Health Essentials
Water is unforgiving when out of control!#
Some damaged structures caused by the Akosombo dam spillage
“WATER is extremely useful but if it is not tamed it can cause extreme destruction and hardship” and we are currently battling with such a scenario as the spillage from the Akosombo Dam wreaks havoc that will take years or even decades to come to terms with the long-term effects.
If you live in Accra, which is the capital of inflation and enjoyment (all rolled into one) then you are conversant with the annual ritual of flooding and media reportage of “once again torrential rains have hit the Accra Metropolis…………….a team of ministers, NADMO officials have visited the site to ascertain the impact on….”-GNA. Unfortunately history repeats itself.
What is happening in areas affected by the spillage is unthinkable and devastating. Have we learnt any lessons and are we planning ways of doing this better should the need arise? ‘
Could we have set up equipped camps before asking people to relocate?
What is the impact especially on children who have to leave their home under such circumstances? There are more questions than answers but as always the Ghanaian in us has risen up to the challenge.
What are some of the immediate challenges as we clean up?
1. Electrocution – put off power sources. Leave it to professionals to determine when it is safe to switch power on
2. Look out for broken bottles, nails, metals and other sharp objects that may injure you. Wear appropriate safety boots etc. or leave it to those who are trained.
3. Avoid contact with insects and animals. There may be many stray animals with diseases such as rabies
4. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as often as needed and wear protective gloves and other clothing if possible
5. If you are unsure of an area avoid it until professional help is available
The Painful Reality of Flooding
1. Economic Loss
a. Destruction of property in this case is extreme and it has brought economic activity to its knees. People are too busy surviving to think about business now.
2. Environmental Challenges
a. Damaged farmlands and fish farms will bring about economic hardships for farmers as stored food and farm products may be destroyed. These losses will eventually hit the pockets of even those who live several miles away.
3. Effect on humans
a. Fortunately for us no life lost has been linked directly to this flooding BUT what about days and months as the unfortunate drama unfolds?
4. Diseases
a. Floods will always leave a myriad of diseases in its trail, both immediate and long-term. Infectious diseases will have a field day and these include; common cold, food poisoning, cholera, typhoid and Hepatitis A. Then malaria will show its ugly head too.
b. The physical and mental impact on our health is often ignored but anyone who has been a victim of the effects of a flood will tell you that they experience shock, anxiety, fear, sadness, anger and physical symptoms such as headaches and general body pains. It sounds to me as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Your guess is as good as mine, the effects are most devastating in children. Fortunately there are plans to engage psychologists, counsellors and other professionals to assist.
We all know by now how unforgiving water is when not managed appropriately. Many individuals and businesses are supporting the move to bring some sanity to those affected. What can we do as well?
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “If it takes you 10 minutes to take a bath, about 3 women in the world would have been diagnosed with breast cancer by the time you are done; think about that. Remember that though rare, men too may get breast cancer.”
I look forward to interacting with you at The La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Corporate Healthy Lifestyle Programme on Saturday 28th October 2023 at 6am.
Let’s walk, exercise, network and share ideas that will keep us healthy.
REFERENCES
1. Impact of floods in Ghana and the way out – bentil Asafo-Duho
2. WHO – flooding and communicable diseases
3. Journal of water and health – 2009
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials
Christmas wields the power to make you healthier
There is something magical about Christmas and I still feel the same about this amazing time of the year after living in excess of half a century on Mother Earth.
Like most of you, my needs, wants and “to do list” at Christmas has gone through several changes but I still get excited about the season.
The Christmas carols may play a role but certainly they are not the ultimate since our airwaves seem to be suffering from a “constipation” of carols, yet the atmosphere reminds you that Christmas is only a few days away.
Ghana, the capital of Christmas and inflation has gone through many trying times, but we are still ready to welcome the world and make everyone merry.
Has it ever occurred to you that Christmas can make you healthier if you live in the moment and refuse to be frightened by what January may offer?
I am not by any means suggesting that you empty your coffers for the sake of Christmas.
Let us take a look at the health wonders that Christmas may bestow on us:
1. Happiness and laughter
a. Surrounding ourselves with people we love and those who make us happy and fill our mouths with laughter is not only good for the heart, but the feel-good hormones find their way to every part of the body.
2. A time to socialize
a. The hugs and time with family and friends has an amazing effect on our wellness. Imagine if we could do this more often.
b. Even the phone calls to wish people well goes a long way to make our health holistic
3. Dancing aka physical activity
a. The party crowd and the church crew who make sure they break into sweat as music flows will be doing themselves a great favour. The longer you stay on the dance floor the less likely you are to be found trying every conceivable item on the menu.
4. Tapping into spiritual wellness
a. You can’t go wrong when you spend time to read or listen to His Word, pray, give thanks, praise and worship. You just satisfied the spiritual wellness pillar
5. Periods to unplug?
a. The more you socialize, hug, talk to people and even dance, the less likely you are to be hooked to your electronic devices. What a welcome break for your tired eyes, brain and neck. Its all about Digital Wellness.
6. Balm for mental wellness
a. When you spend time visiting people or places, talking to people, laughing, hugging, spending time away from electronic devices then you feel good, and your behaviour is more positive and you tend to think clearly.
7. Giving is at the centre of it all
a. Giving is at the centre of Christmas. God gave us His only son as a show of love. This is a time to give your time, kindness, smile, love, gifts etc to as many people as you can but especially to those who may never be able to do same for you. This gesture is a powerful tool that brings you happiness beyond measure and it is difficult to describe the feeling and the benefits to your body.
