Committed to Educate, Empathize, and Empower people of South Asian origin

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD

- Mahatma Gandhi

Endorsed by Alabama Association of Physicians

of Indian Origin (aAPi), Huntsvlle India

Association (HIA), Guja-rati Samaj of TN Valley, and Bengali Association

of Huntsville.

AshaKiran is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to fill a com-munity need, for the purpose of providing assistance and counseling to people of South Asian origin (for now) in our community that are experiencing ―crisis‖ situations due to language barriers and cultural stigmas, South Asians when faced with problems such as abuse, domestic violence, depression, or lack of a friendly ear.

For Event sponsorship and advertisements in

AshaVani, call 256-698-4446 or email

asha117@gmail.com

Contents

Upcoming Events…….2

Articles:

Healthy Eating ………..4

Prostate Health….…….5

Synopsis:

Brain and Body Well-ness…………………….7 Launching a Successful

Career………………….9

Thanks………………..10

AshaKiran FAQ……..12

November 2010

AshaVani Message of Hope

Upcoming Events

How to cope with serious illness

Nov 7, 2010. 3.00pm. Huntsville Hospital Dowdle Center.

Speakers: Dr.Tarak Vasavada and Dipti Vasavada

Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Nov 14, 2010. 5:30pm. Huntsville Hospital Dowdle Center.

Breast Cancer screening to treatment can save lives

December 12, 2010. 3.00pm—5.00pm. Huntsville Hospital Dowdle Center.

Speakers: Dr. Monita Soni, Dr. Purvi Shah, Dr. Krishna Kakani, Dr. Lakshmi Nal-lamala

Preparing for College Seminar

Dec , 2010. 2:30pm. HCCNA, 14840 Smith Drive, Harvest, Alabama

Speakers: School Counselors, College Advisors

Annual Meeting

Please join us in honoring all the

Volunteers and Donors of AshaKiran

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DINNER

Sunday, Nov 7, 2010

3.00pm — 5.00 pm

Dowdle Center,

109 Governor‘s Drive SW,

Huntsville, AL 35801

RSVP http://www.ashakiran.com//asha/rsvp.html

Tarak Vasavada, MD: How to develop coping strategy for chronic and serious medical and psychi-atric conditions.

Dipti Vasavada, LCSW: How to deal with serioud medical issues in family and reach out for help.

Followed by 30 minutes of Group Discussion

Sunday, Nov 14, 2010

5.30 pm

Dowdle Center,

109 Governor‘s Drive SW,

Huntsville, AL 35801

RSVP by Nov 1 http://www.ashakiran.com//asha/rsvp.html

Coming Soon:Coming Soon:Coming Soon:

Exciting entertainment and Speaker details for A Ray of Hope Event 2011Exciting entertainment and Speaker details for A Ray of Hope Event 2011Exciting entertainment and Speaker details for A Ray of Hope Event 2011

Sunday, March 27, 2011Sunday, March 27, 2011Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday, Dec 19, 2010

2.30pm — 5.00 pm

HCCNA,

14840 Smith Drive,

Harvest, Alabama.

RSVP http://www.ashakiran.com//asha/rsvp.html

Listen to perspectives from various college counselors/advisors from High Schools, as well as col-lege graduates. Representatives from Sylvan Learning Center and/or Appleton Learning will be pre-sent as well. Audience participation is strongly encouraged in the Question and Answer session.

Sunday, Dec 12, 2010

3.00pm—5.00 pm

Dowdle Center,

109 Governor‘s Drive SW,

Huntsville, AL 35801

RSVP by Nov 1 http://www.ashakiran.com//asha/rsvp.html

Dr. Monita Soni is a pathologist specialized in tumor pathology, and president of Prime Path, PC.

Dr. Purvi Shah practices hematology and medical oncology. She is with Clearview Cancer Institute.

Dr. Krishna Kakani practices obstetrics and gynecology. She is with Tennessee Valley OB GYN

Dr. Laskhmi Nallamala trained in diagnostic radiology with specialization in Mamography

Healthy Eating

E ating the right foods is very valuable in maintaining a healthy body and mind. As we all know, a diet should contain all essential nutrients like protein, carbo-hydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and fiber. The western diet features lots of processed foods and meats, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of everything ex-

cept fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Choosing healthy food will aid in reducing your risk for heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and associated problems like obesity. Some common diet recom-mendations are as follows:

To eat well and feel healthy, choose whole, fresh foods; avoid canned foods, fried foods, highly processed foods, saturated fats, refined flour and sugar.

