Women love to brag with new, stylish and designer made products especially if they made a good deal when purchasing them. There is a continuous competition between women and nothing enchants more than walking on the street with a stylish handbag, particularly if it is carrying the name of a big producer.
Nowaydays designer handbags are not that difficult to find, yet they can cost a bomb. However, they are in vogue and women adore bragging with beautiful handbags that they can match with a new pair of shoes or earings, so that others can see and admire, or even be envious of them.
Women and handbags make together a well-known story about happiness. Handbags make women happy because of the possibility to carry all the stuff they need and what they do not need in one single piece of accessory. In addition, if this piece of accessory looks great, it is even better. If its design belongs to a well-known, favorably appreciated creator, it is perfect.
In the end, it does not matter any longer if the bag is big or small, if all stuff fits into it, it does not even matter if it is at a low cost as long as we are talking about a Fendi or a Chloe or any other types of designer handbags.
The use of a purse is multiple. It carries, pens, notebooks, wallets, and mobile phones. Well, it can carry about anything the human mind can imagine placing in a handbag. A plus to all this is the possibility to brag with new designer handbags. Many women feel flattered by the mere idea that other women's eyes may be fixing them constantly because of that special thing that they carry under their arm or on their shoulder.
The purse gives women a boost of self-confidence and more of a personality when friends come and praise their new acquisition. Most women love this. Moreover, they love that they can change their handbags each day and match them with their clothes. This is because they love being at pace with the fashion.
Nothing speaks more about fashion than the taste and refinement than a well chosen, marvelously item and, why not, glamour designer handbag. However, glamour or not, such an accessory is most likely going to speak a lot about a woman's awareness of her appearance. In other words, a well-chosen accessory is a statement for a ladies good taste when it comes to fashion.
Women love chocolate and handbags thats what to use if one wants to win a woman's attention. Get her a nice designer handbag and she will be praising you and her bag to all her friends. The pleasure to walk with that bag will make her take longer walks and look in the shopping windows just to see how she looks with it. She will have in it all she needs and she will have the pleasure to look in it searching for that particular lipstick she loves than to stick her hand in her pocket and take it out (as men think it would be easier).
In conclusion, women love their handbags and they love them more if they are designer products. Women do not usually throw their handbags away, but keep buying new ones to have from where to choose.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Prevention
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS is the largest single cause of death in infants from 2 weeks to 1 year. Approximately 6,000 babies die every year. This affects 2/1,000 births. SIDS usually occurs between 2 and 4 months but it can happen from 1 week to 12 months. 90% of SIDS occurs in the first 6 months. It occurs most frequently in the winter between the hours of midnight and 6am.
There is increasing information that instability at the Occiput and first vertebra level is related to SIDS. Babies who die of SIDS have serious abnormalties in a brain region that controls breathing and heart rate. The researchers found that all 31 SIDS babies had defects in the brain's ability to use serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating a baby's breathing and heart rate. The team found abnormalities in neurons that make or use serotonin in the lowest part of the brainstem. Minor mechanical irritation of the cervical region may trigger the first step in the events that lead to SIDS.
Chiropractic treatment is the most successful therapy to help treat this disorder. Subluxations are areas of interference to the nervous system caused by pressure or irritation from spinal bones. Chiropractors correct subluxations. One of the most common causes of a subluxation in an infant is the birth process.
Health consequences to the newborn from subluxations caused from birth trauma range from immediate and severe to hidden problems that may take years to surface. Some of the more immediate and tragic results that have been documented are spinal cord and brain stem injuries, brain bleeding and swelling, neurological deficits, breathing problems and even sudden infant death syndrome.
Most of these problems could be avoided with an increased sensitivity to the birth process.
Many experts are now suggesting that birth be handled as a normal and natural process. One of their suggestions is for the birthing position of choice to be an upright position of either sitting or squatting, using gravity to assist the birth process. This would result in less force being used for delivery and reduce the trauma from birth and the subluxation related effects.
Because of the seriousness of the affects of a misaligned/subluxated spine, it is vital to have chiropractic adjustments from birth and throughout a lifetime!
There is increasing information that instability at the Occiput and first vertebra level is related to SIDS. Babies who die of SIDS have serious abnormalties in a brain region that controls breathing and heart rate. The researchers found that all 31 SIDS babies had defects in the brain's ability to use serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating a baby's breathing and heart rate. The team found abnormalities in neurons that make or use serotonin in the lowest part of the brainstem. Minor mechanical irritation of the cervical region may trigger the first step in the events that lead to SIDS.
Chiropractic treatment is the most successful therapy to help treat this disorder. Subluxations are areas of interference to the nervous system caused by pressure or irritation from spinal bones. Chiropractors correct subluxations. One of the most common causes of a subluxation in an infant is the birth process.
Health consequences to the newborn from subluxations caused from birth trauma range from immediate and severe to hidden problems that may take years to surface. Some of the more immediate and tragic results that have been documented are spinal cord and brain stem injuries, brain bleeding and swelling, neurological deficits, breathing problems and even sudden infant death syndrome.
Most of these problems could be avoided with an increased sensitivity to the birth process.
Many experts are now suggesting that birth be handled as a normal and natural process. One of their suggestions is for the birthing position of choice to be an upright position of either sitting or squatting, using gravity to assist the birth process. This would result in less force being used for delivery and reduce the trauma from birth and the subluxation related effects.
Because of the seriousness of the affects of a misaligned/subluxated spine, it is vital to have chiropractic adjustments from birth and throughout a lifetime!
Remedy for Depression and Anxiety
As time moves on, doctors, scientists and healthcare professionals are greater understanding health situations. As you could have most likely noticed by now. The types of wellness ailments and psychological afflictions appear to be endless. Thankfully most of them might be identified and treated accordingly. Generally this is accomplished using a prescription medicine and/or specific everyday practices. It can be no large secret that people all more than the globe are afflicted by bouts of anxiety and depression. Of course the essential should be to determine these wellness problems so they may be treated accordingly. On the bright side, there's additional than one particular efficient cure for depression and anxiety.
Different persons typically need various treatment options for their conditions. That is why you'll find numerous therapies for depression and anxiety. It can be at times unknown what leads to these psychological situations. Nonetheless, facing them head on with the best therapy and drugs is usually most effective. A couple of internet sites that may assist you with superior understanding depression and anxiety are MoreForDepression.com, KnowMyDepression.com, and MidlandPsyTMS.com. As a result you ought to be sure to look into these websites so your can get better acquainted with these psychological illnesses, and uncover the best treatment method for depression and anxiety to match your needs.
1 modern-day prescription drug that is a well-known treatment for depression and anxiety is known as Cymbalta. A lot more than most likely you might have seen the commercials for this drug. The purpose of Cymbalta is always to make the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression a lot more mild and quick to deal with. Naturally this prescription drug functions differently for different individuals, as do all medications. One more medication on the marketplace currently for anxiety and depression is Zoloft. This antidepressant may operate inside a similar fashion to Cymbalta, nevertheless, it can be critical to converse using a licensed doctor so that you can locate out which one is appropriate for you and your condition.
