ALCOHOLISM

People have been brewing and fermenting alcoholic drinks since the dawn of civilization. Consumed in moderate amounts, alcoholic beverages are relaxing and in some cases may even have beneficial effects on heart health. Consumed in excess, alcohol is poisonous and is considered a drug.The immediate physical effects of drinking alcohol range from mild mood changes to complete loss of coordination, vision, balance, and speech -- any of which can be signals of acute alcohol intoxication, or drunkenness. These effects usually wear off in a matter of hours after a person stops drinking. Many law-enforcement agencies regard a .08 percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream as evidence of intoxication. Larger amounts of blood alcohol can impair brain function and eventually cause unconsciousness. An extreme overdose, alcohol poisoning, can be fatal.

This is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in problems^. It was previously divided into two types: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. In a medical context, alcoholism is said to exist when two or more of the following conditions is present: a person drinks large amounts over a long time period, has difficulty cutting down, acquiring and drinking alcohol takes up a great deal of time, alcohol is strongly desired, usage results in not fulfilling responsibilities, usage results in social problems, usage results in health problems, usage results in risky situations, withdrawal occurs when stopping, and alcohol tolerance has occurred with use. Risky situations include drinking and driving or having unsafe sex among others. Alcohol use can affect all parts of the body but particularly affects the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and immune system. This can result in mental illness, Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, an irregular heart beat, liver failure, and an increase in the risk of cancer, among other diseases. Drinking during pregnancy can cause damage to the baby resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Generally women are more sensitive to alcohol's harmful physical and mental effects than men.

Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a disease that causes

• Craving - a strong need to drink
• Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've started
• Physical dependence - withdrawal symptoms
• Tolerance - the need to drink more alcohol to feel the same effect

With alcohol abuse, you are not physically dependent, but you still have a serious problem. The drinking may cause problems at home, work, or school. It may cause you to put yourself in dangerous situations, or lead to legal or social problems.
Another common problem is binge drinking. It is drinking about five or more drinks in two hours for men. For women, it is about four or more drinks in two hours.
Too much alcohol is dangerous. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can cause damage to the liver, brain, and other organs. Drinking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Alcohol also increases the risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicide, and suicide.

The World Health Organization estimates that as of 2010 there were 208 million people with alcoholism worldwide (4.1% of the population over 15 years of age). In the United States about 17 million (7%) of adults and 0.7 million (2.8%) of those age 12 to 17 years of age are affected. It is more common among males and young adults, becoming less common in middle and old age. It is the least common in Africa at 1.1% and has the highest rates in Eastern Europe at 11%. Alcoholism directly resulted in 139,000 deaths in 2013 up from 112,000 deaths in 1990. A total of 3.3 million deaths (5.9% of all deaths) are believed to be due to alcohol. It often reduces a person's life expectancy by around ten years. In the United States it resulted in economic costs of $224 billion USD in 2006. Many terms, some insulting and others informal, have been used to refer to people affected by alcoholism including: tippler, drunkard, dipsomaniac, and souse. In 1979, the World Health Organization discouraged the use of "alcoholism" due to its inexact meaning, preferring "alcohol dependence syndrome"

 The cause of alcoholism seems to be a blend of genetic, physical, psychological, environmental, and social factors that vary among individuals. Genetic factors are considered crucial: A given person's risk of becoming an alcoholic is three to four times greater if a parent is alcoholic. Some children of alcohol abusers, however, overcome the hereditary pattern by not drinking any alcohol at all.

Prevention of alcoholism is possible by regulating and limiting the sale of alcohol, taxing alcohol to increase its cost, and providing inexpensive treatment. Treatment may take several steps. Because of the medical problems that can occur during withdrawal, alcohol detoxification should be carefully controlled. One common method involves the use of benzodiazepine medications, such as diazepam. This can be either given while admitted to a health care institution or occasionally while a person remains in the community with close supervision. Other addictions or mental illness may complicate treatment.  After detoxification support such as group therapy or support groups are used to help keep a person from returning to drinking. One commonly used form of support is the group Alcoholics Anonymous. The medications acamprosate, disulfiram, or naltrexone may also be used to help prevent further drinking.

