Sexual Health and Family life

Hi dearest friends. Merry Christmas to you all. Wishing you a prosperous new year ahead. I hope 2013 was fulfilling for you. If it was not, may Almighty God not let the blessings of this year elude us, Amen.

Today, I am starting a series on sexual health in family life. You would be surprised at how much drama goes on behind closed doors! How does marriage, children, work, etc affect our sexual health? Do all these factors improve or reduce sexual activity between spouses? All these are what we want to discuss this season. I would love this topic to be an interactive one as much as possible, so I implore you all to make contributions as you read and share it. Thanks.

This is a common scenario:

Titus rolled over on his self designed king sized bed to look at his wife still sleeping beautifully beside him. Though it was still dark, he was wide awake. He loved this woman. She was the girl of his dreams, the love of his life and the mother of his two wonderful soldiers! She was an amazing woman, he thought. She was the one who held the reins of their home tightly together. How she managed everyone in their home was beyond his comprehension. He could barely survive on the very few occasions that he had to watch the boys only for a few hours. They always drove him nuts. However Titi always coped effortlessly with everything except for one thing that could not be overlooked. She was horrible in bed.

 When he had designed his king sized bed shortly after their wedding five years ago, he had envisioned it being like a Maranatha stadium where unlimited activities would take place. Only God knew what happened to his wife. She had been completely transformed immediately after the arrival of their first son, Tim. She always had one excuse or the other for him anytime he wanted to show his desire for her. If it was headache yesterday, it would be stomach ache today and back pain tomorrow. She was always too tired in the evenings (which was understandable)  and she was always in a hurry in the mornings to get everyone ready for work. The excuses were limitless. He could not believe she was the same person he married. When they were newly weds, they would lock themselves in throughout the weekends and have marathon sex. She knew all the tricks to make him beg her for more.They used to baptise every room in their house with sex! But now, getting her to have sex with him once in a blue moon was a Herculean task. Even when she agreed to it, she would just lie there like a log of wood waiting for him to just "do the thing" and leave.

This morning, he was hoping that she would succumb to him. It was just a few minutes past three a.m. She did not have to get up until the next two hours. There was enough time to satiate his hunger for her and his "mr John Thomas" could testify to that. So, he snuggled close to Titi.

Titi stiffened as she felt her husband, Titus move close to her. "What in God's name is wrong with this man? Is sex food? Se o je bi ounje ni! Ehn? Haba! He is always looking for an opportunity to do something ni. Kilode. He won't even allow me sleep. At least we don do, do do since we marry, e no dey tire." Titi muttered.

Titi was a woman who found it very hard to understand her husband. Titus simply loved sex a lot. If he was happy he would want sex, if he was sad, it was sex that he wanted. When he got back from work he would want sex. Haba! It was sex, sex and sex for him. She was the one who carried pregnancy, twice now. She was the one who suffered the labour pains and the episiotomy she was given during delivery. She was the only one in that house with a good sense of responsibility. She had to get up early, cook, clean, wash and get everybody ready for work or school. What would Titus do to help her? NOTHING!!! His favourite song was AKEBAJE by Lagbaja. Akebaje was a lady who could not do anything in the house except to have sex with her husband and her husband loved her for it. What Nonsense! Should she leave all the house chores and be doing Kerewa?!  Oshisco. There was simply no way she was going to let him touch her this morning. She turned to her husband and said in a no-nonsense voice, "I am not in the mood".

 

Sexuality is a big part of being human. Love, affection and sexual intimacy all play a role in healthy relationships. They also contribute to your sense of well-being. We are sexual creatures, though it can be easy to forget that with all the stresses of our everyday lives. An important part of living a balanced and healthy life, however, is being in touch with our inner desires. Acknowledging and satisfying our sexual needs boosts endorphin levels, which lowers stress and heightens feelings of contentment, relaxation, and happiness.

One out of every three couples struggle with problems associated with low sexual desire. One study found that 20 percent of married couples have sex fewer than 10 times a year! 

