AKMG REPORTER / Spring-Summer 2016 Official Newsletter of ... · AKMG REPORTER / Spring-Summer 2016...

37th Annual AKMG Convention in Miami Beach , July 14th–16th, 2016

Moving Ahead with Change…

2016 AKMG Florida ConventionEden Roc Resort Miami Beach

July 14th–16th, 2016

www.akmg.org/convention2016/

Sunil Kumar, [email protected]

AKMG REPORTER / Spring-Summer 2016 Official Newsletter of the Association of Kerala Medical Graduates and AKMG-HS

www.akmg.org

On behalf of the entire Convention Committee, I would like to extend a warm Florida greeting and welcome you to join us for the 2016 Miami Beach Convention.

This year, we are working towards having an exciting and innovative annual convention. This will be the first AKMG convention in South Florida, a destination flocked by tourists from around the world. With its beautiful beaches, bustling city, and unique culture, Miami is enjoy-able for visitors of all ages. We plan to make your Miami Beach experi-ence filled with memories that will last a lifetime.

One of this year’s new features is the All-Inclusive Package. This reg-

On behalf of the 2016 AKMG Convention Team, I invite you all to Miami Beach for the 37th Annual AKMG Convention from July 14th – 16th, 2016 to be held at the Eden Roc Resort & Spa.

This is the first time ever that an AKMG Annual Convention is coming to Miami Beach. We are excited to bring you a different type of convention. While quality in education, entertainment, engagement, and exquisite cuisine will not be compromised, change is something that you can expect to see. Bringing the young AKMG to the forefront is one of them. We hope you all will embrace the change and enjoy immensely!

We have a very active Young AKMG team headed by Dr. Tracy Paul and Dr. Anupam Kumar. They have already enrolled many medical

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istration package allows for attendees to enjoy all of the activities, meals, and entertainment conveniently and at a more affordable price.

Faculty from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, as well as our own AKMG members, will deliver the CME presentations.

The convention will kick-off with Miami Fiesta Night, a vibrant eve-ning of music and dance from cultures across South America, presented by the artists of Magic City. Suggested attire is casual or tropical themed.

Day Two will give AKMG members across all generations a chance to showcase their talents. AKMG’s Got Talent will be a night of song and dance performances, all provided by members of our very own AKMG family. We are still negotiating the possibility of an additional entertain-ment group from Kerala; at the time of press, this has yet to be finalized. The suggested attire for Day Two is business casual or traditional.

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As Dr. Sunil Kumar, our current AKMG President, Dr. Usha Mohandas, Convention Chair and the Conven-tion team are gearing up for the fast approaching 37th Annual AKMG Convention in Miami Beach {2016 July 14.15,16}, I sincerely hope to meet and greet a whole bunch of AKMG friends while making new friends. Hope-fully most of you have registered for the Miami Beach Convention and made reservations at the hotel as well.

At AKMG, we as an organization, are getting mature- soon approaching the 5th decade of our survival and growth. Right from the get-go, it has been a tale of dedication by a robust group of individuals, who were the archi-tects of this organization, and are the protagonists of its current well being, committed to our Kerala culture and history while easily adopting also the North American culture and lifestyle. We, Keralites, are a very adventurous people and probably have the highest percent of emigrants {those who leave their own country} among all Indians. We are all over — in all the continents !!!

One special comment I have to make regarding the 37th Annual AKMG Convention is that Drs. Sunil Kumar, Usha Mohandas and their team have made all efforts to provide Indian/Kerala style food for all three days of the convention.

Let me, as usual, remind you all of the wonderful humanitarian activities in North America, and India by our AKMG-HS {Humanitarian Services} wing headed by Dr. Prem Menon for decades, including the recent Kollam fireworks tragedy. While enjoying the lifestyle and professional benefits in North America, let us not forget the less fortunate in North America and India/Kerala. I urge you all to support AKMG-HS by making tax-deductible contributions to help humanity. Please make your checks to AKMG-HS. The address is on our akmg.org website.

