The Nation Newspaper

Category: Family Matters

  • Tips for healthy eyes

    Your eyes are an important part of your body. Here are some steps for maintaining a good and healthy eyes.

    •Have a dilated eye exam:

    You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure. When it comes to common vision problems, some people don’t realise they could see better with glasses or contact lenses.

    During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, your eye care professional places drops in your eyes to dilate, or widen, the pupil to allow more light to enter the eye the same way an open door lets more light into a dark room. This enables your eye care professional to get a good look at the back of the eyes and examine them for any signs of damage or disease. Your eye care professional is the only one who can determine if your eyes are healthy.

    •Your family’s eye health history:

    Talk to your family members about their eye health background. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease or condition.

    •Eat right to protect your sight:

    You’ve heard carrots are good for your eyes. But eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens is important for keeping your eyes healthy, too. There are eye health benefits from eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.

    •Maintain a healthy weight:

    Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma.

    •Wear protective eyewear.

    Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home. Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards specially designed to provide the correct protection for a certain activity.

    Quit smoking or never start: Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has linked smoking to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to blindness.

    •Give your eyes a rest:

    If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain.

    •Clean your hands and your contact lenses properly:

    To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out your contact lenses. Make sure to disinfect contact lenses as instructed and replace them as appropriate.

    Practice workplace eye safety. Employers are required to provide a safe work environment. When protective eyewear is required as a part of your job, make a habit of wearing the appropriate type at all times and encourage your coworkers to do the same.

    Source: HealthyVision

     

  • Common diseases of children: Seizure syndrome, epilepsy and epilepticus in status

    Part three Common causes of seizures and epilepsy

    Many factors have been identified as etiological for epilepsy, depending on the type. It has earlier been mentioned that some individuals are born with reduced threshold for aggregates of neuronal excitation to become excitable by normal and abnormal neuronal firing, while that for inhibition is actually elevated, This also partly explains why a medication like Tegretol for instance will control epilepsy in one individual while in another person of the same age, biological sex and body mass index (BMI) twice the same dose will be required to produce favorable outcome. Doctors therefore use their professional discretion to titrate anti seizure drugs used for the purpose of aborting attacks and carefully select the ones needed for maintenance.

    In general some of the causes are as enumerated below;

    First year of life

    Problems that will give rise to convulsion in infancy may actually have begun in the mother (while child was still in the womb)

    Particularly in the third trimester(last three months of pregnancy), any febrile illness from viral and bacterial infections such as Hepatitis B, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS particularly with organopathies (evidence of disseminated disease) severe maternal malarial parasitaemia

    Drug use and abuse during pregnancy—alcohol (withdrawal), coccaine, caffeine,

    Meatabolic diseases affecting mother…. Such as Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, Preeclampsia, Eclampsia(pregnancy associated seizure disorder with or without elevated blood pressure )

    Underage pregnancies, Grand multiparity (successful pregnancies up to five or more), old primigravid (getting pregnant at age 35and older), multiple pregnancy(twins, triplets, quadruplets ,quintuplets, etc especially with use of fertility enhancing drugs and assisted reproductive technology(ART)

    Obstetric complications(problems in pregnancy severe enough to require medical intervention outside of routine antenatal care) leading to instrumental deliveries. Bleeding problems in pregnancy such as major degree Placenta praevia, abruptio Placentae( premature separation of a normally situated placenta)

    All sorts of problems associated with disproportion –feto pelvic (FPD), cephalopelvic (CPD), premature, prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM)—burst and leakage of liquor before actual labour begins creates an unprotected passageway for ascending infection right up to the fetus, Trial of labour with excessive use of Oxytocin, popularly referred to as hot ‘injection

    Babies born small for date, Small for age, with low APGAR scores (babies unable to cry, grip a finger, breathe spontaneously as he takes the first breathe outside mothers womb, babies born to un booked, malnourished mothers. Trauma …birth injuries involving the head, neck and trunk, in half of cases affect the rest of the central nervous system, but manifestation may not be immediate. Metabolic disorders such as Hypoglycemia leading to low blood sugar could occur in children born to diabetic mothers. They may also occur on their own as part of inherited disorders arising from errors of metabolism. Hypoglycemia could also arise in concert with hypocalcemia, as secondary complications of birth trauma

    Infections of the brain—meningitis, infestation by cysts of tape worms(cysticercus)

    Infections from the eyes, ear and mouth spreading into the brain

    CNS abnormalities – include medical conditions of the head, neck and brain present at birth –hydrocephalus, when eyes are set low , chin receding or unusually small, head flat like bread loaf, or had shaped like electric bulb, sometimes with a horn pointing upwards at the point of glabella , double heads, or collapsed scalp where eyes stick out like a frog – all these should warrant special attention, because, the brain substance itself may have taken it’s own share of the congenital abnormality—even those found down below at the genital region.