There are some clear symptoms which could be acknowledged in terms of anxiety and depression. If you are uncertain what they are, a number of them are as follows; excessive sleeping, withdrawal from others, suicidal thoughts, uncontrollable sadness, not eating, entire body aches, and muscular fatigue. If you've got a few or additional of these signs or symptoms, you may well wish to communicate for your medical doctor about depression. It's a probability that you've got this situation, which might call for an powerful treatment method for depression and anxiety. The last point you desire to do is simply avoid the concern altogether, and basically hope it subsides. This typically makes points worse. With the state-of-the-art medications and therapies at your disposal these days, it's definitely a probability to obtain your anxiety and depression below handle.
Different persons typically need various treatment options for their conditions. That is why you'll find numerous therapies for depression and anxiety. It can be at times unknown what leads to these psychological situations. Nonetheless, facing them head on with the best therapy and drugs is usually most effective. A couple of internet sites that may assist you with superior understanding depression and anxiety are MoreForDepression.com, KnowMyDepression.com, and MidlandPsyTMS.com. As a result you ought to be sure to look into these websites so your can get better acquainted with these psychological illnesses, and uncover the best treatment method for depression and anxiety to match your needs.
1 modern-day prescription drug that is a well-known treatment for depression and anxiety is known as Cymbalta. A lot more than most likely you might have seen the commercials for this drug. The purpose of Cymbalta is always to make the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression a lot more mild and quick to deal with. Naturally this prescription drug functions differently for different individuals, as do all medications. One more medication on the marketplace currently for anxiety and depression is Zoloft. This antidepressant may operate inside a similar fashion to Cymbalta, nevertheless, it can be critical to converse using a licensed doctor so that you can locate out which one is appropriate for you and your condition.
There are some clear symptoms which could be acknowledged in terms of anxiety and depression. If you are uncertain what they are, a number of them are as follows; excessive sleeping, withdrawal from others, suicidal thoughts, uncontrollable sadness, not eating, entire body aches, and muscular fatigue. If you've got a few or additional of these signs or symptoms, you may well wish to communicate for your medical doctor about depression. It's a probability that you've got this situation, which might call for an powerful treatment method for depression and anxiety. The last point you desire to do is simply avoid the concern altogether, and basically hope it subsides. This typically makes points worse. With the state-of-the-art medications and therapies at your disposal these days, it's definitely a probability to obtain your anxiety and depression below handle.
Female Impotence
by: Kent Pinkerton
Female impotence, or female sexual dysfunction, is a catchall term used to describe difficulties in having sexual desire, enjoying sex, being adequately aroused or having an orgasm. A woman may experience decreased sexual desire for a number of reasons including stress and exhaustion. She may be unable to enjoy sex because she has one of several sex pain disorders, which in turn may be caused by an underlying condition. Women with breast cancer or gynecologic disorders may experience sexual dysfunction.
One type of female impotence is analogous to male impotence and may be caused by decreased blood flow to the clitoris during sexual intercourse. Psychosocial factors such as previous or ongoing sexual or physical abuse or an unresolved conflict over sexual identity may also play a role in female sexual dysfunction.
To provide appropriate treatment to a woman suffering from sexual dysfunction, her physician first has to overcome the challenge of separating intrinsic from extrinsic reasons for such dysfunction. Besides pain during sex or the presence of a clear underlying disorder, it may be difficult to distinguish between a woman�s inability to become aroused and have an orgasm from the technique used by her partner to stimulate her. Many women may only be able to have an orgasm through clitoral stimulation but gender roles and other barriers may get in the way of a woman expressing her needs to her sex partner. Mental stimulation plays a major part, if a woman is dissatisfied with her sex partner for other reasons, this may translate into decreased libido with that partner. This is called situational sexual dysfunction and the woman may experience no problems with a partner she considers more appealing.
Where an underlying reason can be identified, female sexual dysfunction is treatable. In many cases, a doctor may recommend counseling for a woman and possibly her partner.
Better Sex through a Healthy Lifestyle
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the magic of life and cure all medicines. Nigerian researchers have identified local plants for preventing and reversing disease processes.
NIGERIAN researchers have identified local plants for the management of psoriasis and schistosomiasis. Specifically, that black tamarind (Dialium guineense, icheku in Ibo) has been fingered in the treatment of schistosomiasis; while Justicia flava (called igereje in Warri), alligator pepper (Aframomum danielli, oburo in Yoruba) are said to be useful in addressing psoriasis.
According to the researchers, there are plenty of foods and herbal products that supposedly offer miracle benefit that will prevent or cure any disease. They pinned the rationale for ‘cure all’ medicines in Nigeria to antioxidant mechanisms of medicinal plants.
Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
The researchers identify salad plant (Artemisia annua used in making Artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug) and neem tree (Azadiratcha indica commonly called dogonyaro in Nigeria) as cure all plants. Others include; local spices like garlic, onions, turmeric, chili pepper; green leafy vegetables like fluted pumpkin; and food colourant like Sorghum bicolor (dawa in Hausa and popro oka-baba in Yoruba) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (zobo)
Nigeria researchers led by a consultant pharmacognocist at the University of Lagos, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, have been able to verify the traditional claims of plants used as food within the Nigerian environment, which can serve as cheap sources for inclusion in the main stream of the primary health care delivery system with a view to providing readily available and culturally acceptable phytomedicines (medicines made from plants) to the people.
Odukoya made this disclosure last week at her inaugural lecture, which is the first on the specialty of pharmacognosy in University of Lagos. The inaugural lecture is titled, “Pharmacognosy: Traits, Tracks, Traces; Facts, Fascinations, Future – the Magic of Life.”
Pharmacognosy is a branch of pharmacy that deals with natural products of plants, animals and minerals origin.
Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever) is a parasitic disease caused by several species of tremotodes (“flukes”), a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Although it has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis often is a chronic illness that can damage internal organs and, in children, impair growth and cognitive development. The urinary form of schistosomiasis is associated with increased risks for bladder cancer in adults. The disease affects many people in developing countries, particularly children who may acquire the disease by swimming or playing in infected water.
Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. The scaly patches commonly caused by psoriasis, called psoriatic plaques, are areas of inflammation and excessive skin production.
Commonly called black tamarind, velvet tamarind and locally as awin in the south-west of Nigeria, Dialium guineense belongs to the plant family Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae. The fruits and leaves are sold in markets as ingredients for a refreshing drink when mixed with water. According to “Useful Plants of Tropical West Africa” by H. M. Burkill, the plant is used in the coastal regions of West Africa for a variety of medicinal purposes, including dysmenorrhoea (painful mensuration), fever, labour pains, and palpitations.
Justicia flava, called Igereje in Warri, Nigeria, belongs to the plant family Acanthaceae. The seeds are used as spice (pepper soup ingredient) in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. The petroleum extract (household kerosene) is rubbed on sprains and some inflamed eczematous conditions of the skin like psoriasis. The plant is also recorded in literature as used in feverish aches, pains and in the treatment of yaws.
