Wednesday, June 30, 2010
I often get asked the question what do women in Saudi-Arabia wear under the abaya? Doesn't it get hot? How does it feel, isn't it horrible?
There is as many answers as there is women wearing abayas, so I cannot generalize. Also it depends on the weather, varies greatly between the chilly winter months and the intense summer heat.
Mostly people will not know or see what a woman is wearing under her abaya so the good thing to this is, you don't have to think too much before leaving the house! It's a relief for the husbands too, no more last minute "what shall I wear" "does this make me look fat" scenarios with the ladies! Also enables shopping in pyjamas if feeling lazy.
Abayas come in various types of fabrics and the woman's comfort level will be directly related to what kind of quality her abaya is. In addition to the heinous polyester, abayas actually come in really thin lightweight fabrics Wearing one of these abayas made fom natural materials feels almost as if you are wearing a "breeze" around you. Movement makes the air flow soflty around your body creating airconditioned environment. When the abaya fabric is really thin, it's good that the color is black. If it were a light color it would be see-through (like some men's thobes in the summer)! So the black color enables these very thin fabrics like cotton, silk, linen and jersey. Most of these lightweights are actually a mix of those fabrics.
This abaya is very fine, drapey jersey material with handpainted decorations I found from a women's exhibition.
Sometimes in the summer months women will opt for sundresses, shorts, tanktops or even plain bikinis under the abaya. If that's the case, it's best to choose a closed abaya model. The one with buttons in the front might pop open if it gets stuck somewhere! For example it might get caught in the escalator, shopping cart or car door, or someone might step on the hem if it's a long tailing one. Wearing only bikinis is a little risky in my opinion, but I know women who do it anyways. I also know women who have gone out butt naked under the abaya.
In the hottest months a good choice is wearing long dresses and skirts underneath the abaya. They are comfortable and airy in the summer and will cover her legs in case the abaya goes flying up in the air. It's easier to walk swiftly (as western women usually are accustomed to) in a long skirt + abaya combo compared to pants +abaya which makes the abaya tangle and stick onto the trousers when taking long strides. Long dresses are also a woman's friend when going shopping and there are no fitting rooms available. Jeans and skirts are easy to try on without having to remove the dress at all. If the only available toilet is an arabic style squatting one, well it's much easier with a dress than pants!
Contrary to common beliefs, abayas can actually cool the woman wearing it. Abayas made from natural materials actually protect the skin from the dry heat, and thus cool off the body. Naturally if the woman is in direct sunlight with it, she's going to start cooking after a while. But during the very hot evenings the abaya brings relief from the dry heat. I remember sitting outside with some friends one evening as we wondered how come we only feel the heat on our faces and heads? It was the only uncovered body part that's why!
Before they invented polyester, abayas were in fact made out of fine goat wool, and other natural materials so it's understandable why the abaya is compatible with this desert climate. It protects from the suns burning rays, the air dryness, dust and wind and cold.
Before they invented polyester, abayas were in fact made out of fine goat wool, and other natural materials so it's understandable why the abaya is compatible with this desert climate. It protects from the suns burning rays, the air dryness, dust and wind and cold.
In the winter months it can really get chilly, especially during nights the temperatures can drop near zero. Riyadh which is surrounded by desert is one of the coldest places in Saudi. The cold winds are ruthless and somehow penetrate the skin to the bones. One needs to dress accordingly and stack up under the abaya! Sometimes in the coldest days people will opt for a shawl wrapped around the abaya. Others choose wool coats, trench coats and jackets on top of the abaya. Some women do the opposite, they wear thick coats under their abayas resulting in a bulky "Michelin Man" look.
Some conservative Saudi women that cover literally from head to toe will always wear very modest clothing underneath their abayas. I see them alot in the hospital, they will have loose long-sleeved "house dresses" called jallabiya. Their choice of shoes will be closed black shoes with socks and they will also have black gloves so absolutely no skin is showing. Many of these women don't even remove their head scarves inside and around women.
More liberal Saudis will wear trendy clothes under their abayas. Saudis tend to be very fashion conscious and will don the latest fashion items. The majority of the stores found in western countries can be found in Saudi too. In Riyadh you will find all the most popular western clothing chains like H&M, Lindex, Miss Selfridge, Monsoon, Guess, Mango, Zara, TopShop etc..The famous department store Debenhams can be found in almost all of the largest malls.
The wealthy Saudis and princesses will shop at high end fashions stores like Gucci, Prada or DKNY and the likes. Department stores like Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue are popular among the upper class. Those women will typically wear classic designer clothing under their abayas. When going out for dinner parties or weddings these women will have Oscar night worthy evening gowns, racy dresses and elaborate jewellery hidden under their abayas. The cloaks will come off at the women-only events though.
Younger middle class Saudi women might opt to wear the latest trends seen in the western world. Skinny jeans and trendy tops combined with high heels are popular. The latest designer handbag is a must-have accessory with the abaya. Fashionable sunglasses and shoes are other ways for young women to express their style.
Abayas themselves also have unique trends that vary from region to region and to other Arab countries. In the Riyadh some of the newest trends of abaya are lace inserts and puffy sleeves, large color blocks on the back of the abaya, wide sleeves with beautiful embroidery and abayas made totally of patterned or embroidered fabric.
Certainly, under each abaya there is a unique story..
The wealthy Saudis and princesses will shop at high end fashions stores like Gucci, Prada or DKNY and the likes. Department stores like Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue are popular among the upper class. Those women will typically wear classic designer clothing under their abayas. When going out for dinner parties or weddings these women will have Oscar night worthy evening gowns, racy dresses and elaborate jewellery hidden under their abayas. The cloaks will come off at the women-only events though.
Younger middle class Saudi women might opt to wear the latest trends seen in the western world. Skinny jeans and trendy tops combined with high heels are popular. The latest designer handbag is a must-have accessory with the abaya. Fashionable sunglasses and shoes are other ways for young women to express their style.
Abayas themselves also have unique trends that vary from region to region and to other Arab countries. In the Riyadh some of the newest trends of abaya are lace inserts and puffy sleeves, large color blocks on the back of the abaya, wide sleeves with beautiful embroidery and abayas made totally of patterned or embroidered fabric.
Certainly, under each abaya there is a unique story..
Friday, June 25, 2010
This is a playful post for all the ladies currently living in Riyadh. It might be a harsh environment and many things irritate us from time to time..But what can we do? Other than getting frustrated and anxious, try to look at it in a positive way and make your life a bit easier. I say, make the best of it! Don't spend your time complaining and moaning. It will only make you feel worse. Here's a couple suggestions how to make the most out of your time here..
Wearing abaya: Ok this is probably one of the most annoying things for most western women, you gotta wear it, so I say...make the best of it!
-get an abaya made of good quality material, not polyester which will make you a cooked vegetable in no time in the +50 heat. Best quality abayas you will find upstairs in Faisaliah and Hayat malls. They can also make abayas to order.
-abayas come in so many different styles, show your personality with a pretty or individual abaya. Go to Dirah souq and find the Waleed store where you can custom make good quality abayas. Design and personalize it! It's what you wear out all the time anyways. Try also the abaya shops in Royal mall and Hayat mall, most offer custom made abayas and if you can afford it, Kingdom center third floor has some amazing exquisite collection of abayas.
-go shopping in your pyjamas, under the abaya :D
Not being able to drive: Very frustrating sometimes especially for women who enjoy driving and are used to doing it alot.
