HEADACHES YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT

    Many people suffer from one form of headache or the other all over the world. Some times headaches are caused  by stress, sinus  infection, fever, and lack of sleep. These are normal headaches we should not be worried about. They usually subside with rest, sleep and medication. However, there are some headaches that are abnormal. Any new, severe and sudden headache like you have never felt, that quickly gets worse. Headaches that cause dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting. A headache that starts slow and gets worse slowly over several weeks. Headaches accompanied with neck pain. Headaches with visual disturbances, either blurry vision or double vision. Sudden headache like you have not experienced  before while walking or after exercising.
If you or your family members are experiencing these types of headaches, go to your doctor immediately.

UNUSUAL HEADACHES

YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM:HABITS THAT WEAKEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

       Your immune system is a vital part of your health and daily living. There are everyday habits and lifestyles we may not be aware of, that can weaken our immune system. Some of these  are; 

1.       Lack of sleep or inadequate sleep: Adults need between 6 to 8 hrs of sleep every day and children need 10 to 12 hrs of sleep. Inadequate amount of sleep will weaken the immune system.

2.        Unhealthy Diet: Not eating balanced meals consisting of all the nutrients the body needs to function, will weaken the immune system. Inadequate nutrition put the body under physiological stress. Avoid processed food as much as you can. If you cannot abstain from them, eat them rarely.

3.       Stress: Any form of stress weakens the body’s defense. Stress can be emotional, physical, mental or physiological.

4.       Smoking: It depresses antibodies and cells that are in the body to protect against foreign invaders.

5.       Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption impedes the immune system’s ability to fight infections and diseases.

6.       Antibiotics abuse: see previous post on antibiotics abuse and how it affects your immune system.

 

7.       Excessive consumption of processed sugar : When refined sugar is consumed in excess,  the ability of the white blood cells to kill germs is reduced  by 40%.

 
 8.    AIDS: HIV virus depresses the immune system.

Habits that weakens your immune system.

WAYS YOU CAN FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE HYPERTENSION.

     In many cases a person may not know they have hypertension as they may not experience any symptom. Hence it is called the “silent killer”.

Some people may experience headaches at the back of their head, especially in the morning. Some may feel lightheaded, vertigo (spinning sensation), buzzing in the ears, altered vision and fainting spells.Hypertension may only be detected through screening (blood pressure check) or seeking help/medical care for unrelated illness or symptoms.It can also be detected through routine checkup.

Diagnosis of hypertension is established when 3 separate blood pressure measurements with one month interval is greater than or equals to 140/90.During the diagnostic period, be sure that you nurse or doctor checks your blood pressure manually and also on both arms.

    Avoid using electronic blood pressure device during initial diagnosis, as some of them may malfunction. You can start or continue using electronic machines once you know your baseline, then you can compare manual readings and electronic readings. The range difference between both readings should not  be greater  than 10mmhg on both the systolic  (Upper number) and the diastolic  (Lower number). If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above or you have a family history of hypertension,  get yourself checked.

HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSIS

SOME EBOLA FACTS THAT YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF

The globe is currently experiencing an EBOLA pandemic. There are some facts about EBOLA virus that may  not be  displayed as much as  the symptoms .EBOLA cannot be spread through air, water or food. Once some one recovers from EBOLA, they are no longer contagious. The virus maybe in the semen for up to 3 months. As we all know , EBOLA  is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids, like faeces, urine, vomit, breast milk,  saliva and semen of an infected person. Protect yourself against this deadly virus, through proper hygiene and hand washing. Keep your immune system strong by getting enough rest and eating properly. Abstain from infected people except you have received special training on how to protect yourself.

YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

The environment we live in, is one where germs and bugs easily thrive. It is impossible to completely eradicate these germs .The reason people  do not get sick from these germs , is because the immune system protects the body against them. The immune system is the body's natural defense against foreign bodies or germs. It is the body's natural antibiotics. It is very important to preserve the immune system. It can either be  boosted  or busted through life styles and habits .Healthy habits, healthy immune system and  unhealthy habits, unhealthy immune. What are your habits or lifestyle?
Find out more on "Habits and life styles that will bust or destroy your immune system " on next week's blog about "Your  immune system".

CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION

CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION

Hypertension can have primary or secondary causes.

PRIMARY CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION:

90%-95% of hypertension are primary which means they have no underlying cause.

Primary cause may be genetic, life style , obesity, and physical inactivity.

Genetic in the sense that a person’s parents or relative may have hypertension.

Life style: Lack of healthy eating and smoking.

Obesity/ overweight: when a person is overweight or obese, he/she is at risk for developing hypertension.

Physical inactivity: Lack of exercises

 

SECONDARY CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION.

In this case hypertension is caused by underlying conditions like kidney disease, blood vessel disease and conditions that affect the endocrine system like thyroid problems.

HEALTHFIRSTAF: ANTIBIOTICS ABUSE AND ITS DANGER

HEALTHFIRSTAF: ANTIBIOTICS ABUSE AND ITS DANGER: Antibiotics abuse is when antibiotics is over used or underused. It is also when antibiotics is taken without prescription. Whenever you are...

ANTIBIOTICS ABUSE AND ITS DANGER

Antibiotics abuse is when antibiotics is over used or underused. It is also when antibiotics is taken without prescription. Whenever you are prescribed antibiotics , make sure it is taken exactly as prescribed. Do not stop taking your antibiotics as soon as you start feeling better, complete all doses.The fact that you are feeling better does not mean that the infection is finished. Do not buy antibiotics over the counter. You may be treating yourself for an infection that is not present. If you overuse antibiotics, you may kill the good bacteria in your body .This will cause an imbalance in your body and make you sick.

DO NOT IGNORE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Signs and symptoms are the body’s only way of notifying a person that it is under stress. If left untreated leads to serious illnesses. Some people are often afraid to go to their doctor’s when they develop certain symptoms due to fear of being diagnosed with a disease. A very important fact to note is that, the earlier a symptom is treated the more effective, cheaper and more convenient it is. The longer you ignore a symptom, the worse it gets and the more expensive and harder it becomes to treat. For example if a person has a urine infection, with symptoms of frequent and painful urination. If these symptoms are ignored, the infection may spread to the kidneys very quickly. Instead of treating what might have been a bladder infection with antibiotics therapy for few days, the person may need to be hospitalised and treated with intravenous antibiotics. Hospitalization is more expensive and inconvenient. A person will not be able to work while in hospital, thereby losing money. Then life and health becomes complicated. Remember the saying “a stitch in time saves nine”.

HYPERTENSION:PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION( WEEKLY BLOG ON HYPERTENSION)

WHEN IS A PERSON HYPERTENSIVE?

A person is hypertensive or have High Blood pressure when his/her blood pressure is greater than or equals 140/90

According to World Health Organization standard.

A normal blood pressure is 120/80.

Do you know what your blood pressure is?

It  is important to know your baseline blood pressure.

Check with your family doctor and record it in a book or card .

 

 

 

 

 

HYPERTENSION: FACTS AND RELEVANT INFORMATION ON HOW TO PREVENT AND MANAGE HYPERTENSION.

      According to the World Health Organization, about 57 million Nigerians live with hypertension. Some of the estimated number are aware that they have hypertension and a large number of this population are unaware. An estimated 970 million people live with hypertension worldwide, according to the World Heart Organization. 330 million from developed country and 640 million from developing countries live with this disease.

 

BENEFITS OF HOME MADE JUICE

  Home made juice taste as sweet as ready to drink juice. They contain natural sugars(simple sugars) that are easily broken down by the body and not stored as fat and  they do not cause weight gain. They have no preservatives or chemicals that may be toxic to the body. They are nutritive and has lots of vitamins needed by the body to function properly.

EFFECTS OF SUGAR ON THE LIVER

    When sugar is consumed , the liver  breaks down the sugar to fatty acids, some of the fatty acids remain in the liver . When sugar is consumed in excess overtime, the  build up of fatty acid  in the liver increases and then causes the liver to become fatty and malfunction(liver disease).