Salt is useful when taken in moderation

IS SALT ENEMY NUMERO UNO?

I do not have a precise answer to this question but salt is definitely revered in the company of killers.

When heart and blood vessel diseases claim about 18 million lives each year worldwide and hyperten­sion is one of the leading modifiable risk factors (the other factors are uncontrolled diabetes, high cholester­ol, obesity, lack of adequate physical activity and cigarette smoking) for heart and blood vessel disease then I leave you to work the math since added salt is very often associated with hypertension.

Not everyone reacts to salt in the same way but for the majority of us anything more than half a teaspoon of salt a day (includes what we cook with, those in our snacks and pro­cessed food).

No one is born with a craving for salt, we learn this as we grow and keep eating more salt by the day. Many of us eat much more salt than we need and we are “rewarded” with high blood pressure, heart failure and other inconveniences related to fluid retention.

Do you add extra salt to cooked food? Do meals prepared at home come out of a box or can? Do you eat out of home often? A yes answer to any of the questions could mean you may be having too much salt.

Is it not time to shake off this salt habit? You are probably counting your calories to lose weight and exercising as well so why not watch your salt intake? It could be the cause of your difficulty to control blood pressure.

Salt like many other things is only useful when taken in moderation; we cannot live without it but too much brings a host of troubles. Salt may be obvious as in what we cook with but often times it is hidden. Who would have thought that many processed foods including canned foods such as corned beef, ketchup and some salad dressings contain loads of salt?

Two elements; Sodium and Chlo­rine make up salt and the sodium is often the centre of controversy. Ex­cess sodium stays in body tissues and holds extra water causing swelling and raising blood pressure.

The elevated blood pressure then puts a strain on the heart. You may be aware that increased blood pressure affects almost all organs and this includes: the eyes, the brain, the kidneys and even the blood vessels.

Invariably people who eat a lot of salt have a high probability of devel­oping hypertension and that may also be another reason for having high blood pressure running through some families.

The answer may be quite simple; most family members have similar eating patterns or tastes so everyone may be prone to an increased-salt diet leading to elevated blood pres­sure over time.

Many artificial flavours that we use in cooking also contain sodium, so imagine the harm you do when you add some of these flavours to food that you have already added your usual amount of “salt”.

The salt story does not end here. Excess salt intake has been linked with os­teoporosis, dementia/forgetfulness and even Alzheimer’s.

It is interesting to watch people eat in restaurants and at home; some people will actually sprinkle salt over their food after almost every bite. People eating in restaurants will use the salt on the table aggres­sively probably making sure they are recouping every pesewa spent on the meal. Be careful you may be paying more on medication soon.

If your food tastes like there is a salt shortage, thank God and eat as-is. It is an outright CRIME to add salt to already cooked food no matter how bland it may taste. This last statement lays the fact bare; all restaurants that leave extra salt on a dining table are involved in crimes against humanity.

You are not a killer only when you draw a gun or knife to kill, you may use a “slow poison” such as a daily dose of extra salt. We will probably need some human rights activists to help us fight this war. I am really looking forward to the day that salt on restaurant tables will be banned.

No matter how particular you are about the salt content of the food you cook, if food manufacturers and restaurants are not regulated when it comes to the allowed salt content then the battle is only half won.

If we are able to reduce our salt intake to less than half a teaspoon a day (including all the hidden salt), it will be enough to significantly reduce the new cases of hypertension and by extension other heart diseases and complications of hypertension will also be reduced.

This simple act will save our coun­try millions if not billions of Ghana cedis each year.

Reducing Salt Consumption

• Never add salt to cooked food

• Read food labels and avoid those with salt or high salt content (watch sodium)

• Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables; they do not need added salt and they also contain potassium that lowers blood pressure.

• If you need snacks, choose unsalted ones.

• Flavour foods with garlic, onions, fresh herbs and lemon instead of salt

• If you have to add salt to food while cooking, add only sparingly.

Excess salt does not only cause diseases, it also drains our pockets as well as the national coffers as we try to control the damage it has caused. Winning the war against salt needs us to be more proactive; before you put anything in your mouth think about the salt (Sodium) content and make a smart decision.

You could be saving your life and that of others as well as creating wealth just by controlling salt intake.

Now I throw the question back to you; is salt ENEMY NUMERO UNO?

(*salt in this context refers to common salt / table salt etc. Other types of salts MAY have added bene­fits)

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

*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 – “The taste for salt is not inborn. Saltiness is something we’ve learned and eat­ing salty foods fuels the craving”.

Reference:

1. Health by Choice Not Chance – Aileen Ludington & Hans Diehl

2. Shaking the Salt Habit – Jen­nifer Nelson & Katherine Zeratsky

By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Backpain is undoubtedly one of the commonest complaint

• Backpain is undoubtedly one of the commonest complaint

Whenever I get to attend to clients, backpain is undoubt­edly one of the commonest complaints. Sometimes I wonder if it’s the norm or I simply attract peo­ple suffering from backpain.

