Category: Health

{For one month now, Coko Health Center is operating without electricity, which, residents and local leaders say, is affecting the level of service delivery and therefore appealed to the concerned parties to intervene and restore power supply to the center. The blackout follows the blowing of the transformer that supplied the health center and has since not been replaced. }

The director of Coko Health Center, Nzamurambaho Vincent said that lack of electricity is seriously affecting service delivery and requested leaders in charge to make advocacy for immediate reconnection.

“The situation is worse when treating patients during night. We use torches. We request Rwanda Energy Group to assist in addressing the matter since treating without equipment that need power to operate may cause problems,” he appealed.
Talking to IGIHE via phone, a REG official in Rulindo district, Ndahayo Chrysologue said that the case is being addressed. “We have placed an order of other transformers and will be fixed as soon as they arrive.”

{Water is very important to the body, not just because it feels good to drink it, but because it helps keep us alive and healthy. People who drink enough water are healthy people, generally speaking, and those who do not are likely to suffer the following troubles…}

{{1. CONSTIPATION}}

Constipation is simply having difficulty stooling. This condition is mostly caused by a lack of sufficient water in the body. The intestines need water to aid digestion. When water isn’t sufficient in the body, the colon uses up the ones the intestines would have worked with, thereby, making it difficult for proper digestion to take place.

{{2. YOU RARELY URINATE}}

Naturally, you pass more urine when you drink much water. So, when you start urinating less, it’s probably because you lack enough water in your system — and that is not really good because urine is one of the ways the body rids itself of toxic waste.

{{3. YOU EXPERIENCE DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS}}

A lack of enough water in the body would cause stomach acid to cause serious harm inside the body. This results to problems like heartburn and indigestion

{{4. YOU SUFFER FROM SICKNESSES OFTEN}}

The body needs enough water to continually flush out harmful toxins from the body. When you do not provide it with enough water, it cannot perform this task well. Also, when one is dehydrared, the body borrows water from places it can find some, like the blood for example, and that can open up doors for more dangerous sicknesses and diseases.

{{5. JOINT PAINS}}

The cartilages and spinal discs in the body contain about 80% water. This is to ensure that the bones do not grind against each other as we walk or move around. Keeping the body hydrated makes sure that our bones and joints are strong enough to withstand activities like running, jumping, etc.

{{6. DRYNESS OF THE MOUTH, SKIN AND EYES
}}

Remember that sticky feeling of dryness you get in your mouth? It’s as a result of a lack of enough water in your body. Not drinking enough water can also make the skin dry. When you do not have enough water in your system, you tend to sweat less. What that implies is that your body would not be able to rid itself of toxins. Over time, this would cause the skin to dry up as well. Finally, by not drinking enough water, you risk suffering dryness of the eyes as well. This is due to a dry-up of the tear ducts.

{{7. YOU EXPERIENCE REGULAR THIRST}}

Whenever the body lacks enough water, it makes this known via a couple of ways — thirst is one of them.

So you’ve seen some of the troubles that accompany dehydration. If you consciously or subconsciously do not drink enough water, you would be doing yourself a lot of good by changing that today.

{One in four deaths worldwide are due to environmental factors like air, water and soil pollution, as well as unsafe roads and workplace stress, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.}

An estimated 12.6 million people died in 2012 as a result of living and working in unhealthy environments, 23 percent of all deaths reported globally, according to the new study.

“If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young,” warned WHO chief Margaret Chan in a statement.

The report defines environmental causes broadly, drawing links between a long line of environmental risk factors like pollution, chemical exposure, climate change, ultraviolet radiation and access to firearms and more than 100 diseases and injuries.

As many as 8.2 million of the deaths could be blamed on air pollution, including exposure to second-hand smoke, responsible for heart disease, cancers and chronic respiratory disease, the report said.

Among the deaths attributed to environmental factors were 1.7 million caused by “unintentional injuries”, including road accidents.

