Gastroenterology Desk

04/01/2026

Dear Friends

Top tips during winter

January 1, 2026 The Health Guide

“Winter is on my head but spring is in my heart”, said Victor Hugo years back . We can face the challenges of harsh winter when we are fully prepared and make it an enjoyable experience .Some of the essential points towards happy winter are as under :-

1.Medical conditions that need special attention in winter:

Winter increases the risks of, flu, sore throat, painful joints. Patients with asthma need a special care .Cold can worsen their spasm and exacerbate shortness of breath. Acute bronchitis, sore throats are also common in winter season. Smoking can worsen such symptoms so high time to stop smoking. Avoid gatherings and going in cold temperature.

Blood pressure tends to increase during cold and can precipitate heart attacks and strokes. So hypertensive patients should continue to consume less salt and regularly take medicine for their hypertension. Preventive health checkup is the best way to beat the winter diseases and to enjoy good health even in the chilled weather.
Winter causes dry skin due to less humidity .Put any cream on feet and hands. Avoid extremes of temp.
Frostbite: It can start with numbness, tingling and bluish or pale discoloration of the skin. Avoid cold temperature for a long time in hands and feet to prevent frostbite especially in children. Immerse your feet in warm water regularly. Do not rub the affected feet and seek medical attention.
Avoid dehydration and consume enough of warm water
Patients with chronic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, COPD & heart failure should continue to take their medication. Try to be in warm environment, avoid un necessary exposure to cold.
Vaccinate your elderly people for influenza, COVID etc.
Read Seasonal affective disorder
2.Food in winters:

Take a balanced nutritious healthy diet. Keep enough of food stock at home during winter.

Leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits high in vitamin C and fibre, like oranges.
Beans are a good source of energy.
Dates can also be taken as a good source of energy.
Consume nuts, these are a very good source of vitamins, zinc and other minerals considered good for winters.
Take warm vegetable soups daily and avoid going out in cold soon after food intake
3.Winter wares: Put on multi-layered warm clothes. Put on thick leggings .First layer should be close to skin and then woollen and finally a water proof jacket. A woollen scarf during winters can help a lot aUse double blankets during night and do not keep hot bottles very close in elderly people to prevent burns.

4.Exercise in winters: Never underestimate your weight and do not add more kilos to your weight during winter. You can use a tread mill at home or go for brisk walking with warm clothes on.

5.Taking care of water pipes:

As the temperature drops water freezes in the pipes especially during night and can burst pipes. Insulate all external water pipes at home.
Every day in the evening, turn off main water supplies from the overhead tank and drain off all water from the pipes so that water doesn’t get frozen at night .In Bath room keep water in buckets for use during night time.
6.Heating arrangements in winter:

Avoid extremes of temperature.
Be careful about coal stoves and fancy but dangerous gas stoves during winter for heating purpose. Carbon monoxide being odourless, liberated from coal stoves can be fatal. Understanding early warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning like headache are very important.
Offices should keep carbon monoxide sensors & alarms so that excessive carbon monoxide doesn’t accumulate. Also keep proper ventilation in offices if these heating sources are unavoidable
7.Taking care of the car: Make sure your car has winter tune up. Ensure all tires are ok and in good condition .Get brakes , antifreeze levels, battery, ignition system, exhaust system, heater, lights and oil checked by your mechanic .Keep tire chains in your car in case there is heavy snowfall . Drive slowly & carefully especially during morning hours to avoid slip.

Best wishes, remember when winter comes spring cannot be too far

31/12/2025

Dear Friends
Wishing you a wonderful 2026

27/12/2025

Down the memory track,
the story of the bulbul returns to me.

Years , years back while at GMC SRINAGAR

Saturday evenings carried a joy in my heart.
The Srinagar–Sopore bus, faithful , though irritating , would crawl along the road at a snail’s pace, stopping endlessly to gather stranded passengers.

Nana my grandmother would get a message of my arrival through, Bulbul

By Saturday evening, the bulbul would begin its familiar chripping, as if announcing my arrival .

