News
Diabetes and speaking in “tongues”
I have on several occasions had the unpleasant duty of telling family, friends and clients about a medical condition that they may be challenged with; heart disease, stroke, HIV, COVID-19, cancer etc. but none of them seem to have the same impact as DIABETES. Many people who have never seen the inside of a church building will break out into uncontrollable “tongues” that will amaze even the Apostles at Pentecost. That is how much diabetes is feared and it can cause havoc if not managed properly.
Diabetes on its own will not kill even if it wipes your bank account dry BUT the organ complications that come with poor management or no management is the killer. That is why the theme for World Diabetes Day (November 14) from 2021 to 2023 is ACCESS TO DIABETES CARE. Insulin which is the mainstay of diabetes and its management was discovered a century ago yet millions of people with diabetes around the world cannot access the care they need.
NO “SUGAR-COATED” STATISTICS
463 million adults have diabetes worldwide
To put in perspective, if people with diagnosed Diabetes were a country on its own, their population will be more than that of the USA.
THE International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts that 700 million people worldwide will have diabetes by 2045. Well, unless we all do something drastic.
Diabetes complications caused 4.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019.
Adults with diabetes have a two to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes (WHO, 2020).
85 per cent of the world’s foot amputations are a result of a diabetic foot ulcer. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018).
African-Americans are four times more likely than whites to have a diabetes-related amputation. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018).
Diabetes Retinopathy (long-term damage to retinal blood vessels) causes 2.6 per cent of vision loss worldwide. (WHO, 2020).
TELL-TALE SIGNS of DIABETES
The majority (90 per cent to 95 per cent) of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes and this starts slowly and we may often ignore the warning signs.
If we can test for COVID-19 for FREE and vaccinate for FREE, I dare say we owe it a duty to test every person over the age of 18 years for diabetes. Let us not wait. We have to stop the march towards 700 million people.
Be wary of these and see your healthcare professional immediately:
Increased appetite or unexplained weight loss
Slow-healing cuts
Frequent yeast infections (including “whites”)
Pain or numbness in extremities
Vision changes
Fruity or sweet-smelling breath
Fatigue or weakness
Dry mouth or dry skin
Extreme thirst
Frequent urination
TO-DO LIST STARTS TODAY
We cannot avoid certain risk factors such as age, people in our family with diabetes (family history) BUT we can modify some factors that will prevent or prolong the onset of prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes and complications of diabetes. Many of these require individual effort and that essentially means the power is in our hands to a large extent.
Today I will start the following and keep at it and I pray you do the same too;
Maintaining a healthy weight
The body loves moderation. Being underweight or overweight is a risk for several diseases including diabetes.
Losing 5 per cent to 7 per cent of body weight and exercising at least 150 minutes a week in addition decreased the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in a study group by up to 58 per cent.
Eating a healthy diet and in the appropriate quantity
We definitely are what we eat…Haven’t we all had enough sugar? Can we start by cutting out sugar and reducing our portions of refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white rice?
Persistent physical activity or exercising at least five (5) days a week.
Yes by all means walk, ride a bike, swim and engage in interval training but also ensure you do “resistance exercises (using free weights, resistance bands, weight machines etc.) increased strength in adults with Type 2 diabetes by 50 per cent and improved glycated haemoglobin by 0.57 per cent.” (Diabetes Care, 2016). Glycated haemoglobin is a measure of our long-term control of blood sugar.
Managing Stress
Stress affects every part of our body and health. In addition to flooding our bodies with cortisol that will lead the charge to lay down fat in our midsection, it also affects our eating pattern, sleep duration and quality, drinking habits and exercise schedules. Unfortunately it does all these in the negative way.
Checking blood sugar
We surely need to check our blood sugar with or without symptoms of diabetes
Do not be stuck on just fasting blood sugar but sometimes insist on random blood sugar when you take a sample two hours after a meal for instance or even get a glycated haemoglobin test as well. Oh and there is no harm in checking your urine as well.
Diabetes is a PANDEMIC too and we need to take it more seriously. The cost to individuals, families and countries when people have diabetes and especially those with complications has always been underestimated. Very often we overlook the social, mental, physical/productivity aspects and focus only on the financials and even that has totally gone through the roof and is targeting space. I hope we can all do our bit to reach especially those who cannot afford to test and adopt the appropriate lifestyle. May the powers that be listen and act.
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 Ltd
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 –“In 2012 about 56 million people died throughout the world; 620,000 of them died due to human violence (war killed 120,000 people, and crime killed another 500,000).
In contrast, 800,000 committed suicide, and 1.5 million died of diabetes. Sugar is now more dangerous thangunpowder.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow
References:
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
World Health Organisation (WHO)
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
THE Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called on traditional authorities, religious leaders and community influencers to stop shielding perpetrators of gender-based violence and allow the law to work.