Dr. Tomy Kalapparambath, our energetic Chair of Membership Committee, is working hard to increase the ranks of members in our proud organization. AKMG bylaws allow any one of Kerala origin by birth, inheritance or marriage to be a member of AKMG including doctors and dentists and more. Please do try recruiting new members while at the hospital, university, mosque, church, temple or social events as members are the strength behind any organization.

We are all looking forward to the 38th Annual AKMG Convention to be hosted by Dr, Majeed Paduvana and his team, He is such a driven individual that the expectations are high.

We hope Dr. Raji Menon, our AKMG Treasurer-Secretary will lead a force from Canada for the 2016 and 2017 Annual AKMG Conventions, while preparing for her 2018 Convention.

Finally, do not forget about collaborating with our sister organizations including ATMG-UK, MMA-UK, AKMG-Emirates as well as the Alumni organizations active at your medical colleges/schools in Kerala/India/elsewhere.

Please visit akmg.org and post your comments about how we can do a better job sustaining AKMG.

Krishna R. Prasad, [email protected]

Miami Beach and Beyond…President

Sunil D. Kumar, MD(954) 401-6098

[email protected] Elect

Majeed Paduvana, MD(313) 882-5969

[email protected] President

Majeed Paduvana, MD(313) 882-5969

[email protected]

Raji Menon, MD(613) 330-1513

[email protected] Past President

Alex Thomas, MD(610) 248-5801

[email protected] of Governors

K. R. Baiju, MD (FL) - 2015(941) 356-7656

[email protected]. S. Lal, MD (DC) - 2015

(202) [email protected]

Usha Mohandas, MD (FL) - 2015(859) 426-8564

[email protected] C. Mathew, MD (NY) - 2015


Saji K. G., MD (TN) - 2015(423) 503-0395

[email protected] Paul, MD (OH) - 2015


Vinod Prasad, MD (FL)- 2014(941) 773- 5289

[email protected] Mohideen, MD (IL) - 2014

(630) 926 [email protected]

Dheeraj Kamalam, MD (NY) - 2014(516) 348-5344

[email protected] K. Sankar, MD (TX)- 2014

(832) [email protected] of Trustees

Parameswaran Hari MD(262) 923-1201

[email protected] K Varghese , MD(Chair)


Aravind Pillai, MD (2017)(407) 718-8733

[email protected] Thomas, MD


Committee ChairpersonsWebsite & Directory

Sunil D. Kumar, MD(954) 401-6098

[email protected]

Krishna R. Prasad, MD(262) 244-7547

[email protected] and Bylaws

Chandra Venugopal MD(561) 793-4931

[email protected] Services

Prem Menon, MD(225) 928-7229

[email protected] Forum

Anupam Kumar, MD(860) 992-5056

[email protected]

Tomy Paul Kalapparambath, MD(248) 224 1467

[email protected]

2 AKMG Reporter, Spring-Summer 2016

AKMG IRS Tax Exemption Nos.AMKG# 363 465 523

AKMG-HS# 32-0051235

www.akmg.org

President-Electdance fantastic. This also was a fundraising kickoff event with the 2017 team leaders and Advisers ready to take on the challenge of another an-nual convention. You will find photos and report elsewhere in the Re-porter.

A final thought: Please share with me your valued ideas and sugges-tions to improve or change programs and formats during our National Convention especially our upcoming AKMG convention in 2017. Email me at [email protected]

Like many of you I am pretty much ready for the Miami Beach Conven-tion in July, 2016. The Registration done online, was a breeze. The airline ticket is secured. Just need to pack the bags. Why not?

The venue is fabulous, the organizing team is very energetic, and the programs appear fantastic. What more do we need to entice AKMG members to be there and start our yearly celebration? Three mesmer-izing days and nights to make us feel great, reconnect and recharge, and come home feeling re-energized—ready to tackle physician burnout! Our young, extremely popular and ever enthusiastic President Dr. Sunil Kumar and his “dream team” lead by Dr. Usha Mohandas has been work-ing hard to make the 37th AKMG Convention a truly memorable one. I wish them all the best for a very enjoyable and successful Annual meet-ing.

