Health Essentials

A NATION MOURNS WHILE BATTLING A PANDEMIC

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, November 12, 2020 started beautifully just as most days do then by mid-morning the skies became cloudy and soon after news started trickling in that our former president, Jerry John Rawlings has taken an unexpected trip to his maker. The mood in the country mirrored that of Tuesday, July 24, 2012 when we lost our sitting president Professor J.E.A Mills. This comes at a time when the pandemic is already causing enormous mental health challenges and we need to marshal all the resources available.

Sometimes we are preoccupied with many unnecessary things and never pause to appreciate a person until it is too late. Some people may even be angry because they think things should have followed a different path. That is not ours to determine; it is the sole right of the bearded one above. Whichever group you may belong to, it is your right to express yourself. We all grieve differently and I can assure you there is no right or wrong way to grieve, neither is there a specific grief path that we all need to follow but one thing remains possible, there are healthy ways to cope with pain that in time can renew you and permit you to move on. Time definitely heals many wounds.

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering that one experiences when someone you love is taken away by death for instance.

Remember these as you grief

Ignoring your pain will not make it go away faster. It will rather make it worse in the long run. Express your emotions even if it means you have to do it in “private”
There is no need to be “strong” in the face of loss; crying does not make you a weak person. Feeling sad, frightened or lonely is normal at such a time.
There is no appropriate period to grieve: for some it may last only a few days while for others it may take over a year. It varies from one individual to another.
The fact that you are not shedding tears does not mean you are not deeply hurt. You may be equally or even much more affected than someone who is raining tears.

Over 40 years ago, a psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described 5-stages of grief. Definitely many of us were in DENIAL on the morning of Thursday, November 12. Remember we all grieve differently and we may not go through all the stages. Some of us will also not go through grief in the order listed by Kubler-Ross, a fact that she pointed out herself.

Denial – “this can’t be happening to me”
Anger – “who is to blame”
Bargaining – “make this not happen and in return I will…”
Depression – “I am too sad to do anything”
Acceptance – “I am at peace with what happened”

Common Symptoms of Grief

Shock and disbelief
Sadness – this is probably the most universal symptom
Guilt – you may regret or feel guilty about what you said or did not say or do
Anger – even if the loss was nobody’s fault you may experience anger and resent
Fear – a significant loss may trigger a host of worries and fears. One may feel anxious and even insecure.
Physical symptoms – grief may go beyond emotions and we may experience inability to sleep, body pains, fatigue and even nausea.

Together we can cope in a healthy way

Get support
1. Seek comfort in people who care about you. Fortunately in our current situation, we have millions of people to share our thoughts, feelings and fears with. This can ease the pain. The media houses are doing a fairly good job at that.
1. Draw comfort from your faith – this is a great time to pray, meditate, read words of inspiration from the Bible, Quran etc. it helps to know that there is a superior God whom we can cast our burdens on. Those who do not have a religious leaning may have some challenges in this area.
Take care of yourself
1. Face your feelings instead of avoiding or suppressing them all the time
1. Express your feelings in a tangible way – it is refreshing to read or listen to people share their thoughts on radio, television, in newspapers, on facebook, twitter and a host of other avenues. If you do not have access to any of these or it may be inappropriate for you at this time, you may write your feelings down on paper
1. Physical health is important – when you feel good physically, you will also feel better emotionally. Combat the sadness and fatigue by eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep. Do not use alcohol or drugs to numb your feelings; you may be asking for trouble.
1. Do not dictate how others should feel and neither should they determine what you feel. We all grieve differently.
1. Plan ahead for grief “triggers”. It is important to know that we will occasionally find ourselves in the woods even after it appears we have overcome our pain. You may need to be well psyched in certain situations; in our case when the National Anthem is played or sang, when speeches by our departed president are replayed or as factors leading to his demise are “interrogated”
1. Remember that all humans grieve and you have done nothing wrong by grieving

When to seek professional help

Time is a great healer of many things including pain. After a while we expect that the intensity of our pain etc should wane. If it does not and we have any of the feelings below then we need to seek urgent professional help.

