The Express Tribune hi five - August 17

Ms AUGUST 17, 2014

ISSUE NO. 113

Beat the Heat

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page

Donor attitudes and dilemmas

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page

inside lifestyle —

Green Juice Detox

domestic goddess —

Cocktail Sticks

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Section In-Charge: Sarah Munir Sub-Editor: Nisma Chauhan

The glamour queen Shamaeel Ansari

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the buzz

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

by Muhammad Ahmed Saigol When one contextualises the culture of organ donation and transplantation within Pakistan, an important question to ask is why there is both, a general confusion as well as a resignation towards the issue. Not only is Pakistan a developing economy but also has a quintessentially high death rate because of various illnesses. Given this predicament, organ donation and subsequent transplantation can be a viable solution to intractable illnesses. On-ground reality, however, suggests otherwise.

The mechanics According to A Donate Life Organisation, one organ donated can save up to eight lives and if the same person volunteers to donate tissues and eyes, the donor can make lives better for upto 50 people. The procedure to become a donor is simple.

The donors only have to register themselves in their choice of hospital donor’s programme. Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) is the oldest organisation with an active donor’s program in Pakistan.

Other options available for donation are: • Shifa International Hospital • Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology • Human Organs Transplant Authority • Transplantation Society of Pakistan • Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons • Rabwah – blood and eye donation centre • Pakistan Eye Bank Society • Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital Signing up for registry is generally done years before a person’s death. After the death, the donor’s registry is searched to see if the deceased had enrolled as a donor. If so, that will serve as legal consent. If there is an absence of registry or any other legal consent the team will seek consent from the next of kin. When consent is obtained, medical evaluation occurs, including obtaining the deceased’s complete medical and social history.

The organs which can only be donated after death are lungs, heart and intestine which can be used to help patients with emphysema, heart defect or failure and short-gut syndrome respectively. The most commonly donated organs are kidneys which can be used to help patients with end stage renal disease (severe kidney failure) and cornea transplantation can restore vision for those with eye diseases and corneal infection.

On the other hand, options for living donation are also available. These donors willingly donate the following organs that don’t hinder their health after the procedure.

• A kidney • A portion of the liver • A lobe of a lung • A portion of the intestine • In some rare instances, a portion of pancreas.

According to the international organ donation law, one can donate an organ if they are on a ventilator and thus, an organ can be removed within moments of death.

However, the concept of death or more importantly, the early creation of death by donating an organ is considered obscure by most families.

Fear of the unknown A country can only revolutionise its medical spheres if the fundamentals are

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

One organ donated can save up to eight lives and if the same person volunteers to donate tissues and eyes, the donor can make lives better for upto 50 people

in place. Unfortunately Pakistan cannot pride itself on an unparalleled health system. Hospitals are scanty, cases are unreported and people, if willing, lack the ultimate knowhow to donate an organ.

The possibility of organ trafficking and the ‘not knowing where your organ is going’ mentality makes this process all the more moot in the near future.

It is also natural for most people to shy away from the idea of donating an organ due to the fear of negative repercussion for their own bodies, once the donation is made. “I would only be willing to donate [an organ] depending on how vital it is to my life,” says Amina Mehdi, a third year university student at Waterloo University. For Mehdi, her personal health comes first even if the organ donation doesn’t make a particular difference to her body vitals. On the other hand, Amr Leghari, a third year student at the Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS), has no faith in the system.

He fears the possible complications and health problems that may arise post-transplantation such as diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Dr Meher Ahsan, a graduate from Dow University of Health Sciences, shares that people are also reluctant towards the idea of organ donation because of the lack of knowledge they have regarding the procedure. “Plus they do not know where their organs are going,” she adds. Some people even shy away from the option on religious grounds.

Possible pitfalls The practice of organ trafficking, with middlemen acquiring organs from poorer communities at lower prices and selling them at a profit, creating a black market of sorts is another major hindrance. The practice is becoming increasingly common in Pakistan which led to the Su-

preme Court ruling in favour of regulating and carefully tracking organ donations and subsequent transplantations in March, 2010. Despite the stricter measures, 450 cases of organ trade were reported in the villages of Punjab in 2011 by the Human Organ Transplant Authority.

The abysmal state of health infrastructure also does little to help the situation. Preventable diseases such as polio, malaria and typhoid are on the rise, health budgets are dwindling and awareness about basic medical problems and potential solutions is limited. “There is no [proper] system [in place] due to lack of resources and the budget for healthcare is saddening,” says Ahsan. In order for a successful donortransplant relationship to be set into motion, it is imperative that the designed system is efficient, vigilant of the chain of transmission and takes the needs of both the donor and the recipient into account.

