Health

DRINK UP FOR LIFE – Rehydrate for Great Intelligence

Practical tips to help your child do well in school

Do your child’s teachers say he/she’s finding it hard to concentrate in class? Before you start panicking about a future of failed GCSE, JSSC / SSCE or GCE and delinquent behaviour, give him/her a glass of water. Experts suspect that inadequate drinking facilities at schools could be affecting your child’s physical and mental health.

All children need to drink regularly throughout the day,” says Paediatric dietician Judy Moore, but recent surveys have revealed that one in ten schools has no between meals drinking facilities. And, where a water tap or fountain does exist, it’s usually in the toilets not the best place for a drink. This means many children have poor fluid intake during the school day.

So how much is enough? About six to eight glasses of water a day, according to the Paediatric Group of the British Dietetic Association and more in hot weather or after exercise. Less than that and a child can become dehydrated, a condition that can lead to dizziness, fatigue, headaches and constipation. Dehydration can also affect a child’s ability to concentrate: remember the brain is about 78% water, after all.

Some schools now allow pupils to keep water bottles on their desks with very positive results. The quest for good education in many develoed and developing countries meant that the learning day is now extended beyond 2.30pm.

The children who have adequate intake of water say they feel fresher and have fewer headaches. If your child’s school doesn’t allow drinking bottles, it may be worth raising the issue with the head.

NATURAL WAYS TO PREVENT DISEASES

—LIVE LONGER

How would you like to live longer and feel healthier?

  1. Control your weight, have the right weight, so that you are neither overweight or underweight.
  2. Establish regular eating habits with no snacking between meals. Learn and try not to eat late. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  3. Enjoy a hearty and well balanced breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
  4. Make your alcohol intake moderate
  5. Treat yourself with seven to eight hours of sleep every day. Afternoon and power naps also counts.
  6. Stay with a moderate and consistent exercise program
  7. Do not smoke
  8. Go for regular medical check ups.

These seven health habits will definitely make a positive impact on the quality and longevity of your life. But the eight golden laws of health will help you live even more healthily, and longer.

These eight natural remedies are: Pure Water, Fresh Air, Rest, Temperance, Sunlight, Exercise, Nutrition and Trust in God.

THINK FIT

Think F.I.T.

To make physical improvements, you need to work your body harder than usual. This is referred to as the overload principle. As your body becomes more conditioned, you need to increase the frequency, intensity, or time of your workouts in order to continue improving your fitness level.

Frequency: How often you exercise. For beginners, consider starting with 2-3 sessions per week.

Intensity: How hard you exercise. For example, the pace you walk or run, the amount of weight you lift, or your heart rate count.

Time: How long you perform an activity. ‘Time” can also refer to the number of sets or repetitions you perform in weight training.

Relieve yourself of desk pressure and save your spine.

Studies have stated that one have to stand up and rest our backs while sitting down working on our desks. We are supposed to get up from our desks every two hours or hourly if we can. Then take a break of about ten minutes. This rests our backs from the pressure of constant sitting down and our eyes from constant stare on the screens. Of course, if you’re hunched over your desk all day, that’s going to cause aches and pains. But Business or work pressure and concerns about money also seem to make people hold themselves in a very stiff, tense way all the time.’ A study in the journal Spine suggested that people who react badly to stress were more likely to use the wrong muscles when picking things up. Massage and physiotherapy can help in the short term, but it is imperative to find ways to relieve the pressure. It helps to have a strategy at ways to ease your workload, and build in some routine in stress-management techniques such as gentle form of yoga or meditation which can help soothe anxiety. Taking regular breaks from our desks are more necessary now a lot of people are working from home.

The link between irritable bowel syndrome and anxiety.

Many people experience the abdominal pains, bloating and digestive problems linked with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at some point in our life, according to the IBS Network. Diet plays a role, but it’s pretty much accepted that all bowel problems are at least partly linked to emotions.

Stress can disrupt digestion and, if you’re constantly anxious, your digestion could be permanently affected, leading to constipation, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Certain stresses could be particularly linked to IBS. People prone to IBS tend to find social situations and public speaking very difficult.’ That might explain why you may get an upset stomach before the presentation.

