The Nation Newspaper

Tag: heart

  • Centre offers free heart check, others

    The Grays Cardiology Centre, a member of The Reddington Hospital Group, has offered free heart check, ECG, blood pressure check, blood sugar and eye check to Nigerians in celebration of the World Heart Day.

    Hundreds of Nigerians, who visited the Grays Cardiology Centre in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, were attended to.

    The theme of this year’s event was “Creating heart-healthy environment.”

    Other activities for the day included a tour of the state-of-the art equipment at the centre for diagnosis and treatment of various cardiac conditions.

    There was also a  talk on “Effects of blood pressure on body organs”  by Dr, Moe Soe Aung, Associate Professor of Cardiology and Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, The Grays Cardiology Centre.

    During the lecture, Aung emphasised the need for individuals to make healthy choices wherever they live, work or play.

    He said the body needs adequate care to function maximally, noting that healthy choices, such as increased physical activity, healthy eating, regular medical checks for cardiovascular indices e.g, blood pressure, BMI, and blood cholesterol, were necessary for  healthy living.

    He however warned that bad health choices, such as over eating,  lack of exercise, unhealthy diets, high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose level could trigger  heart diseases  and threaten our lives.

    He said there was the need to screen for diseases as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are silent and often have no symptoms, which results in life-threatening complications, such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, peripheral artery disease.

    He said early diagnosis and detection allows for prompt treatment and intervention before complication.

    Facility Manager, The Grays Cardiology Centre, Mrs. Bisola Audiferen said the centre management was glad to join other health institutions globally to celebrate the World Heart Day, which was why it  made available the facilities free to the public.

    She noted that the day was the biggest platform to campaign against cardiovascular diseases,  enjoining Nigerians, especially participants at the event, to take advantage of the knowledge gained from the workshop and  free medical screenings to maintain healthy living.

  • Are your heart and blood vessels dying? (2)

    Going by responses to the first part of this series, POMEGRANATE should become one of the nutritional supplements many people challenged with heart ailments will look out for in 2018. Dr. Syed Zair Hussain, of Pakistan, aroused interest in Nigeria, with his experiments which showed how pomegranate helped many people in Pakistan to clear up heart diseases, some of which would have resulted in by-pass surgery. So confident has Dr. Hussain become about Pomegranate therapy that he has launched a campaign against by-pass surgery, claiming cardiologists were merely exploiting their patients by booking them for by-pass surgery to correct coronary heart blockage(s) and circulation dysfunction in the heart. In coronary heart by-pass surgery, an artery from another part of the body is sewn into a heart artery to by-pass the blockage and damaged artery, in order to bring oxygenated blood to dying heart tissue.

    In the United States, a heart by-pass surgery may cost a patient who is not covered by health insurance anything from 70,000  dollars to 200,000 dollars or more.

    This series was spurred by the celebration on September 29 of THE WORLD CARDIOVASCULAR DAY. It is a date every year when world health authorities encourage everyone to save a thought for his or her heart and blood vessels. Concern for the heart and its blood vessel system arose from the fact that more people worldwide are dying from diseases which torment them than are dying from cancer, HIV/AIDS and malaria put together. The internal environment of every human being is, indeed, an interesting one. Unfortunately, many people do not know much about it or take care of this WONDERFUL WORLD WITHIN, as Dr. Roger John Williams titled one of his books. Dr. Williams was an American biochemist who spent his academic career at the University of Texas at Austin where he isolated and named folic acid and helped to discover Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), Vitamin B6, Lipoic acid and Avidin. These are some of the chemical food substances which keep our organ healthy and active and prevent us from bowing to disease and dying needlessly. Many of us ignore or are ignorant of that “wonderful world within” and expend vast resources instead on cosmetics, jewelry, power dressing and such other external paraphernalia which add little or nothing to the health of that “wonderful world within” which requires our help to stay young, and disease-free.

    The heart and its blood vessels belong to that “wonderful world within”. The website https://skeptics.stackexchange.com gives us a hint of its magnitude when it says:

    “An adult human has been estimated to have some 60,000 miles (96, 560km) of capillaries with a total surface area of some 800 to 1000m2 (an area greater than three tennis courts).”

    These are only the blood capillaries, tiny branches from the major blood vessels. At interestingthings.info, we learn that, if the heart were to pump blood outside the blood vessels, each pumping can make the blood squirt up to nine meters high. “The length of your blood vessels is about 100,000 kilometers”, says the website. “To understand this distance – the circumference of earth is about 40,000 kilometers. The distance between the earth, the moon, is about 300,000 kilometers. So, if we take the blood vessels of three people, and connect them edge to edge – we could easily step where Neil Armstrong did.”

