gurdeephundal

It’s a topic that is rarely talked about: bowel movements. But according to the NHS, 1 in 5 children, and adults alike – suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome and there’s no cure for it.

Many patients are told IBS is a psychological disorder, but we dismiss this – by revealing the ten common IBS myths – that are often told to bowel sufferers.

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Myth 1: Probiotic drinks are good for you.

Bad news for probiotic drink lovers: they’re not good for you. They’re not even gut friendly. Yes that’s right – it’s all nonsense!

Britain’s best-selling yogurt drinks, Actimel and Yakult do not keep your gut healthy or aid digestive health.

There’s no such thing as good bacteria or good fungi/yeast, says the European Food Safety Authority.

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Myth 2: It’s just stress.

The most common myth for IBS is stress. Since the gut is more sensitive in people with this syndrome. This itself, does not cause a person to develop IBS. 

IBS is caused by a change in the gut, called serotonin. It’s transported into the lining of the gut and removed out of the bowel – but this is not the same for IBS.

Abnormal levels of serotonin are found in the gut, causing patients with IBS to suffer – with diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.

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Myth 3: Aloe Vera soothes IBS. 

Lovers of natural products, beware. Drinking aloe vera juice may reduce IBS symptoms – but it can also be dangerous.

Aloe vera juice has potent laxative properties, which is great for constipation. But it can cause violent abdominal cramps, painful spasms, and diarrhea to occur.  

Using aloe vera juice for more than seven days, can lead to black pigmentation of the colonic wall, and increases the risk of colonic cancer!

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Myth 4: It’s all about your diet.

Although certain foods can trigger IBS symptoms – changes to the diet is generally not enough.

Sometimes the act of eating can cause the symptoms of IBS to trigger. Keep a food journal to help you identify your specific triggers.

Rye bread and crackers, and cereals made from corn, rice, or oats are supposedly, great alternatives to standard wheat-based foods. But remember, everyone’s gut is different!

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Myth 5: Turmeric is the cure for IBS.

Turmeric is best known for spicing up eastern cuisines, but too much of it can be bad for you.

Many herbalists claim it lessons the symptoms of IBS – due to its powerful anti-inflammatory – but it can cause stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea.  

It can also trigger stomach ulcers – if taken in large doses – for long periods.

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Myth 6: IBS tablets work.

Doctors love to prescribe these – as a quick solution. Yet, many of these medicines don’t work – as they don’t heal abnormalities in the digestive system.

These medicines are used to treat stomach cramps and spasm, and not the pain. It relaxes the muscles in the stomach, intestines, urinary, and reproductive tract.

Side effects include, dry mouth, blurred vision, redness or pain in the eye, urine retention, and constipation.

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Myth 7: Symptoms are only in the intestines.

Do your intestines feel irritable? Have you been reading too much online? Well it’s false. Too often, IBS is confused with other intestinal diseases.

Pains in the large intestine, doesn’t relate to IBS. There’s no connection. However, IBS can cause fatigue, lose of appetite, and nausea and fibromyalgia.

These can all cause widespread pain and extreme tiredness in the body.  

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Myth 8: IBS is the same thing as colitis.  

Many people confuse IBS with ulcerative colitis, but they’re not even the same condition.

IBS is a syndrome, not a disease. It does not lead to colon cancer or cause bleeding. It does not even cause inflammation in the intestine.

Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, is a disease. It does cause inflammation in the large intestine, and can lead to viral and bacterial infections – including colon cancer.

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Myth 9: Blood in the stool – a symptom of IBS.

IBS sufferers. You may want to read this. For every IBS article you read online, the characteristic of IBS, will send you into a tailspin of panic.

IBS will never cause the colon to bleed, as IBS doesn’t cause inflammation. If there’s blood in the stool, this means there’s bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract.

Any blood seen in the stool should be discussed with your doctor immediately.

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Myth 10: IBS sufferers are lactose intolerant.

Drinking some full fat milk right now? You might want to skip this. Well that’s what a dietician would say. Yet, they’re wrong!

Some IBS sufferers are indeed, lactose intolerant. For others, they’re not. While lactose intolerance plays a role in some patients, there’s no direct link with IBS.

