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| Thursday, 27 March 2003 |
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Please forward your letters to editor@dailynews.lk in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Urine drinking is good for health I refer to the newsreport (Yaounde, Sunday - AFP) in the Daily News of March 17, 2003 where the health minister of Cameroon has banned urine drinking stating that it is bad for the health. What a paradox it is, as former Prime Minister of India, the late Shri Morarji Desai drank urine for decades and lived a long healthy life!! Not only in Cameroon but also in many other countries uropathy (urine therapy) is resorted to by millions of people. Never ever has there been a case of a deleterious effect on the health having taken place by the consumption of urine. In the Damar Tantra (an ancient Sanskrit work), Lord Shiva expounds to His Divine Consort, Goddess Parvati the benefits of urine therapy in 107 shlokas. Moreover, the Old Testament says: 'Drink waters out of thine own cistern' (Proverb 5-15). Prophet Mohamed had ordered some people of the tribe of Ukl and Uraynah to drink the urine of camels when they fell sick (Medicine of the Prophet - page 55). The great Tibetan yogi Milarepa has stated the benefits of urine when monks perform exacting penances (G.C.C. Chang: Milarepa in Ragma, Boulder and London 1977). Our own Vedamahaththayas made use of urine in many forms to treat various ailments. To come to modern times, the common drug Premarin has a urine component as its primary base. Urokinase and other clot busters given in a cardiac emergency again has a urine component as its primary base. The many fertility drugs that adorn pharmacy shelves are made out of an extract of pregnant mare's urine ..... and many more pharmaceutical giants would not want to reveal!! Dr. Hamao, Professor, Medical University of Kyoto, Japan has isolated a substance from human urine, which is beneficial in the treatment of cancer (The Illustrated Weekly of India, August 26, 1973). Nobel Laureat Albert Sczent Georgyi has had considerable success with methyl glyoxal (a urine extract) in the treatment of cancer. Urine fasting, urine drinking and urine body massage is the first line of attack suggested by naturopaths to rid the body of cancerous tumours. Dr. Morris Mezel, Chief Surgeon of Edgewater Hospital, Chicago, USA states that there is no substance more efficacious than urokinase (urine extract) to treat heart disease. Dr. Maganbhai Salaria of Ahmedabad injects patients with their own urine when preparing them for various surgeries. He says, it prevents post-surgical complications and maintains the efficiency of the heart. The English treatise on therapeutics. 'Salmon's English Physician', 1695, talks of the prophylactic and healing properties of urine. Urine is said to be the purest liquid in the world, purer even than distilled water. It has bacteriocidal properties. Urine per se does not have bacteria but can be contaminated with bacteria when the urinary system is infected like blood would with blood being pure otherwise. If it is something dirty and harmful one will not be able to store it within one's body!! Excreta is refuse but urine is only excess body fluid. Hundreds of substances beneficial to human health has been identified in urine with more and more being discovered and many more yet to be known to science. To call it a 'waste product' is not semantically correct. It is excess water that is pumped out to maintain body fluid balance and with it is pumped out many nutrients in a potentised form. It is this potentised nature of urine that exerts a positive influence upon the physiology. In homoeopathy drugs are potentised and it is this potentised effect that wards off disease. Drinking urine would mean that the body is constantly being supplied with nutrients (enzymes, hormones, salts, vitamins, trace minerals etc), which the body may lack at times owing to metabolic dysfunction or disease. The body would re-absorb what is lacking and shed the excess off again. The outflow and inflow of urine thus assures good health. The last paragraph of the article states that the ban imposed on urine drinking by the health minister in Cameroon could have been politically motivated. I feel it is more sinister than that, particularly when giant pharmaceutical companies wield enough power to line pockets with pennies and perks. Who would want to pop a pill when there is no disease? Anybody wishing to know more about uropathy may contact me on: costrans@zeylan.net DR. MASS R. USUF, Assassination of wildlife officer During the past few years we could hear of assaulting, insulting and beating the forest officers during their duties. This situation has now reached to its maximum to even kill these officers. One of the officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, was also a victim of the forest offenders recently. He was H. K. C. Kumarasinghe. He had just entered into marriage and all the expectations of his future life were destroyed with this incident. He who sacrificed his life in Yala National Park to an unknown gunman was a B.Sc graduate. However, as a respectable nation we have to admire and to appreciate this generous, noble character. Therefore I suggest to re-name this park as "H.K.C. Kumarasinghe Memorial National Park." It will definitely show to the whole world of the good qualities of Sri Lankans. JAYANTHA EPA SENEVIRATNE, Passports - other side of the coin I read with interest the praise bestowed upon the officers of the Passport Office and was prompted to bring to the attention of the public, the manner in which certain officers get about their official duties. My niece, an employee of our national carrier a few months ago applied to obtain a new passport. Her documents, photographs and application were deemed to have been in accordance with Immigration and Emigration regulations when she presented them along with the enhanced fee in order to obtain a passport within a day. She was requested to call over at 11.30 