The Nation Newspaper

Category: Family Matters

  • Understanding the family (4)

    Dear Reader,

    In this concluding segment of Family Forum for this month, we will be looking at what God’s Word has to say about the Mystery of One Flesh.

    Let’s examine some of the things we can learn from the mystery of one flesh, in understanding the family.

    Treat Your Spouse As Yourself

    An understanding of the mystery of one flesh will make husband and wife treat each other the same way. What you cannot do to yourself, don’t do to your spouse. Treat your spouse the way you want your spouse to treat you. Care for your spouse the same way you want him/her to care for you.

    The Word of God says: For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church (Ephesians 5:29). The American Heritage Dictionary defines “nourish” as “to provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed. To foster the development of, promote.” It defines “cherish” as “treat with affection and tenderness; hold dear. To keep fondly in mind.” A husband and wife should foster the development of each other, promote each other, treat each other with affection and tenderness, hold each other dear, and keep each other fondly in mind. It takes an understanding of the mystery of one flesh to be able to do this.

    Make No Provision For Divorce

    Do all within your power to avoid divorce. God’s Word says: For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously (Malachi 2:16). God hates putting away! What God hates, you should hate too. What God has joined together, nothing should put asunder (Matthew 19:5-6; Mark10:9).

    When there is a challenge in your home, divorce should not be the first option that comes to mind. Rather, it is important to first identify and analyze the challenge. Then, make proposals and choose a possible solution. This way, most problems can be solved. What you don’t confront you never conquer. Be committed to deal with problems, not walk away from them. Divorce can be likened to marital amputation. It causes a lot of grief, pain, and wound that only God can heal. Even when a wound is healed, the scar remains, and in most cases, for life. Make no plans for divorce. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

    The breakdown of the family unit is one of the greatest calamities our society faces today. The partners go through untold agonies, not to talk of the shattered lives of children, who go through turmoil and devastation. Probably you are reading this article and have been considering divorce, according to you, because there is no way out. Hold it! Who knows, this might be the reason God gave you the opportunity of reading this article. Or, are you already divorced? Do not allow a sense of condemnation to overwhelm and destroy your colorful future. God is a Restorer. Do you know a miracle can still take place in your life and family to bring about a restoration? And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm … (Joel 2:25).

    The general principle is: no divorce. But if you are already divorced, God picks you up where you are. If you are re-married now, God recognized the marriage relationship you are in now as binding. What you did in the past is past, ask God for forgiveness and go on from there. You need to make it a biblical relationship.

    Share Your Bodies With One Another

    Husbands and wives should learn to share their physical bodies with one another. After marriage, the physical body of the husband belongs to the wife, and that of the wife belongs to the husband. Both of them are to enjoy satisfaction from each other’s body. They are not expected to refrain their bodies from one another anymore. See what the scripture says in I Corinthians 7:4-5: The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other… Man and wife, understand that your physical union is your creative power. God created sex, and it is a key part of our lives. It is meant to be enjoyed exclusively by a husband and his wife after marriage. This physical union is what produces children. Sex is to be enjoyed, not endured. Don’t use it to punish your spouse!

    In marriage, sex is the ultimate in oneness between a husband and wife. Your sex life affects your attitude positively or negatively. Sexual tension is the foundation of crises in many marriages and homes, but it can be avoided. My husband says when a marriage lacks romance, it starts suffering disintegration. Never give your body to your spouse because you want to get something from him/her. In marriage, never be found prostituting your body; it is perverted sex!

    When a husband and wife are truly united in body, it becomes easy to overcome temptations from outside. Remember that sex is only proper in the context of marriage. Outside of marriage, sex is sin (I Corinthians 6:9). In actual fact, it is the scarlet sin, and it sinks destinies! Your destiny shall not sink!

    However, for you to enjoy family life and your marriage according to the design of the Almighty God, then you have to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. By so doing, you confess your sins to Him and tell you will not go back to them again. Are you ready to give Him your life? If you are, please say this prayer with me: “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom”.

    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: Making Marriage Work, Marriage Covenant, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)

  • Catholic diseases: Mania

    Mania can be considered colloquially as an excessive interest, love, or devotion to something such as a hobby, e.g., car racing or collection of artworks. A woman might say to a man: “I am mad about you”. Often we refer to a genius as mad. Mania and madness have various connotations in social life. Such colloquial mania or madness is often desirable, acceptable, or admirable.