    Others: Seizures due to inborn errors of metabolism

    •Convulsion in the first few days of life may arise in families known to have other inherited brain disorders as can be demonstrated via procedures using genetic linkage analysis

    •Vitamin B deficiency such as Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) deficiency and abuse of multivitamin supplements.

    •Babies of mothers using drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or ethanol apart from damage to the brain, these babies are also at very high risks of developing drug-withdrawal seizures in the first few days after delivery.

    Adolescence Many of the conditions capable of causing seizures in early childhood can also give rise to seizures and epilepsy in older children up to the age of 14, many of these can still be traced back. In this period and most of the teen years, accidents from various sources can affect the brain and cause permanent damage. Acquired conditions of the central nervous system(CNS ):- head trauma, infections –fungal, viral .-encephalitis, parasitic infections such as cysticercosis, brain tumors, congenital CNS abnormalities, use of hard drugs(Indian hemp, cocaine, heroin alcohol(abuse and withdrawal). Stress is diabetogenic and can induce hyperglycemia to blood levels outside the capacity of endogenous insulin. Stress on it’s own can cause direct insult by its effect on the cholinergic pathways, particularly in young teenagers using combination of hard drugs—they first stimulate the CNS and then depress the neurons. Up to ten years or more may pass before the first attack of seizure and the more severe the injury ,the higher is the risk of developing epilepsy later in life. Metabolic disturbances such as electrolyte imbalance, hypo- or hyperglycemia, renal failure, and hepatic failure may cause seizures at any age. Similarly, endocrine disorders and problems of abnormal hemoglobin and many other systemic diseases may cause seizures over a broad age range.

    Febrile Seizures

    Febrile seizures may be defined clinically as seizures associated with fevers but without evidence of infection of the brain and its branches of nerves.

    Though an overall prevalence of 3–5% has been reported, this is likely to be higher in some parts of the world, such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. Febrile illness occurs more in males than females, infection common cause.

    Family history of febrile seizures or epilepsy is often present though recall is always a problem.

    Usually occurring between 3 months and 6years of age, peak incidence is between and include 18 and 24 months. Absence of previous attack, may be helpful in the diagnosis and management-if one remembers to ask .There is associated delay in milestones of development – smiling to mother, holding neck erect sitting, crawling all coming late compared to other children of the same or other families

    How do they present?-pattern recognition.

    Two main types have been observed ;

    Typical form of febrile seizure has a duration usually less than ten minutes, may occur once and is never experienced again for rest of the child’s life .

    Atypical febrile seizures type on the other hand lasts more than 15 minutes and several episodes may occur in a 24 hour period; affected kids are usually less than I year old on the average and, risk of epilepsy later is real. Most patients have a family history of convulsion and in a few cases of epilepsy. Some groups use the words simple and complex to describe typical and febrile seizures respectively.

    Febrile convulsion may begin with what appears to be mild fever in association with malaria. Its commonly seen with other common childhood infections of the ear, nose throat, and with gastroenteritis, measles, meningitis, and eyes, and then without warning, the picture changes very quickly as the child stretches out (usually generalized, tonic-clonic seizure )during a febrile illness with eyes rolling upwards ,face turned to one side (contralleteral gaze). The seizure is likely to occur during the rising phase of the temperature chart of a febrile illness such as malaria, typhoid or bronchopneumonia

    An episode of febrile convulsion is most likely to be missed in cases where subclinical doses of drugs are given and other forms of management are poor due to poverty . Watch the child closely during the periods of temperature spike when the child wants to be left alone, he is hot to touch, skin is dry, eyes are glassy and face is dull.