Aframomum danielli (Oburo in Yoruba) belongs to the plant family Zingeberaceae. They closely resemble alligator pepper (Aframomum meleguetta). They are reportedly used as a traditional food spice among the Edo and Niger Delta people in Nigeria and also as an anti-inflammatory agent by rubbing of the alcohol and petrol extracts on allergic and eczematous swellings. The fruit capsule of A. danielli is red and smooth; the seeds are smooth, shiny, olive brown and may be almost flavourless or with a turpentine, like taste and a variable pungency.
Odukoya said: “Screening of a random collection of Nigerian local plants for molluscicidal activity showed that aqueous and methanolic extracts of the leaves and fruits of D. guineense had 100 per cent mortality at a concentration of 100ppm within 24 hours when tested against Biomphalaria glabrata. Biomphalaria glabrata is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail. It is an intermediate snail host for the trematode Schistosoma mansoni, which is one of the main schistosomes that infect humans.
“D. guineense complies with the criteria specified for an effective natural molluscicide; since it is a common plant, the activity is located in the regenerating parts, it is culturally acceptable, and the method of propagation is easy. It was therefore considered worthwhile to investigate the identity and activity of the compounds responsible for the observed molluscicidal (an agent that kills mollusks/shellfish)) activity as this would be necessary before the plant could be used in public health measures.
Odukoya said D. guineense has been shown to contain up to 15 per cent w/w total saponins in the leaves and fruits and could provide a useful local source as molluscicide. Its potential is augmented by the fact that the leaves are available throughout the year and also that the tree produces prolific amounts of fruit, which can be dried and stored without significant loss of saponin content.
Indeed, some Nigerian herbal concoctions are touted as ‘cure all medicines’. It is claimed they are able to cure diseases ranging from diarrhoea to fever, stomach upset, waist pain, arthritis, diabetes, pile (haemorrhoid) to mention but a few. The Yoruba of South-West Nigeria calls it gbogbonse, while Igbo of South-East Nigeria refers to it as ogwonnuoria.
Odukoya in her inaugural lecture gave examples of literature on cure all medicines. She explained: “Artemisinin is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua of plant family Asteraceae.
“Neem tree (Azadirachta indica of Meliaceae family) is also used for drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The antimalarial activity of A. indica is due to the active constituent’s (Gedunin also a lactone) ability to induce oxidant stress in erythrocytes during malaria treatment; this redox perturbation leads to the death of the parasite in erythrocytes.”
The professor of pharmacognosy said there is no doubt that Artemisinin and Gedunin exhibit their activity as a result of oxidative stress on the parasite. She said Artemisia has been used by Chinese herbalists for more than a thousand years in the treatment of many illnesses, such as skin diseases, cancer and malaria. Likewise Azadirachta has been used for various skin diseases, malaria, cancer and viral infections, including Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by natives in Africa and Asia.
Odukoya further explained: “When the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. Thus an indication of their cure all potential as with oxidation therapy. Artemisinin and Gedunin produce oxidative stress by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and the anaerobic parasite. It was proposed that Artemisinin and Gedunin are pro-oxidants and chemical molecules that generate peroxide free radicals, which could also be used as oxidative damage for malaria parasites.”
Odukoya said plants such as Sorghum bicolor (dawa in Hausa and popro oka-baba in Yoruba) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (zobo) have been found contain antioxidants such as flavonoids and anthocyanins, which prevent and as well as reverse disease processes.
Odukoya has verified 12 Nigerian spices with antioxidant activity. The plants include; garlic, alligator pepper, ginger, turmeric, scent leaf, onions, thyme, chili pepper, nutmeg, African black pepper, and others.
“The results indicated that spices containing high phenolics provide a source of dietary anti-oxidants in addition to imparting flavour to the food. They possess potential health benefits by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (free radical reaction), justifies their traditional use in pepper soup as a cure all medicine for the sick and potential use as a value-added ingredient for stabilising food matrixes against free radical reactions,” she said.
The pharmacist has also assessed potential of 21 Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) in the cooked form as natural antioxidant supplement diets. The GLV include: fluted pumpkin; amaranthus; bitter leaf; waterleaf, among others. “Thus spices and herbs can protect from oxidative stress and play an important role in the chemoprevention of diseases that have their aetiology and patho-physiology in reactive oxygen species,” she said.
Odukoya said antioxidants rich plants or rather cure all plants have also been shown to boost immunity against diseases, libido and fertility; heal haemorrhoids and pile; treat skin diseases and wounds; and in oral health.
The professor of pharmacognosy also revealed how she survived cancer. “…Cancer is a club no one wants to belong. I am a member of this club. To the Glory of God, I am a survivor, wonderfully and fearfully made! Though God assured us that affliction will not rise within us twice, I became a cat with so many lives. I was afflicted so many times and was on the surgeon’s table many times too. The last being January 2010. Cancer is indeed a very big name, yet there are things it cannot do!
“Despite all these odds, Women Against all Odds (WAO) came alive with the trio of today’s inaugural lecturer, Professor Fola-Tayo and Dr. Kemi Ailoje. We set out to educate, inform and support individuals with cancer and those who care for them. We believe that no one should face cancer alone. WAO supports women everywhere in hopes, education and research to cure. It provides services aimed at improving cancer survivorship and quality of life from the time of diagnosis, throughout treatment and in the years following completion of cancer care and the Magic of Life Celebration (yearly event for all cancer survivors).”
Odukotya concluded: “My research in Pharmacognosy has been based on the observation of facts rather than belief in fictions. This has allowed medicine to develop from a superstition to science. To know is one thing, merely to believe one knows is another. To know is science, but to merely believe one knows is ignorance. I have adhered to the principle that there is no authority except facts; that facts are obtained by accurate observations of traits, tracks and traces and fascinations are deduced from facts to predict the future with the experience in the magic of life.
“ I have also recognised the difficulties in discovering these. Life is short and the art of medicine in Pharmacognosy is long, the occasion is fleeting; experience is fallacious and judgement difficult! No doubt, being wonderfully and fearfully made, I have surveyed my field, demonstrated its relevance and explained my contributions.”
According to the researchers, there are plenty of foods and herbal products that supposedly offer miracle benefit that will prevent or cure any disease. They pinned the rationale for ‘cure all’ medicines in Nigeria to antioxidant mechanisms of medicinal plants.
Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
The researchers identify salad plant (Artemisia annua used in making Artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug) and neem tree (Azadiratcha indica commonly called dogonyaro in Nigeria) as cure all plants. Others include; local spices like garlic, onions, turmeric, chili pepper; green leafy vegetables like fluted pumpkin; and food colourant like Sorghum bicolor (dawa in Hausa and popro oka-baba in Yoruba) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (zobo)
Nigeria researchers led by a consultant pharmacognocist at the University of Lagos, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, have been able to verify the traditional claims of plants used as food within the Nigerian environment, which can serve as cheap sources for inclusion in the main stream of the primary health care delivery system with a view to providing readily available and culturally acceptable phytomedicines (medicines made from plants) to the people.