Help yourself with a healthy diet and relaxation techniques.

The link between perfectionism and migraines.

If you are constantly having migraines, it could be that you are a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a trigger emotion of migraine. It could be that you like everything to be perfect and you worry when they are not. A study in the international journal of eating disorders found women with migraines were more likely to be perfectionists, they are more likely to restrict their diet.

When you have the need to be controlling all the time, that could lead you to have low levels of serotonin which in turn may cause you to have headaches. Learning to relax and accommodate the things we can not change and also knowing that no one is perfect can help reduce the incidence of migraines in many cases. You can also help your self by counting your blessings and having a sense of humour. Furthermore, you can also learn to delegate and accept that you don’t have to do everything by yourself.

What is toxic shock syndrome.

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare, but severe, type of blood poisoning that affects about 40 people a year in the world half of whom are women using tampons. Therefore your risk is very, very small.The condition can be fatal if not treated soon enough, but this is rare. It’s caused by bacteria that usually live harmlessly on your skin and in your vagina, nose, groin or armpit, producing toxins that overwhelm your immune system. Most women are not at risk because they produce antibodies against the toxins that cast TSS. Its not known why tampons can increase the risk of TSS, but to reduce the tiny risk, always use the lowest-absorbency tampon for your blood flow, change tampons at least every four to eight hours and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Prevent heart attack

HOW TO PREVENT HEART ATTACK AND HEART FAILURE

HEART FAILURE (PUMP FAILURE)

When a person does not pass an examination, we say that he has failed. This essentially means that he has been unable to perform up to expectation. So also, we talk about organ failure when a body organ is unable to perform its function up to expectation. Thus we have heart failure, liver failure, renal failure, joint failure. We can even talk about brain failure!

WHAT IS HEART FAILURE?

The heart has failed when it is unable to perform, to fulfill the demands of the body. The heart thus fails to do its job, which is pumping blood throughout the body. Heart failure can be as a result of many heart problems. But it may also be due to too much blood for the heart to pump with resultant overloading of the circulation.

HOW DOES THE HEART FUNCTION AS A PUMP?

The heart together with the blood vessels constitutes the cardiovascular system. Analogy can be made to the water pump at home and the system of pipes of different calibres distributing blood to all parts of the body. The heart is made up of muscles that contract right from the time we are born and duly stop when we die. It is about the only organ in the body that works ceaselessly throughout our lifetime. The heart is divided into four chambers right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle. The blood coming back to the heart gets into the right atrium and is pumped into the right ventricle which in turn pumps out blood to the lungs and then back to the left atrium and finally into the left ventricle. From this very powerful muscular pump, blood is pumped out to all parts of the body through a very big pipe called aorta. From the aorta the blood flows through smaller arteries to all parts of the body and then collected into veins and back to the heart.

The chambers of the heart are linked by valves in either half of the heart. The average person has about five litres of blood, which circulates right around the body all in one minute. However when a person exercises, the heart speeds up and the heart may pump out up to 25to 30 litres in one minute!

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HEART FAILURE?

Probably the commonest cause is hypertension. Other causes include anaemia, diseases of the valves of the heart, heart attack, lung diseases. Sometimes, the heart pump causes failure because it is overloaded with too much body fluid in the same way a pump can fail if it has to do excessive work. If there is too much resistance to the blood flow it can result in an overworked heart, which can result in failure. Similar to a pump working against narrowing of the pipes with sludge. Another cause of heart failure is from a heart that is beating irregularly, (cardiac arrhythmia) or heart that is beating too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia).

A GLASS OF WINE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH .

Conflicting stories about the benefits and dangers of alcohol appear in the newspapers so frequently; it is no wonder people feel confused about the issue. The simple answer is that alcohol can be good and bad; it’s all a question of how much you imbibe. It comes down to that old adage a little of what you fancy does you good.

One to two units of alcohol a day may help protect the heart possibly by raising levels of the good cholesterol, known as HDL. Large amounts of alcohol increase the risk of stroke, weight gain and diabetes and can trigger abnormal heart rhythms. Don’t forget, the average glass of wine at about 125mls, is about one and half units and a large glass is two units. A bottle of wine with 9% alcohol by volume contains about seven to seven and half units and an 11 percent bottle between eight and nine units.