Sex may not be the most important thing in marriage, but without it, a marriage relationship suffers. When it's good, it offers couples opportunities to give and receive physical pleasure, to connect emotionally and spiritually. It builds closeness, intimacy, and a sense of partnership. It would be one thing if these lustless men and women were married to each other; they could agree to go off into the sunset, basking in platonic bliss. But it rarely works that way. People with low sexual desire are generally married to partners who want more sexuality, intimacy, physical closeness, and connection.

If you're the spouse whose libido is lacking, remember that your most powerful sexual organ is your brain; in order to feel more sexual, you first have to decide that a loving, satisfying sex life and marriage are important. Then commit to finding your untapped sexuality within. Do not think about anything negative. Do not remember the wrongs your spouse did.

If you're the spouse with greater sexual energy, you'll need to approach your partner with greater understanding and compassion, which will improve communication, compromise, and acceptance. Do not listen to your friends when they encourage you to cheat or seek solace in pornography. Be patient with your spouse.

Factors responsible for low sex drive

It may be due to physical or psychological reasons;

1. Physical;

- menopausal or peri menopausal issues

- obesity

- stress due to work

- fatigue

- diabetes

- some anti hypertensive drugs

2. Psychological

- marital problems

- children's problems

- depression

- infidelity

- feeling ugly due to weight gain

- other emotional problems.

Tips to reviving your sexual life

- The Nike solution: "Just Do It". This does not mean you have to force yourself whenever your spouse asks for sex but you should know that having a positive attitude towards it helps. If you don't try, you won't do anything. Not doing anything may set the template for infidelity which we do not pray for.

- Be creative and active in bed. 

- See a marriage counsellor if you have marital problems.

I hope the above piece will help one marriage or two. I am expecting feedback from my readers please. Thank you very much.

How To Look Good Naked part 3

Hi friends. I am so glad to be back. I hope you are too. I am going to conclude this series today. I hope the previous episodes did some wonders in your life as it did for me.

Last time we talked about the two main components of achieving weight loss and we dwelt on DIET. Today we are discussing the second component which is EXERCISE.  Diet and exercise are like the two sides of the same coin. They both help to achieve the same goal and it is always better to to engage in both.

Studies now agree that exercise is essential for weight loss, and for keeping weight down once the ideal has been reached. As part of a healthy lifestyle, exercise has many benefits, and there are good reasons for maintaining an exercise regime even if you are not overweight. There are many different types of exercise for weight loss, including aerobic exercise, strength training, and ‘stamina’.

Some people may argue that only dietary modification works for them but I still implore you to try out some form of exercise no matter how small. Exercises help to tone our muscles, rids it of excess fat, it also protects the heart ( it is cardio-protective), and makes one to be fit for anything whatsoever. God forbid, if there's an emergency now, let it not be that it is because you can not run that is why something bad happened to you.

Below are some of the exercises that you can engage in. If you have any heart disease, it is important that you discuss with your doctor before starting out on the exercise.

AEROBICS - sometimes known as cardio exercise, this activity raises the heart rate, which causes the body to burn more energy. In order to work to the best of its powers, aerobic exercise must be performed at least five times a week, for around 20 minutes a time, in order to maximise the fuel-burning time. There are many different ways to achieve an aerobics workout – treadmills and stationary bikes, for example; running is perhaps the most commonly used form of aerobic training, although it does carry a higher risk of injury. Walking is also very good and it does not tire one easily as running does.

STRENGTH TRAINING – this improves and increases muscle mass and metabolism through exercise. Building muscle is a very necessary part of weight loss, as muscles burn calories faster than other types of cell in the body; they are a significant part of maintaining weight loss after a diet has ended. Strength training is often done with weights or using resistance bands (strength training is often known as resistance training). Without weights or exercise machines, the body itself can be used as the resistance device, for example in squats, steps, push-ups, and other floor exercises. 

