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    <title>The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) Mediscene</title>
    <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk</link>
    <description>The Sunday Times is the largest selling independent English language weekly newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is widely respected for its fair, balanced and accurate reporting</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <managingEditor>ramesh@sundaytimes.wnl.lk</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>ramesh@sundaytimes.wnl.lk</webMaster>
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      <title>Mind your heart, ladies.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 15, Aug 2010 01:05:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Regular check-ups are essential, stresses Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Ruvan Ekanayaka, Head of the Institute of Cardiology, National Hospital for research worldwide, though no statistics are available for Sri Lanka, has proven that cardio-vascular disease is the No. 1 killer among women, moving away from infectious diseases and childbirth.]]></description>
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      <title>How does your baby grow.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 15, Aug 2010 01:05:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[It takes 40 weeks inside the womb for a single cell to turn into a baby – 40 weeks of growing fingers, toes, heart and lungs, skin and bones. When will your baby begin to move? When will he or she be able to hear your voice?]]></description>
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      <title>Tired eyes need a break.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 15, Aug 2010 01:05:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/MediScene/mediscene_3.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Are you one of those who spend hours in front of your computer trying to get through your work and meet your deadlines? At the end of the day, do you find yourself with an aching head and tired eyes, having difficulty in seeing. If so, beware, you may be suffering from ‘Computer vision syndrome’.]]></description>
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      <title>Constipation, The unspoken discomfort.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 15, Aug 2010 01:05:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Constipation is a common problem, particularly so in elderly patients. I have hardly seen an elderly patient who does not mention it. This may be the reason why most drug companies make so much money selling aperients to ordinary people. Usually the aperients are sold over the counter and do not need a prescription from a doctor to buy them.]]></description>
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      <title>Snippets.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 15, Aug 2010 01:05:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/MediScene/mediscene_5.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Using steroid medicines. Having HIV/AIDS. Undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Taking medications that suppress your immune system. Having a weakened immune system, which often occurs among infants and the elderly. Being in poor health.]]></description>
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      <title>Tackling Tonsillitis.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 18, Jul 2010 13:02:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone of us has suffered a sore throat at some point and probably blamed it on ‘tonsils’. But, every sore throat is not tonsillitis: tonsillitis needs more attention than ‘any’ sore throat. This week Dr. Bandula Bandaranayake, Consultant ENT Surgeon at the General Hospital, Kegalle, speaks to MediScene on tonsillitis and tonsillectomy and the surgical removal of tonsils.]]></description>
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      <title>Dealing with deadly Dengue.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun 18, Jul 2010 13:02:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link> 
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[A trail of illness and death is what dengue has left behind while continuing to strike down men, women and children in an uncontrollable spree sending fear into the hearts of all. A child here, a young mother there, an office worker or a professional elsewhere…..no one is spared by this tiny mosquito.]]></description>
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      <title>When CURE turns ENEMY.</title>
       <pubDate>Sun 18, Jul 2010 13:02:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link> 
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Antibiotics causing an infection? It sounds rather ridiculous - an oxymoron of medical proportions perhaps? Yet, it is true. Antibiotics, those wondrous weapons that brazenly beat back beastly bacteria are themselves capable of causing an infection. The infection takes the form of diarrhoea.]]></description>
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      <title>Lung Cancer, How to face a killer.</title>
          <pubDate>Sun 18, Jul 2010 13:02:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/MediScene/mediscene_6.html</link> 
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Lung cancer is a killer in the Western world and its prevalence in the developing world is also of major concern. But all is not doom and gloom. By early diagnosis and treatment, and due to a more radical approach in treating these cancers surgically the survival rate in improving.]]></description>
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      <title>A tragedy that needs to be contained.</title>
         <pubDate>Sun 18, Jul 2010 13:02:58 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/MediScene/mediscene_9.html</link> 
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Injuries kill 5.2 million people globally every year and 1 million of them are suicides. This number is higher than the combined total of deaths from war and homicides. There is one suicide every 40 seconds in the globe, and the number who attempt suicide is believed to be 10-20 times the number of suicides. Suicide is among the three leading causes of death worldwide.]]></description>
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      <title>Battling the bug.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100620/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[It hits you suddenly…….high fever strikes you down with lightning speed and aches and pains of the body confine you to bed in addition to a wracking cough that remains long after you assume that you have fought that bug.]]></description>
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      <title>Varicose veins: Live with it or treat it?.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100620/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Varicose veins may look ugly but for a lucky majority who develop them, their appearance will be the only cause of concern. Distended and dilated, these veins appear just below the skin and can create a spider web pattern of blue and purple lines that make sufferers self- conscious. But for a small percentage, varicose veins can cause itching and pain, and even lead to wounds that make some form of treatment necessary. ]]></description>
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      <title>ED: Check the cause, then treat the problem.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100620/MediScene/mediscene_5.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Lots of people keep it a secret. Many who admit to it would not attribute it to a medical condition. And the few who seek medical advice, believe it to be an isolated problem, due to old age and expect a ‘pill’ that cures the problem.]]></description>
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      <title>Oh no, it’s acne!.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100620/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link>  
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
<description><![CDATA[Acne is a common skin condition and is usually treatable, though sufferers may need treatment for several months. Most people with acne are aged between 12 and 25, but sometimes it can strike older and younger people too. Acne usually affects the face, but can also manifest in the neck, back and chest. The severity can range from mild to severe.]]></description>
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      <title>Laser pointers pose danger to eyes.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100620/MediScene/mediscene_3.html</link>
      <category>Medi Scene</category>
      <description><![CDATA[Hand-held laser pointers can cause serious eye damage if used inappropriately, doctors have warned. 
