Medical Benefits of Islamic Way of Fasting (Ramadan)

Muslims from across the world stay ordained to the Quran and fast for the whole of Ramadan month. Fasting is a part of pleasing God, in almost all religions. Probably, the health benefits of fasting were known to our forefathers several centuries ago.

Though the primary aim of fasting by Muslims is to conform to religious norms, fasting brings in several health benefits too. While considering health benefits, there are also a few problems to consider and precautions to take while fasting.

Those who suffer from medical conditions like coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc. are exempt from fasting. The negative effects of total fasting include hypokalemia (drastic drop of blood potassium levels), cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart beat), etc. Ramadan fasting is not total fasting and believers take nutrients needed for the body, through the systematically planned early morning and evening food.Lowering of blood sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure are the first notable physiological changes.

Diabetes patients need to take extra care while fasting. Hypoglycaemia, a condition characterized by abnormal drop of blood sugar levels can cause health problems. Diabetic patients should reduce intake of medicines or insulin injection during fasting. Monitoring of blood sugar levels is also desirable. Conditions like tiredness, sweating, headaches, unconsciousness, etc. are the symptoms of abnormally low levels of blood sugar levels.

Hyperglycaemia- this is the reverse of hypoglycaemia, characterised by increase of blood sugar levels. This is mainly due to the medicines you take to sustain blood sugar levels. Increase in blood sugar levels can cause problems to kidney and eyes.

Problems of Acidity and Ulcer –bile can get filled up in stomach, which causes acidity and ulcer. Healthy individuals have considerable health benefits from Ramadan fasting. It is an effective detoxification therapy. Toxins accumulated in the body break down and pass out of the body.

Fasting is ideal for both overweight and underweight persons. It is commonsense how fasting works to reduce weight. During fasting, deposited fat gets used and burns down and facilitates weight loss.

Fasting also normalizes the digestive system of underweight persons, and equips body to digest and assimilate nutrients from the food they eat.

Fasting can also clear many skin problems. This is because of the elimination of toxic materials from the body and generally cleansing the blood.

Fasting has advantages in getting rid of addictions and unhealthy habits like smoking and taking alcohol. Ramadan fasting improves the health condition of healthy people. But for people who suffer from any medical condition should monitor their body and physiology more closely.

Pregnant and feeding women are exempted from fasting and they shall not attempt fasting, as it can deprive nutrition to both mother and child.

Most Submitters (Muslims) do not fast because of medical benefits but because it has been ordained to them in the Quran. The medical benefits of fasting are as a result of fasting. Fasting in general has been used in medicine for medical reasons including weight management, for rest of the digestive tract and for lowering lipids.

There are many adverse effects of total fasting as well as so-called crash diets. Islamic fasting is different from such diet plans because in Ramadan fasting, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake.

The caloric intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the national requirement guidelines. In addition, the fasting in Ramadan is voluntarily taken and is not a prescribed imposition from the physician.

Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, it is beneficial for one’s entire life. Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does not have any selective criteria of crash diets such as those which are protein only or fruit only type diets. Everything that is permissible is taken in moderate quantities.

The only difference between Ramadan and total fasting is the timing of the food; during Ramadan, we basically miss lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat until dusk. Abstinence from water during this period is not bad at all and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids within the body, producing slight dehydration. The body has its own water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been shown that slight dehydration and water conservation, at least in plant life, improve their longevity.

The physiological effect of fasting includes lower of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity and essential hypertension.

In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan," held in Casablanca, entered 50 research papers from all over the world, from Muslim and non-Muslim researchers who have done extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. While improvement in many medical conditions was noted; however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients’ health or baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients who are suffering from severe diseases, whether diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not try to fast.

There are psychological effects of fasting as well. There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast during the month of Ramadan. Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases. This psychological improvement could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates behavior changes.

Recitation of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart and mind, but improves the memory. Therefore, I encourage my Muslim patients to fast in the month of Ramadan, but they must do it under medical supervision. Healthy adult Muslims should not fear becoming weak by fasting, but instead it should improve their health and stamina.

Is Fish purer than meat in Hinduism...!?

In the way back from Beed to Sollapur Railway Station, Maharashtra (10th of Oct, 2011) for Banglore after my field work, our team  stopped our vehicle at a place where it is somewhat considered to be famous for fish hotels. And, where just within few steps there is a bigger temple also.

I am not confirm that the business inertia of the hotels are because of Fish availability or because of nearness to the temple, or it was in the junction of road-cross, or because of all these factors. I and some of other my team members got into an Islamic hotel as I am Islamic, in motive to get some lawful (halal, there is scientific reason why I take only halal)meats.

Unfortunately we came to know that meats are not available in all of the hotels there, which is an unusual for an Islamic hotel not to available meats. I asked why is that….? The answer was simple-This place is quite near to a temple so meat is not allowed here.  I was speechless with the reason.