Odukoya made this disclosure last week at her inaugural lecture, which is the first on the specialty of pharmacognosy in University of Lagos. The inaugural lecture is titled, “Pharmacognosy: Traits, Tracks, Traces; Facts, Fascinations, Future – the Magic of Life.”
Pharmacognosy is a branch of pharmacy that deals with natural products of plants, animals and minerals origin.
Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever) is a parasitic disease caused by several species of tremotodes (“flukes”), a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Although it has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis often is a chronic illness that can damage internal organs and, in children, impair growth and cognitive development. The urinary form of schistosomiasis is associated with increased risks for bladder cancer in adults. The disease affects many people in developing countries, particularly children who may acquire the disease by swimming or playing in infected water.
Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. The scaly patches commonly caused by psoriasis, called psoriatic plaques, are areas of inflammation and excessive skin production.
Commonly called black tamarind, velvet tamarind and locally as awin in the south-west of Nigeria, Dialium guineense belongs to the plant family Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae. The fruits and leaves are sold in markets as ingredients for a refreshing drink when mixed with water. According to “Useful Plants of Tropical West Africa” by H. M. Burkill, the plant is used in the coastal regions of West Africa for a variety of medicinal purposes, including dysmenorrhoea (painful mensuration), fever, labour pains, and palpitations.
Justicia flava, called Igereje in Warri, Nigeria, belongs to the plant family Acanthaceae. The seeds are used as spice (pepper soup ingredient) in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. The petroleum extract (household kerosene) is rubbed on sprains and some inflamed eczematous conditions of the skin like psoriasis. The plant is also recorded in literature as used in feverish aches, pains and in the treatment of yaws.
Aframomum danielli (Oburo in Yoruba) belongs to the plant family Zingeberaceae. They closely resemble alligator pepper (Aframomum meleguetta). They are reportedly used as a traditional food spice among the Edo and Niger Delta people in Nigeria and also as an anti-inflammatory agent by rubbing of the alcohol and petrol extracts on allergic and eczematous swellings. The fruit capsule of A. danielli is red and smooth; the seeds are smooth, shiny, olive brown and may be almost flavourless or with a turpentine, like taste and a variable pungency.
Odukoya said: “Screening of a random collection of Nigerian local plants for molluscicidal activity showed that aqueous and methanolic extracts of the leaves and fruits of D. guineense had 100 per cent mortality at a concentration of 100ppm within 24 hours when tested against Biomphalaria glabrata. Biomphalaria glabrata is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail. It is an intermediate snail host for the trematode Schistosoma mansoni, which is one of the main schistosomes that infect humans.
“D. guineense complies with the criteria specified for an effective natural molluscicide; since it is a common plant, the activity is located in the regenerating parts, it is culturally acceptable, and the method of propagation is easy. It was therefore considered worthwhile to investigate the identity and activity of the compounds responsible for the observed molluscicidal (an agent that kills mollusks/shellfish)) activity as this would be necessary before the plant could be used in public health measures.
Odukoya said D. guineense has been shown to contain up to 15 per cent w/w total saponins in the leaves and fruits and could provide a useful local source as molluscicide. Its potential is augmented by the fact that the leaves are available throughout the year and also that the tree produces prolific amounts of fruit, which can be dried and stored without significant loss of saponin content.
Indeed, some Nigerian herbal concoctions are touted as ‘cure all medicines’. It is claimed they are able to cure diseases ranging from diarrhoea to fever, stomach upset, waist pain, arthritis, diabetes, pile (haemorrhoid) to mention but a few. The Yoruba of South-West Nigeria calls it gbogbonse, while Igbo of South-East Nigeria refers to it as ogwonnuoria.
Odukoya in her inaugural lecture gave examples of literature on cure all medicines. She explained: “Artemisinin is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua of plant family Asteraceae.
“Neem tree (Azadirachta indica of Meliaceae family) is also used for drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The antimalarial activity of A. indica is due to the active constituent’s (Gedunin also a lactone) ability to induce oxidant stress in erythrocytes during malaria treatment; this redox perturbation leads to the death of the parasite in erythrocytes.”
The professor of pharmacognosy said there is no doubt that Artemisinin and Gedunin exhibit their activity as a result of oxidative stress on the parasite. She said Artemisia has been used by Chinese herbalists for more than a thousand years in the treatment of many illnesses, such as skin diseases, cancer and malaria. Likewise Azadirachta has been used for various skin diseases, malaria, cancer and viral infections, including Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by natives in Africa and Asia.
Odukoya further explained: “When the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. Thus an indication of their cure all potential as with oxidation therapy. Artemisinin and Gedunin produce oxidative stress by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and the anaerobic parasite. It was proposed that Artemisinin and Gedunin are pro-oxidants and chemical molecules that generate peroxide free radicals, which could also be used as oxidative damage for malaria parasites.”
Odukoya said plants such as Sorghum bicolor (dawa in Hausa and popro oka-baba in Yoruba) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (zobo) have been found contain antioxidants such as flavonoids and anthocyanins, which prevent and as well as reverse disease processes.
Odukoya has verified 12 Nigerian spices with antioxidant activity. The plants include; garlic, alligator pepper, ginger, turmeric, scent leaf, onions, thyme, chili pepper, nutmeg, African black pepper, and others.
“The results indicated that spices containing high phenolics provide a source of dietary anti-oxidants in addition to imparting flavour to the food. They possess potential health benefits by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (free radical reaction), justifies their traditional use in pepper soup as a cure all medicine for the sick and potential use as a value-added ingredient for stabilising food matrixes against free radical reactions,” she said.
The pharmacist has also assessed potential of 21 Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) in the cooked form as natural antioxidant supplement diets. The GLV include: fluted pumpkin; amaranthus; bitter leaf; waterleaf, among others. “Thus spices and herbs can protect from oxidative stress and play an important role in the chemoprevention of diseases that have their aetiology and patho-physiology in reactive oxygen species,” she said.
Odukoya said antioxidants rich plants or rather cure all plants have also been shown to boost immunity against diseases, libido and fertility; heal haemorrhoids and pile; treat skin diseases and wounds; and in oral health.
The professor of pharmacognosy also revealed how she survived cancer. “…Cancer is a club no one wants to belong. I am a member of this club. To the Glory of God, I am a survivor, wonderfully and fearfully made! Though God assured us that affliction will not rise within us twice, I became a cat with so many lives. I was afflicted so many times and was on the surgeon’s table many times too. The last being January 2010. Cancer is indeed a very big name, yet there are things it cannot do!