2017 will be the year of Michigan AKMG. The 2017 AKMG Conven-tion is shaping up very well thanks to the hard work of the enthusiastic team of Michigan AKMG members and the wholehearted support of my friends and well-wishers outside of Michigan. The last six months have been very interesting times for me and my family as we explored the potential venues and dates for AKMG Annual Convention 2017. I am ex-tremely happy to say that we are in the final stages of deciding the details for the 38th Annual AKMG Convention. The Convention leaders and Advisory Board are having meetings on a very frequent basis to make sure Convention 2017 will be a very enjoyable and memorable convention for every AKMG member and their families. My heartfelt thanks go to all of them for their dedication and commitment. I can’t wait to tell you the details at our national Convention in Miami, Florida!

The Michigan Chapter of AKMG had the Spring CME / Social event on Saturday, May 14 at Troy Marriott in Troy, Michigan. The at-mosphere was festive, the CME was highly informative and the atten-

Getting Ready for theMichigan Convention…

Majeed Paduvana, [email protected]

3www.akmg.org

Greetings from Canada!Now that the Miami convention is all organized and ready for all of

us, let me extend my own personal invitation to all of you, to the conven-tion. I do hope most of you will make an effort to be there.

I want to acknowledge Dr. Sunil Kumar and his team for all the work they have done over the past year to make this happen. I am very encour-aged to see the efforts being made to entice the younger generation to the organization, and I do sincerely hope we can attract more young people to become members of the AKMG.

The new website is looking great and despite some growing pains, it has been a great blessing, for it has made the registration process quite quick. It has also become easy to go in and change our profiles. I would encourage all of you to check out the information on your profiles and update it as needed, so that we have up-to-date information, particularly your contact details.

Raji Menon, [email protected] from Canada…

As for news from Canada, we had our Inaugural mini convention on 15th May. It was very well attended and a great program put on by a wonderful team, led by Nigil Haroon, the president. Although this con-vention was mainly attended by members in Ontario, we hope to expand our activities and membership drive to the rest of Canada.

I also want to acknowledge Dr. Majeed Paduvana, who has already started to lay the groundwork for the next convention in Michigan. I wish him and his team all the very best.

Ultimately, I hope that we can keep this outstanding organization growing in strength and continue to make great contributions to the communities we serve, both in North America and back home in Kerala.

Hope to see you all in Miami soon!

The program for the final evening promises to be unforgettable. Mystic India—“The Intimate Experience”—is a breathtaking journey celebrating the cultural diversity of India through music and dance. A kaleidoscope of art, color and beauty, this performance is sure to mes-merize us all. In addition we have also some great singers from Atlanta. The suggested attire is formal or traditional.

Finally, the cuisine for the weekend will be both North Indian and Kerala style, provided by the best caterers in South Florida. We are working hard to ensure that your taste buds will be relishing the delicious dishes throughout the course of the convention.

On behalf of myself and the committee, we would like to thank those who have already reg-istered and hope to see all of you in Miami Beach.

— Usha Mohandas, MDAKMG Convention Chair

students, residents and fellows into their group. They have planned academic events as well as networking events for the youngsters. These events are not limited to those in the medical profession but instead include all children of AKMG members. The first ever AKMG Poster Session will be held at the convention and will showcase research and abstracts of researchers ranging from high school students to fellows. In addition, the Young AKMG team has organized fun and entertaining events for children and young adults, which include games, competitions, going-out events, etc.

The CME speakers are world-renowned faculty from University of Miami and other prestigious universities, sharing innovative and cutting-edge medical education. The course is designed to update clinicians in rapidly changing therapeutic areas with an emphasis on practical and useful information for clinical practice. We offer you 10 accredited CME hours upon completion of the course.

