Low Carb, High Fat Diet Could Cure Epilepsy - Research

Scientists have alerted that a diet high in fruit and steak could cure a deadly form of epilepsy. According to the findings of a new study published in the journal ‘Neurology’, a ketogenic diet could be used in the future as a life-saving treatment for epileptic patients.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children.
The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fueling brain-function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies.
The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state known as ketosis, leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
Many people with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. Although, it is estimated that super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE), which is the most severe classification of the brain condition, kills 60 per cent of sufferers, the new research shows that the ketogenic diet could alleviate symptoms in patients.
High in fats and low in carbohydrates, the diet alters the activity of brain cells to prevent deadly fits, the scientists claim. According to a report in the ‘mailonline’, in general, after a patient has experienced 24 hours in a seizure and they will be placed in a coma if drugs aren’t working. “They are then awakened after another day to see if the seizures return. If so, they are then considered to have SRSE.
“The patient will then return to a coma and continue on other medications to try find a treatment method.” The researchers from Johns Hopkins University recruited 15 patients between the ages of 18 and 82 who were hospitalised with SRSE.

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Obesity Causes 11 Different Cancers

Scientists have alerted that obesity strongly increases the risk of developing 11 types of cancer. These are the result of a major study published in the ‘British Medical Journal’.

Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person’s bodyweight is at least 20 per cent higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese.
If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. Being overweight is probably linked to many other forms of the illness but so far, there is not enough evidence, researchers said.
The types of cancers linked to obesity include breast, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, rectum, biliary tract system, pancreas, womb, ovary, kidney and the blood cancer myeloma. Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.
Although, it is not all tumours that are cancerous; benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans. Concerning the new study, researchers from Imperial College London calculated that men’s risk of developing biliary tract cancer increases by up to 56 per cent for every 11lb gained in weight.
For women, the risk of womb cancer rises by 21 per cent for every 0.1 point increase in hip to waist ratio. The findings are particularly concerning as a quarter of adults and a fifth of 11-year-olds are classed as obese. Reacting to the development, Dr. Panagiota Mitrou, of the World Cancer Research Fund, which funded the study, said: “This further emphasises the huge role that obesity plays in increasing cancer risk.”
The research highlighted previous figures showing that some cancers could be prevented each year if everyone has a healthy weight. It looked at 204 existing studies which examined the link between obesity and cancer.

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Cocaine Causes Disablities In Unborn Children - Research

Scientists have raised the alarm over the impact of hard drugs on unborn children, saying sons of men who take cocaine years before pregnancy suffer memory damage in the womb. According to findings of the new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, U.S, cocaine use in men could lead to learning disabilities in their sons.
Similarly, the researchers showed that the drug’s damaging impacts on DNA can be passed on through sperm, hampering the foetus’ brain development. Intriguingly, the effects were far more common in the sons of male cocaine users than their daughters, or than any child of a female cocaine user. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America.
Although healthcare providers can use it for valid medical purposes, such as local anesthesia for some surgeries, cocaine is an illegal drug. As a street drug, cocaine looks like a fine, white, crystal powder. Street dealers often mix it with things like cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour to increase profits. They may also mix it with other drugs such as the stimulant amphetamine.
The ‘mailonline’ reports that while scientists are still trying to determine the timeline, this research builds on previous studies that show cocaine has a lingering effect on DNA, which can last for years after use. 16 male rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine daily through drinking water for 60 days. Another 16 drank saline solution.
They then mated with females, who had not taken drugs. Paternal cocaine-taking had no effect on the litter size, sex ratio, or growth development. However, out of the 46 total litters, the male babies, which had been exposed to cocaine experienced significant issues with memory formation.
Taking a closer look, they saw the expression of genes which are important for memory formation had been altered. Male rats, whose fathers took cocaine, had far lower levels of D-serine, a molecule essential for memory.
Once the researchers replenished the levels of D-serine in the sons’ hippocampus, they saw improved learning in these animals. Senior author, Dr. R. Christopher Pierce, a professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with a team to test the theory on mice

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Queens College Diarrhea Tragedy: Victims Speak Out

Revelations have started coming out with regards to the tragic incident that happened at Queen’s College, Lagos, in which two students died while several others were hospitalized on the wake of an outbreak of diarrhea in the school. 

