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May 16, 2004
In brief
How to Prevent, Treat, and Self Manage Diabetes and Related Complications
By Dr M.K. Ansari Research Press, 2196 Fourth Street, East Meadow, New
York-11554, USA
Tel: 001-516-5421016. Email: researchpress@aol.com
ISBN 0-9653725-2-6
541pp. $24.95
DIABETES had caused untold suffering to Dr M.K. Ansari’s parents and two siblings. It ultimately led to their death. This moved him to collect the latest information on the disorder and compile it in a book for readers from all walks of life. Titled How to Prevent, Treat, and Self Manage Diabetes and Related Complications, this book contains all that is necessary for a layman to know about type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The book also describes the symptoms and diagnostic procedures of gestational diabetes.
The fact is that the prevalence of diabetes is on the rise all over the world. The high-risk population for type 1 diabetes consists of identical twins and first degree relatives of people suffering from type 1 of the disorder. Type 2 diabetes, which is more common and involves 95 per cent of the diabetics, is found in people with a family history, women developing diabetes during pregnancy, people with central obesity, high blood pressure and raised triglyceride levels. Screening for type 2 is done by blood sugar testing, the levels of which have a recommended cut off level. Type 1 diabetes is rarely screened as its exact cause is not known.
Understanding nutrition is an important aspect of the management of diabetes and the book addresses the issue adequately. Carbohydrates, the main source of energy for the body, have the greatest impact on raising blood sugar. Depending on the fibre content, carbohydrates can be fast or slow absorbers. This makes them belong to a high or low glycemic index group. Proteins are from an animal or vegetable source and fats are saturated, polyunsaturated or monosaturated, all having an influence on the status of diabetes. The guide to healthy living is illustrated as a pyramid with the base containing daily exercise and rising to whole grain foods, low fat meat and fat-free milk, with sweets, red meat, butter and fried commercial foods placed at the apex and labelled as “to be used sparingly”.
One chapter describes in detail the types of exercise, which must be undertaken, tailored individually to a person’s needs. Guidelines for walking, jogging, weight lifting, swimming and other aerobic activities have been described lucidly. Exercise is a factor, which can never be overemphasized in the management of diabetes.
Monitoring of blood sugar, another essential element in the care of a diabetic, can be done in the laboratory, at home with a glucometer and as glycosylated haemoglobin, which provides the average blood sugar level in the previous three months. Blood sugar testing is essential to enable the diabetologist to make treatment decisions.
The management of diabetes includes medication, pills or insulin. Currently six different types of tablets are available with different modes of action. Some enhance the production of insulin, others reduce sugar release from the liver, delay digestion of food or break insulin resistance.
Types of insulin include short, intermediate and long acting prepared by genetic engineering. It can be injected by syringes, pen devices, jet injectors and insulin pumps.
Pancreas transplantation is a major surgical procedure which is increasingly being used for the treatment of extreme cases of uncontrolled diabetes. It has its limitations though and is not available in Pakistan.
Diabetes can lead to many complications such as raised blood fat, high blood pressure, diseases of the heart, kidney, eyes and nerves and foot problems. Many of these can be prevented if adequate care is taken. Supportive measures such as aspirin therapy, discontinuation of smoking, and stress management also help.
The author of the book has done a great public service by successfully conveying medical and scientific information in lay language on all aspects of prevention, treatment and self-management of diabetes and its complications. This is a comprehensive book which would prove to be beneficial to all readers, whether they are diabetic or not, as well as GPs. — Dr Fatema Jawad
Pakistani Literature
Editorial co-ordination by Tariq Shahid
The Pakistan Academy of Letters, Sector H-8/1, Islamabad. Tel: 051-9257432. Fax: 051-9257179
315pp. Rs100
CREATIVE writing is not a part of any particular language. It is created anywhere in any language. Creative works are expressions of the feelings, which are generated after a person interacts with the world outside. It always touches the ground of universality. The world is inhabited by so many people living in different conditions and facing different problems. Literature, though fiction, is the only medium through which we come across the seen and unseen realities of life.
The Pakistan Academy of Letters is an institution, which works for the promotion of Pakistani literature abroad by translating it into the English language. This special issue of Pakistani Literature includes the works of 25 short story writers and 32 poets of Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and Pushto along with the original works in English by Pakistani writers. There are prominent writers like Enver Sajjad, Masud Mufti, Hassan Manzar, Asad Mohammad Khan, Rasheed Amjad and Hameed Shahid and of course a long list of writers and poets of different languages.