You will notice that the world class entertainment we bring to you this time is a little different. We bring you a taste of Miami flair with Miami Fiesta Night on Thursday evening which will include Salsa danc-ers, Miami’s local break dancers, and Latin musicians. This is followed by AKMG’s Got Talent, on Friday evening showcasing the talented AKMG youth and members. The Gala Night on Saturday will begin with a special musical treat by Sangeetha Gandharva Geethu Venugopal, and Atlanta’s singing sensation Satish Menon. This will be followed by our main event, MYSTIC INDIA – an Intimate Experience, a Broad-way style Bollywood musical, created, choreographed and conducted by second generation Indians right here in the USA. You can expect to see an explosion of colors and culture as they travel on a celebratory journey through India. This team of diverse, impeccably trained dancers have just completed their world tour with more than 350 shows.

If you have visited the AKMG website lately, you would have no-ticed its new look and feel. Please do check out the website and send us your comments. For your convenience, the convention registration and payment processing has been changed to a fully online process. The

2016 AKMG Florida ConventionContinued from page 1

From the PresidentContinued from page 1


conversion to a completely online membership process has finally been accomplished. Furthermore, the digital AKMG Directory is also up and running. Every attempt is being made to contact you. This will enable us to provide an updated online AKMG Directory available at your finger-tips. Therefore, if you receive a call at your office or home, please be kind enough to take a few minutes and return our call. If you wish to catch up with an old classmate or network with other AKMG members, updated information is essential. I cannot stress enough about the importance of keeping the digital AKMG Directory updated at all times. Please login to www.akmg.org and click on the Member Login and search for your file using your first and last name, and multiple searchable data from the pull down menu. Once you identify your file, click on Member Login and enter the universal password “09876”. This will take you to your profile in the AKMG directory. Click on “Edit Profile” to update your profile. Please change the temporary password to a personal password and make a note of it. Once your profile has been updated, and your password has been changed, click “SUBMIT” to save the information. Remember to logout once done. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

This has been a wonderful year and I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to serve as your AKMG President. I encourage everyone of you to come join us for the first AKMG convention in Miami Beach. Please register for the convention, and reserve your rooms at www.akmg.org so that you won’t miss this one of a kind convention. We have an awesome bunch of hard working doctors, who along with their fami-lies, have been passionately and diligently working to bring you the best convention ever. Come on down, and let’s have a blast!

Can’t wait to see you all in the Magic City, Miami Beach!

www.akmg.org 5www.akmg.org

We are sure that you are all aware of the tragic event that occurred re-cently at the Puttingal Temple in Paravur, Kollam. On the 10th of April, 2016 in the early morning hours, the Puttingal Temple experienced an ex-plosion and fire when an unauthorized fireworks celebrations went awry. As a result, 114 people were killed and over 400 were injured, including some with severe burns. The temple and at least 150 houses in the area of the temple were damaged by the blast. According to local reports and eyewitnesses, the explosion and fire were reportedly caused by sparks from firecrackers igniting a large stockpile of fireworks in a concrete storehouse. The temple did not have permission from Kerala government authorities to conduct a “competitive fireworks display”.

About 15,000 pilgrims were visiting the temple to mark local Hindu celebrations during the last day of a seven-day festival of the goddess Bhadrakali. The subsequent collapse of the building at the temple, the mad scramble and stampede by the panicked spectators, and the flying sharp objects resulted in injuries, burns and fatalities. Many of the in-jured are the sole wage earners of the families. Many of the charred bod-ies could only be identified by DNA testing.

Most of the burn victims are being treated at the ER and burn units of Trivandrum Medical College (TMC). A team of national experts are treating the victims. Due to overwhelming and multiple traumas, there were lots of amputations. To treat third degree burns, specialists from New Delhi were dispatched. There will be long standing consequences, both medically and financially, for the injured and their families.

AAPI Charitable Foundation has pledged its support and will join hands with the AKMG–HS in providing assistance to the Kerala Put-tingal Temple fireworks accident victims and their families. An email appeal was made to AKMG members in April after this tragic event. The response to this appeal was rather disappointing, and we raised only $1,450 so far from the AKMG members. We received $5,000 from the

AAPI Charitable Foundation. AKMG-HS will match the $5,000 con-tribution from the AAPI Charitable Foundation. We need to raise as much as we can to help the victims and their families. Please contribute generously. Please note that your contributions to AKMG-HS are tax-deductible, under 501(c) 3, Tax ID # 32-0051235.

