MODERN MEDICINE VERSUS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE!

Above: A man selling traditional medicine
 from his stall.
Picture found at www.traditionnews.bbc.co.uk

It is heritage month in South Africa in the month of September. Tradition is one of the focuses on heritage month. There is a variety of medical practices in Africa as a whole. Since South Africa is mainly dominated by blacks in an overwhelming 79, 5%. www.southafrica.info.htm . Traditional medicine is highly practiced and consumed in South Africa seeing as a lot of black people praise it for being more effective than modern medicine. Traditional medicine is often consumed by its users in its raw form while modernised versions of the raw plants are processed and using scientifical technologies, these plants are turned into pills. Modern medicine is much better and safer to use rather than traditional medicine, here are some of the reasons why you should consider using modern medicine instead of traditional medicine:

Above: The modernised version of medication in the
form of pills.
Picture found at www.medicineinfo.us.


• The formulation of the drug is always stated in the packaging
• Regulations by the Health Department on the drug are often visible
• Testing on the drug's effectiveness is done before it is distributed
• Dosage is accurate and clear
• Medical consultation is always open
• Trained and educated professionals administer the mediciation

It is often a hard decision to choose between traditional and modern medicine but advatages of modern medicine certainly outweigh those of traditional medicine. Which ever option works for you, be sure that it is good for your mind, body and overall health.

UNHEALTHY FOODS DISGUISED AS HEALTHY!

Above: An image of a smoothie drink which is one of the
unhealthy foods diguised as healthy in shops.
Picture found at www.unhealthyfoods.co.za

In this day and age it seems as though everything we consume or eat rather is processed food. It is always essential to have knowledge of what exactly is in the food we eat. When chosing healthy food to consume always keep in mind that there are unhealthy foods that have been put out on display as being healthy and good for you, keep an eye out for what may seem healthy on the outside but nasty and totally bad for your health inside. Healthy food always has simple nutritional values on the packages and clearly state what nutritional value you will be consuming. These are the few foods to avoid when doing your grocery shopping:

• Creamy salad dressings

  

  Above: An image of a creamy salad dressing which
  is also not healthy even when added onto a healthy salad.
  Picture found at www.unhealthyfoods.co.za 

  
• Fatty lean meats
• Fried chicken
• Crackers or croutons
• Full cream or fatty cheeses
• Nuts
• Sodas or smoothies
• Full cream yoghurts
• Canned fruits or vegetables
• Procesed packeged foods.

So next time you do shopping or eating out, remember that just because it seems healthy, it doesn't mean that it is really healty. Always keep an eye out for unhealthy foods diguised as healthy! Lets live healthy lives each day at time.

EATING OUT IN A HEALTHY WAY TO END WOMEN'S MONTH!



Above: Glasses of Red wine, which improves good HDL cholesterol.
Picture found at www.medicinet.co.za



It is the last week of Women's month in South Africa and a lot of women will be saying goodbye in a big way and some will just prefer lunch or dinner out, myself included. It is always good to go out and enjoy a restuurant meal with loved ones, but do you keep the meals as healthy as possible? It seems like an easy decision to buy that platter of marinated spare ribs and hot wings on the side instead of settling for some deliciously seasoned grilled chicken and a green salad on the side right? Wrong! It is important to have fun eating out while consuming healthy meals. www.medicinet.co.za. Eating out with girls to bid farewell to women's month is a great idea. Here are some tips to keep it as healthy as possible:

Above: A fruit salad dish, which is good in replacing
that high in fat chocolate mousse.
Picture found at: www.fruitsaladimages.com

• Go easy on the cheese
• Replace that chocolate mousse dessert with fresh fruit or a fruit salad.
• Limit or no fried food
• Drink Red wine instead of White wine
• Choose grilled meat as opposed to fried or braaied
• Skip that tempting casserole, unless you know what's in it
• Choose light salad dressings
• Eat in small portions

So ladies, and some gents, lets bid farewell to Women's month in healthy style while preparing for the Sring season! We have to look healthy and happy in our Spring outfits!

BEAT EMOTIONAL EATING HEAD ON!

Above: A woman emotional eating.
Picture found at www.medicinet.com

We are still celebrating Women's month in South Africa and it is not out of the ordinary for women to be emotional on this month. Women are naturally known to be emotional creatures hence they are often guilty of  emotional eating. Emotional eating is "the practice of consuming large quantities of food, usually known as comfort or junk food, in response to feelings instead of hunger". www.medicinet.com. In often cases emotional eating is caused by depression, stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, anxiety, professional or workplace problems, problems with personal or inerpersonal relationships and even poor self esteem. Methods or ways of getting rid of emotional eating may include these activities:

Above: Women jogging, one of the solutions to emotional eating.
Picture found at www.medicinetcom


• Going for a walk or jogging
• Keeping busy by doing household choreses
• Listening to music
• Reading a book or magazine
• Doing some breathing exercises
•  Playing board games
• Making a phone call to a loved one

Since women are ofen the guilty ones of emotional eating and it is Women's month, isn't it about time that women take ownership over their own health and well-being? Always remember this everytime you think of finishing that large slice of that juicy chocolate cake that is displayed at the office canteen, a moment on your lips equals a lifetime on your hips!

