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“KNOW YOUR NUMBERS” ….Celebrating World Hypertension Day 2018 By Dr. Uche Enumah @ NNPC/DPR RETIRED STAFF ASSOCIATION, LAGOS BRANCH.

19 June 2018 by Retirees and healthy living 831 Views
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“KNOW YOUR NUMBERS”

….Celebrating World Hypertension Day 2018

By Dr. Uche Enumah @ NNPC/DPR RETIRED STAFF ASSOCIATION, LAGOS BRANCH.

 

Objectives

  • To impart adequate knowledge on definition, meaning, of hypertension
  • To reveal the life numbers to watch out for
  • To ascertain some of the risk factors to the aetiology, and highlight the preventive measures
  • To outline steps for the management of hypertension.
  • To establish healthy life style as a holistic strategy for controlling hypertension.

     Introduction

  • Health Explained
  • World Hypertension Day
  • Know Your Numbers
    • BMI – Body Mass Index
    • Cholesterol
    • Blood Sugar
    • Blood Pressure
  • Step/process towards blood pressure management plan
  • Conclusion and Take away.

Health is the ever-changing process of achieving

individual potential in the physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and environmental dimensions.

World health organization (who) definition of health – the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease…WHO 1950

Wellness is the achievement of the highest level of health possible in each dimension of health

  • Everyone wants to look and feel healthy.
  • By choosing safer food, healthier nutrition and regular physical activ­ity, HEALTHIER CHOICES and SAFER BEHAVIOURS you can improve your health throughout your life.
  • These key behaviors/Choices are important for your health no matter how old you are or where you live in the world.

WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY (WHD)

  • Every year, 17th May is dedicated to World Hypertension Day (WHD).
  • This is an initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL), affiliated to the International Society for Hypertension (ISH).
  • First inaugurated in May 2005, has become an annual event ever since.
  • The objective is to promote public awareness of HTN and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer, the modern epidemic.
  • This year’s theme is “KNOW YOUR NUMBERS” but we will focus more on How to live with it.

Step/process towards blood pressure management plan

  • Obtain a high-quality home blood pressure monitor.
  • Check blood pressure twice a day, every day of the week.
  • Make an up-to-date list of all current medications.
  • List the lifestyle approaches to lowering BP that you are following (or interested in).
  • Make an appointment to discuss blood pressure management with your usual doctor.
  • Plan to follow-up on any changes to the plan.

 

Obtain a high-quality home blood pressure monitor.

  • Studies have found that home-based measurements are better than office-based BP measurements. They better reflect a person’s BP over 24 hours.
  • According to a recent survey, nearly fifty percent of NNPC staff are over forty years old and age and ageing workforce are proven risk factors for Hypertension.
  • Here in Lagos Medical Area, Hypertension is responsible for 14-16% of hospital visits to our clinics.
  • The statistics in Africa and the rest of the world is even more alarming.

Check blood pressure twice a day, every day of the week.

  • Blood pressure is constantly changing a bit — or sometimes a lot — in the body, checking several days in a row means that you’ll have several readings that can be averaged.
  • Aim to check at the same times every day. An average of several daily readings provides a more accurate picture of a person’s BP.
  • Optional but helpful:Use a “three measurements in a row” technique if possible. The SPRINT trial measured BP by letting participants rest quietly for five minutes, and then having the monitor check the BP three times in a row, with a one minute pause between each check.
  • Those three readings were then averaged into a reading for the day.

Make an up-to-date list of all current medications.

  • Your doctors will need to know exactly what medications you are taking, in order to evaluate your blood pressure treatment plan.
  • Start by listing those for heart or BP.
  • But list all others, because some medications that are not prescribed for BP can still affect BP (such as Flomax, which can be used to improve urination when a man has an enlarged prostate).
  • Also list all supplements, vitamins, herbs, and over-the-counter medications.
  • Be sure to note if any medication is not being taken exactly as prescribed. The doctors to know if an older person has been skipping any of the medications that affect BP.
  • Note any concerns about side-effects, cost, or other concerns related to continuing the medication

List the lifestyle approaches to lowering BP that you are following (or interested in).