- while you're being driven around by your driver, make the most of your time! Read a good book, a newspaper, call a friend, or your mother! Do your makeup on the way (ok depends on your driver's skills and how stable your hand is).
- if you have a jeep or husband /friend that can rent one go out to the desert to drive! It's fun but be careful don't venture too far. Bedouin women drive around all the time, once you've passed the checkpoints you will be fine. Check out the book "Desert treks from Riyadh" available in Jarir book stores.
- go to the Reem race track!they have carting and women can drive too!Exit 11.
- rent quadbikes or beach buggies to get rid of the extra "driving withdrawal symptoms". Available at red Sands area Mecca highaway and the Thumamah area.
Extreme heat: When temperatures start topping 45c everyday, it's not very pleasant to be outside anymore.
-make sure your abaya is made from natural materials. Some abayas are so thin you won't even feel like you're wearing one.
-make the best out of the dry heat and dry your laundry outside! In minutes you will have wrinkle free dry laundry.
-take all your bedding and mattresses out, cook well on both sides..and wa'la you have gotten rid of all possible living things such as bedbugs or dustmites!
- to create curls in no time, after showering apply some moisturizing leave in conditioner and/or heat activated styler. Apply hair rolls or tie your hair in couple small braids. Optionally cover your hair with a scarf to protect from sun. Go out for about 15 min to half an hour depending on your hair length and desired result (preferably in yard or pool area, can't recommend venturing out in public). While waiting for hair to dry apply nail polish if you like, it will dry by the time your hair is done. Can also be done in the evenings but needs more time.
Hard water: Many women have noticed that after a while their hair seems to fall out more and it becomes thinner. This is due to the water that is mostly desalinized and therefore lacks some essential minerals.
- buy some zinc and selenium supplements from any pharmacy.
- after rinsing your hair with tap water, follow by small amount bottled water to make hair softer.
-get Sodium Laurel Sulfate free shampoo available at GNC!
Boredom: Very common symptom of living in Riyadh. However treatment options are numerous to begin therapy start here with Riyadh to do guide.
- start a new hobby, keep yourself active. Try golf, salsa dancing, horse polo, or scuba-diving!
- since you have the rare opportunity to live in the Saudi-Arabia and are surrounded by Islam, why not find out a little more about the religion? I guarantee you won't be bored anymore! The WAMY centre opposite Owais souq is a great place to visit to learn more.
-Check out Dar Adh-Dhikr, an Islamic center for women and children (boys up to the age of 6) to learn Arabic and Qur'an in the Ma'athar area
Surrounded by desert: For some its a blessing, others..not. But why not take advantage of the lack of tourism in Saudi-Arabia, you will have most places to yourself and the nature is mostly untouched.
-explore historical sites just outside Riyadh, get the Desert Treks book I mentioned before.
-visit Madain Saleh the other capital city of the ancient nabatean people. You will most likely be the only people there. Although smaller in size than Petra, I enjoyed the atmosphere more here. It seems like stepping into the past.
-Take weekend trips to the seaside, don't miss Jeddah which is a city with quite a different vibe and atmosphere than Riyadh!
-explore the mostly untouched Saudi side of the Red sea coast. Want to start start scuba-diving? Blue Reef divers 014644134 (in my opinion the best operator in KSA) has courses running all year round. The lectures and pool training are in Riyadh, and open water training will take a weekend in Jeddah. The Red Sea is full of amazing underwater life! If you have a chance, go to the Farasan Islands, one of Jacque Cousteau's favorite places! A wonderland for divers, there is virtually no other humans (except for the odd fisherman). Currently only two hotels on the main island (reachable by ferry from Jizan) The Farasan Hotel: +96673161166
Gender segregation: Most public places will be separate for men and women, it might get frustrating to always find the right place but there can be some advantages to this too!
- you won't have to que in banks when you go to the ladies section it's hardly ever crowded
- shopping at Kingdom center ladies only floor with own entrance. Good place to watch the World Cup from big screen without hoards of men is the Supermodel Cafe.
-shopping at the ladies only shopping mall exit 14 called Bushra ladies Mall
-Panorama mall ladies only section
- as a woman you should be served first if there'so clear mens/ladies que, but of course this is not always the case. A polite smile might get you in front of the line.
-always take advantage of the ladies sections of Saudi airlines offices and get things done in 5 min compared to 5hours on the men's side.
- on Saudi airlines (and most other national airlines) flights you can always change seats if you happen to be sitting next to a man, just request for another seat. They will give you a window seat if available, and if you're lucky an upgrade to business class.
- at the airport pass the men in the baggage security check line, they don't usually mind if you put your bag first, then pass through the ladies security check and you will be done in no time.
It all comes down to attitudes. We can't change these things but we can change our outlook on them. It's mostly up to ourselves how we handle it and a positive open mind will never do you harm!
Wearing abaya: Ok this is probably one of the most annoying things for most western women, you gotta wear it, so I say...make the best of it!
-get an abaya made of good quality material, not polyester which will make you a cooked vegetable in no time in the +50 heat. Best quality abayas you will find upstairs in Faisaliah and Hayat malls. They can also make abayas to order.
-abayas come in so many different styles, show your personality with a pretty or individual abaya. Go to Dirah souq and find the Waleed store where you can custom make good quality abayas. Design and personalize it! It's what you wear out all the time anyways. Try also the abaya shops in Royal mall and Hayat mall, most offer custom made abayas and if you can afford it, Kingdom center third floor has some amazing exquisite collection of abayas.
-go shopping in your pyjamas, under the abaya :D
Not being able to drive: Very frustrating sometimes especially for women who enjoy driving and are used to doing it alot.
- while you're being driven around by your driver, make the most of your time! Read a good book, a newspaper, call a friend, or your mother! Do your makeup on the way (ok depends on your driver's skills and how stable your hand is).
- if you have a jeep or husband /friend that can rent one go out to the desert to drive! It's fun but be careful don't venture too far. Bedouin women drive around all the time, once you've passed the checkpoints you will be fine. Check out the book "Desert treks from Riyadh" available in Jarir book stores.
- go to the Reem race track!they have carting and women can drive too!Exit 11.
- rent quadbikes or beach buggies to get rid of the extra "driving withdrawal symptoms". Available at red Sands area Mecca highaway and the Thumamah area.
Extreme heat: When temperatures start topping 45c everyday, it's not very pleasant to be outside anymore.
-make sure your abaya is made from natural materials. Some abayas are so thin you won't even feel like you're wearing one.
-make the best out of the dry heat and dry your laundry outside! In minutes you will have wrinkle free dry laundry.
-take all your bedding and mattresses out, cook well on both sides..and wa'la you have gotten rid of all possible living things such as bedbugs or dustmites!
- to create curls in no time, after showering apply some moisturizing leave in conditioner and/or heat activated styler. Apply hair rolls or tie your hair in couple small braids. Optionally cover your hair with a scarf to protect from sun. Go out for about 15 min to half an hour depending on your hair length and desired result (preferably in yard or pool area, can't recommend venturing out in public). While waiting for hair to dry apply nail polish if you like, it will dry by the time your hair is done. Can also be done in the evenings but needs more time.
Hard water: Many women have noticed that after a while their hair seems to fall out more and it becomes thinner. This is due to the water that is mostly desalinized and therefore lacks some essential minerals.
- buy some zinc and selenium supplements from any pharmacy.