We can do so much for our health and wellness during this magical time of the year. We do not have to just stuff our mouths with food and drinks packed with sugar or sign a pact with alcohol such that we can hardly walk unaided.
With your renewed energy made at Christmas we can face the New Year knowing very well that our health is our responsibility.
We need to maintain our new found energy and momentum!!
What should we avoid so that we will not drain our energy?
1. Focusing on the past
2. Not getting adequate sleep
3. Not drinking enough water but loading yourself with alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks
4. Spending all your time working and leaving no time to rest and socialize
5. Not being physically active
6. Spending all your time behind screens, TV, phone, computer. Making social media king
7. Eating junk food most of the time
8. Being resentful, negative or surrounding yourself with people who see no good in anything
9. Creating clutter and a mess wherever you are
10. Trying hard to impress others
I hope these tips will help you stay in the best state of your life and remember to continue doing these for the rest of your life. Does that sound too difficult?
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)
(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “WHERE YOU LIVE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE IF YOU LIVE.”- WHO
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials
Getting in shape for Christmas
Christmas decorations are already out and had it not been for the “thrill” of an upcoming election, Christmas carols would have taken over our airwaves. Very soon even the die-hard exercise fanatics will be so busy doing NOTHING that time to exercise or stay fit is as close to zero as practically possible. This zero is a figure that the Ghana AIDS Commission would certainly be envious of but we continue to make strides there as well and hopefully in the not too distant future we will achieve that.
We all wish our favourite exercises will give us the same benefits as all other exercises but the truth is that some exercises are “more equal than others” just as happens in every aspect of life.
This does not mean if you are unable to perform the most effective exercises, you should exert yourself and cause injury to your body. Remember, Cobba’s First Law of Exercising is “DO NO HARM”.
These exercises may just help you stay afloat this Christmas:
• Squats
• Plank
• Push-Ups
• Walking & Dancing
Don’t short-change yourself on these MUST DOs:
• Smiling; it costs nothing but gives you the world
• Sleep; can’t overemphasize this
• Give your neck a break and stretch it gently everyday
• Breathe; deep belly breathing is always a blast
Squats
Every single rep (repetition) in this exercise is worth the effort.
Squats target the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals, which in simple language refers to the thigh muscles and buttocks.
It is important to learn the right technique and since it exercises large muscle groups, you are able to burn a lot of calories with squats.
In every exercise session, it is important to work large muscles before the smaller ones.
Steps
1. Keep feet, shoulder width apart
2. Back should be straight (standing posture)
3. Bend knees and lower your rear till your thighs are horizontal.
4. Return to the standing position
5. Repeat steps 1-4
6. Remember to stretch the muscles used after the exercise.
If you have difficulty following the steps above, place a chair behind you and with your back straight try to sit on it. Do not let your buttocks touch the seat, then return to the standing position and repeat. As your technique improves, you may remove the chair.
As one gets stronger you may even carry some weights while doing squats but as always start with caution. You may do only 3 reps at a time (properly). Gradually add some more. You can modify the effects of squats by widening the space between your feet or even having your heels on a slightly elevated surface.
When to avoid squats
• Severe knee pain irrespective of cause
• Knee injury even if no longer painful (you will need professional supervision)
• Acute back pain (you will later do back slides which is similar to squats and helps strengthen back muscles)
This exercise benefits almost everyone with a lifestyle disease. Hypertensives (those with high blood pressure) even get a bonus since it causes peripheral pooling of blood and helps to lower the blood pressure over time.
Plank
Arguably the safest exercise for strengthening abdominal muscles and also has the added benefit of strengthening lower back muscles. Especially for people who sit for long hours (you shouldn’t anyway) this is great news for helping your back.
1. Start by getting into a push-up position
2. Bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms and not on your hands
3. Support your lower body on your toes
4. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles just like a plank of wood
5. Engage your core (midsection) by sucking your belly button into your spine
6. Hold this position for the prescribed time. This may vary from 5 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat.
Push-ups (press-ups)
This is probably the first exercise most people try out; well apart from laughter and walking I presume and everyone is familiar with it.
Go ahead and squeeze a minute a day in there.
Walking & dancing
Before you set out to exercise your muscles remember to walk at least a minute before you start and a minute after you are done.
You may even walk while in one place, what matters is moving your legs and arms and getting your heart to pump.
Use every opportunity during the day to:
• use the stairs instead of the elevator
• walk while you talk on your cell phone
• Walk to a colleague’s desk at the office instead of using the phone or sending someone else.
• Pick your own stuff for cooking instead of sitting and getting people to assist with even the trivial errands
• Dance with your heart whenever you have a chance; during your Christmas programmes, while watching TV and even while you take a shower.
A minute each for Squats, Planks and Push-ups and two minutes of walking, then repeat the whole process (circuit training) two more times with no rest periods or 30 second rest periods depending on your level of fitness. Start now and make this your routine morning, afternoon or evening and it may just be enough to help you sail through the holiday season and start the New Year in your best shape ever.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)
(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “For heart health you need to relax and have fun as well; schedule time for leisure, laugh often, learn to breathe deeply and maybe get a pet.”
References:
• The Gym Bible
• www.webmd.com
• 30dayfitnesschallenges.com
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
