Advice On Going To BERSIH 3.0

Introduction: “The Bersih 3.0 rally” is also called the “Sit In rally” or “Duduk Bantah” in Malay. It is a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur held on 28 April 2012, as a follow-up to the 2011 Bersih rally 2.0 and the 2007 Bersih rally 1.0, organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih).

1. Latest report from BBC (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17878603):

Malaysian riot police have fired tear gas and used water cannon on a crowd of protesters who had converged on the centre of the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Thousands of protesters marched on a central square in the city calling for changes to the electoral system.

They believe the current arrangements will benefit Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition in forthcoming elections.

The rally is one of the largest in the country in the past decade.

2. Latest report from Reuters (see http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/28/us-malaysia-protest-idUSBRE83R01F20120428 )

Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannon in clashes with thousands of protesters demanding electoral reforms on Saturday, raising the risk of a political backlash that could delay national polls which had been expected as early as June.

The blogger received the following forwarded email from an e-buddy this morning and wishes to share with readers of this blog after obtaining the consent from the sender.

My 2nd son participated in the KL rally

For those going to Bersih 3, here is my advice from my past experience.

Don't be afraid of tear-gas but be prepared for it. Here is how...

My 3rd son participated in the Ipoh rally

1) Bring a small but thick towel (to cover your nose and mouth from tear-gas.)

You can also lift up the upper part of your T-shirt to cover your nose and mouth if you didn't bring a towel.



 2) Wear long pants and long sleeve shirt (to protect your body from tear-gas stings - covered part of your body cannot be affected by the stings, which are like a thousand-needles piercing you.)

3) Bring a small packet of fine salt (salt is an effective antidote against the stings, rub it against any exposed part of your body, like your face and neck. It takes away the stings immediately. The stings are harmless, but for first timer, it can be scary. Don't worry, it will pass after a while.)

4) Don't open your mouth (as the tear-gas can enter your mouth and cause you to cough badly),

5) Don't wait for the gas to reach you. (This one is most important--I repeat: DON'T WAIT FOR THE GAS TO REACH YOU.)

Why? I learn this the hard way. At Bersih 2, I was standing at least some 80 feet away from the nearest gas canisters, on a slope far enough away, videotaping the scene. I thought it will take time for the gas to travel to reach me (few seconds, maybe), judging by the fumes it emits. But wrong. The gas is invisible and reaches you instantly (the smoke you see is not the gas). Therefore, once you see the tear-gas canisters being shot into the air, get your towel out immediately and cover your nose and mouth. Turn your face away from the gas canisters and walk away. No use running because you cannot out run the gas. It reaches you in less than a second after it bursts.

6) Wear jogging shoes, it is most comfortable and sensible.

7) Carry an umbrella if you cannot tahan the sun or rain. (Unless you are at the frontline, it is not necessary to carry a raincoat for protection from water cannons.)

8) Carry a bottle of water and your camera.

9) Don't bring your children (though it may be a good experience for the older children). 

V for Vendetta: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

10) Stay away from the frontline and you should be OK.

(Let the frontliners clear the way for you. Stay at the back and walk in a group with your friends and family, and look out for each other.)

11) Lastly, go early. (At least 2 hours earlier. Don't wait till the last moment. You never know the traffic, the delays, the crowd, the road-blocks, the parking, etc.

The last time, the action started at about noon though it was scheduled to start at 2 pm.)

Remember, Ambiga and many others were tear-gassed in a tunnel (enclosed space) and yet they were none the worst for it. The effect of tear-gas is only temporary and will pass very quickly in a few minutes. Majority of the protestors will not even experience the tear-gas as they will be too far away and out of reach. Only the frontliners and photographers, like me, get it.

This time, I think Bersih 3 will not be as bad as Bersih 2. In Bersih 2, people were not even allowed to wear even yellow, they were questioned and arrested on the street in the early morning, KL was completely lockdown (aah, you missed out on this experience of what a lockdown is really like, this in itself is an experience), there was also a crackdown by the police, there were threats from Perkasa and Umno Youths, a court order forbidding a bunch of leaders from entering KL, news of planted parangs at SOGO and Pertama Complex (probably planted by you know who, to scare away protestors), pre-arrests and raids on premises, and so on. This time there is none of those. Hishamuddin even said "Bersih is not a security threat". What a change from last time.