STAMINA – Often known as interval training, it is often used in order to improve the cardiac health of a person, and to improve their strength and muscle mass. Sports that combine aerobics and strength training include activities such as Martial arts such as tae bo or kickboxing; Hiking or hill climbing; Swimming; Boxing; Basketball; Baseball etc 

Another way to combine the two types of exercise for weight loss is to use interval training, which combines aerobics and strength/weight training in the same exercise program. For example, 8 seconds of high-intensity training on a bike, followed by 20 seconds of moderate intensity, for example sit ups or bicep curls. The body expends a lot of energy in the high-intensity sessions, and then ‘recovers’ during the lower intensity activity; this is considered useful in preventing injury, and the body also burns calories faster during interval sessions, so that 20 minutes of interval work can burn as much fat as 40 minutes of single intensity exercise. There is some evidence to suggest that using both types of exercise for weight loss actually helps people to eat less; aerobic and strength training together cause people to consume less food – aerobics users only may stop eating fat, but they often replace this with other foods, and strength training only doesn’t affect the diet at all – so a combination of these well-known types of exercise for weight loss also results in the best changes in diet, too. 

MYSELF AS CASE STUDY

When I tried out some of the workouts like push-ups , squats and floor exercises, I found out that my weight increased. I was then told that it was because i was building muscle. This was saddening as I just wanted the weight to drop. I then went online to see what else I could do that would just make me go down. And so I stumbled on walking. Yes, WALKING. As simple as it sounds it works wonders. I found out that to maintain our normal body weight we ought to take at least 10000 steps a day. For someone like me with a sedentary lifestyle, I hardly did that. This geared me to at least try it out. I did.  I walked briskly, taking 10000 steps a day in one hour. And I have a success story to share! You may give it a trial too. It's so wonderful. It even gives you a chance to connect with your inner self, plan, and be refreshed. Do you also know that for 30 minutes after walking, you still continue burning energy. That is the wonder of walking.

Hi

Dear readers, I crave your indulgence to be away for a few days. It is due to reasons beyond my control. You know as we are getting close to the end of the year, it is good for one to seek redress and meditate on the events of this year. It is good for spiritual growth.

 

I promise to be back in the next two weeks or earlier for more juicy tips on weight loss. Then we shall explore a very wonderful topic meant for December. 

Thank you very much. Love you lots.

How To Look Good Naked part 2

Hi friends, howdy. Hope you are all fine. Thanks once again for visiting the blog, for your comments and for helping to share.

While I was looking for a topic for this piece last week, I stumbled on a the title 'how to look good naked' and I decided to use it. I did because it made so much sense to me.

When I was big, I cried one day to my brother who promised to link me up with someone selling weight loss products. To cut the story short, I was offered a body girdle which would make me wear clothes 2 sizes less. The offer was tempting though expensive! I would be able to get into smaller clothes! Wow!

  I was almost committing myself when my mind just told me that it meant I would always look good only when wearing clothes. But when I am naked what would I look like? My old fat self! Nooooo!  I wanted to look good both in clothes and naked. That sealed it for me. 

 I am not saying you should not try all those things but you must understand the arithmetics of losing weight. It is strictly about what you put inside you (by eating or drinking) and how much of those calories you burn. C'est finis. No more no less. Do not be deceived with the many options that may be offered to you. Mind you those offers are much more expensive than what you really need.

When I came across someone selling slimming tea and capsules, she told me I had to use them religiously for two weeks that I would see changes. With hope in my mind and my brain shut down( I guess!), I took the regimen as prescribed. Only for me to step on my scale after two weeks and to God be the glory, I had added 2 kg! I shouted yeeeeeee, mo gbe, ki l'eleyi. I then called the woman who sold it to me and she said I should try it for longer time that probably my body was just getting used to it. See marketing strategy o! She wanted to sell more to me. That was when my brain woke up from deep slumber and the scientist in me decided to query the components of the drugs I was taking. I felt like an idiot when i found out that the supposed weight losing drugs I had been taking were actually vitamin supplements for convalescent people! Just imagine that. So be wise when buying such products.

 Losing weight is not an easy thing. It's a lot more easy to gain weight than it is to lose weight except in a few cases like disease, famine, war, mourning which we do not pray for. Having that at the back of our minds, I guess it won't be out of place to drum it into our ears that losing weight requires above all determination and perseverance. If you are looking for a shortcut, then you are not ready to lose the weight. You have to be very disciplined. See this as a mission to be completed. Set a monthly goal and a yearly goal that must be met. Do not set unrealistic goals.

