Health Essentials

A NATION MOURNS WHILE BATTLING A PANDEMIC

The year 2020 will always be remembered for the wrong reasons but even in the midst of the chaos there are great lessons that one can learn and many of us will find inner strength that we never knew existed deep within us.

Thursday, November 12, 2020 started beautifully just as most days do then by mid-morning the skies became cloudy and soon after news started trickling in that our former president, Jerry John Rawlings has taken an unexpected trip to his maker. The mood in the country mirrored that of Tuesday, July 24, 2012 when we lost our sitting president Professor J.E.A Mills. This comes at a time when the pandemic is already causing enormous mental health challenges and we need to marshal all the resources available.

Sometimes we are preoccupied with many unnecessary things and never pause to appreciate a person until it is too late. Some people may even be angry because they think things should have followed a different path. That is not ours to determine; it is the sole right of the bearded one above. Whichever group you may belong to, it is your right to express yourself. We all grieve differently and I can assure you there is no right or wrong way to grieve, neither is there a specific grief path that we all need to follow but one thing remains possible, there are healthy ways to cope with pain that in time can renew you and permit you to move on. Time definitely heals many wounds.

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering that one experiences when someone you love is taken away by death for instance.

Remember these as you grief

Ignoring your pain will not make it go away faster. It will rather make it worse in the long run. Express your emotions even if it means you have to do it in “private”
There is no need to be “strong” in the face of loss; crying does not make you a weak person. Feeling sad, frightened or lonely is normal at such a time.
There is no appropriate period to grieve: for some it may last only a few days while for others it may take over a year. It varies from one individual to another.
The fact that you are not shedding tears does not mean you are not deeply hurt. You may be equally or even much more affected than someone who is raining tears.

Over 40 years ago, a psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described 5-stages of grief. Definitely many of us were in DENIAL on the morning of Thursday, November 12. Remember we all grieve differently and we may not go through all the stages. Some of us will also not go through grief in the order listed by Kubler-Ross, a fact that she pointed out herself.

Denial – “this can’t be happening to me”
Anger – “who is to blame”
Bargaining – “make this not happen and in return I will…”
Depression – “I am too sad to do anything”
Acceptance – “I am at peace with what happened”

Common Symptoms of Grief

Shock and disbelief
Sadness – this is probably the most universal symptom
Guilt – you may regret or feel guilty about what you said or did not say or do
Anger – even if the loss was nobody’s fault you may experience anger and resent
Fear – a significant loss may trigger a host of worries and fears. One may feel anxious and even insecure.
Physical symptoms – grief may go beyond emotions and we may experience inability to sleep, body pains, fatigue and even nausea.

Together we can cope in a healthy way

Get support
1. Seek comfort in people who care about you. Fortunately in our current situation, we have millions of people to share our thoughts, feelings and fears with. This can ease the pain. The media houses are doing a fairly good job at that.
1. Draw comfort from your faith – this is a great time to pray, meditate, read words of inspiration from the Bible, Quran etc. it helps to know that there is a superior God whom we can cast our burdens on. Those who do not have a religious leaning may have some challenges in this area.
Take care of yourself
1. Face your feelings instead of avoiding or suppressing them all the time
1. Express your feelings in a tangible way – it is refreshing to read or listen to people share their thoughts on radio, television, in newspapers, on facebook, twitter and a host of other avenues. If you do not have access to any of these or it may be inappropriate for you at this time, you may write your feelings down on paper
1. Physical health is important – when you feel good physically, you will also feel better emotionally. Combat the sadness and fatigue by eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep. Do not use alcohol or drugs to numb your feelings; you may be asking for trouble.
1. Do not dictate how others should feel and neither should they determine what you feel. We all grieve differently.
1. Plan ahead for grief “triggers”. It is important to know that we will occasionally find ourselves in the woods even after it appears we have overcome our pain. You may need to be well psyched in certain situations; in our case when the National Anthem is played or sang, when speeches by our departed president are replayed or as factors leading to his demise are “interrogated”
1. Remember that all humans grieve and you have done nothing wrong by grieving

When to seek professional help

Time is a great healer of many things including pain. After a while we expect that the intensity of our pain etc should wane. If it does not and we have any of the feelings below then we need to seek urgent professional help.