The report also counted 846,000 diarrhoeal disease deaths among environmental mortalities, adding that many were linked to pollution and unsafe drinking water.

ROAD ACCIDENTS, SUICIDES

The WHO reported 246,000 deaths due to intentional injuries, including suicides, which it linked to among other things the unsafe storage and access to firearms, but also to pesticides, which are used in a full third of the world’s suicides.

The report found that most environmentally-linked deaths happened in South-East Asia, which accounted for 3.8 million such deaths in 2012, followed by the Western Pacific region with 3.5 million.

The least affected region was the Americas, with 847,000 deaths blamed on environmental conditions.

Europe had 1.4 million environmentally-linked deaths while Africa reported 2.2 million.

The WHO said that better environmental management could prevent the deaths of 1.7 million children under five, who are especially prone to serious illnesses arising from respiratory infections and diarrhoea.

“There’s an urgent need for investment in strategies to reduce environmental risks in our cities, homes and workplaces,” said Maria Neira, WHO’s public health chief.

“Such investments can significantly reduce the rising worldwide burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, injuries and cancers, and lead to immediate savings in healthcare costs,” she said.

The report is the second of its kind and follows an initial WHO study a decade ago.

{Every man who smokes needs to quit smoking for the sake of his unborn child because the health of your child is in serious danger.}

A research from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has found that men who smoke are also more likely to father children with cancer, Indiatimes reports.

The researchers revealed that a man who smokes is likely to father a child with cancer because smoking damages the sperm.

Smoking also causes implantation defects, genetic defects and growth retardation in the baby. So you want to have healthy children, you need to quit smoking today.

A factsheet published by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a UK-based public health organization says that men who smoke are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, poor sperm mobility and damaged sperm.

{This is one question most women around the world would want an answer to.}

Most women have received conflicting advise about how long they should wait to conceive after a miscarriage. While some are told to wait three months, others are told to wait for six months while some are asked to wait one full cycle before trying again.

The World Health Organization recommends waiting at least six months after a miscarriage before trying to get pregnant again but other research has found no evidence to support delaying conception.

A study published in the journal BMJ revealed that the sooner a woman conceives again after a miscarriage, the better her chances of having a healthy pregnancy.

The study also revealed that women who conceive within six months after a miscarriage are less likely to miscarry again or experience other pregnancy-related complications when compared with women who wait for longer periods of time.

However in a Telegraph report, Ruth Bender Atik from the Miscarriage Association said:

“There are some situations where it is important or advisable to wait: after treatment with methotrexate (for ectopic pregnancy); after a molar pregnancy; if taking medication for infection; while having investigations for recurrent miscarriage”.

So it’s obvious there isn’t really any set time to try again after miscarriage if the woman has no complications.

So after a little research on women and their experience with miscarriage, I would be safe to say while some women are not willing to have sex for some time after a miscarriage, others crave intimacy with them desiring to have sex with their partner.

So since there isn’t any definite time for trying again after a miscarriage, the decision to wait or not comes down to the woman after seeking advice from a doctor (she won’t be advised to make that decision alone).

{Mothers living in Kinigi sector, Musanze district in Bisate have expressed gratefulness over the completed modern maternity at a cost of over Rwf 49 million provided by The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.}

Nyirahabimana, one of the mothers who talked to IGIHE has revealed delightfulness over the new maternity facility which is better equipped.

“It was shameful in the past; even travelers would see mothers giving birth in the old building. However, the situation has changed thanks to the new facility” she said.
Nyirarukundo Assinath, a woman who recently gave birth at the new Bisate maternity facility said that mothers can now give birth without worries of doing so almost in the open.

The deputy director of Bisate health center, Muhozwangeyo Assoumpta has promised that the new maternity facility will see improvement of service delivery.

A Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International official Dr Tara has said that they are committed to ensuring welfare of citizens living nearby the volcano park is improved.

