Health
How To Boost Your Stamina Naturally
The post Covid period is having a toll on the people.
Many are battling depression , bad economy and other ailments this period. This follows the long’stay at home’ . The pandemic has made severe changes to our lifestyle, thereby, indirectly affecting our physical and psychological well-being. We moved from working from office to our home desks, from dining at restaurants to just eating at home, from hitting the gym daily to performing daily household chores – our lives are rewired and our movements are restricted. While there are many who found a way to exercise daily and stick to a healthy eating pattern, but for most of us it was just sitting, eating all the delicious and decadent homemade treats, which we were missing because of the rush of daily life.
However, as we are slowly getting out of our homes, starting to go to office, we find that the stamina to do so isn’t there. We get tired easily and feel the need to push ourselves mentally and physically to do what we used to do without putting extra effort. But fret not! It’s time to rewire ourselves – we just need to take small steps to reach back where we want to be and do so in a systematic manner.
Eat At Proper Times
It makes a world of difference to our system which is closely linked to the solar clock. Set your meal timings and stick to them, keeping a leeway of 30 minutes up or down. Eating at regular hours means the energy levels remain steady and don’t sway from highs to lows. This will help your body rhythm settle down; it will balance out the hormones, keeping you energised.
Eat Nutrient-Rich Food
One of the best things that happened during lockdown was that we were eating fresh home-cooked food with mostly fresh ingredients. We learnt to make pizzas and burgers at home but all with fresh and healthy ingredients. Any food that is closest to its natural form, least processed and seasonal is the best for your health. Cheat meals are only 1-2 meals a week. Nutrient-rich food adds health while processed and refined foods add empty calories leaving you without energy and feeling low. Fermented foods add good bacteria that keep our gut healthy and the absorption of nutrients efficient..
Drink, Drink And Drink Lots Of Water
We are in the thick of summers and need hydration. Even a mild dehydration leaves us exhausted; therefore, one must take adequate fluids, and a plain glass of water is the best option. But if just having water is monotonous, you can have fresh lemon water, coconut water, fresh iced tea, without sugar or with the minimum amount of sugar. Bael sherbet is another amazing drink that you can try. Again while rediscovering food, I am sure you must have found a lot of traditional summer drinks that need very little work and are super hydrating. But keep the caffeine to the minimum!
Include Nuts And Seeds In Your Diet
Nuts and seeds are a Yes in summers too. You can soak them if you believe they are “garam” in summers. You can even add nuts to your summer drinks. Almond thandai is a healthy drink and you can even have it in summers. We just need one ounce of nuts and seeds per day – meaning 15-20 almonds, one walnut and a teaspoon of seeds. Nuts add healthy fats, fibre, protein and most importantly, antioxidants, which are known to clean up the free radicals from our system. They are great for boosting immunity to.
Get Back To Exercising
The ones, who have taken this time to do nothing in the exercise space, need to restart. Never mind where you were when the lockdown happened, you need to start all over again. Don’t get back to the high level of exercise immediately – get there slowly. And the ones, who have maintained a mid-level of exercise, can go on to the next level, but gradually.
These are testing times and though a lot is unlocking, minimum social contact is still to be maintained along with frequent handwashing and sanitising. We will reclaim our lives but the good habits that we were forced to relearn like having home-cooked food, rediscovering traditional foods, hand and body hygiene, spending quality time with family and sitting still for a while, shouldn’t be forgotten. There is a silver lining to every cloud and the sun shines after every dark night.
Adapted from NDTV FOOD Online.com
By: Kevin Nengia
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.