Credits: wikipedia, medlineplus, webmd

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Everyone feels anxious now and then. It’s a normal emotion. Many people feel nervous when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision.
Anxiety disorders are different, though. They can cause such distress that it interferes with your ability to lead a normal life.
This type of disorder is a serious mental illness. For people who have one, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be disabling. But with treatment, many people can manage those feelings and get back to a fulfilling life.
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterised by feelings of anxiety and fear. [2] Anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a fast heart rate and shakiness. There are a number of anxiety disorders: including
generalised anxiety disorder, specific phobia ,
social anxiety disorder , separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia , and panic disorder . The disorder differs by what results in the symptoms. People often have more than one anxiety disorder.
What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?
There are several kinds, including:
Panic disorder . People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a
panic attack include sweating , chest pain , palpitations (unusually strong or irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of choking. It can feel like you’re having a heart attack or "going crazy."
Social anxiety disorder . Also called social phobia , this involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.
Specific phobias . These are intense fears of a specific object or situation, such as heights or flying. The level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation and may cause you to avoid common, everyday situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder . This is excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there's little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.
What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders?
It depends on the type of anxiety disorder, but general symptoms include:
Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness
Problems sleeping
Cold or sweaty hands or feet
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Not being able to be still and calm
Dry mouth
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Nausea
Muscle tension
Dizziness
What Are the Causes of Anxiety Disorders?
The exact cause of anxiety disorders is unknown, but anxiety disorders -- like other forms of mental illness -- are not the result of personal weakness , a character flaw, or poor upbringing. As scientists continue their research on mental illness, it is becoming clear that many of these disorders are caused by a combination of factors, including changes in the brain and environmental stress.

ECONOMIC RECESSION: It's History In Nigeria

In economics, a recession is a negative economic growth for two consecutive quarters. It is also a business cycle contraction which results in a general slowdown in economic activity. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines recession as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.

Colonialism is a major feature of the economic history of Nigeria. Britain eventually gained control of Nigerian administration. After independence, the Nigerian economy seemed very promising. Many saw Nigeria, with 25% of Africa's population, as an emerging economy. However, this potential never materialized. A series of unfortunate political and economic events have stalled Nigerian growth.

Recently, there is another economic recession currently in the country, this was released on Wednesday by The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Nigeria which released official Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the second quarter of 2016 on Wednesday, confirming that the Nigerian economy is in recession.

According to the statistics released, the GDP contracted by 2.06 percent in the second quarter of 2016, following a contraction of 0.36 percent in the first quarter. This officially places Nigeria in a recession, which is defined by two or more consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.

“In the Second Quarter of 2016, the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by -2.06% (year-on-year) in real terms,” the NBS report stated. “This was lower by 1.70% points from the growth rate of -0.36% recorded in the preceding quarter, and also lower by 4.41% points from the growth rate of 2.35% recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2015.”
This rapid decline in growth marks the worst recession Nigeria has experienced since the Ibrahim Babangida regime, when the economy declined by 0.51 percent and 0.82 percent in two consecutive quarters in 1987.

The first economic recession that occurred in Nigeria as reported by the NY Times is as follows:

As development became the new religion, Nigeria put its faith in oil, earning $100 billion in a decade. But oil prices crashed, and Nigeria found itself with a $21 billion foreign debt, an urban population dependent on foreign imports and a rural population that could no longer feed the nation. #2 Courses of Action ''The party was over,'' Remi Ilori, a Nigerian newspaper columnist, wrote recently. ''We awakened to the reality that we had spent colossal sums of money feasting. The tables had to be cleared - so many plates of unfinished food, so many empty bottles of beer.''

Nigeria has embarked on two courses that, once again, are being watched with interest across Africa. Both involve controlled liberalization - one in politics, the other in economics.

On the political front, the President, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who was wounded in the Biafra War, announced plans last summer for a phased return to civilian rule by 1992.

Determined to create ''a new political generation,'' the gregarious army general moved in September to ban virtually all former politicians from running for office. 

...Many Nigerians and Westerners agreed that radical surgery was needed, but nationalist sentiment precluded turning to the International Monetary Fund. Instead, the Government ostentatiously rejected an I.M.F. loan, and then adopted a ''structural adjustment program'' that was far more radical that what the fund would probably have imposed.

Fixed exchange rates were abolished and the value of the national currency, the naira, was allowed to float. It dropped from even parity with the dollar to the current rate of well over four to the dollar.

