Health Check > Articles by: admin
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MOTHERS DAY

We are excited at the opportunity to celebrate our mothers again. We want to help you celebrate yours because we know she gave all for you to be you today. And maybe she has passed on, we believe you have someone dear to you that you look up to as a mother figure. We have selected one of our products that we believe will help your mum as she gracefully ages everyday. Getting her the latest “Aso Ebi” material is not a bad idea but just hold on a little and answer this question: ” can the “aso ebi” preserve your mum’s life?  We advise that you get health gifts that will preserve her to wear “aso ebi” for a long time to come. BGCheck
BGCheck
Our HealthCheck glucometer will help your Mum to have a good knowledge of her blood sugar level. By self-monitoring her blood glucose your Mum can measure how her body handles different types of food, exercise, medication, stress and illness. Her blood glucose result may prompt her to eat a snack, take more insulin or go for a walk. Self-monitoring can also alert her to a blood glucose level that is too high or too low, which requires special treatment. Self-monitoring is also known as Structured Testing which means testing at the right times, in the right situations, and frequently enough to generate useful information. To get this for your Mum click here
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THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY PREGNANCY DETECTION

The essence of pregnancy awareness week is to strengthen pregnancy education and stress important issues that promote healthy pregnancy and safe motherhood.

Pregnant women should start attending antenatal care as soon as they suspect that they are pregnant and certainly within their first trimester.

To detect early pregnancy is not a big issue again. With a pregnancy pee stick like the ConceptionCheck you can know your pregnancy status as early as 7 days.

ConceptionCheck

The ConceptionCheck is a rapid pregnancy pee stick (midstream), convenient in vitro assay for the defection of HCG hoemore in urine to help in early diagnosis of pregnancy with 99% level accuracy.

The Benefits of Early Antenatal care

  1. Early recognition of danger signs in pregnancy and post-delivery.
  2. Birth preparation and complication readiness
  3. The opportunity to exclude and manage existing medical conditions which can be aggravated by the pregnancy, such as hypertension, diabetes, infections and anaemia.
  4. Free HIV testing and voluntary counselling
  5. Self-care including nutrition and high standard of hygiene.
  6. Information on the role of the father, the male partner and the family.

Purpose of Pregnancy Awareness Week:

The primary purpose of Pregnancy Awareness Week is to reduce* the number of deaths or complications from pregnancy. This includes both the mother and the foetus/baby. The event does so by strengthening the education on pregnancy and highlighting important issues that promote a healthy pregnancy and safe motherhood. The government suggests that pregnant women should start attending antenatal care as soon as they think they are pregnant within the first trimester.

*Please note that you should always consult a medical professional if you have any questions about your health or pregnancy.

