JACK OF ALL TRADES

World Heart Day: ‘More Nigerians coming down with heart failure’       By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna lagos—As this year’s World Heart Day holds tomorrow, Cardiologists have raised alarm over imminent epidemic of heart failure among Nigerians even as the World Heart Federation, WHF, called for action to prevent 80 percent of premature deaths from Cardiovascular Diseases, CVDs annually. The experts lamented that most of the patient are artisans, who cannot afford the cost of one admission for heart-related disorders. Speaking in Lagos, a Consultant Cardiologist, Prof. Anam Mbakwem, lamented that heart failure patients require between four to five hospital admissions in a year, with each admission costing about N150,000 ($500). She said at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, between 20 to 30 per cent of all admissions at the hospital are related to heart disease and these patients are in the middle age. Mbakwem said: ...

It was another milestone yesterday in Babcock University as the first heart surgery was performed there by its doctors. The operation lasted six hours. The first beneficiary of this feat in the history of the university is a 34-year-old woman who brimmed with exceptional spirit as she calmly walked through the door with gaiety into the theatre for a life saving venture in the human hands of cardio thoracic surgeons: Professor Kamar Adeleke, Dr. Michael Sanusi, Dr. Mudashiru Lawal and Dr. Edward Anderson, all resident doctors, under God’s divine care. Dr. Anderson led the team for the operations. Those were not the only ones who were part of the epoch-making exercise. There were other 15 critical care personnel in the operating theatre to provide specific required services. They included perfussionists, cardiac operations nurses, internists and anesthesiologists. Yesterday’s surgery was a milk valve replacement. Today, another set of patients’ hearts are receiving car...

Myths about yoghurt and probiotics abound. To help dispel the misinformation and myths, here are the seven most common myths about yoghurt you need to know. It’s not our intention to bash yoghurt, only to present it in an accurate light. Myth 1.  All yoghurts are healthy: Not all yoghurts are healthy. Some are downright disgusting and contains more sugar than doughnuts. Some yoghurts are full of additives, colours and gums to thicken them and are best avoided altogether. Myth 2.  All yoghurts contain beneficial probiotics: Many yoghurts are heated during the manufacturing or shipping process and no longer contain the “live cultures” they claim to on the label. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out whether the yoghurt you buy contains live cultures other than to take a heaping tablespoon of it, add it to warm milk or milk substitute, and leave it to rest for six to eight hours. If you have a new batch of yoghurt from your experiment, then you know the original ...

The way some people pop painkillers seem to suggest that the drugs are candies with another name! It is such that many people don’t even consider the fact that they need to see a doctor or, at least, a pharmacist, to complain about whatever pain they may be feeling. Consequently, by the time many people finally think of seeking medical help, they are almost ready for the morgue. Perhaps after sleeping pills, the next commonest drug of abuse is pain relief medication. People take pain medications for the relief of pain in various parts of the body and also for various health challenges. Many people are even unaware that certain pain medications are better suited for certain ailments and are therefore better prescribed by a competent professional, who will also monitor the effects, especially when such drugs are to be used for extended period, as in the treatment of chronic pain conditions like arthritis, cancer, etc. It has been revealed that chronic pain relief drugs — also ca...

Today we shall continue where we stopped last week on the various antioxidant solutions to impotency. All the distress, and each of those problems, can easily be avoided. However, by accomplishing these simple processes, understanding and believing –absolutely believing – that early impotency or Erectile Dysfunction is not the end of the world and that it is not permanent, and that you are not ‘broken’ for the rest of your life, and it can be cured without even much stress; is paramount to getting out of the problem. Just keep reading the series of this article, take what is said to heart, and then follow the instructions and guidelines. It will also help to learn about and to understand various problems which are due to manmade imposed impotency or Erectile Dysfunction, and know how to find a solution to them. The first man imposed illness that every sufferer of early impotency or erectile dysfunction people experience and which should be avoided is depression. Studies have shown...

A new study led by a UC San Francisco sleep researcher supports what parents have been saying for centuries: to avoid getting sick, be sure to get enough sleep. The team, which included researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, found that people who sleep six hours a night or less are four times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to the virus, compared to those who spend more than seven hours a night in slumber land. This is the first study to use objective sleep measures to connect people’s natural sleep habits and their risk of getting sick, according to Aric Prather, PhD, assistant professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and lead author of the study. The findings add to the growing evidence of the importance of sleep for our health, he said. “Short sleep was more important than any other factor in predicting subjects’ likelihood of catching cold,” Prather said. “It didn’t matter how old people were, their stress levels, their race,...

Want to feel more confident and energetic? Stand up straight and strut your stuff because there’s a connection between posture and mood. Vivian Eisenstadt is an orthopaedic and sports physical therapist, postural specialist, and spiritual psychologist. She believes our physical, mental and emotional states interact and affect each other on a moment-to-moment basis. “Poor posture carries energy with it,” she said. “Depression, fatigue, and insecurity are just some of the feelings that are associated with shoulders forward and forward head posture.” Eisenstadt said expressions like “keep your chin up” and “hold your head high” exist for a reason. “Standing straight exudes a sense of pride, confidence, and promotes happiness. By standing straight, you actually feel better. Try it right now. I’ll bet you feel sexier.” “Strut your stuff” carries energy with it, she said. “There is a higher self-esteem that good posture gives you.” If you want to get that job, that audition, tha...

A patient of mine, an undergraduate, came for consultation. A pregnancy test was done and the result came out positive. I had congratulated her, but to my surprise, she was moody. The following conversation then ensued between us: Doctor:  Congrats, you have started another journey of nine months. Patient:  Thank you. Doctor:  how many kids do you have and how are they doing? Patient:  I have two kids (then she started crying) Doctor:  (After giving her about five minutes to express her feelings) It is well, this must be a cry of joy! Patient : Doctor, I lost one of my kids two months ago. Doctor:  What happened to him? How old is he? Patient : He was 11 months old. He slept well overnight, and in the morning, I bathed him and later attempted to feed him. Then I noticed that the child was stiff and was not moving anymore. Doctor:  Sorry about that. Didn’t you rush him to a hospital? Patient:  I did. I got to the nearby hos...

Amaranth :  The grain-like seeds have a mild, nutty taste. It’s higher in fibre and protein than wheat and brown rice. It’s loaded with vitamins, and it’s been shown in studies to help lower blood pressure and harmful LDL cholesterol. Amaranth cooks up just like rice. Toss it with grilled vegetables as a bed for chicken or steak. Pu-erh tea : A fermented Chinese tea with an earthy flavour, Pu-erh can literally shrink the size of your fat cells. The tea significantly lowers triglyceride concentrations (potentially dangerous fat found in the blood) and belly fat in the high-fat diet groups. It’s a natural fat-blaster, along with barberry, rooibos and white tea. Fenugreek : This tangy, curry-scented herb is used in many tasty Indian dishes. It can help regulate blood sugar and lower your blood-sugar response after a meal, by delaying stomach emptying, which slows carbohydrate absorption and enhances insulin sensitivity. Find it in Indian stores. Mix a teaspoon of pure fenugreek ...