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Everything You Need to Know About Depression

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 10% of Nigerians are struggling with one type of depression or the other. Perhaps, the most common misconception about depression is that it’s similar to feeling sad or down. It would interest you to know that some of the most “happy”, active and successful people out there are depressed, but do a good job in masking it because of the stigma associated with mental health-related issues. It is for this reason; we want to talk more about this issue. This article will serve as a detailed guide for everything you need to know about depression—meaning, types, symptoms, causes and treatment. What is Depression? Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It can be described as a perpetual feeling of sadness, loss, or anger that interferes with a person’s daily activities, resulting in lost time and lower productivity. It’s worthy of note that depression is an ongoing problem, not a passing one. It consists of episodes during which the symptoms last for several weeks, months, or even years. Types of Depression There are four main types: persistent depressive disorder and major depressive disorder. Let’s take a closer look at each: 1. Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) Persistent depressive disorder is also known as dysthymia. It is considered a somewhat mild depression that lasts for at least two years before a diagnosis can be made. People battling with PDD tend to feel hopeless and also lose interest in regular daily activities. 2. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Major depressive disorder is also known as clinical depression. It’s a severe medical condition that can affect many areas of your life. It impacts mood and behavior as well as various physical functions, such as appetite and sleep. To be diagnosed with MDD, you must experience the following symptoms for at least 2 weeks: Loss of interest in most regular activitiesSignificant weight loss or gainSleeping disorderFeelings of worthlessness or guiltRecurring suicidal thoughts 3. Postpartum Depression While the birth of a baby brings unquantifiable joy, it may also lead to postpartum depression, a type of depression that affects one in four women. Hormonal changes, fatigue and lifestyle changes trigger postpartum depression. Also, note that intense feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and sadness may sometimes provoke thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby. 4. Bipolar Depression Drastic swings in mood and energy, from elation to hopelessness, are pointers to bipolar depression, which is also known as bipolar disorder. To be diagnosed with this type of depression, a person must have experienced at least one bout of violent outburst or mania. Symptoms of Depression When it comes to symptoms of depression, the first thing you have to know is that symptoms slightly vary in men, women and children. But generally, depressive symptoms are evident in: 1. Mood The mood of a depressed person is usually that of anger, aggressiveness, anxiousness, sadness, hopelessness, restlessness and irritability. 2. Behavior Someone struggling with depression tend to exhibit loss of interest in favorite activities, tiredness, suicidal thoughts, as well as excessive drinking and drug usage. 3. Cognitive abilities People battling with one type of depression or the other tend to find it difficult to concentrate, and complete tasks, as well as delay response during conversations. 4. Sexual interest Reduced sexual desire and performance are pointers to depression, particularly for men. 5. Physical well-being When someone struggles with constant loss of energy, digestive problems, loss of appetite, weight loss or gain, and insomnia, consider diagnosing the person for depression. Causes of Depression A number of biological and circumstantial factors are responsible for depression. Let’s dive deeper into these factors: 1. Family History The likelihood of developing depression is higher if you come from a family with a history of depression or mood disorder. 2. Early Childhood Trauma Some events affect the way your body reacts to fear and stressful situations. People who experienced some form of childhood trauma tend to be depressed from a young age. 3. Medical Conditions Having health conditions such as chronic illness, insomnia, chronic pain, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may put you at a higher risk of depression. 4. Drug/Alcohol Misuse Having a history of drug or alcohol misuse increases your likelihood of being depressed. In fact, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), over 21% of persons struggling with drug/alcohol abuse experience depression. Treatment for Depression Living with depression can be difficult, but thankfully, depression can be managed or treated by mental health experts. Here are some proven ways of treating depression: 1. Medications Your doctor may prescribe antidepressants, antianxiety or antipsychotic medications for you to treat your depressive symptoms. But bear in mind that all medications available for treating depression come with potential risks, so ensure you follow the prescription of your doctor when taking them. 2. Therapy Speaking with a therapist can help you develop coping strategies to manage your negative emotions and self-defeating thoughts. Also, a therapist or clinical psychologist can help you understand different factors affecting your physical and mental wellbeing. 3. Self-help While medications and therapy can be effective in managing depression, you don't need them in all cases. Self-help strategies like exercising, journaling and meditation can prove useful in managing some types of depression. Conclusion Besides ignorance, the major reasons people tend to neglect their mental health are because of the stigma and stress associated with seeking treatment. But fortunately, telemedicine is here to solve those problems. With a telemedicine service provider like HealthConnect 24x7, people struggling with depression and other mental health issues no longer need to suffer in silence when they can consult with a doctor or clinical psychologist from the comfort of their home, office, or on the go!