Commodity marketing boards were abolished, allowing producer prices to rise. Production of cocoa, cotton and palm oil rebounded. 

This economic collapse in the late 1970s and early 1980s contributed to substantial discontent and conflict between ethnic communities and nationalities, adding to the political pressure to expel more than 2 million illegal workers (mostly from Ghana, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad) in early 1983 and May 1985.

However, here goes Nigeria which was once known in leading the African Continent in another Economic recession worse than the previous one. Is there still hope for the country?

Credits: Wikipedia, Sahara Reporters, NY Times

CLINOMANIA: A Medical and Psychological Disorder

For sure, nobody likes waking up early in the morning. Most people try their best to squeeze out an extra hour of sleep. That’s okay, and that’s even normal, as long as you don’t end up being late for work or school. And there’s always coffee to wake you up and get rid of the drowsiness for the rest of the day.

But there are some people who find it next to impossible to get out of the bed. It’s a serious condition where no amount of sleep is good enough. This hinders their ability to lead a normal and healthy life because all that they think of, is getting another hour of sleep, even though they have slept for 12 or 13 hours already (a healthy adult requires just 7 to 8 hours of sleep). This condition is known as CLINOMANIA or DYSANIA.
Clinomania or Dysania is an anxiety disorder where a person likes to stay in bed for as long as possible and has no intention of waking up. Clinomania is associated with other anxiety disorders such as depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but it is different in a lot of ways.
It could be a Medical Condition wherein the Clinomaniac suffers as a result of a neurological disorder known as neurasthenia as diagnosed by Dr. Beard George in the 1960's.Or a Psychological Condition gotten from anxiety disorder such as depression and it is linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Clinomania is derived from the Greek words “clino”, which means bed and “mania”, which means addiction. Literally speaking, clinomania means “addiction to bed”. Clinomaniacs are people who suffer from this condition and they feel a strong need to be in bed, without any concern whatsoever to their responsibilities in the outside world.

Clinomania is called a “mania” because it denotes an obsession with the bed – clinomaniacs have an obsessive relationship with their bed and hate to be parted from it, even at the cost of not carrying out serious personal or professional obligations that can affect the quality of their life. A clinomaniac’s acute craving for sleep is very much a mental disorder or a psychological problem. While it is often mistaken for chronic fatigue syndrome, that is not really the case because clinomania has nothing to do with fatigue or exhaustion. It is purely an anxiety disorder. Clinomania is, however closely linked to depression. Not all clinomaniacs are affected by depression, but most people who have depression exhibit clinomania symptoms.
It is quite difficult to diagnose Clinomania because different individuals show different symptoms. Some of the symptoms are also similar to other anxiety disorders such as sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Clinomania cure involves psychological counseling by a trained psychologist or psychiatrist. Clinomania medications such as serotonin supplements are very effective. Apart from the medical treatment itself, clinomaniacs should work hard to shake off the condition by exercising regularly, having a wholesome breakfast, having lots of water, coffee and following regular habits. There are also a wide variety of other medical treatments recommended for clinomania, which range from natural methods such as exercise and diet, to injection of chemicals such as serotonin. Anyone with clinomania symptoms should get themselves evaluated by an experienced psychologist.

BATOPHOBIA: Another Name for Acrophobia

Batophobia is an abnormal fear of being close to a high object such as sky scrappers or mountains. It is a condition where one finds him or herself having this phobia of going near high objects because they might fall from there or the high building can collapse on them. This is also related to altophobia and acrophobia which both simply mean fear of heights.

Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, known as the fear of falling. On the other hand, those who have little fear of such exposure are said to have a head for heights. A head for heights is advantageous for those hiking or climbing in mountainous terrain and also in certain jobs e.g. steeplejacks or wind turbine mechanics

 Batophobia could be a medical condition inherited through some internal dispositions and gene mutations or from traumatic events in ones life. Traumatic events which occur to an individual in the early stages of life play a major role in the development of batophobia as well as other phobias. For instance, a child who falls from a high ground automatically becomes afraid of high heights, because the brain interprets it as  dangerous;  therefore, the CNS chemistry also plays a major role in batophobia.
Occurrence of batophobia differs in individuals, but majorly, people with batophobia exhibit some certain levels of panic when they are close to high buildings or on top of high buildings. Also nausea, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, vomiting and shaking are part of the signs most people exhibit.
It can occur in both males and females irrespective of age but it is mostly found in women.