“Despite all these odds, Women Against all Odds (WAO) came alive with the trio of today’s inaugural lecturer, Professor Fola-Tayo and Dr. Kemi Ailoje. We set out to educate, inform and support individuals with cancer and those who care for them. We believe that no one should face cancer alone. WAO supports women everywhere in hopes, education and research to cure. It provides services aimed at improving cancer survivorship and quality of life from the time of diagnosis, throughout treatment and in the years following completion of cancer care and the Magic of Life Celebration (yearly event for all cancer survivors).”
Odukotya concluded: “My research in Pharmacognosy has been based on the observation of facts rather than belief in fictions. This has allowed medicine to develop from a superstition to science. To know is one thing, merely to believe one knows is another. To know is science, but to merely believe one knows is ignorance. I have adhered to the principle that there is no authority except facts; that facts are obtained by accurate observations of traits, tracks and traces and fascinations are deduced from facts to predict the future with the experience in the magic of life.
“ I have also recognised the difficulties in discovering these. Life is short and the art of medicine in Pharmacognosy is long, the occasion is fleeting; experience is fallacious and judgement difficult! No doubt, being wonderfully and fearfully made, I have surveyed my field, demonstrated its relevance and explained my contributions.”
Menstrual disorder: The new silent killer
Endometriosis implants can occur outside the pelvis, on the liver, in old surgery scars, and even in or around the lining or brain. These implants, while they can cause problems, are benign or not cancerous. Briefing the press in commemoration of this year’s Endometriosis Month (March), Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi disclosed that the exact prevalence of endometriosis is not known, since many women may have the condition and have no symptoms. It is estimated to affect over one million women in the United States.
He further stated that most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25-35 years and has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age. According to him, “endometriosis is coined from two words, ‘Endo and Metra’ meaning ‘Inside and Womb’. Endometriosis is the growth of cells similar to those that form the inside of the uterus (endometrial cells), but in a location outside the uterus.
Endometriosis cells are the same cells that are shed each month during menstruation. The cells of endometriosis attach themselves to tissue outside the uterus and are called “implants”. These implants are most commonly found on the ovaries, the fallopian tunes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the surface lining of the pelvic cavity, they can also be found in the vagina, cervix and bladder.
“Rarely, endometriosis implants can occur outside the pelvis, on the liver, in old surgery, and even in or around the lung or brain. These implants, while they can cause problems are benign (not cancerous).
“Endometriosis affects women in their reproductive years. The exact prevalence of endometriosis is not known, since many women may have the condition and have no symptoms. It is estimated to affect over one million women (estimates range from 3 percent to 18 percent of women) in the United States. Most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25-35 years. It has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age. It is rare in postmenopausal women. It runs in families and delaying pregnancy until an older age is also believed to increase the risk of developing endometriosis.
“The cause of endometriosis is unknown. One theory is that the endometriosis tissue is deposited in unusual locations by the backing up of menstrual flow into the fallopian tubes and the pelvic and abdominal cavity during menstruation (termed retrograde menstruation). The cause of retrograde menstruation is not clearly understood, but retrograde menstruation cannot be the sole cause of endometriosis as many women have retrograde menstruation in varying degrees, yet not all of them develop endometriosis making the theory of immune system malfunction tenable.
“Another possibility is that areas lining the pelvic organs possess primitive cells that are able to grow into other forms of tissue, such as endometrial cells. Persistent exposure to environmental pollutants like dioxins has also been incriminated.
Most women who have it, in fact, do not have symptoms. Of those who do experience symptoms, the common symptoms are pain (usually pelvic) and infertility. Pelvic pain usually occurs during or just before menstruation and lessens after menstruation. “Some women experience pain or cramping with intercourse, bowel movements and or urination. Even pelvic examination by a doctor can be painful. The pain intensity can change from month to month and vary greatly among women. Some women experience progressive worsening of symptoms, while others can have resolution of pain without treatment.
“It can be one of the reasons for infertility in otherwise healthy couples. When laparoscopic examinations are performed for infertility evaluations, endometrial implants can be found in some of these patients, many of whom may not have painful symptoms of endometriosis. The reasons for a decrease in fertility are not completely understood, but might be due to both anatomic and hormonal factors. The presence of endometriosis may involve masses of tissues or scarring (adhensions) within the pelvis that may distort normal anatomical structures, such as fallopian tubes, which transport the eggs from the ovaries. Alternatively, endometriosis may affect fertility through the production of hormones and other substances that have a negative effect on ovulation, fertilization of the egg, and or implantation of the embryo.
“Other symptoms related to endometriosis include lower abdominal pain, diarrhea and or constipation, low back pain, irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding or blood in the urine.
“Rare symptoms of endometriosis include chest pain or coughing blood due to implants in the lungs and headache and or seizures die to implants in the brain. Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed leading to delays in treatment, sometimes for several years.
“The surest way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy, an operation performed under general anaesthetic, where a small instrument called a laparoscope (a tube like telescope with light in it), is inserted into a abdomen through a cut in the belly button. It is a form of minor surgery. Laparoscopy also indicates the location, extent and size of the endometriotic growths.
“Endometriosis can be treated with medications and or surgery. The goals of endometriosis treatment may include pain relief and or enhancement of fertility.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (such as ibuprofein or naproxen sodium) are commonly prescribed to help relieve pelvic pain and menstrual cramping. “These pain-relieving medications have no affect on the endometrial implants. The diagnosis of endometriosis is only definite after a woman undergoes surgery, there will of course be many women who are suspected of having endometriosis based on the nature of their pelvic pain symptoms. In such a situation, NSAIDs are commonly used. If they work to control pain, no other procedures or medical treatments are needed. If they do not relieve the pain, additional evaluation and treatment generally occur.
“Since endometriosis occurs during the reproductive years, many of the available medical treatments for endometriosis rely on interruption of the Norman cycical hormone production by the ovaries. These medications include GnRH analogs, oral contraceptive pills and progestins.
“Surgical treatment for endometriosis can be useful when the symptoms of endometriosis are severe or when there has been an adequate response to medical treatment. Surgery is the preferred treatment when there is anatomic distortion of the pelvic organs or obstruction of the bowel or urinary tract. Surgical therapies for endometriosis may be either classified as conservative, in which the uterus and ovarian tissue is preserved, or definitive, which involves hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), with or without removal of the ovaries.
Conservative surgery is typically carried out by laparoscopy. Endometrial implants may be excised or obliterated by laser. If the disease is extensive and anatomy is distorted, laparotomy (opening of the abdominal wall via a larger incision) may be required.
“While surgical treatments can be very effective in the reduction of pain, the recurrence rate of endometriosis following surgical treatment has been estimated to be as high as 40 percent.
“Endometriosis is more common in infertile, compared to fertile women. However, the condition usually does not fully prevent conception. Most women with endometriosis will still be able to conceive, especially those with mild to moderate endometriosis. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of women with mild and moderate endometriosis will conceive within three years without any specific treatment.
“Assisted reproductive techniques may also be used when appropriate sometimes in combination with surgical therapy,” he said.
He further stated that most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25-35 years and has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age. According to him, “endometriosis is coined from two words, ‘Endo and Metra’ meaning ‘Inside and Womb’. Endometriosis is the growth of cells similar to those that form the inside of the uterus (endometrial cells), but in a location outside the uterus.
