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I have been hearing a lot about Stevia; what is this?

Fahmida Jafri, Department Head, Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics responds:

“Stevia is low calorie ‘natural’ sweetener which is very popular due to

its source and origin as well as a good sugar substitute. It is extracted

from leaves of a plant called Stevia rebaudiana. This herb belongs to

Chrysanthemum family that grows wild in Paraguay and Brazil. South

Americans have been using stevia as a food sweetener for centuries. Stevia

is presently being used in many soft drinks and other products as a sugar

substitute. The major component of Stevia is mostly, extracted Rebaudioside

A with some proportion of Stevioside, which is a crystalline compound

that tastes 100 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. In the digestive tract,

these components are broken down into glucose and steviol. The glucose is

used by bacteria in the colon and steviol is excreted as it cannot be further

digested. However, there is a general lack of long term studies on human

subjects on Stevia’s use and effects. It seems fair enough to say that when

consumed in reasonable amounts, stevia may be an exceptional natural

sweetener compared to artificial sugar substitutes.”

What are Shingles? My husband developed this

and is unable to go to work. How is this treated and is it

dangerous in the long run?

Dr. Princy Anne Philip, General Practitioner responds: “To start, Shingles is

a contagious, viral infection caused by Varicella-zoster virus, the same virus

that causes chicken pox. Once you have had chicken pox, the virus remains

dormant in nerve roots near your spinal cord and brain, awaiting the next

favorable conditions to reactivate. During its inactive period, the virus is

generally harmless and asymptomatic. A few years later, mostly during

a period of stress, illness or weakened immune system, the virus lying

dormant at the nerve roots may be triggered to produce a painful skin rash,

what is commonly called shingles (herpes zoster.)

Shingles can present with the following symptoms: pain, which is usually

the first symptom. Pain is usually followed by a red rash, generally seen

as a single stripe of fluid filled blisters that drapes around either side of

the torso. Rash may be associated with itching at times. Other areas that

the rash is seen to occur is around one eye, or one side of the neck or face.

Other less associated symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache and sensitivity

to touch or light. The symptoms generally last between two to six weeks.

The treatment of Shingles entails easing associated symptoms as well as

prevention. The treatment modalities include the following: first, antiviral

medications that should be prescribed by a doctor. These help hasten

healing and reduce the risk of complications. Second, painkillers such as

capsaicin cream or Lidocaine can be used. Third, tricyclic antidepressants

can be used to relieve severe neuralgia in addition to its antidepressant

action. Fourth, anticonvulsants, in addition to its original mode of action,

can also help with neuralgia. Additionally, some physicians prefer to use

steroids as they are known to relieve inflammatory conditions.

Fahmida Jafri

Department Head, Clinical

Nutrition and Dietetics

Dr. Princy Anne Philip

General Practitioner in

the Internal Medicine

Department

May/June 2015