Sep 29, 2021 | Events
As we celebrate World heart day 2021, we need to know this; cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims 17.9 million lives globally each year. Also, that, over a lifetime, our heartbeats about 2.5 billion times. That is a hard-working muscle!
In honour of the day celebration, we must have the following tips at the back of our minds to keep our hearts healthy:
• Stop smoking. It is the number one way to improve your heart health.
• Talk to your doctor about your Body Mass Index (BMI), a percentage of body fat.
• Maintain your healthy weight- Even a loss as small as 3% to 5% body weight can help lower blood pressure if you are overweight.
• Staying active daily — even just a brisk walk — can help keep the pounds off.
• Limit salt. The Heart Foundation recommends less than 2,000 mg of sodium daily. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which can cause a stroke, heart attack, and more.
• Eat your fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruits and veggies can never hurt you — unless it is fried, of course.
• Eat more chicken (and fish). Chicken and fish often have less saturated fat than red meat, which is better for your heart.
• Limit red meat to once a week or less. Red meats have more cholesterol than other meats like chicken or fish. Since cholesterol can make your heart disease worse, try to limit it and choose lean cuts like sirloin.
• Soluble fibre lowers cholesterol and helps manage blood sugar. So, eat more soluble fibre like whole grains, berries, flaxseed, and beans to avoid the “crash” of eating less fibrous foods.
• Increase Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. It may help reduce blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels, and protect the heart by slowing plaque growth and reduce arrhythmia.
• Oatmeal is fibre rich and contains omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. Eating oatmeal may also help lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.
• Follow your health plan and take your Medications. Work with your doctor to create a plan that works for you and stick with it. This includes taking any prescribed medications for health conditions like high blood pressure.
• A minimum of 40 minutes 3 to 4 times a week is ideal for the best cardiovascular health results. Exercise Regularly!
• Keep your body guessing. Mix up your fitness routines with cardio, strength training, and stretching. All are important for good health.
• Limit alcohol. Too much alcohol can raise triglyceride levels.
• Limit your sugar intake. The recommendation is no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men. Excess sugar intake is linked to certain cancers, heart disease, and obesity.
• Switch to olive oil. Olive oil is full of monounsaturated fats, lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol. It may help reduce the risks of developing heart disease.
• Monitor your cholesterol. Have your cholesterol checked at least every five years. You’ll want to do this more if your doctor has discovered any issues like high cholesterol in the past.
• High blood pressure can cause heart disease, kidney disease, and it has been linked to dementia. Check your blood pressure regularly.
• Work with your doctor to manage blood sugar levels to protect your heart health.
• Stress can raise blood pressure and lead to elevated levels of the hormone’s adrenaline and cortisol in the body. Mitigate Stress
• Eat Some Soy. Soy is low in saturated fat and can potentially lower cholesterol. Consuming 25 grams of soy protein daily can lower LDL by up to 6%.
• Practice good oral hygiene. Good dental hygiene includes brushing and flossing your teeth daily. Those who have gum disease often have risk factors for heart disease.
• Donate blood. At least every six months, consider donating blood. Studies have shown that people who donate regularly suffer fewer heart attacks.
• Be social. Studies show that people who stay in regular contact with family and friends have fewer heart problems.
• Adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation is not only bad for your heart and blood pressure, but it also raises risks for obesity, diabetes, and depression. Catch some sleep
• Read and understand Food Labels. Just because a food product is labelled as low-fat or healthy doesn’t mean it is. “Partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” means trans fats, which aren’t good for the heart. Monitor sugar and salt amounts per serving and know how many servings are in the package.
• Choose natural over-processed. In general, the less processed a food is, the healthier it is. Think of “whole foods” as foods that are naturally grown like sweet potatoes, bananas, and spinach.
• Choose baked over fried. Think baked buffalo wings, baked fries, and crunchy baked chicken instead of automatically tossing those food items into a fryer.
• Sitting for too long can lead to blood clots. You’ll want to be mindful of the length of time you sit every day and also when you travel. Try to get up and stretch to avoid a blood clot forming.
We believe that you and I have much work to do regarding our lifestyle; and what we do to enjoy a healthy heart. We care for you as friends and community members! That is why we are #ROHSI3
Aug 22, 2021 | News
DIABETES NEXT EPIDEMIC IN NIGERIA
By Sola Ogundipe
The growing number of people living with diabetes mellitus in Nigeria is worrisome and an explosion in the number of diabetic patients may be imminent if urgent measures are not taken to address the trend.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, estimates for Nigeria, show that 4 million Nigerians are diabetic, and nearly 4 – 11 per cent of the population lives with diabetes.