What Will Healthcare Look Like in 2050?

Healthcare is developing with each passing year. New innovations and technologies are being introduced within the industry, creating excitement and hope among medical practitioners, researchers, and patients alike for the future. This makes a lot of people wonder: what will healthcare look like in 2050? Many opportunities and discoveries lie ahead, and it is only the beginning phase of another era where most health conditions we currently consider as incurable will become curable. More sophisticated means of healthcare delivery will be available. For now, the application of robots, nanotechnology, stem cell therapy and predictive medicine in healthcare all sound like parts of a sci-fi movie to lots of people. However, these technologies could become mainstream easily within the next 30 years if research and developments carry on at the exponential rate that they have been. Robots are already used in the military and other industries where pin-point precision is needed, so it isn’t a stretch to think they could be coming to healthcare sooner than we think. Stem cells will be used to create replacement beta cells that produce insulin, thereby allowing people battling with diabetes to eat and drink like those who are not. Nanotechnology will help in the production of nano-medicines, which will be more effective than today’s drugs. Predictive medicine methodologies such as cytomics, genomics and proteomics will help in predicting the probability of a disease outbreak, which will help medical experts and scientists in coming up with preventive measures in order to either prevent the disease altogether or reduce the impact on human life. Consider the following scenario: A microscopic robot is implanted inside your child at birth. Whenever your child falls ill, even before they feel a symptom, it sends alerts to you and their doctor. Immediately the doctor prescribes a medication based on the genetic makeup of the child and sends the medication to you by drone. Your vitals are also monitored by sensory equipment and the data will be transmitted to specialists who are thousands of miles away from you. Before you can feel a cancer symptom or travel to a distant hospital for a CT scan or MRI, nanobots will collect your tissue samples, replace damaged cells with healthy cells and absorb any toxins in your blood. Even those struggling with severe conditions like Parkinson’s disease will no longer visit a hospital for treatment; internal nanobots will be able to discharge dopamine in a specific location in their brain and effect treatment. Allianz Care, a key player in the healthcare industry, predicts the following developments by 2050: Health information obtained from physical check-ups and tests previously only available in a surgery or laboratory will be replaced by data from sensors on/around our “smart” bodies (skin and blood). This will be immediately accessible to us, in real-time.A new field of “predictive medical data mining” will provide early warnings, even before people develop any symptoms. Medical practitioners will have real-time reports of their patients’ wellbeing and will be alerted to any change in patients’ data that requires urgent attention.Stem-cell medicine will be a powerful tool in mainstream medicine and will help in organ transplants and diabetes treatment.Nanomedicine may help in the treatment of severe conditions like cancer, HIV-related Kaposi's sarcoma. In 2050, terms like “telehealth”, “telemedicine” and “virtual care” would be obsolete. They will simply be known as “health”, “medicine” and “care” respectively. This is because the lines between remote treatment and an in-person hospital visit will become so blurred that any distinction will become insignificant. The idea of taking time off work to drive down to a medical center; the stress of booking appointments with a doctor; waiting for several hours in a hospital before consulting with a doctor or needing close to a year to develop a pandemic vaccine may soon seem primitive. Final Thoughts By 2050, surgeons will be able to use remote robots to operate on patients on different continents; babies will have their DNA sequenced before birth, and patients will be able to generate new blood inside their own bodies without the need for a blood donor. Although some of these predictions are quite mind-boggling, it is quite exciting to look forward to a future when healthtech will be mainstream. Now, more than ever, is the time for the development of and investment in healthcare innovations. As the leading telemedicine service provider in Nigeria, HealthConnect 24x7 foresees a future when quality, round-the-clock healthcare will be accessible to all Nigerians, regardless of social class, gender, or ethnicity. For this reason, HealthConnect 24x7 has put all its resources together in developing proprietary technologies such as the On-site Virtual Clinic Booth, 24x7 Doctor Control Program, Hospital at Home® Program, and Integrated Mobile Application. These state-of-the-art technologies are available to individuals, employers of labour, HMOs, and governments.

