Sixty-four years of life in a human is quite an achievement especially when you find yourself in a part of the world where you are LUCKY to be born in a hospital, electricity and water are available during your birth and you have a pliable…
There are many things that require a second opinion in health and wellness but one of the few that do not and I can confidently share my opinion on is SUGAR. Sugar is DEFINITELY not a treat BUT a threat to our very lives.
It does not ma…
We continue to struggle to get to grips with COVID-19. The virus at the heart of this disease seems to be saying to us “catch me if you can.” When a country does so well at controlling a pandemic and then suddenly we take our foot off the …
Your hairline begins to recede, you can no longer keep count of the gray hair, your skin begins to sag, you can no longer fit into your clothes but you can swear that you weigh the same on the scale. Things may sometimes get worse; you jus…
Dear Health Essentials Family,
I trust we are all keeping safe. As the PANDEMIC continues to cause many challenges and people are critically ill and lives being lost it is important that we take all appropriate measures to reduce our ri…
Many of us have already packed our holiday season with so much work and back-to-back programmes we hardly have time to breathe. The little time we can squeeze out is used to stuff ourselves with food and drinks, but just for this season we…
Congratulations to Ghana for scoring high marks in Election 2020. Of course there is a lot of work to be done and corrections to be made but let us pat ourselves on the shoulder and get to work; we have so much to do.
I happen to be rea…
The dust has almost settled in the USA after their historic election that scored many firsts. I choose to say no more lest I am misquoted again so let me dwell on where my vote counts. Now, the eyes of the whole world is focused on a much …
It is amazing how time flies especially when you are engrossed in something you love doing. This November is exactly ten years since the HEALTH ESSENTIALS column was birthed in the Weekly Spectator. This is a story of being present in the …
The year 2020 will always be remembered for the wrong reasons but even in the midst of the chaos there are great lessons that one can learn and many of us will find inner strength that we never knew existed deep within us.
Thursday 12th…
Very often we leave the doctor’s office only to remember that we left out a major complaint. Some patients immediately rush back to the consulting room totally oblivious of the privacy that that the next patient is entitled to. They expect…
Few diseases command the “respect” that diabetes does, even atheists break into uncontrollable “tongues” once you diagnose them with this disease or merely suggest that they may have the condition. Unfortunately many of us out of fear of t…
Millions of people around the world live with diabetes; many are unaware, some are unable to afford proper management and family members suffer indirectly as the disease wipes away scare finances while eating away the fruitful years of the…
Though the month for Breast Cancer Awareness is drawing to a close, we should NEVER draw the curtains on regular self and professional examination to fight this killer. The power to make a difference is in our hands!! What have you done th…
Breasts come in all shapes and sizes and most women will admit that shopping for an ideal bra is probably one of the most frustrating experiences. These shapes and sizes are dictated to a large extent by the fatty tissue contained within. …
Breast cancer is on the rise in Ghana and the way to curb or cure this disease does not lie in a prayer camp or at the feet of a herbalist. Like charity screening begins at home and we all need to master the basics so that we can detect ch…
This year many of my friends hit that “magical age” and it’s extremely exciting. I have clients who have lived in excess of four scores and are still doing extremely well. We are all aware of the risks that many people also face as they ag…
Ghanaians have always been addicted to football and over the years the only thing that has changed about our passion for the game of football is our new found romance with football cooked in other countries. We would even go to bed on an e…
When I first wrote this article it was dedicated to the memory of Merari Alomele, a true legend. My first editor when I started this column almost a decade ago. There will never be another Alor – humour, wit, relevant information and many …
“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are only consequences.” – Robert B.Ingersoll.
Many of us know the right thing to do to improve our health but we would rather procrastinate. We have a thousand and one excuses bu…
It requires effort to be happy or content in life and sometimes we find it too tedious to invest in enjoying life. Living in misery is much easier to achieve and you can set off on this downhill ride by simply spending hours in a couch wat…
“This week, we are charting a path we have never been on BUT it is extremely important and guess who delivered this apt, informative and thought-provoking piece? The one and only Dr. Yaw Berko aka Yaw B who is my akonta, friend and colleag…
“The only thing we have learnt from experience is that we learn nothing from experience” – Chinua Achebe
The world has battled the Spanish Flu, SARS 1, MERS, Ebola, Lassa Fever and many more. For a number of these we…
I have on several occasions referred to laughter as the “best medicine” just as many others do but I knew little about the science behind laughter, but now I know.