I thought suddenly, are the fishes not moving animal like terrestrial birds and animals. Here lets compromise their unreasonability over plants if they think animal feels more pain than plant, which is not truth that science has already proved that plants also feels the same pain as that of animals, then do the fishes not feel pain as that of terrestrial animals.

Or, if it is the motive to arrest the consumption of animals, as same reason of the myth of considering cow as a part of god to worship, does the number of fishes not dwindling?, are the fishes not never endanger because they are in sea?, which is not a truth at all.

In the movie "Indians Untouchables" one saint mentioned that man becomes impure if he eat meat. What is the purity of a man. Why we are given with Canine teeth and stomach which can digest meat, which all these are not given in herbivores like Cow, Goat and so on...god has created us with all these equipment's which means we are allowed to take meat but it doesn't meant to eat all kinds of living creatures.

Hindu scripts has clearly mentioned about non-prohibition of eating meat. Such an unreasonability / misperception should be attack first to stop unreasonability which is rooted (its not the intention to let veg-people eat meat, but the unreasonability of people at mass which affect other sectors of living) in their religion.

I don't know why Shri Shri Shiv Shankar, a globally know in Hinduism for his "Art of Living" never speak anything about caste and Untouchability which is rooted in Hinduism. It doesn't mean that Muslims community do not have untouchability, it do have but it never practice inside a mosque.

Many Hindu Dalits converted to Islam to find some equality in the society, they do get equality but in some places of India it does happen to discriminate still, between Muslim higher caste and lower caste but never inside  mosque, it is found in Bihar so far I have seen. Here, the concern is for the majority community (Hindus) which is practicing untouchability at mass.

Such an unreasonability cannot be uprooted using coercion like Police rather need to attack their minds intellectually, through preaching by religious persons. Because Police itself is rooted with such unreasonability of untouchability.

Indians take religious persons as value as god, then why people will not consider the words of those religious persons. So, we need highly educated, contemporary and scientific temper minded religious persons to preach the unreasonability or the misperceptions of Hinduism.

Otherwise it will take, as per my exaggerated assumption, another century to let people internalize the our constitutional ideology (which many religious and highly educated person still  not accepting, like equality of one's value), or to bring Indians at the level of Europeans, Americans, Koreans or Japanese or likes. But I don't mean Europe and Western and Eastern developed nations do not have any kind of discrimination,  they also do have discrimination but not up to that level of Indians.

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# Yasin Kh .
http://www.google.com/profiles/ansary.shent

Hinduism

Hinduism is not a name of religion. It's a geographical name derived from the river Indus. I would not spare to blame Hinduism which is decorated with Mahabharata and Ramayana, which generated the upper class and lower class mind set to the peoples which is now resulted to engrave an inborn mind set of great inequality in terms of one's prestige and value, no matter of economic status, just within the same race of people, result of which is now poverty, bagger and so on…

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# Yasin Kh .
http://www.google.com/profiles/ansary.shent

India's culture of respecting feminine hood

A girl asked me to give her my seat in Bus in the way to Sikandrabad, UP in May 2007. I made some arguments like "kya hua aapko, kya apki tabiyat kharab hei?", then my Dad asked me to give her the seat, don't know he knows the culture or not, so as I.

Little bit later of the moment I came to know that was a culture of respecting feminine hood. I also respect it, I am proud of it. That was my first and surprising I experienced here in Capital.

Every Indian society respects their females since history even if Indian is notorious of hatred to female, because of which Sex Ration is running very low. And there is great variation in the extent of respect and way of respect is made from region to region within India itself.

Although, whatever may be, it's India's pride for respecting females in public place, raping in lonely place and killing birth place. It's equality in inequality within 'unity in diversity'.

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# Yasin Kh .
http://www.google.com/profiles/ansary.shent

Mango peoples and Cricket...

What an illogical thing that huge amount of Rupees from the public account has given to those Indian Cricket player for winning World Cup, which is meant to use for social welfare.

How mindless Mango peoples! More mindless is those political leaders. Like father like son!

They are confused with priority between cricket and social welfare, where number of poverty is far more than that of South Africa, where Mango peoples are made fool at Guinness Record degree by Bollywood peoples.

No hope, India is gone with Cricket and Bollywood, towards the mouth of Dragon, China. So pity these mango peoples...!!

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# Yasin Kh .
http://www.google.com/profiles/ansary.shent

Why Delhi doesn’t pay attention to Irom Sharmila’s decade fasting, but knee-jerk reaction to some days Anna Hazare’s fasting!?

What mentioned by sister Irom Sharmila Chanu, in the article “Sharmila indifferent to Delhi's indifference” (TheSangaiExpress.com, dated April 13, 2011), about discrimination is a fact, that people of central Indian are borne with a bias mindset, not only the officials on matter of Arm Forces Special Power Act, 1958.

We see it, we feel it, and everyone knows it. On the other hand, in context of comparing with Anna Hazare, he express his points on stage while our sister express at the last bench of the corner where no one knows.