Please donate generously to AKMG-HS and send the checks made out to ‘AKMG-HS’ to: Prem Menon MD, Att: AKMG-HS, 7822 Wayside Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70806.

Kollam Temple FireRelief Appeal

Prem Menon, MDChair, AKMG Humanitarian Services

[email protected]

Our online database and akmg.org website update has been completed. Many of you have already logged in to the new website and updated your profile including the contact information. If you haven’t already done the online profile update, please do so. This will help us to maintain an up-to-date database of all existing members, so that everyone can receive all AKMG communications (emails, newsletters, etc.).

New members are added to the database with a new member ID and profile. Currently the new member registration is through a paper ap-plication that is mailed in with a check. There is a lot of delay and frus-tration in this process. We are in the process of building an online new member application registration link with the option for a credit card

Tomy Paul Kalapparambath, [email protected] Out…

payment. I am hoping once we have the online application process, it should be a quick and smooth, paperless, checkless process! I am excited and glad to hear that the online registration and payment process for the Miami convention is going well. Hopefully we will execute a similar method for the new membership application process.

A discounted rate of $350 for life membership is now available through the Annual convention and will end on July 17th, 2016.

I hope the Miami Beach convention will give a boost to the member-ship drive. Please do encourage all our Malayalee connected Physicians and Dentists to join AKMG.

Kollam Temple Fire Relief Appeal YES. I would like to help. Here is my check.[ ] $250 [ ] $100 [ ] $50 [ ] $__________

Name:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Comments:

AKMG-HS (Humanitarian Services), our charitable foundation, has sup-ported various causes in the U.S., Canada and Kerala. AKMG continues to initiate and maintain multiple educational and other supportive activities in the various medical colleges in Kerala. This is so very much an important part of our obligation to give back to the communities in North America and India/Kerala that have supported our clinical education as well as ongoing professional activities.

Hello AKMG! We are your new youth leaders and we’re excited to meet you in Miami this July 14-16, 2016! It gives us immense pleasure to rep-resent the youth faction of the AKMG! In what promises to be a fan-tastic and exuberant convention in Miami this summer, we have exciting things to offer for the youth of AKMG. AKMG has always been a great opportunity to meet new friends, catch up with old ones and connect with young doctors from across the country! We have a great number of youth oriented activities planned for the coming year, for which we will have a tremendous head start in Miami!

This year, we have organized multiple youth centered mixers with other young doctors starting with happy hour on July 14th at Eden Roc! However, it is not just going to be all partying! On July 15th, we launch a brand new leadership panel led by magnates in medical industry. The leadership panel will discuss the ins and outs of applying for residency and medical school and the job-hunting process that will be targeted for residents, fellows and medical students! Medical students, residents and fellows of young AKMG also have the opportunity to display poster pre-sentations in front of other academic physicians! You never know what your ideas may spark and you could get a prize too! You will also have the opportunity to listen to what’s hot in Medicine today- our planned CME activities will let you listen to a wide variety of topics.

If you have talents to show-case, join “AKMG’s GOT TAL-ENT” night on July 15th! So whether you are a Presley or a Yesudas, or a Jackson or a Sho-bana, you’ve got to be in Miami to show us what you have! After

GOT TALENT, the youth will head to a Graffiti Mixer at Eden Roc with drinks, and then out for a night on the town! We will also host an open forum for young AKMG to brainstorm ideas as we move forward to solidify the youth involvement in AKMG. If you have ideas for the future such as networking, charity, educational funds, scholarships, come discuss them with us! If you want to get involved in AKMG and play a bigger role, come forward and let us know! On July 16th, we’ll all head to the Gala event with wonderful food and performances and afterwards, the youth will head to our last youth mixer in beautiful downtown Mi-ami!

These are exciting times for AKMG! AKMG is an organization that cherishes our culture and reminds us where we came from. There is a huge increase in youth involvement this year but we need to reach out and encourage more youth to join! AKMG needs members of all ages and we are stronger together than we are apart to help AKMG continue to grow into the future!