    This is a great picture many of us do nothing about until we suffer damage to it in one form or another. What we have just learned is that if the blood vessels of three people are stretched out and joined together, they would be long enough to reach the moon from the earth. Heart diseases were explored in the first part of this series. This section will explore the problems we may encounter in the blood vessels. As stated, Arteries take blood from the heart to all parts of the body. Capillaries take the blood from the arteries to nooks and crannies of the organs to give them oxygen and nutrients, and to remove carbon dioxide and other wastes which they pass on to the veins. The veins are smaller than arteries and take used blood back to the heart, from where this is pumped to the lungs to be re-oxygenated and ridden of the poisonous carbon dioxide waste through the breadth.

     

    Diseases of blood vessels

     

    Disturbances in blood vessels are often called pheripheral blood diseases or artery disease. The blood vessels become narrowed either in the arms, abdomen, legs or any other region of the body. The narrowing is caused by a buildup of plaque or fatty deposits. The narrowing means less blood will flow through them and, consequently, reduced blood flow will mean less oxygen delivery to the cells, tissue and organs. With poor oxygen deliveries over time, the cells begin to weaken, wilt, age and even die. Blood vessel disease presents some signs which may include muscle pain, cramps, aches here and there, pale skin, cold hands and feet, discoloration of the nails, long-term injuries such as diabetic ulcers. When some old wounds are scratched, and a blackened under surface is exposed, or the hairs on the legs, feet and toes begin to fall off, or if the pulse in the legs or feet becomes pale or dull or when exercise brings pain which subsides during a rest, it may be time to suspect that enough oxygen is not being delivered to these sites by blood vessels. This is a cause of the amputation of some limbs.

    Dr. Ann Wigmore experienced this when she suffered from gangrene in one limb. The limb was to be amputated on the advice of her doctors. But she was strong-willed and objected, preferring to die instead. Providentially one day, she asked to be wheeled in her wheel chair to her garden. There, she observed that sick cats were coming to eat a particular grass. She observed them for days and weeks and when she found they were getting healed. She, too, began to eat this healing grass. The healing grass turned out to be wheatgrass, the juice of which her grandfather used to heal the gunshot injuries of World War II soldiers in her country. Soon, blood began to flow better in the occluded limb of Ann Wigmore and the limb began to heal till the amputation once prescribed was no longer necessary. This shot up the reputation of wheatgrass as a healer.

     

    Retinal vascular occlusion

    The retina is the light-sensitive layer of the eye. It is populated with rod and cone-shaped structures which convert light signals to nerve messages. These are passed through the Optic nerve to the brain, where they are converted to vision. It is possible for blood vessels in the retina to become blocked by cholesterol plaque or blood clot. This will reduce oxygen flow to the retina and the eye and cause fluid buildup. The retina may be prevented from picking light efficiently. This may impair vision. Retinal vascular occlusion or blockage are of two types, and each type depends on which blood vessel is disabled. The blockage may be in the artery or in the vein. The blockage may be in the main eye artery or vein or in their branches. Occlusion in the main vessels are often more serious conditions than those in their branched vessels. Hardening of the vessels (arteriosclerosis) and blood clots are thought to be the culprits. A blockage or narrowing of the neck’s carotid arteries is also a risk factor. Other risk factors may be irregular heart beats, like diabetes and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, free radicals, macular edema (fluid buildup), thickening of the central part of the retina and inflammation disorders. Whatever it is, vision may become blurry, temporary or permanent, and urgent medical attention may be required. Some complications may develop. This, as said, may include Macular edema in which blood builds up in the central part of the retina, or neo-vascularisation, in which a lack of adequate blood flow and oxygen supply a compensated by an abnormal blood vessels growth. In an article on age-related macular degeneration, Maureen A. Duffy edited a contribution by Lylas G. Mogk in visionaware.org which says:

    “In wet age-related macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels under the retina begin to grow toward the macula. Because these new blood vessels are abnormal, they tend to break, bleed, and leak fluid, damaging the macula and causing it to lift up and pull away from its base. This can result in a rapid and severe loss of central vision.”

    Neo-vascular glaucoma may occur in which a fluid-buildup in the eye chambers may threaten vision. Seldom does retinal detachment occur.

     

    Cerebral blood small vessel disease (SVD)