I enjoy the experience of Bersih 2 very much even though I was tear-gassed. The whole experience was enriching. I can now understand better what it is like to be tear-gassed, as well as how crowd behaves, the atmosphere in a crowd, the stresses, the psychology, the suffering, the bravery, etc. Being there is a thousand times better than watching it on TV, where you feel nothing except your own imagination.

Finally, there is the Unit Amal (PAS Security Unity) to protect participants. They are highly disciplined, well mannered and trained volunteers. I was impressed by them. They were there to ensure a peaceful assembly and were the frontliners, to protect the protestors from the police as well as to protect the police from the protestors. (If you want to burn a flag, they will stop you. If you want to throw a stone, they will stop you. If thugs want to attack you, they will stop them. They are the peacekeepers, there to ensure peace. It's great to have them around. They may be in uniform or they may not. In Bersih 1, they were in red. In Bersih 2, they were not because of the police crackdown, but they were there in the crowd nonetheless. Look carefully and you may spot them.)

Have fun.

(Courtesy of forwarded mail from Zou HanMing)

Street Rally Guide for Beginners

(Courtesy of forwarded mail from Magdalene Lim)

Everything You Want to Know About China

Aspirin & Cancer as Explained by Dr JB Lim

The blogger’s note: Sometime ago a friend of mine forwarded an article to me on the risk of consuming western medicines (西藥的危害--致命的殺傷力) written by a Traditional Chinese Physician practicing in the United States and I have posted this in my blog (see: http://taionn.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html). It was mentioned that daily consumption of ASPIRIN has a percentage of 85% of causing pancreatic cancer (“許多人被西醫告知每天一片阿斯匹林可以預防心臟病，這是完全錯誤的；2004年的醫學研究報告來自美國醫學會的說明：沒有任何證據顯示每天一片阿斯匹林可以預防心臟病，反而有許多證據顯示每天一片阿斯匹林你會有超過85%的機會得到胰臟癌，因為它是一種強酸劑。”). I feel obliged that retired nutritionist and medical researcher Dr JB Lim took the trouble to offer his professional comment and share his knowledge and experience with the readers of this blog as follows:

Sunday, 22 April, 2012 11:16 PM

From: lim juboo

To: Tai Onn Lau

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Aspirin causes cancer?
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Your article quoting a Traditional Chinese Physician in the United States claiming aspirin causes pancreatic cancer caught me by surprise. I have not heard this in my entire 25 years of professional career as a nutritionist and medical researcher.

Neither have I heard this mentioned in my undergraduate nor as a postgraduate at the University of London, at Cambridge or at MIT. This is the first time I heard this from an e-mail. So I am compelled to comment.
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I thought it was the other way round. Several large scales studies published in several prestigious medical journals like Lancet has shown aspirin (acetylsalicylate) at low doses say a 100 mg a day, is not only cancer-protective , but it also reduces the chances of metastasis (spreading to other organs) if a patient already has cancer.

The normal strength of aspirin presented in a tablet sold in a pharmacy is 300 mg of acetylsalicylate. Aspirin is an organic salt of salicylic acid – the acetyl radical tags on to the salicylic acid to form acetylsalicylic acid or acetylsalicylate which is aspirin.

Aspirin nowadays is actually manufactured synthetically. It was actually a natural drug called salicin extracted from a plant called Willow bark. This was used extensively by hundreds of thousands of generations across all cultures for fever and pain relief since 2000 BC until 1763 when its remarkable powers against many common ailments was described at a scientific meeting of the prestigious Royal Society in London.

Good old aspirin is well known traditionally as a very effective analgesic (pain-killer) an anti-pyretic (fever-reducing agent), and for its anti-inflammatory properties. It was originally a herbal medicine. It was not until 1828 when pure salicin crystals were obtained. This was later made into a synthetic form by the drug industry – to save the willow bark tree I suppose, and to mass produce this remarkable medicine cheaply.

In recent years numerous studies have shown aspirin in low dosage has a remarkable ability to cut down the risk of heart attacks and cerebral vascular accident (stroke) by thinning the blood and preventing anti-platelet aggregation.

One such (pharmacological) anti-blood clotting effect of aspirin is, it inhibits the biosynthesis of thromboxane, an enzyme in the blood to block prostaglandin release by blood platelets to prevent the thrombocytes (platelets) from sticking together (platelets aggregation).