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FOOD FOR DIABETES

Sugary cereals, bagels covered in cream cheese, and high-fat bacon breakfasts are the subjects of many food fantasies. However, they are all poor choices for people with diabetes. Diabetes management requires attention to sugar and carbohydrates. To optimize heart health, people with diabetes should also steer clear of high-fat foods that have little nutritional value. This does not mean that people with diabetes have to have dull breakfasts. A number of classic breakfasts are excellent choices. A few minor tweaks to traditional breakfasts can make many of them healthful even for people with type 2 diabetes. Classic breakfasts for type 2 diabetes Breakfasts high in fiber, but low in added sugar, carbohydrates, and salt are excellent choices for people with diabetes. Nutrient-dense foods support feelings of fullness, which can help stop people snacking on unhealthful options. Some healthful breakfast options include the following: Smoothies Fruit juices contain rapidly absorbed sugar and, sometimes, artificial sweeteners that can either trigger blood sugar spikes or affect insulin sensitivity and gut bacteria. Smoothies offer the same sweet taste as juice but contain lots of nutrients that help fight hunger. There are many ways to include different nutrients in a smoothie. Load up on fiber by using spinach, kale, or avocado in a smoothie layer on sweetness by adding frozen berries, bananas, apples, or peaches. Make sure to include some fat or protein to make the smoothie as filling as possible. This will also slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates. Adding a scoop of a protein powder or one-half of a cup of Greek yogurt can make a smoothie even more satisfying. Try this diabetes-friendly smoothie:
  • Blend two cups of frozen raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries with an avocado, and one-half of a cup of kale.
  • Add water to thin the consistency.
  • Use chia seeds to add good fat and extra fiber to the smoothie. They won’t change the taste when balanced with fruit or yogurt.
Oatmeal Oatmeal is rich in fiber, which means it can slow blood sugar absorption, ease digestion, and fight hunger. It also contains almost 5.5 grams (g) of protein per cup of cooked oatmeal, making it a nutrient-dense breakfast option. Sprinkle on cinnamon for flavor, but avoid loading oatmeal with honey or brown sugar. Instead, sweeten the oatmeal with raspberries, blueberries, or cherries. Fresh fruit is best. Walnuts can add omega-3 heart healthful fats, protein and texture for an even more nourishing breakfast. Eggs A large-sized boiled egg contains about 6 to 7 g of protein. Eggs may also help fight diabetes. According to a 2015 study, middle-aged and older men who ate the most eggs were 38 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who ate the least eggs. Another study found that people with diabetes who ate eggs daily could reduce their body fat and BMI, without increasing hemoglobin A1c levels. A hard-boiled egg seasoned with black or cayenne pepper is an ideal on-the-go breakfast snack. To increase fiber intake, people with diabetes can try a spinach or kale omelet. Poached eggs are also a good option, and can be layered on sweet potato “toast.” People with diabetes who crave toast can use sprouted grain bread. Instead of seasoning omelets and other egg breakfasts with salt, people should try peppers, such as cayenne or diced jalapeños instead. Cereal Many popular cereals are incredibly high in sugar, including those that are marketed as “healthful.” Muesli with unsweetened almond milk, however, offers a fiber-rich, low sugar alternative. Use the 5-5 rule when navigating the cereal aisle: aim for at least 5 g of fiber and less than 5 g of sugar per serving. Yogurt Unsweetened yogurt is a perfectly healthful breakfast for people with diabetes. Greek yogurt, which contains about about 10 g of protein per 100 g, is even better. For those people who prefer sweet foods, sprinkle on some raspberries or blueberries and some pumpkin seeds. This is a protein-rich breakfast that also offers some fiber and some good fats. Fruit Fruit can be a good option for breakfast, but large quantities of fruit can cause blood sugar spikes. On its own, most fruit isn’t very filling either. Avocados are a major exception, offering about about 10 g of fiber per cup. Rich in heart-healthful fats, these hearty fruits offer a filling breakfast. People with diabetes can try filling an avocado with low-salt cottage cheese or an egg. Diabetes-friendly takes on classic breakfasts Sizzling bacon and sausage might smell great, but they are high in cholesterol and salt. This makes them bad choices for people with diabetes. White bread toast, English muffins, and bagels are low in nutrients, but high in carbohydrates. Gooey cinnamon rolls can lead people with diabetes to a sugar-induced crash. If someone with diabetes is craving an indulgent breakfast, they can try one of these options instead. Bacon and sausage alternatives Meat substitutes such as tofu and other plant-based proteins taste surprisingly similar to bacon and sausage, especially when mixed into another dish. Before trying a meat alternative, however, people with diabetes should check the salt content. For a modern take on the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato breakfast sandwich, people can try layering vegetarian bacon and ripe tomatoes on sprouted or whole grain bread. Bread Not all bread is bad for people with diabetes. The problem is that white bread is low in nutrients, and can elevate blood sugar. Sprouted grain and sourdough breads are the best bread choices for fiber, probiotic content and digestibility. However, some people with diabetes may find that any type of bread spikes their blood sugar levels To increase the nutritional value of bread, people can consider one of the following breakfasts:
  • Avocado sweet potato toast:Slice a sweet potato long-wise into one-quarter inch thick slices. Fully toast the slices and spread the avocado, adding a poached egg on top if desired. Increase the flavor by adding jalapeño slices or cayenne pepper.
  • Bagel substitute:Try toasted sprouted grain bread with peanut or almond butter. Raspberries or walnuts taste great on top.
Pastry alternatives People with diabetes who love pastries can find a number of sugar-free alternative recipes online. With these, it is important to check the ingredients carefully and keep portions small. When diabetes is otherwise well-controlled, it is fine to enjoy small pastries as an occasional breakfast treat. People should balance a sweet breakfast with foods that are high in fiber and, or protein, such as avocado or almonds. This will help control blood sugar. Simple breakfast rules A healthful breakfast for people with diabetes does not have to be limited to a small number of recipes. A few guidelines can help people to eat well no matter what their taste preferences are:
  • Maximize protein intake. Protein can help people feel full. It also enables the development of healthy tissue and muscles. Nuts, legumes, and animal products, such as dairy and meat are excellent sources of protein.
  • Fiber can combat blood sugar spikes, support feelings of fullness, and encourage digestive health. Most vegetables, many fruits, nuts, seeds, wheat bran, and oat bran are rich in fiber.
  • Sugar isn’t just found in food, be careful of beverages too. Water is a more healthful choice than juice and other sweetened drinks. Sodas and sweetened coffees and teas can cause blood sugar to surge, so limit sweeteners.
  • Eating two smaller morning meals 2-3 hours apart can reduce blood sugar level changes, while supporting a healthy weight. Many people with diabetes thrive on a diet that includes five to seven small meals a day.
  • High-sodium diets can undermine heart health and elevate blood pressure. People with diabetes should be especially cautious about salt intake. Most salt comes from packaged foods, so it is better to stick to fresh and home-cooked foods instead. Potassium-rich foods, such as dark leafy greens, beets, sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, avocado and bananas will help to offset sodium’s effects on health.
  • Watch portion size. A healthful breakfast can cause unhealthy weight gain when consumed in large quantities. People with diabetes should read the package or label to determine appropriate serving size.
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DIABETES TYPE 2

