83% women in Kashmir have vitamin-D deficiency: Study
ARSHAD BHAT (Greater Kashmir)
Srinagar: About 83 per cent of the women in Valley are suffering from Vitamin-D deficiency which can cause bone disorder Osteomalacia that in turn can cause generalized weakness, diffused bone pains, and weakness of muscles, a study conducted by Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Soura says.
Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar, a noted Endocrinologist and Director SKIMS, Soura said
83 per cent women studied were found with Vit-D deficiency-- 25 per cent having mild, 33 per cent moderate, and 25 per cent severe deficiency.
Dr Zargar, speaking at a symposium on “Menopause and Osteoporosis” held in support of World Menopause Day (celebrated on October 18) and World Osteoporosis Day (celebrated on October 20), said the study published in postgraduate medical journal also found that 75 per cent of males were also vitamin D deficient.
“The prevalence of the deficiency ranged from 69.6 per cent in the employed group to 100 per cent in the household group,” Dr Zargar said. The deficiency was uniformly prevalent in people of rural and urban areas.
People with the deficiency were prone to develop osteoporosis, a bone disorder, Dr Zargar said.
With menopause the total quantum of the bone progressively decreases, and if a woman has Vitamin-D deficiency before menopause, her problems would get worse after menopause.
According to Dr Zargar the symposium is part of an effort by International Societies for Menopause and Osteoporosis to make people, especially women, aware about the problems caused by menopause and osteoporosis.
Prof Imtiaz Ali, the head Department of Community Medicine; Prof Pervez Koul; Dr Shariq Masoodi, Additional Professor; and Dr Muhammad Ashraf Ganai also spoke at the symposium.
Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog
I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.
The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.
Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.
The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.
This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.
Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.
Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.
The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.
This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.
Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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