Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur   

Take to natural food to prevent diabetes, says Collector

— Photo: M. Srinath

Sweet cause: Volunteers and Nurses at the Awareness campaign for World Diabetes Day Celebration in Thanjavur on Friday.

THANJAVUR: The District Collector M. S. Shanmugham has appealed to people to avoid junk food culture and take to natural food to prevent diseases like diabetes.

Inaugurating a seminar on diabetes to mark the world diabetes day at Rajah Mirasudhar Government Hospital, the Collector said that besides drugs, food habits can help control diabetes. One should follow the Siddha concept of “food is medicine and medicine is food.” Allopathy doctors should have an open mind and take all good things in other forms of medicine and encourage patients to take to natural food. Patients consider doctors as Gods and hence doctors can inculcate good habits in them, he said.

Children fall under vulnerable category with respect to diabetes. Insulin is given to diabetic children in all Government hospitals and is administered to 600 children at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, the Collector informed. It is forecast that population with diabetes will increase three fold by 2025 in the world and adequate awareness is essential to prevent this. The Collector flagged off a rally by students to create awareness about diabetes.

The Professor of Diabetology, Thanjavur Medical College, T. Gurumurthy, said that International Diabetic Federation was started in 1991, and in 2007 United Nations and World Health Organisation joined in creating diabetes awareness. In 1995, it was estimated that 19.4 million people had diabetes and by 2025 it is expected to touch 57.4 million.

Diploma courses in diabetes is offered at Chennai Medical College with approval from Indian Medical Council while certificate courses are offered at Chennai, Kilpauk, Madurai and Thanjavur Medical Colleges. 450 doctors undergo the certificate courses, Mr. Gurumurthy said. The Dean (in-charge), Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, G. Ambujam said that stress remained the main cause for diabetes. ‘We forgot to relax, smile and are always leading a stressful life which is the rootcause for diabetes,’ Dr. Ambujam said.

The Dean (in charge) Thanjavur Medical College, S. Muthukumaran and the Dean (in-charge) Rajah Mirasudhar Government Hospital, T. V. Sathappan also spoke.

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