Sept 2007

No.27 October 2007 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Enfield Saheli QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Common First Aid Remedies you shouldn't try at home Take a look inside your first-aid kit: bandages, some gauze, painkillers, a tube of antibacterial cream, maybe iodine or hydrogen peroxide. We're all familiar with these tried-and-true solutions. They may be tried, but they're not all true. "Many traditional home 'remedies' may do more harm than good by further damaging the affected area," says Dr Walter Kloeck, president of the College of Emergency Medicine of South Africa. After years of research, experts are finding that your standard first aid response sometimes may be the worst thing you can do in an emergency. Here are some remedies you should not try to do at home.

Cuts and scrapes & Hydrogen Peroxide, Iodine, Rubbing Alcohol, Mercurochrome When the skin isn't broken, it's hard to beat iodine for killing bacteria, that's why doctors use it to clean an area before surgery. But when there's a cut, full-strength iodine, hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol can be toxic to skin cells, full strength iodine may damage the good tissue, impeding healing. The chemical reaction (and bubbling) that occurs when hydrogen peroxide hits the skin isn't only cleaning the wound – its killing healthy cells. And that stinging from the rubbing of alcohol? This stuff hurts because it's wiping out healthy tissue. Putting iodine on cuts and wounds kills bacteria, but it won't do much else for the wound. Mercurochrome also kills bacteria, but, as the name suggests, it contains mercury, which is toxic and not generally recognized as safe. Today, many doctors don't use Mercurochrome. Better bet: Remarkably, cleansing a wound has become much simpler. The most effective way to get rid of debris and bacteria without damaging healthy tissue is flushing the wound out with water, Don't use ice as this could damage the tissue. Put the wound under a tap or spray it with a hand-held showerhead. Run the water over it until all debris is cleared. If you are worried the bandage may stick to the wound, use an antibacterial ointment that contains bacitracin or neomycin to keep the area lubricated.

Burns & Butter According to a popular old wives' tale, you should spread butter on a burn to ease the pain, but that isn't a good idea. Butter can mask the injury. There's no evidence of benefit, and it also can create an environment for bacterial growth. Better bet: Run the burn under cool water immediately to help remove the heat and put an end to the damaging process. The water will also clean the area, decrease the risk of infection and make it feel better. Next, wrap the burn with sterile gauze or a non-adhesive bandage and keep it clean and dry. If blisters form, don't break them – the fluid inside is sterile and it creates a natural bandage over the burn.

Poisoning & Syrup of ipecac (induce Vomiting) For years, ipecac syrup was thought to be a good way to treat a child who had swallowed anything poisonous and well-prepared parents kept it on hand. Today, the type of treatment would depend on what has been ingested, ipecac irritates the stomach to induces vomiting, a problem that may cause dehydration and prevent doctors from giving other treatments. Other risks: if the poisonous substance is caustic, like lye, it burns the oesophagus when swallowed and can burn it again when it comes back up. And if the toxic substance is paraffin, as so often is swallowed in South Africa, vomiting can cause a severe inflammation of the lung tissues. Better bet: Immediately call the 999. The experts will be able to tell you what, if anything, to do. If it's a true emergency, they may advise you to go directly to the casualty department of your nearest hospital. There, the treatment of choice is often activated charcoal, a very finely ground charcoal powder. When swallowed, it can soak up the ingested substance like a sponge, preventing it from entering the bloodstream. Although best taken within an hour of ingesting the poison, doctors warn that activated charcoal should not be used without expert guidance.

Excess bleeding & Tourniquets (tight bandages) Once upon a time, every well-trained Boy Scout learnt how to stop bleeding with a tourniquet. But studies show this method causes more harm than good. A tourniquet should never be used by an ordinary member of the public, except where a limb has been totally severed. Tourniquets can increase the risk of tissue damage or even the loss of a limb. Since there are other methods that can slow the blood flow – and preserve life – without the loss of the limb, tourniquets are out. Better bet: Simply place a clean cloth on the wound and keep pressing firmly; don't remove the cloth, even if it gets saturated. If necessary, add more cloths on top of the first. Applying direct pressure reduces blood flow to the wound. This should stop the bleeding and promote clotting, but still leave blood circulating to the rest of the limb. If that's not enough, you can further slow blood flow by applying pressure to the main artery of the upper arm or leg, depending on the site of the wound.

Saheli`s AGM 2007 The AGM went successfully and it was attended by a number of profes2 sionals and members. Chandra Bhatia, Director of Enfield Racial Equality Council chaired the meeting. Our guest speaker Dr. Pushpindar Chowdhary, who is a Doctorate in psychotherapy, spoke around the issues of counselling and its benefits. At the event there was also a display of the products made by the service users, which included cross-stitch sceneries, embroidery, string bags, knitting, stitched shalwar kameez and sari blouses.

