Chioma Umeha

Continued from last week... Low blood pressure can be a bit trickier, especially in older patients and those with heart diseases. If you are in danger from low blood pressure, your body will tell you. It is really about how you feel. Are you dragging and feeling weak? The numbers on their own don’t tell the story; it is the numbers paired with how you are feeling and what symptoms you have. High blood pressure or heart rate is more likely to be dangerous True: Again, ‘normal’ varies. But, experts have enough clinical evidence to suggest that when blood pressure is even a little over your typical average over time, the risk of heart disease and stroke is high. The physical effects of high blood pressure take their toll on your blood vessels. Elevated heart rate can be a sign of danger, too, but the cause-effect relationship is not so clear. Studies show that people who run faster heart rate are more likely to have cardiac problems and premature cardiac death. But,

Blood pressure and heart rate go hand in hand (or arm in cuff) in most people’s minds. After all, these two vital signs are measured together at the doctor’s office. But the two measure distinct factors related to your heart health. Blood pressure is the force of blood flowing against the walls of your arteries, while heart rate (or pulse) is the number of times your heart beats every minute. However, experts have explained some key differences and refuted some common myths about the condition. Blood pressure and heart rate are always linked False: It is true that blood pressure and heart rate often rise and fall together. When you face danger, for example, your blood pressure and pulse may both jump upward at the same time. However, if your heart rate rises, that doesn’t automatically mean your blood pressure will rise or vice versa. When the two are disconnected, you may be looking at a specific problem. For example, if your blood pressure is consistently high,

...Calls for welfare package to curtail recurrent sector strikes As Nigerians, groups, different public and private sectors felicitate and roll out their expectations for the in-coming administration led by General Mohammed Buhari (rtd), the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called for a new agenda to improve healthcare in the country. Pharmacists under the umbrella of PSN, while urging the incoming the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to come up with specific action plans has also recommended that attention should be shown in the reflected areas including, the Universal Health Coverage which it said should fully incorporate Community Based Social Health Insurance Programme (CBSHIP). In a letter to General Buhari on Wednesday, signed by the PSN president, Olumide Akintayo, on behalf of the PSN’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the association said there is need for universal coverage, but insisted that this must harness and consolidate the philosoph

By: Chioma Umeha New studies have confirmed that eating food before bedtime can be dangerous to health. They have also offered tips to ensure that diets do not lead to sleepless nights. Spicy food Think twice before having chicken pepper soup for dinner. Eating a big, highly seasoned meal close to bedtime can interfere with your shut-eye. “It’s not that the spice interrupts your sleep,” said an expert, Mark Mahowald, a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. The spice causes heartburn, and that interrupts your sleep, according to studies. Fiery foods can lead to indigestion and reflux, and, as a result, to ‘sleep fragmentation,’ said Lisa Medalie, a behavioural sleep medicine specialist at the University of Chicago. She recommends eating heavy or spicy foods at least three hours before bedtime. Chocolate or other caffeine-filled food Your body can take up to five hours to get caffeine out of your system. And if you are susceptible to

By: Chioma Umeha The move towards arresting the increasing cases of cancer all over the world has been a focus of some selected institutions among which Apollo Hospital, under its special cancer care unit, Apollo Cancer Institute, is taking a bold and giant step in seeking solution. The spate of cancer ailment has become quite worrisome to medical professionals and other stakeholders across the world. It is estimated that over 15 million cases of cancer are diagnosed out of which eight million deaths are recorded on annual basis. It is against this background that Apollo Hospital, a leading global healthcare delivery firm based in India, organized a three-day conference in Hyderabad, India. The high point of the conference was a special round-table session termed “Cancer Menace: Global Perspective” which had 25 delegates and dignitaries from 18 countries from different regions of the world.  Participants in the conference agreed that there is an urgent need to galvanize massiv

By: Chioma Umeha Being angry could be dangerous to your heart. A new study in Australia found people’s risk of heart attack increases by 8.5 times two hours following an incident of extreme anger.  The researchers also found that high levels of anxiety can increase your risk even more – by up to 9.5 times. The findings were published in European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care, an agency report said on Monday. Researchers at the University of Sydney found there is a two hour window following a burst of anger when the chance of having a heart attack spikes significantly. Some of the signs that anger has reached a dangerous level include a tensed-up body, clenched fists or teeth and ‘object throwing’, they said. Authors of the research also indicated that blood pressure reducing medication, like aspirin or beta-blockers prove beneficial. “Our findings confirm what has been suggested in prior studies and anecdotal evidence, even in films – that episodes of intense anger

By: Chioma Umeha Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because there is not enough of the hormone insulin. Lifestyle disease, as diabetes is called, refers to disorders resulting from the way people live, eat and interact with their environment. Diabetes is one of the various lifestyle disorders which have gripped many today.  Statistics  Although Nigeria lacks an aggregate data; physicians state that no fewer than six million Nigerians are living with diabetes mellitus. In India alone there are around 77 million people with pre-diabetes and 64 million people with diabetes which makes India the diabetes capital of the world next to China. This is expected to go up to a whopping 87 million – 8.4 per cent of the country’s adult population – by 2030. Yet, the common beliefs on this exude a sense of unfamiliarity with the disease that is killer in nature.  Discard diabetes from your home, kitchen  Not easily de