I came across the quote “Laughter is the best medicine. Unless you’re la…
When the rains start we tend to panic; thoughts of floods, destroyed homes and yes the ever present fear of diseases that cause diarrhoea and vomiting. The kitchen is a major player in heart-health and also a potential accident…
William Shakespeare is one person in history that I would love to meet and Much Ado About Nothing is his first work that I really dug into probably because I was “forced” to and I bet you it was worth it. Shakespeare is a master wordsmith …
In my journey in life, I have come across people who make gargantuan claims, I have heard of and met some swindlers and I have also come in contact with people who are obviously deluded. In many parts of the world including our very own, p…
No matter how dark that tunnel may be, there is ALWAYS light at the end, unless there is a power outage and even then you will be out of a tunnel with all the restrictions.
I would have loved to discuss something very remote from the cu…
I do not think arguing over the need to have lifted or maintained the partial “lockdown” in Sikaman does us any good. There will be opponents to which ever view you hold. In a country with over 20 million COVID-19 experts you can imagine t…
As we continue in our march to defeat COVID-19, there are a few things that we need to do regularly to protect ourselves as we STAY AT HOME. The risk of sitting for long periods or just relaxing in bed all day is extremely high but we need…
Change is definitely the only constant in life. Being able to adapt to changing conditions is arguably the most useful skill one can develop because change will come one way or the other and in 2020 it’s come in a way no one ever took seri…
Our health is arguably our most essential asset. It determines our level of relationship with our creator; how much we enjoy life; what work we do, and how successful we become. Unfortunately, we take our health for granted and hardly inve…
For some of us being at home for now and even the need to practice Social Distancing may prevent us from exercising in a gym for several weeks or months. These are stressful times and exercising together with a FAMILY you can share ideas w…
Access to information 24/7, a new disease that seems to teach us something new every day, rants and shouts from millions or even billions of people who have turned experts overnight. Yes this can be frustrating. Then one has to also deal w…
Fear and panic certainly have a way of making us act inappropriately and eventually worsening our situation. We should all follow authentic guidelines to keep us safe.
No one knows enough about the novel coronavirus (SARS 2) that gives …
Time seems to be in sprint mode. A few decades ago when we used to indulge in gutter to gutter and trekked on foot several miles to take part in major counters-ball tournaments (you know if you know) it appeared the days and nights were ex…
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”- Thomas Edison
When Hippocrates said that “walking is a man’s best medic…
If you truly love yourself you had better read this piece while standing!
It is often common to hear a parent tell a child, “sit quietly and watch television and I will make a quick dash to town.” Well this harmless and well-meaning sta…
When visiting a dentist has not been part of your health & wellness routine then it becomes a chore incorporating it into your schedule BUT the benefits far outweigh the adjustments one needs to make. The impact that your teeth and other s…
This long Valentine weekend, many people will have stories to share; a pounding heart or chest pain from love or infatuation or even love gone bad. Many others may have similar experiences because of an empty wallet and for another group t…
In a country where access to cellular phones far exceeds that of flush toilets, it is surprising to know that alarm bells ring as soon as there is a hint that donors will not be doling out cash for programmes. I wonder the thoughts that go…
Background
Deadly Respiratory Virus
Coronavirus & Rhinoviruses are common causes of “common cold” but this strain of coronavirus has never been encountered.
Infects Humans
Develop respiratory illness that quickly progresses to
…
Almost everyone will agree with me that physical activity (which includes exercising) is beneficial to us. The downside of this ‘wonder pill’ is that many of us harm ourselves, either because we are overzealous, or because we get the wrong…
I can confidently suggest to you that many of us choose our food based on how quickly it can be made available, the taste and the cost. Some of us even add a fourth dimension; the quantity! Followers of this principle believe that “more i…
Escalating health care costs continue to remain an issue of major concern to all countries and Ghana is no exception. We try health insurance, gamble with corporate bodies bearing healthcare costs of employees or government subsidizing or …
“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness” – Edward Stanley, December 1873
In 2020 nothing new will happen in terms of New Year Resolutions. Not even the lure of an exciti…
“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness” – Edward Stanley, December 1873
I have already attended a couple of Christmas Concerts but I certainly can’t feel Christmas in t…
The year is fast coming to an end but there are many days left to still make 2019 the best year of our lives. Erase the mentality of just “hanging in” for 2019 to come to a close so that you can start 2020 with vim. That may not be the sma…
Prevention and managing most conditions does not depend solely on an individual; it is no “island” business. We should work together as families, communities, countries and the world at large for the best results. Our focus should be on pr…
Year in year out nature reminds us that we will be punished if we do not follow basic principles of hygiene. I trust we will follow these points at all times even after the current threat of “flu” is past.
Stay healthy at all times i…