Features
Under nutrition, growth failure, overweight and micronutrient deficiencies
Ekow Grimmond Thompson, Emotional Surgeon
Under nutrition, growth failure, overweight, micronutrient deficiencies, and osteopenia (a condition that begins as you lose bone mass and your bones get weaker) happen when the inside of your bones become brittle due to loss of calcium. It is very common as you age.
Total bone mass peaks around age 35. Sometimes, osteopenia is a precursor to osteoporosis (nutritional comorbidities that affect the neurologically impaired child). Monitoring neurologically impaired children for nutritional comorbidities is an integral part of their care.
Early involvement by a multidisciplinary team of emotional surgery specialists, physicians, nurses, dieticians, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists, and social workers is essential to prevent the adverse outcomes associated with feeding difficulties and poor nutritional status.
Careful evaluation and monitoring of severely disabled children for nutritional problems are warranted because of the increased risk of nutrition-related morbidity and mortality. Neurological impairment refers to a broad spectrum of neurological disorders that are characterised primarily by gross and fine motor dysfunction and may be associated with cognitive or speech delay.
Under nutrition and overweight lead to increased health care use, hospitalisation, and physician visits, as well as diminished participation in home and school activities. Adequate nutritional support may restore linear growth, normalise weight, improve health and quality of life, reduce the frequency of hospitalisation, decrease irritability and spasticity (muscle and joint deformities/muscle stiffness causing movement to be less precise and making certain tasks difficult to perform/muscle fatigue/abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction).
It is a symptom associated with damage to the brain or motor nerves, increase alertness, enhance developmental progress, improve wound healing and peripheral circulation, decrease the frequency of aspiration, and ameliorate gastro esophageal reflux (acid reflux occurs when the stomach contents back up into the esophagus and or mouth) in these children.
Children with neurological disabilities usually have progressive weight deficits due to fat loss, although muscle and visceral proteins are maintained. Some children demonstrate a lack of weight gain in the presence of linear growth, leading to a decreased body mass index (BMI). Others have progressive muscle atrophy (decrease in size and wasting of muscle tissues. With muscle atrophy, your muscles look smaller than normal.
Muscle atrophy can occur due to malnutrition, age, genetics, a lack of physical activity or certain medical conditions unresponsive to nutritional intervention because of their underlying disorder. Although neurologically impaired children usually are shorter and weigh less than unaffected children, a small proportion may be overweight based on weight-for-height or triceps skinfold thickness criteria.
The prevalence of overweight may be underestimated because weight-for-height gains are overlooked in the presence of a small body size or an aberrant distribution of body fat that may be present in some neurological disorders. Weight-for-height comparisons may be monitored less frequently than weight alone because of the difficulty obtaining accurate height measurements.
Non-nutritional factors including the type and severity of neurological disability, ambulatory status, and cognitive ability contribute to growth failure in neurologically impaired children. Children with seizures or spastic quadriplegia (a form of cerebral palsy that affects both arms and legs and often the trunk of the human body and face) and those who are non-ambulatory have lower height Z scores than children who lack these disabilities.
Children with spastic hemiplegia (a type of cerebral palsy that occurs when the condition of muscle stiffness impacts one full side of the body) have smaller measures of breadth and length on the affected side, suggesting that the neurological defect influences growth. Inherent genetic factors may be associated with permanent linear stunting. Height-for-age Z-scores may decrease with advancing age independently of weight-for-age Z-scores, suggesting that the effect of scoliosis (abnormal lateral curvature of the spine). It is most often diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence.
The spine’s normal curves which occur at the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions in the sagittal plane contractures worsens over time. Height and weight Z-score deficits generally correlate well in neurologically impaired children, suggesting that nutritional factors contribute to their growth failure.
Nutritional status explains 10 to 15 percent of the variability in linear growth in children with cerebral palsy. Nutritional status has a stronger effect on linear growth in younger than in older children, attesting to the irreversible effects of long-term under nutrition on growth.