    Status Epilepticus

    This condition is usually diagnosed when a seizure attack continues for about half an hour or more without the patient regaining consciousness. It is usually a medical emergency because in a small but significant number of cases, patients quickly go into respiratory arrest and consequently respiratory failure. They can also develop renal shut down and eventually kidney failure from the ceaseless muscle contractions and breakdown of muscle protein.

    When a child who is convulsing ceaselessly not making urine in between attacks, you should worry about kidney shut down

    Brain death is almost inevitable if the convulsion continues without proper medical attention

    In such situations, there are a few things you can do before the Doctor arrives or before you get to the Hospital, as packaged under the acronym ABC- ensure patient has enough air going in and coming out – an individual usually breathes in oxygen and sends out carbon dioxide, whereas too much oxygen can damage brain structures, retaining carbon dioxide patient is far more dangerous. The brain substance in itself does not produce pain and so patient may die by simply from going into deep sleep.

    When you pour crude oil down the throat of a convulsing person or child, you block both breathing and movement of air, and when you sit the patient up instead of allowing him to lie down, you help the saliva and other slimy secretions and your crude oil to enter the lungs and kill the child, Crude oil irritates the eyes and can permanently damage the cornea. Oil also increases the probability of developing dangerous lipoid pneumonia and the time it takes for food to digest and so the child becomes congested and dies from a combination of problems ,some arising from bad management.

    Where it is not possible get proper medical attention , you can not avoid going to the chemist nearest to you, but the temptation of drip(intravenous fluids) should be avoided , because something that narrows the blood vessels and prevents the child urinating is already being produced in excess and there is congestion every where most importantly congestion in the brain. Doctors may put special kinds of drips but leave that for pediatricians; children are much too delicate to try things you are not too familiar with.

     

    What to do when there is a seizure?

    Remain calm and don’t panic—will help you ponder over possible questions the Doctors might ask you when you eventually get to the Hospital .

    What do you know? what can you really remember about your family medical history? What about your husband? Did he tell you any thing about seizure disorders or epilepcy concerning himself, family members? Social history of alcohol abuse , Indian hemp, if he has stopped, there could still be a connection. For the girl child, When did she see the last normal menses ? What about abnormal vaginal discharge ?

    Has the child had appetite problems? Did you have to force him to take breakfast?

    Watch and note important elements of the crisis -the way it all began; was there a cry? Strange smell?, picture of something no one else could see? Check position of head, trunk, limbs, pattern of cry. Eyes ,direction of gaze…eyes point and look in the direction of site of lesion in brain abscess, CVAS etc Check and note presence of saliva, urine, and fecal matter around the mouth, genitalia and anal region respectively. You must keep the child under close watch

    Get someone to remove objects that can harm the patient from the place where convulsion is taking metal, planks, buckets, lantern and others. Ensure that nose and mouth are not blocked ,so child can breathe properly . Ensure breathing is not obstructed and blood is flowing freely——you can suck out saliva, cough and catarrh from the child’s mouth and nose if there is nothing available to use. Doctors and nurses do these freely without holding back when they have cases that require them to ,so you can do the same thing for your child

    Remove whatever you see that can increase temperature or strangulate the child such as pieces of clothing, scarf or native amulets .Check that there is nothing in the mouth, because muscles of swallowing may be tightening. Take note of the movements ,the sound, position of the eyes, call child from time to time, pinch him to gauge his response .Do not apply hot objects to burn the child –it will trigger more seizure . Don’t put spoon in the mouth, YOU CAN CUT HIS TONGUE TO SHREDS .

    What ever the child has taken that you find suspicious, drugs or mushroom etc, keep to show the Doctors

    Bring the temperature down by dabbing and sponging the child in gentle stroke starting with the head, DO NOT USE COLD WATER, you can bring temperature down but you can hardly succeed in bringing it up when it goes down below 35 degrees in a child— It is much safer for blood to flow in the blood vessels to nourish violently contracting muscles and remove metabolic wastes from actively metabolizing tissues than to slow down the flow of blood in the tiny blood vessels, so use look-warm(slightly warm) water(tepid water)

     

    MANAGEMENT

    Management of these conditions usually will follow the established pattern of knowing the history, carrying out physical examination and laboratory investigations before drug treatment. One may not have to wait until the other one is completed. Parents and family members are advised to take note as events unfold because in places where resources are not readily available , much will depend on how much relevant information is obtained and how thoroughly, physical examination is achieved. The success of treatment also partly depends on adequate history and physical examination, especially in cases of febrile convulsion. The ultimate is to take the Child to the Hospital for thorough physical examination and laboratory tests including lumbar puncture.

    GENERAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES

    Governments can create awareness and encourage the empowerment of women via health education and improve primary health care so that malaria prevention methods are amplified. They can improve and monitor the supply of treated nets, supervise the clearing of compounds, provide anti malaria combination therapy drugs freely to children and solicit involvement of multinational companies. Detection of early cases of injuries and infections will enable early recognition and treatment of febrile illnesses and treatment of common injuries .

    Provision of basic amenities such water, electricity, food, essential medicines, and attention to pharmaco vigilance makes sense of the presence of Government and improves confidence of ordinary people in the health care delivery system.

    For Parents and Guardian know your history, including your family history, live by example, if you must drink and smoke, keep them away from your kids

    Pregnant women should be encouraged to register for ANC and attend ante natal clinics regularly and to ask questions each time they go to clinic to clinic

    Except prescribed by your Doctors, do not ingest any drugs because someone else used it for some other problem and it worked . Do also be careful about massage. Go to BTAS that are registered with appropriate authorities

    The following actions are commonly brought to bear upon children who have no power to stop them ; they do not make children happy; but torture them and should be discouraged, because a child may go into seizure/convulsion or simply stop breathing and you will be shocked

    · .holding a child vertically head down, except during birth for medical reasons

    · .tickling a child for prolonged periods

    · .closing the two ears of a child for too long

    · shaking and throwing up a child

    · .scare tactics with dogs, cats, lizards, snakes, live fish and birds, including domestic chicken

    · Shaking of babies, throwing them up or tickling them.

    · Rubbing dirt onto the face of a child

    · Kissing another person’s child in the mouth or putting his mouth on your face , even when your personal hygiene cannot be vouched for and skin harbors bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and fungi like Candida Albicans- they become harmful when they enter the delicate structure that kids have

    · Punishing children by making them stoop, kneel, sit with hands behind or stand for long periods.

    Ensure enough food. For children but don’t over feed…give your kids enough water

    Control play activities of your kids and don’t rebuke each time a child has injuries; he will end up a recluse or hide away from you when he has wounds ; which can then become infected and cause other problems. Don’t allow sitting down to watch television for extended period of time.

    Give your children enough room so they can confide in you without being disrespectful.

    Observe normal behavior so you know when there are deviations from normal that herald the appearance of a seizure illness

    For further reading and additional information, please see Harisson17, high yield Neuroanatomy, pediatric emergencies Mede books, Isilo etc

     

  • Dwelling according to knowledge (3)

    Dear Reader,

    You are welcome, this week, to another exciting time in the presence of the Lord. My focus is still on Dwelling According to Knowledge. Last week, I unveiled the duties of the men. This week, I shall be sharing with you the Duties Of The Women.

    To the wives we read:

    Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord (Colossians 3:18).

    That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed (Titus 2:4-5).

    Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything (Ephesians 5:22-24).

    The woman’s primary responsibility, after the Lord, is to her husband and children. The woman received the title of “help meet” in Genesis 2, which clearly established her role in the family as one of a support to her husband. The Bible specifically demands of the woman submission in all things.

    In dwelling according to knowledge, a woman must recognise and put to use the knowledge of her placement in the family, in order to enjoy a successful family. The idea of submission is a stumbling block to many women, because they equate submission with inferiority. Men and women are created equally by God, but for the purpose of His plan of redemption, God has assigned to each of them differing roles to carry out. God has clearly called the wife to submit to her own husband. That is God’s design ordained for her blessings.

    The matter of submission is very clearly indicated in the verses quoted above. The wife is to submit to her husband. The manner of submission is as unto the Lord, and the motive is God’s design to make the husband the head of the wife. The model is the way the Church submits to Christ, and the extent is in everything. That is God’s design for the woman in the family set-up.