Feel like life is not worth living
Wish you had died with your loved one
Blame yourself for the loss or failing to prevent it
Feel numb and disconnected from others for more than a few weeks
Having difficulty trusting others since your loss
Are unable to perform your normal daily activities.

Nana Konadu and children, Ghanaians share in your pain and we will continue to pray with you. It is our prayer that God keeps JJ in His bosom. May God bless Ghana.

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/St. Andrews Clinic

(www.healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.

Thought for the week –“Every individual in this universe experiences grief at one stage or the other. Death is the universal truth and no one can avoid it.”

Reference:

Helpguide.org – “coping with grief and loss – understanding the grieving process”
www.people-health.com

Health Essentials

At Easter should Spiritual Wellness be the only form of Wellness?

Every single repetitionof squat is worth the effort

Many of us have already packed our Easter 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 for this season and beyond we may be able to spend five minutes even on extremely busy days to make a difference in our lives so that we can have time to sing, dance and worship God as we remember his unparalleled sacrifice to us.

My-in-laws who reside on the mountain are busy trekking up and dragging their friends and colleagues with them. Any idea why the Kwahus revel in Easter? Has it always been that way or is it a conscious effort to show Ghana and the world what they have?

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 Easter:

• Squats

• Plank

• Push-Ups

• Walking & Dancing

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.

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 every morning, afternoon or evening may just be enough to get you through the season and certainly it will not tamper much with your tight holiday schedule. Do not forget to smile often, breathe deeply to relax, enjoy some sunshine, pray, praise and worship God and you will be on the right path especially if you keep an eye on your finances and learn to unplug several hours each day.

In my opinion, every aspect of Wellness is important at all times and we should try to keep a balance. Neglecting all other aspects (Physical, Social, Mental, Digital, Financial & Spiritual) and focusing only on Spiritual Wellness will mean we will not be able to perform at our very best and certainly our Maker needs the best version of us.

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/ Medics Clinic

(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, sing praises to God, 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

Health Essentials

Hijab (Islamic Veil) as an Act of Worship

Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah), the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who guides us to the straight path.

We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, and we testify that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger.

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and all who follow him in righteousness until the Last Day.

Introduction

Dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, today’s khutbah addresses an essential act of worship that embodies submission, modesty, and obedience to Allah: the “Hijab”.

While the Hijab is an explicit command from Allah, it is also a human right protected under local and international laws.

It is imperative that Muslim women are allowed to observe Hijab freely, especially in public institutions such as universities, banks, ministries, public health institutions, and government agencies.

Definition and Meaning of Hijab

In Islam, Hijab refers to modesty in appearance and behaviour. For women, this includes covering the body, except for the face and hands, in non-revealing clothing (not skin-tight), while for men, it includes covering from the navel to the knees and dressing modestly.

The Hijab extends to lowering the gaze, avoiding indecent speech, and conducting oneself with dignity.

Allah commands:

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not to display their adornment except that which [ordinarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests.”

(Quran 24:31).

Essence of Hijab as an Act of Worship and Modesty

The Hijab is an act of worship rooted in obedience to Allah. It is not a cultural practice but a divine command. Allah says:

“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.”

(Quran 33:59).

The Hijab is a reflection of one’s faith, modesty, and inner character. It shields the individual from immorality and contributes to the moral fabric of society.

Lowering the Garments and the Gaze

The Hijab also encompasses lowering the gaze and maintaining purity in interactions between genders. Allah says:

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do.” (Quran 24:30).

By lowering the gaze, both men and women protect themselves from sin and maintain mutual respect.

Social Menace and Immoralities Due to Lack of Hijab

The absence of Hijab in society has led to numerous social issues, including:

Zina (Adultery and Fornication): Unrestricted interactions and immodesty increase the likelihood of adultery and fornication, which Allah explicitly prohibits:

“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.”

(Quran 17:32).

Exploitation and Objectification:

When modesty is neglected, individuals, especially women, are objectified and exploited, resulting in an increase in harassment and sexual abuse, a phenomenon that has plagued many organissations such as Universities, Banks and other public institutions. The introduction of Sexual Harassment Policies with its attendant harsh punishments has done very little in resolving this menace.

By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai