The Ultimate Power Of Deep Breathing

Take a deep breath and then let it go.

Breathe.
Give yourself a break from all the stress
Dare to breathe

Close your eyes
If you wish to stand,
If you choose to sit,
It doesn't really matter
Just close your eyes.

Think of the fields
Think of malt
Of barley and lilies
Swaying with the breeze

You're alone here
Reaching for the wild flowers
Not really touching the African Daisy
Just hovering above the plant
The carpet of bluebells caress your tired feet.

Can you hear that sound?
Its the sound of peace,
Of quiet and ease
The silence is all you need!

Now is the time
Take a deep cleansing breath
Let it into your lungs
Let it fill your senses

Inhale through your nose
Let the air expand your belly
And then let it fill your chest
Hold and Count to three
Fill your cells with golden energy

And when you have had enough
Exhale fully
Slightly parting your mouth
Feel all your cells release toxic waste
Let it all out
Slowly
Quietly
Comfortably

Dare to breathe
Whole and entire

_
Hey guys! I am getting bold right? Well, this is a good and interesting way to tell you to cut yourself some slack and consciously fill your lungs with clean, fresh air.

Did you like the poem? Is it perhaps too strong? Do you have any poem that gears us towards better health?

Tell us about them in the comments section!

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How Disease Spreads In A Hospital's Emergency Ward

Overcrowding increases disease spread

A casualty ward/ emergency room in a hospital is where every casualty or health emergency is brought to immediately they happen. By emergency I mean;

• People involved in fatal road or home accidents;

• Patients having gunshot wounds;

• Dying patients rejected by the smaller hospitals because they cannot handle their sicknesses due to lack of equipment and sometimes doctors and nurses required for treatment;

• Patients who suddenly developed wsevere health symptoms

There are others that come from the prayer houses and churches where they would have been sent to their early graves if someone did not decide to take them to the hospital.

The type of people you will see in the emergency room are people that are brought in gushing their life blood and within minutes, they are attended to and cleaned up.

All these people have something in common; they are dying and need immediate and specific medical attention.

I was in one of our federal hospitals recently. You know, the type in the cities where very sick and dying people go to with the hope that they will come out alive.

 I was supposed to be looking after an aunt in the casualty ward but instead, I was very busy observing the patients, the nurses, the entire health care system delivery and the environment.

And most importantly, the obvious risks the patients and the people looking after them where exposed to.

The hospital ward was always cramped

Nobody took extra time to think about the structure of the emergency unit. The ward contained no more than 15 beds all of which were occupied most of the time. 

 When all the beds were occupied, the new patients were kept in the corridors and if there were still more, the nurses lay them on the floor or sat them in wheelchairs while they looked for accommodation. 

Even the distance between two adjacent beds was negligible.

 Their equipment were high tech but the space was tiny for 15-25 patients, no two of them suffering from the same disease (or health event, gunshots for example), plus a minimum of two or three relatives watching over each patient and 7 or 8 nurses moving about doing their jobs.

Each patient was an emergency

There was,

• The terrified daughter shouting and crying over the imminent death of her siblings who where involved in a motor accident on their way to her matriculation ceremony;
• The male patient that had breasts and looked like he was six months pregnant;
• The young boy that made animal noises because he was in unbearable pain;

There was also:

• The wife that had not been told her husband’s HIV status yet

• The maniac that drove even the security guards away and tried to strangle the patients close to him (he was suffering from a cumulative effect of bad weed and cerebral malaria;

• The sickler that had been discharged but did not want to go home because he enjoyed watching nurses run up and down to save a life.

Overcrowding was a risk

All these people in this little space.

What happens when there is an outbreak or an epidemic is not rocket science. The air in this kind of place is very lethal and poisonous.

Once, the nurses failed to dress the wounds of a man who was shot on time and before long, his whole corner was infested with flies. 

Soon, the stench of the liquid seeping from his wounds chased everyone around him away.  

 Yet no effort is made to expand the ward or build an extension. 

In the case of an outbreak of a disease whose symptoms are still unrecognizable, it will take little effort for a single infected person to infect everybody in the ward be it the;

• Nurses and doctors at the table;
• The security guards at the door,;
• The already sick patients fighting for their lives;
•  Their family members looking after them.

Everybody will be at serious risk of infection.

It is very important and necessary to give sick people as much space as possible so as not to put their lives and the lives of those around them at risk.

Have you been to an emergency ward before? What type of patients did you meet?