    A man of wisdom once said, “When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.” The reason women find it difficult to be submissive is because they do not know the motive for submission and the manner in which submission is to be rendered. Ephesians 5:23 clearly points out the motive for submission: For the husband is the head of the wife. That’s God’s design, that’s the divine plan.

    Just as a body submits to the brain located in the head by design, so the wife should submit to the husband, who is the head. When you see a body that does not respond to the head, you see a deformity and something that is not normal. You see a dysfunctional person. The same is true in marriage. Where a wife does not submit to her husband, there is distortion, deformity, and dysfunction. God has designed that the body responds to the head, and the husband is the head of the wife.

    In the same verse 23, we see the model of submission: “As Christ is the head of the church.” In other words, a woman is to submit to her husband as the Church submits to Christ. With the same complete, non-grudging, joyful and willing heart that the Church has in obeying Christ, the wife is to submit to her husband, in order to enjoy success in her family.

    Women should seek the Lord diligently and strive to be chaste in conduct, behaviour and dressing. The woman has the duty to pursue opportunities to serve in appropriate capacities and pursue those skills necessary for homemaking (Proverbs 31:10-30).

    Sarah was found pleasing to the Lord because of her submission to Abraham. Consequently, she became the mother of many nations. The woman was created to support man in his endeavours and bear children to fill the earth. No matter the position of a virtuous woman, she is always productive and she works with her hands. She is creative and industrious. If a woman is not productive, she will invariably be burdensome to her spouse and the society at large. If you are not born again, you don’t have what it takes to fulfill your duties as a woman. If you are ready to be born again, please say this simple prayer with me, in faith: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I believe You died and rose again for my sake. Forgive me of my sins, take over my life, make me Your child and let Your peace reign over my life. Thank you for saving me. Now I know I am born again.

    Congratulations, you are now born again! I believe that you will begin to experience the reality of the price that Jesus paid for your sins at Calvary. All round rest and peace are guaranteed you in Jesus’ Name!

    Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through:

    E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 08141320204; 07026385437; 07094254102

    For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Single With A Difference, Building A Successful Family, and Success In Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo).

     

  • The Catholicity of mania

    Mania is a catholic
    condition because ev
    erybody goes in and out of it in a continual flux that depends on many factors such as biologic condition, environmental influences, relationships, needs and wants.
    Mania or insanity is difficult to define and as the Yoruba put it: “ori e ko pe”, the mind or brain is not complete or correct. Something missing in the mind makes the mind unable to judge the difference between opposites and opposing factors: right from wrong, good from evil, safety from danger; and to exercise disordered ego.
    Every now and then a judgement component of the mind escapes or is stolen by some force (evil or dominant) and a person exhibits unlimited ego. The catholicity of mania makes it often a folly to preoccupy oneself with another person’s mania or manic episode without moral clinical mandate.
    Psychotherapy, drugs, electroconvulsive shock therapy, and other human devices are often or routinely applied to treat mania and manic episodes. Spiritual healing is often unrecognized but continual connectivity with the awesome source of our brains and minds is a sure source of balance and good judgement. Mania surely is characterized by a lack of reason and wisdom.
    Any passion, emotion, activity, expression of life, and relationship can reach manic level. Thus we can refer to a person as a sex maniac, control freak, workaholic, religious fanatic, kleptomaniac (compulsive thief), etc.
    Every form of mania, can be expressed in diversity. For example kleptomaniacs may include persons who compulsively steal attractive insignificant objects, important public funds, intellectual property; other person’s rights or freedoms; other person’s merits, credits, rewards, or honours; other person’s peace or privacy; etc.
    Modern realities make traditional concepts of mania obsolete. The availability of powerful technologies makes it possible for individuals to be able to experience addictive powers and enlarged egos independently. It is no more necessary to go to an asylum to find a maniac. Everybody in real life can easily go in and out of mania continuously and the greater the possibility of a flattered ego, the greater the possibility of a person manifesting manic episodes in various measures.
    Power is always a double edged sword and most people do not realize this. The ego can be enhanced unto good or evil. The modern man, with increasing advancement of science and technology, is becoming more and more powerful and easily a power-fool when lacking connectivity with the source of humanity’s brain and mind. Break, distortion, or lack of such connectivity is the mother of follies and results in lack of good judgement. In modern societies, mania will abound and medical research or intervention directed at mania would often be futile if humans with physical powers are devoid of spiritual balance. We become dangerous to ourselves and dangerous to other persons when we do not consider how powerful we are and how unnecessary it is to always exercise power.
    The person who drills a pin-hole through the wall to insert a spy ware and listen to all his neighbours’ conversations or watches his neighbours eating and drinking and having sex may think modern technology is wonderful. The serial stalker taking cell phone pictures or sound recordings, the compulsive social media escapist, the quick businessman that floods the market with health hazards for more money – are possibly examples of modern mania. The modern maniac does not belong to the asylum. The world itself has become the asylum where he or she can freely express mania and look normal.
    Mania is also difficult to define because of the concepts of relativity capabilities and relative bests. Every human being with his or her ego is dependent on his or her own biologic make up, mental capacity and mental development, physical capability and physical development, spiritual capacity and spiritual development, experience, environmental connections and influences, relationships, history, geography, and time. Perhaps the most misjudged “mad man” ever was Jesus Christ. It is well recorded he was considered mad. In the same vain, it may be difficult to understand persons and personalities from just a human point of view no matter how great our power of intelligence, information gathering, study, human knowledge, or human understanding.
    Medically, mania can be treated or treatment attempts can be made at the level of psychotherapy, drug therapy, or electroconvulsive therapy. All these procedure are delicate and unpredictable clinical processes. The most important process for each and every one of us is perhaps recognizing how powerful we are as human beings in modern times and how much we need to bring to our best both the spiritual and the physical aspects of our being.

    Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

  • Group gives 9000 people free medical service

    Not less than nine thousand adults and Children received free medical services in Lagos during the recently concluded Ramadan fasting.

    The Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Lagos State branch attended to over five thousand adults and four thousand Children during seven outings.

    The adults were screened for hypertension, diabetes and HIV and there was also free drugs. There was health talk and special consultations in dental, orthopedic, gynaecology and optical consultations. All the 4,000 children were dewormed and some of them had consultations with the doctors.

    In his remark on the success of the programme, the State Chairman of the group, Dr Sola Labinjo said the medical team which included consultants, doctors, nurses, medical students, laboratory scientists and other health workers, were at seven locations. They are, Abule Ijesha, Idi Araba, Abesan Estate in Ipaja, Ikoyi prisons, Oshodi and other communities.

    Labinjo said the mini dental clinic at each of the outing did dental counselling/consultations, examinations, treatment and extractions if necessary.

    He added that free eye glasses were given to those with optical challenges and there will be a free cataract surgery for those diagnosed with the ailment.

    The family health physician added that as for those who are HIV positive,they were referred to centres where they can have continuous treatment, counselling and support.

    He also said the hypertensive and diabetic were adequately counselled and given advise on the need for a lifestyle change to live longer.

    He quickly added that there will be a free cervical cancer screening for people after Ramadan as the activities of the group goes beyond the Holy month.

  • Dwelling according to knowledge

    Dear reader,

    With joy unspeakable full of glory, I sincerely welcome you to this life-changing and destiny-moulding column. I count it a very great privilege to be sharing God’s Word with you. I am full of excitement, because of the great and mighty things God has in store for you. It is so loaded and full of fat things. You will not miss your own portion in Jesus’ name!

    This month, via the Word of God, I will be sharing with you, Dwelling According To Knowledge. It is my prayer that as you open your heart to receive and act on God’s Word concerning your family today, your marriage and home will experience a positive transformation in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen!

    The major reason for crises in families, today, is because family members do not fully understand their God-given responsibilities in the family set-up. A person cannot do that which he does not know. If a person does not know his duties in the family set-up, he cannot fulfill his obligations. This month, I shall be examining one of the vital responsibilities necessary for achieving family success.

    In 1 Peter 3:7, the Bible records: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

    The main emphasis here is the phrase, “Dwell with them according to knowledge.” The word “dwell” is translated from the Greek word “sunoikeo”, which is used to denote domestic association; this association is to be done according to knowledge. For any family to experience any degree of success, knowledge of the nature and duties of every member of the family is inevitable.

    What then is knowledge?

    The Oxford Dictionary defines knowledge as awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a person. Dictionary.com defines it as “the state or fact of knowing; familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study; specific information about something.”