    The medical condition of mania is not desirable or admirable, and in many cases, not acceptable. Mania is a “mental disorder characterized by extreme excitement and energy” (The American Academy of Physicians’ Family Health and Medical Guide, 1996). The Stedman’s Concise Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions, 3rd Editions defines maniain two ways: “an emotional disorder characterized by euphoria or irritability, increased psychomotor activity, rapid speech, flight of ideas, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, grandiosity, and poor judgement” or “ an abnormal love for, or morbid impulse towards, some specific object, place, or action”. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (6th Edition) gives a definition from psychology for mania: “a mental illness in which somebody has an obsession about something that makes them extremely anxious, violent, or confused”. Webster’s New World College Dictionary (4th Edition) gives several definitions amongst which are: “a type of mental disorder characterized by an abnormal preoccupation, compulsion, etc.” Mania is difficult to define and for the purpose of this article, I prefer to consider it simply as super-reaction to a person, place, thing, or event; activity that goes beyond the supports of reason and wisdom.

    Every human being becomes medically manic under various conditions, thus mania is a catholic or universal medical condition. Underlying genetic predispositions, cultural, religious, spiritual, social, psychological, temporal, economic, political, and other varied influences can precipitate manic episodes or stable mania in individuals. A manic person is hurtful to self and to others and in many cases more hurtful to others than to self. Thus mania is a condition we should all be aware of and know that we all have the possibility of developing any time, any day, anywhere, anyhow.

    People with stable mania, chronic mania, established manic lifestyles, attitudes, or behaviour, are possibly safer than people who fall into instantaneous and unexpected acute mania. The established known maniacs can often be tolerated, accepted within an understanding society, and cared for to fit into regular life. Persons known to have chronic mania can be regulated medically, legally, morally, and charitably, therefore any possible harm from them is limited, contained, or aborted. Some cases can fit well into family life, with other members of the family being understanding and supportive.

    Instantaneous mania is more common than we can believe and because it may not linger, it may pass unnoticed, yet leaving behind significant harm. We may never think of ourselves as sometimes becoming instantaneously mad or manic therefore we look at historical examples. When King Herod gave an order to kill innocent babies, he was mad. In a moment of madness he initiated significant harm killing all children, two years old and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding coasts. He could not reason in that moment, he was pathologically angry with the wise men that did not return to him. We can recount Hitler’s episodes, Idi Amin’s atrocities, and terrors spread by religious fanaticisms of all faith institutions. Pathologic anger, fear, dread, envy, hate, greed, lust, vengeance, rivalry, etc., can develop in any person instantaneously and precipitate madness. Such madness is never expected by the person who goes mad or by the victims. Because the victims are unguarded, they are surely affected or hurt. Therefore, for all of us, knowing how to not get mad is an important aspect of good health and safe living.

    Within families, manic episodes by persons that were not known as mad have resulted in homes being burnt to ashes; family members being burned and disfigured; family members being stabbed, shot with a gun, poisoned, or hurt for life in various ways; property being destroyed; economic losses; or violation and disruption of good life in various ways. Any of these episodes may happen one pleasant, happy, sunny day when everybody has been feeling good and happy.

    The unpredictable possibility of madness from anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow, makes it necessary for us to take a closer look at this medical condition and how to save ourselves from it.

    To be continued.

    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

  • Diabetes

    The term diabetes,when not specified, refers to Diabetes mellitus, a serious metabolic disorder characterized by defects in the body’s use of carbohydrates. The other kind of diabetes is Diabetes insipidus, which is quite a different and relatively rare condition, in which an individual passes large quantities of pale, dilute urine, with consequent dehydration and excessive thirst.

    Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome in which the basic defect is the absence or shortage of the hormone called insulin. This hormone is carried by the blood to the kidneys, where it limits the outflow of water in the urine.

    The great majority cases of Diabetes insipidus are due to a tumour or inflammation in the region of the pituitary gland, thereby suppressing ADH production. Physical damage in form of fracture of the base of the skull or surgery in the pituitary area can also cause Diabetes insipidus. In addition, there is a rare inherited form of Diabetes insipidus where the production of Anti-Diuretic Hormone is normal, but the kidneys do not respond to the circulating hormone.