 

A possible contributing factor to batophobia is a dysfunction in maintaining balance. The human balance system integrates proprioceptive, vestibular and nearby visual cues to reckon position and motion. As height increases, visual cues recede and balance becomes poorer even in normal people. However, most people respond by shifting to more reliance on the proprioceptive and vestibular branches of the equilibrium system.

Currently, there is no known treatment to batophobia rather researches are on going. However, medications can be applied.

 Vertigo is often used incorrectly to describe a fear of heights, but it is more accurately a spinning sensation that occurs when one is not actually spinning. It can be triggered by looking down from a high place, or by looking straight up at a high place or tall object, but this alone does not describe vertigo. True vertigo can be triggered by almost any type of movement (e.g. standing up, sitting down, walking) or change in visual perspective (e.g. squatting down, walking up or down stairs, looking out of the window of a moving car or train).

HEARTBURN: What You Don't Know



 

     Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest, behind the breastbone. Heartburn pain is often worse when one is lying down or bending over. It is also known as acid indigestion. The pain also often at times may rise in the chest and radiate to the neck region, throat or angle of the jaw. Heartburn is commonly used interchangeably with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) rather than just to describe a burning in one's chest.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS:

     Acid indigestion occurs when stomach acid backs up into the oesophagus. Normally, it can be observed that when food is ingested, the lower oesophageal sphincter (a circular band of muscle around the bottom part of the oesophagus) relaxes in order to allow food to flow into the stomach after which it closes again. However, if the lower oesophageal sphincter relaxes abnormally or weakens, stomach acid can flow back up into the oesophagus, causing heartburn.

     Heartburn can happen to any individual irrespective of age or sex. Mostly, it occurs in adults more than young children. This is because adults mainly ingest solid and spicy food which may not really digest well enough due to the ageing of their systems. Young ones on the other hand have systems which can still digest their food intake with ease.

     The major symptom of Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest which occurs after a meal and may occur at night. This pain may be worse while lying down or bending over.  



 

 

 

REMEDIES:

     Actually, you can make some changes in order to have a heartburn relief. Some of the changes are;

1. MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WEIGHT: Excess pounds put pressure on the abdomen. This pushes up the stomach causing acid to move up back to the oesophagus.

2. AVOIDING TIGHT-FITTING CLOTHING: Clothes that fit tightly around the waist applies pressure on the abdomen and lowers the oesophageal sphincter which then causes stomach acid to flow back into the oesophagus.

3. AVOIDING FOODS THAT TRIGGER HEARTBURN: Some foods that trigger heartburn include; fatty foods, fried foods, tomato sauce, alcohol, pepper, chocolate, garlic mint, onion and caffeine. Everyone is unique to his/her specific triggers.

4. EATING SMALLERR QUANTITY OF MEALS: Overeating should be avoided in order to avoid heartburn.

5. LYING DOWN IMMEDIATELY AFTER A MEAL SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

6. ABSTINENCE FROM SMOKING: So many people will wonder how smoking is related to acid indigestion. Smoking actually decreases the oesophageal sphincter's ability to function properly.

 

     Conclusively, Heartburn is common and should not be a cause of alarm when it occurs. Most people can manage the discomfort coupled with some medications. But frequent occurrence could be a symptom of a disease and therefore requires a doctor's attention.

 

CREDIT:wikipedia.org

Power Of Relationship: Relationship with God

Firstly, let me start by talking about our relationship with God. God is the basis of our lives and he is in control over everything. When we establish a connection with him, he is sure to lead us to the place we desire.

Unlike our earthly friends, God will never forget about us. He sticks around both at the good and bad moments in life. His words remain true. He is that type of friend that we all need.
To establish a relationship with God is not a great task, just a little faith in him, trusting him, spending some time on his word, praying and doing good to people already gives us a connection with God.
Someone may doubt about the existence of God and how important he is in relationships. Yes we don't know the quality of a food unless we taste it and we will never know the value unless we ingest it into our body. Giving a God a trial and ask him to check charge or our daily lives, then we can see his existence and how important he is to us.
God is true and just, a trial won't fail us. We all should give him a trial cos he is at the head of every relationship