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RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
New mothers embracing Ayurvedic remedies
Ayurveda is a traditional form of Indian medicine based on herbs and massage. Photo: An increasing number of women in New Zealand's Indian community are embracing ayurvedic massages as part of their postnatal recovery, blending traditional cultural practices with modern motherhood. Ayurveda is a traditional form of Indian medicine based on herbs and massage. While the wholistic medical system has been practised for many years in India, it is now seeing a resurgence in use among migrant families in New Zealand. "It is a complete, wholistic approach to well-being," said Ajit Singh, an Ayurvedic doctor who has been practising in New Zealand for more than 30 years. Singh said Ayurveda focused on identifying the root cause of an issue - physical, mental or emotional - rather than treating symptoms in isolation. "Our main focus is to identify the causes of the problem than masking the symptoms," he said. He said many people did not fully understand the depth and authenticity of Ayurvedic practices. Last year, Medsafe issued a warning after several cases of lead poisoning were reported in Auckland and Bay of Plenty linked to the use of certain Ayurvedic remedies. Singh acknowledged the safety concerns but said not all products contained harmful substances. "Not every Ayurvedic medicine contains heavy metals, but that issue is definitely important and needs to be addressed," he said. Ajit Singh has been practicing Ayurveda in New Zealand for more than 30 years. Photo: Supplied Singh said Ayurvedic medicine included a range of treatment levels, and some products should only be used under the supervision of a trained practitioner. "Unfortunately, due to a lack of specific regulations, people often buy these medicines online or bring them from India. This has become quite common," he said. "The problem arises when people choose substandard brands. The prices vary greatly. Strangely, people are willing to buy the most expensive alcohol or wine, but when it comes to medicine they look for the cheapest options, which leads to issues," he said. He advised consumers to find medicine that had been certified by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which regulates therapeutic products in Australasia. "The problem is people still buy from Indian grocery shops or online stores where regulation is lacking," Singh said. "That's something I hope will change, though I'm not sure when." He said rigorous training was required to become a qualified Ayurvedic doctor in India. "In India, you need to [study for] six years in a university and practise in an Ayurvedic hospital for a year as an intern before you start practising," he said. Singh said Ayurveda placed significant emphasis on women's health, especially during and after pregnancy. "Forty days after giving birth, a woman's body needs strength and Ayurveda has a specific diet that gives nourishment which helps rebuild her body and at the same time to the little one too," he said. He said Ayurvedic postnatal massages are designed to alleviate body pain and aid recovery after childbirth. Anju Philips, who gave birth a few years ago, received Ayurvedic treatment at a clinic in Hamilton. "I went for a short treatment and the massages actually helped me relieve neck pain and muscle pain after my pregnancy and childbirth," she said. "It's a common practice back in India and most of us are aware of its benefits," she said. Anjana Aravind, who had a baby last year, took postnatal treatments while visiting India. "I had an opportunity to visit India and used that time to get some postnatal care," she said. "It is said to rejuvenate our body after childbirth, and I had [received] massages and other treatments for five days." She said treatments typically varied depending on whether a woman had experienced a normal birth or a caesarean section. Ayurvedic postnatal massages are designed to alleviate body pain and aid recovery after childbirth. Photo: 123rf Nina Mitchell said she hadn't considered an Ayurvedic massage until a friend gave her a voucher as a gift. "The massage was so much more than I expected," she said. "It wasn't just a physical treatment, it was a moment of true care for my body and mind." Mitchell said the aches she experienced from caring for her baby eased and she began sleeping better. Rachel Dunlop also gave the treatment a go. "I had a couple of massages during my pregnancy and even postbirth," she said. "I felt grounded and rejuvenated." Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora does not have specific guidelines relating to Ayurvedic treatments in postnatal care. "We understand traditions and practices from a woman's culture will have an influence and impact on her childbirth experience," said Laura Aileone, national chief midwife at Health NZ. "Maternity providers in Aotearoa are expected to demonstrate cultural safety and competency as part of their core professional competencies," she said. "This includes acknowledging and respecting culturally specific treatment, while ensuring safety and alignment with evidence-based practice." A Medsafe spokesperson said Ayurvedic products fell under the Medicines Act 1981 if they claimed a therapeutic purpose or contained certain ingredients that were believed to have a therapeutic purpose. "Medsafe does not directly regulate Ayurvedic practitioners or their practices," the spokesperson said. "If a product is considered unsafe and concerns are raised with Medsafe, then we can look into these and undertake regulatory actions if it falls within the scope of the Medicines Act." Medsafe published reports around concerns on products such as Ayurvedic medicines on its website to keep the public and health practitioners informed, the spokesperson said.