Without delay, she would send Thattha—my beloved grandfather—to buy meat.
Meat is unfortunately tagged as love and respect in our society .
The home would shift into a gentle state of anticipation - glances at the door and half-finished thoughts.

But one week, something changed.
The bulbul began chripping on a Wednesday, middle of the week .

Nana paused, listening carefully.
Her certainty did not waver.
She turned to Thattha and said, that I would be coming.
Thattha looked up, surprised.
“How will he come in the middle of the week?” he asked.
“He always comes on Saturday.”

But she had heard the bulbul chripping
That was enough.
And in that quiet moment—between Wednesday and Saturday, between logic and love—I realised that some arrivals are known not by calendars or buses, but by the birds that sing and the hearts that wait.
I don't remember why I planned to come that week on a Wednesday.

When I entered that Wednesday evening, Nana looked at me with quiet triumph.
She turned to Thattha who was sitting in the corner of the room .
“I told you,” she said softly, almost teasingly, “Ibrahim is coming.”

“What happened, Nana?
You look as though you’ve won a debate.”

“Listen,” she said, drawing closer.
“The bulbul came as usual and sat near the window today .
It chripped and chripped. I knew you will come .

I told your grandfather you were arriving. But now look—there is no preparation for you.”

“Nana,” I replied gently, “it doesn’t matter. I am not a guest in my own home.”
I laughed a lot .
Nana you are great .

Years later
“When our home at Hatishah was gutted,in that unfortunate fire we moved to Badshah Masjid, Sopore

I had started house job and my Saturday visits continued
The faithful bulbul didn't deceive Nana

Curious, I asked, “Nana, does your bulbul come here too?”

“Yes, it does,” she replied without hesitation, pointing towards a nearby tree. “It comes and sits there.” chrips every Saturday.

“Is it the same Hatishah bulbul?” I asked.

She paused. “I am not sure,” she admitted.
“But every Saturday, it comes and chrips. That is how I know.” You will arrive .

I do not know how much of it was a coincidence and how much was faith woven into memory.

But now I know this—something has changed since then

Alas ! Bulbul species are getting extinct because our fauna and flora have drastically altered.

Where trees once stood, there are now cement shopping complexes, houses that finally remain empty or partially closed

Deforestation is everywhere, and I do not understand why people refuse to think beyond convenience.

How many shopping complexes do we really need?

Our birds are disappearing.

Their songs are fading.

And now, wild animals—driven out of their shrinking habitats—wander into cities and nearby villages, confused and afraid.

Please give my bulbul its habitat back.
It is a wonderful bird.

We need mass awareness, and we need mass plantation programmes across the valley of Kashmir.

A land once known for its unmatched beauty is slowly losing its soul.

Pollution is increasing, greenery is retreating, and noise of traffic is replacing birdsong.

Dare I say ,
This is not progress.
This is regression.

01/11/2025

NOVEMBER ISSUE OF THE HEALTH GUIDE IS ONLINE

We have a great range , from coconut to olive, vegetable to canola, avocado to rapeseed oil, in the market. From time to time our companies bring us so many brands with tempting advertisements and promises of good health . But there’s a lot of conflicting data regarding the perfect oil. Olive oil ...

12/10/2025

Down the memory track

Why I Stopped Wearing Leather.

It began with a simple school lesson when I was in tenth grade at Govt. Higher Secondary school Sopore Kashmir —

There was a chapter in our English

THE BOOK OF NATURE
collection of letters written by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter, Indira Gandhi, during his years in prison.

Uncle . Mr Rafi Ahmad Masoodi beautifully explained this lesson .

Teaching his daughter from Jail Pt J.L Nehru beautifully described how even a humble pebble could tell a story — a story of endurance, transformation, and time.

He wrote of how flowing water slowly shapes a hard rock into a smooth pebble, each curve marking the patient work of nature across ages.

That imagery never left me.
It taught me to look at the world differently — to see stories hidden within ordinary things.

One morning, as I was putting on my leather shoes for hospital , the light fell on them in such a way that they seemed to speak.