Eat fresh fruits every day. Fruits are sweet and tasty. They are a good source of insoluble fiber which helps prevent constipation. Also, fruit provides many antioxi-dants beneficial for a healthy body. They are low in calories and fill the void between meals and offer a satisfying substitute for desserts.

Eat more vegetables. Cook vegetables lightly or better yet eat them raw as veggies are high in antioxidants as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Eat plenty of fiber. Choose whole wheat bread or rotis. Also, choose whole grain (brown) rice over white. Whole wheat/whole grain helps to regulate blood sugar lev-els and appetite.

Eat pulses, nuts, and sprouted seeds. Lentils are the cornerstone of Indian foods; they store well and are an inexpensive way of getting protein, fiber and minerals into the diet. Eat a good bowlful with brown rice or whole wheat roti.

Eat less meat---whenever you are going to eat meat, try to select lean cuts and re-move visible fat. Grill meat rather than fry. Opt for fish or poultry rather than beef, pork, ham, sausage or organ meats.

Cut down on your fat intake. Avoid the bad fats mainly saturated and trans fat. Avoid using ghee or butter. As for cooking oils, use vegetable oil such as canola, olive, or corn.

Choose dairy products which are low in fat such as skim milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.

Restrict or even better avoid heavily sweetened foods such as halwa, ras gulla , jalebi, gulab jamun, burfi, cakes, etc.

Restrict fatty foods like puris, parathas, pakoras,kachori, samosas, etc.

So take care of your health---eat the right foods, exercise daily, get proper sleep and learn to relax to maintain a healthy body and mind.

- Anonymous, MS, RD (registered dietitian)

Prostate Health Miniseries (Part 1 of 3)

What is the Prostate? Technically, it's part of your sex organs. It's a small gland, about the size of a walnut, that sur-rounds your urethra, a tube that takes urine from the bladder to the penis. The urethra also carries semen during ejaculation. The prostate gland grows quite a lot during puberty and then doesn't change much until about age 40, when it slowly begins growing again and, in many men, doesn't stop. Half of men aren't bothered by their growing prostate. But the others will develop one of three prostate diseases; enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, or prostatitis, or may have more than one.

What is BPH?

BPH -- or benign prostatic hyperplasia -- is the medical term for an enlarged prostate. A non-cancerous disorder, an enlarged prostate is the most common prostate health problem among men.

Half of men between the ages of 50 and 60 will develop it, and by the age of 80, about 90

percent will have experienced BPH symptoms.

How does BPH affect urinary function? Sitting just below the bladder, the prostate gland surrounds the upper part of the urethra (the tube that drains urine away from the bladder to the penis for excretion). As the prostate grows larger, it presses against the urethra, narrowing the passage through which urine flows. Problems with urine flow may result as the urethra narrows due to prostate enlargement. It may result in a range of uncomfortable irritative or obstructive urinary symptoms. As the prostate slowly continues to enlarge, symptoms may gradually worsen, interfering with sleep, physical com-fort and routine activities. In rare cases, an untreated enlarged prostate may lead to an inability to urinate, incontinence, bladder stones, kidney infections, and damage to the bladder and kidneys.

What are the symptoms of BPH? Symptoms of BPH vary with each individual. They may include:

Frequent, often-urgent need to urinate, especially at night

Need to strain or push to get the urine flowing

Inability to completely empty the bladder

Weak urine stream

Dribbling or leaking after urination

Because male urinary symptoms can also be caused by more serious conditions, such as prostate cancer, it's important to see your doctor to determine the cause of your symptoms.

What are the treatment options? Treatment options include watchful waiting, drug therapy and minimally invasive office based pro-cedures and surgery.

What is watchful waiting? Watchful waiting means keeping an eye on the BPH symptoms without receiving any form of treat-ment. For men with minimal to mild BPH symptoms that do not interfere with daily routines, this may be a preferred choice. As part of watchful waiting, men continue to have annual examinations to de-termine if their symptoms change over time.