Why aerobic exercise is good for you.

Did you know that aerobic exercise increases the health and function of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. For maximum effectiveness, aerobic exercise needs to be rhythmic, continuous and involve the large muscle groups (primarily located in the lower part of your body). Walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic dance, and stair climbing are examples of activities that use large muscle groups. Activities combining upper and lower body movements such as cross- country skiing, rowing, and swimming can lead to even higher levels of aerobic capacity.

Check your salt intake.

Beware of the hidden salt in the food we eat. How much are you eating? If you want to avoid a number of health issues try cutting down on your salt intake

According to the food standard Agency (FSA) most of us are consuming far too much salt. On average it is estimated that adults consume 12g of salt a day, twice the recommended 6g (equivalent to one teaspoon a day). The same applies to children who are consuming on average 6g daily, twice their recommended amount (3g per day). The reason why this is of such concern is that there is now overwhelming evidence to suggest that a high salt intake is responsible for a whole host of serious health problems. One of effects of eating too much salt is that it raises your blood pressure increasing the risk of strokes and heart disease. A recent Committee on Medical Aspects Report On Nutrition and Heart Disease concluded that reducing the amount of salt we eat by one third could reduce the number of strokes by 22% and heart attacks by 16% saving at least 34,000 deaths a year.

But high salt levels are also linked to many other health concerns including osteoporosis, cancer of the stomach, asthma, fluid retention and kidney stones.

Babies are particularly vulnerable as they are unable to process large quantities of salt. A high salt intake in the early months can lean to kidney, liver and brain damage another reason to keep babies on breast milk for at least the first four months. Children are also at risk especially as they often consume a high level of salty foods.

High blood pressure, prevention and cure

Keep Fit, Stay Fit, Stay Healthy. Always good to relax in a serene environment.

Blood pressure is the force in the arteries occurring when your heart beats (systolic pressure) and when your heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). It’s measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). High blood pressure, known as hypertension, is defined in an adult as blood pressure greater than 140mmHg systolic pressure or 90mm Hg diastolic pressure, which is shown as a reading of 140 over 90. It’s a problem as it directly increases your risk of coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. It’s common among people over 35, and is particularly prevalent in the mode-aged and elderly, the middle-aged women on the pill and heavy drinkers. It may run in families, but lots of people with a family history of high blood pressure never have it themselves. Those with diabetes, gout or kidney disease are susceptible, too.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECOVER FROM CORONA VIRUS

Recovery time from corona virus covid -19 depends on how sick you are. Some will have just a mild symptoms, some would require some invasive treatment while some would be asymptomatic.

How to have a good physical and mental health

WHAT IS STRESS?

Just being alive creates stress. It is a natural fact of life for everyone. Anything that happens in your life has the potential for being stressful. Those things are called stressors. It is not the event of the stressor that produces the feelings of distress, but how you react to the stressor. In life 10% is what happens to you and 90% is your reaction to it. How we think determines the way we process stress. Our thinking styles govern the behaviours or strategies we use to cope with stressors. In turn, the resulting levels of stress influence our well-being and our physical and emotional states.

Contrary to popular belief, there are two kinds of stress:

DISTRESS is the kind that results in bad feelings. Distress results in strain and wear and tear on the mind and body.

EUSTRESS is the positive type of stress: enhancement, exhilaration and excitement. Eustress leads to growth and satisfaction.

How we think about an event or a stressor will determine whether we experience eustress or distress.

N/B: In life 10% is what happens to you and 90% is your reaction to it.

WHAT CAUSES DISTRESS?

Consider the experiences you have over the past two years. These life events could have been a child leaving home, transferring to a new area, trouble in a relationship, or a change at work or business or redundancy. The greater the number of life events, the greater the potential that you may experience stress. The frequency of these events, however, may not in themselves produce stress. How you think about the events and what you do as a result of that thought is more important. For example, a redundancy or a transfer from one’s state of origin may bring about an abnormal fear of failure (distress), but for someone else it is viewed as an opportunity to achieve something new (eustress). The thought patterns in our heads have a great deal to do with the kind and level of stress we will experience.

