Don’t make light of play
As the saying goes; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and here Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Teaching Hospital Karapitiya, Dr. Udena Attygalle discusses why play is vital for the development of a child “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a [...]
Jakfruit- the jackpot
By Dr. Nirmala M. Pieris The grafted Jakfruit tree in our back garden is laden with fruits. For many years now, we have enjoyed these fruits and also shared with friends and family. Jakfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus (Sinhalese – kos or herali, Tamil – pelaka) belongs to the family Moraceae. In Sri Lanka the tree is naturally grown in [...]
When the psychiatrist successfully challenged the unknown spirits
By Prof. Raveen Hanwella A few months ago, I travelled with our faithful domestic aide to her village for her regular visit home. On turning into the road leading to her house I noticed a gokkola decoration at the road junction. Near her neighbours’ house there was a more elaborate structure with provision for lighting [...]
Let’s give them some ‘leafy’ curry
In this the fourth in our series on edible leafy greens, today we feature leaves that can be used for ‘curries’ By Dr. Nirmala M. Pieris Curry usually refers to a dish with gravy flavoured with curry powder. The composition of the curry powder which is a mixture of spices and herbs can vary. In [...]
Bring that all-important sunshine into your life
By Marie Bartholomeusz Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin that has a structure similar to a hormone. Vitamin D deficiency is now considered to be a major health issue and recent research suggests that up to 50% of adults and children around the world are vitamin D deficient. So [...]