- after rinsing your hair with tap water, follow by small amount bottled water to make hair softer.
-get Sodium Laurel Sulfate free shampoo available at GNC!
Boredom: Very common symptom of living in Riyadh. However treatment options are numerous to begin therapy start here with Riyadh to do guide.
- start a new hobby, keep yourself active. Try golf, salsa dancing, horse polo, or scuba-diving!
- since you have the rare opportunity to live in the Saudi-Arabia and are surrounded by Islam, why not find out a little more about the religion? I guarantee you won't be bored anymore! The WAMY centre opposite Owais souq is a great place to visit to learn more.
-Check out Dar Adh-Dhikr, an Islamic center for women and children (boys up to the age of 6) to learn Arabic and Qur'an in the Ma'athar area
Surrounded by desert: For some its a blessing, others..not. But why not take advantage of the lack of tourism in Saudi-Arabia, you will have most places to yourself and the nature is mostly untouched.
-explore historical sites just outside Riyadh, get the Desert Treks book I mentioned before.
-visit Madain Saleh the other capital city of the ancient nabatean people. You will most likely be the only people there. Although smaller in size than Petra, I enjoyed the atmosphere more here. It seems like stepping into the past.
-Take weekend trips to the seaside, don't miss Jeddah which is a city with quite a different vibe and atmosphere than Riyadh!
-join the Riyadh Hash Harriers who organize desert walks every weekend and camping in cooler months, ask around from westerners for contact details!
Gender segregation: Most public places will be separate for men and women, it might get frustrating to always find the right place but there can be some advantages to this too!
- you won't have to que in banks when you go to the ladies section it's hardly ever crowded
- shopping at Kingdom center ladies only floor with own entrance. Good place to watch the World Cup from big screen without hoards of men is the Supermodel Cafe.
-shopping at the ladies only shopping mall exit 14 called Bushra ladies Mall
-Panorama mall ladies only section
- as a woman you should be served first if there'so clear mens/ladies que, but of course this is not always the case. A polite smile might get you in front of the line.
-always take advantage of the ladies sections of Saudi airlines offices and get things done in 5 min compared to 5hours on the men's side.
- on Saudi airlines (and most other national airlines) flights you can always change seats if you happen to be sitting next to a man, just request for another seat. They will give you a window seat if available, and if you're lucky an upgrade to business class.
- at the airport pass the men in the baggage security check line, they don't usually mind if you put your bag first, then pass through the ladies security check and you will be done in no time.
It all comes down to attitudes. We can't change these things but we can change our outlook on them. It's mostly up to ourselves how we handle it and a positive open mind will never do you harm!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The hospital I work in gets quite a few bedouins coming in for treatment from all around Saudi. It's a large tertiary referral hospital, which means many patients were referred there because they could not be treated elsewhere or their cases were so difficult or rare it needed special care. Which makes these patients even more interesting! Bedouins come to our hospital from all over Saudi-Arabia, but mainly from the tribes that originate around the Najd area. Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najd
What is generally meant by the term "Bedouin" is the nomadic Arab people who dwell in the desert areas reaching from Western Sahara to the Arabian Peninsula. Bedouins used to follow water and pastures and were nomadic, not staying in one place for a long period of time. Nowadays many of them have settled in certain areas and formed small towns cities like Dammam on the east coast of KSA.
The Bedouins are divided into tribes of which the largest ones are Al-Shammari (everywhere!) Al-Harbi (Mecca area), and Al-Mutairi, Al-Qahtani, Al-Subaie, Al-Dossary all originally from Najd valley and around. Most patients will have one of these very common surnames, kind of like mr. Smith or in Finland mr.Virtanen.
I work on an inpatient ward where nurses are typically assigned to 3-5 patients at a time. We look after them the whole 12 hour shift, usually for a few days in a row. This enables a lot of one on one time with the patients and since the patients will always have private rooms, women will be relaxed and at ease. I feel very lucky to have been able to take such an intimate look into their lives, culture and traditions.
Typically the Bedouin patient will have one or two sitters present at all times. Read more about the way Saudis visit the sick in hospitals here. They will have large families and it wouldn't be strange to see ones with over 10 children. Visitors often come every evening and they will enjoy a meal or coffee and dates together.
I've encountered Bedouin patients that didn't know how to use the western style toilet. Some even made their business on the floor next to it. It's the first time they see a toilet seat and they don't know what to do with it.
The male Bedouins will often chew on miswak,which is a stick used to clean the teeth. Unfortunately some of them also spit on the floor after using it!
Another thing I've noticed is that Bedouins don't like to "waste" water. In other words take showers or wash their hair too often. I guess this comes from living in such harsh environments with constant lack of water. They use the water very sparingly to wash themselves, mainly it's used for performing ablutions (washing before prayer). It takes a lot of convincing or sometimes even doctors order to get them to wet themselves totally under running water!
Since they've been living all their lives in the desert, I figure their bodies have become accustomed to being warm all the time. The Bedouin patient will usually ask for the airconditioning to be turned off because they feel cold. It's actually not possible to turn it off, so then they will ask to get extra blankets even during hot summer months. The men wear thobes made out of thick wool in the winter, which for them seems to end around May when the temperature starts raising above 40. Especially in the winter months they will have layers after layers of thick clothing even though the heating is on max in the room. The women and the men like to keep their own clothing on instead of changing to hospital gowns.
When a Bedouin patient has fever he/she will be very afraid of "cooling" themselves. The more they have fever, the more the clothing and blankets will be on. Sometimes an offer of applying an icepack will result in surprises and suspicious looks. They might politely take it, but when the nurse leaves off it comes! This is sometimes a bit frustrating because the patients are convinced that warm is good cold is bad!
Bedouins love henna. Older men will sometimes color their beards with it, resulting in an orange tinged tone. Older ladies with grey hair use henna which results in the same orangy tone as the mens beards. The women will color their long naturally coal black hair with it resulting in a nice dark red tinge. Additionally they might apply decorative patterns on their hands for special occasions like Eids and weddings. The everyday henna for the hands is applied to the palms and tips of fingers so that it looks like they have very dark orange nail polish on. First time I saw this I thought to myself boy are those some dirty hands! The women will do the same with the soles of their feet and toes.
Some elderly women have tattoos on their faces sort of look like map signs. I'm not sure what they use to do them but the color is usually dark blue. It will look like small markings resembling X's or T's around her cheeks, forehead and temples. I found out this is a sign that the lady in question is of high status within her tribe. She might be the eldest woman of her tribe.
Most elderly patients will likely not know their exact age and might only be able to give you an estimate. Older generation Saudis didn't register births and they also count age according to the Hijri calendar. Also Saudi-Arabia didn't register female births until the 1970's. Estimating their age is not easy because of the harsh weather and constant exposure to sun, Bedouin often look older than their actual age. I've had very old Bedouin patients, some reaching over 100 years. They might have been healthy and never visited a hospital up to that day they come in.
Another peculiar thing which I've noticed is some of the older generation have a thin thread tied to their waists. First time I encountered one I immediately wanted to cut it off because of infection risk. They strictly refused and seemed horrified of my suggestion to remove it even though it was already harming the skin because it had become too tight. I've seen this on both men and women.
The reason for this is that they don't want to get fat so it's a weight control belt! The thread is there to remind you that you've eaten too much when the thread feels uncomfortably tight.
I wonder would this be worth patenting? The Bedouin weight loss belt!