Join us and become an AKMG member and register today! http://www.akmg.org/convention2016/

Your AKMG Youth LeadersAnupam Kumar ([email protected]) andTracy Paul ([email protected])

From the AKMG Youth Leaders


Anupam Kumar [email protected]

Tracy Paul [email protected]

Why Join Young AKMG:• Annual Membership is free for medical students

and only $10 for residents/fellows. Joint member-ship is available for physician couples.

• Meet other young AKMG members (singles events) and reconnect with old friends

• Annual conferences including fun cultural galas, musical performances and clubbing events, future joint conferences with AAPI

• Mentoring services: connect young professionals with an experienced professional in their chosen field (MD, law, etc)

• Opportunity for medical students and residents to do poster presentations and attend CME; chance to win prizes (fancy restaurant gift cards for 2 and many more)

• Venue for display of your talent and hobbies like dancing, photography, art work

• Career advice, networking opportunities, profes-sional services, and resources to build your resume

• Connect with other physicians across the nation in various specialties

• Community service opportunities including 5K’s and volunteering

Visit our website:www.akmg.org/youthakmg.php

7www.akmg.org

AKMG Gala Night on SaturdayMystic India – The Intimate Experience

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From the CME Committee…On behalf of the entire AKMG organization, we would like to welcome you to the 37th Annual convention and Scientific Symposium in Miami Beach.

The CME committee is very proud and excited to announce the sci-entific symposium. This year’s symposium offers challenging and infor-mative scientific sessions with lectures and panel discussions by world leaders in the field of Medicine and several subspecialties. The faculty includes professors from McMaster University Canada, Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Miami, Universities of Florida and South Florida, University Of Alabama, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and more.

The Scientific Meeting and CME sessions are offered as a registrant benefit at NO EXTRA CHARGE.

At AKMG-MIAMI 2016 you will find:• Cutting-edge research presented by colleagues from the U.S. and

abroad.• Educational sessions that will provide ways to improve efficiency

and enhance patient care in your practice.• An exhibit hall showcasing the most recent Scientific Abstracts

and advances in technology.• Networking events to connect with old colleagues and make new

contacts.We are offering 10 CME credit hours through the Florida Medical

Association (FMA) that is accredited by the ACCME.We hope you will join us in Miami, July 14-16. Take three days away

from your office to be re-energized about your profession by learning and reconnecting with colleagues.

— K. R. Byju, MDChair, CME Committee

From the Souvenir Committee…Greetings from the Sunshine State! We are eagerly awaiting your arrival in Miami, Florida for the 2016 AKMG Convention. We are currently making the final touches to the Souvenir to make it a standout issue.

We hope that you will enjoy reading the articles, poems and beauti-ful artwork from our members and their families. Our advertisers and sponsors have done a wonderful job in supporting our cause, and we would like to thank each and every one who made it possible to have a successful Souvenir. We are looking forward to seeing you all in Miami!

— Dhanya Nair, MDChair, Souvenir Committee

AKMG Atlanta Chapter MeetingApril 29th, 2016

9www.akmg.org

AKMG Florida Chapter Meeting


AKMG is blessed with a wealth of talented individuals, some of whom have distinguished themselves as good writers. Here is a review of two very good books authored by two distinguished members from AKMG’s ranks. I recommend these books to every AKMG member without reservation.

‘My Mother Called Me Unni’ – A Doctor’s Tale of Migra-tion

‘My Mother Called Me Unni’ is a fascinating book, written in a style that captures your attention right from the beginning. It is an enigmatic yet uplifting portrait of life narrated by Dr.Venugopal Menon (Venu to his friends), who draws upon his cherished childhood in India and the teachings of his ancient heritage to question, understand, and ulti-mately assimilate into his new country, an exhilarating realization of the American Dream. Unni is a common name in Kerala, India, often used affectionately to address young boys. The author takes the reader on a remarkable journey that starts from his little town, Ernakulam, in the pre-independent India and after a few twists and turns ends in Houston, Texas, where he finally settles down for good.

