Health Essentials
Medical challenges that may fall below the radar
Your Health is Your Responsibility – Take Control!
It is important that we do everything possible within our power to ensure that we stay healthy. Having the appropriate knowledge is very important in our quest to remain healthy so that we can do more of the things we enjoy. Some conditions have a way of escaping our memory and we occasionally need a reminder.
Independence Day is just around the corner and over the past few years I get very anxious in March; when countries are so blessed but we do everything possible to mess up then you really wonder what else we expect of the Almighty.
Let us look at some easy to forget medical conditions and hopefully the engagement will ease my March anxiety.
- Pregnancy complications of Rhesus Negative mothers
- Bell’s Palsy or Facial Palsy
- Post Partum Blues or Depression
- Underperformance in school children
- Pregnancy complications of Rhesus Negative mothers
- This is a potentially serious condition but easy to correct. Could this be the cause of the poor pregnancy outcomes or multiple abortions you are experiencing?
- If a woman is Rhesus (Rh) Negative and carrying a baby who is Rh positive, then the mother’s immune system will see the baby’s red blood cells as “foreigners” and will make antibodies to fight and destroy the baby’s red blood cells. This may not be a problem with the first pregnancy but subsequent ones are at risk since the antibodies would have built up significantly.
- This process of antibody production could occur when an Rh negative mother has a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and induced abortion. It is IMPORTANT to know your blood group – O negative, A negative (and all the ones that are followed by a negative), will need to alert your health care giver when pregnant.
- If you are Rh negative, it is important that to protect your babies, you are given an injection called Rhogam (this is no advertisement), which is a type of vaccine. It should ideally be given when your pregnancy is 28 weeks old and then repeated within 72 hours of delivery if baby is Rhesus positive.
- There may be some issues with Rhogam but the benefits outweigh the downsides.
- Bell’s Palsy or Facial Palsy
- This is not a STROKE but seek immediate medical care since you may not know what it could be heralding. Bell’s palsy is a sudden weakness of the face causing one half to droop. Your smile is one sided and your eye on one side resists closing.
- It may occur at any age. The exact cause is unknown but it affects a nerve controlling muscles of the face. It is sometimes considered to be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection such as a common cold and may occur also in pregnancy.
- Bell’s palsy is often temporary and most people experience total recovery within six (6) months. Rarely it may leave permanent tell-tale signs and may recur in a handful of people also.
- One may experience increased sensitivity to sound on the affected side, headaches, pain around the jaw or behind the ear on the affected side. There may also be abnormal production of tears and saliva. Seek medical care.
- Post Partum Blues or Depression
- We all expect a new addition to a family to bring excitement and joy but sometimes it may cause depression. Post partum depression is not a character flaw or a weakness and with the right intervention at the right time and with good family support, you can enjoy your baby.
- Post partum blues is a milder form of post partum depression. In some cases one may even develop post partum psychosis after you have your bundle of joy. This is in no way a thesis to scare you away from childbirth but rather to make you aware so that you can take the appropriate steps quickly once you are confronted with the situation. Always SEEK prompt medical care, there is no point “waiting to see.”
- One may often experience some of the following; loss of appetite, inability to sleep, intense irritability and anger, overwhelming fatigue, lack of joy in life, difficulty bonding with baby, feeling of shame, guilt or inadequacy and even thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Avoid diagnostic greed, do not wait for many symptoms before seeking help, you are better off seeing a professional and being declared okay than to wait until things become complicated.
- Underperformance in school children
Quite often, children may not be performing well in school and we unfortunately resort to the cane, screaming at them and heaping insults on them without finding the root cause. We will be complicating matters and eventually set the stage for rebellion in addition to poor or underperformance in school. We need to consider the following (other reasons or causes exist) before drawing conclusions and as parents or guardians, our input is extremely important.
- Poor Nutrition
- Food is fuel for the body and the brain can never perform appropriately without the proper “fuel”. We need to ensure that children eat a balanced meal before going to school. Hunger or poor meals could distract a child at school and prevent him/her from understanding what the teacher may be imparting. Check the meals and you may realise you have a straight As child!
- Poor Eyesight/vision
- The child may not be doing well simply because he is unable to read from the board. It may only need a simple test of vision to correct this.
- Hearing Challenges
- Certainly if the child has a problem with hearing, he may miss so many things discussed in class or even hear the “wrong” things. Your guess in such a situation is as good as mine.
So the next time your child finds himself/herself at the bottom of the class check the above and get medical assistance, you may be hosting a genius. I believe you are aware that some children will bloom late and at that point there is just no way to stop them, even the sky limit cannot limit them.
The drill remains the same, you will cope better with all the above if you stay healthy – exercise often, eat right, drink adequate amounts of water and get enough sleep hours.
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)
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 – “Lack of sleep may predispose you to many diseases including a STROKE. Jump into bed an hour earlier and sleep a stroke away. You cannot be healthy during WAR or VIOLENCE, let’s all pray and work towards PEACE in our WORLD”
References:
- www.mayoclinic.com
- www.healthessentialsgh.com
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
IF you truly love yourself, you had better read this piece while standing!
The other “inactivity” that rivals sitting for long periods when it comes to poor health and untimely death is LONLINESS! Sitting and Loneliness are the new Smoking.
It is often common to hear a parent tell a child, “Sit quietly and watch television and I will make a quick dash to town.” Well, this harmless and well-meaning statement is now being vilified. That parent could have said “smoke a few sticks of cigarettes while I dash off to town.” Yes “sitting is the “new” smoking.”