Lactose intolerance is just incidental in some cases of IBS sufferers.

We all experience anxiety and stress in our daily lives. But no matter who we blame, or how many excuses we make, we are all responsible for our own illnesses.

Here’s 5 little-known facts that will surprise and intrigue you. (Yet, they are so obvious.)

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1. Is Your Mind Making You Sick?

Bad news for stress heads: your mind is making you sick. If you’re clinging onto the past, then you’re making yourself miserable! Stop it.

We all suffer from stress and psychological factors, such as unhappiness and emotional despair. But if left untreated, it can lead to regular colds and flu’s and potentially cancer!

It can also lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and dementia! Lovely!

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2. Popping Too Many Analgesics? 

Medicine addicts. You might want to read this. For every analgesic you take, you might be killing yourself, without knowing it. Yeah! You heard right!

Taking too much paracetamol in pills, or cold remedies, can lead to liver failure. But taking Ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

Other side affects include ulcers, bleeding or holes in the stomach and the intestine.

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3. Is Your Phone Making You Sick?

Love your Smartphone? Me too. Did you know that your mobile can make you depressed? Yes, that’s right. It can make you go cuckoo!

Tweets, texts, emails, apps, and the Internet are causing our brains to fry up. It’s making us dumber, lonelier and anxious. Moreover, it’s disturbing our sleeping patters – since our emails and apps, buzz through the night.

Cleary, we’re getting out of control: is self-regulation the way forward? I think so.

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4. iPod Alert.

Hate to ruin your date with your iPod, but you’re probably damaging your hearing. Yes, do you fancy that? I thought not.

Listening to your iPod too much, or too loud, can overwork your sensory cells, leaving behind scars in your ears. And ultimately leads to premature deafness!

You may be unaware of this, but an iPod can produce a max of 115 decibels – which is similar to a rock concert. Ouch! Your ears! Fancy a hearing aid? Hmm.

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5. Exercise-less? 

Lovers of the desk, beware. Nearly every second you sit on that chair, may lead to depression. Yes, that right.

Living a sedentary lifestyle is dangerous. It can leave you feeling anxious. But if you exercise regularly, you will produce more endorphins in the brain, making you feel damn sexy!

If you’re not active at all – shame on you! You’re more likely to suffer with a heart attack! Ready for a workout? Yes, please!

The recent horsemeat scandal confirms we don’t always know what’s in our food. But no matter how many labels we read, we could be consuming things we didn’t even know.

According to the Food Standards Agency, seahorse was found in Findus’s fish fingers, three months ago. Yuck! But for Gurdeep Hundal, the frightening exposure is what companies are intentionally putting into our diet.

Here’s 10 revolting things you didn’t even know, you were consuming.

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1. Hairs in your bread

Fancy a slice of toast? Well, you might want to check the label first. Chances are you might be eating hairy bread. Yuck!

Many commercial breads use L-Cysteine, an amino acid made from human hair to soften bread. It’s found in pizza dough, bread rolls and pastries. McDonalds and Burger King too, all use this as an additive.

Other sources of L-cysteine include chicken feathers, cow horns, and petroleum byproducts.

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2. Antibiotics in your Poultry

Bad news for chicken lovers: your bird may be sicker than you are. Chickens are stuffed with over-the-counter antibiotics, which is ka ka crazy!

Just like humans, chickens suffer with sneezing, coughing, running noses, and diarrhoea. Farmers use cheap medicines to control this.

If you’re looking for a healthier option, go organic.

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3. Ice-Cream: Anal Glands of Beaver 

The next time you put vanilla, strawberry or raspberry ice cream in your mouth, think of anal glands. Yes, anal glands of a beaver.

This delicious treat is enhanced by castoreum, which comes from the caster sacs of male and female beavers. Yum!

It’s been approved by The FDA and is categorized under ‘natural flavouring.’

It’s also found in perfume!

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4. Sugar: Bone Char

Lovers of refined sugar, beware. Nearly every grain of sugar you sip away – may be filtered through animal bone charcoal.

Most manufacturers in the UK are free of animal substances. But Silver Spoon can’t guarantee their brown sugars are – since their suppliers might be using some charcoal.

Other uses of bone char include removing fluoride from water and aquarium tanks.