Being the firstborn child of his parents–with six younger siblings at home, but it was his grandmother who actually raised him. He cred-its his maternal grandfather’s influence as the key for his future success. Being a precocious child, he started his school education in Grade 3. He talks fondly about his first alma mater – Sree Rama Varma High School– where he excelled in studies and his college days at Maharajah’s College in Ernakulam. Then he proceeded to Trivandrum Medical Col-lege where he met his future wife, Sreedevi. After a short stint in the Indian Army, he decided to go to Scotland for higher studies in medicine, much against the wishes of his family, where he had to deal with the simultaneous double punch of severe winter and home sickness. After one year, he packed up and migrated to USA where he did his Pediatric residency followed by Allergy fellowship, and then moved to Houston to join the famous McGovern Clinic.

Though he thought he was well settled in the US, he decided to go back home to India, an audacious move intended to make his parents happy. But in spite of his immediate success, for reasons beyond his con-trol, he had to pack his bags and return to USA where he was readily welcomed back by his old colleagues at McGovern Clinic, eventually be-coming the Director, and later the President, of the clinic. The troubles

the author and his family had to go through during this international relocation – the difficulties in accommodation, the adjustment for his children and all the other problems inherent in such a move from the west to east and back – are incredible.

Many of Venu’s favorite childhood memories center around the sights and sounds of beautiful Kerala—popularly known as ‘God’s own country’— and its natural beauty, vibrant colors, delightful music and exotic culture. All of these are described with authenticity in this book and bring nostalgia to those of us who came from Kerala and give others a yearning to visit the land.

Amidst all the family and personal stories, Venu has skillfully woven the rich details of the political history and diverse social customs of the state as well, such as how the communists came to power, how the ram-pant corruption has impeded the progress of the country, how the class and caste system continue to be practiced and more. The book is also beautifully illustrated with cartoon-like diagrams that make the stories truly come alive.

All in all, this is a compelling book that chronicles the author’s fasci-nating tale of migration from colonial India to the US, leaving the com-fort zone of homeland, confronting countless challenges and finally navi-gating his way to unparalleled success. It’s a truly engaging memoir of an illustrious life and career spanning seven decades, eminently worth read-ing. It’s also the inspiring saga of an educated migrant who, like many of his compatriots, achieved great success by dint of his hard work and intelligence and enriched his adopted country– a moral story for all of us to cherish and follow. Venu’s humility, integrity and intellectual spirit are reflected throughout the pages of this book. He can be truly proud of his literary accomplishment along with his professional and academic achievements. I wish the author every success in the coming years.

Eat Chew Live – 4 Revolutionary ideas to prevent Diabetes, Lose Weight & Enjoy Food

Addressing the burden of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D) has become an important issue as the prevalence of the disease continues to increase around the globe. As per the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, an estimated 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the U.S. population have dia-betes. Of these, 8.1 million people are still undiagnosed – a whopping 27.8%! And it is a common disease among Indians especially Malayalees, all over the world.

Two Great Books from AKMG Authors – For Your Summer Reading

M. P. Ravindra Nathan, MDPast President AKMG and Emeritus Editor, AAPI Journal

Venugopal K. Menon, MDHouston, TX

Outskirts Press 2016www.migrantsmemoirs.com US $18.95 Available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

John M. Poothullil, MD

Over and Above Press 2015www.eatchewlive.com$18.95Available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com


11www.akmg.org

In this context, a new book on diabetes has come out, one that specifi-cally addresses the various theories of T2D and how best to control the disease, if not prevent it. A welcome tool in our battle to fight the epi-demic of T2D, the book addresses many burning issues on the topic like ‘How to lose fat from fat cells and control your weight,’ ‘Ways to lower the consumption of carbs’ and finally, ‘How a complete overhaul on your eating habits – Eating what you enjoy and enjoying what you eat – can lead to better control of the disease.’ The book is the result of the author’s decades-long personal study and research that guided him to investigate the theory of insulin resistance and the biology behind the development of T2D. To quote the author, “Eat, Chew, Live presents four revolution-ary ideas that can help you change your relationship to food, learn to stop overeating, lose weight, and prevent diabetes. My recommendations are based on a scientific approach.”

