Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

Paediatric dental specialist Dr. Shifa Shamsudeen discusses the work The Tongue Foundation, a non-profit founded by her, will be doing.

Did you know breastfeeding is a bulwark against diseases for both mother and child? Do you wish more people knew this? If you do, then join hands with The Tongue Foundation which looks for support groups to create awareness about mother-child health, in Chennai.

Founder of the non-profit The Tongue Foundation, Dr. Shifa Shamsudeen is establishing her first paediatric dental clinic, We Little, in Chennai soon, and she seeks to replicate the Foundation’s work in Coimbatore, where it has doctors, researchers and parents on board.

“The Foundation informs the general public about how the tongue as a muscle is related closely to many other parts. It starts with breastfeeding, then goes on to teeth development, eating and breathing. It even has a link to cardio-vascular diseases,” says Dr. Shifa, who has earlier worked at various hospitals in Chennai.

“We are trying to find an association between non-functioning tongue, hyperactive deficiency and attention deficiency,” she says, adding that the Foundation is collaborating with researchers and doctors, locally and globally, to initiate more research into the role of the tongue in breastfeeding.

“Bottle feeding can cause narrow jaws and also narrow the wind pipe, eventually leading to disjointed teeth. We are trying to break this chain by creating awareness,” says Dr. Shifa, adding that the group used talks, workshops and seminars towards this end.

“In the past we had associated with Coimbatore Parenting Network to conduct sessions regularly, but we need more people to help us take the Foundation’s activities forward,” she says.

In Chennai, the Foundation wants parents’ groups to spearhead a campaign against bottle feeding, with support from them.

“Or, if you stay in a gated community, invite us over for a talk,” she adds.

For details, visit www.thetonguefoundation.org

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> Wellness / by Liffy Thomas / February 27th, 2021