Sadly Bharti Shetty, Saroj Parekh, Dr Veena Sigh and Jaya Ajodha decided to step down from the Management Committee but we are pleased to welcome Jane Jessup, Usha Patel, Letcimei Desai, Bilay Want and Nikita Chawla onto the management committee at Enfield Saheli. Bilay has kindly accepted the Chair’s position.

GROUP THERAPY: After providing successful service of one to one counselling we are now introducing GROUP THERAPY by Ila Bell from 29/10/07 at 12.30 — 2.30 pm at Community House. For further details contact Sabah/Rubina/Hasu.

The trip to Longleat Safari Park was organised by Enfield Saheli on the 27th July. Sabah Jafri and Hasu Shah went along with 51 members. The trip was very successful and was well enjoyed by the members. Service users saw the Mirror maze and had a boat ride. The kids loved the mirror maze and enjoyed the mystical garden. Food was provided twice in the coach. Evaluation forms were asked to be filled in on the way back. On the whole, we had a lovely feedback from the members saying that the trip was very well-organised and they would like to go again with Saheli in the future.

Dates for your diary! Friday 26th October 2007(1:30pm-3:30pm) postponed. Friday 30th November 2007(1.30 - 3.30 pm) Talk on Informed Families services by Alizah Miah. Friday 7th December 2007(10.30 - 3.30 pm ) Annual Party The above events will be held at community house in Room 8 on the first floor. 2

The fortnightly ward visits are being continued by our mental health officer Rubina Khan. Since 22nd May 2007, she is visiting the Suffolk , Dorset and the Sussex wards at the Mental Health Unit at Chase Farm Hospital. Hindi movies are being shown on a weekly basis, which are being enjoyed by the patients. We are still working on the other types of activities we can provide to the Asian women patients in these wards.

Regular Events Monday Yoga 11:30am

10:30 -

Start the Autumn season with yoga classes to relax, stretch and meditate. We have now two classes for yoga , the new sessions will start from 15th Oct. 07 at 12pm . Please contact the staff at the office for further details. Friday Drop-in:10:00 - 3:30

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TRIP/AGM Photo's

A view at Longleat Safari

Saheli members walking around the Mystical Garden

Members walking around the Safari Park

Members at the AGM.

From left to right: Dr. Pushpinder Choudhary (Speaker) Bharti Shetty (Vice-Chair), Saroj Parekh (Chair), Jaya Ajodha and Neera Lakhmana (Co-ordinator) On the Chairs :from left to right: Usha Patel, Chandra Bhatia (Chair person of the AGM), Letcimei Desai and Jane Jessup (the newly appointed trustees).

Enfield Saheli would like to offer thanks to our service users, supporters, friends, the Enfield Primary Care Trust, The London Borough of Enfield and the London Probation Service for their on-going support. 3

4 "Hiding Divya" a South Asian Movie about Bipolar Disorder

http://www.hidingdivya.com As the key speaker at our AGM put it, films can be a useful medium to change mindsets and to chip away social taboos around mental illness. Films are often made to reflect the world, but what we tend to forget is that they have the power to change the world. The speaker Dr Choudhary recommended ‘Hiding Divya’, as a film worth watching in this context. The following passages are extracted from the Film Director Rehana Mirza’s Note. Early in my screenwriting career, one of my sister's friends approached me about the problem of mental illness in the South Asian community. Surprisingly, she pointed out that South Asians tend to deny its existence and rarely, if ever, seek treatment. Mental illness is often treated as a failure or shortcoming rather than a treatable disease. South Asian families coping with it find themselves the subject of bias and humiliation within their communities. Divya, Linny and Jia are characters that have been developed precisely to reflect how mental illness and the humiliation associated with it can tear a South Asian family apart. Years passed and I began playing around with possible script options. It wasn't until another friend's father, who was suffering from depression, shot himself that I realized there was an immediate need to tell this story. Over the past few months, I've been surprised at how many prominent figures from the community have approached me - actors, directors, fellow colleagues — all offering to help, stating that they have a father, a grandmother or another loved one who suffers from a mental illness. It seems like we all share a hidden secret that needs to be told. While "Hiding Divya" came out of a need to educate South Asians about a very serious issue in their communities, it has developed into a wonderful, universal story about a family in crisis. It is a story which will appeal to not only those who are marginalized by mental illness, but anyone who has lived through the struggle of keeping a family together.

NEWSFLASH: We are now starting the “Welfare Benefits Surgery” once a week from 24/10/07 at Enfield Saheli on Wednesday at 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm. The appointments will be booked on First come First served basis. For further details contact Neera

ADDRESS Community House 311 Fore Street Edmonton N9 0PZ Project Coordinator 020 8373 6218 Mental Health

020 8373 6220

Fax No

020 8373 6219

Email: [email protected] www.EnfieldSaheli.org Reg. charity no.1045236 Buses to Fore Street 102,144,149,259,279, 491 4

Buses to Edmonton Green W6, W8, 191