What is generally meant by the term "Bedouin" is the nomadic Arab people who dwell in the desert areas reaching from Western Sahara to the Arabian Peninsula. Bedouins used to follow water and pastures and were nomadic, not staying in one place for a long period of time. Nowadays many of them have settled in certain areas and formed small towns cities like Dammam on the east coast of KSA.
The Bedouins are divided into tribes of which the largest ones are Al-Shammari (everywhere!) Al-Harbi (Mecca area), and Al-Mutairi, Al-Qahtani, Al-Subaie, Al-Dossary all originally from Najd valley and around. Most patients will have one of these very common surnames, kind of like mr. Smith or in Finland mr.Virtanen.
In my opinion Bedouins are generally the nicest patients in all aspects. I've found them to be friendly, genuine, warm, curious, easy-going (hardly complain), they have excellent sense of humour, are talkative and just about the most hospitable people you will ever meet. Hardly any of them speak English though, and sometimes their Arabic accents are difficult (sometimes impossible!) for even our Saudi nurses to understand. So basic Arabic language skills are really essential for more interaction with them. But actually even before I learned Arabic I found it was easy to get along with them by using sign language! They were always in for a little fun!
Bedouin patients tend to have a few peculiarities compared to other Saudis. Especially the really nomadic ones have habits that they continue in the hospital, like sleeping on the floor rather than the bed! They will take the sheets off the bed and put them on the floor. Not even the pillow is needed. The sitters have a sofabed available but it's hardly used. Bedouins like to keep things simple and they don't like "modern day luxury" such as bedding.
When the patient has guests they will usually eat on the floor and with their hands. A sheet is spread on the floor and people will gather around it. Chairs and tables might be regarded as unnecessary luxuries. The youngest son or daughter will serve the food and tea or coffee out of respect to the elderly. They will most likely have their own tea or coffee pots with them in the hospital.
Guests will typically bring along dates, arabic sweets, camel milk or date filled small cakes called mammoul. The nurse will be invited to have a taste of their coffee and foods, sometimes they insist that the nurse joins them on the floor. If I have time on my hands I will sometimes join them for their dinner which they tend to eat very late. Usually long after ishaa prayers, near midnight!
Guests will typically bring along dates, arabic sweets, camel milk or date filled small cakes called mammoul. The nurse will be invited to have a taste of their coffee and foods, sometimes they insist that the nurse joins them on the floor. If I have time on my hands I will sometimes join them for their dinner which they tend to eat very late. Usually long after ishaa prayers, near midnight!
I've encountered Bedouin patients that didn't know how to use the western style toilet. Some even made their business on the floor next to it. It's the first time they see a toilet seat and they don't know what to do with it.The male Bedouins will often chew on miswak,which is a stick used to clean the teeth. Unfortunately some of them also spit on the floor after using it!
Another thing I've noticed is that Bedouins don't like to "waste" water. In other words take showers or wash their hair too often. I guess this comes from living in such harsh environments with constant lack of water. They use the water very sparingly to wash themselves, mainly it's used for performing ablutions (washing before prayer). It takes a lot of convincing or sometimes even doctors order to get them to wet themselves totally under running water!
Since they've been living all their lives in the desert, I figure their bodies have become accustomed to being warm all the time. The Bedouin patient will usually ask for the airconditioning to be turned off because they feel cold. It's actually not possible to turn it off, so then they will ask to get extra blankets even during hot summer months. The men wear thobes made out of thick wool in the winter, which for them seems to end around May when the temperature starts raising above 40. Especially in the winter months they will have layers after layers of thick clothing even though the heating is on max in the room. The women and the men like to keep their own clothing on instead of changing to hospital gowns.
When a Bedouin patient has fever he/she will be very afraid of "cooling" themselves. The more they have fever, the more the clothing and blankets will be on. Sometimes an offer of applying an icepack will result in surprises and suspicious looks. They might politely take it, but when the nurse leaves off it comes! This is sometimes a bit frustrating because the patients are convinced that warm is good cold is bad!
Bedouins love henna. Older men will sometimes color their beards with it, resulting in an orange tinged tone. Older ladies with grey hair use henna which results in the same orangy tone as the mens beards. The women will color their long naturally coal black hair with it resulting in a nice dark red tinge. Additionally they might apply decorative patterns on their hands for special occasions like Eids and weddings. The everyday henna for the hands is applied to the palms and tips of fingers so that it looks like they have very dark orange nail polish on. First time I saw this I thought to myself boy are those some dirty hands! The women will do the same with the soles of their feet and toes.
Some elderly women have tattoos on their faces sort of look like map signs. I'm not sure what they use to do them but the color is usually dark blue. It will look like small markings resembling X's or T's around her cheeks, forehead and temples. I found out this is a sign that the lady in question is of high status within her tribe. She might be the eldest woman of her tribe.
Most elderly patients will likely not know their exact age and might only be able to give you an estimate. Older generation Saudis didn't register births and they also count age according to the Hijri calendar. Also Saudi-Arabia didn't register female births until the 1970's. Estimating their age is not easy because of the harsh weather and constant exposure to sun, Bedouin often look older than their actual age. I've had very old Bedouin patients, some reaching over 100 years. They might have been healthy and never visited a hospital up to that day they come in.
Another peculiar thing which I've noticed is some of the older generation have a thin thread tied to their waists. First time I encountered one I immediately wanted to cut it off because of infection risk. They strictly refused and seemed horrified of my suggestion to remove it even though it was already harming the skin because it had become too tight. I've seen this on both men and women.
The reason for this is that they don't want to get fat so it's a weight control belt! The thread is there to remind you that you've eaten too much when the thread feels uncomfortably tight.
I wonder would this be worth patenting? The Bedouin weight loss belt!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
This week the temperature has hit near +50c everyday. To make matters worse it doesn't get much cooler in the nights, dropping to only +46 yesterday. When it's windy, you would think it has a cooling effect, but actually it feels like somebody is holding a hairdryer to ur head on full blast of hot air!
We are also moving houses in this heat..Looks like summer weather is here to stay for about three months onward, inshallah not more! Actually I don't mind it if there's a water source like a pool nearby!We have one in our new apartment alhamdulillah.
There was two banquet halls, one for the bazaar and other for the fashion show. Saudi designers were competing for the title of Fashion Designer of the year, first time ever! There was a white runway and beautiful dim lighting all around the hall. An anticipating female crowd filled the room with perfumes and excited chatter. Maids dressed in old fashioned arabic clothing went around offering the guests arabic coffee, chocolates and dates.The ceiling was adorned with huge crystal chandeliers. An all female camera crew was ready to capture the event on film. 
There was lots of stunning ladies in attendance, I felt under dressed in my long flowery dresss. Everyone seemed to have had their hair done at a salon and donned Oscar Gala-worthy dresses and evening makeup.
The show was great, there are many talented saudi fashion designers maashallah! Afterwards I browsed the bazaar area and chatted with the women there. Some of the competing designers work was on display. I walked through different booths displaying arts, jewellery, abayas, evening gowns, wedding dresses, spas, home furnishings, bakeries, female run volunteer organizations and photographers. Seeing all these women doing what they clearly enjoy so much really gives hope for the future of the women in this country. These kind of pioneers in their own fields are the women who inshallah will slowly bring progress to women's rights..
I thought these serving trays were a fun idea: Its a painting which she covered with plastic and cut into pieces, each with a stick in the middle where you place whatever you are serving. You then just lift your own piece off and wa'la you have a plate!