Aside the two pupils, no fewer than 50 others will not be in school as they are either recuperating at home or on admission in different hospitals in Lagos State, including Apapa General Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Harvey Road Hospital and Safe City Clinic.
It was gathered that problem started after the pupils, who were boarding students, ate spaghetti and drank suspected polluted water served in the refectory two weeks ago.
An epidemic of diarrhea was said to have broken out, as the pupils started vomiting and stooling.
News men, who spoke with parents, pupils, a teacher and a nurse in the school, gathered that the sickbay overflowed with sick pupils as panic spread in the school.
Some parents were said to have been called to take their children home for treatment.
It was learnt that Osuiniyi, a Junior Secondary School two pupil, died on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, while Itulua, a JSS 3 pupil, died on Wednesday, February 22, 2017.
The mother of Itualua, when contacted, declined comment, saying she was mourning the death of her daughter and did not want to discuss the incident.
Osuiniyi’s parents could not be reached for comment.
However, parents and pupils, who spoke with the media, begged not to be identified as the school management had vowed to deal with anyone who exposed the incident.
A pupil, who spoke from her hospital bed, explained that the school’s water system had been polluted for some time.
She said, “I don’t know the number of boarders affected, but one of my friends is also in the hospital.
“The one that died is Vivian (Osuiniyi). She was in JSS 2. Those affected in my dormitory are not less than 10.
“The problem started after we took spaghetti and drank the contaminated water in the hostel. When I woke up, I started feeling pains in my stomach. I was given some drugs and asked to return to my dormitory, but the pain didn’t stop.
“We complained to the school about the water that we drink, but nothing was done.”
Another pupil, who was receiving treatment at home, said more than 50 senior pupils in her class were affected.
She said, “About 50 pupils in my dormitory were stooling and vomiting after they ate the spaghetti and took the water. There are seven dormitories for SSS3 pupils and we are over 500.
“I went to the sickbay on Monday and complained that I ate spaghetti. A nurse said it was indigestion. When I ate it the next day, I vomited. When I went to report the second time, I was asked to stop eating the spaghetti. Aside the spaghetti, the water is brownish.”
She said the school later distributed bags of sachet water to the pupils.
A parent, whose daughter was among those on admission, told the media that when she called a teacher in the school, she was assured that her daughter was okay.
She said she later got a call that her daughter had started stooling and vomiting as well.
She said, “She was taken to the hospital from the school and has been on admission since Wednesday.”
Another parent, who said she was still treating her sick daughter, said she had first observed rashes on her body.
She said the victim later complained of the water in the school.
She said, “I gathered that the water had been contaminated. It was the same water they were using to cook their food.
“My daughter called and said one of their teachers said a pupil died. She said the girl was among those that ate the spaghetti.
“On Tuesday, I was called to come and take my daughter. I went there and took her to a hospital. When I got to the hospital, the doctors saw the uniform of my daughter and they screamed, ‘QC again!’ I was told that other pupils of the school had been brought to the hospital.”
The mother of one of the affected pupils said she subjected her daughter to several tests, including pregnancy and HIV tests, adding that the result showed food poisoning.
She said, “On Wednesday, I was called that my daughter was not feeling fine. I went on Thursday and took her to a hospital in Yaba. They conducted tests on her and the results showed food poisoning.”
The parent said the Parent-Teacher Association did not want the issue exposed to the public.
It was gathered that there had been threats that no parent should disclose any information regarding the school.
The threat followed an earlier scandal which rocked the school in 2016 after a teacher was alleged to have molested a female pupil.

