Health Essentials
Aging is magic
About half a decade ago, many of my friends hit that “magical age” and it’s extremely exciting. I have clients who have lived in excess of four scores and are still doing extremely well.
We are all aware of the risks that many people also face as they age; family, friends and neighbours may treat them badly and some are even branded as witches and wizards. How unfortunate!! A ripe old age should be celebrated daily.
For many of us years of cigarette smoking, excessive use of alcohol, too little exercise and too much food especially fats and sugars do physical damage that is often wrongly attributed to age.
I think we are always in a hurry to give age a bad name and hang it. There are many misconceptions about aging that tend to let many people “give up” as they celebrate several birthdays.
The arguments continue; humans can live for three-scores and ten as stated in the Bible, others say 120 years is the magic ceiling. Many people will resist spending a day on earth past their seventieth birthday till they are sixty-nine years old and realise that there is really no need to hurry.
With all apologies to Methuselah, Abraham and their age-mates but currently the longest well-documented life on record belongs to Jeanne Calment who died in France in August 1997 at the ripe age of 122 years (I stand to be corrected).
Are we all destined or programmed to live that long? I doubt that but we can do much more than we have been made to believe at ages even in excess of 70 years. I know many people will start challenging the 122 years I have put out but please hold your horses; my grand-aunt is alleged to have died after spending over 130 years on earth. Do I believe that? Well, that is another story.
1. “To be old is to be sick”
a. If you are like 99.9 per cent of us, you will have major issues with your health if you do not take the right steps to protect yourself but if you adopt the right lifestyle, you will rake in several years yet feel well.
b. You can age gracefully and remain independent for several years. Many elderly people especially women can easily perform activities of daily living and beyond with ease well past their 80th birthdays.
2. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”
a. You must have heard this several times over. It has forced footballers who could salvage the country’s ego to retire prematurely, politicians have bade goodbye at the peak of their career and many adults even in churches have taken a backseat all because of the erroneous impression that they will not be able to learn the new trends in their trade.
Surely, if you spend all day watching television and avoid even reading and basic walking then you are setting the stage for major deterioration otherwise you have all it takes to continue serving the world in various categories.
I am not encouraging elderly people to stay indefinitely in positions at the detriment of young minds, far from that; I believe we often allow people to fall into the shadows too soon.
b. The belief among the young and the old that the elderly can’t sharpen or broaden their minds creates a disturbing cycle of mental inactivity and decay. The less people are challenged the less they can perform. The limits of learning and especially the pace of learning are more restricted in the aged than in the youth but research shows that older people can and do learn new things and they learn them well.
3. “Your horse is out of the barn”
a. We need to dispel the false and discouraging claim that old age is too late for efforts to reduce risk and promote health. Many adults feel that what they have lost is gone forever, but that is not exactly true. It is better to start healthy habits early and sustain them for a lifetime but for those of us who have strayed there is good news; we happen to be in the majority and nature is remarkably forgiving.
b. All too often when I ask patients with lifestyle diseases to start exercising I hear “I am too old to exercise.” Few things can be further from the truth than that, no matter how late you start exercising or modifying your life, you will be better off. The important point to note is to start slowly and avoid competing with people much younger than yourself. Regular and appropriate exercise for your age, gender and level of fitness is the way to go.
4. “Your secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely”
a. Some countries would probably be empty if this were possible. How easy it would be for people to say “everyone in my family dies of a heart attack by age 30 so I will not bother to work hard. Fortunately for us life does not work that way.
b. The role of genetics in aging is important but it has been exaggerated. We should be able to distinguish familial habits and experiences from genes. So if all members of a family enjoy eating large loaves of bread, several balls of kenkey, greasy fast foods and spend long hours in couches watching television, it has to be habits we have picked up as a family and has nothing to do with our genes.
c. We know that diet, exercise and even medications may delay or completely eliminate the emergence of disease. Genes play a key role in promoting disease, but they are certainly less than half the story.
I believe I have made it crystal clear that you have more control over what you can do or not do as you age than you ever thought. Beyond the exercises, healthy eating and avoiding excesses, it is important that you ensure active mental stimulation (solving puzzles, reading), keeping up relationships with friends and relatives (relationships where there is mutual respect can be priceless) , putting your finances in order and do not downplay spirituality.
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 – “Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” –B Friedan
Reference:
1. “Successful Aging” by John W. Rowe, MD and Robert L. Kahn, Ph.D.
• Many people face risks as they age
• Talking to God has a way of calming nerves
The prostate gland, a small but essential organ found only in men, plays a key role in reproductive health. It produces fluid that nourishes, protects, and transports sperm, yet many focus only on its connection to prostate cancer.
Location & Function
- Situated between the bladder and penis, with the rectum behind it.
- The urethra passes through the prostate, carrying urine and semen.
Common Prostate Conditions
1. Prostatitis – Infection of the prostate:
- Symptoms: chills, fever, pus-like urethral discharge, painful urination, groin/testicular pain, painful orgasms, erectile dysfunction.
- Advice: Seek professional help; do not self-medicate.
2. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) – Non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate:
- Symptoms: frequent urination (especially at night), urge incontinence, difficulty starting urination, weak stream, painful urination, blood in urine, terminal dribbling, and in severe cases, inability to urinate.
- BPH can be extremely painful, sometimes compared to labor pains.
3. Prostate Cancer – Common among men, especially black men, often aggressive and with earlier onset:
- Risk Factors: older age, African descent, family history, obesity.
