Health

Laws Of Healthy Living

Published

9 years ago

September 23, 2015

As with every other law (s) guiding life’s principles, the laws of health are those that if not strictly adhered to would not only affect other principles but result even to death.
The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, listed eight laws of health which include: the air you breath, the sunlight on your body, the power of abstemiousness, the rest your body needs, the exercise you obtain, the food you eat, the water that cleanses and your trust in God. A look at each of these laws.
The air you breathe: Millions of people suffer from a wide variety of ailments that are partly caused by an insufficient supply of oxygen. The problem is that most people do not breathe correctly and this continually weakens their health, their happiness and their hold on life itself.
Without air, man dies. Air is the most vital element for man and animals. One may live for weeks without food or for days without water, but deprived of air, he will die within minutes.
According to a health educator, Dr Fiberesima Iyaye, “ in order to have good blood, we must breathe well. Full deep inspirations of pure air which fill the lungs with oxygen, purify the blood. They impart to it a bright colour and send it a life giving current event to every part of the body.”
A good respiration soothes the nerves. It stimulates the appetite, renders digestion more perfect and induces sound refreshing sleep. If an insufficient supply of oxygen is received, the blood moves sluggishly. The waste poisonous matter which should be thrown off in the exhalations from the lungs is retained and the blood becomes impure. Not only the lungs but the stomach, liver and brain are affected. The strain becomes sallow, digestion is retarted, the heart is depressed, the brain clouded, the thoughts are confused. Infact, the whole system becomes depressed and inactive and particularly susceptible to disease.
Even though the present security, social and economic states of the society may not encourage us to adhere to this rule, it should be noted that it is of the highest consequence to your life, health and happiness, that you keep fresh air in every room in your home and especially in your sleeping rooms. If you are not able to have windows open in very cold weather, then leave a door open into another room where a window is open. By the day and night, always keep a current of air flowing through the house. You do not want to sit or sleep in a draft but some air circulating throughout your home, a lot in the summer and less in winter is a necessity to good health.
The sunlight on your body: There are millions of red corpuscles constantly flowing through very small blood vessels throughout every part of the 3,000 square inches of the skin. There are also tiny oil glands just beneath the skin which biochemists call sterols. As sunshine strikes them, substances within them called ergosterols are irradiated and transformed into vitamin D which when carried to all parts of the body enables it to have strong bones, teeth and nails.
Every living thing in our world is dependent upon the sun. Without sunshine, nothing could live. Sunlight is composed of energy wavelengths of various types. Adequate sunlight on the body will lower respiratory rate and cause breathing to be slower, deeper and even easier. Sunlight increases the capacity of the blood to carry more oxygen and take it to the body tissue. It dramatically lowers high blood pressure, decreases blood cholesterol, lowers excessively high blood sugars and increases white blood cells.
Even a single exposure to the ultraviolent light in sunlight will greatly increase the oxygen content of the body and this effect will continue for several days. The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia also revealed that sunlight destroys harmful bacteria implying that it is used to treat bacterial infections.
Sunlight on the body both calms the nerves and increases adrenalin. This relaxation is not merely mental, it is physical also. Both gastric and duodenal ulcer patients have been found to improve under the beneficial effects of sunlight. Thus, as against the fear of darkening of the skin especially by the women folks, it has proven necessary that the body and living apartments be exposed to sunlight for a healthy living.
The rest your body needs: As one reads through any material on health remedies, the mention of rest is hardly heard apart from inject this and swallow that. Yet, rest is one of the most basic healers known to mankind. When you become sick, what is the first thing that you do? You lie down.
Can you imagine a hospital where all the patients only go to bed at night? No, they are lying flat in bed most of the day as well as all through the night because the restorative power of rest is a key to the success of all other remedial agencies. But now you are not ill. Do you need rest when you are well? To a startly degree, it is the lack of adequate rest while you are well that causes you to become sick.
For the simple principle, one does not always have to sleep in order to have rest. Just a change of Pace-doing something different can bring rest to the mind and body. Apart from lying down, the body can be trained to relax.
The “go, get, attitude” so common to western civilization leads many to nervous break downs. As objectionable a word in their diction, they simply do not take time to rest. The reason so many people have breakdowns is that they try to surpass and have the supremacy, so they go at high speed without adequate rest until the body machinery breaks under the load.
No muscle works continually. After some work, there are some rest. Even the heart, the highest working muscle in the body rests after each beat. The lungs rest at the end of each breath and it works for a lifetime, with only one tenth of second rest and so, whatever one does to deprive it of that rest will eventually cause a serious trouble.
Amid the hurry and rush of life, our bodies and minds need rest. Even metals can become tired.
They loose their vitality from repeated shocks and strains, become exhausted and breakdown under the load.
And we all need sleep, good sound sleep every night.
Work and rest during the day and when evening comes, endeavour to get good sleep and of course, in the natural way. During the sleeping hours, the body is repaired and invigorated for another day of work. So, be regular in obtaining your sleep and more so, on a definite schedule every night.