How to Know If You Need to Consult a Psychologist

While it can be helpful to talk to family and friends about certain issues bothering you, there comes a time when you need to seek professional help. A psychologist can help you get to the root of your problems, and put you on the right trajectory to overcome daunting challenges in your life. In this blog post, we will shed light on the best time to consult a psychologist and how to find one who is worth their salt. When to Consult a Psychologist Whenever you experience any of the following issues, you should consider consulting a psychologist: 1. Loss Although death is inevitable, dealing with the loss of a loved one is not easy. While some people grief openly about the loss of a loved one, others deal with it privately. It is interesting to note that grieving is not limited to the feeling of sadness. It can also involve regret, uncontrollable rage, guilt and yearning. When all these forms of emotion are at play, family and friends may not be able to help as they would have wished. When you are unable to stop crying, or concentrate, as well as having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting yourself or others, then you need to consult a psychologist. A psychologist can help you find appropriate ways to cope with the death of a loved one. 2. Stress and Anxiety Living in Nigeria gives you enough reasons to be stressed and anxious. We wake long before the cock crows and sleep just before we pass out. In fact, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, about 10 million Nigerians suffer stress. Stress and anxiety, if left unchecked, can lead to social isolation, depression, and a slew of other problems. A psychologist can help you manage stress and anxiety by finding the source and then proffering solutions to overcome it. 3. Phobias Being afraid of cockroaches and spiders are common phobias, but some very bizarre and unfounded fears can lead to significant problems in your life. For instance, sitophobia (fear of eating), which about 5 in 100,000 people suffer from, may lead to serious health problems if left unchecked. A psychologist can help you overcome these fears so that you can lead a normal life. 4. Family and Relationship Issues Family problems can manifest even in the healthiest of families, resulting in frustrating and tense interactions among family members. From little irritations to buried resentments; from dramatic arguments to feelings of guilt, disappointment, and anger you did not even know you had, families often bring up the most intense emotions we experience. Consulting a psychologist, whether individually or collectively as a family, can help iron out the rough edges in relationships. 5. Unhealthy Habits Whether it’s smoking, gluttony, or drinking, we all have one or two bad habits we can’t seem to get rid of. In this regard, behavioural psychology can help. A psychologist can offer great insights into how to break bad habits and develop healthy habits in their place. 6. Performance Enhancement To be successful at what you do, you need to be physically and mentally prepared. For instance, as an athlete, you need as much mental preparation as you physically train your body for a competition. When it comes to mental preparation, a psychologist can come in handy. A psychologist can help you prepare for big events so you can bring your A-game to that pitch deck, interview, or sports competition. 7. Mental Clarity There are certain crucial situations in life when you need an unbiased opinion, which you can’t get from family and friends for obvious reasons. At this point, you can rely on a psychologist, who will not only give you an impartial hearing but also give mental clarity on the best course of action in that particular instance. Simply laying your challenges out in the open can help to improve your mental clarity, be more able to concentrate, and become more result-oriented. Also, psychologists are trained to be great listeners, so you can always run to one when you need a listening ear. 8. Mental Disorders Mental disorders can manifest themselves in several forms like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and lots more. What’s more, mental disorders often disguise themselves as something else. For instance, someone can be suffering from bipolar disorder, thinking they are just experiencing mood swings. With the help of a mental health professional like a psychologist or psychiatrist, you can uncover mental disorders and manage them accordingly. 9. Depression When you have an overwhelming feeling of helplessness or hopelessness, that is a pointer to depression. Studies conducted in Nigeria show that the prevalence of depression among young adults, elderly and internally displaced persons (IDPs) stands at 25%, 26.2% and 17% respectively. A combination of genetic, biological, psychological, social and environmental factors are responsible for depression. While some people believe they can just “snap out” of depression, that is rarely the case. Fortunately, with the help of a psychologist, depression can be treated. How Can You Find a Psychologist? Now that you know when you need to consult with a psychologist, the next question on your mind is: how can I find a psychologist? Up until recently, it was quite challenging to find a psychologist who meets your needs. You had to journey for several kilometres to get access to the few available psychologists in Nigeria. As if that was not enough, the exorbitant consultation rate was another issue to grapple with. Fortunately, with the developments in telemedicine, these issues have become a thing of the past. A telemedicine service provider you can trust when it comes to handling the issues mentioned above is HealthConnect 24x7. This leading health-tech company in Nigeria allows you to consult with a clinical psychologist via voice/video calls from any convenient location at a pocket-friendly subscription rate. All you have to do is call 08000HEALTH (08000432584) toll-free to get started.