What kinds of medications are used to treat BPH? Drugs called alpha-blockers are the most common treatment prescribed to manage BPH symptoms. By relaxing the muscles around the prostate so that there is less pressure on the urethra, alpha-blockers usually work quickly to improve urinary flow. Common side effects can include stomach or intestinal problems, a stuffy nose, headache, dizziness, tiredness, a drop in blood pressure and ejaculatory problems. Alpha-blockers include Cardura® (doxazosin), Flomax® (tamsulosin), Hytrin® (terazosin) and Uroxatral® (alfuzosin) and Rapaflo ® (silodosin)

Another type of drug, called a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, is also sometimes prescribed. Designed to shrink the prostate gland, it may take three to six months to effectively relieve symptoms and is most effective in larger glands. Side effects may include an inability to achieve an erection, de-creased sexual desire and a reduced amount of semen. Examples of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are Avodart™ (dutasteride) and Proscar® (finasteride).

No matter what kind of drug is prescribed, patients and physicians need to be aware of potential drug interactions with treatments used to manage other conditions common among aging men, such as erectile dysfunction and hypertension.

What are other BPH treatment options?

Minimally invasive office based treatments:

There are several non-surgical approaches that use heat therapy to reduce the size of the prostate, thereby widening the urethra through which urine flows. These heat treatments include microwave therapy (eg: Cooled thermotherapy) and radiofrequency therapy (Prostiva or Transurethral Needle Ablation –TUNA). These can be done without anesthesia and has minimal side effects.

Surgery:

TransUrethral Resection of the Prostate TURP) is considered the gold standard of treatment of BPH and has been around for the better part of a century. This is done in the hospital and is performed by shaving off the prostate gland from inside by using electric current. It is very effective treatment but has higher side effects which may include blood or clots in your urine, urgency and frequency of urination for some period after surgery, difficulty in achieving an erection, inability to hold your urine (incontinence) or a narrowing of the urethra (scarring). Surgery is typically used only in those pa-tients with major BPH complications such as frequent urinary tract infections or bladder stones. In the most extreme cases or very large prostates, open surgery may be required. Surgery treats BPH symptoms by reducing the size of the prostate, but it does not prevent the cause of the disorder; surgery might need to be repeated within a few years.

Amit Chakrabarty, MD, MS, FRCS

Urologic Clinics of North Alabama PC

www.ucna.com

Brain and Body Wellness — Seminar Synopsis

A shaKiran organized and presented a much appreciated seminar on ―Brain & body Wellness‖ on Au-gust 29th, 2010 at the Dowdle Center, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville, Al. The two main speakers were Dr. Gagan Dhaliwal, M.D, (Assistant Clinical Professor, UAB School of Medicine, Huntsville, AL) and Dr.Daniel Crosby, Ph. D (President, Crosby Performance Consulting Huntsville, AL.). The

seminar was attended by over 50 attendees from all walks of life. There was active participation by the atten-dees that was indeed promoted by the speakers.

After the traditional introduction of the speakers the seminar began with Dr. Crosby soliciting from the audi-ence of their understanding of several of the terms such as stress, burn out to lay the foundation for his pres-entation which had both audio and visual components (PowerPoint slides). After a brief introduction to the objectives of the seminar succinctly stated in its title (Brain and Body Wellness), he delineated the differ-ences between stress and burnout, the latter being the temporally cumulative effect of the former. He elabo-rated on the anatomy of burnout as a temporal process. He brought out the not-normally-recognized concept of ―optimal stress level‖ wherein one could expect the maximum performance while experiencing happiness without detrimental effects on health. Lower levels of stress (relative to this optimal) could lead to boredom and depression while higher levels generally cause anxiety and stress related health problems. He intro-duced a new term ―Eustress‖ defining it as positive form of stress or stress that increases performance. Eus-tress - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustress) a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, is defined as stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of fulfillment or other positive feelings.. Dr. Crosby contrasted it with distress, a term quite familiar to the general populace as stress that causes suffering and decreases performance.