Monday, June 14, 2010
I wanted to write about why muslim women cover and then I started thinking about all the women who do the opposite and the reasons behind it. By taking a look from "the other side of the fence" the view might be very different..We shouldn't judge the other side so harshly and think what we are doing in the west is the best thing or the other way around.
Why is it that it's regarded as a right if I chose to uncover certain parts of my body, however now that I choose to rather cover them, it suddenly becomes frowned upon and questioned as if I do not have the right to do so as a western "free" woman..On the other hand, muslim women are viewed as oppressed, the image is that they are forced to cover. Isn't the opposite then also true, to be "forced' to uncover is also oppression?
This is a controversial post on a very controversial subject. I'm going to be very blunt and honest here, saying things many people might not want to hear or admit let alone agree with me.. I just want to express my opinion, not offend anyone! Remember this is just my opinion, and the conclusions which I have come to after alot of reading, studying, critical thinking and self reflection. Afterall, it's my blog, if you don't like it then you can just click yourself away :D
I dedicate this post to ALL the wise, beautiful-minded, thinking women out there! I know you exist everywhere!
Women around the western world have the right to UNcover as they please. Most people won't question or look down upon a woman in very revealing outfits. It is considered a right for a woman to undress herself in public if she so wishes.
All this jealousy and envy among women leads to even more "competition" who is the prettiest, skinniest, has the biggest breasts, longest hair, best legs or whatever else it is. This is just a waste of time and leads to women being evaluated by their looks, not whats inside their hearts and minds.
Then we have feminists who cry out for gender equality by calling for women to burn their bras and walk to the streets wearing miniskirts. Example from Finland: show up in parliament wearing miniskirt the width of a belt to make afool out of yourself STATEMENT. Now HOW does this improve womens rights and equality? I think that is just absurd, can someone please explain? A Finnish politician Rosa Merilainen did just that. But what did Rosa achieve by this honorable act against for women's rights? The men in her party started having discussions "in the hallway" out of her sight. She lost all her credibility, and wasnt re-elected.
All this kind of nonsense just makes men laugh into their beards behind our back and in the process they get a nice view. But progress for womens issues? No way.
So lets take a look at covering then, in the western societies it seems to be mostly looked down upon and extensively questioned. Why do you dress like that? What's that rag on your head? Why do you want to look like a nun? Why do you want to spoil all the fun at a party?
The more the woman covers her body, the less she is accepted into society. Her value diminishes as the skin disappears. The most disrespected is the woman who chooses to cover even her face. How dare she?
When you see a woman covered from head to toe, what will you think, honestly? Poor woman, oppressed, miserable, abused, uneducated, backward, no self-esteem? Think again. How about self-respecting, content, independent, brave, satisfied, educated, free-willed? It could be either one or a mixture of both.
Why do women generally not have the right to cover in western world? They have already taken the right for muslim girls to cover their hair in schools in France, and now there has been discussion in many european countries about banning the veil altogether. Ok I understand that for verification of identity it essential. But otherwise, why not let these women cover their faces if they so wish? Its their own choice. The politicians supporting the ban say niqab devalues womens rights. How, since it is their own decision? Banning veiling actually takes AWAY from womens rights. Her right to cover.
First impressions tell us alot about the person we are dealing with. The way we dress plays a major role in how we are percieved by others. I guess everyone will have their own perceptions of what they define as either immodest or modest ways of dressing. That is why defining covering/uncovering is so difficult, its an individual opinion.
Why is it that it's regarded as a right if I chose to uncover certain parts of my body, however now that I choose to rather cover them, it suddenly becomes frowned upon and questioned as if I do not have the right to do so as a western "free" woman..On the other hand, muslim women are viewed as oppressed, the image is that they are forced to cover. Isn't the opposite then also true, to be "forced' to uncover is also oppression?
This is a controversial post on a very controversial subject. I'm going to be very blunt and honest here, saying things many people might not want to hear or admit let alone agree with me.. I just want to express my opinion, not offend anyone! Remember this is just my opinion, and the conclusions which I have come to after alot of reading, studying, critical thinking and self reflection. Afterall, it's my blog, if you don't like it then you can just click yourself away :D
I dedicate this post to ALL the wise, beautiful-minded, thinking women out there! I know you exist everywhere!
Think about it. Uncovering, or revealing clothing for women is more than welcomed, it's almost required to show at least some skin. If its not the cleavage, then it has to be something else like the legs, or a at least show her figure in tight or see-through clothing. Flaunt it is the motto of the day. Women in sexy outfits sell us food, deodorant, icecream etc in commercials on tv, in magazines, everywhere!
But why is this? Why do women agree to this? Does it make us feel more beautiful, accepted and secure? Then why is there an increasing amount of depression and other mental illnesses, eating disorders and insecurity among women, especially young women? As women grow older, plastic surgery, botox and the likes become a part of many of their lives. The world is getting more and more obsessed with how women look. Nevermind what they think or feel! In order for a woman to be accepted and valued in the western society seems to be through her appearance. In a way women are forced to uncover and look immaculate, and are thus oppressed. Anything that is forced on anyone is oppression in my opinion.
But why is this? Why do women agree to this? Does it make us feel more beautiful, accepted and secure? Then why is there an increasing amount of depression and other mental illnesses, eating disorders and insecurity among women, especially young women? As women grow older, plastic surgery, botox and the likes become a part of many of their lives. The world is getting more and more obsessed with how women look. Nevermind what they think or feel! In order for a woman to be accepted and valued in the western society seems to be through her appearance. In a way women are forced to uncover and look immaculate, and are thus oppressed. Anything that is forced on anyone is oppression in my opinion.
I see this is as just another form of men controlling women to suit their own pleasure. Undressing women is, lets face it, very appealling for most men. Women are brainwashed to think like this so men can have their pleasure of watching bare skin and feminine shapes, and women are fooled to think they are equal with men because of it! Women think all this displaying of bare flesh in public, media and practically in every media outlet is advancement! How is it going forward?
Women compete with eachother mostly with their looks, not their brains like men do. A beautiful woman is almost always seen as a threat to other women. Beautiful women dont have an easy life, good female friends are hard to find because nearly all women will be more or less envious of her looks. Being beautiful means getting male attention everywhere, this is a self-evident truth. Women tend to get extremely jealous of these women who get all the attention from men. All this because women think her worth comes from her looks rather than the inside. But is this how women percieve themselves, through the men? The more beautiful you are=the more valuable in mens eyes. Respect yourselves women! Respect your bodies whatever the shape and size!
Women compete with eachother mostly with their looks, not their brains like men do. A beautiful woman is almost always seen as a threat to other women. Beautiful women dont have an easy life, good female friends are hard to find because nearly all women will be more or less envious of her looks. Being beautiful means getting male attention everywhere, this is a self-evident truth. Women tend to get extremely jealous of these women who get all the attention from men. All this because women think her worth comes from her looks rather than the inside. But is this how women percieve themselves, through the men? The more beautiful you are=the more valuable in mens eyes. Respect yourselves women! Respect your bodies whatever the shape and size!
All this jealousy and envy among women leads to even more "competition" who is the prettiest, skinniest, has the biggest breasts, longest hair, best legs or whatever else it is. This is just a waste of time and leads to women being evaluated by their looks, not whats inside their hearts and minds.