She said too many cases were being buried at the community level, with abusers protected while victims were pressured into silence. This, she stressed, must end.
Dr Lartey made the call on Tuesday at the national launch of the 2025, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, held at the Kaneshie Main Station in Accra.
This year’s campaign, observed globally from November 25 to December 10, is on the theme: ‘Unite! End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.’
It highlights rising incidents of cyberbullying, online stalking, image-based exploitation and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls.
The minister urged the media to use their platforms to condemn abuse and intensify education, noting that no person should “die in silence’’ in a society that values dignity, equality and the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
She also encouraged women, girls, men and boys to report any form of abuse, assuring the public that support services were available to all, regardless of age or social status.
Dr Lartey described gender-based violence as one of the most pervasive human rights violations in Ghana. She referenced a 2016 Domestic Violence Survey showing that 27.7 per cent of Ghanaian women have experienced domestic violence, as well as a 2014 Demographic and Health Survey which revealed that 32 per cent of girls aged 15–24 believe wife beating was justified—an indication of harmful societal norms.
Calling the situation “unfortunate and sad,” she stressed that the nation must dismantle cultural beliefs that excuse or normalise violence.
Outlining government actions, Dr Lartey announced that Cabinet has approved the revised National Domestic Violence Policy, while the updated Domestic Abuse Bill and its Legislative Instrument were being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department.
She also disclosed plans to operationalise a national shelter in Accra and begin constructing the 16 regional shelters promised to strengthen protection systems for survivors.
Additionally, the ministry has trained 200 market leaders as paralegals and 100 professionals, including psychologists, medical workers and legal experts, to support victims with referrals and counselling.
UNFPA Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, reaffirmed the agency’s support for Ghana’s efforts. He unveiled a nationwide initiative titled “16 Stations, 16 Routes, 16 Destinations,” which will use the country’s public transport system to raise awareness on gender-based violence.
In partnership with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the initiative will promote stickers, public announcements, training and codes of conduct to ensure that transport stations become safe spaces where commuters, traders, porters and young people can access information and hotline services to report or prevent abuse.
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CHILD Rights International (CRI) is urging the government to adopt a firm and comprehensive national policy to safeguard the religious rights of students in secondary schools, insisting that no child should be denied education or the freedom to express their faith.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Accra, the organisation said the recent controversy involving Wesley Girls’ Senior High School highlights deep-seated gaps in how children’s rights were upheld within the country’s long-standing educational structures.
According to CRI, the incident underscores the need for Ghana to reassess the relationship between school traditions and the constitutional rights of students.
The group emphasised that the right to education and the right to religious expression were fundamental, and must be reflected consistently in rules and practices across all schools.
Additionally, CRI noted that many well-known mission institutions such as Holy Child School and St. Louis Senior High School operate on religious foundations that have shaped their administrative cultures for decades.
These differ significantly from state-established schools like Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua, Tamale Senior High School and Achimota Senior High School.
This contrast, CRI argued, raises an important national question and what policy framework has guided these mission schools since their incorporation into the public system?
Although the government has declared all such schools secular, they continue to function as government-assisted institutions, maintaining a hybrid structure that leaves them neither fully autonomous nor entirely under the Ghana Education Service (GES).
This unclear arrangement has led to inconsistent rules on discipline, conduct and religious expression from one school to another.
CRI warned that the absence of a unified and enforceable national policy leaves significant gaps in the protection of children’s rights.
While rights may be universal, the group emphasised that their protection depends on strong and clearly defined state regulations.
The organisation further stated that the State has yet to assume full regulatory authority over the schools it supports financially. As a result, key administrative and disciplinary decisions often remain at the discretion of individual school authorities, creating uneven standards nationwide.
For the rights of children, particularly their right to practise their religion to be fully realised, CRI believes the government must move toward full regulatory ownership of all schools it funds or classifies as public.
Without this, tensions between deeply rooted school traditions and constitutional freedoms are likely to persist.
The statement stressed that once a school admits a student, it takes responsibility not only for their academic development but also for respecting their identity, including their religious background. Therefore, no child, CRI insists, should be prevented from practicing their faith within the school environment.
Moreover, the organisation called for the establishment of clear national standards that guide schools on accommodating religious expression without compromising discipline or institutional order.
It also urged the government to strengthen safeguarding systems with firm oversight and routine monitoring to ensure that children’s rights are protected based on national law, not historical customs or administrative discretion.
CRI admonished the government to clarify the official status of government-assisted mission schools to ensure that the rights of all students are upheld consistently across the country.
By Spectator Reporter
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