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5. Sawdust in your Shredded Cheese 

Love your shredded cheese? Well, this might put you off. These pre-packaged clumps contain cellulose, another term for sawdust! Yuck!

Cellulose is listed as a fibrous plant material made from wood pulp. It’s cheap. It helps to stabilize food and lowers fat content. Feast your eyes on that.

Time to grate your own cheese? I agree.

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6. Fish bladders in your beer

Before you drink a pint of beer, you might want to learn what’s in your glass. Chances are you might be drinking fishy beer! Blergh!

Many beer companies use Isinglass, a form of collagen culled from a fish’s swim bladder. It’s used to remove unwanted leftovers from the brewing process. Poor Nemo!

All you vegetarians or vegans out there – you might want to skip Guinness or any type of beer, completely.

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7. Wood Pulp in your Cereal

Cereal addicts. You might want to skip this one. For every spoon of fibre you ate this morning, you were also eating wood pulp! Yummy!

Cellulose is fibrous and appears in many health snacks and cereal bars. Stay clear from cereals containing microcrystalline cellulose (MMC) and gum, and carboxymethyl cellulose.

It’s also found in salad dressings and ice cream – to thicken them up.  

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 8. Candy Bugs

Love your hard candy? Me too. Did you know that your favourite candy is made from bug secretions? Yes, that’s right. You’re licking beetle juice called Shellac. Yuck!

Shellac is a shiny coating used in sprinkles and candies. It’s found in jelly beans, skittles and starbursts, and it’s difficult to remove, so you’ll need to scrub it.

It can be found in pill coatings, coffee beans, and waxy sheens on fruits and vegetables. 

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9. Carton juice: it’s not fresh

Drinking some juice right now? Spit it out. It’s not fresh. It’s not 100% orange juice either. Baffled? I would be. Surely, making orange juice should be simple – wrong!

For manufacturers, once the oranges are squeezed – the juice is stored in gigantic tanks to remove the oxygen. This allows the liquid to be used up to a year – but then the juice is stripped off all its flavouring.

Fragrance companies are then engineered to bring the flavours back into the juice – making it taste fresh. Yuck!

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10. Sheep Oil in your Gum

Hate to burst your bubble, but you’re probably chewing sheep oil. Yes, sheep oil.

These packets contain lanolin, a softener for chewing gum. Bahaha!

Lanolin – is a goopy, oily secretion found in sheep’s wool. Manufacturers don’t have to expand on the ingredient list beyond that.

It’s also found in cosmetics, sunscreen, hair and baby products.

But how could I forget, India like the rest of Eastern society, never takes rape claims seriously. Just like in Bollywood movies, a young lady reports the crime, but the police will say, you must have insinuated the whole thing!

They will say her clothes were ‘too tight’ or ‘too revealing’ or she was ‘asking for it.’ No offence, but clothing and appearance has nothing to do with it. A rapist will always be a rapist.

Let me take you back to Tharir Square in Cairo, days before the Muslim Brotherhood’s victory of Egypt’s presidential election. Hundreds of innocent women, some wearing burqa’s, were attacked by sexual piranhas, as part of the regime.

Since then, Tharir Square has become a hotbed for organised sexual assaults on Egyptian women. If a lady in a burqa or hijab can be attacked, anyone can – clearly clothing and appearance has nothing to do with it.

Back in India, some parents are too sacred to let their daughters roam the streets alone, day or night. Will this solve anything? No, it will further increase the problem, making sexual assaults on women acceptable.

Parents should teach their sons how to respect women more. But with the rise of porn and sexual activity and the backing of Hindi films, women are displayed as sexual objects – it’s no wonder there’s a surge of sex pests.

Even the music industry has degraded women over the years. Calling them ‘bitches’ and ‘hoes,’ while referring to men as ‘pimps.’ Bhangra also disrespects women with songs like ‘Main Hun Balatkari’ – can you see a pattern? Yep.

Currently, a debate rages across India on whether capital punishment should be awarded to the rapists – but the death penalty will not resolve the problem.

Around one-third of women in the world have been subjected to rape. So how many fathers and sons will we kill across the nation? It’s pointless.

We should make them suffer, and castrate the rapists. Torture them in jail, so India can benchmark these punishments on male rapists, to help end violence against women. What do you think?