Enver Sajjad’s “Cinderella” focuses on class differences and the problems of the society. Masud Mufti detachedly discusses the clashes of culture and identity conflict in his story “Identity”. The humanism, once the motto of live and let live, loses its ground after the event of 9/11. Rasheed Amjad writes about the agony of the middle class and lost tradition in his story, “In search of the seven-coloured bird”. Hameed Shahid with his remarkable story, “How grief perishes”, captures the tension between the conscious and unconscious. The search for happiness and responsibility depicts the reality of life, in which dreams remain unrealized. Also included are Fahmida Riaz, Khalida Hussain, Azra Abbas and Ahmed Javed who have already been writing for years.
The poetry section is quite rich. Almost all the genres have been translated into English. The section on Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and Pushto literature contains prominent writers and poets. Though there are not many stories but some of them leave a great impact on the reader. The Punjabi story “The trust” by Batool Rahmani, the Sindhi stories — “Municipality and the stray dogs” and “The convict” — are promising. The Sindhi poem “The dancer” by Nur-ul-Huda Shah is allegorical with a silent protest.
The Pakistan Academy of letters, the only institution of its kind, can play an enormous role in the promotion of Pakistani literature. Publishing translations of Pakistani writings is a good way of introducing indigenous literature to the outside world. The Pakistan Academy of Letters should continue this effort. The statement, “Pakistani Literature is the only magazine of its kind being published in Pakistan, aiming to reach out to people not familiar with Pakistani languages,” makes the task challenging. Those who are interested in Pakistani literature would also like to get acquainted with those profound writers and poets who could not become a part of this journal. — Shamim Manzar
Ukaas (Newsletter Volume 1, Spring 2004)
Uks — A Research, Resource and Publication Centre on Women and Media, House # 10-B, Street-13, F-8/3, Islamabad. P.O. Box 12277, Islamabad
15pp. Price not listed
UKKAS, a very thought-provoking newsletter, is the publication of Uks, an Islamabad-based NGO working on women’s issues. Its fundamental objective is to bring into sharp focus the need for a gender sensitive code of ethics for the press. The editorial written by Tasneem Ahmar explicitly points out that, “The newsletter is aimed at sensitizing the media on how women should or should not be portrayed.”
Currently when concerted efforts are being made for the betterment and empowerment of women and voices are being raised against Karo Kari, honour killing, the Hudood Ordinance, this newsletter is very timely. It seeks to pinpoint the role that the media plays or should play while reporting crimes against women. The report is an eye-opener for the print media as well as for the general readers.
With a few notable exceptions, most of the newspapers, particularly the Urdu press, seek to sensationalize reports about women. They resort to derogatory, sexist and objectionable vocabulary, just to make their publications more saleable. Catchy and racy headlines in this context amount to a negative portrayal of women that harms their interest.
The newsletter contains actual clippings from various newspapers to demonstrate how they give a verdict against women, without even giving a factual account of an incident like rape. A headline which reads ‘A mother of six elopes with her paramour’ immediately draws the attention of the readers but it irretrievably damages the image of the woman and prejudges her character. The reader is not allowed to ponder the situation — the woman may have left her home to escape the atrocities inflicted upon her by her family. A spicy headline like, ‘An unwed mother strangles her newborn to veil her sin’ prejudices the reader against the woman who might have been a victim of rape. But no one attempts to find out the truth behind the story.
Similarly gossipy reports about ‘fahashi ke adday’ focus on gaudily dressed women baiting men into gory traps of sin. A more realistic report would have tried to unmask the male faces, which sustain the institution of prostitution.
There is an article on the Nina Aziz murder case. As is its wont, the print media had embarked on a witch-hunt for a real or imaginary skeleton in her closet. In the mist of scandalous reports, public attention was taken away from the murderers.
Ukaas is the result of careful background research. It emphasizes the need for setting up steering committees, desk training, monitoring and focus group discussions with the participation of newspaper editors, sub-editors, reporters, photographers and, of course, general readers. The reports of all the activities presently being undertaken by Uks are briefly reviewed.
Ukaas touches a very sensitive and hitherto unexplored issue. This newsletter is a pioneering effort in a very positive direction. The readers would definitely wait for more such illustrative and comprehensive, yet incisive, newsletters. — Nilofer Sultana
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