Health benefits of Bitter Kola Chairman, Bioresource Development Group (BDG) Prof Maurice Iwu answers the question on Bitter Kola Benefits Bitter Kola, Garcinia kola, used extensively in West Africa as a social beverage and offered to guests as ‘Kola’ in many of Nigeria’s cultural settings, is valued also for its medicinal properties. It is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of Laryngitis, general inflammation, bronchitis, viral infections and diabetes as well as a rejuvenating agent, adaptogen and general antidote. Scientists at our laboratories have performed extensive research and written many books on this wonder plant called ‘Garcinia’. Researchers have identified bitter kola as a potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and a potential detoxifying agent. Bitter kola is a food supplement and anti-infective agent in the management of cold, bronchitis, and it reduces congestion of the upper respiratory tract. Because some ...

Geneva, 29 December 2015   “WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on the significant achievement of ending its Ebola outbreak. We must render homage to the Government and people of Guinea who, in adversity, have shown extraordinary leadership in fighting the epidemic,” says Dr Mohamed Belhocine, WHO Representative in Guinea. “WHO and its partners will continue to support Guinea during the next 90 days of heightened surveillance and in its early efforts to restart and strengthen essential health services throughout 2016.” A milestone for the Ebola outbreak                      The end of Ebola transmission in Guinea marks an important milestone in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The original chain of transmission started two years ago in Gueckedou, Guinea in late December 2013 and drove the outbreak which spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone and, ult...

FG Launches Project To Boost HIV/AIDS Service Delivery The Federal Government in collaboration with other partners has launched a new project to boost and strengthen services against HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country. The two year project tagged “Strengthening HIV/AIDS Service Delivery through Human Resources for Health (HRH) Systems in Nigeria” will be implemented by CapacityPlus, a USAID funded project implemented by IntraHealth in 29 countries. Launching the project on Sunday in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Shamaki said it will respond adequately to ‘human resource for health implications’ of the national health sector reforms. Represented by the Director, Planning,  Research and Statistics of the ministry, Dr Ngozi Azodoh , he said this includes addressing those priority interventions required to be strengthened towards achieving the health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the realization of the Universal Health Coverage th...

Hand washing: NGO laments poor orientation of Nigerians Hand washing Lagos, Oct. 15, 2015 (NAN) An NGO, Inspired Nurses Network, Afrika, on Thursday decried the poor orientation of many Nigerians toward regular and occasional hand washing. The Coordinators of the NGO and professional nurses, Mr Josiah Okesola and Mr Emmanuel Adegoke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that many Nigerians were no longer imbibing the culture of hand washing. NAN reports that Global Handwashing Day, celebrated every Oct. 15, is a campaign to motivate and mobilise millions of people around the world to wash their hands with soap against spread of diseases. The day was created at the annual World Water Week 2008 held in Stockholm from Aug. 17 to Aug. 23 and initiated through Public Private Partnership to promote hand washing. Okesola said that there was need for more awareness to be created to enable many people to be educated on the need to wash their hands regularly. He...

Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer May Become Possible Dr. Usha Menon is the a co-author of a Lancet article that says a screening test for ovarian cancer needs more study. MICHAEL HARDING FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES By DENISE GRADY A new version of a screening test for ovarian cancer  may reduce deaths from the disease, but it needs more study to determine whether the benefits hold up, researchers reported on Thursday. The findings come from a 14-year study of more than 200,000 women in Britain,  published in The Lancet . “We need to follow up to confirm that this is absolutely significant throughout,” said Dr. Usha Menon, an author of the Lancet article and head of the gynecological  cancer  center at University College London. She said, “This is almost there, but not yet.” Her reason for caution was that the study passed only two of three tests of statistical significance, which means that the apparent benefits of screening might have...