    This refers to small blood vessels in the brain. These vessels, too, are affected by arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and atherosclerosis (blockages) and micro bleeding. They, too, can be subject to inflammation. Normally, an MRI examination sees brain matter as white. When you read in a radiologists report that the MRI suggests “brain matter changes”, that may indicate a SVD…small vessel disease. It is possible a small vessel has been leaking or has leaked on some areas of the brain tissue. The symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe. Sometimes the SVD is “silent”, presenting no symptoms. SVD may affect cognition, walking gait, depression, dementia, stroke et.c. Many doctors say there are far too many possible causes of SVD that they do not wish to boil them down. But some mention risk factors in stroke, including hypertension, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cerebral amyloid, angiopathy, aging, free radicals. Many doctors prevent or treat SVD by treating hypertension and other risk factors, with mixed results. In Alternative medicine, SVD treatment goes hand-in-hand not only with cardiovascular system health therapies but, also, with therapies specially adapted to the brain. As was stated in the first part of this series, addition of Magnesium supplement to the diet offsets the possibility of extra Calcium load causing arteriosclerosis. Dietary supplements such as Cayenne, Lecithin, Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), Ginkgo biloba, Bilbery, Chromium, Grape Seed Extract, Pomegranate e.t.c keep the blood vessels free of atheroma and atherosclerosis. Grape Seed Extract is a unique food supplement in that it is one of those few food or medicinal factors which easily crosses the Brain-Blood-Barrier (BBB) not only to thin the blood and prevent an infringement of the Law of Motion (unhindered blood flow) but to also protect all brain contents against the damaging effects of free radicals. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) will be found useful here, too, because it is one of those few antioxidants which are simultaneously active in fat and fluid media. Bleeding can be stopped with a number of supplements such as Pawpaw (papaya) leaf juice, Shepherd’s purse, Mimosa Pudica (especially in excessive menstrual bleeding and in leg or foot swellings), Yarrow et.c. If blood vessels break and leak because they are fragile, we must look at the fragility of connective tissue and deploy either Horsetail or Edible Earth (Diatomaceus or Diatom) or the appropriate cell or tissue salts. Horsetail is useful because it is rich in Silica. Diatom is about 96 percent Silica, a bonding agent. The cell salt silica (No 12 in the series) is about 100 percent Silica. Rutin, a member of the bioflavonoids family, tightens leakage areas to prevent blood leakages. Aluminium cookware should be avoided, as should aluminium tea pots and plates as they leach aluminium into food and this may be an ingredient in amyloid plague which damages blood vessels. The sing-song should be antioxidants, antioxidants and antioxidants.

     

    Small vessels disease of the hand

     

    On a radio programme last week, a listener called a presenter, a medical doctor, to know why three of his fingers in one hand appeared to be lifeless. The doctor replied that the condition may have to do with nerves, and that he may seek help from his doctor. Nerves may, indeed, be the cause of the numbness. But so may, also, be a condition in the wrist know as carpal tunnel syndrome, which response to Vitamin B6 therapy. If you turn your wrist up, you would notice what appears to be a “gutter” at the base. It is a condit or tunnel through which tendons and Median nerve go into the hand to the fingers. If the nerve is under pressure and inflamed, this may affect nerve energy flow to the thumb and the next three fingers which are controlled by this nerve.

    As for small vessel problems in the arm and fingers, there may be as many as five possible scenarios. Trauma is one of them. The vessels become compressed, that is…flattened. We are by now more familiar with blockage.  Growths or tumours may throw spanners in the works. Spasms (something akin to muscle pulls) may cause narrowing. Some of the signs may include pain, colour changes in the finger tips, sensitivity or hypersensitivity to cold and/or cold hands and arms, wounds that do not heal easily, numbness of the finger tips, swellings. Other presentations may be decreased or absence of pulse in the armpit, elbow, wrist or finger tips, wounds or gangrene. Sometimes, the arteries or veins may be tangled at birth or later in life, not to mention varicose veins which present like a spider web. Some people suffer from vasculitis or angiitis, other names for inflammation of vessels, which may cause those vessels to narrow and reduce blood flow to organs, thereby damaging them. When veins are inflamed, the condition is venulitis. Only the experts can advise us about the various forms of vasculitis and venulitis and their deep-seated causes. But it has been observed that they sometimes follow the patterns of some types of diseases such as immune dysfunction, infections, including Hepatitis B, cancers, exposure to some chemicals and some medications, rheumatoid arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The mention of SLE seriously disturbs the peace of mind of one of my female acquaintances, a lawyer. It affects her scalp, not as SLE perse, but as Discoid Erythematosus (DE), which is not life threatening, although it breaks blood vessels here and there and is causing her alopecia. Vasculitis can be a terrible disease in the brain, it may cause headaches, seizure, stroke, paralysis, lightheadedness et.c. In the lungs, cough and shortness of breadth are common symptoms. Kidney failure may occur in the kidneys. Muscle pains are not left out. So are skin discoloration and ulcers if it presents in the skin. Congestive heart failure may arise in the heart. Weakness, fatigue and weight loss are members of this family as well.

    Treatment of many of these conditions are as already mentioned for coronary heart disease and other presentations. A few years ago, a nutritional network marketing company in Nigeria sold a product named CARDIOTONIC PILL. To demonstrate its capacity to create thoroughfare for blood circulation in blood vessels, the company carried out an experiment in which human hands were placed in a freezer to freeze circulation and induce chilblains. Then, Cardiotonic Pill was orally given to the guinea pigs. The conditions of the hands were examined with MRI before and after the therapy. The images showed a frozen hand and then a normal hand within about five minutes after Cardiotonic Pill was taken. The magic wand was said to be the presence at one percent of Camphor in the composition of Cardiotonic Pill. As for Vasculitis, we have many Alternative Medicine recipes today which work better than Ibuprofen the treatment of choice in conventional medicine. One of them is CUCURMIN 2000X. This is Cucurmin combined with Cayenne in such ratio as is said to make Curcumin 2000 times more active than in its natural state. Orange peel is anti-inflammatory. So are greens such as Barley grass, Wheatgrass, Kale and Spirulina, to mention a few. Their high Chlorophyll content cleans up the dross that may be causing irritation and inducing inflammation, their oxygen molecules burn out disease and they stimulate the immune system to normalise the system, among their many benefits.