 

  • Although prescription medications are the main way doctors often try to treat hypertension, many lifestyle changes have been shown to help lower BP as well.
  • Many of these lifestyle changes are great for older adults, because they benefit health in many ways but have fewer risks than taking prescription medication.
  • Proven approaches to lower high blood pressure include:

DIET AND EATING

  • Diet - food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health
  • Dieting- the act of limiting a balanced consumption of the necessary foods and drinks to maintain a healthy lifestyle
  • Though somewhat similar, society has morphed these two terms into completely different things
  • Society has accepted dietingas a form of losing weight.
  • This shouldn't be the case.
  • Continued, balanced nutrition is the way to proper weight control and healthy internal organs.
  • Dieting is often used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight, commonly in those who are overweight or obese.
  • Some people, however, follow a diet to gain weight (usually in the form of muscle). Diets can also be used to maintain a stable body weight.

There are three main abnormalities:

  • Undernutrition: when a diet is inadequate in quantity – either because it is not available or the person chose not to eat enough
  • Malnutrition: when a diet is inadequate in quality – amount may be enough but the essential nutrients are missing due to poor selection or not affordable.
  • Overnutrition: when a diet contains excessive amounts of calories and fat; at the same time, the diet may be deficient in protein and minerals

WEIGHT CONTROL

  • Weight managementis a long-term approach to a healthy lifestyle. It includes a balance of healthy eating and physical exercise to equate energy expenditure and energy intake.
  • It means keeping your body weight at a healthy level. 
  • Obesity is defined as a body weight greater than 20% of normal weight for height.
  • The World Health Organization has formulated an index for defining obesity.
  • Known as the body mass index (BMI), it is based on the patient's height in meters and weight in kilograms: BMI = weight in kilograms  (height in meters)2

PHYSICAL FITNESS

  • WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure
    • including activities undertaken while working, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational pursuits?
  • The term "physical activity" should not be confused with "exercise",
    • which is a subcategory of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
  • Physical fitnessis your ability to carry out tasks without undue fatigue.
    • Learn about the components of physical fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition .

Make an appointment to discuss blood pressure management with your usual doctor

  • Your doctor can help you identify a good target blood pressure goal, and can help you develop a plan to reach that goal.
  • Be sure to bring up any concerns regarding falls, or other potential side-effects of treatment.
  • Bring in your home BP readings and your up-to-date medication list.
  • Consider asking the doctor to check BP sitting and standing, especially if you’ve had any concerns about falls
  • Ask your doctor what target BP goal they recommend for you, given your health history.

Plan to follow-up on any changes to the plan

  • Whatever you and your doctors decide to do, you’ll want to make a plan for seeing how your blood pressure responds to the changes.
  • Remember that experts say a week’s worth of home BP monitoring is more accurate than a follow-up BP check in the office.
  • Be sure to ask your doctor to specify:
    • When should you undertake this home monitoring? (Most BP medications will take their full effect within 1 week. Lifestyle changes will take weeks to months to have an effect.)
    • When will you be meeting — by phone or in person — to discuss the results of the follow-up BP monitoring?
    • What level of high (or low) BP should trigger a call to the office?

KNOW YOUR (LIFE) NUMBERS

  • Ideal body Mass Index: BMI=22-23 (18.5 – 24.9 Kg/M2),maximum waist circumference of 88cm in female and 102cm in males.
  • Blood pressure <130/80mmHg
  • FBS = 70-110mg/dL (3.5 – 5.5 mMoles/L)
  • 2hPP = 70-140mg/dL
  • HbA1c <7%,
  • Cholesterol <5mmol
  • No proteinuria

CONCLUSION;

Do you know your numbers? Prevention is better that cure.

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Business Opportunities

09 May 2018 by Analyzing Business ideas and openings for Retired Staff of NNPC/DPR 1142 Views
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Analyzing Business ideas and openings for Retired Staff of NNPC/DPR

By virtue of being a retired staff of NNPC/DPR you are a senior citizen and a bundle of talent. Then you should start considering ways to make additional income and avoid being idle. Public speaking in form of public lecture presentation or training is a lucrative ground to consider, your deeper knowledge in the industry allows you to share your ideas and knowledge with the younger generation, while doing this you are engaged and possibly getting paid in return. You can also consider sharing tips in form of public writings or book writing. Here you can share life journey, experiences and things you have learnt over the long period of your working career, your writing can also include advice to young ones on leadership, parenting tips, choosing a career path etc. Another alternative is to become a freelance writer, you could make money from writing web content, copywriting or guest blogging. Also related to this is to set up a school or become a part-time or full-time teacher depending on how much time you have got to spare. You could even start an after-school tutoring business for school children, you might also engage some few hands.