Uwamariya Marie Claire, the vice mayor of Musanze district requested parents to maximize services of the new facility and be active in subscribing to mituelle de santé.

{After a research involving data from hundreds of thousands of people, scientists have found the food you should eat that will cut the risk of high blood pressure by a fifth.}

The study which was presented at a conference of the American Heart Association found that women who eat five or more servings of yoghurt a week are less likely to develop high blood pressure, Daily Mail reports.

The researchers also found that the benefit of eating yoghurt five times a week was even greater in people who also ate lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans.

The researchers saw a 31 per cent reduction in risk for high blood pressure, compared to those who ate yoghurt just once a month, Daily Mail reports.

Justin Buendia, a PhD candidate at Boston University School of Medicine said:

“…adding yoghurt to an otherwise healthy diet seems to help reduce the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women.

“Our study shows that daily intake of dairy products, particularly yoghurt lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure.”

The research was funded by the National Dairy Council in the US.

{The Ministry of Health has warned medical workers who neglect patients and instead arrogantly talk long telephone conversations or doing other petty time-wasting deeds.
}
The ministry made the warning after receiving complaints from several patients, decrying poor services resulting from workers’ bent on social networks.

The state minister in MINISANTE, Ndimubanzi Patrick has requested doctors to be ethical and concentrate their efforts on treating patients. He made this call yesterday during the campaign to mobilize patients to voluntarily get tested of non-communicable diseases. The campaign was organized in collaboration with King Faisal Hospital.

“In general, we want doctors to devote enough time taking care of patients. They should not talk on phones while listening to or diagnosing patients,” he advised.

He requested patients who feel deprived of proper handling to report to the administration of respective hospitals or use the suggestion box to register their grievances.

{Eating the right foods packed with the right nutrients is key to protecting the heart. You need to take this really seriously because heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world today.}

To help protect your heart, it’s important you ditch junk and processed and go for real food.

Below are foods that will help you prevent heart disease

{{1. OILY FISH}}

Oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids that help protect us against heart disease.

{{2. NUTS}}

Nuts contain L-Arginine, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids which are all nutrients that help protect us against heart disease.

{{3. GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES}}

Green leafy vegetables contain magnesium which helps protect against heart disease.

{{4. EGGS}}

Eggs contain co-enzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect our arteries from damage. Eggs also contain vitamin D and L-Taurine, important nutrients that play a vital role in the health of our hearts.

{{5. PUMPKIN SEEDS}}

Pumpkin seeds contain zinc which helps protect us against heart disease.

{{6. BERRIES}}

Berries contain vitamin C which helps protect you from cardiovascular disease.

{{7. PARSLEY}}

Parsley contains vitamin C. Studies have shown that people who have higher levels of vitamin C in their diet have less risk of heart attacks.

{{8. AVOCADOS}}

Avocados contain vitamin E which can help reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL levels.

{{9. BRAZIL NUTS}}

Brazil nuts contain selenium. Studies have shown that those who have a low level of selenium have a higher risk of heart disease.

{{10. YOGHURT}}

Yoghurt contains probiotics which is important for the health of our heart because a weakened gut health can also lead the poor absorption of nutrients which in turn can also affect heart health.

{{11. GARLIC}}

Garlic contains allicin which can help relax the blood vessels and improve blood flow.

{{12. TOMATOES}}

Tomatoes contain lycopene which helps protect against heart disease.

{{13. WATER MELON}}

Water melon contains lycopene, an important nutrient that helps protect against heart disease.

{{14. ASPARAGUS}}

Asparagus contains lycopene which protects against arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

{{15. PAWPAW
}}

Pawpaw contains lycopene which helps protect the heart.

{{16. OATS}}

Oats contain L-Arginine which help protect us against heart disease.

{{17. BEANS}}

Beans contain L-arginine which helps protect us against heart disease.

{{18. RED MEAT}}

Red meat contains L-Taurine. Studies have shown that people with lower L-Taurine levels are more susceptible to heart disease.