  For example if you weigh 100kg today, you may not lose more than 1 kg per week depending on your weight loss methods which means you will only lose 4kg in a month. You can not say you must lose about 20kg at all costs and drive yourself to death. You have to go about it systematically. Afterall, the weight was not added in one day.

 We must not also forget to consider genetics. We are products of both nature and nurture. While we may be able to effect changes with nurture, we may not be able to do much about nature. Consider people like Queen Latifah or Khloe Kardashian, no matter the amount of workouts or dietary modifications they may do, they still remain big due to their genetics. But you would see that despite the weight they look very fit. That is to tell you that even though you may not lose the weight, it is very important that you be fit. The diagram last week highlighted the different diseases that may result from obesity, so being physically fit goes a long way in preventing those deadly diseases.

  Now to the business of the day which I know my friends have been "impatiently" waiting for. Lol.

As earlier said, to lose weight there is no other recipe than the following TWO:

- Diet

-Exercise 

Today I will talk on diet and then we will conclude next week with the exercise.

 DIET

The following are important in your choice of diet.

- Do not restrict yourself to just a particular diet:called FAD diets. if you do, you are likely to be non-compliant and go back to your old way of eating because you would miss all the lovely food so much that the idea of weight loss would be repulsing compared to what you are missing.

- What kind of activity do you do? Are you active or sedentary? A sedentary lifestyle obviously requires less food than the person who is active because you are not using anything you are eating.

- Determine how many calories you need daily and make sure you do not exceed it. I would like you to go to www.myfitnesspal.com There you can log in any food you are about to eat and it will sum up the calories in it for you. You don't have to worry about our local diets like amala, majority of our foods have been included. DO NOT EXCEED YOUR DAILY CALORIC INTAKE. To lose one kg, you must have lost 7000 calories. So if you can remove 500 calories from your daily consumption, you will lose a minimum of 0.5kg per week.

- Take a lot of water. Water is beneficial to you in the sense that it rehydrated you and prevents dehydration and keeps your kidneys in good shape. Then if you drink water, your stomach sends signals to your brain that it is full and thereby  preventing hunger. This is a very effective method of staying off food.

- Take a lot of fruits and vegetables. They are filling. They help digest food because of the high fibre content and cleanse the bowels. At this stage you are advised to reduce your portion of food to a quarter of its normal size and fill the rest up with fruits and vegetables.

- Stay off pastries and processed foods: Do you know that if I eat 2 meat pies I would add 2 kg? That is because the meat pie dough is basically flour and butter which have high caloric contents. You can do without it. The calory in each pie is probably enough to carry you for a whole day but it won't satiate your hunger giving the need to eat more food which you actually do not need.

- Stop taking soft drinks. You need to stop taking processed drinks e.g coke, juice, nutri c etc. they are packed with calories even when they write on them "no sugar" . You can do without them. I did. I used to love coke so much that I could beg a beggar to give me the one he was drinking! In short I was addicted. But now I can tell you the number of months I have been off coke proudly!

- Do not eat after 6p.m . Your body mechanisms rest when you go to bed. So do not eat late into the night so that the food can be properly digested before you sleep.

- Do not starve yourself. Starving may make you lose the weight initially but later your body recognises it as normal and then the weight becomes static. Besides you need a minimum amount of calories per day to function. The brain, eyes, muscles etc all need the calories to work perfectly.

  

Myself as case study.

I have a sedentary lifestyle and when I calculated my daily intake, it was just 1200 calories that I needed per day. I chose my food carefully. I wouldn't eat indomie because 1 super pack size had 623 calories excluding the egg or fish or meat or pepper, sweet corn, baked beans and green peas that I would add. If I ate it I would have eaten about 800calories at once which would not carry me throughout the day. So I chose a simple breakfast e.g quarter cup of rice with plenty vegetables and fruits with fish which would amount to only 280 calories. I would then fill my tommy with water and say bye to hunger for the next 6-8 hours. Lunch with amala and plenty soup to fill the tommy. Snack on apple or watermelon. A very light supper if need be. Any food I do not eat before 6 would have to wait till tomorrow.