Health

RSG Plans Fresh Training For TBAs

Published

6 days ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Plans are in the works by the authorities in the Rivers State Ministry of Health to conduct training for Traditional Birth Attendants(TBAs) in the State.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh gave the hint while chatting with newsmen recently in Port Harcourt.
She said the training has become crucial to school the TBAs on methods and measures to complement in maternal health care.
In her words,” We are aware of of their roles, but we need to be confident that they can still play that role, especially the skills set needed to complement what government is doing.’’
Dr. Oreh explained that maternal and child care has evolved, hence, the TBAs need to be schooled,” we want them to scale up their skills, especially on high risk pregnancies.”
She continued, “ We want to make sure that our system mops up those high risk pregnancies, because we know that many of them carry out clandestine activities they are not helping us.”
Assuring of improved manpower in the State health sector, Dr. Oreh said the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration has embarked on fresh recruitment exercise for health workers to meet current challenges.
She assured that once the recruitment exercise is completed, the various health centres and hospitals will be staffed with qualified manpower to provide efficient health services in the State.

Kevin Nengia

Health

Viral Hepatitis Claims 3,500 Lives Daily -WHO

Published

6 days ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm on viral hepatitis infection that claims 3,500 lives each day.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, the number of lives lost due to the viral hepatitis is increasing.
The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally — with 1.3 million deaths per year, the same as tuberculosis, a top infectious killer.
The report, released at the World Hepatitis Summit revealed that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, and decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled.
It, however, said, reaching the WHO elimination goal by 2030 is still achievable, if swift actions are taken now.
New data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83percent were caused by hepatitis B, and 17percent by hepatitis C. Every day, there are 3,500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added, “WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”
Updated WHO estimates indicate that 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12percent among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58percent of all cases.
New incidence estimates indicate a slight decrease compared to 2019, but the overall incidence of viral hepatitis remains high.
In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections, down from 2.5 million in 2019.
These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and nearly one million new hepatitis C infections. More than 6,000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis each day.
The revised estimates are derived from enhanced data from national prevalence surveys. They also indicate that prevention measures such as immunisation and safe injections, along with the expansion of hepatitis C treatment, have contributed to reducing the incidence.

Health

How Dates Boost Fertility -Research

Published

6 days ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Now, researchers in a study, suggest that date palm is an arsenal to fight infertility in couples. They found that 1-month consumption of date palm has a positive impact on the sexual function of infertile couples.
The study to investigate the effect of date palms on the sexual function of infertile couples was in the 2022 edition of the BMC Research Notes.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted on infertile women and their husbands who were referred to infertility clinics in Iran in 2019, researchers found sexual function in females (arousal, orgasm, lubrication, pain during intercourse, satisfaction) in the intervention group was significantly increased compared to females in the control group that had no date palm.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
The intervention group was given a palm date capsule and the control group was given a placebo. The starch powder was applied to prepare the placebo capsules.
Also, all areas of male sexual function (erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction) significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Infertility is not only a medical problem but also affects all personal dimensions and social life of most infertile individuals. Infertile couples are more prone to psychological problems (anxiety, depression, and stress), which may result in marital distress, social dysfunction (stigma, social exclusion, and feelings of failure), and reduced quality of life.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
Dates palm is known to have come from what is now Iraq. In Nigeria, dry and soft date fruits are sold out for consumption. However, in the northern part, they are added to the locally brewed alcoholic beverage to help reduce the intoxicating power.
Dates are a good source of energy and vitamins and important elements such as phosphorus, iron, potassium and a significant amount of calcium. It is also rich in phenolic compounds possessing free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity.
Since ancient times, the date palm has been used in Greece, China and Egypt to treat infertility and increase sexual desire and fertility in females. There are few studies on the effect of date palms on male and female sexual function in human beings.
Besides, studies have shown that the various parts of its plant are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders which include memory disturbances, fever, inflammation, paralysis, loss of consciousness and nervous disorder.
Culled from Tribune online.

The researchers suggested that the improvement in male and female sexual function can be due to active ingredients and increased levels of sex hormones following the consumption of date palms since studies indicated that increasing sex hormones are effective in sexual function.

They, however, recommended more studies with a longer duration on the use of date palms on sex hormone levels in infertile couples.

Previously, a study revealed that using date palms in postmenopausal women for 1 month had a positive and significant impact on sexual desire and arousal. Another suggested that using date palms had a positive impact on orgasm, satisfaction and lubrication in women and also reduced pain during intercourse in women.

In the laboratory, administering date palms to male rats and measuring their sexual behaviours, researchers showed that sexual behaviour parameters (number of ejaculations, number of intercourse) increased compared to the control group.