    Small vessel disease occurs in other part of the body such as enlarged veins in the scrotum.

  • The heart of the matter is really a matter of the heart

    … We can say that for the need of a job, the mother was lost; for want of a mother, the children were lost; for want of the children, the home was lost; for want of homes, the nation was lost. The nation, no doubt, has lost its heart…

    It is not easy living in this world. It is even harder living in this country, so hard that you sometimes don’t know which you would rather prefer: to pack your things and go join those who voluntarily took their exit from the world via an internet site or to sit down, place your hand on your chin and keep on sighing. The internet exit happened some years ago at the instance of some mentally and financially unbalanced wreck who asked equally deluded, cyber-crazy people to join him in astral travel with their portmanteaux (of money) at a meeting point where he promptly fed them poison. He told them he would take care of their luggage after relieving them of their money. They did travel to space all right, but I don’t think it was quite the one they had in mind. I think I’ve reported this before too, but never mind; for you, I’ll repeat any story.

    It is also not easy living in the same country with scientists, worse still, card-carrying ideologue-scientists. Most of them, you will agree with me, are mad. But then, so are most artists. The difference lies mostly in the degree of madness each displays. Whereas your mad artist is often mad to himself because he indulges in things like starvation, self-immolation, self-destruction, self-deception (usually over a girl) and so on while creating things of eternal beauty; your mad scientist, on the other hand invents death. He looks for a thousand ways to kill you. He timorously invents and mixes solutions and other stuff like poisons, bombs and lies that blow up in people’s faces and then says ‘Oops, sorry’.

    Wanton killings are going on everywhere in Nigeria, but the worst part is that nobody quite knows why. Perpetrators of such have taken advantage of the mad scientist’s invention to perpetrate evil. The problem, however, is not so much that evil reigns; it is that evil finds somewhere from which to reign.

    Rather lost for something to write on sometime ago, I visited the internet for some inspiration where I came across the story of the wife of a former European PM berating Stay-At-Home-Mums (SAHM) for being uninspiring to their children and raising ‘unambitious’ children because children from such homes, according to the former first lady, only look out for some rich fellow to marry. I got the impression that the lady wished to tell such mums to look at her and emulate her, a well-adjusted lawyer and mum who had put the act of juggling home and career down to an art.

    Well, I thought, as I read the report, there was first the mixing of issues in a not very logical way. It is a known fact that it is not only children of SAHMs who look for rich people (either sex) to marry; anyone from any family type can do that. Secondly, really, not everyone can afford the kind of child care unit filled with attendants the speaker probably had while the family was in office. But, I digress. What I want to bring out from that story is the problem of dissociation that can make someone feel so distant from his family as to seriously commit himself to forgetting the values imparted from childhood. That disconnect, I believe, is actually hinged on the problem of the Nigerian family no longer being able to define itself.

    When I was growing up, the family unit was well and admirably defined. It consisted of a father, mother(s) and any number of biological or non-biological children, even if the latter only came in from the streets. They all mixed together as one because there was plenty of love to go round, particularly as the mother was always at hand. Fewer women worked then; perhaps that accounted for why everyone was happy. Not only could the mother be roused from her mid-morning forty winks to bandage a finger or reattach an arm or a leg (I exaggerate, I know), but she gave her family and other neighbourhood children a firm ground to stand, and play, on. She was the heart of the family; her being intact meant that the family was intact.

    The fact that a woman did not work did not really mean that she did nothing. Often, she ran a shop situated close to home where she could make a trade and also keep a wary eye on the brood in her charge. Our favourite shop when I was young was run by a non-working mother who could be called in the middle of attending to her family to attend to someone in need of a purchase. No one minded that one’s box of matches sometimes had water on it: it was all in the spirit of neighbouliness since everyone’s heart was really in its right place. Her presence at home meant that her children could sleep well and grow well, in that order. It also meant that the children did not have to grow up with anxieties about homework and exams and invigilation schedules at age three.

    The eighties and nineties saw women shooting out of their houses, like uncaged rabbits, to go foraging around for work. Then, the children were left scratching their heads, wondering where their cook, nurse and general dogs-body had gone and if things would ever be the same again. HALF OF THE CHILDREN ENDED UP IN PRE-NURSERY AND NURSERY AND POST-NURSERY WHERE THEY BEGAN EARLY TO COLLECT THEIR BACKPACKS OF POST-MODERNIST ANGST, ANXIETIES, NEUROSES AND THE COMPLIMENTARY PSYCHIATRISTS WHO SOMETIMES DOUBLE AS TEACHERS OR SECT LEADERS. And, you should see the kind of faith these children have in their leaders. They faithfully learn all they are taught, dutifully become scientists, dutifully do all they are told and willingly become evil.

