Health Essentials
Safety like charity, begins at home
“The day is near at hand when the doctor will no longer be engaged to patch up the sick man, but to prevent him from getting sick. He will VISIT FAMILIES, EXAMINE THE PREMISES, inspect factories and shops and give instruction to his patients how to keep from getting sick…….”- 1908 article.
A very accurate prediction I must say as health and wellness continues to evolve.
Safety in our homes is an extremely important issue since preventable injuries and deaths continue to rise in homes and communities. To make a significant impact, we need to be aware of the hazards around us and change our behaviour. One little change at a time could lead to great results.
It is frightening to learn that in some countries, up to 70 per cent of all unintentional-injury deaths occur in the home or community. In plain language you are more likely to be injured at home than anywhere else. Each year thousands of people are off work for more than a week as a result of a fall at home, and this has a big effect on businesses and organisations.
The leading causes of unintentional injury in the home and community include:
1. Poisoning
2. Falls
3. Choking
4. Drowning
5. Fires/flames
WATCH THESE AREAS
• Kitchen and cooking areas
o A no-go area for children. Everyone working in the accident and emergency department of a hospital will tell you that on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons when most people do their weekly cooking, many children suffer from severe burns.
o Appropriate way of using the burners on a stove. Avoid handles of cooking pots facing your work area. The gas cylinder should be in a very well-ventilated area outdoors
o Care of spills. Clean them as soon as they occur to avoid slips.
• Electrical Appliances
o All appliances switched off after use and plug removed from socket
o Avoid touching of an electrical appliance with wet hands
o Electrical cords should be out of the way to avoid tripping people.
• Bathroom
o Children should never be left alone in a bathroom
o The use of mats in a bath especially for children and the elderly
o The elderly (above 65 years but could be younger depending on the health status) should use showers with support bars and stools instead of bathtubs.
• Other areas
o Avoid making a mess since they can cause one to trip sometimes with grave consequences. Children should be taught to pick up their toys after use.
o Adults should avoid drinking from bottles since children copy this habit and may harm themselves in the process. In our setting many children tend to drink kerosene stored in “soft” drink bottles. We then worsen the condition by forcing them to drink palm oil and inducing vomiting and often getting this concoction into their lungs. Who really “instituted” this criminal sentence?
o All medications, chemicals, small substances etc should be kept out of the reach of children
OTHER GENERAL STEPS TO AVOIDING HAZARDS
1. Look around for anything that may cause an accident. Make use of the different senses, sight, smell, hearing, touch. May not be a smart idea to try taste.
2. Decide who is most at risk. This helps you to make appropriate changes
3. Take preventive measures. After reading this piece make the changes necessary. Do not wait to “learn from experience” it may not always be wise to learn from the best teacher.
4. Keep a record of what you have changed
5. Continually check your living space – please do not think that making a one–time attempt is all that you need. Do this every day or every week.
COMMON CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME
1. Poorly organised and cluttered walkway
2. Inadequate or unsuitable lighting
3. Moving or handling a load incorrectly – remember that waist or back pain?
4. Rushing around with careless abandon. Most of the time we end up losing time.
5. Tiredness. We commit errors when tired. Do not try to cheat nature, get some rest.
6. Lack of balance or appropriate mobility.
7. Poor eyesight and/or inappropriate corrective lenses.
8. Medication that may lead to dizziness. The elderly for instance who are on several medication have an increased risk of falling.
ECONOMIC COSTS OF ACCIDENTS AT HOME
The cost of home accidents is high in terms of the number of lives lost and resulting permanent disabilities. Several working days are lost, which translates into lost productivity. Huge sums of money may be lost seeking medical care and the quality of life is also poor.
The benefits of prevention of injuries at home are clear and quantifiable in terms of health and economic costs:
• Potential to save lives
• Improved quality of life
• Reduction in cost of hospital care
• Improved productivity through people’s contribution to the economy.
With all these benefits that we can chalk from keeping our home safe, one wonders why very little is heard about bringing safety home. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a nationwide drive.
Let us all pledge to “reduce the number of accidental deaths and injuries in our homes.” A home should be a place where we are absolutely SAFE.