I have often been saddened by the condition of Sikaman musicians. Of course, some are not musicians. They are jokers who think anybody who can sing a hymn is a musician. And why wouldn’t they think so when people think that every man wearing a rasta hair is a reggae musician?
Well, these days, almost everybody is dreaming of becoming a musician, even some ministers and parliamentarians. And it is never too late for them to begin learning the solfas and composing songs like “If You Do Good You Do For Yourself,” after all, life begins at 60 these days. If you die three years later, that’s your luck.
For the jobless, becoming a musical star is an everyday dream. They think when you are a music maker, you automatically break alliance with poverty. They are often mistaken.
I know people who claim they are musicians but are always fasting not because they are devout moslems or are on a hunger strike, but because even one square meal a day is a perpetual wahala. And the only drink they can afford is the poor man’s holy whisky which has a thousand names including ‘Nyame Bekyere’.
Even most of the popular musicians we see in town claiming they are foreign-based stars are more of hustlers than musicians. When they tell you they are going on tour abroad, it is a careful way of saying they are going overseas to scrub the whiteman’s toilet or pick tomato or apples to save their neck from musical poverty.
When they are back to Sikaman, they appear quite flamboyant with chains hanging all over them. They change the few dollars they have scraped, spread it around and promptly get broke. Then they can organise another ‘tour’. In between tours, they struggle to release an album and that levels them up a bit on the financial balance.
It all points to the fact that the life of the average musician isn’t quite organised. He has no calendar, no programme and no concentration on the job. He has to wash plates, become a waiter, janitor and toilet scrubber while finding time to make music. No musician succeeds in life that way.
One musician I’ll always respect, who thinks deeper than the ordinary Sikaman musicians is Carlos Sakyi. He is not like the Kokoase guitar musicians who see the world just in terms of bitters, a willing girlfriend, constant supply of kokonte and jot.
Carlos, often loved for his percussive overtones in gospel music, and once a gospel-rock star, has studied the life of Sikaman musicians and has evolved a blue-print for a great improvement in their lives work, finances and comfort.
In short, he has simulated a Motown-style environment for musicians and his formula is working with accuracy with the five musicians he has started with. The blue-print is what has brought MEGASTAR into being. It was launched on September 15, 1995 at the National Theatre.
When it got launched, many probably thought Carlos was “too know or was dreaming more than he should and won’t think about himself. Anyhow, the MEGASTAR is now an institution musicians can look up to, a big phenomenon with lots of promise for struggling musicians.
Music business in the developed world is not the way we regard it cheaply here. A musician is never distracted by how his finances go; his contracts are entered, his engagements made, his interviews arranged, his personal security guaranteed.
Music is his business and that is where his mind is and his attention focuses. Other aspects of his life are programmed for him by his managers. They hire who has to light his cigarettes, massage him, drive his car and the one who will say “Good Luck” when he sneezes.
A bodyguard whose face is exactly like that of the devil is hired to scare off muggers, psychopaths and criminals in general. Sometimes his girls are organised for him.
So the only thing the musician does apart from sleeping and snoring is to concentrate on making music, and true to it, no one can succeed in any venture when he is distracted.
This is how the Michael Jacksons, Lionel Richies, Dolly Patons and Whitney Houstons have made it with dollars packed and over-flowing. They aren’t any better than Sikaman musicians. The only difference is that they know how to organise their lives.
I managed to corner Carlos Sakyi and asked him to tell me how MEGASTAR was doing. He is the Managing Director of Megastar Limited, a music company that has a board of directors and a chairman. Carlos Sakyi shares the proprietorship with a partner. Carlos himself was one great musician who played for a band that beat Eddy Grant on the charts.
“Megastar is in fact a concept born out of the idea that the future security of the Ghanaian musician which has always been in jeopardy can now be guaranteed. Artistes spend too much of their time doing things on their own, chasing money and not concentrating on music. So their full potential is never realised. Some are in fact producing at quarter-rate. That is why they aren’t making much headway,” he told me.