    Many mothers have left home in search of self-fulfilment. The job comes first, the social life second and the home a distant third. This is the reality in Nigeria today. SO, THE RESULT OF MOTHERS NOT STAYING AT HOME IS THAT VACANCIES NOW EXIST IN THE CHILDREN’S HEARTS, often filled by outsiders such as sect leaders. This is why many children swear by their teachers or leaders’ words. Whoever provides the anchor gets their loyalty. In this battle of controlling the heart of many children today across the country, the family has lost out because the unit can no longer function as it used to. An armed robber was said to have bitten off the ears of his mother while he waited to be shot because he believed her not getting a firm hold on him was responsible for his loss of direction. I have no idea whether she was a working mother or not, but she must have been too preoccupied with something or other to pay her son much attention.

    A children’s rhyme says something to the effect that for want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for want of a horse, the rider was lost; for want of a rider, the war was lost; for want of a war, the nation was lost. Similarly, we can say that for the need of a job, the mother was lost; for want of a mother, the children were lost; for want of children, the home was lost; for want of homes, the nation was lost. The nation, no doubt, has lost its heart and the absence of family values are now responsible for the teeming disconnected youths plying the streets. They have nothing to anchor their emotions on or to ground their fears in. REALLY, THE NATION HAS TO FIND ITS HEART AGAIN.

  • UNTH heart patients form association

    UNTH heart patients form association

    Former heart patients who went through surgery at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) are coming together to form an association.

    Numbering over 300, they underwent their surgeries between 2013 and 2017. The chief medical director of UNTH, Dr. Chris Amah who disclosed this said the former patients aim was to encourage people with heart problem to come forward and be treated. They also aimed at raising funds for indigent patients as well as enlightenment.

    Amah disclosed that right now, over 50 children and 30 adults are queuing up for attention while 20 children were currently undergoing the surgery at the hospital.

    The current surgeries are being undertaken by the United States based VOOM Foundation led by its president, Nigerian-born Dr. Vincent Ohaji.

    The CMD said an Italian NGO, PONIC, was also using the hospital’s facilities to carry out surgeries for patients mainly from Bayelsa state. “Before now, the NGO use to fly their patients to Italy but after inspecting our facilities, they reached an agreement with us for the use of the facilities,” he said.

    Amah disclosed that both the Enugu state and Federal ministries of health have always been supportive to the hospital.

    The CMD showered praises on an Enugu oil magnate, Dr. Arthur Eze whom he said comes around to foot the bills of the patients.

    “Arthur Eze is always kind enough to help off bills of patients.“

    Amah called on wealthy Nigerians to emulate the gestures of Eze and help those less privileged who are in distress.

  • Prioritise heart health, women told

    Prioritise heart health, women told

    Wowen  have been advised to take care of their hearts.

    Power Oil Brand Manager Amisha Chawla gave the advice during the launch of a deal between the firm and the Kaduna State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    She said the advice became necessary because one of three women had heart disease. She said this was so because some women  cared for others’health at the detriment of theirs.

    The event was opened by Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El–Rufa’i and his wife, Hadiza Isma, at the second Kaduna Women Economic Empowerment Summit, Kaduna.

    It had as theme: “Enabling access and participation linking women to resources”.

    Chawla said women should monitor the health of their heart because heart disease is the number one killer.

    “Many women realise this but still don’t act on their knowledge. Some are in denial about their risk factors, while others fall into the habit of taking better care of loved ones than of themselves. And that’s unfortunate because after a heart attack, the long-term survival prospect is as good as or even better for women than for men, as long as they get appropriate treatment.

    “By understanding that heart health is just as important for women as it is for men, women can take steps to reduce their risk of cardiac disease. Being familiar with heart symptoms specific to women will allow women to identify them and get them treated earlier. Diet and exercise play a major role, hence consuming good oil that will not clog the arteries is one step forward,” she said.

    She said that is why Raffles Oil LFTZ Enterprise, makers of the Nigerian Heart friendly cooking oil brand, Power Oil, have entered into deal with the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development through its medical outreach project, Power  Oil Health Camp Project, to provide free basic medical health check up for the indigenes not women alone.

    The long-term plan is expected to cover the  nation in promoting a good eating habit and, ultimately, healthy lifestyle among Nigerians.

    Chawla said the Power Oil Health Camp, already in 13 locations across Nigeria, is offering free basic medical health check ups to communities in the Body Mass Index (BMI) check, Blood pressure (Bp) and free medical consultation  in local governments in the state

    Its medical experts were deployed by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to conduct HIV and malaria test.

    Commissioner, Kaduna State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Hafsat Mohammed-Baba, said a healthy and empowered woman is the key to a prosperous future, adding that that is why it is important to work  for the pursuance of the agenda of gender and social inclusion policy to protect women and girl child in the state with the support of the governor.

    She praised the private institutions that are supporting the  ministry in ensuring a healthy state, especially for women.

