HEALTH AND FITNESS

292 test positive to HIV in Ekiti LG

2012-09-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

The Ido-Osi Local Government Action Committee on AIDS has reported that 292 persons have so far tested positive to HIV in the local government area.

While giving the report in Ido-Ekiti on Friday, the head of the committee, Modupe Ajayi, said the figure represented the sum total of reports made available to her by field officers attached to the committee.

Ajayi said more than 5,620 persons were also counselled and later tested, out of whom 37 pregnant women, 73 males and 146 females tested positive.

She said those who tested positive had already been referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, for confirmation of their status and subsequent treatment.

According to her, officials of her committee now pay advocacy visits to institutions such as Oganganmodu Grammar School, Ido-Ekiti, Corpers’s Secretariat, Ido-Ekiti and Victory Orphanage, Ifaki-Ekiti.

Taiwo Benson, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Community, Family Health and Rights Development in Ekiti, appealed to government to increase the budget of the State AIDS control Agency to enable it effectively combat the pandemic.

Lying increases stress - Study

2012-08-17T11:24:00.002-07:00

Telling the truth may improve mental and physical health BY NKECHI OPURUM

A new study has found that the mental and physical health of a human can be improved if the number of lies told are cut down. According to Anita Kelly, study author and professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame, "We found that the participants could purposefully and dramatically reduce their everyday lies; and, that in turn, was associated with significantly improved health." In the study involving 110 adults, aged 18 to 71, half were asked to stop lying for 10 weeks, while the other half were asked to report the number of lies they told each week. The participants took a weekly lie detector test and filled out questionnaires about their physical and mental health, as well as the quality of their relationships. The results showed that both groups reduced their lying, but those who were specifically told to tell the truth lied less and enjoyed improved health. The study found that participants in the no-lie group told three fewer minor lies a week, reported four fewer mental-health complaints (such as feeling sad or stressed) and three fewer physical complaints (such as headaches or sore throats). Those in the control group, who independently told fewer lies, recorded fewer health complaints as well, but only by two or three complaints. By the end of the 10-week study period, participants in the no-lie group were down to one lie a week, while the comparison group was telling more than three lies a week. The researchers found that in addition to improving their mental and physical health, the truth-tellers said that their close personal relationships and other social interactions had improved. "I think lying can cause a lot of stress for people, contributing to anxiety and even depression. Lying less is not only good for your relationships, but for yourself as an individual. People might recognise the more devastating impact lying can have on relationships, but probably do not recognise the extent to which it can cause a lot of internal stress," Dr. Bryan Bruno, acting chairman of the department of psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said.

Foods that stimulate sex drive.

2012-03-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

Want a really romantic dinner? Sure, candles and soft music are nice, but what you and your man nosh on could truly take things to another level. The following (healthy!) foods may actually affect hormone levels, brain chemistry, and energy, heightening arousal and sex drive. Avocados Energy and a healthy libido are crucial for great sex, and avocados can give you both. They're loaded with minerals, monounsaturated fats (the good kind that protect the heart and lower cholesterol), and vitamin B6—all of which help keep your energy and sex drive up.They're also a top source of omega-3 fatty acids, which naturally boost your mood, making you more likely to feel ready for bedroom action. Chile peppers Chile peppers can really spice things up—and not just in your mouth—thanks to capsaicin, a chemical that's been shown to induce the release of endorphins in the brain, which creates a feeling of euphoria.The potential payoff? Enhanced foreplay and hotter sex. Chocolate This sweet has long been linked with love and sex for good reason. It contains tryptophan, which helps the body produce serotonin, a natural feel-good chemical that may play a role in sexual arousal. Chocolate also offers a hit of phenylethylamine, a stimulant thought to contribute to that lovey-dovey feeling. So, go ahead, indulge a little! Oysters It's not the slippery feel or the singular taste of oysters that make them a sexy superfood. It's zinc, which oysters are loaded with. The mineral helps the body produce testosterone, a hormone critical in regulating women's and men's libido and sexual function.Research suggests that zinc can improve sperm count and swimming ability, and increase sexual potency in men.For women, zinc may help ovaries—the source of estrogen, progesterone, and some testosterone—stay healthy, keeping you primed for bedroom action..

4 Types of Wrinkles and How to Treat Them

2012-02-25T05:09:00.000-08:00

Aging may be inevitable but there are some things you can do to help slow down the clock a bit (at least when it comes to your skin!). Here are the most common types of wrinkles and how to treat them (and even prevent them in some cases).
What are the most common types of wrinkles?
According to a study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science (2006), researchers at the University Hospital of Liege, Belgium determined that there are four distinctly different types of wrinkles that you'll (eventually) have to face.