“Megastar is now giving them the chance of the lives. We handle the interviews of Megastar artiste, their press releases, costume, engagements and everything they hitherto used to do themselves. We get them exposed on M-Net and we have contacted BB to get on their programmes. We handle their finances pay them salaries and bonuses, so they only have to concentrate on music
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we do not make all the decisions. Management always meet with the musicians to take the decisions that affect them.”
But who are the Megastar musicians? One is the great Amakye Dede, a star from birth delivered onto the earth with music on his lips; he is the man who feeds hungry ears with musical salad and harmonic sausages. He is the recipient of many national awards.
Next is Naana Frimpong, a latter-day Carlos-groomed songbird with the voice of an angel. She sings to kill. Her beauty has charmed her audience and they stare and stare at her.
The sensational and fantalising Tagoe Sisters are the next. The twin music machine is one that has produced the cream, arguably the very best, of gospel music all these years. I hear they are inseparable; not even their better-halves can keep them apart. Are they Siamese? They dance, and when on stage, they move the crowd.
Then comes Reverend Yawson who is a known songwriter. He is imbued with the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and of course sings in tongues. He is God’s representative on the group.
What about my good friend and super-heavyweight, Jewel Ackah? He is a star figure. His appearance is awe-inspiring, his voice golden. A great delight to be-hold when at his best in stage-craftsmanship, he has beaten his contemporaries to it both on land and on sea.
They are the pioneers of the Motown idea. They are all releasing new albums this year. Let’s see how it all goes.
In recent years, the term “female rage” has gained significant traction, symbolising a collective shift in how women’s emotions are perceived and addressed.
This phenomenon is not merely a fleeting trend but a profound movement rooted in centuries of systemic injustices, personal betrayals, and societal expectations.
As women increasingly reclaim their anger, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted nature of female rage, its causes, and its implications for individuals and society at large.
The historical context of female anger
Historically, women’s emotions have been subject to dismissal, ridicule, and pathologisation. The term “hysteria,” originating from the Greek word for uterus, was used to describe women’s emotional states as irrational and uncontrollable.
This legacy of silencing and shaming has contributed to a culture where women’s anger is often suppressed or stigmatised.
However, with the rise of feminist movements, women are challenging these narratives, asserting their right to express anger and demand change.
The anatomy of female rage
Female rage is not a monolith; it is a complex and multifaceted emotion driven by various factors, including:
1. Societal expectations: The pressure to conform to traditional roles of passivity, politeness, and emotional labour.
2. Gender inequality and pay gaps: Frustration stemming from systemic discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
3. Sexual harassment and abuse: Trauma and anger resulting from pervasive violence and objectification.
4. Emotional labour and burnout: The unsustainable burden of managing emotions and responsibilities in personal and professional spheres.
5. Hormonal fluctuations: The impact of hormonal changes on emotional states, often overlooked or dismissed.
The power of anger: Reclaiming female rage
Far from being a destructive force, female rage can be a catalyst for change. When acknowledged and channelled constructively, anger can drive advocacy, policy reform, and resistance against inequality.
The #MeToo movement, women’s marches, and increased representation in politics are testaments to the power of collective female anger.
Addressing the Stigma: Towards a more inclusive dialogue
To fully harness the potential of female rage, society must address the stigma surrounding women’s anger. This involves:
1. Validation and recognition: Acknowledging women’s emotions as legitimate and worthy of attention.
2. Creating safe spaces: Providing platforms for women to express anger without fear of backlash.
3. Education and awareness: Challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of women’s experiences.
4. Support systems: Offering resources and support for women dealing with trauma and systemic injustices.
Conclusion
The age of female rage is a moment of profound transformation, where women’s anger is no longer silenced but celebrated as a force for justice.
By understanding the roots of female rage and addressing the societal structures that fuel it, we can move towards a more equitable and compassionate world.
The journey is complex, but the destination-a society where women’s emotions are respected and their voices are heard is worth the struggle.
References:
[1] Chemudupati, P. (2022). _The Rage of Women: A Historical Perspective_.
[2] Traister, R. (2018). _Good and Mad:
By Robert Ekow Grimond-Thompson
