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Longevity

By Joy Mbachi

Awka, Aug. 30,2022 (NAN) A retired Chief  Nursing Officer, Mrs Oge Agu, has advised Nigerians to take more of organic food because of  its high level of nutrients.

Agu, who retired in 2012 from the Medical Centre , College of Education, Nsugbe in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) on Tuesday in Akwa.

According to her, nutrients deposited in organic food contain more healthy benefits than what is obtainable in non organic food.

Agu said that it was very important that people should develop personal hygiene for long active life, and eating natural foods for longevity.

Agu quoted  an old adage that says you are what you eat to buttress her claims.

She added that this meant that most diseases  that affect man were due to either nutritional deficiency or excess of one type of nutrient or the other in the body.

The health official noted that good and balanced diet were usually derived from natural fruits. .

“Hippocrates , the father of modern medicine,  said may your food be your medicine and may your medicine be your food, which means that daily food intake of people contains curative properties.”

Agu added that scientific evidence had recently shown that some nutrients in our diets were agents that caused or cured certain diseases in the body.

“The Biblical statement that life comes from tree supports  the fact that humans should eat much fruits and vegetables for a healthy living.

“God said I give you every seed –bearing plant on the face of the  whole earth and every tree that has  fruits with seed in it, they will be yours for food. Genesis  1 verse 29” she said.

According to her, it has been  scientifically proven that human blood is structurally  the same as  plant blood called chlorophyll.

She said that was the reason people of old relied more on natural sources of food and lived healthier and longer life than people of new age despite  the availability of medical care.

Agu urged people to eat more of  fruits and vegetable despite the economic hardship that was making people to complain that fruits and vegetables are costly in the market

She said that it was a true statement but still advised the public to always eat fruits during the seasons that they are always available  and within their economic means.

“ We can cultivate more fruits and vegetables in gardens of our homes instead of planting  more flowers as they will add more life to our lives and eating these organic foods will help us,” saying, “prevention is better than cure,”

She noted that the incidence of sudden death in the society was on the rise, saying “most times  an individual  may stop in the middle of his daily activities  only to slump and die.

“ Most times, the causes of such deaths are due to excessive blood cholesterol with its numerous implications, wrong feeding pattern and general lack of exercise, which contribute to high level  of cholesterol  in the blood.

“ The modern era of Western lifestyle has contributed to this wide spread of  clinical conditions; unless the present trend in people’s life changes, there will be an alarming increase in cardiovascular diseases  in the next decade because of the growing cases of obesity among the  entire human population.

“Cholesterol is one of the major food nutrients that constitute the components of all body cells which is a major class of lipids which is manufactured by all animal cells as plant cells do not manufacture cholesterol,” she said .

Agu explained that “plants cells manufacture  phytosteriods which human bodies  need very much for a  healthy living.

“For disease prevention and treatment, we must develop useful habit of eating good  quantity of these plant products because  they are very important for a healthy living.”

She advised Nigerians to reduce their  intake of fried foods,industrial sugar, smoking, high alcohol consumption , high salt intake, drug abuse and misuse of drugs.

She said that they should indulge in regular exercise to stay healthy and alive. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

JOY/KOO/PAD

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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Peter Dada

Health

By Joy Mbachi

Awka, Aug. 30, 2022 (NAN) Mrs Charity Okoye, a Senior Nursing Officer  at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Awka, (COOUTH), Anambra, has advised residents of the  state experiencing unusual rashes on their body to urgently seek medical help.

Okoye, who works at the  pediatric  emergency ward of COOUTH, made the call during a presentation at the Rotary International District 9142 Club of Awka Smith Town fellowship .

The senior health officer, who entitled  her presentation “All  you need to Know about Monkey Pox,” urged parents to watch their children closely for any dark rashes on their bodies.

She defined Monkey pox as a viral disease caused by monkey pox virus transmitted to human from infected animals, most commonly rodents.

“ It is a disease that can causes flu-like symptoms  and rash, it is a viral zootomic disease, a virus transmitted to humans from animal with symptoms in human similar but less severe to those seen in the past in small pox patients ,”  she said.

According to her,  Anambra  is yet to receive any report of Monkey pox case and advised that high level  environmental and personal hygiene will keep off the possibility of the virus report in the state and country at large.

Okoye said that its name was given from the species that was initially isolated from and was first identified in  humans in 1970 in the democratic  of Republic of Congo in a nine-month old boy.

She explained that the disease was mostly found in West African countries, saying Nigeria recorded two human cases in 1971 and 1978.

Okoye  added that  the virus could also be transmitted from animal  to human, human-to human and  from contaminated  environment  to human.

“The virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory track  or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth,” she said.

According to her, the signs  and symptoms of the monkey pox begin to manifest within 5 to 21 days with infection usually mild to moderate in nature and can be divided into two periods.

Okoye described the two periods to be Invasion period (0-5 days ) with clinical manifestations of fever, intense headache, back pain, “asthenia that is lack of energy, and skin eruption period (1-3 days ) occurs.

She explained that people with monkey pox usually “get a rash that may be located on or near their genitals such as penis, testicles, labia, vagina and anus”.

She said that rashes could also be seen on other areas either like the hands, feet, chest, face or mouth which might look like pimples or blisters and might be painful or itchy.

“And it has respiratory symptoms like sore throat, nasal congestion.”

“Some people may experience only rash, others may experience flu like symptoms  before rash  and it starts within three weeks of exposure  to the virus,” she said.

Okoye said that the spread of the virus could be direct  contact with monkey pox rash, scabs, or body fluid, touching objects, fabrics and surfaces that had been used by some one with monkey pox.

She said also that contact could get in the form of hugging, massage, kissing, touching infected animal, contact with respiratory secretions , eating infected animal   and skin to skin contacts.

Okoye said  there was no cure for monkeypox, but some antiviral drugs might be effective in treating the disease.

“ Drugs like tecovirimat  may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill of the virus who have weakened immune system.

“ Most people recover finally within two weeks  to four weeks without the need for medical treatment because of high immunity level,” she said .

Okoye said that according to Centre for Disease Control, the virus can be prevented by getting vaccinated if exposed to monkey pox or at risk of being exposed to monkey pox .

She said that the CDC suggested people should avoid skin to skin contact with people who had a rash that looked like monkey pox, avoid kiss, hug, cuddle or sex, isolate infected  people, practice good hand wash hygiene .

“Also,  infected people should either discuss with their partner  if they have unexplained rash on either of their bodies, including mouths, genital, or talk to health personnel immediately.”

She advised people to learn to wear face mask if they had flu -like symptoms until monkey pox was ruled out and should continually use alcohol based hand sanitiser. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

JOY/ KOO/IA

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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Idris Abdulrahman

joymbachi28@yahoo.com/08023209277