    As earlier stated, in Diabetes mellitus, an organ in the body (called the pancreas) is found not to be functioning properly. Insulin is a hormone produced by the Beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Insulin is carried by the blood to all parts of the body. The body’s cells use glucose (blood sugar) as their fuel. They have receptors to which insulin becomes attached. This binding of insulin enables the cells to use glucose by converting it into energy or storing it as fat. Any defect in this process, either in the pancreas, where insulin is being produced, or at the sites of attachment of insulin to the cells, would interfere with the body’s use of fuel to produce energy.

    Apart from the malfunctioning of the Pancreas, one other cause of this disorder is unbalanced diet. Most of us consume denatured food in one way or the other. Also, food additives and unhealthy drinks, whether soft drinks, teas, coffee or liquor may predispose one to metabolic imbalance.

    The symptoms of diabetes include: frequent urination, loss of flesh, inordinate appetite, constant hunger, mental depression, progressive weakness, great thirst, dry tongue and impaired vision. The person could be irritable, restless and morose. The loss of energy is due to the loss of sugar, which is needed to generate the energy for daily activities.

    In Holistic Lifecare, it is strongly advised that imported styles of living (i.e. cooking, eating & drinking) must be looked into especially on the use of food additives and colourants in fast foods and so-called take-away. Heavy starchy foods should be cut down drastically, if they cannot be avoided, pending total recovery from the ailment.

    As we make efforts to repair a malfunctioning pancreas, there are some fruits and vegetables known to be helpful. These include carrots, paw-paw, cucumber, onions, garlic and lettuce, combined with soya-milk mixed with guinea-corn pap or porridge.

    Control: The Holistic remedy that has been popularly suggested for the control of Diabetes is a combination of the natural extracts of some herbs scientifically called Anchomanes difformis, Pergularia daemia, Vinca rosea and Viscum album.

    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.

  • Benefits of garlic in human body

    Garlic is an herb. It is best known as a flavoring for

    food. But over the years, garlic has been used as a medicine to prevent or treat a wide range of diseases and conditions. The fresh clove or supplements made from the clove are used for medicine.

    Garlic is used for many conditions related to the heart and blood system. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis). Some of these uses are supported by science. Garlic actually may be effective in slowing the development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly reduce blood pressure.

    Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer.

    Garlic has been tried for treating an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia; BPH), diabetes, osteoarthritis, hayfever (allergic rhinitis), traveler’s diarrhea, high blood pressure late in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), cold and flu. It is also used for building the immune system, preventing tick bites, and preventing and treating bacterial and fungal infections.

    Other uses include treatment of fever, coughs, headache, stomach ache, sinus congestion, gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, asthma, bronchitis, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, and snakebites. It is also used for fighting stress and fatigue, and maintaining healthy liver function.

    Some people apply garlic oil to their skin to treat fungal infections, warts, and corns. There is some evidence supporting the topical use of garlic for fungal infections like ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot; but the effectiveness of garlic against warts and corns is still uncertain.

    There is a lot of variation among garlic products sold for medicinal purposes. The amount of allicin, the active ingredient and the source of garlic’s distinctive odor, depends on the method of preparation. Allicin is unstable, and changes into a different chemical rather quickly. Some manufacturers take advantage of this by aging garlic to make it odorless. Unfortunately, this also reduces the amount of allicin and compromises the effectiveness of the product. Some odorless garlic preparations and products may contain very little, if any, allicin. Methods that involve crushing the fresh clove release more allicin. Some products have a coating (enteric coating) to protect them against attack by stomach acids.

    While garlic is a common flavoring in food, some scientists have suggested that it might have a role as a food additive to prevent food poisoning. There is some evidence that fresh garlic, but not aged garlic, can kill certain bacteria such as E. coli, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella enteritidis in the laboratory.

    Courtesy: MotleyHealth.com

     

  • Understanding the family (3)

    Dear Reader,

    Today is another great opportunity to bring God’s Word your way, which will turn your life into a wonder. I have been able to explain to you the family unit, marriage relationship and marriage versus family.

    This week, I shall be sharing with you what it takes to live as a family and family structure.

    Living as a Family

    After marriage comes the marital life or the life experience of a couple. They no more live like single individuals. Changes have occurred and are still occurring. Each party has to now consider his/her partner and not only him/herself.

    After marriage, children are added (either by birth or adoption) and additional parties (related either by blood or association) come into the home. A family is then established. Families are products of marriages. One leads to the other.

    Family

    A family is a group of people affiliated by blood and /or marriage. It is the central unit of the Church and a nation. It is a fundamental social group in society, typically consisting of a man and woman (known as husband and wife) and their offspring.