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Fresh LoC firing forces villagers in J-K's Akhnoor to relocate
Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 8 (ANI): Families living near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector have been forced to leave their homes once again due to ongoing cross-border firing and to take shelter at safer places. Ajit Singh, a resident of Palatnagarh village located just 200 metres from the Pakistan border, recalled past experiences. 'Bullets have hit our homes. In 2016, seven walls of my house were damaged. The government gave us 4.5 acres of land, and we built new homes with their help,' he said. 'When firing starts, people leave the village. Once it stops, they return to the farm. Even animals get scared,' he said. Singh said they were recently advised to evacuate. 'Yesterday, we met the BLO. They told us to leave immediately. We walked until we saw a vehicle and spent the night here with our children,' he said, referring to their current temporary shelter. He recalled being displaced during the Kargil war in 1999. 'We were sent to camps then. Later, we were told this place would be safe. Now, five or six families from my village stay here.' Singh said more than 20 people, including six families, took shelter last night. 'It was cold at first but better now,' he added. The local administration is monitoring the situation and has arranged for temporary relief for the displaced families. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that 13 civilians had lost their lives in Poonch while a total of 59 people, 44 of them in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir sustained injuries due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), The intense shelling by the Pakistani army along the LoC came in retaliation for the May 7 'Operation Sindoor' in which India's armed forces targeted a total of nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked small arms ceasefire since the night of April 25-26. After 'Operation Sindoor', the Pakistan Army continued its series of ceasefire violations by targeting civilian areas in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Officials said the shelling caused panic among villagers and damaged several houses. Shelling by Pakistan damaged civilian infrastructure, shattered window panes and cracked walls. Residents in border villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri returned to their homes on Thursday morning after they were forced to flee their homes in panic, seeking safety in the wake of the intense shelling by Pakistan. According to the villagers who returned today, the shelling has caused significant damage to residential properties, with people fleeing the areas along with their whole families as well as livestock. 'We left our homes in fear, and so we fled in the night during the shelling. There were two buildings which got damaged. Two shells also fell on my house. So we fled from here. The whole village was deserted, and some people also took their livestock with them,' said Sailesh Kumar, a resident of a border village in Rajouri. Meanwhile, the Indian Army have proportionately responded to the unprovoked small-arms and artillery guns firing by the Pakistani Army across the Line of Control (LoC) during the night of May 7 and May 8, as the Pakistan Army resorted to firing in areas opposite in Kupwara and Baramulla districts and Uri and Akhnoor sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army is closely monitoring ceasefire violations by Pakistan. (ANI)
News18
07-05-2025
- Business
- News18
The 36-Digit Account Balance He Can't Bank On: UP's ‘Crorepati Kisan' Recounts Woes
Last Updated: What seemed like a miracle turned into a nightmare for Ajit Singh from Hathras. 'I just want my actual amount, which was enough to buy seeds, fertiliser for the season,' he says Hailing from a remote village in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, Ajit Kumar Singh's life has revolved around three things – crops, rainfall, and daily wage. But everything changed overnight when his bank account suddenly displayed an unfathomable 36-digit balance – a twist that seems straight out of a fictional thriller. However, what seemed like a miracle quickly turned into a nightmare of confusion and anxiety. Fearing he was the target of a financial scam, Singh rushed to the local police station and filed a complaint – prompting the Uttar Pradesh Police Cyber Cell to freeze his account and launch an investigation into the startling anomaly. THE SHOCKER On the morning of April 25, Singh noticed something unusual while checking his balance. What he saw left him stunned: a 36-digit amount displayed in his account – Rs 1,00,13,56,00,00,01,39,54,21,00,23,56,00,00,01,39,542 – a figure impossible to comprehend, even for financial analysts. The saga began just a day earlier on April 24, when Singh noticed an unauthorised debit of Rs 1,800 from his account. He suspected cyber fraud and promptly reported the transaction to the bank. A second withdrawal of Rs 1,400 followed later the same day, compounding his concerns. But what happened next took the situation from a minor fraud case to national headlines. 'I had just finished reporting the issue of Rs 1,800 being deducted from my account. And the next morning, I received a message saying my account had been credited with a huge sum. When I checked, I couldn't even count the zeroes. My hands trembled," Singh told News18. THE FEAR Initially, Singh's family, including his wife and children, were overjoyed, dreaming of a life beyond their mud-walled home and acres of leased farmland. 'For a moment, I thought God had finally heard our prayers," said his wife tearfully. 'But that joy quickly turned to fear. What if someone came to harm us thinking we really have all that money?" she added. The family's anxiety wasn't misplaced. Hathras police officials confirmed that Singh had approached them to report the strange deposit. An FIR was not registered initially, but the matter was taken seriously due to the scale of the glitch. BANK FREEZES ACCOUNT, CITES TECHNICAL GLITCH The Airtel Payments Bank, upon being notified, initiated an internal inquiry. Preliminary findings indicated that the abnormal figure was the result of a technical error, possibly originating from a linked banking system managed through a Canara Bank node in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh's account was immediately frozen as a precautionary measure. 'We have reason to believe this is a backend system glitch and not a case of fraud or money laundering," officials with the bank told police. POLICE AND CYBER CELL BEGIN PROBE The Hathras district cyber cell has also stepped in. 'We have asked Singh to file a formal complaint with the cybercrime division. We are coordinating with bank officials to understand the full scope of this error," said Ashok Kumar Singh, Additional SP Hathras. Cyber experts believe the issue may stem from a glitch in numeric formatting within the transaction ledger, which could have mistakenly populated the account with excess zeroes and random digits. According to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, the net worth of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, stands at Rs 2.84 lakh crore – a 14-digit figure. Singh's account balance, in contrast, runs 36 digits long, exceeding by several orders of magnitude the combined wealth of the world's top 10 billionaires. However, back in Singh's village, crowds continue to pour in to meet Ajit Bhaiya, their overnight billionaire farmer. However, Singh said that he would rather want his peace back. 'I just want my old balance back and my account working. I don't want to be rich like this. I just want my actual amount, which was enough to buy seeds and fertiliser for the coming season," said Singh. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : news18 specials Location : Lucknow, India, India First Published: May 07, 2025, 18:37 IST News india The 36-Digit Account Balance He Can't Bank On: UP's 'Crorepati Kisan' Recounts Woes