 Did you think the place was crowded?

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HIV/AIDS Is A Death Sententence

If you are HIV/AIDS positive, you will still live.

Okay, I finally lured you to my blog. You are probably thinking, 'what's this? HIV/AIDS, a death sentence? Since when?'

I will tell you how. 

In third world countries, if you are HIV positive, you are as good as dead. The HIV virus might not kill you but the stigma and not knowing your status before hand will.

HIV//AIDS  is a death sentence if you are HIV positive and you do not know it.  The importance of getting tested cannot be overemphasized.

One of my previous posts, the HIV- A BROKEN CLAY POT exposes the trauma of stigmatization and discrimination against HIV positive patients by their families and loved ones.

But going by a recent incident I witnessed, I did not do justice to that post (this can pass for an update).

I wrote it without first hand experience but today, I will tell you what my eyes have seen.

YOUR BROTHER IS HIV POSITIVE

Once Robert's sister knew her brothers status, she nearly fell off her seat. She believed it was the end of her brother's world.

The doctor's words 'Ma, HIV is not a death sentence, he can still live a long  and healthy life' could neither give hope to nor bring her out of her deep painful meditation.

"If Robert dies, what will happen to his four children? Dear Lord! and I fed him two or three times during the past week. I am finished! 

What will I tell my husband and children if I get infected? If he dies, who will look after his children?

His last child has been sick.  How am I sure its not the same HIV? Is his wife also HIV positive?

BUT HOW DID ROBERT GET INFECTED? 

The moment she left the doctor's office, she washed her hands violently.

The doctor advised her not to tell Robert's wife until they got to the General hospital he referred them to.

According to the family, Robert's sickness took them unawares.  He had stopped talking to his family and contributing during conversations.

Then the symptoms came. 

He started vomiting.  His body temperature flew to the roof, and he experienced severe pains all over his body.

He could not stand without being held.

Do you know what his young wife did?  She did not take him to the hospital.  She did not even go to a pharmacy store.

SHE TOOK HIM TO A PRAYER HOUSE!

A prayer house!

Her husband could not talk, could not hear, and was clearly very ill and the best she could think of was a prayer house (dear young people, education is not overrated. It makes you a better person).

The pastor was also a self acclaimed doctor. To cut the very long story short, Robert a HIV patient (although yet to be diagnosed) was kept in a room adjacent to another room where lots of people gathered frequently to sing and pray.

This implies that for one week, he posed a continuous threat to everyone around him (he was not treated by professionals so they were bound to be careless).

The pastor also had a field day extorting money from his wife.

When the pastor saw that Robert was likely going to die in his church, he discharged them and they went to a private hospital.

It was in this hospital that he was diagnosed HIV positive and referred to the general hospital.

He was placed in the emergency ward and one of the doctors even tried to give him an injection without wearing gloves!

The distance between two beds was very small and you would wonder how he would leave that place without infecting another person.

 HIV IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE

If Robert knew his status before hand, he would not have put his family at so much risk.

Who knows how long he has been living with it.  Not knowing his status has endangered the lives of his family.

The doctors will test everyone in his household for HIV/AIDS but who will take account of every and any other person he might have infected?  Its really sad.

And all the money his family has spent in all the hospitals he was taken to, wasted.

All this would have been prevented with a simple test.

Most importantly, Robert is still oblivious to his status. How will he cope when he finds out?  

Will his society still accept him?
Will he commit suicide? It is very common among illiterates.

If his wife turns out negative, there is another possibility that she will leave him, trust Nigerian women.

GET TESTED NOW!

My point is that today, this moment, you need to get tested.

Its the right thing to do.

Stay safe, HIV/AIDS might not be a death sentence but I know you will prefer living without it.

Let us move Nigeria forward  by reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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Here's Why Nigerians Die Everyday

A weak health system endangers thousands of lives.

BAD GOVERNMENT, POVERTY, SICKNESS, YOU NAME THE REST

A long time after independence, Nigeria is still grappling with a weak respect for human dignity in its health care system.

Arise oh Compatriots! Nobody is rising to Nigeria's call.

With a government that cares only for itself, people still die from preventable causes and are buried everyday especially in the communities.

Pregnant women still die from childbirth, malaria is still a major trend and even the health care providers still stigmatize HIV/AIDS patients and cannot adhere to a basic medical ethic - confidentiality.

Our government go abroad to get treatments for headaches.
Shamelessly.