    Whereas, a family consists of a group of persons sharing common ancestry, marriage consists of a man and a woman, known as husband and wife, who share common goals and values, have a long-term commitment to one another and live together.

    Family Life

    Family life is the manner of living of a group of people, who share common ancestry. It is the manner of living in a household, the manner of living of a group of people affiliated by blood and marriage. It is the way in which parents, children, and close relations live.

    Incidentally, no individual on earth, whether married or single, dropped from heaven. Everyone on earth, young or old, rich or poor, male or female, black or white, came from one family or another, from one lineage or another, are connected to one person or the other genetically or by association. Issues on family and family life, therefore, affect everyone on earth.

    The Family Structure

    The Bible says: For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4).

    The word “house” in the above passages is not referring to a physical structure, but to a family structure – the individuals who make up the home. It is man’s responsibility to build his/her house. You build by organizing and administering the individuals under your roof.

    In 1Timothy 3:12, the Bible says: Let the deacons be the husband of one wife, ruling (administering) their children and their own houses well.

    The family structure requires effective administration. When this is lacking, families in turn produce individuals who tear down and destroy the society. The essence of the family, therefore, is to create an atmosphere or environment for effective administration and preparation of individuals, so they can grow and properly pursue the plan of God for their lives.

    “Charity”, they say, “begins at home.” It doesn’t end there though; it only begins from there. This means the home is where the character and destiny of an individual should begin and take proper shape. A typical biblical example of this is the case of Abraham. In Genesis 18:19, God speaking about Abraham said: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

    Abraham had a grasp of God’s purpose for the family. By that understanding, he was able to order his household aright. The result of that was that God was pleased with him and ensured that Abraham and his household were successful in all they did. Till today, Christians the world over still identify with Abraham. If God were to comment on your marriage or family today, would He say something positive about it?

    The family is the foundational block for the society, while marriage is the foundational block for the family. Satan always targets marriages to destroy them. This is because to destroy marriages would mean to destroy families, and to destroy families would mean to destroy the Church, the society, and the nation. But we must not allow this to happen.

    God established the family as the first and most fundamental element of the human society. Marriage is a foundational institution that existed before all other institutions. It is the oldest institution in the world. God is a God of priorities. He established the institution of marriage before the Church. He first set up marriage, before He came down to fellowship with man in the cool of the day (Genesis 2:18-25; 3:8).

    Although every house and family is built by some man or woman, but for any house or family to stand the test of time, an understanding of what the family stands for must be grasped. Also, each family must be founded and built on the principles and master plan of God, the Originator.

    For you to have a good and a stable family structure, you must first of all surrender your life to Christ, because He is the Originator of the family and marriage. Are you willing to give Him a chance in your life? Are you ready to let Him have His way over you? If you do, please say this prayer of faith with me: “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom”.

    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: Making Marriage Work, Marriage Covenant, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)

  • Breast milk and breast feeding

    Major types of Human Breast milk

    Colostrum;

    This could appear, yellowish and thick. It begins to flow almost immediately after the placenta is expelled. About 60 to 100mls may be produced per day and under normal conditions, flow lasts for a period ranging from 4 to 5 days

    The foremilk colostrum is produced by the breast immediately after a mother has her baby. It is rich in minerals and antibodies. The hind milk colostrums is produced at the beginning of breast feeding. It has high fat sugar content, but has a high concentration of sugar. Colostrums is rich in protein

    Colostrums is replaced by transitional milk which is light, more plentiful Full milk production is expected to start flowing by day 5 , up till the 8th day but normally by the 2nd week mature breast milk will have begun to come steadily. It is not uncommon for mature breast milk to appear much later. It is usually grayish white or bluish white in colour.

    Components of Human breast milk

    Water—86%, Fat—-3.5% Lactose–7-9% Protein—-0.8—0.9% Ash–0.2%

    Others include , growth factors—insulin like growth factors-1, scatter factor etc, breast milk contains bile salt lipase, glycoconjugates, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, monovalent ions-Na, and k . citrate, phosphates and micelles of casein are also present. These are all necessary for the proper growth and normal development of a child.

    The developing brain requires plenty of omega 3 oils to properly build and interconnect the nervous tissue. These are present in amount and conformation specific to humans. With regards to intelligence, ability to read, understand and recall, settle down and solve mathematics, Children growing on breast milk irrespective of age, sex, race and given similar opportunities and background will do better than those fed with artificial, non human milk.