Type 2 diabetes is a serious health concern in the United States and across the globe. New research shows that a high consumption of legumes significantly reduces the risk of developing the disease. The legume family consists of plants such as alfalfa, clover, peas, peanuts, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and various types of beans. As a food group, they are believed to be particularly nutritious and healthful. One of the reasons for this is that they contain a high level of B vitamins, which help the body to make energy and regulate its metabolism. Additionally, legumes are high in fiber and contain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. They also comprise a variety of so-called phytochemicals – bioactive compounds that further improve the body’s metabolism and have been suggested to protect against heart disease and diabetes. Finally, legumes are also considered to be a “low glycemic index food,” which means that blood sugar levels increase very slowly after they are consumed. To make people aware of the many health benefits of legumes, the year 2016 has been declared the International Year of Pulses by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Pulses are a subgroup of legumes. Because of their various health benefits, it has been suggested that legumes protect against the onset of type 2 diabetes – a serious illness that affects around 29 million people in the U.S. and more than 400 million adults worldwide. However, little research has been carried out to test this hypothesis. Therefore, researchers from the Unit of Human Nutrition at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain, together with other investigators from the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) study, set out to investigate the association between legume consumption and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study also analyzes the effects of substituting foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates with legumes, and the findings were published in the journal Clinical Nutrition. High intake of lentils lowers risk of type 2 diabetes by 33 percent The team investigated 3,349 participants in the PREDIMED study who did not have type 2 diabetes at the beginning of the study. The researchers collected information on their diets at the start of the study and every year throughout the median follow-up period of 4.3 years. Individuals with a lower cumulative consumption of legumes had approximately 1.5 weekly servings of 60 grams of raw legumes, or 12.73 grams per day. A higher legume consumption was defined as 28.75 daily grams of legumes, or the equivalent of 3.35 servings per week. Using Cox regression models, the researchers analyzed the association between the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the average consumption of legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, dry beans, and fresh peas. Overall, during the follow-up period, the team identified 266 new cases of type 2 diabetes. The study revealed that those with a higher intake of legumes were 35 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their counterparts who consumed a smaller amount of legumes. Of all the legumes studied, lentils had the strongest association with a low risk of type 2 diabetes. In fact, individuals with a high consumption of lentils (defined as almost one weekly serving) were 33 percent less likely to develop diabetes compared with their low-consumption counterparts – that is, the participants who had less than half a serving per week. Additionally, the researchers found that replacing half a daily serving of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods – including bread, eggs, rice, or potatoes – with an equivalent serving of legumes also correlated with a reduced risk of diabetes. The authors conclude that: “A frequent consumption of legumes, particularly lentils, in the context of a Mediterranean diet, may provide benefits on type 2 diabetes prevention in older adults at high cardiovascular risk.”
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EVERY FEVER IS NOT MALARIA, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE.

Scaling up diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance for malaria. – T3: Test. Treat. Track.

The April 2012 WHO Global Malaria Programme initiative – T3: Test. Treat. Track; supports malaria-endemic countries in their efforts to achieve universal coverage with diagnostic testing and antimalarial treatment, as well as in strengthening their malaria surveillance systems.