What happened to reviving Nigeria's health care system and making it a world standard to the extent that other governments come and get their medical treatments from us?

Is it really impossible for The Giant of Africa?

The more we think about it, the more we realize that we have a really long way to go.

But what factors have hindered health care access in Nigeria?

 DOES NIGERIA'S PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM EVEN EXIST?

I realize that saying Nigeria's primary health care system does not exist is almost extreme, but it is the worrisome truth.

The primary health care system is the genesis of the health of any population.

It informs family planning, maternal and child health, health promotion, community participation and health education. 

The primary aim is not to treat specific diseases but to care for the patients.

It involves providing treatment of long term illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease and the prevention of future illness through counseling, immunization and screening programs. 

Can we say this much for Nigeria's primary health care? 

There is no compatibility between the patients and the doctors.

This accounts for a health care system that is not affordable, not accessible, not acceptable, not available and can not accommodate the patients - the basis of easy access to healthcare. 

This translates to abandoned immunization schedules, ineffective exclusive breastfeeding campaigns, poor condom promotion.

Most times people are not even aware of the services offered at the primary health care.

The health care team is not ready to help the people that manage to come to the health care center. 

POVERTY IS NIGERIA'S DISEASE

In contemporary Nigeria, it is difficult to put food on the table.

In the market places, people buy and sell even under staircases, a space barely enough to encourage good posture.

The living conditions of people is a reflection of how much they can afford. No money, no food.

What happens when they get sick? They resort to self medication or go to quacks to get cheaper treatments. Others move to prayer houses and native doctors.

Then when the person dies, you will be told he died after a brief illness. What is Nigeria's future hope? 

PEOPLE RESORT TO OVER THE COUNTER QUACKS

The so called "chemists" are neither pharmacists nor do they have any qualification to prescribe drugs.

Some of them got their knowledge through apprenticeship and Nigerian streets are littered with dozens of them.

These people with little knowledge and qualification challenge the common good of the Nigerian population.

PEOPLE KEEP PATRONIZING THEM

People troop to these stores especially in the evenings and still wait patiently for their turns when there is a large number of people to be attended to. 

Why is this so? These "chemists" make communication easy for their customers and develop an unbiased relationship with them.

More importantly, the cost is reduced when compared with hospitals where they have to pay hospital card and consultation fees before they even start talking about how much the medications would cost.

The chemist is readily available. Can we say the same for the doctors? 

Read: Patient's perspective on health care in Nigeria: The doctor is not available. 

IS NIGERIA MOVING FORWARD OR BACKWARD? 

Who will stand up for Nigeria and secure a healthy nation for the future generation?

This is a call to Nigerians, big and small, pauper and rich man, teachers, doctors, nurses, NGOs, students, politicians. Every single Nigerian citizen.

Let us clamor for positive change. Let us wake up and answer Nigeria's call.

So here's to you, why do you think Nigerians die everyday? Let us know in the comment box below!

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Could The Black Death Have Happened For These Shocking Reasons?

The black death was sort of a horror movie.

WHAT IS THE BLACK DEATH?

The black death was a 14 century nightmare that few people know about.

If you are neither a historian, a priest nor a health academician, there is a probability that you have never heard about the black death - the worst catastrophe in recorded history.

WHEN DID THE BLACK DEATH HAPPEN?

The Great pestilence as it was called, occurred in the middle ages around 1347 in Europe and spread to other parts of the world.

It is believed to be one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the death of an estimated 60 percent of Europe's population and reducing world population from 450 million to 350-375 million in the 14th century.

It was caused by Yersina perstis, a bacillus carried by fleas that primarily live on rats and other rodents that were common in medieval dwellings.

THE PLAGUE KILLED PEOPLE QUICKLY

It was eventually called the black death because the people that caught it were covered with black boils that oozed pus and blood.

Coughing of blood, swellings in the groin, armpits and neck were common.

It was noted that the plague killed people quickly, within hours or days of infection depending on the strain of the disease.

Since it was highly contagious, people desperately abandoned their sick and dying loved ones.

WHY DID THE BLACK DEATH HAPPEN? 

In the middle ages, medical knowledge was limited and this led to many theories and speculations about what caused the black death. 

People believed the air was bad

The first and most widely circulated theory was that the plague was caused by bad air.

It was believed that the heavens in the form of a conjunction with three planets caused a great pestilence in the air.

Today, this is called the miasma theory. The dead littered everywhere and contributed to the bad air.