Medics from the Royal Liverpool Hospital and Manchester Eye Hospital spoke out after treating a teenager who had shone a laser into his eyes. He suffered burns and retinal damage, the British Medical Journal reported. ]]></description>
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      <title>Dealing with disabling disease.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 13:16:42 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
	  <category>Medi Scene</category>
      <description><![CDATA[Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has long been feared as one of the most disabling types of arthritis, but there’s good news for many newly diagnosed patients. RA remains a serious disease, and one that can vary widely in symptoms and outcomes but recent advances in treatment have made it possible to stop or at least slow the progression of joint damage.]]></description>
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      <title>Medication: Who needs special care?.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 13:16:42 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/MediScene/mediscene_6.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many are the times a woman who is expecting a baby is compelled to take some medication for a short term need such as a headache or vomiting or a long term illness such as diabetes or hypertension. What needs to be remembered, cautions Dr. Weeraratne, is that there is a possibility of such medications taken by the mother being absorbed by the foetus.]]></description>
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      <title>Different strokes, different treatment.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 13:16:42 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/MediScene/mediscene_3.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A stroke is a “brain attack” that happens when a part of the brain experiences a problem with blood flow. This disruption in blood flow cuts off the supply of oxygen to the cells in that part of the brain, and these cells begin to die. Damage to the brain can cause loss of speech, vision, or movement in an arm or leg, depending on the part of the brain that is affected.]]></description>
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      <title>Neuropathy: A disease of the nerves.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 13:16:42 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When a patient says he feels like he is walking on cotton wool, Dr. Thashi Chang knows it’s not a sentimental metaphor. Instead it’s meant to be taken literally, as a sign that the nerves in the patient’s feet have begun to succumb to neuropathy.]]></description>
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      <title>Keep that sparkle in your smile.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 13:16:42 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Start the day, when you get up each morning, by rinsing your mouth with fluoride fresh water. Then inspect your teeth briefly, looking for stains or visible cavities that may require a prompt visit to the dentist. Examine your tongue, lips, and gums for any signs of sores or spots that should be treated or reported to the dentist.]]></description>
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      <title>Paracetamol: Beware of overdose.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100418/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The little one’s fever is high and the parents are fearful. They give paracetamol but as they watch the clock and also the thermometer in desperation, the temperature of their son or daughter does not seem to respond to the medication.]]></description>
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      <title>Spina Bifida - when a child is born with a defect in the back.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100418/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Pregnancy is the most natural process that a woman’s body goes through, which results in the miracle of birth. But this is not without risks to the mother and the unborn child. Spina bifida literally means a ‘split spine’ and is caused by the abnormal formation of one or more of the bones which form the spine, the vertebral bodies.]]></description>
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      <title>Keeping the deadly 10 at bay.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100418/MediScene/mediscene_5.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Twenty million felled by smallpox, two million by polio and six million by measles! This was not so long ago, with the victims of smallpox, polio and other “killer” communicable diseases including men, women and children across the globe.]]></description>
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      <title>Breast feeding: To health and bonding.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100418/MediScene/mediscene_6.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When a baby is born, a hormone called prolactin stimulates the milk forming glands in the mother to produce milk. The baby’s sucking on the breast sends messages to the brain which releases a hormone called oxytocin. This makes the muscular walls of the milk producing cells contract. The milk is ejected down the duct and out through the nipples so that the baby gets a continuous supply while sucking.]]></description>
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      <title>Keep fit for baby and you.</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100418/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Exercise is a big plus for both you and your baby (if complications don’t limit your ability to exercise throughout your pregnancy). Does exercising sound too much like a chore? There are many reasons why you will actually love it!]]></description>
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      <title>Oh no! Those fearful feelings</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100321/MediScene/mediscene_1.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Overcoming a phobia takes courage, a willingness to look what you fear most straight in the face. But when does a phobia go from an aversion to a disorder? It’s when it begins to interfere with living a normal life, says Prof. Samudra T. Kathriarachchi, Professor in Psychiatry at Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences.]]></description>
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      <title>The lump and I</title>
       <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100321/MediScene/mediscene_4.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It may be that scores of women around Sri Lanka are fingering their breasts nervously at this moment to ascertain whether they can feel any unwelcome lumps. I know three such, all of them about 30 years younger than I, who did discover lumps and were unutterably relieved to find they were benign or harmless.]]></description>
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      <title>Diagnosis: Doctors as detectives</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100321/MediScene/mediscene_2.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Despite having access to superb medical technology, don’t ever underestimate the importance of doctors talking to and examining patients. This is especially so in the field of Infectious Diseases where even a small clue from the distant past can yield a diagnosis in the present.]]></description>
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      <title>Avoid a mouthful of trouble</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100321/MediScene/mediscene_3.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[“The mouth is a gateway to the whole body,” explains Dr. Ira Ratnayaka, Dental Surgeon and President, General Dental Practitioners Association. This week she speaks with MediScene about the importance of brushing your teeth thrice a day – once after every meal.]]></description>
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      <title>Time to down those drugs</title>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:38:56 +0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100321/MediScene/mediscene_8.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Make sure never to take your medication in the dark because the chances of taking the wrong medication or an incorrect dosage will be more, stresses Specialist Physician Dr. Chamari Lochana Weeraratne.]]></description>
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