Experts say it is getting commoner worldwide with the number of affected people rising yearly with projections showing that Africa and Nigeria in particular, is likely to experience the highest increase in the near future. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that by 2040, the global prevalence of diabetes is likely to affect 10 per cent of humanity.
Currently, diabetes care is poorly coordinated, especially at the primary and secondary public health care centres.
Many Nigerians are living with undetected diabetes and even for those that have been diagnosed, just a fraction is receiving proper care and treatment.
A recent study showed that pooled prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the six geopolitical zones were 3.0 percent in the northwest, 5.9 per cent in the northeast, 3.8 percent in the north-central zone, 5.5 percent in the southwest, 4.6 percent, in the south-east, and 9.8 percent in south-south zone.
Findings by Good Health Weekly reveal diabetes screening programmes are few across the States and have limited impact.
The steady increase of diabetic foot, a major complication of diabetes mellitus is equally worrisome.
Many people living with diabetes lack basic knowledge and information about diabetes foot care even as reliable support for diabetic foot care programmes are largely unavailable, leading to poor outcomes for the patient.
Nigeria is currently the most affected country in Africa. It is estimated that over four million Nigerians are living with either the type 1 or type 2 diabetes and findings show that more than 50 per cent the persons with diabetes in the country are unaware that they have the disease.
More than 1 in 3 people with diabetes will develop” a complication of the eyes known as diabetic retinopathy. There is also high prevalence of complications such as diabetic foot among diabetics who risk suffering nerve damage and end up losing their limbs from amputation.
Findings by Good Health Weekly show that patients with diabetes are 25 times more likely to have amputations than people without diabetes.
The amputations unfortunately often do not only result in the loss of the limb but in the loss of life of the patient. Worse still, treatment for diabetic foot complications is the most expensive part of diabetes care even though there is no guarantee that the leg or the life of the patient will be saved.
“Diabetic foot is one of the commonest reasons for prolonged hospitalization in tertiary hospitals. The patient suffers nerve damage to the affected limb even as the tissues develop ulcers, infection sets in and it begins to decay (gangrene),
With the majority of patients financing their medical bills out of pocket, several diabetic patients fail to adhere to their medications and tests. Only 1 in 5 of the patients perform self–blood glucose monitoring among other tests. Several patients even resort to traditional treatment and complementary alternative medicine options.
Today, many Nigerians have become victims of foot amputation, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, among other serious conditions, all linked to diabetes.
Already, the rate of amputation among Nigerians living with diabetes is as high as 53.2 per cent of the number of people with foot ulcers in some centres across the country, making diabetic foot the most common cause of non-traumatic amputation in the lower extremities in the country.
“Diabetes places an extra burden on the individuals and families affected, especially for the majority of patients unable to access quality health care,” said Prof Femi Fasanmade. an endocrinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.
Many patients report late to the health care centre when they have developed advanced disease making treatment and care difficult.
A Consultant Endocrinologist and diabetes expert, Dr Afoke Isiavwe, who is the Medical Director of Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lagos, said diabetes is not getting the attention it deserves even as she decried the current situation whereby a lot of Nigerians are living with undetected diabetes.
“Diabetes is not getting the attention it deserves. There is a bigger problem coming in the near future and if we don’t get the right attention now, people will continue to die.
“We need to address the situation urgently. It is affecting the poor, the rich, the young and the old. What we need to do is set up centres that offer free screening and care for diabetes,” she argued.
An examination of the diabetes burden within sub-Sahara Africa showed that the region has the highest potential by an estimated 156 per cent increase by 2045.
“By 2040, 642 million will be diabetic. Diabetes kills more than HIV, TB and malaria combined and this is made worse by the fact that there are no dedicated diabetes centre in Nigeria. Worse still, mortality rate following diabetic foot amputation is higher than for breast cancer.
Among the main reasons for the expected rise are ageing population, increasing urbanization, (sedentary lifestyle) reducing physical activity and increasing obesity.
Noting that it is long overdue for all the States of the Federation to have dedicated diabetes Centres, Isiavwe said there are currently 16 million persons affected by diabetes, but the figure will rise in coming years.