Bathing was believed to open the pores, making it easier for bad air to enter and exit the body, spreading the disease.

Consequently, bathing was discouraged.

In contrast, some people believed that bad smell could drive out the plague and kept dung and urine around them.

This helped to spread the disease faster. 

Some thought the Jews poisoned water

It was argued that Jews were to blame.

They were accused of poisoning wells and other water sources in a bid to destroy Christians.

The fact that the Jews were also infected did not matter to the people and they tortured the Jews to confess.

The entire Jewish population were given the choice to convert to Christianity or be burned on rows of stakes.

Thousands of Jews were expelled or killed. 

Some thought it was the price for their sins

It was also believed that the disease was a punishment from God for sins including vanity, fornication, greed, blasphemy, heresy.

People tried to appease God through processions, public display of penance and punishment, by avoiding bad thoughts, by not abusing the poor, eating and drinking in moderation and by trying to be happy. 

The plague spread very easily

However, monasteries and nunneries were most hit because of the closed nature of their communities.

It easily spread from person to person and since the monks and nuns took care of the sick, they were at higher risk of infection.

Some monasteries were completely wiped out. 

Before the 19th century, the streets were mainly filthy.

The importance of hygiene was not yet recognized.

A combination of the plague with other diseases such as typhus and smallpox likely increased the extent and symptoms of the the black death. 

"The plague continues to survive in modern world in areas where the host rodents live. Today, however, it is rarely fatal - factretriever"

Do you think this theories are correct?
Why do you think the black death happened?

Tell us in the comments section!

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What Is Draining Your Energy? The Answers Will Surprise You

Hey, why are you looking so tired? 

At some points in our lives, we feel tired and exhausted. Most of the time, our everyday habits are the culprits, leaving us drained. 

Here are some habits that are responsible for low energy levels. 

YOU DO NOT GET QUALITY SLEEP

Sleep should not be restless or interrupted. Each person has a cultivated sleeping pattern.

When you sleep too early or too late, you disrupt this pattern.

If you sleep well into the late hours of the morning for two weeks (probably during a holiday), it becomes difficult to be awake at that particular time the following week because your body has adjusted and reset itself to sleeping at that time.

This translates to a general feeling of weakness and less productivity. It usually takes days for your body system to go back to its normal pattern.

It is best to cultivate a sleeping pattern that will not get in the way of your day to day activities.

Regularize your sleeping pattern by getting up at the same time every day.

YOU LIVE IN THE PAST

A large number of people prefer to wallow in the memories of their past mistakes even when they know that they can not change it.

This habit drains energy and leaves you more miserable.

Worst of it all, the present fades away before your very eyes and you are not even living it.

One useful remedy is to watch your decisions and choices to avoid making mistakes you will regret.

Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but if you are careful, their frequency will be reduced to the barest minimum. 

If you have already made these mistakes, its time to let go. 

Take a cleansing breath to free your mind.

Start on a new clean page.

Go to counseling if possible. Let those mistakes tell a story. Do not let them bring you down.

Step on them and soar higher.

YOU ACCOMMODATE STRESS

Stress is a leading factor of depleted energy levels.

The human body responds to stress by surges of adrenaline and cortisol and this drains Energy.

Anxiety keeps you awake at night and contributes to poor sleep.

Exercise and meditation can help relieve stress.

YOU DO NOT DRINK ENOUGH WATER

Between running off to school or work, dealing with everyday pressures and responsibilities and still trying to remain calm and sane, it is easy to forget to drink water.

Water is a no calorie energizer.

It refreshes and cleans your body of the toxic stress piled up during daily activities. 

Stay hydrated by drinking sufficient glasses of water daily. If you take tea or coffee, you might have have to drink more water.

YOU ACCUMULATE SUGAR

Sugar which can hide under many fancy names gives us an energy spike and makes us feel good.

However, this effect does not last.

When your blood sugar stabilizes, you crave for more sugar, feel more tired and find it difficult to concentrate. Sodas and beverages contain large amounts of sugar.

Also, processed foods contain preservatives and additives that are sometimes worse than sugar.

It might be time to turn to real, natural and unprocessed food. If you need a sweetener, use sugar sparingly.

Honey is even better. 

YOU GET TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH EXERCISE

Too much or too little exercise can deplete energy levels.

Exercise stimulates the release of 'feel good' endomorphins that enhance mood, increase energy levels and boost self confidence.