1. Atrophic Crinkling Rhytids - fine lines on the face that are almost parallel to each other.
Where they occur: They show up on different areas of the face and body but tend to disappear when skin is stretched transversally (this just means they shift when your body posture changes). These wrinkles are associated with loss of elasticity.
What you can do: Since these wrinkles are due to the loss of collagen, you need to protect your skin by using sunscreen. You can also use moisturizers to temporarily plump the skin and diminish the appearance of these fine lines.

2. Permanent Elastic Creases - Crease lines in the skin that become increasingly permanent over time, especially with sun exposure.
Where they occur: They show up most frequently on on the cheeks, the upper lip and the base of the neck.
What you can do: Sun exposure and smoking make this type of wrinkle worse. Don't smoke, minimize sun exposure and use a sunscreen to prevent this kind of wrinkling.

3. Dynamic Expression Lines - Wrinkles that are caused by facial muscle movement.
Where they occur: Commonly referred to as frown (or smile!) lines and crows feet.
What you can do: These wrinkles respond best to Botox or other similar injectable wrinkle treatments.

4. Gravitational Folds - As the name implies, these lines are due to the effects of gravity and become increasingly obvious as skin begins to fold and sag.
Where they occur: The location of these wrinkles is related to the thickness of skin. While I would have thought this means that thicker skin shows more folds, surprisingly the researchers said that a plumper face may show fewer gravity folds than a lean face.
What you can do: Cosmetic surgery (like face lifts) are the most effective at removing these kinds of wrinkles.
culled from http://shine.yahoo.com/skin-guide/4-types-wrinkles-treat-them-165800182.html

Important Reasons why you should lose weight

2010-04-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Diseases Related to Obesity and being Overweight

Obesity will not only affect a person’s appearance. It is also closely related to a lot of diseases, either directly or indirectly. Some of the diseases that are common in being obese are as follows:

Cancer

Research has shown that chances of an obese getting cancer are double of the chances of a normal person. Man will have chance is getting colonic cancer, rectal cancer and prostate cancer; while for women, cervical cancer, ovary cancer and breast cancer.

Gynecology

In gynecology it is very common to see the consequences of obesity such as abnormality in menstrual cycle period, excess menstrual bleeding, longer menstruation period, hormones imbalance, difficulty in conception or infertility on the lower abdomen etc.

Dermatisis

Dermatitis will occur in regions such as neck, armpits, genital region, and area near the anus, where folding of skin occur, leading to inflammation and itchiness. Besides that, folding of skin as seen in obese, at areas such as waist and thighs. Because of the enlargement of heart, the blood flow back to the heart is slowed down, leading to blood pulling and dilatation of veins.

Joint disease

Because of more weight to withstand, the pressures on the joints are increased. This leads to the injury of the joints, hastens the wear and tear process, and finally leads to degenerative joint disease.

Diseases of the respiratory system

Obesity will cause the thickness of the chest and the fatty tissues distribution at the abdomen to increase. This will lead to the reduction in efficiency of the lungs, impairing the ability of the lung to exchange gases. Lack of oxygen and stopping of breathing during sleep are prevalent in this kind of people.

Fatty liver

The excessive fat in the body of an obese will be distributed to various organs, especially the liver, forming fatty liver. The scariest part is that it occurs without symptom, and will lead to liver hardening when the condition worsens.

Formation of gallstone and gallbladder related disease

In order to metabolize the excessive fat in the body, the liver will produce more bile, which leads to the formation of gallstone and gallbladder disease.

Abnormality in sex hormones secretion

The function of sex hormones in an obese are easily meddled with, especially in women, for example abnormal menstruation cycle and infertility; as for men, erectile dysfunction is observed.

Gout

Obesity will lead to high level of uric acid in the blood stream, causing accumulation of purine, and hence increasing the chances of gout.

Stroke and cardiovascular disease

obese usually have very high lever level of lipid in blood, hence predisposing them to occlusion of blood vessels; causing coronary heart disease due to occlusion of coronary arteries, heart attack ( Myocardial infarction), high blood pressure ( hypertension ), and stroke.

Diabetes

The insulin produced by obese in response to a glucose load is delayed or reduced, which leads to the impairment of normally utilization of glucose after meal, hence leads to high glucose level in the blood stream (commonly seen in adult onset diabetes mellitus).