“There is a very urgent need for all hands and voices involved in the diabetes circle – persons living with diabetes, advocacy groups and associations, diabetes care providers, Diabetes Health Care Trainers, policymakers, etc., to be united to birth the right atmosphere for both primary and secondary prevention of diabetes mellitus in Nigeria.
In her research on diabetes foot in Nigeria, Prof Anthonia Ogbera, an Endocrinologist and Consultant at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital documented the financial burden of diabetic foot problem in the country.
The research published in 2005 showed that the direct costs of treating the diabetic foot ulcer were about 1000 Euros (N400,000), whereas the average monthly wage was about 46 Euros (N18,000).
Findings reveal that today, even the proposed average monthly wage of N30,000 would be inadequate.
“The accompanying social, emotional, and psychological implications of diabetes foot ulcers and amputations are severe, with high mortality rates. A foot care programme including education about foot care should be directed at patients and also at health-care providers.
“All health professionals should have the knowledge and skills to help individuals and families manage diabetes. It is important that every clinic is set up to provide appropriate care and to know when to refer patients to the Endocrinologist/diabetes specialist.”
Isaiavwe said training in Podiatry, a branch of medicine dedicated to the study, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremities, should be part of the package.
Coping tips
Diagnosis
Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive testing of blood sugar Treatment
Treatment involves diet and physical activity along with lowering blood glucose and the levels of other known risk factors that damage blood vessels.
Maintenance of blood glucose control, particularly for people with type 1 diabetes who require insulin. People with type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medication but may also require insulin.
Maintain blood pressure control and foot care.
Prevention
Adopt simple lifestyle measures such as maintaining healthy body weight, being physically active eating a healthy diet, avoiding sugar and saturated fats intake, and avoiding tobacco use. Go for regular screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease and treatment.
Aug 2, 2021 | News
ROHSI MAKES CASE FOR WIDOWS, SINGLE MOTHERS IN NIGERIA
The Rays of Hope Support Initiative (ROHSI), a non-governmental organisaton has proffered solution to the plights of widows and single mothers in Nigeria, following the difficult challenges they face after the death of their spouses.
This was made known in a paper presented by Oyeronke Olorunfemi, director at ROHSI during a programme organised recently by Heart For Widows International, a charity organisaton, to commemorate the United Nations (UN) International Day 2021 held at Alagbaka in Akure, Ondo State with theme: “Invisible Woman, Invisible Problem”.
Olorunfemi said that in the course of her community work, she noticed that more of women especially, older women are having high blood pressure than their male counterparts as majority are widows, handed over the mantle of family leadership without much preparation after the death of their husbands.
She therefore, prays that, God should continue to protect the men as they go out daily, not to die young as not to relinquish the mantle of family leadership to the woman should such suddenly happens.
“We know the loss of a partner is devastating. For many of our women around the world especially in developing countries such as ours, the loss is magnified by a long-term struggle for their basic needs, their rights and dignity”, Olorunfemi said.
She stressed on what befalls the woman should she loose her husband to include evicted from their homes or physically abused, or where their social status is linked to that of their husband’s and such husband passed on suddenly without a solid plan, what would happen to the health of such a widow?
Olorunfemi lamented that such a widow among other things have to accept unwillingly what nature has brought to her because of the children, unwarranted conditions from their husband relatives, social norms, which results in many women dying prematurely.
“So we can all imagine how burning this issue is? I have this question, should our women identity be defined by their husband or should be viewed on their own merits?” she asked.
To this end, she suggested ways by which government and society must improve the lives of widows, single women and their families to include:
“We must come up with poverty-reduction strategies like access to credit or other economic resources and provide educational opportunities for our widows and their children to make life easier.
“Our widows should have unlimited rights to their husband inheritance or land ownership under the law of the land.
“Violence towards widows must be stopped and it has to be now.
“We must all advocate for equitable access to healthcare for our widows. They must not be denied such an opportunity.
“We must them secure against economic insecurity stemming from widowhood that has driven some of our widows and girls to sex work.
“We must keep talking to authorities to take action to uphold their commitment to ensuring the rights of the widows as enshrined in our laws and conventions.
“Let us keep advocating for programmes and policies for ending violence against widows and their children.
She concluded that the above would make life more meaningful to widows, as the health and the wellbeing of their children would not be an issue anymore, because these solutions if implemented would have taken care of those needs.
