Audio Bible Ministry Grows Outreach In Sri Lanka

Tens of thousands died in the fighting, and many more thousands fled in search of peace. Now, hundreds of thousands survive in refugee camps not far from the places they once called home.

After 26 years of bitter civil war in Sri Lanka, this island nation’s militarized minority, the Tamil Tigers, laid down their weapons. This transition has opened the door for the Good News to come into areas once cut-off from the world.

“Conditions in Sri Lanka are difficult right now – closed roads, unsanitary living conditions and lack of resources,” said Doug Harstine, Faith Comes By Hearing regional manager.

“There is great need, especially for food. Relief organizations and Faith Comes By Hearing partners, like the Ceylon Bible Society, are assessing which regions have the most damage,” said Harstine. “The rebel-held areas, which were once closed and heavily guarded, will be open again soon.”

During this time of rebuilding comes a rebuilding of faith.

“The people are ready for the message of hope that comes from God’s Word,” he said. “We’re working with the Ceylon Bible Society to distribute Audio Bibles in those refugee camps.”

Harstine said Faith Comes By Hearing is expanding their impact in the region by forming a new outreach team and sending out a recording team.

“Our new Faith Comes By Hearing outreach team is made up of Ceylon Bible Society staff. These dedicated believers will go into these areas and camps, come alongside churches and ministries and start Audio Bible listening groups,” said Harstine.

As people hear God’s Word, they are discipled and transformed; they respond by planting churches.

“The recording team will re-record the Tamil Audio Bible using indigenous voices,” said Harstine. “The current recording was voiced by Indians because of the lack of access to the Tamil region. Now, the Word of God will be in their dialect, and Tamil people will be more open to the Scriptures.”

After finishing the Tamil New Testament, this team will record other languages in South Asia.

Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, records and uses Audio Bibles to disciple the world’s poor and illiterate people. Their mission is to record the New Testament in 2,000 languages and to start two million Bible listening groups by 2016 to reach the 50% of the world who cannot read and are poor. Faith Comes By Hearing now has 439 Audio Scripture recordings in 371 languages.

Faith Comes By Hearing has their biggest year of outreach planned, The goal for 2009 is to implement 200,000 Bible listening groups worldwide. This ambitious aim would reach around 18 million people with the Gospel.

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What Causes Hemorrhoids?

Millions of people may suffer from hemorrhoids each and every day.  This can be a painful condition, which you will certainly want some relief from as soon as possible and the best way to get it may be to try and prevent it.  This is why it is so important to know the causes of hemorrhoids, to aid you in preventing them in the first place.

Most people know that hemorrhoids are the swelling of veins around the rectal area.  This can result in a itching or burning situation that can be quite uncomfortable to have to live with day after day.  So, you will want to do all you can to try and avoid these symptoms.

Listed below are some of the most common causes of hemorrhoids:

1. Sitting for longer periods at one place may contribute to this condition.  Many people that have jobs sitting all day claim that this can cause hemorrhoids.

2. Constipation is another major cause of this condition. This is why it is advisable to eat a diet that is high in fiber to help prevent you from straining when you have a bowel movement.

3. Being unhygienic can lead to symptoms of hemorrhoids. You should pay close attention to cleaning around the rectal area to help avoid this condition.

4. Chronic stomach problems may also add to the likelihood you will get hemorrhoids.

5. Occurrence of hemorrhoids during their pregnancy is quite common and many people have this condition at this time.

So, if you have hemorrhoids and are doing any of the above items, you may want to reconsider doing them to help avoid this condition.  Most people will do whatever is necessary to help reduce the likelihood that they will get hemorrhoids and when you are aware of the cause, it is much easier to do.

Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids

If you suffer from hemorrhoids and are adverse to taking medication to treat them, then you should be encouraged because there are many at home remedies that are just as effective as medication in some instances.

Also, it is much more desirable to have some type of home remedy to help you battle hemorrhoids on your own, rather than having to run out and get some high priced medication.

Listed below are some home remedies for treating hemorrhoids:

1.  Try a diet of apple cider vinegar and mix it with water.

2. An application of meadowsweet, marigold and yarrow used to be very popular years ago to help in the treatment of hemorrhoids.

3.  You can help reduce hemorrhoids by mixing powdered Alum (1 teaspoon) with 1 glass of water. Many people have used this home remedy over the years and it seems to really help..

4. Another home treatment that may have used is to cut a Vitamin E capsule and apply it to the anus. This can effectively reduce any pain that is associated with this condition and can help to provide immediate relief for most.

If you suffer from hemorrhoids, you should certainly consider trying one of the above methods to help reduce the duration and severity of it as well.  You can really make a huge difference in both of these areas just by taking the time to do your research and then put these methods to work.

Remember that this is a condition that can be controlled and controlled naturally if you just take the time to find out the best methods for you to use.  You may be surprised just how effective some of the simplest remedies can be.  You don’t have to have a complicated remedy for it to be an effective one.

Hemorrhoids and Pregnancy

Being pregnant is enough to deal with, without any more other health conditions.  Yet, there is one that most pregnant women seem to be haunted with while they are pregnant, and this is known as hemorrhoids.  Being pregnant and having hemorrhoids is something that is not desirable but does occur frequently.