    “We see this as an excellent partnership with the Power Oil team and we hope that it will be sustainable enough to comb through the rural areas so they also can get properly enlightened about living a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

    The commissioner said she would join the team for easy mobilisation and encourage the women folks to take advantage of the opportunity of free medical health checks.

    Power Oil Public Relations Manager, Omotayo Azeez, said the medical teams would be in every nook and cranny of the state.

  • Rashida Bello’s heart of gold

    The milk of human kindness is usually a rare commodity in the circle of the rich and powerful. But not so with the First Lady of Kogi State, Mrs Rashida Bello, in whose veins sympathy flows like a river. The youthful wife of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has been putting smiles on the faces of the downtrodden in the Confluence State since she ascended her exalted position.

    No sooner had she assumed office than she launched the Kogi Women and Youth Advancement Foundation (KOWYAF) to equip women and youths with the expertise needed for self-reliance and getting them off the streets. The career accountant has also built primary health care centres in each of the three senatorial districts in the state, a measure of her commitment to alleviating the health concerns of the populace.

    And just recently, Mrs Rashida, who at 32 years is one of the youngest first ladies around, launched a new initiative, DROP, to reach the women and youths in the remotest corners of the state. Her commitment to quality education also saw her recently take street children off the Lokoja-Jamata Bridge, placing some of them in good schools.

  • A missing heart

    Missing person! The words on the poster drew your truly closer. The photograph of the lady is simply breathtaking, a missing beauty; would certainly make any heart skip a bit. The words and the face conjure all kinds of images and you are in wonderland. What could have happened to this beauty?  Was she kidnapped by a beast(s)? How could she just vanish into thin air without imagining the pain her disappearing act would cause.

    Dead or alive, the truth of the matter here is that she is deeply missed. This reminds yours truly of a missing heart, like people hearts can be missing. So what kind of heart are we likely to miss? you ask. A sweet heart is a jolly good fellow, someone who brings sunshine (love) into your world, a heart that radiates joy and one who spreads love in megadoses and there certainly is never a dull moment.

    A missing heart is a lost heart. It is over but somehow you just cannot let go. The more you want to forget and move on, it keeps creeping back but there is a lot of uncertainty here. Searching for the missing comes with tales of frustration. The missing person who ran away must have escaped from something or someone, a partner who is aggressive, selfish or non-challant about your feelings.

    Well, somehow you cannot be judgmental on the emotional corridor; for many it’s the gambling arena. Sometimes you put in an emotional coin and sweep the stakes. As a winner, your smile is everywhere and you are likely to attract more hearts. Everybody loves a winner and you may just be overwhelmed by the level of attention you are getting here and there. You are in the season of love and the best thing to do is to put on your thinking cap and not the emotional cap. If you do not make the best of the emotional coupons, you may just waste them

    Unfortunately, there are times when you put in all your savings and walk out without a dime.

    As you think about the possibilities, you heart continues to sink.

    Two close pals who knew her story came to the rescue. That babe ran away. No, this can’t be. How can anyone run away from an environment where the hearts around ‘appear’ to be so loving? Imagine the cost of producing those bright-coloured posters; imagine the number of people to be contacted if our dear friend is found. They really care, don’t they?

    Forget about the bright-coloured poster and the effect created about a heart that is being missed.

    What actually happened was the case of a missing heart. Her heart left a long time ago. Whatever you are feeling comes from a cumulative effect of your feelings and how you feel for the other person. The vibes from your emotions cannot be compared to the effects you get from a solo instrument; instead you get better like a choir or an orchestra with several voices. So at every phase in your relationship, you have got to ask yourself pertinent questions about what your mind is saying, what your heart is saying as well as what your gut is saying.

    This is very interesting because there are times when your heart says you have found love but somewhere along the line your mind is warning you about the consequence and more.

    The crux of the matter here is that we must learn how to build the right kind of relationship. We must strive to make those who think we love happy and have memories that linger. The big question, however, is how many of us have learnt how to build loving relationships? If we have done this, then it is important to make use of the essentials and allow others to appreciate what we are enjoying in our relationships.

    As you take a look around, you find that there is an art and science to building strong relationships. The first type is to create a safe environment, a place where trust is key and lovebirds are free to share ideas and not allow one person’s interests to dominate the other. No, it isn’t always a smooth ride and there would certainly be days when you need to shout and get angry. Yes, there are days when the emotional battle line is drawn, but, again, when you get to this emotional crossroads, it is better to fight fairly. Of course, for many it is almost impossible to get to anger zone and still maintain some level of sanity.

    Interestingly, you can do this by making your points and addressing the areas that you want to see changes. To do this effectively, there should be no name calling, don’t make threats and it is also very important to apologise when you know you should.

    However, if things get really bad and out of hand, then you are likely to get too angry to really listen. If your emotions have really gone down the drain, then it is better to take a break, give yourself some space and calm down.

  • Investing in the wrong heart

    The battle line has been drawn and now it is going to be fight to finish. How can anyone take her silence for stupidity? How can this common intruder take over her emotional space while she continues to suffer in silence? Wait a minute! What has she done to merit this kind of rash treatment? Why does love crash when you least expect it to do so? Now, she is not just stunned but handicapped because she just does not know where to pick the pieces together again.