Then we have feminists who cry out for gender equality by calling for women to burn their bras and walk to the streets wearing miniskirts. Example from Finland: show up in parliament wearing miniskirt the width of a belt to make a
All this kind of nonsense just makes men laugh into their beards behind our back and in the process they get a nice view. But progress for womens issues? No way.
The more the woman covers her body, the less she is accepted into society. Her value diminishes as the skin disappears. The most disrespected is the woman who chooses to cover even her face. How dare she?
When you see a woman covered from head to toe, what will you think, honestly? Poor woman, oppressed, miserable, abused, uneducated, backward, no self-esteem? Think again. How about self-respecting, content, independent, brave, satisfied, educated, free-willed? It could be either one or a mixture of both.
Why do women generally not have the right to cover in western world? They have already taken the right for muslim girls to cover their hair in schools in France, and now there has been discussion in many european countries about banning the veil altogether. Ok I understand that for verification of identity it essential. But otherwise, why not let these women cover their faces if they so wish? Its their own choice. The politicians supporting the ban say niqab devalues womens rights. How, since it is their own decision? Banning veiling actually takes AWAY from womens rights. Her right to cover.
First impressions tell us alot about the person we are dealing with. The way we dress plays a major role in how we are percieved by others. I guess everyone will have their own perceptions of what they define as either immodest or modest ways of dressing. That is why defining covering/uncovering is so difficult, its an individual opinion.
My message is this: western women live in a world mostly controlled by men. Why give them the right to control also our bodies and undress us?Why not keep our bodies to ourselves and say, its none of your business whats underneath!!
We CANNOT change the world on an individual level. Even how difficult this is to accept, women will mostly be viewed as some sort of sexual objects. Especially if we dress in miniskirts, revealing tops, microshorts and the likes. I've spent years rebelling, fighting and creating myself anxiety over this. When I realized that by accepting how things are, and trying to change only myself, not the world and the men, things got alot easier.
What we CAN do is change ourselves. Change how we present ourselves and send a message with the way we dress. The message is : I value my body and have the right to cover it as I wish! Respect me for it, dont judge me for it!
I'm not trying to say women shouldn't have the right to uncover. Everyone should do what feels best for them. I just hope this would provoke some thoughts, especially in women.
Neither does this mean I think all women should go around dressed in abayas, "black tents" or cover up everything, I'm all for individuality, moderation and style. But dressing modestly can be done by modern western style clothing also.
That way a woman shifts the focus from her body to herself as a thinking, feeling person. This is the wisdom behind the Islamic dress code for women. By no means is it oppressing, I would rather say LIBERATING from the pressures women face about their bodies being under constant scrutiny.
Take care and cherish your body, because it is beautiful no matter its size and shape. You dont need to display it to the whole world to get acceptance..Not every woman looks like Claudia Shiffer, so Islamic dress code makes women more equal and decreases envy and jealousy.
Try to think out of your comfort zone, try to ask yourself who are you really doing uncovering for?
What we CAN do is change ourselves. Change how we present ourselves and send a message with the way we dress. The message is : I value my body and have the right to cover it as I wish! Respect me for it, dont judge me for it!
I'm not trying to say women shouldn't have the right to uncover. Everyone should do what feels best for them. I just hope this would provoke some thoughts, especially in women.
Neither does this mean I think all women should go around dressed in abayas, "black tents" or cover up everything, I'm all for individuality, moderation and style. But dressing modestly can be done by modern western style clothing also.
That way a woman shifts the focus from her body to herself as a thinking, feeling person. This is the wisdom behind the Islamic dress code for women. By no means is it oppressing, I would rather say LIBERATING from the pressures women face about their bodies being under constant scrutiny.
Take care and cherish your body, because it is beautiful no matter its size and shape. You dont need to display it to the whole world to get acceptance..Not every woman looks like Claudia Shiffer, so Islamic dress code makes women more equal and decreases envy and jealousy.
Try to think out of your comfort zone, try to ask yourself who are you really doing uncovering for?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Another women's only exhibition this week in Riyadh!
This time it's going to be in the Four Seasons hotel, starting on tuesday 7 pm to thursday 11 pm.
I'm really excited about this one because they are going to choose the Saudi designer of the year 2010!
Also there will be are bazaars selling clothing like these exhibitions usually have, check out here and here.
This is what their website has to say:
"Palla Mano which means in Italian" Touch The Hand "the show is unique and the first of its kind and is an event where females seek to provide all what is new with all respect to fashion faand beauty in the world of high fashion with the participation of a group of talented fashion designers.
The exhibition will include on the first day the first competition of its kind in Saudi Arabia to select the best female designers in Saudi Arabia for the year 2010.
In second and third days of the exhibition there will be the opening of the exhibition "bazaar" and the exhibition "Queen of creativity". Present will be multi-talents with the attendance of elite businesswomen and women of society, the exhibition will be covered by many media outlets."
I am hoping to find colorful abayas, afterall it was at an exhibition like this that I found my Blue Abaya!
The venue is to show off talented saudi designers and their work.
I will post how it was after I've been there inshallah!
Edit:here's the link to the post!
This time it's going to be in the Four Seasons hotel, starting on tuesday 7 pm to thursday 11 pm.
I'm really excited about this one because they are going to choose the Saudi designer of the year 2010!
Also there will be are bazaars selling clothing like these exhibitions usually have, check out here and here.
This is what their website has to say:
"Palla Mano which means in Italian" Touch The Hand "the show is unique and the first of its kind and is an event where females seek to provide all what is new with all respect to fashion faand beauty in the world of high fashion with the participation of a group of talented fashion designers.
The exhibition will include on the first day the first competition of its kind in Saudi Arabia to select the best female designers in Saudi Arabia for the year 2010.
In second and third days of the exhibition there will be the opening of the exhibition "bazaar" and the exhibition "Queen of creativity". Present will be multi-talents with the attendance of elite businesswomen and women of society, the exhibition will be covered by many media outlets."
I am hoping to find colorful abayas, afterall it was at an exhibition like this that I found my Blue Abaya!
The venue is to show off talented saudi designers and their work.
I will post how it was after I've been there inshallah!
Edit:here's the link to the post!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
There are many differences and peculiarities to grocery shopping especially here in Riyadh, home to over 5 million people. The most popular large grocery stores are HyperPanda, Tamimi, Carrefour, Danube and Euromarche.
There are a few things to remember when heading out:
-Dont forget the prayer times! Everything in saudi closes for prayer, for around 15-30 minutes, depending on the store and how eager the employees are to return to their posts.
-Avoid "zahma" which is traffic in the stores. Worst on weekends, especially after Maghrib prayer to around 11pm, the stores get way too overcowded, and your shopping "experience" might last many hours.The largest stores are open until 12-2 am, and its much nicer to go shopping around then, or early morning weekdays to avoid nervous breakdowns:) Some are open even 24hrs a day, like Hyperpanda Takhasusi. Best visited at night are Danube on Takhasusi(very quiet) and Panda inside Granada mall.
Shopping BLISS at Danube
-If you're a lady, be careful with your abaya when going on escalators, it might get stuck! Another annoying occurence is it sometimes might get jammed under your shopping cart, or fellow shoppers carts..
best worst places for this..
-Please try to save the nature and encourage the packers to use less plastic bags! In Finland we are used to buying the plastic bags we need for the groceries, and we pack ourselves. Here there will be one or sometimes even two men packing your groceries. They are taught ( I assume) to put in separate bags different items. If you buy for example bread, milk, deodorant, cookies, chicken and eggs, everything requires its own bag! This total waste of plastic is just mind boggling, especially to a Finn who is used to recycling practically everything.