    When the Bible, therefore, enjoins us to dwell according to knowledge, it means there are certain facts that one must lay hold on, in order to enjoy family success. There are lots of family crises, when we have little or no knowledge of our duties in fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose for the family. That is why the Bible says in Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

    Each member of the family has a certain God-given responsibility to fulfill in the family, in order for success to abound therein. My husband has often shared one of the secrets of our family success, which is the acquisition of knowledge. By reason of what he saw of the marriage institution in his growing up days, he began seeking to know from God His true purpose for the institution of marriage.

    It was in that state that God showed him the seven concepts of marriage, which has been practiced conscientiously in our family, causing us to enjoy a great deal of success. It took knowledge for us to know our individual placement in the family network, and that knowledge has set us free from every family crises.

    To enjoy family success, therefore, the place of knowledge cannot be over-emphasized. In Proverbs 24:3-4 the NIV Bible, enumerating the benefits of knowledge, says: By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

    If you must find families which are filled with rare and beautiful treasures of peace, love, joy, satisfaction, sunshine, fulfillment, etc, then knowledge is the key. It takes knowledge to enjoy family success.

    The prescription to dwell according to knowledge within the family network has its source in God. Therefore, I will be looking at His instruction on the subject, for the Bible has said in Proverbs 2:6: For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

    The scriptures often use the words wisdom, knowledge and understanding interchangeably. But they are occasionally spoken of as separate and distinct. Knowledge is the fact, understanding is the ability to lift the meaning out of the fact, and wisdom is knowing what next to do.

    Knowledge is the ability to collate and access information. This alone may not be beneficial, except the information gathered is understood, leading you to the next line of action. Understanding, on the other hand, is the ability to extract meaning out of information, which produces principles, while wisdom is the ability to decipher which principles to apply now.

    The injunction to dwell according to knowledge will not be beneficial without an understanding of what one’s responsibilities are, and a decision to put them to work. To enjoy the knowledge of God knowing what to do per time, being born again is the only sure foundation. To be born again, you have to confess your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour.

    If you are ready to be born again, please say this simple prayer with me, in faith: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I believe You died and rose again for my sake. Forgive me of my sins, take over my life, make me Your child and let Your peace reign over my life. Thank you for saving me. Now I know I am born again.

    Congratulations, you are now born again! I believe that you will begin to experience the reality of the price that Jesus paid for your sins at Calvary. All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name!

    Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through:

    E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com Tel. No: 08141320204; 07026385437; 07094254102

    For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Single With A Difference, Building A Successful Family, and Success In Marriage (Co-Authored with Bishop David Oyedepo).

  • Benefits of banana

    Banana is ready to eat when it is quite firm, bright yellow, and emanate rich fruity fragrance. Ripe fruit peels off easily. Ripened, fresh bananas are nutritionally enriched and sweeter in taste than raw green ones.

    Here are some benefits of Banana:

    •Bananas help overcome depression due high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin — the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter

    •Eat two bananas before a strenuous workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar

    •Protect against muscle cramps during workouts and night time leg cramps by eating a banana

    •Counteract calcium loss during urination and build strong bones by supplementing with a banana

    •Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation

    •Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6

    •Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas

    •High in potassium and low in salt, bananas are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure, and protect against heart attack and stroke

    •Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body

    •Constipated? High fiber in bananas can help normalize bowel motility.

    •Bananas are soothing to the digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes after diarrhea.

    •Bananas are a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn and GERD

    •Bananas are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids.

     

    Source: www.naturalnews.com

     

  • Govt urge mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding

    Mothers have been urged to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life with no addition of water, herbs or any other drink. This is critical to optimal development,growth,general wellbeing as well as survival of a child. This was stated by the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on public health, Dr Yewande Adeshina at a press briefing to commemorate the 2013 world breastfeeding week held between August 1 and 7.

    She further added that breastmilk possesses anti-infective properties that help to protect infants against diseases and can be easily digested by a baby.

    She appealed to mothers to desist from feeding their babies cow’s milk which contains protein that is too high for a baby,clot in the baby’s stomach and cannot be easily digested by the baby.

    “Manufacturers of breast milk substitutes must not have contact with breastfeeding mothers,” she stated.

