens when men consume five or more drinks, and when women consume four or more drinks, in about two hours,” she says.

Obesity surgeon Dr Manish Motwan says that binge drinking is most common among 16 to 24-year-olds. “Consuming large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time is getting very popular today but can have several conse-quences,” he says.

How harmful is binge drinking? Possible increased risk of neurological dis-

orders, heart problems, memory loss, sexual problems (especially male impotency).

Risk of developing emotional problems such as depression, problems at college or work

and issues within relationships. Changes in mood and executive function

can alter behaviour in ways that could promote progression to alcohol dependence.

Acute psychological complications and

mental processing is impaired when a person engages in binge drinking episodes.

Nutrition therapist Purwa Duggal says that binge drinking can have adverse effects on the body since it raises the persons’ alcohol blood concentration level. “Alcohol intoxication can be harmful for several reasons - it can impair brain function resulting in poor judgment, re-duced reaction time, loss of balance and motor skills or slurred speech. Dilation of blood ves-sels causing a feeling of warmth but actually re-sulting in rapid loss of body heat is a common effect. There is also an increased risk of certain cancers, stroke and liver diseases. Damage to a developing foetus is also possible if consumed by pregnant women. There is also an increased risk accidents, violence, and other injuries,” she says.

Is binge drinking worse than drinking everyday?

The nature and severity of the problem de-pends on how frequently it occurs and how long is it maintained. Though daily heavy drinking is known to have a greater health impact than binge episodes, excessive drinking in either forms may cause health problems, such as liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, high blood pressure and unintentional injuries, etc.

In a new study, scien-tists have argued that cho-lesterol may slow or stop cancer cell growth.

The study, which in-cludes a Simon Fraser Uni-versity researcher, describes how cholesterol-binding proteins called ORPs may control cell growth in A Detour for Yeast Oxys-terol Binding Proteins.

The scientists came to their conclusion while trying to understand how cholesterol moves around inside cells in the fat’s journey to cell surfaces where it rein-forces their outer mem-brane.

“The assumption was that ORPs bind and trans-port cholesterol inside cells in a similar fashion to how lipoproteins bind and move around the fat outside cells through the blood stream,” Chris Beh, said.

Beh and his colleagues noted that genetic changes

engineered by them block the ability of ORPs to bind cholesterol but don’t stop ORPs from functioning.

In fact, these altered ORPs work better and ac-tivate other regulator pro-teins, which in turn trigger a variety of cellular processes

that stimulate cell growth.The scientists believe

this happened because cho-lesterol-binding normally interferes with ORPs’ ability to bind to another lipid or fat called PI4P, which is im-portant for cell growth.

“That told us that ORPs probably have nothing to do

with moving around choles-terol within cells.

“Rather cholesterol-binding puts the brakes on ORP’s ability to bind to PI4P which, if left unchecked, could accelerate cell growth like crazy.

“Given that uncon-trolled cell growth is a key feature of cancer, this means gaining a better understanding of the true purpose of cho-lesterol-binding within cells could be important in cancer treatment,” he said.Beh and his col-leagues draw on two im-portant facts to support their conclusion.

“First, cancer cells re-quire ORPs to survive.

“Second, other scien-tists have previously shown that a new class of natural compounds that look like steroids or cholesterol can kill a broad spectrum of different cancer cells,” he added.

How binge drinking harms your health

Abstaining from drinks all week and getting drunk on the

weekend is not as good an idea as you think it is.

Cholesterol has cancer fighting goodness?

Addicted to pills?Mustard seeds have been around since

almost 5,000 years. They’re known to have

numerous benefits since they’re low in calories and high in nutritional

value and have a lot of antibacterial and antiseptic qualities.

They’re available in different varieties - black mustard, white mustard and brown Indian mustard, in whole as well as in pow-dered form.

Mustard oil is known to be great for the skin because it generates warmth.

Mustard seeds are rich in a nutrient called sele-nium, known for its high anti-inflammatory effects. n The high source of magne-

sium in mustard seeds helps reducing the severity of asthma attacks and certain symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and lowering blood pressure.

Suffer from migraines? Mustard seeds are known to

give relief from the number of migraine attacks you get.

Mustard seeds are very rich in calcium, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, protein and dietary fi-

ber - include them in your diet.

For people who suffer from a bad appetite, here’s something that will be really helpful.

Mix a few black mus-tard seeds with milk and

have it 15 to 20 minutes be-fore your meal.

Mustard seeds are ex-cellent for digestion because they increase the metabo-lism rate of your body.

Dr Parul R Sheth says that over-the-counter (OTC) medications or non-prescriptions drugs are generally safe when taken exactly as instructed on the label or packaging. “While they do get rid of aches and pains, there are side effects and risks attached. These medications can cause acid re-flux, heartburn, problems with certain medical conditions, may interact with food or other medications, all which can be dangerous. If you happen to misuse OTC pills, you may end up with stomach ul-cers, kidney damage, liver dam-age, heart attacks or even strokes in the long run,” says Dr Parul. According to physician Dr Abhay Shirkhande, people can get ad-dicted to all sorts of medicines - pain killers, antidepressants, sedatives, ant-acids or even a cough syrup. “In a ma-jority of the cases, the addiction starts when people start treating themselves. The easy availability of drugs over the counter without prescription or gov-ernmental control is another reason for this addiction. Many times igno-rance about side effects makes people consume such medicines for longer periods of time,” says Dr Shirkhande.