    Let’s scroll down memory lane and see how this love story took off. “We met at an interview and he looked really dull. For her it was love at first sight. She just liked him and found a way to start a conversation with him. He had this nice baritone voice and he was intelligent. When they got talking later that day, she discovered that he had been out of job for about a year. That obviously had affected him and she made up her mind to get him back on track. The only person she confided in about the relationship was her friend Lizzy. For Lizzy, it was important to tread with caution: “My dear, it is good to fall in love, but sometimes, it is better to look before you leap. A lot of the guys you have out there are gentle only when they want something from you. Once they get what they want, you can be sure that you will begin to see the other side. Please don’t fall in love, take your time and be sure that your heart is worth investing here. You know that you have been through so much already, you do not need another distraction again.”

    Luckily, he was one of the lucky few who got employed and she was so happy for him. The relationship took off almost immediately because they shared so many things in common. The two jolly good fellows loved themselves so much and they were always in each other’s company. They had been in the relationship for about three years and many thought they had everything going for them. The first two years was wonderful and it was a roller coaster of emotions.

    Love made in heaven? Maybe! It was a great experience for her because this was the first time that she was having a relationship with someone who was simple, easy going and down to earth. Bode just wasn’t like the other guys she had dated in the past. He was very emotional and didn’t appear to be too adventurous with the ladies. Tall and handsome, he was someone any lady would want to be associated with. The only snag was that she wished he could improve on his dress sense and look more attractive.

    They discussed it and he agreed to be the man she wanted her darling to be. This handsome bobo was, however, too plain, too ordinary and somehow her desire to brush him up and make him match her taste engulfed her. Passionately, she put all her energy into it and gradually the transformation began. First, they went on a shopping spree, all expenses on the initiator of the idea to look good and she was happy doing this for her man. She bought new clothes and accessories and the transformation was simply amazing. A look at the magnetic mirror for the most handsome dude in town and you find him in the picture. He looked really good and his level of self confidence also improved. Feeling fresh and exciting, he began to make heads turn. Now that we have changed this plain guy and moved him to the level of the most sought after, fresh trouble began. A number of emotional rats began to run to and fro the emotional corridor. This new look was exciting but it brought threats, big and small.

    “I knew from the first two weeks that I had lost my guy. He just could not handle this new look and he was mesmerised by the compliments and emotional partnerships that unfolded as the days went by. Can’t really blame him! They simply suffocated him with love, or was it lust? For someone who had been ‘dehydrated’ and longing for affection, this was time to indulge. He drank and drank from the affection stream and became confused. For the lover boy, it was indeed a season for flings, strange phone calls and threats to the heart that showed him real love. This just wasn’t fear; you don’t abandon a generous and caring heart just like this. Unfortunately, the word fair has vanished from the emotional lexicon, hearts do not reason this way.

    Unfortunately, our dear friend did not know that she was looking for emotional trouble. When you make someone or something you like very attractive, then you are bringing others to be partakers and they would go for it at all cost. Sadly, our dear friend was not thinking along this line and the Romeo was whisked away along the emotional corridor before she knew what was going on.

  • Eight-month-old boy needs N3.5m for heart surgery

    Eight-month-old boy needs N3.5m for heart surgery

    An eight-month-old boy, Mubarak Jaiyesimi, is down with a heart disease.

    An outpatient with  registration number 671632 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos, he lives on compound drugs.

    Jaiyesimi, who was born on May 25, last year, was barely two weeks old when it was discovered that his breathing was abnormal. He was initially taken to a private hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos, from where he was referred to another private hospital on Victoria Island, Lagos last June 23. Later, Dr. Imam referred him to the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, LUTH last August 2. At first, he was placed on admission and later became an outpatient.

    A Consultant Paediatrician, Prof. C. A. N. Okoromah’s summary of Mubarak Jaiyesimi’s medical report, dated last October 28, stated that the boy has a symptomatic congenital heart disease. This was confirmed by echocardiography to consist of Large Per Membranous Ventricular Septic Defect, Patent Ductus Arterial Hypertension with good Biventricular Function in Down’s Syndrome.

    Mubarak, the medic said, required further cardiovascular evaluation and open heart surgery to correct his heart’s defects to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications; “that, for this to be carried out, it would require nothing less than N3.5m,” she added.

    The parents of the boy live at number 7, Owolowo Street, Ojubode, Ikorodu with Mubarak’s two elder brothers who are 14 and 11 years old.

    The boy’s father, Abayomi, 40,   is a driver while his mother, Monsurat Jaiyesimi (08168415370), 38, is a caterer.

    According to the couple, life has become unbearable as they have exhausted their savings on the boy’s medication.

    The father said: “The means to raise the said amount for the quick surgical intervention for his survival has become a problem hence, the need to appeal to every well-meaning, good spirited and open-handed individuals, philanthropists, corporate bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and religious leaders for their financial assistance.