This presentation was followed by Dr. Dhaliwal who started off with an introduction to the anatomical struc-ture of the brain delineating the different parts of the brain and explaining their roles in the normal functioning of a human being. The left/right brain dichotomy and their respective functional domains were laid out. A per-haps not commonly known or accepted view that brain is not capable of multi-tasking was emphasized by Dr. Dhaliwal. He then went on describe the impact of stress on the brain: activation of sympathetic system, fight-flight response, normal acute response, and dysfunctional chronic response. He discussed these terms as well as how the brain responds to stress. Parts of the brain involved in responding to the stress were identi-fied as i) SNS – the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for flight or fight reaction and ii) PNS – the parasympathetic system is responsible for relaxation. Dr. Dhaliwal then continued with a detailed discussion of these and other technical terms (details of which are far beyond the scope of this brief synopsis).

The podium was then turned back to Dr. Crosby who discussed the effect of stress on various facets of physiological and psychological health and well being. He concluded with some prescription-like tips on how to have a balanced view on life and handle the stress we all inevitable face in our daily lives. There was an-other switch back to Dr. Dhaliwal who elaborated on brain burn-out and exhaustion, their symptoms and ef-fects. Again, his presentation was quite detailed with specific directions on ways to maintain and nurture brain health and how important it is for overall physical health as well. He laid out a holistic approach to brain fitness and illustrated a pyramid of emotional fitness. This was followed by a discussion on work addiction, addiction cycle underlying various types of addictions including drug addiction. Thus, the importance of emo-tional health cannot be overemphasized since it is intertwined with physical health. The presentation was in-formative and educational as well as absorbing and well received by the audience as evidenced by the inter-active nature of the seminar.

Following this main presentations, there was a demonstration on breathing exercises (as a stress manage-ment aide) by Ms. Janeal McQueen, a member of the Art of Living Organization with active audience partici-pation. The audience left with a sense of satisfaction that the hours were well spent.

Synopsis by Dr. Belur V. Dasarathy

(Audience member)

Brain and Body Wellness — Seminar Pictures

Photos courtesy of Samir of Huntsville Car Scene.com

Launching and Sustaining a Career— Seminar Synopsis

T his year AshaKiran again held a seminar for International Students Seminar as a part of its community outreach activity to educate and empower international students and young professionals on September 19

th at UAHuntsville campus. Billed as ‗Launching and Sus-

taining a Career‘ the seminar was designed to provide international students and young professionals with information to help them get a job and navigate through the immigration process.

The featured speaker for the seminar was Ms. Alka Bhargav a Senior Recruiter with Raytheon. As a recruiter Ms. Bhargav has a wealth of experience and knowledge about the hiring process from an employer‘s perspective. She spent over an hour providing attendees with tips on how to grab the recruiter‘s attention with their resumes and how to present themselves at job interviews. She also provided an extensive list of do‘s and don‘t‘s for succeeding in the hiring process.

Three local firms CFDRC, Tecvoxoem, and Interweavetech were represented at the seminar. Mr. Raj Khanijow, the CEO of Tecvoxoem gave an inspiring talk on finding what one‘s passion and be-ing an entrepreneur. He reinforced several of the points made by Ms. Bhargav about what employ-ers are looking for when they recruit professionals.

In addition to getting a job, students who wish to work in the US also have to navigate the immigra-tion process to be authorized to work in this country. Dr. Ramesh Kantety an Associate Professor at Alabama A & M University told the audience about the different stages and options that students have in order to work in the US. He gave detailed explanation of various types of visas including dates, quotas, and how to manage the ‗gap‘ as one moves from one immigration status to another.

The seminar was attended by 29 people, 17 of whom were students from local institutions. This

year the seminar was held at UAHuntsville‘s College of Business and Administration Building. This

year in addition to South Asian students there were students from China and Iran. The presenters

were asked several questions throughout the seminar showing the interest in the topic. AshaKiran

plans to hold the seminar again in February 2011 and continue to serve the student and young pro-

fessional community in our area.

Ravi Patnayakuni, Associate Professor

Department of Economics and Infor-

mation Systems

THANK YOU !!!!!

Empathizing: 24/7 Ashaline is available (256-509-1882)

to “walk” with the “client” without passing judgment, offering friendship, giving a hand, discussing available options, lending support, while maintaining confidentiality and be a ray of hope when the client needs it the most to improve their physical and mental health.