Pinpointing Symptoms of Stress: Do this activity to establish the level of your stress (tick Yes or No)

YES    NO

I used to be good at taking decisions but I am now finding it

rather difficult

I used to be good at taking decisions but I am now

finding it rather difficult

I find it difficult to concentrate

I find it difficult to think straight

I keep forgetting things

I keep getting negative or irrational thoughts

I experience palpitation

I have spells of dizziness I get frequent headaches

I have a ringing tone in my ears

My breathing is shallow

My eyes get tired and sore

I perspire a lot

I feel tired most of the time

I keep bursting into tears

I have lost my self-confidence

I suffer mood swings

I feel drained

My self-esteem is low 1 keep getting angry

I feel apprehensive

I feel unhappy

I feel as if something terrible is going to happen

I feel frightened

I feel helpless I feel hopeless

I feel depressed

I feel nervous

I feel anxious

I find it impossible to relax

I choke on my drink often

My time management is poor

I have lost interest in sex I have become obsessive

I talk non-stop

I loose the thread of what I am saying

Habits, Health & Happiness

Interpreting your scores

Check your YES scores.

The higher your number of YES scores, the more you may be putting yourself at risk of stress related illness. If you have answered YES to all the questions, this indicates a very high level of over stimulation; you need to take immediate action to avoid the risk of over stimulation and burn out syndrome. Look carefully at your YES scores and consider what you can do to achieve a more balanced lifestyle.

Check your No scores

NO scores indicate an easy going personality, if your NO scores are high, you are unlikely to be at risk of stress. However, a high NO score could possibly indicate under stimulation or procrastination, so beware.

Consider carefully both your YES and NO scores in order to achieve a more balanced lifestyle. Follow these tips:

  • Lighten up, you only live once
    • Live, love, let go and be happy
    • Accept that everyone makes mistakes including yourself
    • Listen to other people’s opinion and views
    • Improve yourself esteem by praising other people and yourself too
    • Trust other people and delegate
    • Slow down, give yourself a break before you break down
    • Stop setting yourself rigid and unrealistic goals
    • Nurture yourself, take life as it comes
    • Learn the value of relaxing and having fun instead of always struggling
    • Chill out

30 minutes walk a day keeps the doctor away

Don’t get left out, exercise yourself into good health.

It is difficult for most of us to be active enough these days. In earlier generations, physical exercise was a part of normal everyday life.

Now for many of us it is all too easy to jump in a car rather than walk or we simply seem to be just too busy to exercise.

Health experts advise that regular exercise such as brisk walk or some sort of mild indoor activities can improve our health and keep the Doctor away.

So what are the benefits of being more active?

  • More energy
  • More stamina
  • More happiness
  • A lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke
  • Reduced risk of cancer of the bowel
  • Greater self confidence
  • Relief from stress and depression
  • A better shape and appearance
  • Stronger muscles
  • A lower risk of osteoporosis (thinning of bones)
  • Lower blood pressure
  • A higher level of the ‘good cholesterol’ (HDL Cholesterol)

In fact, moderate exercise such as tennis, dancing, squash, golf or a brisk walk for 30 minutes, five days a week, can reduce your chances of developing coronary heart disease.

If you are unlucky enough to have a heart attack, if you have kept yourself fit you are twice as likely to survive. Look after your health now to enjoy life longer.

The health benefits of apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is golden-hued vinegar made from apple cider. In order to be converted to its vinegar counterpart, apple cider undergoes a double fermentation process. The process starts by adding yeast and beneficial bacteria to the liquid from apples, which turns the sugar within to alcohol. In the second fermentation process, acetobacter, or acetic acid-forming bacteria, is added to turn the alcohol to vinegar. Organic and unpasteurized ACV, which is the most beneficial, contains traces of the “mother of vinegar”, a substance composed of cellulose and acetic acid that appears as a web-like sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The vinegar ‘mother’ contains all the good stuff, like enzymes and probiotics.

Other benefits of apple cider vinegar include, being rich in enzymes and potassium, it supports a healthy immune system, it helps weight control, it promotes digestion and pH balance, it helps maintain healthy skin. I reduces cholesterol and also reduces sugar levels.