    “Your passion, care and contribution shall never be in vain, our fervent prayer is that may the Almighty God bless you abundantly for your labour of love. Amen.”

    He urged the public to send their onations to: Jaiyesimi Mubarak Anuoluwapo’s Diamond Bank Account Number: 0087458674.

  • Walnut good for fertility, brain, heart, others

    Walnut good for fertility, brain, heart, others

    The ‘African walnut’ known botanically as Tetracarpidium conophorum, has been described as a good remedy for infertility, dreadful cholesterol, poor brain or mental function and cardiovascular diseases, among others.

    According to a natural medicine practitioner, Dr Gilbert Ezengige, people do not take advantage of the nut known as Ukpa in Igbo, Asala (Yoruba), Okhue or Okwe among the Edo people.

    Walnut, he said, has a spermatogenic property, which makes it promote formation of sperm cells in the testicles. “Walnut improves the quality and count of sperm produced. We often prescribe it as a form of treatment for infertility. Its leaf extract has been found to boost female fertility. The African walnut can also help to reduce bad cholesterol level in the blood,” he said.

    The naturopath said African walnut is different from other walnuts from other parts of the world but all walnuts can boost cognitive functions when taken regularly. This, he said, was due to the presence of high level of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B6. This helps to support brain functions, he said.

    He said walnuts are eaten across the world but people really do not know their huge benefits.

    “For example, walnut helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Heart attack and coronary heart diseases are greatly minimised with moderate consumption of walnut. The harm to the heart resulting from excessive consumption of fatty foods is preventable. People should eat walnuts regularly. It also possesses a heart friendly antioxidant,” he said.

    Ezengige, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), HealthBubbles Online, advised hypertensive patients to eat as much walnut as they can when it is in season to lower their blood pressure.

    Moreover, those suffering from insomnia or sleep disorder can get good sleep as walnut has been found to enhance good sleep.

    This, he said, was due to the high content of pyridoxine and melatonin found in the nut, which makes it support quality sleep. “This nut also relaxes and nourishes the brain. The nut itself from the law of signature resembles the structure of the human brain. People suffering from lack of sleep and other sleep disorders could benefit from regular intake of walnut,” he said.

    He said African walnut is a seasonal plant, adding: “People refer to it as the king of nuts due to the immense nutritional and health benefits derivable from it”.

    Walnut, he said, contains an array of vital essential minerals, vitamins and phyto-nutrients as well as non-nutritive phytochemicals known to impact positively on health.

    He said the plant’s nutrients have the capacity to renew, rebuild, restore and reactivate the human body and walnut is no exemption as it possesses antimicrobial properties and remedies for most stomach and intestinal health conditions.

    Some vitamins present in African walnut include thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is very useful in addressing tachycardia (fast heart beat) and cardiomegaly (heart enlargement).

    “It also has riboflavin (Vitamin B2), which is good for the reproductive health and vision because it alleviates eye fatigue. Walnut also has niacin, niacinamide, nicotinic acid or nicotinamide ( all Vitamin B3), which is an essential ingredient for sex hormone production and healthy nervous system.

    “The fruit has pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), which plays major roles in fighting infection. It assists in production of antibodies; lowers cholesterol and triglycerides levels in the blood,” he said.

    What about pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), which the African walnut has? It helps in the treatment of premenstrual edema, Parkinson’s disease, nausea and edema.

    Others are toxemia in pregnancy, brain disorders and male sexual malfunctions. “Walnut also has folic acid (Vitamin B9). It is one of the most important nutrients for an expectant mother and the foetus. Folic acid helps to prevent spontaneous abortion and difficult labour as well as high infant death rate.

    The nut contains cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) needed for the production and regeneration of red blood cells as well as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), which is used to treat infections, allergies, respiratory disorders and urinary tract problems.

    Also on the list is vitamin E (Tocopherol). This is one of the vitamins that possess anti-thrombin property.  It helps to preserve the cardiovascular system as well as increases the oxygen available to the heart and other muscles.

    Ezengige said: “African walnut has many minerals, especially Manganese, selenium and L-arginine.

    Manganese, he said, nourishes the brain and nerves, and assists to correct pancreas disturbances while selenium prevents hardening of arteries. This, he added, also promotes healthy tissue elasticity and helps in regeneration of liver after damage, especially by cirrhosis. It also raises sperm count and increases fertility in men as well as alleviating hot flushes and menopausal distress.

    The natural medicine practitioner said L-arginine is also needed for the normal functioning of pituitary gland, production of insulin, glucagon and heamoglobin. It also enhances the immune system function.

    He said walnut has melatonin, which is the hormone known to enhance sleep and immunity. It helps to preserve the body’s internal clock mechanism, and as such protects cells of the body by arresting proliferation of cancer cells.

    Other nutrients present are ellagic acid, which acts like a powerful antioxidant and oleic acid. This reduces blood pressure and it helps to burn fat. It is useful in the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes, Ezengige said.