Endometriosis cells are the same cells that are shed each month during menstruation. The cells of endometriosis attach themselves to tissue outside the uterus and are called “implants”. These implants are most commonly found on the ovaries, the fallopian tunes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the surface lining of the pelvic cavity, they can also be found in the vagina, cervix and bladder.
“Rarely, endometriosis implants can occur outside the pelvis, on the liver, in old surgery, and even in or around the lung or brain. These implants, while they can cause problems are benign (not cancerous).
“Endometriosis affects women in their reproductive years. The exact prevalence of endometriosis is not known, since many women may have the condition and have no symptoms. It is estimated to affect over one million women (estimates range from 3 percent to 18 percent of women) in the United States. Most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25-35 years. It has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age. It is rare in postmenopausal women. It runs in families and delaying pregnancy until an older age is also believed to increase the risk of developing endometriosis.
“The cause of endometriosis is unknown. One theory is that the endometriosis tissue is deposited in unusual locations by the backing up of menstrual flow into the fallopian tubes and the pelvic and abdominal cavity during menstruation (termed retrograde menstruation). The cause of retrograde menstruation is not clearly understood, but retrograde menstruation cannot be the sole cause of endometriosis as many women have retrograde menstruation in varying degrees, yet not all of them develop endometriosis making the theory of immune system malfunction tenable.
“Another possibility is that areas lining the pelvic organs possess primitive cells that are able to grow into other forms of tissue, such as endometrial cells. Persistent exposure to environmental pollutants like dioxins has also been incriminated.
Most women who have it, in fact, do not have symptoms. Of those who do experience symptoms, the common symptoms are pain (usually pelvic) and infertility. Pelvic pain usually occurs during or just before menstruation and lessens after menstruation. “Some women experience pain or cramping with intercourse, bowel movements and or urination. Even pelvic examination by a doctor can be painful. The pain intensity can change from month to month and vary greatly among women. Some women experience progressive worsening of symptoms, while others can have resolution of pain without treatment.
“It can be one of the reasons for infertility in otherwise healthy couples. When laparoscopic examinations are performed for infertility evaluations, endometrial implants can be found in some of these patients, many of whom may not have painful symptoms of endometriosis. The reasons for a decrease in fertility are not completely understood, but might be due to both anatomic and hormonal factors. The presence of endometriosis may involve masses of tissues or scarring (adhensions) within the pelvis that may distort normal anatomical structures, such as fallopian tubes, which transport the eggs from the ovaries. Alternatively, endometriosis may affect fertility through the production of hormones and other substances that have a negative effect on ovulation, fertilization of the egg, and or implantation of the embryo.
“Other symptoms related to endometriosis include lower abdominal pain, diarrhea and or constipation, low back pain, irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding or blood in the urine.
“Rare symptoms of endometriosis include chest pain or coughing blood due to implants in the lungs and headache and or seizures die to implants in the brain. Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed leading to delays in treatment, sometimes for several years.
“The surest way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopy, an operation performed under general anaesthetic, where a small instrument called a laparoscope (a tube like telescope with light in it), is inserted into a abdomen through a cut in the belly button. It is a form of minor surgery. Laparoscopy also indicates the location, extent and size of the endometriotic growths.
“Endometriosis can be treated with medications and or surgery. The goals of endometriosis treatment may include pain relief and or enhancement of fertility.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (such as ibuprofein or naproxen sodium) are commonly prescribed to help relieve pelvic pain and menstrual cramping. “These pain-relieving medications have no affect on the endometrial implants. The diagnosis of endometriosis is only definite after a woman undergoes surgery, there will of course be many women who are suspected of having endometriosis based on the nature of their pelvic pain symptoms. In such a situation, NSAIDs are commonly used. If they work to control pain, no other procedures or medical treatments are needed. If they do not relieve the pain, additional evaluation and treatment generally occur.
“Since endometriosis occurs during the reproductive years, many of the available medical treatments for endometriosis rely on interruption of the Norman cycical hormone production by the ovaries. These medications include GnRH analogs, oral contraceptive pills and progestins.
“Surgical treatment for endometriosis can be useful when the symptoms of endometriosis are severe or when there has been an adequate response to medical treatment. Surgery is the preferred treatment when there is anatomic distortion of the pelvic organs or obstruction of the bowel or urinary tract. Surgical therapies for endometriosis may be either classified as conservative, in which the uterus and ovarian tissue is preserved, or definitive, which involves hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), with or without removal of the ovaries.
Conservative surgery is typically carried out by laparoscopy. Endometrial implants may be excised or obliterated by laser. If the disease is extensive and anatomy is distorted, laparotomy (opening of the abdominal wall via a larger incision) may be required.
“While surgical treatments can be very effective in the reduction of pain, the recurrence rate of endometriosis following surgical treatment has been estimated to be as high as 40 percent.
“Endometriosis is more common in infertile, compared to fertile women. However, the condition usually does not fully prevent conception. Most women with endometriosis will still be able to conceive, especially those with mild to moderate endometriosis. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of women with mild and moderate endometriosis will conceive within three years without any specific treatment.
“Assisted reproductive techniques may also be used when appropriate sometimes in combination with surgical therapy,” he said.
Controlling the three white toxins in our diet
It is a common for people to ask themselves at Bars “What is your poison?” This is when a drink is about to be offered and your poison is expected to be alcoholic. The point of interest in this jocular question is that people acknowledge that we habitually ingest poisons. Food toxins are usually ingested in minute quantities; unbeknownst to the ingestor i.e we eat small quantities which we are not aware of and our body is usually able to detoxify / cope with it.
Unfortunately, our modern day diet has changed all that. We now eat large portions of unwholesome substances everyday! We live in a world where the amount of toxins we take in daily far exceed anything this planet has ever seen before. Our body is designed to process, metabolize and clear toxins naturally is unable to cope. We therefore have an explosion of diet related diseases.
It is said that a toxin can be a chemical which occurs naturally or in synthetic form. The three white toxins that we are considering today are a bit of all. White Sugar is a chemical, white salt occurs naturally and white flour is synthesized from wheat. If you eat the foods prepared with these toxins occasionally or sparingly, then your body will not be overwhelmed with handling them, but if you eat them habitually in large portions; they will overwhelm your system. Some people write about seven, some five white toxins. I am writing about three because of their ubiquitous nature in our environment.
White Salt: It is amazing the role salt played in the enslaving of parts of Africa. It ironic that this substance that was exchanged for whole human beings is totally unnecessary in our diet! If you do not eat another pinch of salt in your life; your body would not miss it. White salt is made up of sodium and chlorine, a compound called sodium chloride. Sodium is implicated in contributing to blood pressure thereby unhealthy for people with high blood pressure. The attraction of salt to humans is the taste. It is important to note that we humans are victims of over sabi! I say this because all other animals on this our planet Earth do not add salt to their food, only humans do. If you feed monkeys or chimpanzees human food as a regular diet; they develop hypertension! Now that we have acquired the taste for salt what do we do? I am as guilty as you are. It is difficult to eat saltless food. Fortunately, a lot of traditional meals have no-salt-added foods as a major component. I will explain.