In a fast growing economy like ours, experience is usually very important. Retired staff of NNPC/DPR can go into consulting in large scale. You can offer your services as a business consultant to Private or government owned business establishments. Your experience in NNPC is enough to equip you with tricks of the business that you can teach people. You can also by so doing help younger generation with some relevant business ideas.

AS a senior citizen of Nigeria, you can decide to focus on major area of training; this can come in form of coaching Centre. Pick a certain area of concentration like Life coach, marital training, business coaching etc. Any or all of these will most definitely keep you busy and earn you extra income. Have you also consider Pet and babysitting. It is interesting to know that Children and pet loves being around elderly persons. I will therefore recommend strongly that you set up a baby and/or pet sitting school. It is very much lucrative and rewarding, it might however require hiring extra hand.

Let us also look at Property management and other related services. You can start this by helping neighbor, friends and colleagues to rent or lease their vacant properties, you could also invest your retirement savings into building or buying houses for resale. You could also set up a bed and breakfast hotel. Here, you do not necessarily need to purchase a property or have millions in your savings, if you have a room or two in your home that is currently vacant, all you need do is to convert it to a suitable space where visitors can pay to relax and spend a night. Again, this is a business that can be done conveniently from home.

Depending on where your SBUs was while in service, those that retired in Operation, Account/Finance, Admin etc can set up a consultancy service to helping Gas station, filling station or other related business to run well the business, since you retired and learnt from the apex body in the industry.

Cooking/catering and Event planning is also very lucrative, of course, there would be a lot of recipes the younger generation could learn from you.

There is no one best solution to how to escape being idle or out of cash dilemma, but one thing is certain, venturing into any of the above wisely will guarantee you a lively living and an extra income. 

Thank you.

AFOLABI BABATUNDE

SENIOR ADMIN OFFICER

NNPC/DPR RETIRED STAFF ASSOCIATION, LAGOS BRANCH.

08030801862

 

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VERIFICATION EXERCISE IN LAGOS (LESSONS AND HEALTH EXPERIENCES)

09 February 2018 by Retirees and healthy living 2558 Views
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VERIFICATION EXERCISE IN LAGOS

Lessons and its health experiences by G.C Uche Okoye

Lagos Branch verification exercise that took place on the 29th August to 2nd September, 2016 was held in two places. The first two days, 29th – 30th August was at the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Ikoyi. And the remaining two days, 31st August to 2nd September, 2016 was conducted at Westown Hotel, Ikeja.

The huge success recorded was due to the concised efforts by the branch to reach out to members, including many that have left Lagos to their various home town and outside the country.

 A situation where a member was bedridden, arrangement was made to reach them for the verification on their sick bed.  All these culminated to the success of the exercise in Lagos branch.

LESSONS AND HEALTH EXPERIENCES

The verification exercise was also an opportunity where old friends met each other, yet a lot remained to be learnt as members trooped in to avoid unverified.

With keen observation most members came exuding in good health, while some where frail and in clutches or in wheel chairs. Men especially were more affected, hardly some of these members could be recognized except by their names. The question is, could it be old age?

Having good surveillance, one may conclude that it is not. Because many were noticed to have aged gracefully, still looking good while others aged very fast due to ill health that remained the major factor that lead to rapid deterioration of their physical outlooks. The question again is, could this be due to the way we may have lived our life in the past both physically and spiritually?

The way we think and do things and what we eat and drink also go a long way to tell more of our health. But how much do we listen to our body to avoid degenerating occurrences by visiting the hospital or clinic, like the proverbial saying, “A stitch in time saves nine”.

Although, natural or accidental death could occur due to unforeseen circumstances in life. Such situation could be designated as fate. In any case, if there should be any infirmity found in our body, it could be traced as a result of our life style.

The excessive cholesterol in the blood stream, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, loss of memory, blindness, bone decease, strokes, etc are sicknesses that creeps in as we grow older. They become critical, consuming the whole body system if they are not attended to from the beginning.

AS WE GET OLDER

 “Staying healthy and feeling your best is important at any age, it does not change because you have grey hairs.

As we grow older, we experience changes, such as children leaving home, loss of loved ones, and physical changes.