One of the most intriguing elements of the book is the author’s new theory that T2D is caused by the consumption of grains that triggers a ‘fatty acid burn switch’, which causes muscles to burn excess fatty acids rather than glucose, creating high blood sugar. The author feels that by understanding the new theories and explanations presented in this book and following the author’s recommendations, one can effectively reverse T2D in most cases or at least control it better, so the daily requirements of anti-diabetic medications can be reduced. This book can also help those who are pre-diabetic or overweight, as obesity and diabetes are two major causes of illness and disability in the US.

Details in the book about the absorption and transportation of glu-cose after food intake, how the cells detect the presence of insulin, how one becomes pre-diabetic and then diabetic, and how obesity contributes to T2D are truly enlightening. Dr. Poothullil also talks about how our present day culture is food focused and our eating habits begin in child-hood and continue into adulthood, which is why obese kids grow up to be obese adults. “Chew your food slowly and appreciate it while you eat. This helps your brain send signals to regulate the digestive process that in turn alert you to stop eating when you’ve had enough nutrient intake,” he says. The end result is, you eat less and thus decrease the glycemic load.

The book is visually appealing, illustrated with colorful diagrams that are easy to understand and annotated with many patient testimonials like: “After implementing what Dr. Poothullil has described in his book, I have lost 33 pounds and reduced my insulin usage to one fourth of what I was taking before.” The book is a must-read for everybody who has been diagnosed with T2D and for all those who are involved with the care of diabetic patients like physicians, nurses and other caregivers. The scientific theories and metabolic details of T2D are presented and explained in a clear, jargon-free fashion, so non-medical people can easily understand the essence of the book.

The author’s goal in writing this book is ‘to help the reader live a healthy life without the fear of developing T2D.’ Most definitely that goal has been achieved. This is one of the best books I have read on the subject and is very useful to anybody who wants to prevent, reverse or control his/her diabetes with the least amount of medications. I strongly recommend you get yourself a copy and read it to learn the principles that govern the development of T2D and the rationale behind proper treatment and control.

Book ReviewsContinued from page 10

AKMG Michigan Chapter MeetingThis year is special for the Michigan Chapter members as we get started looking into another Michigan organized AKMG national convention. On May 14th, the anticipatory excitement was obvious when the mem-bers, their families, and friends gathered for the chapter’s CME/Social meet. The attendance was terrific as CME started at 5:30 pm on a fine Saturday evening. CME went smoothly with current topics by AKMG Michigan Chapter members.

CME was soon followed by social and cultural events.AKMG Presi-dent Dr. Sunil Kumar and his wife Vandana Kumar graced the occasion and gave a detailed overview about the Miami Beach Convention in July 2016.The Chief Guest of the evening was Dr. Louis Saravolatz, Chief of Medicine, St. John Hospital and the current Governor of the Michi-gan Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP).He officially inaugurated the fundraising for AKMG convention 2017 and wished AKMG annual conventions 2016 and 2017 all the success. Like in the past, AKMG and ACP can collaborate on future CME activities.

I am very proud and happy to say that our past AKMG Presidents from Michigan, who are great visionaries, were present to stand with me and support all the efforts for the Convention 2017. My sincere thanks to these leaders: Drs. Adoor Amanullah, Narendra Kumar and KC Joseph. It was a wonderful feeling also to see our past convention team leaders and members rubbing shoulders with our young physicians and families who are adding more energy to our chapter. Our Convention Chair for 2017, Dr.Tomy Paul Kalapparambath expressed thanks to all the attendees, families, friends and the sponsors. Dinner and entertainment followed.

2016 AKMG Florida ConventionEden Roc Resort Miami Beach • July 14th–16th, 2016

Miami photos courtesy of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, MiamiandBeaches.com; and Eden Roc photos courtesy of Eden Roc Resort Miami Beach.

Association of Kerala Medical Graduates Humanitarian Services3 East Grove CtFreeland, MI 48623-7805

37th Annual AKMG ConventionEden Roc Resort Miami BeachJuly 14th–16th, 2016

Non Profit Org.U. S. Postage

P A I DPleasanton, CA

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