Light at the end of the tunnel But not everyone has turned their back on this medical avenue, especially those who have utilised the option themselves. Fatima* who underwent a kidney transplant after losing both her kidneys, says that organ donation can be crucial in saving a life. Dr Rubina Hussain, a gynecologist at Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, believes that this culture of saving lives, however, should be properly regulated. In most cases, families are unable to let go of the patient which prevents the organs from being utilised in the optimal manner. Therefore, initiatives such as the Transplant Society of Pakistan which educate and encourage people about the importance and mechanics of organ donation can play a key role in transforming the trend and attitudes towards organ donation and transplantation in the country at large. *Names have been changed to protect patients identity.

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en vogue

Janiz Boutique’s new collection, Maham, is perfect for the hot summer afternoons and evenings.

Coordination: Umer Mushtaq Hair & Makeup: Nabila @ N Pro Label: Maham by Janiz Boutique Photography: Umair bin Nisar Model: Eraj Fatima

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

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lifestyle

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

by Tehmina Khan

Losing weight is easy, but maintaining that weight can be tedious. Instead of sweating it out at a gym, and following rigorous diet plans, simply incorporate green juices into your daily diet and obtain the desired results.

The green juice was first introduced by cancer patient Ann Wigmore, who healed herself by drinking the juice and wheatgrass almost 50 years ago. Since then, the juice has been used as a detoxification agent because of its alkalising, cleansing, healing, hydrating and restorative properties. And in recent times, with the phobia of keeping the weighing scale at bay, green juice detox has become a popular choice among health buffs.

A quick, green recipe: • Include fresh greens such as kale, spinach, broccoli, chard, fennel, mint and apple/pear into a heavy-duty blender and pulverise all the contents till the mixture has a smooth consistency.

• Add lemons or lime for a zesty flavour.

• Once prepared, consume immediately or within the next 24 hours to yield the best results.

According to experts, the green juice should either be taken on an empty stomach, or at least half an hour before consuming a proper meal as it helps in better absorption of the nutrients in the body. Do not, however, add more sweet fruits to the juice to make the taste ‘bearable’ as this will only increase the sugar content in the juice.

Fresh vs packaged green juices According to health experts, fresh, homemade green juices are better for health in comparison to their packaged counterpart. Since most packaged juices are pasteurised, the heat treatment not only kills all the bacteria but also accounts for a loss of valuable nutrients. There is also a chance of added sugars in the commercially available green juices to make it tastier. Supermarket giants including Whole Foods and Sainsbury’s have shelves stocked with green juices made under their own brand names and the price of each bottle varies from $3 (approximately Rs300) to $10 (approximately Rs1,000), depending on the brand.

On the other hand, green juices made at home are relatively cheaper and can be

consumed immediately to extract the most benefits. They even offer individuals an opportunity to create a blend using their choice of vegetables and fruits, based on their personal preferences.

Cold-press juicers vs centrifugal juice extractors Leading dieticians are of the opinion that juices produced using centrifugal juicers lose their nutritional value during the blending process as the fast-spinning metal blade generates heat which destroys some of the enzymes in the fruits and vegetables. These juices do not contain fibre which is ideal for maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol.

When prepared at home, the juice should be made in a cold-press blender which crushes the contents to extract juice and keeps all the nutrients intact.

The green guide Despite the exceptionally high nutritional value of the drink, the body requires a balanced diet for optimal functioning of all organs. This includes a regular intake of protein and carbohydrates, as green juices alone cannot provide all the nutrients required by the body. According to Dr Shamim Mirza, a gynaecologist at the Cantonment Hospital, Rawalpindi, young girls are ready to do just about anything to lose weight and will implement anything that they read on the internet. “You may not see the implications now but in the long run it is a balanced meal that will keep you fit even during old age, when you need health the most,” she says.

Although five-to-seven day green juice diet plans are gaining popularity, it is important to remember that there are pros and cons to just about everything. Twenty-four-year-old Mina Saleem, who followed the almost week-long regimen to lose weight, explains that replacing complete meals with the juice resulted in a massive drop in her energy levels. “My dietician strictly told me not to replace meals with green juice but I consumed only juices for a span of five days. Even though I managed to shed six pounds, I also noticed a decrease in my energy levels,” she says, adding that the time spent making the juice and cleaning up afterwards was also a tiring chore.

domestic goddess 7

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

Recipe

Rich in flavours, these cocktail sticks are the ideal appetisers for your next dinner party.

Arooj Waqar runs a Facebook cooking page called Mona’s Kitchen and aspires to transform her passion for cooking into a career

Method • Cut slices of bread and cheese into cubes and keep aside.

• Cut each sausage in 4 pieces and shallow fry it in a frying pan.

• Take out the fried sausages and add cubes of bread slice in the pan.

• Fry bread pieces until light golden from both sides.

Ingredient:

• On a skewer add a piece of bread followed by a piece of sausage, an olive and cheese.

• Mix together mayonnaise and ketchup.

• Serve sticks with the mixture.

Bread Slices 2

Sausages 2

Olives 6

Cheddar Cheese 1 pack

Mayonnaise 2 tbsp

Ketchup 1 tbsp

woman of the week 8

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, AUGUST 17, 2014

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