Health Essentials
Battle of the pandemics
It’s another brilliant day in Sikaman but I am at a loss as to why so little is said about Climate Change especially, at this time when thousands of Climate Change experts, pretenders and world leaders are deliberating on the way forward. The weather in the mornings is terrific and everything looks serene. You will not believe that a few hours later chaos will once again take hold of our roads and create scenes that mimic a jungle.
A little over six years ago when I wrote on “Dr. Essel’s Pick of The Fatal Five” COVID-19 did not earn a call up simply because it was not known. At the time my FATAL FIVE were:
- Cardiovascular Disease (heart and blood vessel disease)
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Malaria
- Diarrhoeal Diseases and Ebola
If I had to reproduce this list in 2021, I will need to replace Ebola with COVID-19 and probably drop diarrhoeal diseases because of the miracle of handwashing but I am not sure yet. Then the almighty Climate Change and Road Carnage will be knocking on my door for consideration. If we have to look for an international flavour then maybe Climate Change will need to replace Malaria. Why? Climate Change like most of the others affects everyone in the world and has far reaching consequences including worsening instances of malaria that may make the malaria vaccine not optimise its benefits, increase the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, heart diseases, loss of jobs and incomes and poverty. This is scarier than we are making the world to understand.
It is amazing how people continue to disrespect our laws to the extent that some even drive facing oncoming traffic and the annoying aspect is that they are in a hurry to do nothing. Why will you cause accidents by driving without a brain in potholes interspersed with strips of tarred road? We intentionally make life difficult or are we simply tired of living and hope that by “committing suicide” we will re-incarnate as citizens of another country where milk and honey flow on gold-plated streets?
There are many pandemics that we have neglected for years and I noticed a trend since September where all these Fatal Conditions seem to be shouting hoarse for attention. World Heart Day came up in September reminding us of heart and blood diseases and the fact that it claims almost 18 million lives annually while keeping many others from being productive and wallowing in pity and poverty. Then Breast Cancer Awareness Month hit the scene in October throwing light on many cancers but with a focus on the breasts. For years at least one person is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and even that is a huge understatement. Fast forward to November and World Diabetes Day is just around the corner while the world attempts to reach a consensus on Climate Change; we all know too well what to do but keep shifting the posts.
We have been living with all these pandemics for years and we do not appear to want to change the status quo. I sometimes wonder if it’s easier to invest in prevention or to wait till complications set in and we have to drain our pockets and national coffers and stretch out open hands for hand-outs?
Will it be easier to fix roads and ensure discipline? Should we all choose to be more physically active, watch what we eat with emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetable intake while limiting salt, sugar and oils? Should screening for cancers be more aggressive?
Is the marketplace, an office or even a shop safer than a hospital or clinic when it comes to the spread of COVID-19? I see the precautions people take when they enter a health facility where protocols are relatively tight and clients are screened. Clients will maintain appropriate distance from others, keep masks on and rarely speak BUT these same people will enter a shop a few minutes later, pull their mask below their mouth, talk like there is no tomorrow and touch so many products on display while taking breaks to rub one’s eyes. I am sure you get the picture. We need to maintain the same discipline everywhere. Quite often we let our guard down where it matters the most.
I have more questions than answers and I hope you can help me out.
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/ St Andrews Clinic/Mobissel
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–“80 per cent of heart disease is curable.”- Essential Heart Guide 2012 (Mayo Clinic)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
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
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