I suddenly realised that they too had a story — not of fashion or craftsmanship, but of pain.
I imagined the young calf that once breathed and ran freely, its life ended for the sake of human comfort.

Its hide was tanned, polished, and turned into something we would call beautiful.
That realisation filled me with sorrow.

That day, I made a quiet decision.

I could not stop the cruelty that exists in the world, but I could refuse to take part in it.

I chose to stop wearing leather — shoes, jackets, belts, or any item that came from an animal’s suffering.
It was a small personal act, but one that brought immense peace to my heart.

So, when I slip into my non-leather shoes today, I do so with gratitude — gratitude to those who taught me empathy

The story of a pebble taught me to listen, and the story of a pair of shoes taught me to care.

04/10/2025

Contributed by Dr Arif Magrabi MBBS . MD Senior consultant Psychiatrist Author can be mailed at arifmaghribi@yahoo.com Many will think why talk of alcohol ? Well firstly both cigarette smoking and alcohol are included in drug abuse according to International classification of Diseases[I.C.D] WHO has...

20/09/2025

“Hatred is the fertile soil from which all evils on earth take root and grow. Bring love into life—it melts even iron bars.”

07/09/2025

Down the memory track

I asked one of my patients “What do you do for a living, Mr. Michel?”( name changed )

He smiled, a calm serenity in his eyes. “I’m retired now, and I’m enjoying my life.”

Curious, I leaned forward.

“What keeps you busy these days?”

“I go fishing,” he said simply.

“And how many fish do you usually catch?”
I asked, imagining a basket full of golden fish.

“Two, maybe three… sometimes four,” he replied with a gentle laugh.

I chuckled. “Then I suppose you enjoy fish and chips later?”

He shook his head, eyes twinkling.
“No, doc. I kiss the fish and let them go back into the water.”

I paused, struck by the quiet wisdom in his words.
It made me think: we often chase more—more work, more money, more success—forgetting to pause and appreciate life’s simple gifts.
Long live Mr Michel. What a great lesson you taught !
Yes, dear Reader : Life is simply a travel on a train . When stop comes we get down and mix with the dust .

01/09/2025

Dear friends : Your complete guide to common but concerning signs of bleeding
Finding blood where it doesn’t belong—whether in urine, stools, phlegm, nose, or during periods—can be frightening.
Sometimes the cause is simple and harmless. Other times, it may be an early warning sign of something more serious.
September issue of The Health Guide focuses on it
Welcome to join the family of The Health Guide and have the magazine directly in your inboxDear friends : Your complete guide to common but concerning signs of bleeding
Finding blood where it doesn’t belong—whether in urine, stools, phlegm, nose, or during periods—can be frightening.
Sometimes the cause is simple and harmless. Other times, it may be an early warning sign of something more serious.
September issue of The Health Guide focuses on it
Welcome to join the family of The Health Guide and have the magazine directly in your inbox

The Global Burden of Heart Attacks Top Preventive Strategies to Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack 1. Control High Blood PressureWhy it matters: High blood pressure damages arteries and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.How to prevent: 2. Lower Your Cholesterol LevelsWhy it matters: Excess...

31/08/2025

Blood Matters: When to Worry, When to Act

Your complete guide to common but concerning signs of bleeding

Finding blood where it doesn’t belong—whether in urine, stools, phlegm, nose, or during periods—can be frightening.
Sometimes the cause is simple and harmless. Other times, it may be an early warning sign of something more serious.
September issue of The Health Guide focuses on it
Welcome to join the family of The Health Guide and have the magazine directly in your inbox

21/08/2025

"Cherish every breath you take — life is so unpredictable. Grateful for today, hopeful for tomorrow."

12/08/2025

Why It Matters – The Global Impact of Stroke Top Strategies for Stroke Prevention 1. Control High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) 2. Manage Diabetes 3. Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels 4. Stop Smoking 5. Limit or BETTER avoid Alcohol Intake 6. Maintain a Healthy Weight 7. Stay Physically Active 8...