A Close Look at the Healthcare Industry Since the Turn of the Century

Healthcare is a basic amenity needed by everyone irrespective of status in society. While it is the responsibility of government at all levels to provide the needed primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare infrastructure, funding, and manpower, well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies need to complement the government’s effort. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the challenges bedeviling the healthcare sector since the early 2000s, and proffer solutions that can be adopted by relevant bodies, going forward. Challenges of Healthcare in Nigeria Since the 2000s Healthcare delivery in Nigeria has retrogressed largely due to unwillingness on the part of successive governments to effectively solve several problems that have long existed in the sector for decades. Some of these problems exist in the areas of: Infrastructure As of the early 2000s, primary healthcare was largely provided through approximately 4,000 health clinics. In that same period, there were about 700 health centers and 1,650 maternity centers available for secondary healthcare delivery. In the area of tertiary care, only 12 university teaching hospitals with about 6,500 beds were available for a population of about 140 million. While the hospital beds increased to about 160,000 hospital beds in 2015, the country still suffers from a very low bed per thousand population of 0.9 (less than one) in comparison to other developing countries like South Africa, with a bed per thousand population of 2.29. This low statistic has been a trend down through the years. Another worrisome trend is that not only is there a lack of physical infrastructure required to adequately cater to the population, but existing structures are packed with outdated equipment. This has significantly limited the capacity of healthcare institutions in keeping up with the trends and developments in the profession. The ultimate implication of this is a limitation in increasing internally generated revenue within the institutions despite the rising demand for services. Health Insurance With the global calls for governments around the world to provide health insurance coverage for the governed, the Nigerian government launched the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2005 to provide subsidized healthcare for government employees and private firms entering contracts with private health care providers. However, only a few people fall within these categories, as reflected in the existing data, which shows that less than 3 percent of Nigerians have health insurance coverage. While there is increasing private sector participation in the Scheme with over 40 Health Management Organizations (HMOs) licensed by NHIS, more needs to be done by the government and private partners, as data on life expectancy, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality, malaria, and HIV/AIDS shows that Nigeria is still one of the worst-performing countries in terms of healthcare. Manpower As of 1999, there were an estimated 0.2 doctors to 1,000 people. Currently, the situation has worsened, with about 1 doctor to 6,000 patients, which is a far cry from the 1 doctor to 600 people, as recommended by WHO. The reason for this manpower deficit can be traced to the “brain drain” being experienced in the healthcare industry. Nigeria is one of the several major health-staff-exporting countries in Africa. For Instance, according to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), only about 500 medical professionals legally emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2002, but currently, there are about 72,000 registered Nigerian doctors, with only about 35,000 practicing in-country. Beyond the gloomy picture this data paints, what is more, frightening is that there seems to be little to no concerns from the relevant authorities, as reflected in the statement made by then minister of health, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, saying “it might sound selfish, but we can’t all be specialists. We can’t. Some will be farmers; some will be politicians. The man who sews my gown is a doctor. He makes the best gown. And some will be specialists, some will be GPs, some will be farmers.” Funding In April 2001, the member nations of the African Union (AU) met in Abuja, Nigeria, and resolved that at least 15 percent of their yearly budget will be earmarked to improve the health sector. However, a perusal of the 2001 to 2021 budget reveals that Nigeria has never met that target. In fact, it does not seem Nigeria will even make attempts to meet the target, as a breakdown of the 2021 budget revealed that the nation allocated only 4.5 percent (about N592.166 billion) of the N13.082 trillion budget, despite the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A further breakdown of the budget showed that only N2,960 was allocated for the medical care of every Nigerian for one year (12 months). Developmental Strides in Nigeria’s Healthcare Despite the existing challenges plaguing the Nigerian healthcare sector, several developmental strides have been witnessed down through the years. One of such worth mentioning is the development of telemedicine in the country. While a sizable number of Nigerians became aware of telemedicine during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, it dates back to 2007, when the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) partnered with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to inaugurate the pilot telemedicine project in two teaching hospitals and six Federal Medical Centres across the nation. Since then, the development of telemedicine has been spearheaded by private players. One of the key players in the telemedicine industry in Nigeria is HealthConnect 24x7. With a fusion of next-generation telemedicine, telemonitoring, and home health technologies, HealthConnect 24x7 provides patients with unlimited access to highly trained and experienced doctors and wellness experts. The On-site Virtual Clinic Booth, Wellness Program, 24x7 Doctor Control Program, Health Analytics, Hospital at Home® Program, and Integrated Mobile Application of HealthConnect 24x7 can be used by individuals, employers of labour, HMOs, and governments at all levels.