A statement by the ministry said Adewole’s investigative team comprised members of staff of the Department of Medicine at the University of Lagos and the Epidemiology Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
“The minister has directed the officials of the ministry of health, community health and LUTH to ascertain the cause of death of the pupils, inspect of the school environment, examine the source of water supply and test its suitability for human consumption and also visit the bereaved families,” a statement by the school  said.

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Hope Rises As New HIV Vaccine Cures Five Patients

Three weeks after Prof. Maduike Ezeibe of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Abia State claimed to have discovered a cure for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Spanish scientists over the weekend said five patients living with the disease are virus-free seven months after taking a new vaccine.
According to a study published in New Scientist but first reported by DailyMailUK Online, the treatment, developed by researchers in Spain, allowed the patients to stop taking regular antiretroviral (ARV) drugs – the current method of suppressing HIV.
Scientists have yet to test the results in a large-scale clinical trial, but they say the vaccine may be a “functional cure.”

It is the first step towards success in a field that has failed to find a vaccine in the last 30 years. Dr. Beatriz Mothe, from the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, said: “It’s the proof of  the concept that through therapeutic vaccination, we can really re-educate our T cells to control the virus. This is the first time that we see this is possible in humans.”
Mothe and her colleagues used an HIV vaccine made by Professor Tomáš Hanke from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom (UK).
The study included 13 participants, who had taken ARVs for a little over three years on average – all within six months of being infected.
After four weeks, eight of the patients saw the virus rebound. But the other five patients have gone six to 28 weeks without having to restart the treatment.
The virus became temporarily undetectable, but it has never gone above 2,000 copies per milliliter, which is the criterion to restart treatment.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, told The media yesterday that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS as claimed by Ezeibe. “No, there is no cure for HIV. It is important that we do not deceive our people. There is no cure for HIV. However, treatment is available that allows those infected to live healthy and productive lives. We encourage everyone to get tested, know their HIV status and if positive, get treatment in one of many centres in Nigeria. Treatment is free,” he said.
Ihekweazu said NCDC wants to avoid giving false hope to patients who may now abandon their Anti Retro Viral (ARVs) drugs thus leading to an increase in prevalence and mortality from the disease. He said the agency also does not want a situation where the trust of partners and donors in the country’s health system is lost.

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'' At Ola Herbs and Greens, Nature is Our Best Option'' - Mrs.Opeoluwa Aremu Okulaja, MD/CEO

In the Nigerian natural health industry, Ola Herbs and Greens Resources Limited occupies a front roll seat. This is not just becouse of the unique natural food product in its kitty – such as coconut bread, coconut cake, energy bar and so many others – but also becouse of its foray into other related  fields like health and wellness consultation, awearness programmes, teachings and treanings on healthy lifestyles amongst others. One can therefore refer to Ola Herbs as a 360 degrees natural health and wellness organizatoin.

In ths interview with Nigeria Natural Health Online’s editor, Dumbiri Frank Eboh, the managing director and chief executive officer of Ola Herbs and Greens Resources Limited Mrs. Opeoluwa Aremu Okulaja, speaks on the phylosohpy and idea behind the organization in its drive to promote a culture of natural healthy living and wellness  in Nigeria. Excerpts.

Who is a Healthy person?

A Healthy person is one that takes action everyday to ensure that his body is alright. This is through exercise, drinking enough water, eating the right diet, and engaging in other healthy lifestyles. Maintaining a healthy life is a conscious step that must be taken on a daily basis. How do you cook your food, what kind of snacks and drinks are you taking? These are all questions to ask in maintaining a healthy well being; and you have to discipline yourself in taking those steps. For instance, I don’t just go out there to buy whatever is available. I watch out for what I eat, am conscious of what I put into my body, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. I drink enough water and herbal teas to keep my body going. In our organization, our by- line is ‘‘Health, Your Best Optoin’’  because nature is our best friend, we try to produce everything from nature. We don’t believe in refined food, we don’t believe in processed foods. A lot of processed foods you see around do more damage and harm to the body than good and it is advisable to run from them.