I hope that my method won't be too hard to try out. But if you do try it, you will be glad you did.we shall convene soonest to discuss the different exercises that you can try.

Thanks so much.

How To Look Good Naked

Hi friends! I promised to walk you through November with tips about weight loss. But before we venture into this interesting stage, let us know what we are dealing with first of all.

Today I want to discuss an entity called obesity.

OBESITY

 This is a condition characterised by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. This is both a nutritional and medical problem.

- Nutritional problem because it connotes overnutrition which is a form of malnutrition.

- Medical problem as it has been linked to a number of health risks, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus etc.

The picture below summarises the disadvantages of obesity.

How do we classify obesity

We usually classify obesity using the WHO classification which makes use of Body Mass Index (BMI), but it may also be classified using the following:

 - waist / hip ratio

 - waist circumference 

 - hip circumference, 

In younger children, mid upper arm circumference, head circumference etc may be done.

Body Mass Index

This is calculated using both weight and height of the individual. The unit is kg/ m2.

Thus BMI= weight(kg)/ height2 (m2).

It is important to know your BMI as this will guide you in your weight loss program. 

Below is the WHO classification of obesity based on BMI.

Underweight.   = <18kg/m2

Normal weight = 18-24.9kg/m2

Overweight.     = 25-29.9kg/m2

Obesity class 1= 30-34.9kg/m2

Obesity class 2= 35-39.9kg/m2

Morbid Obesity=>40kg/m2

Please note that morbid obesity means that the obesity has become a disease.

So, today step on your weighing scale to check your weight, get someone to help check your height, then calculate your BMI to know which level you are. Then we can go on into the next stage of losing the weight.

I watched a program recently on TLC about 42 stone mom. She was a Haitian woman with 6 daughters and divorced. She weighed 625lb (284kg). How is that healthy for goodness sakes. It got so bad she was confined to the bed permanently yet she didn't stop eating. She practically ate herself to death. She did not comply with healthy diet. She just kept eating and eating and gained more weight (of course) and the doctor out of compassion for her took her in for gastric bypass surgery at weight 689lb (313kg). While she was in recovery she called 911 that they should rescue her! Unfortunately she died shortly after. Imagine that. 

Below is a typical picture of an obese person eating as usual. You would say why eat?  And a hot dog at that! But that is what big people do best. They eat and eat instead of trying to burn the calories.

 I know that might be to the extreme but as long as you eat any food you don't need, you are indirectly killing yourself. It is not unusual here in Nigeria to drink an Orobo bottle of coke after downing a full plate of food just to show how affluent you are. You have just drank enough calories to last you a whole day on top of a full plate packed with calories as well!

  It is imperative for us to adopt healthy lifestyles and you can start by substituting all your beverages with water. Yes, water. Water is life and it does not add any calories. It even helps to flush out your whole system. So, drink at least three(3) litres per day.

We shall continue from here next time peeps. Thanks for your time. Love you lots

Happy new month

Hello readers! I wish you a very happy November. May this month usher in all the goodness we have anticipated all year long. Amen.

I want to start a series this month on weight loss. It is a topic that is paramount on my mind having gone trough a similar path. I will like to discuss how our lifestyle affects our body and ultimately our mind.

I know a lot of overweight and obese people who look at themselves in the mirror and hate what they see. Then they become depressed because of their looks and continue to eat more.

Being obese has absolutely no advantage at all but it's disadvantages are numerous. A lot of chronic non communicable diseases are associated with obesity. I am not trying to abuse or upset those that are obese but I am challenging them to take matters of their health in their own hands and have a lifestyle modification.

Before I start my series I would like to share my own personal experience with obesity to you. Below is a picture of what I looked like as at February, 2013. The other picture is what I looked like 3 months after my self made therapy.