Empowering: Two Endowments were set up to assist in “reestablishing” lives: such as reeducating, retraining people of South Asian Origin that have experienced “crisis’ situa-tions

1.Named Endowment

2.General Endowment

ASHAKIRAN’S GOAL: TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY HEALTHIER

To “walk” with the “client” without passing judgment, letting them know their options, lending sup-port, and offering friendship while maintaining confidentiality and be a ray of hope when they need it the most to improve their physical and mental health

EDUCATING (BEING PROACTIVE)

Nov 7, 2010: Sun, 2.30pm: Mature adults seminar/forum (Venue: TBD) Coordinators: Dr.Tarak Vasavada and Dipti Vasavada

Nov 14, 2010: 5:30pm - Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner; Huntsville Hospital Dowdle Center, Board

Dec , 2010: 2:30pm – Adolescent and/or College Students Seminar; venue TBD

Nov/Dec, 2010: AshaKiran Shoals, Free Health Screening and Supply Donation Drive for Safe House Shelter, Anita Roy and Divya Naidu, Co-Chairs

First "friends " fundraiser for AshaKiran

AshaKiran sincerely thanks

Dr. Ashish Basu,

Dr. Gowtham Mulpur, and

The Bengali Association

for hosting the fundraiser ―Taal Dhamaka‖ to benefit AshaKiran.

THANK YOU !!!!!

PREMIER ISSUE Page 12

Frequently asked questions about AshaKiran

What is AshaKiran?

AshaKiran was formed (Jan 2006) by volunteers in the Huntsville community as a non profit organization to fill a community need, for the purpose of providing assistance and counseling to South Asian origin people (for now) in our community that are experiencing ―crisis‖ situations. Due to language barriers and cultural stigmas, South Asians when faced with problems such as abuse, financial troubles or just need a friendly ear, did not have anywhere to turn. Now volunteers who share similar cultures and language are available through a 24 hour telephone line called Ashaline which started in May 2006 to provide support.

What happens when I call Ashaline? When you call, a trained volunteer will give you information about services in the community, to resolve the crisis. If you are new to the community and want to connect with people from your country or state of origin, if you have health issues that are critical, and need information on clinics and physicians that might suit your needs because of financial and cultural concerns, if you have a disabled child and are unsure about what services are available, if you have domestic violence issues and need to know what your options are, if you cannot speak fluent English and need translators for specific reasons, if you need transportation in crisis situations, and in legal and immigrant crisis, these are some of the things that you will want to call Ashaline for.

When someone calls Ashaline, how is the call information kept

confidential?

Apart from the volunteer that answers your call, your name and specific personal information will not be discussed even among the AshaKiran volunteers. The Ashaline volunteers go through extensive training at CSNA apart from orientation at AshaKiran to handle the crisis calls in a caring and confidential manner. They sign a special confidentiality agreement.

What communities are served by AshaKiran?

For now, AshaKiran is serving people in North Alabama who have their origins in India as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Srilanka, people of South Asian origin.

Where does the money donated to AshaKiran go? Money from donations is mainly put into endowment funds, Ashaline and operations. AshaKiran is run by all volunteers, no salaries are paid. Operating expenses in 2009 were minimal Who can volunteer at AshaKiran? Anyone of South Asian origin can. You can volunteer your time for translations, transportation, events, education, take the training at CSNA to be an Ashaline volunteer and answer calls. You have a lot of choices on how you can volunteer. If you choose to donate money without volunteering your time, that‘s fine too. At AshaKiran, we try to keep the names of volunteers confidential unless they themselves choose to tell about their involvement with AshaKiran.

If someone you know is suffering in silence and needs help, please call

(Hopeline) 256-509-1882

How can you help?

Interested in volunteering, please check the appropriate boxes:

Direct Services: help clients on

Ashaline (after completing CSNA training)

Community Education

Newsletter/Database

Events

Marketing/Website

Grant writing

Finance

Tax Deductible Donations are welcome

(Checks payable to AshaKiran and mail to:

P. O. Box 12311, Huntsville, AL 35815)

Amount: $__________________________

Name:_____________________________

Address:___________________________

__________________________________

Phone: ______________________

Email: ______________________

Please cut out this portion and mail

“It takes courage to make a change‖

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give

– Winston Churchill