Cancer is not just 'bad luck' but down to environment, study suggests By James Gallagher Cancer is overwhelmingly a result of environmental factors and not largely down to bad luck, a study suggests. Earlier this year, researchers sparked a debate after suggesting two-thirds of cancer types  were down to luck  rather than factors such as smoking. The new study,  in the journal Nature , used four approaches to conclude only 10-30% of cancers were down to the way the body naturally functions or "luck". Experts said the analysis was "pretty convincing". NHS: How to reduce your cancer risk Cancer is caused by one of the body's own stem cells going rogue and dividing out of control. That can be caused either by intrinsic factors that are part of the innate way the body operates, such as the risk of mutations occurring every time a cell divides, or extrinsic factors such as smoking, UV radiation and many others that have not been identified. ...

4 Standing Move for a Super-Flat Stomach BY ALISON GOLDMAN You can get a stronger center without unfurling an  exercise  mat. In fact, the standing abdominals routine below hits all of the muscles that make up your core, from your abs to your hips, your pelvis to your lower back. Check out the four exercises in our handy video and pin-able graphic. You can also find  how-tos for each move here . Just complete three or four sets of each  exercise  as instructed, resting for 30 seconds between sets, two or three times a week. Flat belly, here you come! More from  Women's Health : 8 Moves That Will Help You Stay Fit for Life 4 Exercises to Lift Your Boobs 6 Trainers' Favorite Exercises for Stronger, Sculpted Arms Tags:  ABS WORKOUTS WORKOUTS FIT AND FIERCE WORKOUT WEDNESDAY Source: Women's Health

Everything You Should Know About the ‘New’ STD By Kristine Thomas Photo: Getty Images As if there’s not enough  bad STD news  to worry about already—a recent study suggests there’s a new sexually transmitted infection in town. Introducing: mycoplasma genitalium , or MG. Though experts have known of MG’s existence since the ’80s, the new paper published in the  International Journal of Epidemiology  reveals that the bacterial infection, which resides in the urinary and genital tracts, likely spreads through sexual contact. To reach their findings, researchers at University College London, examined urine samples of 4,507 men and women between 18 and 44 years old who were sexually active with at least one partner. Of these participants, 48 women and 24 men were diagnosed with MG. However, when the researchers tested urine samples from about 200 teenagers who had never had sex, zero tested positive for the infection. We spoke with Raquel Dardik, MD, a ...

  Ginger: Not Just Another Tasty Herb by  Brenda F. Johnson , BSN, RN   Writer    4 Herbs bring delight to our world through their variety of aroma, taste, and beautiful hues. Beauty products often have an herbal ingredient such as lavender that enhances the properties and smell of the product. Many herbs have medicinal qualities like the aloe vera plant that is great for burns. We can’t forget cooking with herbs, my personal favorite. One herb in particular that is in the forefront right now for it’s anti-nausea effects, is ginger. Gigi: “Ginger Ale for nausea after surgery is a tried and true remedy.” What is Ginger?   Plant geeks know ginger by it’s scientific name, Zingiber officinale, a knotted root called a rhizome. An article by the University of Maryland Medical Center, “Ginger”, the herb is reported to have been used for thousands of years in countries like Asia and India. Among the numerous medicinal uses of ginger are: aids...

Cough CPR 654 The American Heart Association does not endorse "cough CPR," a coughing procedure widely publicized on the Internet. As noted in the 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, “cough CPR” is not useful for unresponsive victims and should not be taught to lay rescuers. RDuring a sudden  arrhythmia  (abnormal heart rhythm), it may be possible for a conscious, responsive person to cough forcefully and repetitively to maintain enough blood flow to the brain to remain conscious for a few seconds until the arrhythmia is treated. Blood flow is maintained by increased pressure in the chest that occurs during forceful coughs. This has been mislabeled "cough CPR," although it's not a form of traditional resuscitation. Why isn't "cough CPR" appropriate in CPR training courses? "Cough CPR" should not be taught in lay-rescuer CPR courses because it is ge...