     

    Can a mother produce Acidic breast milk?

    PH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity (potential of Hydrogen). It is available on a scale of 14, where 7 is taken as neutral, equivalent to the PH of pure water . Increasing values represent a tendency towards alkalinity as opposed to decreasing values which signify tendency towards acidity. The normal PH of Breast milk falls within the range 7.35 -7.45 and is alkaline. This favours the growth of the lactobacillus bacterium. Excessive intakes of caffeine, not caffeinated beverages have been implicated in breast milk, Ciga and very strong cigarettes can have similar effects. Heavy exercise leave the blood stream with high levels of circulating lactic acid. When this occurs, breast milk which is formed from blood takes it’s share of the acidity. Diets which exclude fruits and vegetables but heavy on meat and fats have also been implicated. In these situations, babies may not accept breast milk with expected or sustained enthusiasm, and are likely to lose weight. The alkaline PH of normal breast milk favors the growth of lactobacillus but kills off pathogenic bacteria

    Common Conditions Where Mother Cant Breastfeed Her Baby.

    There are some conditions that may cause a mother to not breastfeed her baby or stop doing so. Only a few are stated here;

    Mothers on anticancer agents, Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Alkaloids, etc

    Those on Some prescription drugs. Parlodel(bromocriptine), Tetracycline, Flagyl, Aspirin ,etc.

    Presence of some conditions such as, open Tuberculosis, neuropsychiatric conditions- puerperal psychosis, drug induced psychosis, herpes

    Alcoholics are usually not expected to be successful in providing any reasonable level of care to their children.

    Specific Advantages Of Human Breast Milk

    Human breast milk contains ingredients required for the proper development of the human brain. Breast milk contains high amounts of arachidonic acid (ARA ) and decosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These have been implicated in the proper development of the brain and the retina of the eyeCognition ( the mental faculty or process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception) is comparatively lower in brains developed with milk other than Human breast milkHuman breast milk provides more energy with minimal metabolic waste products just as the growing child requires. Lactose concentration is 50% higher, in human breast milk .In addition, it contains the type of protein baby can easily digest, without harm to kidney, the developing brain and liver. Energy from lactose, fat and cholesterol are the good types and in the right proportion. IRON – baby gets 50% iron when given breast milk but only 10% from artificial milkAllergenecity- is lower in breast milk, parents with family history of bronchial asthma will do well to avoid Animal sources of breast milkImmunology- lactoferin, lymphocytes, macrophages, lysosymes are represented in higher percentages Common Problems Soreness and engorgement are common but harmless problems. How they can be handled are usually discussed during antenatal visits.Abscess/mastitis. When pus is present in the breast with fever, you go the Hospital so it is cut open (Incision and Drainage). Only then will antibiotics work.Pesticides, dioxins, metals, can be found in breast milk. Be careful what you swallow.Beliefs— careless talk can interfere with successful breast feeding, mind who you listen to.Can A Child Refuse Breast Milk/Fail To Suck?Child may not be well, check for fever, look at the mouth, see your DoctorNipple problemsPoor personal hygiene——bad odour distorts pheromonesAcidic breast milk —Exessive production of lactic acid from exercise, caffeine ingestion, too much acid fruits in the diet RECOMMENDATIONS Ideally, support for a woman who has doubts about breast milk or breast feeding should begin at the third trimester of pregnancy, through health education, usually by nurses and midwives, who have themselves, had adequate training. During visits for immunization, enquiries can be made with respect to bowel movement, urine making, bowel movements, and child examined by weighing Feed on demand, let baby stop feeding on one breast before you change Weaning?Don’t stop suddenly, give baby time to learn to eat and digest and your body time to get adjusted to gradual return of the see saw relationship between the principal hormones-prolactin, estrogen and progesteroneWhat not to give to children of breast feeding ageNo peanuts, fats, raw vegetables, seasoning until 3-4 years.No egg white , wait until he reaches 12 month, think of allergy.Avoid rushing to buy Antibiotics-may predispose your baby to Bronchial problems or what may be difficult to separate from Bronchial asthma.Does the child have abdominal problems, points to anywhere in the abdomen,—rule of 3—3hrs a day, 3days a week, for 3weeks. Then think of Colic-see your Doctor.

  • Understanding the family (2)

    Dear Reader,

    Last week, I started a teaching on Understanding The Family, and we examined the family unit and marriage relationship. This week, we will be examining, Marriage Versus Family.