Another point is the context of expression, in which his point is anti-corruption which is the only priority of the nation, which every one like it, while our sister is seeking Human Rights which people hard to know easily on what cause, what human right for?


And media coverage of central India in the NE states is almost negligible just because of their biasness and fear of the present conditions of the region. Main media group which visits Manipur is I think The Hindu and its by-product FRONTLINE, we trust them because of their autonomous and liberal expressions.


Moreover , Hazare is supported from across the planet earth whoever is called Indian, supported by high profile people who can easily contact the Indian congress officials. And matter of Lok Pal Bill is an easily workable thing where there is no one to oppose this bill.

On other side, Repeal of AFSPA is highly sensitive issue between the civilians (of only two small regions: Manipur and Assam and Kashmir) and Defence wing of the nation, which is next to the UPA govt. In the hottest public debate so far on this issue of ‘repeal of AFSPA’ happened last year in The Hindu lasted for almost a week without any visible resolution.


Manipur govt. had already appointed Upendra Commission whose report was on Nov 2, 2004, but unfortunately by a petition filed by Assam Rifles Justice Biswas dismissed on June 23, 2005 under the section 6 of AFSPA, says that “without sanction of Centre, no legal proceeding can be instituted against the security forces”.


But this doesn’t affect anything to the emotion of Manipur govt. because it was done just to press the people’s pressure. Later, still when the B.P Jeevan Reddy commission, which is a hand of centre came Center shutdown their mouth.


It is because that the commission was appointed to cool down the issue, the commission they appointed is their fingers, and they can use their fingers in the way they like. It’s just like Manipur govt. use CBI to cool down any serious issue and takes no action.


Ibobi knows the politics well, and in addition Centre also know the politics well, for example, on January25, 2008, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi (where Hazare sitted) in a demonstration demanding the repeal of AFSPA a pamphlet was read as “REPEAL ARMED FORCES SPECIAL POWER ACT 1958 (APUNBA LUP)” in which centre know that this Apunba Lup is an umbrella body of 32 organizations, not the civil society of Manipur.


GK Pillai said ‘insurgency no more in NE region’, P. Chidambarm said ‘Manipur is now cool’. Whatever may be, all these are only lip services, not written statement produced in the lower house.



Unfortunately, amid the comment of Sister Irom Sharmila, recent background voices like “plebiscite” and killing of telecom tower guards and demand of ransom from telecom workers are the examples with which I would like to conclude that if things doesn’t work out at macro level then, we should try to work it out at grass root level, i.e. ourselves, my family and my society.


In the third resolution of “Plebiscite Meeting” as published in the same site/channel, that ‘’sending of two resolutions to the UN and other international human rights organizations’’ is just a matter of ridiculousness.


India is the largest nation little bit back by US, India can ignore any external forces saying that matter is minutest of minute internal affair to be handled by India itself, or center can ignore it any cost.

Moreover, this further adds oil over AFSPA. What knows if sister Sharmila reaches to Oslo for Nobel Peace prize and move the immovable Centre or who knows Centre can say that Nobel Price and internal affairs are different things.


We will prey for the above, we can hope, most probably some amendment in the section 6(or, likes) of AFSPA which make it draconian, else repeal is a far thing. At last, I hope we can solve this problem by convincing our family members to come to more stable life, to lead our every family members to economically productive tasks, hope problem will solve automatically.

(This article has already been published as comment under the article of the same site)

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# Yasin Kh .
http://www.google.com/profiles/ansary.shent

AFSPA* raped me ... !

Where is the respect for women

Where she is living isolated ?

Where is the respect for women

Where comouflageds are free to prey on her flesh ?

Where is the law

Where it is made lawful to do so!?

Where is the right for her

Where she is denied to claim for ?

Where is the mankind to help her

Where there is none to feel sorry

                                           For

Her torn cloths ?

Where is the help

Where no ear to turn on her cries ?

Where her tears wailed everywhere      

Where, couldn’t find

Where to drain into,

Where, at last, her room was left

                                    With her

                          Suicide Note ?

Nineteenth of July

A decade and a year ago.

For the day

Sun was about to set away.

At the Verandah of the house

I, my husband and my father-in-law

                                  Were sitting…

Those camouflageds came,

Arrested my husband

Beaten up him before my eyes

Father-in-law cried a lot to stop them.

All his efforts went in vain !

Some other forced me get me inside,

They pushed me, dumped me inside

                                    They won  !

They won to dump me into the bed,

All my cries went in vain !

They won to feed on my flesh

     Their stomach full,

All my cries went in vain !

My tears drained everywhere

But none to say for me !

My tears drained everywhere

But not a space to say for me !

All my tears drained everywhere

      After which

I beg to the world

For my husband, my father-in-law, my mother –in-law

                                                       To console them

                                                                      With a

                                                         Suicide Note !!


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* Arm Forces Special Power Act