6 Effective Stress Management Techniques

Stress can be both helpful and harmful, using appropriate stress management would help you reap its benefits. Stress is a psychological, physiological and behavioral response by an individual when they perceive a lack of equilibrium between the demands placed on them and the ability to meet the demands, which over a period of time, leads to deterioration in health. We all go through stress one time or the other in our lives. Whether it is at work, in Lagos traffic or at home, everyone experiences stress. However, appropriate stress management is required to ensure one does not come down with symptoms such as: Easy fatigabilityInsomniaExcessive eating or loss of appetiteConstant headachesIrritabilityNauseaDifficulty concentrating,and various more symptoms. There are Three Stages of Stress. The Alarm Stage.The Adaptation Stage.The exhaustion or recovery stage. The Alarm Stage. This is where our bodies are prepared for flight-or-fight response to whatever is causing the stress. The body is ready to face the perceived threat or escape from it. The Adaptation Stage. At this stage, the body adapts to the presence of a constant stressor if the stressful situation has not been resolved. The Exhaustion or Recovery Stage. This stage can go either way. The body may recover if the body succeeds in resolving the stressors effect. However, if the body does not succeed, exhaustion sets in and burn out occurs. This may lead to mental ailments such as depression, anxiety disorders, also other medical conditions. 6 Steps For Effective Stress Management 1. Understand the Stressor. It would help if you can identify the cause of the stressful situation or even triggers to the stressor. 2. Recognize Stress Symptoms. This involves you being able to state if you are stressed out or not before one gets to the exhaustion or burn out stage. 3. Have a Healthy Lifestyle. Studies have shown that proper diet and exercise have helped to reduce the effects of stressors in our bodies. 4. Make Self-care a Priority. Most people tend to bury themselves in work or school or any stressful activity and completely forget self-care. It is important to make self-care a priority. 5. Have a Stress Strategy. Recognize your go-to tactic or your coping mechanism when in a stressful situation so as to use it to help resolve effects of stress faster. 6. Ask for Help. If you are overwhelmed and you need support, please endeavor to ask for it from a family member, a friend or a colleague. Also speaking to a health care professional can also reduce stress. Conclusion Stress is a normal factor in our everyday lives, however the ability to resolve the causative situation to ensure fast recovery instead of having to undergo and exhaustion is very much important as well.