That is why patients already on some other anti-coagulants or blood thinning medications should not take aspirin; else the patient may bleed uncontrollably.

The other disadvantage - ADR (Adverse Drug Reaction) with aspirin as with all NSAID (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) is its effect on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Aspirin can cause gastric (stomach) bleeding, gastrointestinal ulcers, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). But these ADR (severe form of side-effects) is only presented if aspirin is taken n high doses.

This effect is not is observed in low doses of say 100-150 mg a day, especially if taken ‘cum cibo’ (taken with food). 150 mg aspirin is just half a tablet, and Cardiprin (preventive medication against heart attacks) is just 100 mg.

Later, more studies showed that this remarkable age-old medicine could not only prevent cancers, but even preventing cancer from metastasis (spreading to distant organs)

In one such study, Professor Peter Rothwell of the Nuffield Department at the University of Oxford and his colleagues had published two of their findings, one in The Lancet and one in The Lancet Oncology to demonstrate the beneficial effects of low dosage aspirin against various types of cancers. They found aspirin confers the largest reductions on colorectal cancer (colon and rectal cancers) and in oesophageal (gullet) cancer, with smaller protective effects on several other common cancers, notably most types of breast cancers, prostate cancers, and some form of lung cancers. Other researchers have also shown the same cancer-protective effects of aspirin.

Although I do not wish to ridicule the Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor on what he claimed, the least he could do is to quote the research studies to support his allegation. His view is just the opposite of the findings and consensus of opinion of other medical researchers. I think he went overboard with his wild statement to say that as much as 85 % of pancreatic cancers is due to people taking a daily dose of aspirin (*) when research scientists worldwide till today cannot even tell us specific causes of pancreatic cancer except suspected broad causes such as (very briefly in point form):

1. Cigarette smoking

2. Age
3. Race
4. Gender (Sex)
5. Religious background
6. Chronic pancreatitis
7. Diabetes
8. Obesity
9. Diet
10. Genetic

This is also just the opposite of epidemiological observations among meat eaters (Scotland) and curry eaters (South Indians) and those populations where their diet is mainly fruits and vegetables who have a much lower incidence of all forms of cancers. This was probably due to the fact that fruits and vegetables, especially curry powder is very rich in salicylates (natural aspirins) and also very rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants to block DNA damage due to cancer producing free radicals

It is in my professional opinion that these two components in fruits and vegetables that drastically cut down the risk of coronary heart disease and cancers across all strata of populations throughout the world, irrespective of race, genetic make-up, age, and other risk factors.

Lastly I fully concur with what the Consultant Cardiologist at the world prestigious Mayo Clinic advice about taking a low dose of aspirin daily at night to prevent AMI (acute myocardial infarction) or heart attacks especially in the early hours of the morning.

Aspirin indeed has a t50 (half-life kinetics) of over 24 hours, and will stay in the blood stream protecting you over the long hours of sleep. I fully agree with him and am of the same mind that that such prophylactic therapy is advised.

But ensure preventive nutrition and other environmental and causative factors are far more important than all kinds of ‘curative’ medication.

jb lim

Note (*): The blogger wishes to clarify that the traditional Chinese medicine doctor did not say in the article that “as much as 85 % of pancreatic cancers is due to people taking a daily dose of aspirin”. What he said was “people taking a daily dose of aspirin stand a 85% chance of suffering from pancreatic cancer”.

Is Star Fruit A Kidney Poison? (Dr JB Lim Explains)

The blogger’s note: There was an email circulated in the internet a few years ago regarding a 66-year-old Malaysian who has been suffering from kidney ailment fell into coma after eating star fruits. There was a statement that said “all it takes is one fruit or 100ml of its juice and the ordinarily harmless star fruit transforms poison in a matter of hours for kidney patients”, and another from a Universiti Malaya Medical Centre consultant nephrologist who said that star fruits contain a neurotoxin which is not present in other fruits and it affects the brain and nerves. Is star fruit (Chinese: 杨桃; Malay: Belimbing) a kidney poison? Dr JB Lim explains as follows:

Monday, 23 April, 2012 10:32 PM

From: lim juboo

Dear all who asked,

Is Star Fruit Toxic?

Thank you for your enquiry.