Scientists: they keep coming up with many weird findings and unfortunately, we realise after much ado that they may be right. People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular (heart & blood vessel) diseases as those with standing jobs – the bankers are cringing in their seats I bet.
It appears that compared to sitting,
• Sitting continuously brings similar challenges that smoking poses a gossip team. After an hour of sitting, if you walk for a minute or two.
Standing is hard work. Imagine that you need to engage many muscles to stand upright, and this burns energy. Sitting on the other hand is extremely relaxing.
When we sit, the “physiology of inactivity” kicks in and when we think we are relaxing in a chair made from heaven, our body instead rewards us with many bad things; enzymes that break down fat may drop by about 90 per cent calorie burning drops to frightening low levels and soon good cholesterol that protects us also drops. If you sit long enough even your insulin effectiveness drops and you will be courting diabetes in the long run.
I sincerely believe in getting a workout during the day, but you should not think that it gives you a license to sit at your desk for hours on end. We should ensure that we get up from our desk to walk briefly or even stretch. I am not giving you an excuse for loitering around your office or forming ings. When you have a meeting with a handful of people you could lace your boots and start walking while you talk. Who knows being out of a box (office etc) could help you think “out of the box” or even think like “there is no box”. The best aspect of such a meeting is people are more attentive since they are unable to fidget with their smart phones and other gadgets.
All lectures and classes (children are really suffering in school these days) should have a “Heart Preserving” five-minute break after every hour. Spend that time walking and stretching.
All long movies should have commercial breaks that should be used to at least stand
Whenever in doubt, at least stand for a while.
Well some people are trying innovative ways of even having small treadmills at their desk that keeps them moving, others are adopting a new chair design that essentially makes you stand at your desk, a few others sit on exercise balls that forces them to adjust their positions all the time but for the rest of us simply taking breaks and using every opportunity to move is just what the doctor prescribed.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials/Medics Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
Dr. Essel is a medical doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is ISSA certified 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 – For good heart health; exercise often, eat healthy, do not smoke, minimise alcohol and sit less
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
I have on several occasions referred to laughter as the “best medicine” just as many others do and over the years, I have expanded my knowledge on the benefits of laughter. We all need to laugh daily and that’s the prescription given by the best doctors all over the world.
I came across the quote “Laughter is the best medicine. Unless you’re laughing for no reason….then you need medicine.” It sounds great and will get you laughing or at least smiling yet I beg to differ. My advice: find a reason to laugh no matter what and if you find none laugh anyway.
A few years ago, I decided to spend my first three hours of being awake laughing or smiling no matter what. It set the tone for a successful day. I did not bother about the early morning traffic, neither did I scream or honk at careless drivers but I guess as the years dragged on and the reality of fuel price hikes, electricity challenges and an ailing Ghana economy among many others hit home, the smile and laughter faded but I ALWAYS get back once I realise I am “short-changing” myself. No matter the struggles you may be facing, remember laughing or smiling will surely make your day so much better.
My prescription for you and myself is “Laugh at least five minutes in the morning and five minutes at the end of the day” no matter what. Do it even if you have no reason to.
Now what does science say about laughter?
1. It helps make the world a better place
a. Laughter is contagious so set the ball rolling by laughing and many others will join in the fun.
2. You learn better
Well, no need to get all serious and mean while you learn something new. A good dose of laughter while you learn may actually make the process more efficient. Word of caution, DO NOT distract others by laughing in an annoying way.
3. You get a health boost
a. We know this, right? I found out that laughter may actually increase good cholesterol while lowering inflammation. We do need more data on this but really, keep laughing, it can’t possibly harm you.
4. Makes you more robust
a. A nervous laughter when your back is against the wall? Laughter helps regulate your emotions in a difficult situation. Crying or frowning is unlikely to have positive returns.
5. Lowers stress and improves memory
a. Stress hormones, especially in the elderly, is reduced by laughter and one’s ability to remember gets a much-needed spike.
6. Makes you more attractive
a. People are always attracted to a “smiling face” or someone who laughs often. They make the party come alive.
7. Improves your relationship
a. Whether you are negotiating a deal at work, interacting with family or friends; laughter creates stronger bonds leading to better outcomes and building stronger relationships.
8. May help burn off some calories
Now I may be pushing this too much, but truth is laughter does raise your energy expenditure and heart rate. Though the calories you burn may be fewer per bout of laughter, every positive thing adds up for our good.
9. Boosts immune function and enhances sleep
a. Say goodbye to frequent common colds and laying in bed for long hours listening to the dogs in the neighbourhood “chitchatting”, a leaking tap dripping or worse still a snore within earshot that will compete with Louis Armstrong on the trumpet.
b. Combine laughter with your daily dose of exercise, and your winning combination is a reality.
10. May improve blood pressure and relax muscles
a. I will not advise you to drop your medication for all day laughter but I am sure laughter will play a positive role in reducing stress, giving you a feeling of wellbeing, relaxing your muscles in the process and your blood pressure may be sending you a thank you beat sooner than later.
Good health, improved learning ability and an enviable memory packaged with an attractive personality and a penchant to build strong relationships sounds like a team player who is destined for success in all fields. That you may agree will make your trips to the bank exciting and of course cause you to laugh all the way to the bank. The cycle repeats itself.Have you had your daily dose of laughter yet?
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
(www.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 – “laughter is contagious – Laugh and the whole world laughs with you.”-
References:
1. Fulfillment Daily -7 science-backed reasons why laughing is good for you (2016)
2. Stanford Business
3. Someecards
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