Too little exercise can leave you without any energy to carry out simple tasks while too much exercise can burn up your muscles and drain your energy stores . 

Take a brisk walk in the morning. Go to the gym and workout and you will feel wonderful for the rest of the day.

YOU LACK SELF ESTEEM

In your bid to please everyone all the time, or due to feelings of inferiority, you become restless and increase your stress levels.

For instance, a student that refuses to answer questions in class for fear of failure or fear of how his voice will sound to the class exerts stress on himself .

At the end of the day, he might end up having even better answers than those that had the courage to answer. 

To boost your self esteem , dress well and look smart.

When you look good, you feel good and this spikes your self esteem and you no longer have to worry too much.

YOU ARE ALWAYS DISORGANIZED 

A messy office or home, having too many things to do at the same time, looking for misplaced items can induce weakness. 

Each day, write a to do list of all the things you want to achieve and keep to it.

Avoid procrastination. It makes the work pile up. 

Cultivate the habit of arranging items and placing them back immediately after use.

YOU DO NOT EAT WELL

Food is very important for building of tissues and maintenance of body functions.

Not eating good food regularly deprives your body of energy and nutrients required to keep you healthy.

Skipping meals makes your body go into starvation mode.

This is when your body stores calories as fat and burns muscles to provide the needed energy. 

Eat balanced means. Never skip meals especially breakfast. Do not forget to practice food hygiene. 

Do you think you have ever felt tired due to these reasons? Which other lifestyles has ever deflated your energy levels?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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How Weed Almost Killed Me

Drug addiction is a straight road to death!

Once, there were chain smokers around me. Like a community with one soul and objective, they would gather and share.

They were always happy, with weird smiles on their faces.

For one year, I watched them, their patterns hardly varying.

An early morning session would last as long as their supplies.

Smoking Weed was common occurrence. It was grounded and wrapped before lighting.

It was relatively cheap.

WHY DO PEOPLE SMOKE WEED?

When I asked why they smoked Weed, I got very interesting answers.

Weed opened their brains and made them wise.

They had better views of how things should be and were able to connect two formerly unrelated events.

They would also remember forgotten memories that had made them happy.

Weed was an antidote for bad mood Whenever they felt pressured, tense or anxious, they would simply light a match.

I also got to know that Weed made them feel less hungry (most of them were poor).

Weed granted them euphoria. It made them feel high and good.
In few words, it was their messiah.

At that time, I was not tempted to smoke Weed. However, I kept telling whoever cared to listen that it was a wrong lifestyle that had large health implications.

 They were not dumb.

They knew they were hurting their biological systems but stopping was a difficult matter.

They were addicted.

They kept saying they would stop and just when people thought they had, they would return to their favorite past time - smoking. It was a furious cycle. Some eventually stopped.

Some did not.

MY FIRST AND ONLY WEED EXPERIENCE

Years later, I was audience to another smoking event. I decided to get the Weed into my system without actually smoking it.

I was older, I could afford an experiment.

When I finally convinced a friend to let me have some, we added a little in the soup I was eating.

After a while, I felt like the quantity was too small because I could not feel the effect. A little more was added and I became properly drugged.

At first I was very quiet.

Then I started getting mental pictures of 'me' that did not exist. Every movement around me was blurred and there was a dull ache in my head.

I experienced every feeling I was formerly told about.

It was at that moment that I even remembered that I had had such a conversation about smoking Weed before.

When I looked in the mirror , I could not believe what I saw. Why were my eyelids half closed? There was a fake smile plastered on my face.

WEED KILLS! 

I started acting like a robot.

I could not just stretch my hand and pick a pen. My nervous co-ordination was reduced to jerks. The ringing in my head grew louder.

When I took a shower, it felt like my body was a live wire. I felt electrocuted. I was nodding vigorously. I was extremely scared.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt smaller. All that mental and physical alertness had used up my energy.

Maybe I had taken too much. It was a lesson well learned.

SMOKING WEED IS DANGEROUS

People do all sorts of things to increase their capacities, endangering their life and health.

The only thing I know is that I could have died.

What about other complications of drug misuse such as loss of brain tissue, mental disorientation, dementia, raised blood pressure, cellular damage to the liver, heart attacks and then the withdrawal syndrome?

Are all these worth risking for a moment's euphoria? Its a food for thought.

Have you ever smoked Weed? Do you think its a good thing? What consequences did you perceive?

Share your views in the comments section below!

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