a.m. on the same day, to collect the said document. When she called over at the specified time, the new passport was handed over to her. On closer examination of the information indicated on the passport she realized that her profession had been indicated in the masculine gender. She pointed it out to the officer concerned and lo and behold, he goes through the pages, declares the photograph is not in order; (i.e. background of the photo was not suitable) although it was accepted in the first instance and passport duly processed too. He inquired as to who the photographers were and my niece told him the name of the company which is well-established and well-known and situated in close proximity to the passport office, he had the nerve to say they were no good. My niece was asked to get another set of photographs which she did, from the very same place. The irony of this unsavoury situation was that the initial mistake was made by the Dept. of Immigration and Emigration, in indicating her profession incorrectly and without admitting this, the official concerned had the audacity to pass judgement on the photographers and the quality of their products. My niece had to practically hang around for another 3-4 hours, to obtain a correct travel document. I would like to add here the minor staff had been very courteous and helpful unlike this particular Assistant Controller who behaved as though he was God's gift to the Dept. of Immigration and Emigration. One suggestion is, if the Dept requires a particular type of photograph, it should give details in the instruction sheet (like a certain embassy of a Western country does) so that applicants are not forced to waste time and money, both of which are very precious at the present time. S. DE MEL, The Parliament passed Legislation on the above subject, which is now called Marriage Registration (Amendment) Act No. 11 of 2001. It was certified on the 25th of September 2001, published as a Supplement to Part II of the Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka of September 28th 2001. This Amendment states in Section 2 subsection (2) of the Act that "the Minister shall enter in triplicate, in a book to be kept for that purpose, a statement of the particulars of the marriage in the form L in the First Schedule .... The Minister shall issue to the parties, free of charge, the third copy of such statement...." Therefore, on the 25th of November 2002, I in my capacity as a Minister functioning as a Registrar of Marriages in the Church wrote to the Registrar of Marriages in our area for a copy of the new book. From November last year, till February this year, the Registrar continued to say that this new book was not available. However, I was told by my fellow Clergy, that at least some of them had been given this new book. So I decided to meet the Registrar at the end of February 2003. He gave me the same answer and was wondering how some Clergy were given this new book. I have a few pertinant questions to ask. 1. How come that when a Bill is passed in Parliament, in 2001, that Bill seems to have not been implemented even at the beginning of the year 2003? 2. Are there any such Bills not implemented? 3. What is the relationship between the Parliament passing a Bill affecting Marriage Registration in this country and the task of the Registrar General? I don't think it is too late for the authorities to make sure that this Amendment is implemented and that we Ministers get this new book, so that those getting married in our Churches will get the certificate immediately and not wait for a Clerk to produce the Marriage Certificate at his/her timeframe. THE VERY REV. FR. SYDNEY KNIGHT, Most of the water that falls is drained down to the ocean, in most instances causing heavy damage in the way of soil erosion, which is a loss unrecoverable, that could be prevented in many ways for the benefit of the country. It is predicted that there would be less rain thereby prolonged droughts in the ensuing years, if so, timely action should be taken to meet this situation in a meaningful manner. Accordingly, it is my opinion that adequate new tanks are opened wherever necessary, while all available tanks, which are abandoned and not in use are properly desilted to accommodate the maximum quantity of water. If the above exercise is fully implemented, adequate water would be made available until the next fall is experienced, even if prolonged. This may not be a complete solution to the above problem, but this can be of some help. TOMMY WANIGESINGHE, Dispensary at the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital Patients who come for treatment at the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka at Maradana, Colombo are put into great inconvenience when they go to get the drugs at the dispensing counter. One counter is opened at 12.00 noon and close at 12.30 p.m. At this counter preference is given to discharged patients of the day and then only to the clinic patients with the result the clinic patients sometimes will have to wait from about 11.15 a.m. till past 1.30 p.m. as the counters are opened at 1.00 p.m. but almost daily the opening time depends according to the staff time at the dispensary. Each patient is given an average of more than five drugs and all the drugs have to be packeted and instructions written on the packet as such it takes a long time to dispense drugs for a patient and all these add to the standing time in the queue of the patient. The patients have to first wait in the queue to get the ticket then in another queue to see the doctor and finally to get the drugs. Generally these patients come alone as most of them travel from far off places and cannot afford a companion.I humbly request the relevant authorities to discuss this with the staff, patients etc. and find a solution to the problem. Also at this place staff of the hospital too come and claim privileges on behalf of patients this I believe is corruption on the part of the employees please. A. RAJAKARUNA, |
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