I was always a slender girl and I loved myself, though a lot of people felt I was too thin (maybe I was, with my bony structure). But I loved the way I looked. I cared less about what anyone else thought. I was athletic ni jor. All of a sudden because of my changed status from student to worker, I was no longer a walker. I started gaining some flesh. People started deceiving me that I looked better. Men! Okan ti bale! 

Before I knew it I added 10 kg out of nowhere to fill in the bones. Lol. Then my tommy started coming out and my beloved Ibo friends felt it would be 'good for 2 wrappers' . Then I got married and more of peace of mind and then with pressures of work, I ate a lot of junk without exercising. To cap it up, I got pregnant and added about 15kg extra weight.

After giving birth I expected to lose at least 10 out of the 15kg pregnancy weight since I was breast feeding but no I was not to have such luck. And that was how the battle began.

I just hated seeing myself naked. I felt as though i was hiding in the new body. As though the cocoon would burst and the me I knew and loved would emerge. I tried different exercises. From cardio to strength, to boot camps to yoga. Nothing worked. This was so frustrating. I met some people who told me that since I was married and already had a child why should I care about the way I looked. Iro and bubba would do well to any figure!

By this time my Body Mass Index was 30.8kg/m2. (I ll discuss BMI later). I knew I had to do something. I was already obese. Mo ti di iya oberekete machine gun. I would sit in a chair in the parlour and call my house girl in the room to come and open my parlour windows or get me the remote control. ROTFL. It was that bad. My thighs were brushing themselves so I had to wear tights always. I could not run even if my life depended on it. Walking was difficult. I was having breathlessness if I walked a little. Sex was horrible. My libido was fllllaaaaatt.

There was fire on the mountain for me. Fat would kill me. It made me slower, lazier and eat more. I then decided to turn my situation around. When I thought of which form of exercise to turn to, I was confused because  I  had tried several with no positive effects. My weights only increased (they said I was adding muscle. Who needs the muscle? abeg, i just want the weight to drop). I then turned to my husband for advice and he told me that i was not serious about losing weight. I asked what he meant because i was like 'see this man o, if i wan come serious nko. Upon how much i dey complain, you still think i'm not serious. O ga o'.  He then asked me if there was anything that I wanted to do with all  mind that was not successful. I was quiet for a while  and I reflected on his question. My answer for him was then 'NO'. He then said "you see why I said you are not serious". 

I then got my mission . So I prayed to God for grace and determination and I achieved success. Not that it was easy but my determination saw me through.

I wrote this piece so as to encourage those who feel they are trapped with the fat that there is hope for you. I hope you will make it a date with me this November as we walk through weight loss together. 

Thank you very much.

God bless you.

SICKLE CELL DISEASE CONTINUED

 Thanks everyone for visiting the blog. I hope I have been able to pass on an incredible message. I also sincerely hope that you make use of the information and pass it to others around you. You may never be too sure, they may need it too.

After writing the first piece, I gave it to my husband to edit for me. He was more than happy that I decided to write on this topic. He had an encounter recently with someone who had just lost a cousin to sickle cell anaemia. It was a case of someone who was thought to be very stable medically. You wouldn't even know he had sickle cell unless he told you himself. This is just to re-emphasize the fact that this topic is no child's play. It is a plague ravaging us Africans.

Today I would like to talk about sickle cell traits and then the disease proper. Grab your neighbour, let us all read along together. Thanks.

Love you lots.

SICKLE CELL TRAITS

This simply mean that the person has one normal hemoglobin known as HbA, as well as an abnormal hemoglobin which could be either HbS or HbC thereby giving rise to genotypes like HbAS or HbAC. Persons with these genotypes do not come down with sickle cell anaemia except in very rare cases. However  these people must only marry persons with only normal hemoglobin as in HbAA except if they do not plan to have children. People who inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal gene have sickle cell trait (SCT). People with SCT usually do not have any of the symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD), but they can pass the trait on to their children.

 

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR GENOTYPE

Sickle cell disease or trait can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. People at risk of having SCT can talk with a doctor or health clinic about getting this test.