London may be the most diverse city in the UK, but racism will never die. I was minding my own business at the tube station when an old man on purpose targeted me, and sat near me and began to whale “England, oh England, where have you gone…we have been taken over by Blacks, Asians and Pakistani people…oh England.”

I was minding my own business until he started chanting in front of my face. Then I flipped. Me: “that’s rude Mr, I would be careful what you say,” and then he snapped: “do you have a British passport…I’m entitled to my own opinion, blah blah.” Me: “I don’t need to explain myself to ignorant people like you…just open your eyes…if you don’t like diversity, then go outside of London.” He then began to whale again: “Oh England, I was born outside of London and in my time Black people would clean our shoes and now they’re at the same level of us” Me: “I’m not from London, but open your eyes” Him: “Oh you think your better than me…go back to your own country, blah blah…” Me: “My next door neighbour was British and she treated me like her own blood…she would be turning in her grave after hearing your ridiculousness.”

The guy stands in front of my face (at this point I’m thinking s**t he’s going to punch me) and I put my hand in front. Me: “I’m going.” Him: “go on” and then, me: “actually you go, (stumped my bags on the floor), there’s no place for racism here.” Then he attacks the Asian guy next me: “do you have a British passport” and the security guy comes over (who is Chinese) and he starts on him. Me: “jog on you narrow minded p***k.” Suddenly he gets offended, him: “how dare you, call me that.” Me: “you asked for that…being racist doesn’t make you better than anyone” Security guard takes him away.

Later, I posted my anger on Facebook, and to my surprise, many people were disgusted by his behaviour, but others said I should have ignored him, which is absolutely absurd. I have spent my entire life listening to ignorant people, chanting on how I should go back to my home country. Why should I sit there and listen to this? It’s not my fault his mind isn’t open-minded.

I could have ranted imperialism and how the Kohinoor was stolen from India, but what’s the point? The past is there for a reason. Let’s move on. Instead of ignoring racism, we should be educating these fools. Why else do we still have racism in the media, football and society? Simple, we are afraid to stand up and talk about it.

Another common factor is, some people think it’s easy to relate racism to accentism. When it cannot be compared. I’m British and Indian and I grew up in Yorkshire, but comparing these would be a foolish thing to do. I have spent many years, being judged on my skin complexion, the way I live, the food, and the values my ancestors adopted. But my northern accent hasn’t once caused anyone to say, “Go back to Yorkshire” or “what are you wearing” – instead it has created friendly banter.

Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter where you go in the world, racism will never die. Even within religions there are caste issues, catholic and protagonist differences, and Sunni and Shi’a hatred. So how will racism disappear? I’ll let you figure this out!

By Gurdeep Hundal

The recent murder of Lee Rigby has provoked a backlash of discrimination in Britain. But no matter how many people we blame, or how many riots we start, we’re all suffering from a cultural crisis.

Who are we? We share the same islands, but we aren’t all British. We call ourselves Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English and often, but rarely, British. With the Olympics, we wave our union Jack proudly, but when it comes to football, we create our own divisions.

There is much shared culture in Britain, whether music, TV, clothing and food. Each year we cringe at Britain’s attempt to win Eurovision with shoddy outfits and songs. But there’s one thing that keeps dividing us, it’s called religion.

Religious intolerance and ignorance are the causes of many conflicts across the UK. Muslims are branded as ‘terrorists,’ while Sikhs, who wear turbans, are mistaken with terrorism. Christianity is on the decline while Islam is on the up.

Regardless of the religious divide, there’s a real fear in Britain today – the fear that we’re losing British culture. No one can quite sum up what it means to be British or what British culture is today. Can you? No.

In 2012, Peter Hitchen’s stated that: ‘Bit by bit, the people of this country are ceasing to have key things in common. They don’t share a religion, or a culture, or a history. Many don’t even share a language.” And the worrying thing is, he’s right.

Labour’s reliance on multiculturalism has failed Britain. Multiculturalism was never meant to be a replacement of the British culture – including the language, the religion, the literature, and the institutions. But somewhere down the line, things have changed.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m Yorkshire born and bred, and I’m immensely proud of my Northern heritage. And I’m all for change. But as a Brit-Asian person, I no longer understand what it means to be British. Do you?