The initiative seeks to focus the attention of policy-makers and donors on the importance of adopting WHO’s latest evidence-based recommendations on diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance, and on updating existing malaria control and elimination strategies, as well as country-specific operational plans. Malaria-endemic countries should ensure that every suspected malaria case is tested, that every confirmed case is treated with a quality-assured antimalarial medicine, and that the disease is tracked through timely and accurate surveillance systems to guide policy and operational decisions.

 

By strengthening diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance through the T3 Initiative, affected countries will substantially improve child and maternal health; provide the much-needed bridge between efforts to achieve universal coverage with prevention tools and the goal of eliminating malaria deaths, and eventually eradicating the disease. It will also lead to a better overall understanding of the disease burden and enable national malaria control programmes to better direct available resources to where they are most needed.


Read more “EVERY FEVER IS NOT MALARIA, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE.”

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LOWER STRESS LOWER RISK OF DIABETES

New research provides yet another reason to include fruits and vegetables in the diet, after finding that eating up to seven servings per day can lower the risk of psychological stress for middle-aged women.

According to the American Psychological Association, around three quarters of adults in the United States report experiencing at least one symptom of stress over the past month, including irritability, anger, nervousness, anxiety, and depression.

Not only can stress take its toll on mental health, it can also have negative implications for physical health. A recent study reported by Medical News Today, for example, revealed how chronic stress can increase the risk of obesity, while other studies have linked stress to high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Of course, it is not always possible to escape stress; whether it is down to money worries, work demands, or family problems, all of us experience stress at some point in our lives.

The new study, however, suggests that simply including more fruits and vegetables in the diet may help to lower the risk of stress, particularly for women.

First study author Binh Nguyen, a Ph.D. student at the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues recently reported their findings in BMJ Open.

The researchers came to their conclusion after conducting an analysis of 60,404 men and women aged 45 and older, all of whom were a part of the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study – a large-scale study of more than 267,000 adults from Australia.

The fruit and vegetable intake of each adult was assessed between 2006 and 2008 and again in 2010. At both time points, the psychological distress of participants was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale – a 10-item questionnaire that assesses symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Moderate fruit and veg intake reduced women’s stress risk by 23 percent

Overall, the researchers found that adults who consumed three to four servings of fruits and vegetables daily were 12 percent less likely to experience stress than those who consumed zero to one serving daily.

Eating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day was associated with a 14 percent lower risk of stress, compared with adults who consumed zero to four servings a day.

However, when looking at the results by sex, the researchers found that the link between fruit and vegetable intake and reduced stress was much stronger for women.

Women who ate five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day had a 23 percent lower risk of stress, compared with women who consumed zero to one serving per day.

Women who consumed two servings of fruits daily had a 16 percent lower risk of stress than women who consumed zero to one serving, while eating three to four servings of vegetables daily was linked to an 18 percent lower stress risk.

Eating more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day was not associated with lower stress risk, the team reports.

The researchers say that while their findings support current guidelines that recommend fruit and vegetable consumption as part of a healthful diet, further research is needed to better determine how these foods might impact stress.

The authors write: “Fruit and vegetable consumption may help reduce the prevalence of psychological distress among middle-aged and older adults. However, the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the incidence of psychological distress requires further investigation and possibly, a longer follow-up time.”

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WORLD DIABETES DAY

Today is World Diabetes Day. It is led by the International Diabetes Federation that promotes diabetes awareness and advocacy. Diabetes is a disease that results in higher-than-healthy sugar levels in the blood and can lead to some disastrous outcomes-including blindness, kidney disease, and heart disease. So, we have carefully selected some important facts that we think you need to know about diabetes.
Read more “WORLD DIABETES DAY”

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Zero Malaria – “Draw the Line Against Malaria”.

Key Facts About Malaria.

  • Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
  • In 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria worldwide.
  • The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 409 000 in 2019.
  • The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2019, the region was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths.
  • According to the 2019 World Malaria Report, Nigeria had the highest number of global malaria cases (57,250,000 malaria cases) in 2018 and accounted for the highest number of deaths (98,160 malaria deaths).  
  • Children aged under 5 years are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria; in 2019, they accounted for 67% (274 000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.
  • Malaria is caused by Plasmodium The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anophelesmosquitoes, called “malaria vectors.” There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
  • In 2018,  falciparumaccounted for 99.7% of estimated malaria cases in the WHO African Region, 50% of cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region, 71% of cases in the Eastern Mediterranean and 65% in the Western Pacific.
  • vivaxis the predominant parasite in the WHO Region of the Americas, representing 75% of malaria cases.


Read more “Zero Malaria – “Draw the Line Against Malaria”.”

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