Itchy Ears ; 5 quick ways to treat them

Itchy ears is an extremely common complain of a lot of people. It could either be mild or severe Every once in a while, we tend to have itchy ears that usually resolves on its own. However severe itching may not resolve on its own until the underlying cause is fixed. Some of the Causes of Itchy Ears Allergies.Ear infections.Ear wax build up.Eczema in the ear canal.Putting foreign objects into the ears, such as cotton buds, keys, pens or their covers, etc.Psychological; anxiety or a nervous habit. 5 ways to Quickly Treat Itchy Ears Ensure you do not put anything into the earIf you think its wax build up, you can pour 5 drops of olive oil into the ear and cover the outer part of the ear. This would help soften the wax and cause it to come out by itselfAvoid using ear plugs or ear piece as they could irritate the skin of the ear and cause dermatitis or eczemaAvoid things or foods you are allergic to. Once the cause of the allergy is gone, the itching stops.Over-the-counter antihistamines could help stop the itching also. However if the itching does don’t resolve or you have additional symptoms like ear discharge, loss of hearing, etc., kindly call a doctor for consultation.

Effective Techniques for Weight Loss

We know you have been trying to lose weight for a while now. Even when you manage to lose weight, you tend to add the kilos or the pounds back and even more than what you lost in the first place. You may have been going to the gym, running, doing a lot of exercise. You even bought those slim or detox teas, slimming pills, a waist trainer, some oil that you are supposed to rub on your belly that would make the fat disappear. You have tried all the excessive diets in the world but nothing worked. The truth is that weight is about numbers. If you consume more calories than you burn daily, your body stores it as fat. However if you consume less than you burn, your body breaks down the already stored fat to help meet up with what you burned. If you do this consistently, and your body keeps breaking down the already stored fat, no matter how small, you would end up losing weight. With this illustration, it is obvious that food is the most important factor when it comes to weight loss. Exercise helps also, to burn extra calories and keep the body strong, but however, if you exercise without changing how much you eat, the exercise would be in vain. Here are some effective techniques that would help you lose weight: You can eat whatever food you like but reduce the portions by using a smaller plate to eat. Do not eat till you are full or till your stomach starts hurting.Measure the amount of food you eat with either measuring cups or spoons so as not to over eat because you measured it with your eyes.Drink a lot of water before eating or when you think you are hungry. It would help send a message to your brain that you are full faster than when you are just eating alone.Most times, you are not hungry, just bored. So try to keep yourself busy or sleep. You cannot consume calories when you sleep.Do not forget that even healthy foods should be eaten in appropriate proportions because you can add weight by overeating healthy foods.Snack on vegetables or fruits when you decide to have a snack instead of junk food.Add physical activity, at least 2.5 hours in a week to your diet. Brisk walk when you have the chance to.Have an accountability partner or a support group with your friends, family or even people you do not know but have the same goals.Have a proper mindset and set attainable weight loss goals. Remember, it took a long time for you to add weight, do not expect it to disappear in 5 days.BE CONSISTENT. This is the most important point. Do not start today and stop in 2 weeks so you don’t lose the progress you have achieved. Remember, whatever you want to be, start now! Don’t wait for a Monday or a new month or a new year, start now!

How to Effectively Manage Your Blood Pressure.