No! no! no! Star fruit, botanically called carambola, is not a poisonous fruit as much as most fruits and vegetables like our Malaysian bayam, black tea (fermented and dried tea), leaves of rhubarb, spinach spinach, rhubarb, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, green peppers, cabbage, beets, kale, eggplant, okra (lady’s finger) squash, parsley, lettuce, just to name a few among many other Malaysian and tropical fruits and vegetables, are all not toxic. All of them too contain oxalic acid. It is not just star fruit that contains oxalic acid.

Unqualified Advice:

If any of you think that eating carambola is going to damage your kidneys because the oxalic acid in it will damage your kidneys, then you should also not eat any other fruits and vegetables I have mentioned here, because they all contain oxalic acid in fairly high content. Don’t act silly because all fruits and vegetables including star fruit are extremely good for health especially against most cancers and coronary heart disease.

If only people have studied and understand renal physiology they will realize how beautifully the kidneys work for them in clearing up almost all toxins, including oxalic acids provided their kidney functions are normal, and there is sufficient fluid (water) intake – at least 2.5 litres a day for a reference adult male of 65 kg in the tropics like Malaysia.

Renal function:

The status of kidney health can easily be measured by various renal function tests. Some examples are (very briefly in point form): .

• Plasma concentrations of the waste substances like creatinine and urea

• Electrolytes (potassium and sodium)

• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)

• Creatinine clearance

• GFR (glomerular filtration rate)

• Presence of micro-albumin among others
.

These tests are more than sufficient to determine renal function and status of renal physiology. They are more than adequate to determine whether or not a patient is suffering from any kidney disease or renal impairment.

If the kidneys are functioning normally, and the fluid intake (water being drunk and from food) is sufficient to excrete these toxins - intermediary and end metabolites (products of metabolism or waste products from food breakdown in the body by the liver and normal metabolic pathways) are adequate, there is absolutely no problem about eating star fruit or any kind of fruits and vegetables that contains oxalic acid, because all fruits and vegetables do contain this acid to varying degrees.

Oxalate Stones:

The only problem with oxalic acid is that it can combine with calcium in the blood to form insoluble calcium oxalate, and that can block the kidneys as oxalate renal stones and impair kidney functions. That is the only rational I can see about the risk of eating far too many star fruit without adequate water been drunk.

Else calcium oxalate which is slightly soluble in water is formed most of time when fruits (including star fruit) and vegetables are consumed. Just drink sufficient water, especially ‘soft water’ where calcium and limestone contents are low, and no renal calculi – oxalate or calcium can block the kidneys.

Notwithstanding what I have said, star fruit which has excessive oxalic acid, like our pasar pagi / malam bayam, rhubarb, kale, brinjal, lady’s finger (okra), cabbage, broccoli, salad, kangkong, and so on, do not ( I repeat do not) cause any kidney damage in healthy individuals with healthy and un-impaired kidneys physiology.
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Except:
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In patients who already have kidney failure or renal impairment are strongly advised not to eat star fruit because they cannot handle the (mild) toxicity of oxalic acid. This complicates clinical outcome in renal impaired patients. There are several published reports reported in Hong Kong and elsewhere of kidney patients dying because they consumed carambola (belimbing), but not in others with healthy kidneys. Please note these reports were only on renal-compromised patients who were already on dialysis.
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Other pathologies:
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In fact patients with renal failure are also advised (without going into the complicated technical discussion on dietary and renal physiology) to be on restricted diet low in potassium, sodium, phosphorus, protein and fluid intake.

All these are nutrients (except water) critically needed by the body everyday, yet if they are not adjusted, the breakdown of proteins in the diet or from the body – metabolites (example urea and creatinine) can accumulate in the body giving rise to excessive urea and nitrogenous waste products in the blood (uraemia). The clinical presentations we shall leave out.

Also, do not confuse uraemia with uricemia, or hyperuricemia, the latter is a build up of uric acid in the blood that may result in clinical gout.

Also, do not confuse another kidney disorder called proteinuria which is an excessive output of serum protein in the urine. Again we shall not go into the clinical features and pathology of these diseases as it is unnecessary.

We can see here even certain categories of food need to be restricted in renal diseases. It is not just star fruit alone that need to be avoided.

Why do people only target on star fruit alone when some very essential nutrients are also to be restricted on the professional advice of a dietician or a physician specializing in diet-related nephrology?
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Drug interaction

Carambola is an inhibitor of seven cytochrome P450 isoforms (cellular enzymes). These enzymes are crucial for the first order primary elimination of many medications as this fruit shortens the retention time and peak levels of some drugs in the body.

Thus, if a patient is on some of these medications such as statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs), and tranquilizers (example: benzodiazepines, and diazepam), consuming star fruit may lower the effectiveness of these drugs, and thus the dosage need to be tittered (dose adjustment) against the patient’s individual needs to enhance its clinical / pharmacological response to treat cardiovascular and psychiatric illness.
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Healthy individuals:

But for individuals with healthy renal clearance, belimbing is a nutritious fruit – with a very high content of various antioxidants, vitamin C, besides low in sugar and sodium both of which we should aim for to prevent the rising incidence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and CVD in Malaysia.

Its antioxidant properties, especially against nitric oxides and singlet oxygen radicals as a prophylaxis against cancers are attributed to the rich source of primary and secondary polyphenolic antioxidants in carambola. This much we know.

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Anti-microbial Properties:

Moreover, this fruit also exhibited antimicrobial properties against E. coli, Klebsiella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All these are medically pathogenic organisms. Please note P. aeruginosa in particular, is potentially a very dangerous bacteria that affects principally the kidneys, urinary tract, lungs and skin.

Please note, I mentioned kidneys and urinary tract. Isn’t star fruit then good for the kidneys instead of damaging it? As all those ‘experts’ who told you star fruit is ‘damaging’ to the kidney, the very organ star fruit is trying to protect against this highly anti-biotic resistant bacteria. You get fatal septic shock, urinary tract, kidney, gastrointestinal infections if you are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It has very low antibiotic susceptibility, and there are only very few antibiotics left that effective against P. aeruginosa as shown in clinical practice and in lab assays (C & S).

Rubbish newspapers:

But there is hope from compounds from star fruit that is effective against kidney infection by P. aeruginosa. Is that just the opposite from what newspapers, ‘health’ magazines, e-mails, bogus health experts and unqualified people claim?

Newspapers are meant only for gullible people, but are used for wrapping left-over foods, kitchen wares, unwanted items, nasi lemak, and goring pisang by learned people. Open your knowledge.
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Neurotoxin:
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As far as belimbing containing a neurotoxin (nerve poison) as claimed by some, I do not know, as a search of all existing literatures published so far has not shown up any authentic work on this claim. It is highly unethical and unprofessional for me to support such claims including from doctors and ‘experts', and I do not care who they are. All I want is published peer-reviewed scientific papers, in reputable international journals. That’s all I believe. I don’t listen to ‘experts’.

In the absence of published literatures, I refrain from making any comment. Show me the published work and the toxicological data first – then we talk. Else shut up and talk less.

Seek Qualified Professional Advice:
.

Don’t be an idiot to read newspapers, women’s and health magazines, Internet reports, e-mail mass circulars to believe in rubbish claims. Always, always seek the qualified and professional advice of a registered nutritionist or a dietician for advice concerning food, nutrition, including food toxicology for his / her expert and qualified opinion only.
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The Legal Practice of Nutrition:
.

Please note carefully the practice of nutrition in this country is going to be controlled and legalized by an Act of Parliament as a registered profession like the practice of medicine, dentistry or pharmacy.

All nutritionists from recognized universities must soon be registered with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and they must have a registrable degree in nutrition before they can practice in Malaysia.
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Illegal:
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It is illegal to give false, bogus and unqualified advice to any person (example star fruits are damaging to the kidneys) unless they have a recognized degree in nutrition which must be registrable with the MOH. Even qualified and registered nutritionists will soon have to answer to the Disciplinary Board if they provide false claims, and their license to practice may be cancelled. Nutritionists also now need an Annual Practicing License (APL) with credit points to renew their APL.

Any person in this country giving unqualified nutrition advice to any person, whether via e-mail, Face book, websites, newspaper reports, in health magazines, or in any publications will soon be prosecuted under the Allied Health Act. The practice of nutrition is soon to be gazetted legally as a profession.

The Bill is now in its final reading in Parliament. Please note this.
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Street and Direct Selling ‘Nutritionists’

So don’t give illegal advice like ‘duck’s eggs soaked in apple vinegar is good for health’. There are far too many such ‘nutritionists’ in the streets these days that the Government needs to act.

.

Jb lim (A Belimbing Eater)

(Food Tech in Food Safety and Quality Control), PhD (Med)

Former Research Food Toxicologist

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Internet and I

(Courtesy of forwarded mail from David Chen)