Feel like life is not worth living
Wish you had died with your loved one
Blame yourself for the loss or failing to prevent it
Feel numb and disconnected from others for more than a few weeks
Having difficulty trusting others since your loss
Are unable to perform your normal daily activities.

Nana Konadu and children, Ghanaians share in your pain and we will continue to pray with you. It is our prayer that God keeps JJ in His bosom. May God bless Ghana.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic

(www.healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.

Thought for the week –“Every individual in this universe experiences grief at one stage or the other. Death is the universal truth and no one can avoid it.”

Reference:

Helpguide.org – “coping with grief and loss – understanding the grieving process”
www.people-health.com

Health Essentials

Do you want to be happy?

• Talking to God has a way of calming nerves

Don’t we all dream of a life that is filled with laughter? That may be a reason for chasing big bucks, which like the Golden Fleece eludes the majority of us.

Financial Wellness is extremely important but there are other factors that make us happy and healthy and eventually wealthy.

I will introduce a few everyday activities that are guaranteed to make you happy if you continue practising them.

You definitely do not need to live in Finland to experience happiness even though many people agree that is the “headquarters” of happiness.

1. Wake-Up Ritual

a. Say to yourself that today will be a beautiful day or a great day!

b. Ask God what He has in store for you. Use me Lord (if not a Christian what you believe in will be useful as well.

c. Remind yourself of your purpose in life and get out of bed.

d. Do Not grab your phone as the first thing for the day.

2. Pray

a. Talking to God has a way of calming our nerves. It brings about unexplained peace and when we add praise and worship then the floodgates open. That is how to win battles against unhappiness.

3. Smile

a. Definitely floods your body with feel good hormones and insulates you from stress.

b. Smiling is infectious so the more you smile the better and you set off a smiling OR happiness domino effect.

4. Meditate

a. Extremely good for your brain and an easy way to start is to do deep-breathing and just focus on your “breath” excluding all others. That is what some will prefer to call mindfulness. Being in the moment has immense benefits. Things you never knew existed suddenly spring up.

5. Exercise

a. That wonder drug that trumps virtually all others. Like smiling it does pour out feel good hormones. Strength training even goes an extra mile causing our muscles to act as “pharmacies” that pour out life-changing signals every time they contract.

6. Be kind to yourself & to others

a. We are often too harsh on ourselves. Give yourself a break. Self-care is the real deal!!

b. Being harsh to others has no benefits.

7. Spend some time doing nothing!

a. We need to re-set from time to time. Spend about 10 minutes a day doing absolutely nothing. There is happiness and innovation in “idling”. Do not abuse idling though.

8. Spend time with loved ones.

a. This is another powerful happiness “hack”. You have to make time and be intentional about this; talk on phone, send messages, arrange to meet for a drink or meal. Social Wellness ranks very high on the happiness index and it’s fairly easy to plug into it.

b. While spending time together remember that your choice of food and drinks also impacts on how happy or sad or anxious you may feel.

9. Indulge in a hobby.

a. Our bodies and brain love variety. Do you have a hobby? Get one

10. Write in your gratitude diary.

a. That is all it takes – keep doing it regularly.

11. Get a pet.

This list is not exhaustive but definitely a good start. Share your happiness hacks with me via email and together we can keep the world smiling and happy.

At the end of each day ask yourself if you did better than the previous day. That is all it takes. Doing better than the previous day for 365 days, for 5 years, 10 years… How amazing that will be!!!

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/ Medics Clinic

(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week – “There is no magic formula to being happy but making a conscious effort to be happy goes a long way.” – Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials

Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer

May 17 is World Hypertension Day and please do not panic. This is not a stress-filled day that aims at increasing your blood pressure but rather it’s a day set aside to increase awareness of a serial yet silent killer. That is exactly what Hypertension it; its killing the young and old at an alarming rate yet in most instances people with high blood pressure may feel absolutely well.

