Puisi: Usia

Usia seorang insan....
ibarat air yang mengalir
dari hulu ke hilir
melintas aral melintang
menerpa, menerjang semua penghalang

Terlahir sebagai insan....
di sanalah bermula usia dikira
tiada yang tahu bila akhirnya
tidak pula berapa lamanya

Hidup seorang insan....
berjalan seiring masa
tak kira kering ataupun hujan
melangkau zaman meredah masa

Hidup sebagai insan....
hendaklah berpegang pada iman
jadikan rasul dan itrahnya sebagai tauladan
agar hidup penuh aman

Takdir kematian seorang insan....
tiada yang tahu bila masanya
tak kira muda atau pun tua
pabila maut telah menyeru
sahabat handai pun tak boleh membantu

Insan hidup insan bernyawa
ketika hidup hendaklah berjasa
Insan mati jasad tak bernyawa
di akhirat kelak semua ditanya
adakah ikhlas membungkus jasa
ataukah ia riya' belaka

Hidup di dunia hanya sesaat
ibarat kilat pantas melesat
hendaklah iman teguh dan kuat
ditambah pula amal ibadat
semoga menjadi insan yang berkat

(Happy birthday to me...hehehe...)

BIla saman menyaman jadi budaya

Kebelakangan ini makin kerap berlaku kes saman menyaman yang melibatkan institusi keluarga.Entah dimana silapnya.Yang pasti, ianya bukan merupakan budaya yang sihat, bukan pula budaya yang membanggakan.

Saman menyaman seperti ini seolah menjadi aras penanda betapa institusi kekeluargaan menjadi semakin rapuh. Tiada lagi rasa hormat dan saling memahami antara orang-orang yang bernaung didalamnya.

Derasnya ombak kemajuan dan mutakhirnya teknologi di zaman ini seolah telah pula menjadikan ibu bapa dan anak-anak ibarat robot, tanpa hati dan perasaan. Segala sesuatu ditimbang tara dengan materi. Seakan tiada lagi nilai-nilai moral dan agama yang mampu menjadi neraca.

Salah siapakah ini? Apakah kita hendak mempersalah pihak sekolah kerana kurangnya pendidikan moral dan agama yang diberi? Apakah kita hendak pula mempersalahkan kerajaan kerana kurang pro-aktif dalam menangani gejala sosial khususnya di kalangan generasi muda kita?

Ataukah kita mau berlapang dada...mengakui salah kita sendiri kerana telah salah mendidik...salah memberikan asuhan ketika anak-anak kita masih kecil lagi?????

Pikir-pikirkanlah? Jangan asyik menuding jari pada orang/pihak lain. Mungkin silap dan salah itu berpunca dari diri kita sendiri.....Wallahu'alam....

Corticosteroids: another type of steroids

Corticosteroids or glucocorticoids, often just called "steroids", where once thought to be almost miraculous. In 1948, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota a group of arthritis patients were given daily injections of a corticosteroid. The results were so striking and the improvement so dramatic that it was thought that the "cure" for arthritis had been discovered.

However, as the use of corticosteroids expanded over the years, side effects emerged and it was realized that high doses given over prolonged periods of time turned steroids into "scare-oids". Patients were warned of the potential problems, the use of corticosteroids became more conservative, and some patients were so frightened of them they even declined treatment.

Corticosteroids act on the immune system by blocking the production of substances that trigger allergic and inflammatory actions, such as prostaglandins. However, they also impede the function of white blood cells which destroy foreign bodies and help keep the immune system functioning properly. The interference with white blood cell function yields a side effect of increased susceptibility to infection.
Corticosteroids are widely used for many conditions. They are also used to control inflammation of the joints and organs in diseases such as:
•rheumatoid arthritis
•lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus)
•ankylosing spondylitis
•juvenile arthritis

Corticosteroids are versatile in their mode of application. They can be given:
•orally
•injected into the vein or muscle
•applied locally to the skin
•injected directly into inflamed joints

Corticosteroid drugs can also be used as ingredients contained in:
•eye products (to treat various eye conditions)
•inhalers (to treat asthma or bronchial disease)
•nasal drops and sprays (to treat various nasal problems)
•topical creams, ointments, etc. (to treat various skin problems)

Corticosteroids can be used in conjunction with other drugs, and are prescribed for short-term and long-term use.
Prednisone (brand names include: Cortan, Deltasone, Liquid Pred, Meticorten, Orasone, Panasol-S, Prednicen-M and Sterapred) is the most commonly prescribed synthetic corticosteroid for arthritis.