SCT SYMPTOMS 

Most people with SCT do not have any symptoms of SCD, although—in rare cases—people with SCT might experience complications of SCD, such as pain crises.

In their extreme form, and in rare cases, the following conditions could be harmful for people with SCT:

Increased pressure in the atmosphere such as while scuba diving

Low oxygen levels in the air for example, when mountain climbing, exercising extremely hard in military boot camp, or training for an athletic competition

Dehydration , for example, when one has too little water in the bodyi

High altitudes experienced for example when flying, mountain climbing, or places with high altitude

More research is needed to find out why some people with SCT have complications and others do not.

SCT AND ATHLETHES

Some people with SCT have been shown to be more likely than those without SCT to experience heat stroke and muscle breakdown when doing intense exercise, such as competitive sports or military training under unfavorable temperatures( very high or low) or conditions.

Studies have shown that the chance of this problem can be reduced by avoiding dehydration and getting too hot during training.

People with SCT who participate in competitive or team sports should be careful when doing training or conditioning activities. To prevent illness it is important to:

i. Set your own pace and build your intensity slowly.

ii. Rest often in between repetitive sets and drills.

iii. Drink plenty of water before, during and after training and conditioning activities.

iv. Keep the body temperature cool when exercising in hot and humid temperatures by misting the body with water or going to an air conditioned area during breaks or rest periods.

SICKLE CELL DISEASE

This occurs in persons with two abnormal hemoglobin genes viz HbSS.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

1. Anaemia : Many signs of sickle cell are linked to anemia. 

   Symptoms of anemia include

 headache, 

 dizziness,

 pale skin,

 chest pain

 cold hands

 cold feet

 shortness of breath.

2. Pain: A major symptom of sickle-cell anemia is sudden episodes of pain, called CRISES. 

Pain can occur in the abdomen, bones, lungs and joints. 

Crises can last hours to weeks.

3. Other Symptoms include :

vision problems,

delayed growth,

infections, 

swollen hands and swollen feet.

Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes, also can occur.

COMPLICATIONS

Sickle-cell complications are many and mostly irreversible. 

Problems can include:

stroke, which may occur in the young 

blindness, 

gallstones,

skin ulcers mostly leg and ankles,

organ damage. 

Men may also suffer from painful erections called priapism.

BE CAUTIOUS!

Signs of sickle cell usually occur in infants after the age of 4 months.

 Seek immediate medical care if you or your child develops any symptoms of sickle-cell anemia.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

According to WebMD, people with sickle cell anemia had a life expectancy of about 14 years old as recently as 1973.

General Life Expectancy

According to the National Library of Medicine, many people now survive sickle cell disease well into their 50's and beyond.

Men Vs. Women

According to the NLM, average survival for men is 42 years while the average women lives until 48.

TREATMENT

Most times the treatment is palliative and it is based on presentations.

Stem cell transplants offer the only chance for a cure. 

According to WebMD, candidates include young patients with severe illness whose sibling has compatible stem cells. 

Stem cells from a relative's umbilical cord blood might also work. Treatment with hydroxyurea might improve survival rates.

CONSIDERATIONS.

The severity of the disease can vary greatly between individuals. Environment has also be known to affect the disease. These will influence prognosis.

Sickle Cell Disease

Hi friends! Howdy! Today, I would like to discuss a very important disease which cuts across all generations especially in Africa. It is a medical as well as a social and economic problem which is better addressed so that we will not make the same mistakes our parents made. Now, sit back, relax and flow with me as we try to shed a little light on this dreaded disease, Sickle Cell Disease. I promise to write in plain English as much as possible. Thanks.

Mrs B looked at her helpless son groaning in pains. Nothing seems to be working. All the analgesics seem to be like ordinary water. Even this new drug which the doctors say is still under study with great potentials did nothing to help her boy. Tears rolled down her cheeks and as she fumbled for her already tear soaked handkerchief, she wondered if her decisions were worth it now.

   She was a very beautiful lady in her early 30s when she met the gorgeous Mr B. he had a good set of white teeth and English rolled out of his tongue as though he was an English prince. She must have fallen for him there and then because when he asked her for a date moments later, she could not say no. And that was how it all started.