The theme for this year is “Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer”

Do these when you take your blood pressure since the accuracy of the reading matters:

• If you have been walking or running rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes

• No caffeinated drinks or alcohol two or three hours before checking blood pressure

• Sit (sometime you may need to stand or lay in bed) comfortably with your back rested/supported and your arm for the cuff resting on a table of firm surface

• Have your feet flat on the floor and not legs crossed

• Ensure the cuff is the right size for your arm

• If using an electronic monitor ensure battery is working well

• If clothing covering arm is thick remove

• Loosen your neck-tie or belt if uncomfortable

• If you are not conversant with checking blood pressure, get the appropriate training

Global statistics show that only 50 per cent of those with hypertension are actually aware and that awareness in some areas may be as low as 10 per cent while awareness may exceed 75 per cent in a few areas.

The bitter truth is some people do not have enough information about the condition, a significant number do not have easy access to measuring their blood pressure and a few stubborn ones think it is better not to know if something is going wrong.

What do we need to understand about our blood pressure numbers? There are ALWAYS two numbers in a blood pressure reading such as 120/80mmHg. The top figure represents the force of the blood against the artery (blood vessel) walls as your heart beats and the lower value represents the force on the walls in between beats or while the heart rests. Both numbers are important.

Essentially when your blood pressure is higher than it should normally be all organs in the body are exposed to elevated pressures since arteries supply blood to every part of the body. These sustained high pressures will be causing harm gradually every minute of the day.

Prevention of high blood pressure is based mainly on adopting the appropriate lifestyle, while having regular medical check-ups to pick up conditions that can may lead to hypertension if not tackled early. Management of hypertension on the other hand requires a three-pronged attack in most situations;

• Lifestyle modifications

• Regular medical checks to pick up other conditions that be worsen our hypertension or general wellbeing

• Use of appropriate physician prescribed medication

Age and our genes may have a way of increasing our blood pressure or predisposing us to hypertension, but since we have no control over the choice of our family and years rolling by, it may be worth focusing on the above three that we can control to a large extent.

Lifestyle Modification

• Exercise adequately

• Do not smoke

• Limit or avoid alcohol

• Aim at fat (weight) loss

• Manage stress appropriately

• If you have sleep apnoea (intermittent snoring during sleep and feeling tired and sleepy on waking up) seek medical intervention

• Adopt the DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet; low sodium (salt), increased potassium from fruits and vegetables, low or no saturated fats and increased fibre.

• Control conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol challenges and kidney disease.

Exercise need not be rushing to the gym to sweat out only, but taking walks, gardening, cleaning your home, using the stairs and many others. Exercise increases heart function and lowers blood pressure but there is a little hitch: the benefits of exercise on blood pressure do not last beyond 72 hours.

In short frequency is the watch word. Do not be a once a week or once a month exercise fan. The effect of exercise on the heart does not rely on past glory so if you were an athlete years ago but you have now become one with your sofa, I am sorry to disappoint you but you need to get moving NOW!

All types of exercises will benefit you and lower your blood pressure but a word of caution here;

• When your blood pressure is not controlled DO NOT lift weights above your head

• Do not overdo exercises of the upper body but lower body exercises such s squatting will enhance lowering of your blood pressure.

• Breathe properly especially while you train with weights; breathe out during the exertion phase as you lift a weight and breathe in while you relax.

• Of course brisk walking, swimming, use of the treadmill and other exercises that target heart function are also a must

When all is said and done, you can never know our blood pressure without measuring or checking it. Take a few minutes to check your blood pressure and ensure at least one other person checks their blood pressure before the end of the month.

Associations, companies and all identifiable groups should ensure they check their blood pressure and go an extra mile and as a corporate social responsibility help to check the blood pressure of hundreds or even thousands of people. You will be saving lives.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel

(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)