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 (HE&W Group)
(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 – “Whatever you practice GROWS STRONGER! What are you practicing?”
References:
1. www.nsc.org (national safety council)
2. www.homesafety.co.nz
3. www.injuryobservatory.net
4. www.webmd.com
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials
A health & wellness revolution starts with sleep
Sleep comes in different shades. There are those who sleep pretty and hardly move an inch in bed. Then we have those who are virtually at war when in bed and may turn a whole 360 degrees several times in the land of the unknown.
Woe betides you if you find yourself in the same “sleep ring” with such a fighter. The most “decorated” ones bring music to sleep and the noise that exudes from their throats, nostrils and mouth could compete with any orchestra except that harmony is often thrown to the wind; those of us who belong to this category know ourselves.
Inspite of all the above, when I am hard pressed to pick one thing that has the greatest impact on one’s health, I will say SLEEP reigns.
Too many challenges spring up when we fail to get enough sleep and it’s no wonder that at the doctor’s office we hear many complaints of not being able to sleep.
Most of the time the solution does not lie in popping pills but the Sleep Hygiene Tips below will go a long way to make a difference in your sleep and subsequently your health.
Sleep hygiene tips
1. Create darkness in the room
a. Sleep is easier when your room is dark. A bright room may be a challenge especially if you already have a bunter with sleep.
2. Have a Regular sleep plan
a. Keep to the same time you go to bed and also time you wake up. Regularity is key.
3. Ensure room is cool and well-ventilated
a. An extremely hot or cold room may keep you awake just tossing and turning. A nice breeze makes sleep even better.
4. Wind down or unplug about an hour to bedtime
a. Rushing throughout the day and then diving into bed may not be the best remedy for sleep. Slow down, start putting off lights, stop working and maybe spend about five minutes meditating or speaking to God.
5. Avoid phones, laptops, work in bed/bedroom
a. These have no business in your sleep area and should not be in your bed for sure. The glare from lights, the vibrations or sounds from messages and even calls may keep you awake and be a nightmare with your eyes wide open.
6. Exercise
a. Exercise and laugh and you will be preparing yourself for a sound sleep. You may exercise anytime of the day but when you struggle a lot with sleep the ideal time may be four to six hours before bedtime. Exercising an hour or two before you sleep may rather keep you alert and awake.
7. Watch your food intake; don’t overeat, avoid spicy food and lots of oil
a. Gluttony is definitely “sinful” and one of the instant punishments is discomfort and difficulty sleeping. A full stomach at bedtime makes one wish for daybreak. The spices can also cause havoc especially when eaten late. That heartburn will wake you up and keep you sitting and cursing all night.
8. Watch what you drink; stimulants may affect your sleep e.g. caffeine, fizzy drinks, alcohol and energy drinks
a. If you have trouble with sleep or you do not want your sleep to be disturbed in any way, avoid these four clear hours or more before sleep time. ACOHOL deceives you into thinking you will sleep only to wake up early, feeling unrested or making dashes to the washroom.
9. Discuss with your doctor when to take some of your prescribed medication
a. Sometimes some medications we are on may cause us to wake up several times to urinate and should preferably be taken much earlier in the day. Others keep us alert over several hours.
10. Writing your TO DO LIST for the next day relaxes the brain
a. The brain sometimes will keep “working” in an attempt not to forget what you need to do the following day. Hack your brain by writing down or typing out your To Do List for the following day and you will be blessed with good sleep.
11. Get professional care to diagnose and manage medical conditions
a. Sometimes it’s a medical condition that is directly or indirectly depriving us of good sleep and our health professional can help us find and treat this so we can once more enjoy the bliss of the Lotus Eaters. Maybe it could be a medication that is just not right for you.
Popping pills to sleep in most cases will not solve the challenge and should never be our first line of correcting our sleep wars. Adopt these hygiene tips today even if you sleep well and your health will be on the right path. Not even the decorated bedroom trumpeter or the sleep fighter can take your sleep away from you.
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 – “ A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” – Irish Proverb
Health Essentials
Do you want to be happy?
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