    Marriage Versus Family

    Fredrick K. C. Price said, “Marriage is a divine ordinance. Without marriage as a divine ordinance, you cannot have a family. You may have a group of people living in the same house, but you cannot have a family. You will have a living arrangement, but not godly relationships.”

    In other words, if there is no marriage, there can be no family, because there is a decent order and process to follow in establishing a family. The Bible admonishes us: Let all things be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

    The marriage relationship, though essential to the family unit, differs from family relationship. Let’s see how:

    Firstly, marriage is between two parties, man and woman, husband and wife. It is between two people of the opposite sex only. It is important to make this point very clear here, especially in these “modern” days of “same sex marriages”. Even though same sex marriages may be acceptable to the society, it is not acceptable to God. For: … Male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27). Therefore shall a man …cleave unto his wife… (Genesis 2:24).

    Notice the words “male”, “female”, “man”, and “wife” in the above scriptures. These all point to two people of the opposite sex, not same sex. God is a God of details. To have God’s kind of marriage, things must be done His own way. Following the crowd and doing what everybody else is doing can never make for success in marriage. Caution! Caution!! Caution!!! God warns in His Word: …Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind … shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

    To go against the Word of God, makes life to be against you! The scriptures cannot be broken. To attempt to break scriptures, is to be broken in life. Those who make light of God’s Word are naturally victims in life.

    Secondly, marriage is a covenant, resulting in a fusion, a blending, and a lifelong relationship between one man and one woman. The husband and wife relationship is established by covenant.

    Marriage is not just a good idea, it is God’s idea. God instituted it; it is divine. It is not a cultural thing, but a scriptural thing. It is not a product of man’s arrangement, but God’s arrangement.

    A family tie, however, is a common ancestral or associational bond resulting in a connecting cord between the individuals within that same family. Its existence is not necessarily by their own volition. That is, you really have no say in deciding which family to belong to. And Judah said unto his brethren … he is our brother and our flesh… (Genesis 37:26-27).

    Thirdly, marriage is by choice; each party chooses to become bonded. In a family, however, each member is bonded as a result of their common ancestry, whether or not they choose to. In Genesis 28:2, Isaac told Jacob his son: Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

    The marriage relationship in which you find yourself, is a product of your choice, and choices are so important. To a great extent, they determine the flavour of our lives.

    On the other hand, the family into which you are born, is not a product of your choice. The relationship between children and parents is established by birth. You do not choose who your father or mother would be, before you are born. Or did you? You cannot change your father, neither can you change your mother. Nonetheless, the good news is that God never makes mistakes. Whatever family you are born into is not accidental, God did it on purpose, and it is for your good. Don’t ever wish you were born into another family. The family into which you are born is the best, for you to fulfil your reason for existence. Get excited! You are born in due season.

    Don’t ever despise the family into which you were born. No matter the challenges there, God might have sent you there for such a time as this. As you handle those challenges effectively, you will emerge a champion.

    Fourthly, marriage is the foundation for the family. A marriage is entered into by choice, and then grows into a family unit. The principles that keep the marriage standing, must flow into the lifestyle of family members. This is because in a marriage, an individual makes a choice for him/herself. But in establishing a family, the individual is bringing loved ones and more individuals together, to partake of the either healthy environment created or painful experiences being endured (Genesis 47:9). Marriage and family are meant to be enjoyed, not endured. God is still in the business of making successful your marriage. He will restore and help you to make things right again, when you accept Him through His Son Jesus Christ and become born again. If you will like to be born again and begin to enjoy God’s help and peace in your home, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into your Kingdom”.

    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: Making Marriage Work, Marriage Covenant, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

  • Bitterleaf healing power

    Bitterleaf is one of the widely use cooking vegetable in Africa and it can grow in any part of the world

    Very few people are aware that this vegetable is highly medicinal and can be used to cure diseases as well as help to keep our body in good health condition. The important thing this leaf does is to clean the blood, hence prevent sickness. This made by squeezing the fresh leaves to get the juice. Drink about a glass of the juice 3 times a day.

    •Bitter leaf also cleans the lymphatic system as well.

    •For smokers or those that are been exposed to secondary smoke, bitter leaf is useful by protecting the body against pollutants that come from cigarette smoke and some dangerous gas.

    •The juice prevents malaria sickness due to the presence of Natural Quinine. Regular intake of this bitter leaf juice will prevent malaria sickness

    •It also yield the healing power of Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STD). The drinking of the bitter leaf juice daily and also squeeze the leaves and paste it on the patches and warts that appear on the skin will vanish in course of days.