Don’t self-prescribe medicine When you self-prescribe drugs like an-

tidepressants, sleeping pills or an an-tibiotic, it can be potentially harmful especially when you’re unaware of the specific compound that goes in it, the required dosage or how long you need to take the medication. “It is unwise to self-diagnose because medications can have side effects, which can cause more trouble than cure you,” says Dr

Parul. Consultant physician Dr Pradip Shah says that several times confu-sion with medicine names can lead to wrong medication and serious ill ef-fects. “Most painkillers contain Acet-aminophen, which when taken in high doses causes acute liver failure. Cer-tain painkillers lead to kidney damage, cause constipation, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease,” he says.

Problems In the long run, women who are addicted can have irregular and prolonged menstruation. Other side effects of indiscriminate use of

pills include heartburn, nausea, stom-ach ulcers, ringing sensation in ears, worsening of asthma, skin rashes, blood disorders, stomach upsets, drowsiness, dry mouth, urinary reten-tion, constipation, liver problems, hair loss, hallucinations, irregular heart-beat, impotence, inability to sleep, constipation etc.

Treatment Dr Shirkhande says that an addict first has to undergo complete detoxification to get rid of toxins in the body. “There is a noticeable improve-ment in the condition once this is done. The second step is to ex-ercise self control and make life-style changes. This includes going on a healthy diet and exercising.

Meditation, running, yoga, walking, etc. are good practices. Seek the help of an expert to help overcome your addic-tion. Group therapy is another option, where you can talk to people suffering from the same problem. Sharing un-derstanding, supporting and encour-aging each other can be of great help,” he ends.

Symptoms of addictionYou have strong cravings for the

medication.Your drug use has become compulsive and you’re taking more than the prescribed dose.

Benefits of mustard seeds Exercises to burn 200 calories daily!

There is nothing better than being in great physical shape. You look attractive to yourself, and to your partner, not to mention how you light up every party. So look and feel on top of the world by trying out these exercises which will help you burn at least 200 calories daily. Qigong: These exercises involve various breath control techniques, meditation and relaxation. It is similar to pranayama. While doing Qigong, the practitioner spends little en-ergy, but at the end of a session there is profuse perspiration, little elevation in blood pressure, but increased levels of energy. Bu-dokon: If you enjoy yoga but are also in love with the high-intensi-ty kickboxing class across the hall, try a fusion class like Budokon (bu-do-kon) and get hip with the Hollywood crowd.

Body hurts? Something doesn’t feel right? How easy it is to reach out and pop some pills to

get soothing relief. But here’s the catch - self prescribing pills may end up doing you more

harm than good.

A research team has developed a new molecular technol-ogy, which will improve evaluation of malaria control methods

and vaccine development. The technique that accurately determines the

risk of infants in endemic countries developing clinical malaria could provide a valuable tool for evaluating new malaria prevention strategies and vaccines.

The technique could even help to understand how anti-malarial vaccine and treatment strate-gies act to reduce malaria, said researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Swiss Tropi-cal and Public Health Institute, University of Ba-sel and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medi-cal Research.

Professor Ivo Mueller from the Walter and

Eliza Hall Institute's Infection and Immunity di-vision said the research team discovered that the number of new malaria parasites that infants ac-quire over time is strongly linked to the risk that the child will develop clinical disease.

"It was very clear that infection with new and genetically different malaria parasites was the single biggest factor in determining the risk of an infant becoming sick from malaria, more than any other factor including age, the use of bed nets or the risk of transmission in the area. We were actually surprised by how clear the correlation was," Professor Mueller said.

The molecular technique to genetically differ-entiate Plasmodium falciparum parasites was developed by Dr Ingrid Felger at the Department

of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Swit-zerland.

Professor Terry Speed from the Walter and Eli-za Hall Institute's Bioinformatics division helped to develop mathematical algorithms to process the data.

Dr Felger said the researchers used high-throughput screening to determine the number of genetically-distinct Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites that acquired by Papua New Guinean children aged one to four over a period of 16 months.

"This new research tool is elegantly simple but very powerful, and easily applicable in many cir-cumstances, without a high level of technology or

training," Dr Felger said. "We think it could have profound applications.

This technology will be particularly useful for as-sessing ideal vaccine candidates for preventing malaria, help to develop better ways of perform-ing future human trials of new potential malaria vaccines, and identifying the mechanism of ac-tion for existing vaccines and treatments," he added.

Each year more than 250 million people world-wide contract malaria, and up to one million people die. Malaria is particularly dangerous for children under five and pregnant women. Plas-modium falciparum is the most lethal of the four Plasmodium species, and is responsible for most clinical disease.

Professor Mueller said the technology is al-ready being used in the field, recently helping to explain why people with sickle-cell anaemia are less at risk of malaria infection. He said that accurately assessing the burden of malaria para-sites acquired by children in countries where the disease is endemic is invaluable. "One of our biggest problems in developing useful vaccines, treatments and preventative strategies for ma-laria is reliably predicting the distribution and risk of malaria at an individual level. There is huge variation in the risk of developing clinical malaria within a community or village, or within a particular age group, and we now have an ac-curate way to measure this," Professor Mueller said.

New technique to diagnose infants at malaria risk