Heard of Helicobacter Pylori?

She is only 22 but she has been suffering from stomach pain for the last 7 years. She works as a supermarket cashier and quite often she misses her meals on time and this has only served to make her condition worse.

She is cachexic (extremely thin with hardly any body fat), her BMI is only 13.7 (normal for this part of the world is 23-25), her appetite is poor though she was not anaemic (lack of haemoglobin). Now, one treatable cause of frequent stomach pain is the presence of a germ called Helicobacter Pylori in the stomach and in our set-up, the test for the presence of this bug is performed at the Endoscopic Unit of the hospital.

The young lady was promptly referred to the unit and her actual status will be known in two weeks. Should it be H. pylori, she would be treated and her quality of life will be much improved.

Capital Protected Fund.. portfolio diversification

I just recalled parting with my 50k in January this year, after being sweet-talked by a lady at CIMB. She had advised me not to buy the mutual fund offered at around the same time as she said the price would fluctuate and I might lose in the short term. This reminded me of my negatively fluctuating unit trusts at HSBC... really frustrating to say the least, sorry Rob :)

She then offered me this product which, under good market conditions, has been calculated to give a return of over 15% PA. Even if the market did not perform I would not lose my capital! The catch is, you have to put in a minimum of 50k for a period of 3 years....sounds like a fixed deposit game to me..luckily I stopped short of adding another 50k.

Be careful of sweet-talking agent, I reminded myself, when she started on about putting my money in the money market, as a way of re parking my fund from the current depressed stock market. I see this capital-protected product as a portfolio diversification.

Evening Primrose Oil.....My Experience

I remember many years ago I used to suffer badly from acne and my friend who has a degree in nutrition from prestigious Cornelle University USA, recommended that I take evening primrose oil capsules as she said she had benefited a lot in terms of better skin and painless menstruation. It so happened that she was an agent for the oil imported from New Zealand. At 85 per bottle, it was not cheap.

I began taking the "miracle Oil" and sure enough after about three months of diligent intake, I found my skin was baby smooth, gone were the hated acnes and I was very happy ordering, three bottles at a time, to last for the next nine months. Then on the 5th month or so I noticed my leg veins were showing up and I immediately attributed the condition to the oil. I would rather have acnes than varicose veins!

I stopped taking the oil and told my friend of its effect on the veins, of course she would not listen and continued taking. It took months for my condition to recover. And yes, I observed that my friend was using tight supportive stockings whenever she walked...

On a different note, the effects of Evening Primrose Oil may be different for different people but if you see those leg veins coming up, we are likely to share the same effects!

Effects of Antibiotics on your Gut

Antibiotics are best taken on doctor's prescription to ensure that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Be that as it may, it has been speculated that the use of antibiotics have resulted in the increase of allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema.

There are several classes of antibiotics and most are not selective in their action on germs. There are many "good germs" in our gut and these are also destroyed by the antibiotics. So it is advisable after a course of antibiotics we try to repopulate our gut with these "good germs" by taking probiotics, yogurt, fruits and vegetables.

I am going to take yogurt (with live culture) for the next five days ....

Chicken Soup... my Very Own

When you are not feeling well or when the weather is cold or even when you are hungry... a good chicken soup would make your day. Yes there are ready made soup packets(with food stabilizers and conditioners to boot!) in the market but I like mine freshly made and one which can be prepared fast. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

4-6 bite size (500g)chicken pieces
6 small onions (sweeter than large onion)-slice
3 pips garlic -slice
4 cloves
2.5 cm cinnamon stick
3 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cm ginger -sliced
600ml freshly boiled water
1 chili- slice (if preferred hot)
salt to taste

Method

1.Heat oil in the pot and fry star anise, clove and cinnamon stick and add in sliced onions, garlic and ginger. Fry till fragrant.
2.Add chicken pieces and sprinkle in the turmeric and fry and keep tossing the chicken so that evenly cooked under slow fire for about 3-4 minutes.
3.Add the freshly boiled water and adjust fire at simmering temperature and leave it for 15 minutes till chicken is tender, then add chili slices and salt to taste. Serve hot with rice (or boiled potatoes) for a balanced meal.

(You can spoon the soup out into a smaller pot and add in veges like broccoli, cabbage, mushroom or tomatoes and boil for 1 minute). Soup can be refrigerated for at least 3 days and reboil with selected veges.

The Saga of the Cold ...Finally Ending

The dinner last night was wonderful, having made some new friends and renewed acquaintances with old ones. We returned just before midnight and I was very careful not to have the night shower on account of my cold, instead I just sponged myself. I had the room air-cond on and a fan as well, as drier air would help to dry my sinuses, I reckoned.

This morning I woke up quite early, 5.30am on a Saturday morning! And felt my nose still a bit blocked and my cough still irritatingly productive. I figured I must have some exercise by doing some laundry. After hanging out the washings, I had a cup of warm chocolate and took my antibiotics (4th day today). Initially I had wanted to go for my regular 45-minute brisk walk but later decided against it and went back to bed instead! I was out for 3 hours with a fan on... and when I woke up, I felt so refreshed and my nose was clear and dry!

My cold saga started on 1st July, became better on 3rd then it recurred on the 5th,(loved one admitted to hospital on the 4th), took the first course of antibiotics on the 7th, coughs and congestion turned out somewhat better only to worsen again, I noticed every time following night showers. Started the second course of antibiotics on the 16th and on the 17th I surrendered, flat-out and was given a sick leave for 2 days!

And this very instance, my nose is clear and throat a lot better and coughing a lot less, no more annoying nasal discharge, such is the power of a good rest! Thanks God, I am healthy again!!

You need to be sick sometimes in order to celebrate health and feel grateful.

Charity Dinner and Charitable Mood

One of the best way to collect as much money as possible for a non-governmental organization (NGO) is through a charity dinner. In this instance, the organization happens to have a wealthy patron who has resources at his fingertip. Then invite an influential guest of honor, arrange for a reasonably good entertainment outfit and hold an arts auction of paintings from reasonably well-known artists and cap it with a favorite master of ceremony and there you have it, a packed five-star hotel grand ballroom.

The NGO has supportive programs for the terminally ill people and this itself would bring out the caring element and the generosity thread of human nature. I went to one last night. It was a black tie event with gentlemen smartly dressed and ladies glamorously attired and bejeweled. Some tables cost 5000 and 10000 each. I would have just donated some money without attending but since we received a special invitation, I decided to attend despite my nose being blocked and throat sore.

The food was delicious, though my sense of smell was a bit impaired, the overseas entertainment made up of four people pretending to be a famous group in the 70s belting out recognizable hits with the audience singing and dancing with them.I virtually got up with the others and had a bit of a swing myself ;)

But before that you should have seen the paintings' auction... from 1000 became 5000 in less than a few minutes and the icing of the cake was a painting donated by the benevolent guest of honor with the starting bid of 10000. I was asking my friends jokingly whether I should bid higher as I was sure it would go up further especially when people were in an amazingly charitable mood. I needn't have bothered, as a quick succession of raised hands had finally brought the price to 50000! Dizzying...

That is charity dinner for you.. for me it was good food and good company and thank you EO for inviting us, you are such a superb philanthropist!