Saudi women "queing"
There are a few things to remember when heading out:
-Dont forget the prayer times! Everything in saudi closes for prayer, for around 15-30 minutes, depending on the store and how eager the employees are to return to their posts.
Some larger stores like the ones mentioned above, let you stay in the store shopping while the employees go to pray, or if they´re non-muslims they have a break. When they come back you can cash out.
-Avoid "zahma" which is traffic in the stores. Worst on weekends, especially after Maghrib prayer to around 11pm, the stores get way too overcowded, and your shopping "experience" might last many hours.The largest stores are open until 12-2 am, and its much nicer to go shopping around then, or early morning weekdays to avoid nervous breakdowns:) Some are open even 24hrs a day, like Hyperpanda Takhasusi. Best visited at night are Danube on Takhasusi(very quiet) and Panda inside Granada mall.
Shopping BLISS at Danube-Try to avoid bumping into or getting too close to saudis of the opposite sex to you. They might feel awkward because they are not used to it. You will notice the saudi men usually give way to the women in the aisles, they do this out of respect and they want to be polite to you. Not because they are scared/disgusted/arrogant (most common misperceptions). So be polite and and mindful, especially if you are a man, the saudi ladies are sometimes very demanding, they are used to being treated like queens :)
Just this weekend my husband and I were shopping, and a young saudi lady comes behind him in the aisle. There is room for her to pass my husband and his cart, but she doesn't move just stands there with her cart. I see my husband getting confused and he moves on out of the aisle so the lady can pass (without getting too close to my husband) lol! It was funny, I was watching them from a distance, getting a bit jealous and wondering what is it this lady wants from my husband!
- Dont look around for female staff-there isn't any! All the staff will be male. But the staff is everywhere, there seems to be a man responsible for every 10 sqm of the store. There will always be men sweeping the floors, filling the shelves and whatever else. Surprisingly they might now know the answer to your question because their area of responsibility is so narrow. The man that takes care of the yogurt shelf doesn't know about the milks :) The frustrating aspect of this is that they hardly ever say "I dont know", they will just point you to a random direction (often wrong).
-Be aware that saudis do not acknowledge the concept of queing, or standing in line. What line? Is there a que here?Especially when you're going to have your fruits weighed, there seems to be no order in which the man attends to customers. Usually the saudi women will go first, then whoever is the loudest or has best skills in line-cutting. In this situation you can use your female gender to your advantage, try to go behind or next to the loud saudi lady and have your bag ready immidiately when she is done, place your bag ON the scale!This will not guarantee success though :D
- If you're a young woman, watch out for gangs or teenage boys..Yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, they come there to hit on girls!Shopping malls are off limits to them (alhamdulillah!) because of this exact behaviour. They might follow the girl they are interested in the store, trying to exchange numbers.
Once happened to me in Tamimi: I stayed with the cart next to the ice cream shelf trying to figure out which flavor to pick, while my husband went to get a few things. I was texting on my Blackberry when two guys suddenly come up to me and start speaking in arabic. They might have thought I'm saudi, because I was wearing niqab, in any case they continued even after I told them in english excuse me what do you want? So the guy starts repeating his phone number over and over. At this point I messaged my husband to come back quick. Then all of a sudden the guy takes my cart and starts taking it to the cashier, while I'm holding on to it trying to pull the other way and now raising my voice what the h*# do you think you're doing? He continues on and I start calling my husband, the minute he answers and I start talking to him the guys start running out of the store in panic!My husband runs to the scene, but the guys are long gone. He is very upset and so am I. Apparently Tamimi is one of the -At the cashier always have cash! So many frustrating times I have encountered problems with any kind of cards. They will run around the store with your card trying to get it work, but you still might end up having to go to the ATM.
So what I do is I go to the man and politely advise him to not use too many bags. The problem is the workers are often Indian or Bangladeshi and dont speak english. They would understand inshallah if you say "minfadlak, mafi kees katiir shukran" Sometimes it happens even then they won't listen understand, that's when I start packing the stuff myself :D This raises quite a few eyebrows. My husband is sometimes embarrassed of all the attention it gets, (he is shy and literally the whole store will be staring at us) so he will nowadays go straight to the guy and explain before I need to jump in! We will give the packers a little money when they do a good job, hoping they would continue the practise..
Saudi women "queing"
Monday, June 7, 2010
I once had a patient with liver cancer and the family told me he is on camel's milk and urine treatment.
My first reaction was, ugh that is just disgusting! I had heard before of the benefits of camels milk but never thought too much about it.
There are Hadith about the Prophet Mohammed prescribing camels milk and urine as a treatment, so its benefits have actually been known by arab muslims for centuries.
"A group of people came to Medina, became ill and their bellies got swollen ..the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of Milch camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed and after they became healthy.."Sahih Bukhari, (Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234)"
An old remedy
I was surprised to find that urotherapy has actually been used around the world for treatment of various illnesses throughout times. Some used cow's urine, goats urine, and even humans own urine! In fact today the urine of pregnant horses is used for womens menopausal treatment. The medicine contains Premarin which is extracted from the urine.
Unique composition
Camel’s urine contains a number of healing factors such as antibiotics (bacteria that are present in it, salts and urea). The camel possesses an immune system that is highly equipped to combat funguses, bacteria and viruses, because of the antibodies that it contains. The most beneficial urine is that of the Bedouin camels known as najeeb.
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/shoeib/Pages/CamelUrineAbst(E).aspx
Broad spectrum use
Camels urine is a known remedy for low libido throughout times. It aids in bone growth in children and in strengthening the heart muscles. It may be used as a cleansing agent for cleaning wounds and sores, especially the urine of young she-camels. It also helps humans to grow their hair making it become strong and thick. Came urine helps to prevent hair loss and baldness, and can be used to treat dandruff.
Camel urine may also be used to treat blood clots and fibrinolytics may be derived from it. The urine may also be used to treat dropsy (which is caused by a deficiency in albumin and potassium camel’s urine is rich in both). Camel’s urine may also provide a remedy for abdominal complaints, liver diseases like hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Studies show it has a hepatoprotective (liver protecting) effect.
Came urine and treatment of cancer
Camel urine has been researched and found to have cytotoxic effects, comparable to the standard drug cyclophosphamide: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8771453
Recently a Saudi female scientist has done extensive research on the benefits of camel urine and milk. Dr. Faten Abdel-Rahman Khorshid has been researching camel urine at King Abdul Aziz University for seven years and has since received an award for gold medal for innovation in the Kingdom in 2008. Her research was chosen one of the top six innovations of the year 2009 at the International Innovation and Technology Exhibition.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009071143333
Khorshid is combining specific amounts of camel milk and urine to develop her medicine and focuses on particular types of cancer, including lung cancer, blood cancers, stomach cancer, colon cancer, brain tumors and breast cancer.
Camel Milk Formula
My patients relatives gave me the specific formula dr. Korshid created for the treatment. It starts with a single dose of camels milk (30 ml) to be taken in the morning before breakfast. The milk should be hand milked from a wild grazing grass-only eating camel. The formula then proceeds in stages (if patient is tolerating) doubling the amount of milk, then to be taken twice daily until patient is taking 360 mls milk twice daily. The next phase then starts combining the milk with small amount urine (5mls) and increases slowly as tolerated.