When I was growing up in the 90’s, the term ‘British’ was something to be proud off. We learnt together, played together and prayed together. Most importantly, we never complained.

Because of this, we sang hymns together, we participated in plays together, and we shared hot cross buns together. This was my childhood, and even though we didn’t agree on everything, we still embraced it.

There’s little to suggest this is the case today. Britain has become too tolerant and understanding to all faiths. We’re now seeing British schools, increasingly dropping the Jewish Holocaust from history lessons, as it offends some pupils.

In West Yorkshire, the Junior Infant and Nursery School in Batley, has banned stories featuring pigs, including “The Three Little Pigs.” Whereas in Nottingham, the Greenwood Primary School, cancelled a Christmas nativity play, as it interfered with other religious festivals.

In Norwich, the Knowland Grove Community School had axed the traditional Christmas play, to look at other cultural festivals of the world. Surely, Britain’s attitude to all faiths is spiraling out of control.

After the Olympic games, Tony Blair said: ‘Britain remains ‘proud of our Christian culture’ and those who came from overseas were are able to share a “common space” of British values, including a belief in democracy, rule of law and support for constitutional monarchy.

In spite of this, the death of Drummer Lee Rigby indicates we don’t all share the same ‘belief in democracy’ in Britain. As some people have very different views about how England should be governed.

Before you say it, yes, I am of British-Indian descent and I have my views. But I learnt to respect British culture, traditions and customs. So why are many of the new migrants not following this? Clearly, the Government has gone soft.

The problem with this is that British identity is becoming a fragile thing. Everyone wants the Government to adapt their policies, their religious or cultural beliefs. But in the process, we are slowly eroding British culture – that was once here.

The sole reasonable explanation for this dislocation between expectation and reality is an inflated sense of entitlement that England should be better. In this respect, things do seem to be changing.

However, the bigger picture is how do you make it work, without offending everyone. And how do we make Britain safer for the next generation – without them too, being culturally confused.

In all honesty, the Government is to blame for this cultural crisis. They need to stop being so tolerant to all religions. No matter how many cultures we embrace, not everyone will be happy. Period.

The Government needs to create boundaries and a set of guidelines, so we know what it means to be British. We all call ourselves British, however, no one can sum up what it means to be British or what British culture is today.

Meanwhile, EDL and BNP Parties will continue to add racial and religious hatred across Britain. But Rigby’s murder is not based on religion, but merely a cultural identity crisis – that we all created.

And Britain as we knew it will disappear. What do you think?

Victorian Diseases are back

By Gurdeep Hundal

Illnesses such as tuberculosis, typhoid and rickets may beckon visions of soiled street rogues and macabre plagues, but doctors are warning that Victorian diseases may be returning to London.

Rare infectious diseases including whooping cough, scarlet fever and typhoid have soared by 166 per cent in the past two years, with the number of cases of mumps, rising from 125 in 2007 to 393 last year.

Worried? I think we should be, as these infectious rates in the capital are soaring by the minute, even though they are easily prevented with vaccines and clean hygiene.

So, I have decided to explain why we are breaking into our ancestors’ habits, and how we can be ridden of these futile illnesses – despite our medical breakthroughs.

The primary causes have not changed much since Charles Dickens era, but new factors have emerged, such as immigration, rising obesity rates, and the decision of some parent refusing the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the highest among immigrants from Africa where the disease is common, through low standards of living – which causes fever, weight loss, chronic coughing, fatigue and sweating.

Rickets is common within British children who suffer from a lack of vitamin D, which causes aches and pains in the bones and joints and leaves sufferers with bow legs.

While, gout is most commonly associated with obesity and is caused by uric acid on the joints and tissue, causing them to swell or become painful – this is noticeable in the big toe and lower limbs.

Measles and Mumps are the most contagious and lethal children’s diseases – which are rising rapidly by some parents choosing not to give their children the MMR jab.

And finally, Syphilis is transmitted sexually or from mother to child and the condition can lead to flu-like symptoms, followed eventually by insanity, heart problems and possibly death.

As a nation of dirty buggers, we are need of sprucing our act, by remaining clean and safe!