Approximately 40 per cent of all people will complain of significant back pain some time in their life. About 95 per cent of these cases re­solve spontaneously within six weeks. Most cases of back pain go away on their own after a few days but if yours lasts more than a week, see a doctor. Usually the pain will be due to muscle strain or ligamentous sprain which heals with time with or without treatment.

A small proportion of acute back pain may have significant, serious pathology as its underlying cause. Examples include fracture, neoplasm, infection or other conditions that adversely affect a nerve (e.g. a disc between vertebrae bulge or burst open and presses on a nerve such as the sciatic nerve).

Risk factors for back pain

• Obesity

• Occupation – sedentary work­ers and those who need to lift things or bend for hours

• Poor Posture- this includes how we sit at work and the awkward postures some of us adopt.

• Being out of shape – pot belly etc

• Smoking

• Genetics – vulnerable to scoli­osis, spondylolisthesis etc

• Age – young athletes are prone to tiny fractures in the spine (spondylolysis). The aged are likely to have arthritis

• Psychosocial Issues – Depres­sion, Anxiety, Stress

Diagnosing back pain

Some people complain of back pain after lifting heavy objects using an abnormal posture or sitting for long periods but several others may not remember any triggers.

Often the patient’s complaints and the doctor’s findings will clinch the diagnosis but your guess is as good as mine; the management/ treatment is usually the same.

Laboratory tests are often not helpful except for the few cases where infection or neoplasm is a concern.

X-rays are not indicated in most cases of back pain, especially within the first six (6) weeks. It may only become necessary when pain per­sists, or there is concern for fracture, neoplasm, infection or other serious condition. Other studies that may be helpful are, Bone Scan, CT Scan or MRI.

Managing back pain

The mainstay of management is:

• Bed rest for a short period of time usually not exceeding three days.

• Early mobilisation ensures quick recovery. Get moving, do not stay in bed indefinitely

• Lying on a firm surface is rec­ommended but super hard mattresses may sometimes cause back pain

• Analgesics such as Brufen, Naproxen etc are useful but avoid if you have peptic ulcer or have bron­chial asthma.

Other options for management include:

• Psychotherapy – many cases of back pain have been found to be linked to anxiety and depression

• Physiotherapy/Physical Thera­py also has an important place

• Massage, Osteopathy and Chi­ropractic all play a role in relieving back pain

• Surgery may also be needed. Certain cases of back pain are surgi­cal emergencies but for the majority, surgery may be a last resort. Though surgery may make the patient feel better quickly, the same can be achieved with physical therapy in the long term (Study in Journal of the American Medical Association) in most instances.

Need to see the doctor now – warning signs you can’t ignore

In general one may not need to see a doctor immediately with most brief episodes of back pain but if the fol­lowing are associated with your pain then get to the hospital NOW!!!

• Extreme leg weakness

• Loss of bladder and/or bowel control

• Numbness or altered sensa­tion in groin or rectal area

• Fever or sign of infection

• History of cancer

Living without back pain

• Stay fit – Exercise on most days of the week (www. healthclubsgh.com)

• Eat a balanced meal at the right times

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Cut out tobacco

• Take time off to relax

• Attitude – take charge of how you feel. Do not be too hard on your­self.

• Make sure you sit appropri­ately and take brief breaks after at most an hour and half of sitting.

Some exercises that may help to heal back pain

• Planks: Daily planks or at least doing this thrice a week may help protect your back. In the acute phase of backpain however most peo­ple are unable to do this.

• Wall slide: Slide up then down till your thighs form an angle of 90 degrees with the vertical wall. Repeat

• Pelvic tilt: Lie on your back with knees bent. Exhale and pull abdominal muscles in and up towards the ribs. You may also lift your but­tocks of the surface and squeeze for a count of five and repeat.

• Bird Dog: Bend over on all fours, then raise opposite arm and leg parallel to the floor hold for a count of eight or ten then repeat. Change to the other arm and leg and repeat.

• Walking: This low cost exer­cise is a miracle worker. Lace your good boots and get walking.

Back pain is a major public health issue since it results in a substantial decrease in productivity and days lost from work.

Use the appropriate furniture at work and take occasional one-minute breaks to stand.

If you need to lift and bend, often make sure you learn the proper pos­ture.

Do not wait for back pain to strike, start a healthy life style today!!!! Everyone has one back and one back ONLY. We need to take very good care of it. Simply pamper your back.

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 – 1. “The most efficient way to reach your re­alistic health goals, is to make small healthy choices daily.”

References:

1. WebMD

2. Mosby’s Ace the Boards

3. The Merck Manual

4. www.healthclubsgh.com