Students advised against higher salt intake

Nellore: Head of the Neurology department in Apollo Hospital Dr Bindu Menon on Saturday organised a programme to sensitise eighth, ninth and tenth class students on paralysis in connection with the World Anti-paralysis Day on Sunday.

In all, 500 students took part in the sensitisation programme. The Apollo Hospital staff set up various stalls to explain the students on the disease, its effect and how to prevent it. Dr Bindu Menon explained them the causes for incidence of paralysis. She told them on the diet plan to prevent the occurrence of disease.

She put the total number of patients suffering from paralysis at 16 millions world wide, five million of them being fatal. She said one person in every two seconds is contracting the disease worldwide and expressed concern over the people in the age group of 25-40 years contracting the disease.

Diminished vision, inability to attend to daily chores, extremities not working to their full range of motion and other symptoms signify the disease. She asked the patients to immediately contact doctors to reduce its impact and for an early cure of the disease.

She advocated using salt up to prescribed limit of 2-4 grams per day per person. Those who consume higher salt are prone to become hypertensive, which might lead to paralysis.

She quoted the example of how packaged foods like salted chips contain more than the prescribed level of salt in it. Quoting scientific results, she said as they grow up the excess salt in chips and other substances would have its impact on their health.

At one stage, it might lead to paralysis. She asked them to take healthy food, exercise regularly, keep cholesterol and diabetes under check. She asked the parents to keep their children away from packaged refreshments like chips.

Apollo Hospital head Naveen, Hospital Superintendent Dr Sweta Reddy, medical officers working in neurology department and students took part in the programme.