    •It is useful for treating of ringworm, eczema and other diseases, just squeeze and paste it regularly, drink the fresh bitter leaf juice, this will clear them off in no time.

    •It is useful in curing loss of memory. It could be a symptom of diabetes or a sickness on its own. Whatever the nature, bitter leaf is very good for treating this ailment.

    •If you often feel weak and tired or you lack vitality and vigour, squeeze the bitter leaf in water, take a glass 3 times daily.

    It is good in treating stroke, strengthens the muscle and cleanses the system.

    •In treating pneumonia, squeeze the fresh leafs of the plant in water. Take a glass full thrice daily. Warm the solution on fire each time before you drink.

    •Insomnia is an inability to sleep well, take 2 glasses of bitter leaf juice every night. You may add a little honey if you wish.

    •It prevent Arthritis or rheumatism in patients. It soothes swollen joints and eradicates the pain.

    •Chew the tender stem and swallowing the juices is a well known remedy for stomach aches. Alternatively, pound the fresh leaves in a mortar to extract the juice, add a pinch of salt to three tablespoons of the undiluted juice and drink. This version is reported to bring immediate relief.

  • Pediatrics and child health; in focus:Children of the street and children on the street (4)

    Ogun state has nine registered Universities, the highest of any state in Nigeria, whereas Osun state has four or five .What a proactive enterprise, to ensure that there are enough to feed the universities

    This should be taken up as a Federal government project. After all investment in children is investment in the future of the country if mobile phones could be bought and distributed to farmers, then these devices can be bought and made available to our kids, with assistance by the state governments

    Children spend quality time face booking, but the contents are mostly on relationships, infatuation, self love etc. they could be redirected to use the equipment to create learning groups, exchange groups, interschool study groups etc

    Time spent on wandering /loitering/idling /games can be studied and findings used to review/improve the project

    Routine screening can be done on street children (with incentives) to evaluate. psychiatric/mental health, to know those already on alcohol, other drugs including hard drugs

    Research—knowledge attitude and perception ( kAP) studies, can also be sponsored to seek out candidates suitable for rehabilitation…it may then be possible to know the extent of their involvement, identity of their social contacts, those being indoctrinated/brainwashed among other benefits. Some parents give no good examples and so the children have a teacher of bad habits in their Mom or Dad

    Intending couples should be encouraged to think seriously about relationships before you go into one, so you don’t end up with unwanted pregnancies.

    Health education, age appropriate should be encouraged in schools, churches and family fellowship.

    Government should also pay more attention to funding in homes for motherless babies and orphanages.

    It is time young girls stopped looking at Europe and America as pure heaven, reality is that they also have their own problems of people feeding directly from the dustbin.

    Parents, churches should to the extent possible monitor what their children are doing in terms of face booking competition, faces simply do not represent human being.

    What about what children are doing and being allowed to do in the different schools? How age appropriate are the messages they are getting? How gender sensitive. What relationship exists between teachers, pupils and students?

    Who and how are records kept? In the Holy Trinity Grammar school of those days, the principal took the matter of children on the street very seriously.

    He took time to ride bicycle and would chase students anywhere they ran, even into bushes and broth them into schools with severe disciplinary measures to serve as deterrent to others. Students were encouraged to go to the school libraries during free periods. Loitering was forbidden because they were used as avenues to dash to the streets

    With the large population of this country, and the presence of vast portions of arable land, the School to land policy which was the brain child of a previous Military Government should be reexamined. Research has shown that more than half of the total number of street boys are secondary school dropouts, and The finance minister has been glad to announce that Non oil exports has now climbed to over 20%, while this is encouraging, poverty and hunger are two conditions which prepare many Nigerian Women(including pregnant women) and children for Malaria to complete the dying process. One sure way of eradicating hunger and perhaps poverty is to pump money into mechanized agriculture, send young people for training in specific areas, remove the fear attached to farming that farmers die young and because they die for subsistence die poor.

    With milking machines, tractors, harvesters, incubators, with research laboratories, there will be enough to eat and family coherence needed to bring children close to their families can be guaranteed. Taking inventories, census of those living secondary schools, of youth corps members will enable proper planning and efficient management of a School to land initiative. It is a reliable way of getting children away from the streets, and reducing the number of children and young adults available for recruitment into various crimes and for trafficking.