   Finally all her prayers were answered in this man except for just one thing. As she was already advanced in age with no possible suitors looking her way again, she had better "borrow herself some brain". This man's genotype was AS. Hers too was AS. There was a good chance she could have a child with SS. But she rejected it in Jesus name. There was only one chance in four that she would have a sickle celled child or so she was told. She would fast very well and pray that such would not be her portion. Amen.

  How mistaken she was. She had three (3 ) children. She had already lost one child due to sickle cell. He was very sick and died suddenly. Now she was losing the second son. Her husband had already left her after the death of the first son. Now she was alone to deal with all these emotionally, physically, financially and mentally.

  The sudden calmness of her surroundings juggled her back to the present only for her to discover that her son was lying still in bed, quiet. 'Doctoooorrrr!!!!!'

SICKLE CELL DISEASE

This is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid,sickle shape unlike the normal red blood cells which are discoid in shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various complications. In other words, the sickled cells are prone to destruction. The sickling occurs because of a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. This leads to a shortened life expectancy. In 1994, in the US, the average life expectancy of persons with this condition was estimated to be 42 years in males and 48 years in females, but today, thanks to better management of the disease, patients can live into their 70s or beyond.

Sickle-cell disease occurs more commonly among the African population where malaria is common. In malaria endemic areas, carrying a single sickle-cell gene confers a form of immunity i.e a person with genotype HbAS has a level of immunity against malaria.

The term disease is applied because the inherited abnormality causes a pathological condition that can lead to death and severe complications. 

Inheritance of the sickle cell gene is as a result of both parents being carriers of the sickle cell genes i.e both parents have HbAS. These two combine together to give HbSS. A lot of myths surround the sickle cell inheritance, one of which is that if two people with HbAS decide to marry, they have a chance of having only one HbSS child out of four children. This is a blatant lie. The probability of having HbSS child is 25% in every pregnancy.

Note

SCT- sickle cell trait ( carrier)

So every time the mother carries a pregnancy she has a quarter chance of the child being sickle celled and only a quarter chance of having a normal child.

I will seize this opportunity to implore you all to know your genotype and inform many more about it. I would like to let you know that if you are HbAS and you are in a relationship with someone who is also HbAS , it may be better for you to call it quits.

 The story above may have been like a worst case scenario. Maybe. Maybe not. There are cases not as bad and there are some much worse than that. So it will be better to save yourself from all that may be.

I will continue with this topic later to discuss the different types of sickle cell traits, the manifestations, complications and management.

Thank you very much.

Love you lots.

Nigeria set to immunize 35 million children against measles

Nigeria is set to immunize an estimated 35 million children against measles this month.The immunization exercise will be conducted in two phases and children between nine months and five years will benefit from the programme.

The first phase, which will kick off in the capital city Abuja and the 19 northern states of the Federation started yesterday October 5th and will continue till Wednesday October 9th, 2013. The second phase however will take place between November 2nd and 6th , 2013 in all the southern states.

The campaign, we hope would reduce the cases of measles in our beloved country.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness  causing a reddish rash all over the body with fever preceded by upper respiratory tract infections e.g cough, catarrh and sometimes with conjuctivitis. It can lead to serious complications, including blindness and even death in children.

Nigeria this year is said to have reported 53,842 cases of measles, which claimed 330 lives, marking a sharp rise from a year ago, when there were 104 deaths out of the 8,243 reported cases.

Please ensure that all children under the age of five is immunized irrespective of whether they have been vaccinated previously or not. Please pass on this message.

Let us all fight this battle against measles.

Pictures courtesy of google.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!!!

I am Abiola Olubiyi, a physician in a federal medical centre in Nigeria. I have a passion to ensure that people have a healthful life. I advocate that people eat, play, live healthy. It is my passion that has driven me to create this blog so as to reach out to many people on ways that could make us live a long and purposeful as well as a happy life.

I pray that I will be able to address issues to the best of my knowledge and I hope that this blog will be your companion with time.

Thanks so much.

Love you.