The potent effect of corticosteroids can result in serious side effects which mimic Cushing's disease, a malfunction of the adrenal glands resulting in an overproduction of cortisol. The list of potential side effects is long and includes:
•increased appetite and weight gain
•deposits of fat in chest, face, upper back, and stomach
•water and salt retention leading to swelling and edema
•high blood pressure
•diabetes
•black and blue marks
•slowed healing of wounds
•osteoporosis
•cataracts
•acne
•muscle weakness
•thinning of the skin
•increased susceptibility to infection
•stomach ulcers
•increased sweating
•mood swings
•psychological problems such as depression
•adrenal suppression and crisis

Side effects can be minimized by following doctor's orders and keeping to the lowest dose possible. It is also important to avoid self regulation of the dosage, either by adding more or stopping the medication without a schedule.

Immune System

Immune system is the most dynamic body component in determining our state of health or disease. Our immune system constantly interacts with our internal environment, protects us from our external environment and provides the inherent knowledge to sense the difference between friend and foe.

Everyday our immune system must overcome viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. It neutralizes toxins. It protects us from cancer everyday. It knows the difference between friend and enemy. It’s constantly interacting with our “internal” and “external” environment.

The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. The cells involved are white blood cells, or leukocytes, which come in two basic types that combine to seek out and destroy disease-causing organisms or substances.

The two basic types of leukocytes are:
1.phagocytes, cells that chew up invading organisms
2.lymphocytes, cells that allow the body to remember and recognize previous invaders and help the body destroy them

When your body encounters a germ, its first line of defense is your immune system. Specialized cells and organs help your body recognize and respond to foreign invaders. Your immune system even has its own circulatory system, called the lymphatic system.

If your immune system cannot do its job, the results can be serious. Disorders of the immune system include
•Allergy and asthma - inappropriate immune responses to substances that are usually harmless
•Graft-vs.-host disease - a life-threatening reaction in people receiving organ transplants
•Immune deficiency diseases - disorders in which your resistance to disease becomes dangerously low
•Autoimmune diseases - diseases causing your immune system to attack your own body's cells and tissues by mistake


Immunity can be strong or weak, short-lived or long-lasting, depending on the type of antigen it encounters, the amount of antigen, and the route by which the antigen enters the body. Immunity can also be influenced by inherited genes. When faced with the same antigen, some individuals will respond forcefully, others feebly, and some not at all.

An immune response can be sparked not only by infection but also by immunization with vaccines. Some vaccines contain microorganisms—or parts of microorganisms— that have been treated so they can provoke an immune response but not full-blown disease.
Immunity can also be transferred from one individual to another by injections of serum rich in antibodies against a particular microbe (antiserum). For example, antiserum is sometimes given to protect travelers to countries where hepatitis A is widespread. The antiserum induces passive immunity against the hepatitis A virus. Passive immunity typically lasts only a few weeks or months.

Infants are born with weak immune responses but are protected for the first few months of life by antibodies they receive from their mothers before birth. Babies who are nursed can also receive some antibodies from breast milk that help to protect their digestive tracts.

For many years, healthcare providers have used vaccination to help the body’s immune system prepare for future attacks. Vaccines consist of killed or modified microbes, parts of microbes, or microbial DNA that trick the body into thinking an infection has occurred.

A vaccinated person’s immune system attacks the harmless vaccine and prepares for invasions against the kind of microbe the vaccine contained. In this way, the person becomes immunized against the microbe. Vaccination remains one of the best ways to prevent infectious diseases, and vaccines have an excellent safety record. Previously devastating diseases such as smallpox, polio, and whooping cough (pertussis) have been greatly controlled or eliminated through worldwide vaccination programs.

Inherited immune system disorders are diseases in which children are born without an immune system or with an incomplete immune system. People with an immune system disorder are less able to fight infections.

Inherited immune system disorders are also called primary immune deficiency disorders. They are called "primary" because they are caused by a gene defect that affects the immune system. Genes carry an inherited code of instructions that tells the body how to make every cell and protein in the body. (Secondary immune deficiencies are caused by something outside the body, such as chemotherapy or infection with a virus.)

People with severe inherited immune system disorders are at high risk for life-threatening infections. For many severe disorders, the only known cure is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT). The following are two of the most severe inherited immune system disorders:
•Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Transplant
•Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) and Transplant

Transplant has also been used to treat some other inherited immune system disorders, including:
•Combined immunodeficiency associated with other syndromes: Severe DiGeorge Syndrome, X-linked immunodeficiency with normal or elevated IgM, X-linked lymphoproliferative disease, IPEX (Immune dysregulation, Polyendocrinopathy, Enteritis, and X-linked) syndrome
•Humoral immunodeficiency: Common variable immunodeficiency
•Other deficiencies: Chronic granulomatous disease, leukocyte adhesion deficiency

To find out whether transplant is a treatment option for you or your family member, talk to a doctor who is an expert in treating these.

Islamic Story 14:Power of Holding Hands

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, "Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl said, "No, Dad. You hold my hand." "What's the difference?" Asked the puzzled father...

"There's a big difference," replied the little girl. "If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go."

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond.

So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said: "Whoever has a child should be like a child with him."