Pounded yam, Yam or Plantain flour, Gari, etc are all no-salt-added foods. It is the stew or soup that contains salt. The vegetables soups are high in potassium which naturally balances the sodium in salt. You can compare this to white rice, Potatotes (especially as chips or fries), etc, which are salt-added foods. You can make a deliberate effort to reduce your salt intake by not adding salt to foods like white rice, boiled yam,etc. You can imagine the amount of salt you would have ingested over a year of eating salt-added rice. You can also titrate the amount of salt you put in your food by making sure that you do not over salt your food. Foods are habitually over salted and as long as it does not go to the extreme, most people do not notice.
White Sugar: If white salt is difficult to eliminate from the diet, white sugar is not. We are fortunated to have a lot of alternatives to white sugar. Molasses is extracted from sugarcane. It is rich in minerals and nutrients which have been removed from refined sugar like iron and calcium. It also has a low glycaemic index (regular readers of this column know what the G.I index is all about). Pure natural honey is another good alternative (will do a full article on honey soon). Pure natural fruit juices like pineapple juice are also very good for sweetening drinks, herbal potions, etc. Sugar feeds bacteria in the body.
White sugar is sucrose and it stimulates your pancreas to produce plenty of insulin to handle its metabolism. The insulin inturn encourages the depositing of fat in the body. A high sugar diet and the effect of the sugar in the blood stream precipitates insulin resistance (also known as Syndrome X) which preceeds diabetes. Drinks are a deadly sugar trap. We are swamped with a wide variety of over-sweetened drinks. Water is still the best liquid to drink!
White Flour: To produce white flour; bran is removed from wheat, it’s six outer layer is removed (thereby making it lose 97% of its fibre), as well as the embryo (which contains 76% of its nutrients) and it is bleached with toxic chemicals.
Enriched flour is worse! The synthetic vitamins used are coal tar derivatives. White flour products stimulate a rapid blood sugar response (i.e. they have a high glycaemic index). We all know the implications of this with the diabetes explosion that we are now experiencing. One of the chemicals used in bleaching the flour alloxan ia also toxic to the pancreas, thereby further increasing the susceptibility to diabetes from white flour products. White flour is low in fibre and bad for the colon. The implicated conditions include irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and a predisposition to colon cancer in susceptible people. Traditional breakfasts are by far healthier e.g. corn meal, beans, yam, etc. If you are one of the white flour food addicts (pastries, bread, etc), you can start to reduce by trying to eat them twice weekly only and then occasionally. Help your body to cope!
Unfortunately, our modern day diet has changed all that. We now eat large portions of unwholesome substances everyday! We live in a world where the amount of toxins we take in daily far exceed anything this planet has ever seen before. Our body is designed to process, metabolize and clear toxins naturally is unable to cope. We therefore have an explosion of diet related diseases.
It is said that a toxin can be a chemical which occurs naturally or in synthetic form. The three white toxins that we are considering today are a bit of all. White Sugar is a chemical, white salt occurs naturally and white flour is synthesized from wheat. If you eat the foods prepared with these toxins occasionally or sparingly, then your body will not be overwhelmed with handling them, but if you eat them habitually in large portions; they will overwhelm your system. Some people write about seven, some five white toxins. I am writing about three because of their ubiquitous nature in our environment.
White Salt: It is amazing the role salt played in the enslaving of parts of Africa. It ironic that this substance that was exchanged for whole human beings is totally unnecessary in our diet! If you do not eat another pinch of salt in your life; your body would not miss it. White salt is made up of sodium and chlorine, a compound called sodium chloride. Sodium is implicated in contributing to blood pressure thereby unhealthy for people with high blood pressure. The attraction of salt to humans is the taste. It is important to note that we humans are victims of over sabi! I say this because all other animals on this our planet Earth do not add salt to their food, only humans do. If you feed monkeys or chimpanzees human food as a regular diet; they develop hypertension! Now that we have acquired the taste for salt what do we do? I am as guilty as you are. It is difficult to eat saltless food. Fortunately, a lot of traditional meals have no-salt-added foods as a major component. I will explain.
Pounded yam, Yam or Plantain flour, Gari, etc are all no-salt-added foods. It is the stew or soup that contains salt. The vegetables soups are high in potassium which naturally balances the sodium in salt. You can compare this to white rice, Potatotes (especially as chips or fries), etc, which are salt-added foods. You can make a deliberate effort to reduce your salt intake by not adding salt to foods like white rice, boiled yam,etc. You can imagine the amount of salt you would have ingested over a year of eating salt-added rice. You can also titrate the amount of salt you put in your food by making sure that you do not over salt your food. Foods are habitually over salted and as long as it does not go to the extreme, most people do not notice.
White Sugar: If white salt is difficult to eliminate from the diet, white sugar is not. We are fortunated to have a lot of alternatives to white sugar. Molasses is extracted from sugarcane. It is rich in minerals and nutrients which have been removed from refined sugar like iron and calcium. It also has a low glycaemic index (regular readers of this column know what the G.I index is all about). Pure natural honey is another good alternative (will do a full article on honey soon). Pure natural fruit juices like pineapple juice are also very good for sweetening drinks, herbal potions, etc. Sugar feeds bacteria in the body.
White sugar is sucrose and it stimulates your pancreas to produce plenty of insulin to handle its metabolism. The insulin inturn encourages the depositing of fat in the body. A high sugar diet and the effect of the sugar in the blood stream precipitates insulin resistance (also known as Syndrome X) which preceeds diabetes. Drinks are a deadly sugar trap. We are swamped with a wide variety of over-sweetened drinks. Water is still the best liquid to drink!
White Flour: To produce white flour; bran is removed from wheat, it’s six outer layer is removed (thereby making it lose 97% of its fibre), as well as the embryo (which contains 76% of its nutrients) and it is bleached with toxic chemicals.
Enriched flour is worse! The synthetic vitamins used are coal tar derivatives. White flour products stimulate a rapid blood sugar response (i.e. they have a high glycaemic index). We all know the implications of this with the diabetes explosion that we are now experiencing. One of the chemicals used in bleaching the flour alloxan ia also toxic to the pancreas, thereby further increasing the susceptibility to diabetes from white flour products. White flour is low in fibre and bad for the colon. The implicated conditions include irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and a predisposition to colon cancer in susceptible people. Traditional breakfasts are by far healthier e.g. corn meal, beans, yam, etc. If you are one of the white flour food addicts (pastries, bread, etc), you can start to reduce by trying to eat them twice weekly only and then occasionally. Help your body to cope!
