Category: Medicine Hat News

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We Should Not be Afraid to Laugh

My friend Sam - one face with multiple laughs. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)
My friend Sam - one face with multiple laughs. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)

“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh,” says Voltaire (1694-1778), a French writer, historian and philosopher. He was famous for his wit.

Why are we so afraid to laugh at ourselves? When a friend made a joke about his illness, people looked at him in amazement. “Has he gone crazy?” people would ask. Who knows, there may be some truth in that. But as long as the jokes are about him, and he is not hurting anybody, what is wrong with that?

Everyday we are faced with new challenges in life. Some challenges are mild and some are horrific. And there are lots in between. One way or the other, we have to deal with them.

Staying positive and taking a good laugh about it is not going to hurt you. It is not going to hurt anybody. It will definitely keep your morale and help you and your family deal with the problem.

Besides laughter you can do more things in life if you can find time. And time you have to find to stay healthy. Time to listen to music, dance if you can and watch comedy shows. Exercise within your physical limits. Most people are busy at work and raising a family. It is not always easy to do everything. Keep doing something.

There are no hard and fast rules about being healthy. Most of it is common sense. Do everything in moderation, without any sense of guilty. Have a long-term strategy. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And it is still a beautiful city. Worth visiting.

OK, enough for today. Stay positive, healthy and happy. Don’t be afraid to laugh. Talk to you soon.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Saying Hello and Goodbye to Friends

One candle - multiple lights. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)
One candle - multiple lights. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)

“I once heard two ladies going on and on about the pains of childbirth and how men don’t seem to know what real pain is. I asked if either of them ever got themselves caught in a zipper,” says Emo Phillips, an American entertainer and comedian.

This is just a joke so don’t get upset about it. But it also makes a point. Almost everything in life is relative. We can moan and groan about our problems but if you talk to your friend or relative they probably have a worse story which they don’t even want to talk about.

After my recent illness, my first real outing was to attend a friend’s funeral. I had known him and his wife ever since I came to Medicine Hat – about 29 years ago. They were the nicest couple I had the privilege to know. I have known his wife from her work and I knew him as a genuine dedicated golfer. Now he is gone but he has left behind wonderful memories of charm, dedication, honesty and so much love and affection for everybody.

My second story is about another friend. Last week, I was in Lethbridge for a checkup. My wife and I were rushing to find the clinic. We passed by a couple and I didn’t even look at their faces. Then I heard a voice, “Noorali, is that you?” said the man. I recognized the voice right away. It was my good friend James (not his real name). I have known him for as many years as I have been in Medicine Hat. He worked as a family doctor in a small place until he moved to Lethbridge.

We stayed in touch with our yearly golf trips to the mountains. Last year he could not make it because he was too busy. This year he could not make it because he is not well. And I could not go this year for the same reason. And how ironic that our paths should cross in a Lethbridge hospital corridor?

As a surgeon, I have seen lots of sick people. But life is different when it affects you. I ask the same questions to my doctors as my patients used to ask me. Lots of those question have no good answers. My doctors look at me and smile. There is so much in life we know and there is so much we don’t.

I gave you three examples (including mine) of people with different backgrounds, facing the same kinds of problems in life. Is there a message in there somewhere?

Talk to you again soon. Stay healthy, happy and smiling.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Funny things do happen in life!

Here I am writing my beloved column again. Six weeks ago I would not have said that. But when you feel ill you find out how much people love you. How much they care about you. For the first few days I could not help but cry… literally cry like a baby. Feeling sorry for myself, feeling sorry for my family and touched by the love and care I received from everyone who came to see me in the hospital, sent me funny, inspiring emails, phone calls, greeting cards, flowers and yummy chocolates, fruits and cakes.

The doctors, nurses and all the members of the hospital staff who looked after me or I ran into were nothing but kind and generous. I was proud to say that I used to work with these wonderful people. They hadn’t forgotten me. I love you guys! When I was under the influence of medication, I vaguely remember kissing (on the cheeks!) and hugging some doctors, nurses, x-ray technicians (male and female… made sure everybody was covered). I love them so much. But they cannot sue me because I was under the influence of medication.

What is depressing is my ill health occurred one day after I finished five-weeks full time course in photography at SAIT in Calgary. I am hopeful one day I will be able to use my skills and take beautiful pictures.

As you all know, strange things happen in life. Sometimes they are wonderful and sometimes they are not. Sometimes you get a chance to write about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you get a chance to laugh about it and sometimes not. But we have to be positive although sometimes it is hard to do that. During my downtime, I decided to follow my own advice – listen to my doctors (and my wife and children) and watch funny movies and listen to music. Laughing for few hours a day helped me a lot.

Talking about laughter reminds me of my new book, “Doctor B’s Eight Steps to Wellness” published by General Store Publishing House. I have ordered copies to be sold locally and I will make an appropriate announcement in the next few days.

In life, quite often, we get a chance to make choices. But when it comes to good health, what choice do we have? Who would opt for bad health? Probably nobody. If you are one who has decided to stay in good health then you have made the right choice. That is a good start.

Remember, to stay healthy you don’t have to make a large investment of money. What you have to do is invest some time in a day to find that joy of good health and happiness. Now, don’t tell me time is money. When it comes to your health time is more than money… does that sound right?

OK let me find out what my book says. It says if I want to stay healthy then I should read my book over and over again. Find out about healthy eating, exercise, stress relief, sleep, sexual empowerment, laughter, and meditation. Then go have some fun and be healthy. Good deal. Talk to you again soon. Love you all.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Restless Leg Syndrome Leads to Restless Sleep

After a night of restless sleep. (iStockphoto)
After a night of restless sleep. (iStockphoto)

Recently, one of my friends was diagnosed with restless leg syndrome (RLS). It is also known as Ekbom’s syndrome. It is a movement disorder. Important thing to remember is that it is not a psychological or emotional condition. It is thought to be a neurological disorder and it is believed that a brain chemical known as dopamine is involved.

About three to 15 per cent of the population is affected by RLS. It is more common in women than men. The prevalence increases with age. There may be a family history of the condition. Some medications can trigger RLS.

Individuals suffering from this disorder have a distressing need or urge to move the legs, usually accompanied by an uncomfortable, deep-seated sensation in the legs that is brought on by rest (sitting or lying down), relieved with moving or walking, or worse at night or in the evening.

RLS can be associated with involuntary limb movements while patient is awake and/or periodic limb movements (PLM) while patient is asleep. Studies show that more than 80 per cent of people with RLS also have PLMs. But the majority of people with PLMs do not have RLS.

The diagnosis of RLS is based on the clinical history. RLS may be a symptom of iron deficiency therefore the iron status should be assessed. Overnight sleep study may be helpful. There is no good medication to control the symptoms.

If you have unexplained leg pain then discuss your symptoms with your doctor and get proper investigations done at a sleep clinic.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!