How we handle these phenomenons depend on the level of our understanding. Coping with change is difficult, no matter how old we are. The particular challenge for adults over 50 years is the sheer number of changes and transitions that starts to occur, including children moving away, the loss of parent, friends and other loved ones, changes that occur at the end of one’s career, declining health, and even loss of independence.

But if that sense of loss is balanced with positive understanding, then you have got a formula for staying healthy as you age.”

Healthy aging means to continually reinventing yourself as you pass through landmark ages such as 60,70, 80 and beyond. It means finding new things you enjoy, learning to adapt to change, staying physically and socially active, and feeling connected to your community and loved ones.

MYTHS ABOUT AGING

Unfortunately for many, aging brings anxiety and fear instead. Thoughts of how will I take care of myself late in life? What if I lose my spouse? What is going to happen to my mind? However, many of these fears stem from story about aging that are exaggerated by the media are simply untrue. The truth is that you are stronger and more resilient than you may think.

SOME OF THE MYTHS ABOUT AGING AND HEALTH ARE AS FOLLOWS.

  1. Declining health or disability, automatic poor health that confine to a walker or wheelchair. The fact is that many older adults enjoy vigorous health often better than many younger people. Preventive measures like healthy eating, exercising and managing stress can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases or injuries late in life.
  2. Memory loss is an inevitable part of aging. You may eventually notice you don’t remember things as easily as in the past, or memories may start to take a little longer to retrieve. However, memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. Some older men and women still have their retentive memory active.
  3. One of the most damaging myths of aging is that after a certain age, you just won’t be able to try anything new or contribute things anymore. This is not true. Middle aged and older adults are just as capable of learning new things and thriving in new environments, plus the wisdom that comes with life experience. If you believe, and have confident in yourself, you will set up positive environment, no matter your age. Whatever your age, eat well, exercise, spend time with your loved ones, engage in spiritual activities, have a positive mental attitude, rest and sleep and you will not die now for God has promised you longevity of life (Psalm 91:16).

WHAT WE EAT FOR NOURISHMENT

Let us examine what goes into our body and how they affect us. They are from raw, cooked, processed, baked and fried foods, the water/liquid we drink matters also. The raw foods are from fruits/vegetable, eating of it regenerates our organic body harmoniously.

HOW THEY AFFECT US

We are made to know that when we eat raw fruits/vegetable or drink its juice for three days without injecting cooked or processed meal, it will automatically cleans the metabolic system, making the body to be refreshed. When it is taking for five days, it will build up your body defensive system and begin to destroy existing bacterial in the body. And when the dieting of it continues for ten days, it will fortify the immune system, preventing further bacterial from entering the body. This remedy is not only nourishing but rebuilds the organic body and cures all kinds of sicknesses if it is diligently flowed. This could be done with the assistance of medical treatment to facilitate healing.

TESTIMONY

There was a woman who was said to have suffered from breast cancer and how she ate fresh banana for 12 (twelve) months and was wonderfully cured of the decease. Certainly, eating of raw fruits is helpful to our health because they are fresh and alive, and naturally heals the body holistically without side effect.

COOKED/FRIED, BAKED AND PROCESSED FOODS

This is a well known practice by all living beings. Our foods are either cooked, fried, baked or processed for nourishing our body. Some even add artificial flavor and sweetener to give taste. But we have also been advised that when food is over cooked, baked, fried or over processed it become relatively chaff and will not constitute any nutrient value to the body. If it does, very minimal of percentage than the damage it does to the body. Hence the various deceases/sicknesses we see today, ranging from constipation, blood clotting, metabolic disorderliness, not being able to pass feaces well leading to pollution of the blood system, malfunctioning of the organs and a total breakdown of the body system, etc.

This eventually leads to untimely death or part of the body collapsing and not being able to do the things we do in the past if not well managed, you will see such persons either overbloated or shrinked or gets older than his/her age.

A well balance diet is achievable from cooked, fried, baked or processed meal. (Please goggle nutrition/balance dieting and see what it gives) your input to this family talk would be helpful. Remember to meditate always on divine Love; he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God, and God in him /John 4:16 Do not take matters so strong without letting it go, because what we think or do affects us positively or negatively. In Philippians 4:4, it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say rejoice, “because God in His divine Love created you in His image and after His likeness, Genesis 1:26.

UCHE-OKOYE, G.C

PUBLICITY SECRETARY, NNPC RSA LAGOS BRANCH

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