Symptoms, management of Musculo-Skeletal disorders
Physiotherapy in healthcare
Physiotherapy is the aspect of healthcare that places emphasis on the use of physical intervention in healthcare. There are various conditions that naturally can be treated by medicine or surgery, which are equally treated by use of physical means. And these include the use of heat, water, electricity, massage, exercises and some specific techniques, which we call manipulative techniques. An instance is in spinal and backache problems. In these the Physiotherapist implores what is known as manipulative techniques.
In many cases, the agents that can be used by a physiotherapist are described as non-evasive because they don’t cause side effects. For instance, massage, exercises and the use of some physical agents. Unlike drugs which are toxins.
Over used Syndrome or Musculo-Skeletal disorders
This is a key word in Ergonomics because it has to do with ailments associated with the nature of one’s job. For instance, pains in the joints or related injuries or musclo-skeletal disorders that are likely to develop sooner or later as a result of the nature of ones job. For instance, Soldiers in their late lives are prone to come down with ankle injuries and Arthritis of the ankle. And this is because they stand a lot, do a lot of march past, wearing hard boots. Teachers too stand a lot, they risk suffering joint pains and varicosity. And typists usually have Arthritis of the finger joints.
Physiotherapist to the rescue
In Musculo-Skeletal Disorders, the physiotherapist comes in, not only in the treatment, but also in prevention, So, we try to educate the population on some of these work-related problems. A banker for instance, to understand that you need to sit with your back erect and your spine straight and maintain a good 90 degrees positioned to the seat you are sitting. That is, making sure there are good angulations between the elbow joint and the table where you’re sitting.
This ensures that you’re not seated too low or too high on your seat. So we believe that if workers are made to understand that they are to maintain these angulations, then, we have achieved a lot because you have prevented him from suffering these disorders.
Varicosity
Varicosity is also occupation-related. Depending on how an individual carries out his or her work activities. People who are very sedentary are known to have increased chances of developing varicosity. Also in obsessed patients. Generally in Physiotherapy, we encourage people to be active, engage in exercises. These will reduce the chances of varicosity, which we know is very high in women, especially during their childbearing ages.
Managing stroke with physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is the main stay in the management of stroke because when stroke has occurred, treatment is basically to stabilize the blood pressure. The Physiotherapist comes in, in terms of general rehabilitation of the stroke patient. This includes the use of exercises and other techniques to improve body functions. And this is a continuous process in stroke.
Equipments
In physiotherapy a lot of complex machines are used. Some of them include therapeutic ultrasound, shortwave diathermy, microwave diathermy and a lot of other electrical stimulating machines. And these equipments are scarce, expensive and not available in the country. This is why some people say physiotherapy treatment is expensive. Government is doing its best; we however, implore them to do more especially at the teaching and the general hospitals such that patients can have good access to treatment..
Cost of treatment
Maybe this is due to the nature of equipments, then, the level of damage done. And also the person you’re seeing. As in other aspects of healthcare, f you’re seeing a consultant Physiotherapy it might be relatively expensive. But averagely speaking, it’s affordable. But we always advise our patients or the Nigerian populace to make sure they engage qualified Physiotherapists. This is pertinent because the problem we have, not only in Lagos but also all over the country is quackery. There are lots of people who claim they’re Physiotherapist but all they know is massage or how to do just one or two things.
But you see a lot of people who went to do a local masua training of six months or one year, come to claim to be Physiotherapists. Sadly, from statistics gathered, we discover a lot of damage are being done by quacks. And after terrible damage has been done on patients they run back to the Physiotherapist for help. I think thicka line must therefore be drawn between genuine Physiotherapists and a quacks.
Physiotherapy is the aspect of healthcare that places emphasis on the use of physical intervention in healthcare. There are various conditions that naturally can be treated by medicine or surgery, which are equally treated by use of physical means. And these include the use of heat, water, electricity, massage, exercises and some specific techniques, which we call manipulative techniques. An instance is in spinal and backache problems. In these the Physiotherapist implores what is known as manipulative techniques.
In many cases, the agents that can be used by a physiotherapist are described as non-evasive because they don’t cause side effects. For instance, massage, exercises and the use of some physical agents. Unlike drugs which are toxins.
Over used Syndrome or Musculo-Skeletal disorders
This is a key word in Ergonomics because it has to do with ailments associated with the nature of one’s job. For instance, pains in the joints or related injuries or musclo-skeletal disorders that are likely to develop sooner or later as a result of the nature of ones job. For instance, Soldiers in their late lives are prone to come down with ankle injuries and Arthritis of the ankle. And this is because they stand a lot, do a lot of march past, wearing hard boots. Teachers too stand a lot, they risk suffering joint pains and varicosity. And typists usually have Arthritis of the finger joints.
Physiotherapist to the rescue
In Musculo-Skeletal Disorders, the physiotherapist comes in, not only in the treatment, but also in prevention, So, we try to educate the population on some of these work-related problems. A banker for instance, to understand that you need to sit with your back erect and your spine straight and maintain a good 90 degrees positioned to the seat you are sitting. That is, making sure there are good angulations between the elbow joint and the table where you’re sitting.
This ensures that you’re not seated too low or too high on your seat. So we believe that if workers are made to understand that they are to maintain these angulations, then, we have achieved a lot because you have prevented him from suffering these disorders.
Varicosity
Varicosity is also occupation-related. Depending on how an individual carries out his or her work activities. People who are very sedentary are known to have increased chances of developing varicosity. Also in obsessed patients. Generally in Physiotherapy, we encourage people to be active, engage in exercises. These will reduce the chances of varicosity, which we know is very high in women, especially during their childbearing ages.
Managing stroke with physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is the main stay in the management of stroke because when stroke has occurred, treatment is basically to stabilize the blood pressure. The Physiotherapist comes in, in terms of general rehabilitation of the stroke patient. This includes the use of exercises and other techniques to improve body functions. And this is a continuous process in stroke.
Equipments
In physiotherapy a lot of complex machines are used. Some of them include therapeutic ultrasound, shortwave diathermy, microwave diathermy and a lot of other electrical stimulating machines. And these equipments are scarce, expensive and not available in the country. This is why some people say physiotherapy treatment is expensive. Government is doing its best; we however, implore them to do more especially at the teaching and the general hospitals such that patients can have good access to treatment..
Cost of treatment
Maybe this is due to the nature of equipments, then, the level of damage done. And also the person you’re seeing. As in other aspects of healthcare, f you’re seeing a consultant Physiotherapy it might be relatively expensive. But averagely speaking, it’s affordable. But we always advise our patients or the Nigerian populace to make sure they engage qualified Physiotherapists. This is pertinent because the problem we have, not only in Lagos but also all over the country is quackery. There are lots of people who claim they’re Physiotherapist but all they know is massage or how to do just one or two things.
But you see a lot of people who went to do a local masua training of six months or one year, come to claim to be Physiotherapists. Sadly, from statistics gathered, we discover a lot of damage are being done by quacks. And after terrible damage has been done on patients they run back to the Physiotherapist for help. I think thicka line must therefore be drawn between genuine Physiotherapists and a quacks.
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