Dr. Korshid concluded in her research that nano-particles in camels urine may help treat cancer!
Healing Milk
Camel's milk has numerous healing factors and the close analysis of camel milk shows medicinal potential. The milk protein lactoferrin, which is present in large quantities in camel milk (ten times higher than in cow milk), has some anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Fermented camel milk is high in lactic bacteria, which have been shown to be effective against pathogens including Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella and Escherichia. Vitamin C content in camel milk is generally double that in cow's milk.
Camel's milk causes a noticeable reduction in diabetic patients sugar levels and is beneficial for diabetic management.
Here's an interesting study on camel milk as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes: Verification of a traditional ethnomedical practice
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19459752
The beneficial effect of camel milk in diabetic nephropathy:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19848050
Camel milk and its effect on treatment of hepatitis:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19426601
Camel milk and urine might have some huge medicinal potential in them but it definately needs more research.. In the future camel owners might be (even) more rich than they are now!
My first reaction was, ugh that is just disgusting! I had heard before of the benefits of camels milk but never thought too much about it.
However now I wanted to look into it more because they told me it has been researched and proven to have many beneficial and medicinal qualities.
"A group of people came to Medina, became ill and their bellies got swollen ..the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of Milch camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed and after they became healthy.."Sahih Bukhari, (Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234)"
I was surprised to find that urotherapy has actually been used around the world for treatment of various illnesses throughout times. Some used cow's urine, goats urine, and even humans own urine! In fact today the urine of pregnant horses is used for womens menopausal treatment. The medicine contains Premarin which is extracted from the urine.
Unique composition
Camel’s urine contains a number of healing factors such as antibiotics (bacteria that are present in it, salts and urea). The camel possesses an immune system that is highly equipped to combat funguses, bacteria and viruses, because of the antibodies that it contains. The most beneficial urine is that of the Bedouin camels known as najeeb.
Broad spectrum use
Camels urine is a known remedy for low libido throughout times. It aids in bone growth in children and in strengthening the heart muscles. It may be used as a cleansing agent for cleaning wounds and sores, especially the urine of young she-camels. It also helps humans to grow their hair making it become strong and thick. Came urine helps to prevent hair loss and baldness, and can be used to treat dandruff.
Camel urine may also be used to treat blood clots and fibrinolytics may be derived from it. The urine may also be used to treat dropsy (which is caused by a deficiency in albumin and potassium camel’s urine is rich in both). Camel’s urine may also provide a remedy for abdominal complaints, liver diseases like hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Studies show it has a hepatoprotective (liver protecting) effect.
Came urine and treatment of cancer
Camel urine has been researched and found to have cytotoxic effects, comparable to the standard drug cyclophosphamide: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8771453
Recently a Saudi female scientist has done extensive research on the benefits of camel urine and milk. Dr. Faten Abdel-Rahman Khorshid has been researching camel urine at King Abdul Aziz University for seven years and has since received an award for gold medal for innovation in the Kingdom in 2008. Her research was chosen one of the top six innovations of the year 2009 at the International Innovation and Technology Exhibition.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009071143333
Khorshid is combining specific amounts of camel milk and urine to develop her medicine and focuses on particular types of cancer, including lung cancer, blood cancers, stomach cancer, colon cancer, brain tumors and breast cancer.
Camel Milk Formula
My patients relatives gave me the specific formula dr. Korshid created for the treatment. It starts with a single dose of camels milk (30 ml) to be taken in the morning before breakfast. The milk should be hand milked from a wild grazing grass-only eating camel. The formula then proceeds in stages (if patient is tolerating) doubling the amount of milk, then to be taken twice daily until patient is taking 360 mls milk twice daily. The next phase then starts combining the milk with small amount urine (5mls) and increases slowly as tolerated.
Dr. Korshid concluded in her research that nano-particles in camels urine may help treat cancer!
Healing Milk
Camel's milk has numerous healing factors and the close analysis of camel milk shows medicinal potential. The milk protein lactoferrin, which is present in large quantities in camel milk (ten times higher than in cow milk), has some anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Fermented camel milk is high in lactic bacteria, which have been shown to be effective against pathogens including Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella and Escherichia. Vitamin C content in camel milk is generally double that in cow's milk.
Camel's milk causes a noticeable reduction in diabetic patients sugar levels and is beneficial for diabetic management.
Here's an interesting study on camel milk as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes: Verification of a traditional ethnomedical practice
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19459752
The beneficial effect of camel milk in diabetic nephropathy:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19848050
Camel milk and its effect on treatment of hepatitis:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19426601
Camel milk and urine might have some huge medicinal potential in them but it definately needs more research.. In the future camel owners might be (even) more rich than they are now!
Friday, June 4, 2010
This week I went to the King Khalid exhibition at the National Museum and the womens exhibitons at the Mercure hotel.
There were abayas and other clothing on sale, and I found myself a really nice comfy one with beautiful flowery sleeves. The material is very light and perfect for the summer weather which we have now +45c!
King Khaled exhibiton was at the National Museum in its own separate building. They wlecomed us very warmly and we were treated like VIP guests. I guess they dont get many blondes coming in :) We got our own english speaking well-mannered guide for the tour. The exhibition was beautifully displayed and had lots of interesting artifacts. There was photography of the Kings life on the walls, and the the rooms were divided according to the theme. The guide took us through the various rooms highlighting the Kings political career, achievements, hobbies, personal and religious life. They let us stay inside during the Ishaa prayer and we got to sign the special guests book. When I wrote something in it in arabic they were amazed :) They said the exhibtion should be there for at least another month, and there are no special days for women or men only its allowed for everyone. Around the National museum theres a big park area with fountains, creeks and sitting areas, nice to walk in the evenings with the beautiful lighting. Here are some pics I took :
The Blue Harbour exhibition was really nice, although much smaller in size than the previous ones I've attended. It was held in the third floor of the hotel (which is shaped like a cruiseship btw!)
There were abayas and other clothing on sale, and I found myself a really nice comfy one with beautiful flowery sleeves. The material is very light and perfect for the summer weather which we have now +45c!It was great chatting with these talented women, they were all so friendly. As usual, we were the only westerners there. We talked to a painter, a photographer, a jewellery designer and a lady who was starting her own bakery business. Had to test some of her chocolate muffins which were heavenly! Yet again I was in awe of the beauty of saudi women, maashallah! I didnt want to take any pictures because they would've felt awkard and I didnt want to be disrespectful. Nice evening! Afterwards we walked to nearby Granada mall for some more shopping.
One of the Entrances to National Museum
King Khaled exhibiton was at the National Museum in its own separate building. They wlecomed us very warmly and we were treated like VIP guests. I guess they dont get many blondes coming in :) We got our own english speaking well-mannered guide for the tour. The exhibition was beautifully displayed and had lots of interesting artifacts. There was photography of the Kings life on the walls, and the the rooms were divided according to the theme. The guide took us through the various rooms highlighting the Kings political career, achievements, hobbies, personal and religious life. They let us stay inside during the Ishaa prayer and we got to sign the special guests book. When I wrote something in it in arabic they were amazed :) They said the exhibtion should be there for at least another month, and there are no special days for women or men only its allowed for everyone. Around the National museum theres a big park area with fountains, creeks and sitting areas, nice to walk in the evenings with the beautiful lighting. Here are some pics I took :
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