- Symptoms: frequent urination, straining, blood in urine/semen, weak urine flow, new erectile dysfunction; advanced stages may include fatigue, weight loss, and bone pain.
Diagnosis
- Digital rectal examination – checks for irregular or hard areas.
- PSA test, biopsy, ultrasound, CT/MRI/PET scans, bone scan.
Management
- Holistic approaches include watchful waiting, medication, surgery, and radiation (external & brachytherapy).
- Always discuss all options with your healthcare provider.
Risk Reduction Tips
- Regular screening
- Healthy, varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, cauliflower)
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercise at least 5 days a week
Final Advice
- Share this information – the prostate needs support!
- Maintain good hygiene, walk and exercise daily, pray, and know your numbers (blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI).
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
Dr. Essel invites readers to the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Wellness Festival on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 6 a.m., to walk, exercise, network, and share ideas to stay healthy.
Contact: dressel@healthessentialsgh.com
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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Health Essentials
Stop the silent killer: Breaking myths to prevent sudden deaths from high blood pressure
Every week in Ghana, a life is cut short, sometimes in the middle of traffic, sometimes at a desk, sometimes in the quiet of sleep. A father doesn’t come home. A sister doesn’t wake up.
A colleague slumps at work and never gets back up. Families are left asking why and you will hear statements like what happened? Was he sick? I just saw him, he has not shown signs of ailment, what a shock and so on.
Behind many of these sudden tragedies is a quiet, invisible force: high blood pressure, or hypertension. It doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t always show symptoms. But it tightens its grip silently on hearts, on brains, on lives.
This is not just a medical issue. It is a human one, it is about behaviour, it is about ignorance and it is about lifestyle. It is the grandmother who never got her blood pressure checked because she felt “fine.”
It is the taxi driver, the statistician, the nurse who ignored his pounding headaches, thinking it was just stress. It is the young lady who was so vibrant at church and no one suspected she could fall and die. Because it shows no symptoms.
The alarming numbers we cannot ignore
The Ghana’s 2023 STEPS Survey on Non-Communicable Diseases conducted by The World Health Organisation, Ghana Health Service and Ghana Statistical Service has revealed findings that should push for action.
According to the report, 21.7 per cent of adults aged 18 to 69 in Ghana are living with high blood pressure. Even more alarming is that 51.1 per cent of those with hypertension are not aware of their condition.
This means that more than half of the people with dangerously high blood pressure are walking around without knowing it until tragedy strikes. That is the real danger of this silent killer.
Literature has shown that hypertension is preventable and manageable. But only if we treat it like the threat, it is. That means regular checkups; that means understanding the risks and that means talking about it openly, urgently, and with compassion.
The deadly power of myths
Why are so many Ghanaians untested or untreated? Is it out of ignorance, or the pervasive myths about hypertension and its treatment?
• Some believe blood pressure medicine “weakens the body” or “shortens life.”
• Some believe blood pressure medicine “weakens the penis and kills sexual drive”
• Others think once you start taking medication, you are “dependent for life.”
• Many say, “I feel fine, so I must be fine.”
These beliefs are not only false, but they are also deadly. The truth, according to the World Health Organisation, is that effective treatment can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 40 per cent and heart attack by 25 per cent. Avoiding treatment does not prevent dependence rather, it accelerates death.
As Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, has noted, “Hypertension is preventable and treatable, but our biggest battle is misinformation and late detection.”
A national conversation we must have
This is not just a health issue it is a national emergency. Sudden deaths rob families of breadwinners, communities of leaders, and the country of its productivity. In every obituary notice caused by hypertension, there is a story of loss that could have been prevented with a simple blood pressure check and treatment.
Behind every life saved is a moment of awareness, a decision to act, therefore, the media must rise to the challenge.
Radio and television programmes should dedicate regular airtime to demystify hypertension. Newspapers should carry survivor stories, expert interviews, and practical lifestyle advice.
Social media influencers should spread awareness in local languages, reaching young people who assume they are safe.
Public health experts also have a responsibility. Screening must move beyond hospitals into churches, mosques, markets, schools, and workplaces. People should not have to wait for illness to know their BP status.
What we can do together
To stop the silent killer, we need a collective response:
• Check your blood pressure regularly, even if you feel healthy.
• Follow medical advice faithfully if diagnosed because treatment saves lives.
• For healthy lifestyle, eat less salt, reduce alcohol, reduce starchy, fat and oil intake, avoid smoking, and exercise at least 30 minutes daily.
• Encourage one another talk about blood pressure in families, communities, and workplaces.
Conclusion: Silence is killing us
What kills is not just the disease, but the silence, fear, and myths that surround it. The STEPS 2023 report has sounded the alarm: nearly one in five Ghanaian adults has high blood pressure, and more than half don’t even know it.
This is the time for bold conversation, public education, and decisive action. The media, health professionals, policymakers, and ordinary citizens must join forces to expose the myths, spread the facts, and save lives. Let us not wait for another headline.
Let us make blood pressure a national conversation before it becomes a personal tragedy. With awareness, treatment, and collective will, Ghana can stop the silence and stop the sudden deaths from the silent killer.
Written by: Ansah Moses Teye-Akam – Senior Statistician, Sociologist/Scientific Research Organisational Expert.
Email: moses.ansah@ statsghana.gov.gh/ansahmosesteyeakam@ gmail.com.gh Contact: 0244539034 / 0204359034
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