    With enough food to eat and sell, female children can have education to what ever level as desired. They will not need to sell their bodies for money, and even if they have to indulge, they will have the capacity to negotiate for safer sex.

    Capacity building is not all about giving loans, that are tied to so many strings that recipients end up getting poorer while the banks declare unbelievable profits, the school to land initiative is a better alternative for those too poor or too young to assess bank loans.

    Governments, National orientation agency and others concerned with the welfare of Children should engage schools, colleges, physicians in family health, child health and pediatrics and support them to carry out research in the problem of street children . Government should bring down the costs of adoption, but do more monitoring once the processes are done with. Relevant agencies can involve social workers in supervision and management of minor conditions.

    Governments can build Science and Technology camps, mechanic, Lap top, and cell phone repair centers in strategic locations, where large groups of street boys congregate. Inventors can emerge from such camps and with positive reinforcement, others can emulate and aspire. Dreams and hope will metamorphose into reality, for the individual and for the family/

    .It is time wealthy individuals, institutions, multinational companies began to show interest in Debates, quiz contest, and other activities that can reward excellence, and make the streets less attractive for children. Setting up football academies like the one by Channels TV organization is a very good one. The boys are playing fantastic foot ball and are likely to draw others of their age away from street life. Someone should try a similar experiment with the girls and you will be amazed. However, not every one plays foot ball, just as we don’t expect every child to know how to play the saxophone, or guitar, but every child needs an education. Those who give out 50 million naira to sponsor birthday parties for strangers in our midst as a way of showing they have money need to spare a few minutes to imagine what one million can do for a home for the motherless, being managed by Catholic missions. These catholic charity organizations will be wondering whether God gave Wealthy Nigerians such retrogressive mindset that we can actually prefer to build more houses abroad than give financial support to the needy, even within extended family systems.

    Churches and religious organizations should encourage activities that teach children to avoid dangerous experiments, avoid attempting to do things they watch and see on television. Church programs for children should include insightful comments and activities on the fear of God, the love and respect for parents, family members and authorities. If Children can not find comfort, assurance and hope in Churches, they will find them on the street, if those telling them to give their lives to Christ hide to engage in anti Christian activities, Children will show that they too can hide and see what goes on in the dark, and if they cant give their lives to Christ, the devil, bacteria and dangerous viruses will all be very happy to take over such lives,

     

  • Importance Of Exercise

    Exercise and healthy weight loss not only help your heart,they also trim the threat of developing diabetes by up to 58 percent and cut your risk of cancer.

    Whether you prefer to walk, run, swim, or pump metal, it’s important to add aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities to your daily routine. Even moderate levels of physical activity can improve sleep, sharpen your mind, and decrease your odds of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

    Exercise is good for the body due to the following reasons:

    First, it helps you cut weight. When you exercise like jog or run you burn the fats in your body. This happens because the body undergoes respiration to yield energy needed for the exercise. The extra carbohydrates in the body are respired in presence of oxygen to give energy. Consequently, this burns away the fats that would otherwise have been stored as fats hence cutting weight.

    Second, it slows the rate at which gets old working out eliminate the inflation which comes along with aging. Moreover, some exercises like yoga minimize production of stress hormones which hasten aging. In-addition the stretching assists in smoothing lines which make you look aged.

    Third, it improves your physical appearance. Bodybuilding exercises burn fats and increase lean muscles. Cardiovascular exercises increases metabolic rate which removes toxins in form of sweat from the skin. This rejuvenates the skin and makes you look presentable.

    Fourth, it reduces stress through the release of endorphin hormone. The hormone works with various organs in the body like the brain and other receptors to ease how you view pain. When exercising instance playing football, you forget the pain and the stress as you only pay attention to your movements.

    Fifth, it boosts self-esteem as well as physical appearance. The proper blood circulation ensures that nutrients reach the scalp hence healthy hair and less gray hair. The lean muscles obtained during bodybuilding exercises improve the physique in men as they gain six packs and shoulder muscles.

    Sixth, it is used to relax and derive some fun. Some exercises like swimming and cycling have become hobbies. This is because the endorphin hormone released initiates motivation.

    Lastly, is the health benefit . Cycling increases metabolism hence reducing chances of stroke. The functioning of the brain is improved through adequate supply of air and nutrients to the brain that occurs during exercise. Obesity is controlled through burning of excess fats. Weight lifting strengthens cardiovascular muscles and reduces blood pressure which combats heart diseases.