So, if you are pregnant and have hemorrhoids, what should you do?  As most of us are aware, it is not advisable to take medication to help recover from any health concern, so we should be very careful what we take while pregnant.

One great all natural treatment method is to try an all natural approach and this will involve taking a warm bath to help reduce the inflammation that causes the itching and burning sensation that is a huge symptom of having hemorrhoids, as most of us know these are very uncomfortable symptoms to have to live with.

However, if you take a warm bath, twice a day then you are much more likely to be able to reduce the duration of your hemorrhoids.  You also should get the water warm enough to sit in comfortably for at least 10-15 minutes.  This is the desired amount of time to help you reduce hemorrhoids.

So, even if you are pregnant and have this health condition, you should feel encouraged that there are ways to live with it and to treat it as naturally as possible.  Just by having this all natural alternative, it is much more likely that you can soon recover in a brief period of time and focus on your pregnancy rather than other things that can come into play when you are pregnant.

As most of us know, there are more than enough uncomfortable symptoms to have to deal with, without adding hemorrhoids to the equation.

Preventing hemorrhoids

How can I avoid hemorrhoids?

There a number of steps you can take to preventing the occurrence of hemorrhoids, or to reduce their impact if they do occur. Below we look at some essential steps you should take if you feel you may be at risk from suffering from hemorrhoids.

Avoid constipation: This can be achieved by consuming a healthy balanced diet that has a high fiber content. Fiber ( also known as roughage). This material cannot be digested by the enzymes in your stomach and serves the purpose of helping keep your intestines clear from blockage. Fiber helps regulate and ease bowel movements and is essential in your diet especially as a person ages.

Hydration: another key element avoiding constipation that can lead to hemorrhoids. Its recommended to drink eight to ten glasses a day, Although often we forget to hydrate its important to remember that when we feel thirsty our body is already dehydrated. Try having a glass of water every time you have coffee to avoid exacerbating dehydration, or get in the habit of having a glass when you are in your kitchen or lunch room.

Exercise: Even if you only have time for a short walk this will still help your body’s digestion and expulsion of food.

Avoid sitting or standing for long stretches of time. If your job involves sitting, get up and move around for a few minutes every hour or so. At home, lie on your left side when sleeping, reading, or watching TV to take the pressure off your rectal veins and help increase blood return from the lower half of your body.

Not to strain when you’re moving your bowels,

When you have the urge to have a bowel movement you should do so as soon as possible. Failure to do this will increase pressure in the region in can contribute to the condition. Its advisable not to linger and on the toilet as it also increases pressure on the area.

Do Kegel exercises daily. Not only will Kegels increase circulation in the rectal area and strengthen the muscles around the anus (thereby decreasing the chance of hemorrhoids), but they also strengthen and tone the muscles around the vagina and urethra, which can help your body recover after you give birth.

Forms of treatment for hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids treatment overview – when is it time to see a doctor

When hemorrhoids become a repeated problem where the pain becomes unbearable, especially when there is bleeding, it is imperative to consult a doctor, especially if you are over the age of 50 and have a family history of polyps or colon cancer.

The review is painless, and usually includes careful inspection of the anus, a digital rectal exam and a anuscopie, review done with a small camera to explore the interior of the anus.

Localized treatment

To alleviate the hemorrhoidal pain, doctors will prescribe a treatment that depends on their severity. When the symptoms are not very significant, treatment with venous tonic (tablets) can relieve the problem. This treatment can sometimes involves a local anesthetic (cream or suppositories). If hemorrhoids become annoying and painful the doctor can make a small incision under local anesthesia to relieve the pain instantly.

The treatment “instrumental”

Other treatments, known as “instrumental” to maintain vessels in the anus, are made in treatment outside of hemorrhoidal outbreak. Different methods are used. Sclerosing injections (one per week for three weeks) are not painful, but effective; however sometimes unsustainable. The same result is obtained by photocoagulation, which uses an infrared beam.

Rubber band ligation

Rubber band ligation, which is intended only for internal hemorrhoids not too large, is to strengthen the basis of a package of hemorrhoids by a rubber band to the necrosis. This method is sometimes combined with cryotherapy (cold treatment), a somewhat painful treatment. The laser is fast and virtually painless when used for external hemorrhoids.

More invasive surgery

For the 10% of people who suffer from recurrent outbreaks of hemorrhoidal pain despite medical treatment and instrumental there is a more aggressive forms of surgery. There are two surgical methods. The classic technique, to cut the hemorrhoidal package out (applies to both internal and external hemorrhoids). Produced under loco-regional anesthesia, with a hospital stay of three to five days.

A new method painless

In recent years, a new surgical method is practiced in Europe called Anopexie.  It was developed by an Italian surgeon and is reserved for internal hemorrhoids. Its principle is not to remove the packages hemorrhoids out of the anus, but to go back to using a circular stapling on the rectal mucosa, without harming the anal sphincter and without wound. Staples fall of themselves after one month.

Performed under general anesthesia or loco-regional, this intervention takes about fifteen minutes, with a hospital stay of twenty-four to thirty-six hours. The resumption of activities is possible within days, instead of two to three weeks for classic surgery. The operating suites are simple: little pain, no daily care. But it still lacks decline to compare the long term this technique with conventional removal of hemorrhoids.