    Adeshina regarded breastfeeding as one of the most cost effective and impactful tools for poverty alleviation and sustainable development globally.

    She therefore urged the father,inlaws and people in the Society to support women so they can effectively practice breastfeeding.

  • HIV and AIDS

    The term AIDS is an acronym that stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”. It is acquired because the victims do not inherit the condition, but contract it. Immune deficiency means that the victim’s natural bodily defense mechanisms are unable to function properly, and “syndrome” refers to the combination of different abnormalities or diseases making up this condition.

    AIDS is a complex of diseases and symptoms resulting from unexplained immune deficiency; caused by a retrovirus, culminating in a “mixed-bag” of life-threatening opportunistic infections, which invariably results in death. The retrovirus that causes AIDS is known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with types I and II already isolated.

    Although there have been wide speculations and insinuations as to the origin of the virus (HIV), the fact still remains that the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in North America, Europe and Central Africa about the same time in 1981. Since then, cases are being reported all over the world and most countries now have people with “full-blown” AIDS as well as carriers infected with the virus. It occurs in about 1 to 10% of the population and the incubation period is 4 to 10 years.

    The virus has been isolated mostly from semen, vaginal secretion and blood. It is generally believed to be contracted through sexual intercourse, transfusion of contaminated blood, use of un-sterile instruments such as needles, blades and catheters, trans-placental infection, organ transplant, tattooing and circumcision as well as breast-feeding.

    The major characteristic feature of AIDS is weight loss of about 10kg within 1 month without a known cause. Other symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, persistent cough, skin infections, oro-pharyngeal candidiasis, swollen lymph glands and night sweating.

    Prevention

    Prevention of AIDS is achieved through avoidance of casual sex, and other factors that may predispose to HIV infection; as well as sterile procedures in clinico-surgical practices.

    Treatment and Control

    Before recommending our treatment and control packages for HIV/ AIDS, it is pertinent to ask the following questions:

    1. Why do outbreaks of serious infectious diseases leave some people devastated and others free?

    2. If some people are known to be carriers and could go around with the virus for up to 15 years before they physically breakdown, couldn’t there be ways of helping to cleanse the virus from the system before it manifests?

    3. Are the sufferer’s thoughts, aspirations and living habits not affecting the disease cycle as well as response to treatment?

    If yes, then in Holistic Lifecare, we are committed to total cure of HIV/AIDS sufferers when they have just been tested and diagnosed positive, when they are still able to eat, drink and move around on their own, but not when they are expecting their funeral the next day!

    The Holistic Natural Remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and total cure in HIV/AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion. Notable among the useful herbs for HIV/AIDS are Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Harpagophytum zeyheri, Echinacea augustifolia and Zingiber officinale.

    For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.

  • Govt urged to assist the physically challenged

    A call has been

    made to the Gov

    ernment to assist the physically challenged people in the society as is being done in other parts of the world.

    This call was made by a concerned parent,Mrs Tola Koledoye during a national cerebral palsy family forum organized by Benola Initiative in Lagos.

    Koledoye,the mother of 20-year old Titilayo Gbalajobi,a third year psychology student in the United States,said children with disability are the eye of the government abroad.

    She revealed that the government pay the School fees of such children from start to finish.She further said any parent of guardian who keep a child with disability locked up at home will go to jail.

    Koledoye,a specialist in mental retardation,based in US,said though her Titi attend a regular school, children with CP need to be at a special education school where they can be taught how to read,write,speak and move based on their cognitive.

    She said Titi,her third child who was diagnosed as having CP,has only one hand,which she uses in writing,tying shoes and even driving.

    The US based CP and autism expert,called on parents to care for their Children,be it able or disable,give them quality education and assist them discover their skills by turning their disability into an ability.

    During the forum,various people living with CP and their caregivers all shared their experience.

    A consultant with specialty in neuro-development problems and paediatrics at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital,Prof. Afolabi

    Lesi described cerebral palsy as a group of disorders of the development of movement and posture,causing activity limitation that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occured in the developing or infant child.

    The founder of Benola,Mr Femi Gbadebo revealed that the birth of their 17 year old Olaoluwa,born with CP led to the establishment of Benola.

    He said the initiative was established to become the lead supportive agency on CP in Africa and a leading advocate for those living with the condition.