What i s Ola Herbs all about?

We are into healthy living and well being. We believe in the power of nature. What we do is promote the use of natural product, herbs, seeds and every other component of nature. We help people to promote their diet with natural, green product.

What is your range of  products?

We produce health and beauty products. We have a line called Fedora Organic, product made of powder, facial scrubs, body polish all of which are made of natural product. Our facial powder, for instance, is made from cocoa powder, so it’s basically like the food  you eat. And so also is our facial masks wich is  made from natural product like green tea,  Aloe Vera etc. For our body polish, we make use of shear butter, coconut oil and things like that.

We also make smoodies from vegetables as well as salad for our customers and clients. When we bake, we don’t use  your regular flour, we use plantain flour and coconut flour to bake natural foods that are nutritious and healthy for the body. Ola Herbs also makes drinks, especially coconut milk and tiger nut milk all of which are 100% natural with no addictives. Our baking product includes coconut flour bread, cakes from coconut flour, plantain flour and other cookies made from vegetables and little fruits.We also have the energy bar made from nuts. And in all our products we do not use sugar, we use honey where necessary.

At Ola Herbs and Greens, we offer consultation services. There are health and livestyles programmes, weight loss programmes and also do recreational therapy in which people come with their health challenges and based on what they tell us, we try to turn things around for them.

For instance, we can add or remove something from their diet to make them achieve a healthier well being. If you want to do a detox programme, we use a lot of vegetables as detoxification agent. These are things that really detoxify the body in a healthy way.

Ola Herbs is also engaged in teachings and trainings on healthy living.

What percentage of your beauty products are natural?

They are 100% natural. We do not add preservatives nor do we add any form of addictives.

How are you positioned in the market?

We are positioned for all income bracket. Whether you belong to the lower, middle or upper income class, we have products that you can easily access and that can benefit health wise. It depends on what you in particular want. People come here and ask of local foods while others ask for foreign foods which ever category you belong to, we have natural products that can fit your needs. We are expanding our market to make available a wide range of products made from herbs and vegetables that can be easily be afforded by the common man.

In our present elitist culture where people’s social status are defined by big fast foods centres, how do we intend to make people return to natural foods?

That is why we engage in trainings and teachings on healthy living. That you are rich does not mean that you have to kill yourself with junk foods. Natural food has been and still remains the healthiest form of food anywhere in the world. And that also explains why these in the village, where people eat mainly natural foods,they live longer than their counterparts in the cities, that eat junks. So it shouldn’t be about the money: it should be about what it does to the body. Our focus is on the health, the father of modern medicines, Hippocrates said “let food be they  medicine and medicine they food”. And that is where our focus lie, making people understand the importance of what they eat to the body while also giving them natural healthy alternatives to all the junks that are flying around. I also write articles and feature on T.V. shows on matters relating to wellness and healthy living.

How can people access your products?

We are making arrangements to be on Konga, Jumia. But for now, people who are outside of Lagos and want our products, can make a direct order and we will  deliver it to them through courier services. People call us from Abuja, Port-Harcourt and several other cities in Nigeria and we deliver to them based on their orders. The only difference is that they pay for the delivery costs. In the near feature we will put our products in shops and outlet across the country where they can easily be reached. For those who want to retail our products, we will give them incentives in form of lower prices. This also is subject to the quantity that they are buying. The bigger the quantity, the bigger the incentive.

What are we expecting in the near future?

In the near future, we are expecting to have a lot of farm products in the markets. We want to have a wider reach where people can go and get natural product easily. We want to be able to consult to more people and direct them on the part of healthy living. We want to have our own farm so that we can produce our raw materials ourselves in order to serve both the local and international markets.  

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