Increased blood pressure, also known as hypertension occurs when a person has a blood pressure of systolic >140mmhg and or diastolic >90mmhg following repeated examinations about 6 hours or more apart.About 1.39 billion adults are living with hypertension in a study done in 2019. Fewer than 1 in 5 people with hypertension have it controlled and this is even less in developing countries like Nigeria. Your blood pressure is not controlled because of the following factors: Inconsistency with hypertensive medication: most people tend to stop taking their medications when their blood pressure is relatively controlled, or they take a lesser dose. This causes an increase again in the blood pressureEating too much salt: most of our diets are salty. Especially the one you use salt and seasoning together. People living with hypertension are supposed to reduce their salt intake. Lack of exercise: majority of people do not exercise as they should for the required time in a week. Ways to effectively manage your blood pressure are as follows: Ensure you take your antihypertensive medications everyday consistently, to avoid your blood pressure increasing drastically and causing severe complications like stroke, kidney failure, heart failure and many more. Have regular medical checkups where your blood pressure would be checked and you would be able to speak with a doctor to ensure the antihypertensive medications are adequate.Reduction of salt intake, which is extremely important in the control of your blood pressure. About 1.5g of salt is adequate enough for a hypertensive patient in a day. If you use seasoning, do not use salt and vice versa. Also eat home cooked meals instead of restaurant bought meals because you would not be able to control the amount of salt in foods bought.Exercise, which is very key for people with high blood pressure. Your body needs about 150-300 minutes per week of moderately intense exercise like brisk walking, swimming, cycling, etc. Also, ensuring you do not have a sedentary lifestyle by walking, instead of taking a vehicle for short distances, or climbing the stairs instead of taking the lift.Healthy diet that involves fruits and vegetables is very important for a person with high blood pressure.Avoiding stressors or finding ways to good ways to deal with stress or to perfectly manage stress is also an important way. By doing these, your blood pressure would be properly controlled and you would have a lower chance of having complications associated with high blood pressure.

Telemedicine is the Best Option for Child’s Healthcare in Nigeria.

I think we concentrate too much on healthcare options for adults in Nigeria without exploring options for ped patients. Options for children should be considered too if only for the important fact that kids develop their own feelings about their own medical experience. For instance, we all know that whenever a child sees a nurse, the child is put off. When we discuss procedures or a diagnosis to an adult patient, we can use the voice of reasoning to make them understand outcomes. In fact, you can pool everyone together and talk to them all at once and everyone goes home happy. But for the kids? There are peculiarities – many of them. Children are special kinds of beings. With children, you are explaining in one manner to the parents and adopting a different ball to explain the same thing to the pediatric patient. And not just in plain words. You’d have to use another language entirely so things don’t go messy. And did I also mention you may be needing the babysitting skills set. Yes. Your ‘friend’ is already afraid of your uniform and the entire hospital environment wrenches his gut. Therefore, it’s high time, we begin to look at available options so kids can access medical care with fun. Children Respond Better to Doctors via Telemedicine Channels. Telemedicine is the most preferable option for kids, according to this research which found out that children responded better to therapists on a telehealth screen than face to face. This is keenly because telemedicine is delivered through a technology they already love – phone or videoconferencing systems. You can read about the benefits of telemedicine in Nigeria. This also translates that many private and public healthcare providers should immediately expand their health programmes to accommodate telemedicine too. For example, a child who has been traumatized and suffer from anxiety may find it difficult to speak in a traditional office visit. But it is easier for him to talk to a psychiatrist virtually and from the comfort of his home, surrounded only by his loved ones and friends. He’d see the care giver as a friend who is trying to help him. What this also means is that with telemedicine, his family saves time and money travelling just to see a doctor, which definitely takes him out of school. In truth, telemedicine is an important tool that can help overcome hospital fright in children. Besides equitable healthcare is about meeting patients where they are and helping them heal soonest. In child healthcare, words are king. Words can help kids have the best or worst possible medical outcome. Telemedicine remains the best option to help a child get healthcare with fun. A health provider can give a child 101% attention, listening to all the child's problems even if the child is lisping. This is unlike the traditional office visit where care givers are always in hurry. All you need do is use that same smart phone in your hand and access quality medical care from wherever you are.

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Everything You Need to Know About Depression

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What Will Healthcare Look Like in 2050?

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How to Know If You Need to Consult a Psychologist

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A Close Look at the Healthcare Industry Since the Turn of the Century

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6 Effective Stress Management Techniques

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Itchy Ears ; 5 quick ways to treat them

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Effective Techniques for Weight Loss

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How to Effectively Manage Your Blood Pressure.

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Telemedicine is the Best Option for Child’s Healthcare in Nigeria.

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