Eelier in their welcome addresses, Prince Adetayo Adesida and Mrs. Britt Schulze Adesida expressed the gratitude that God had used them to reach out to widows across Africa and the world at large by empowering them, so that they can fend for themselves on the event of the loose of their husbands.
“God has been able to help spread our tentacles to some countries in Africa as well where we have been able to reach out to the widows in Rwanda, Kenya, Lesotho, Seychelles, Uganda to mention but a few.
“We thank God that we did not only give widows fishes to survive on, but also teach them how to fish through various vocational developmental schemes, which empowers the widow to be self-reliant and self-sufficient to the point that their product which is been displayed at this event, is not only sold in the country, but also shipped out of other countries so that it becomes an economic empowerment for our widows.”
“God has been so faithful to the point that we are able to establish this foundation in the USA, The Netherlands, Germany, India, Nigeria, Tanzania and Bulgaria.
Dignitaries at the event include The Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Adelusi represented by Chief Aro of Akure kingdom accompanied by some chiefs from the palace; delegation from the Ondo State government, which included Mrs. Olubunmi Ademosu, Special Adviser to the Ondo State government on Intergovernmental Relation and Oluwafemi Dennis Fadairo, Director of Administration to the Senate President of Nigeria, Ahmed Lawan.
First Published By Dispatch News Online http://dispatchnews.com.ng/2021/08/02/rohsi-makes-case-for-widows-single-mothers-in-nigeria/
Jun 7, 2021 | Events
ROHSI CALL TO ACTION
I am writing to say thank you and to show my appreciations for all that you have made us to achieved in terms of being able to provide access to healthcare treatment to our targeted community members. A huge thank you!
I am also using this as a call to action to my other friends to be part of what we are doing at Rays of Hope Support Initiative – #ROHSI3
Within my work as a social development worker, whenever I hear of people battling with health-related issues especially hypertension and diabetes that have led to strokes, heart attack, sudden death, or stories such as he/she wasn’t sick, we were still together yesterday give me and my team great pains because death such as this could be prevented with access to information, measures and monitoring of our health numbers, medication, and change in lifestyle.
I do wish we saved many of these lives by influencing their diets and lifestyles in a way that would keep them healthy and strong to be able to be alive for their loved ones! We know how unbearable it is; to lose a loving and dependable member of a household. I do not want this to happening again because many of these deaths could be prevented with our efforts at Rays of Hope Support Initiative.
I am asking you to join my team with your resources, time (as our ambassadors/Volunteers), network, collaborations, recommendation, money, donations. Let us save lives by inculcating healthy lifestyles through awareness and access to equity healthcare treatment among people when we were able to take the good news to their doorsteps.
You can start from here:
For the donations, use any of our secure links:
STANBICIBTC BANK PLC: Rays of Hope Support Initiative
Naira: 0022069426
Dollar: 0027047650
Or through
www.rohsi.org/donate
If you could support this by donating and then sharing it with your network. I would greatly appreciate it. I know that money can be tight, so please know that every donation makes us closer to our goal.
Kindly reach out to me in case you have any questions, and I will be happy to answer them. I thank all for rejoicing with me and joining me in this mission of impacting and saving the majority of our people from avoidable/sudden death.
Let’s do this together! Love, Health and Joy,
Benjamin Olorunfemi
Executive Director
May 30, 2021 | Healthy Tips
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA?
Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science of healthy living.
Yoga is an old discipline from India. It uses breathing techniques, exercise, and meditation. It helps to improve health and happiness. Yoga in a simple sentence means “the cessation of the modification of the mind” (stopping changing the mind).
Then, what are the benefits of yoga and how can yoga enrich your life? Looking to hear and read from yoga teachers as well as people who enjoy doing yoga. This piece is intended to be a definitive resource on the great benefits that yoga brings you, and why we should try yoga.
. There are loads of health reasons for why you and I should try yoga in the submissions below, and the main yoga benefits people talk about (summarized) are these:
- Stress relief, including lowering anxiety and depression
- Self-awareness (by slowing down, you become more aware of what’s happening around you)
- Better flexibility and posture
- Make new friends and build your community if you’re doing yoga in groups.
- Pain relief
- Can help against arthritis.
- Gives you time to look inward and think deeply.
- Helps to breathe.
So, who next is coming with us at the Rays of Hope Support Initiative for the next Yoga class/benefits.