WOMEN'S MONTH! CELEBRATE IT BY GETTING A MAMMOGRAM!

Above: A woman getting a mammogram.
Picture found at www.breastcancer.org

We are celebrating Women's month in South Africa in the whole month of August to commemorate the lives of the women that fought for women's rights in 1956. In commemoration of these herions, as women why don't we celebrate this month by doing something that is good for our health? Getting a mammogram! A mammogram is the scanning of the breasts done by health professionals to determine whether there are any traces of tumours or cancer in the breasts www.breastcancer.org . "Breast Cancer is a term that refers to a miligant tumour that has developed from cells in the breast." says Doctor Micheal Mol. Like any other cancers, Breast Cancer has symptoms, symptoms of Breast Cancer may include:

• Swelling of all or partial parts of the breasts



Above: A woman self-examining her breast.
Picture found at www.breastcancer.co.za


• Skin irritation or dimpling
• Breast pain 
• Nipple pain or nipple turning inward
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple dischrage (other than milk)
• A lump in the under-arm areas   

Should you have any one of these symptoms, consult a health practitioner or your nearest clinic as soon as you possibly can. Let's be future herions by being more vigilant to our breasts and going for regular mammograms and tackling breast cancer by taking better care of our health. Celebrate Women's month by getting a mammogram!

SAVE A LIFE, DONATE BLOOD TODAY!

Above: The South African National
Blood logo.
Logo found at www.sanbs.co.za

It is close to the end of winter in South Africa and some organizations are anticipating the end of winter and its negative impacts on their organizations. A good example of such an organization is the South African National Blood Services, a Non-Governmental Organization that supplies health instituttions with usable blood donations. www.sanbs.co.za. This year's winter has had a negative impact on blood stocks. "The daily target of 5 days blood stock is possible with 3000 units collected a day, however since the start of winter holidays we have not achieved this amount of blood stock.", says Vanessa Raju, Communication Manager at the South African National Blood Services. Regular blood donors are urged to make donations as soon as possible, however it is not only regular donors that are urged to donate blood, but the plea goes out to all South Africans who meet the minimum requirements in donating blood. The minimum requirements for donating blood are:

• People between the ages of 16 to 65 years
• With the weight of more than 50kg
• Have eaten a good nutritious meal before making the donation
• Living a safe sexual lifestyle

    

Above: A woman donating blood.
Picture found at www.sanbs.co.za  

The shortage of usable blood in health facilities results in fatal cases and at times death. Imagine your loved one being hospitalised due to a car accident and needed blood, but can't get a blood transfussion because the hospital doesn't have any blood? In donating blood, you saving someone's life. A unit of blood can save up to three lives. Wouldn't you want to be someone's hero and their life saver by simply giving them a unit of your blood? Don't be left behind, be part of the DOnation that saves people's lives. BE A HERO AND DONATE BLOOD TODAY!

MENTAL DISORDERS BEING USED AS AN EXCUSE BY RAPISTS!

Should rapists be excused for their appalling actions for reasons of mental disorders?

Above: A rape victim after being raped and assualted
Picture found at http://www.rapeeffects.com/

It has now become a daily event in South Africa that rape has to happen. The South African Broadcasting Corporation news channel 1 (SABC1) reported lastnight that a thirteen year old boy had been raping his younger sister since she was only a year old. It has been two years since the sexual assault begun without stoping, until the young girl was sent to a Doctor by her parents after having symptoms of flu. The Doctor told the parents that the girl was raped. The boy was shown (with his face encrypted) on the news saying that he didn't think what he was doing to his sister was wrong http://www.sabcnews.com/. Makes me really wonder. What is this country coming to when a thirteen year old boy can continuously rape his sister and see nothing wrong with it? Are mental disorders becoming illnesses that South African men contract after raping young girls? Because it seems to be a growing trend that young boys and men are raping young girls and women and then claiming to have mental disorders when they are caught. It is sad to know that there are people with real and serious mental disorders out there. to read more on such disorders visit http://www.mentaldisorders.com/.      

Above: A rape victim showing that she
said "No!"
Picture found at http://www.rape.com/

Rapists should not not be let free just because they claim yo have some kind of mental disorder. Whatever their state of mind, they should be made to suffer the aftermaths of their actions as much as their victims will suffer years of endless trauma and post traumatic illness and disorders. Is the justice system making it easy for criminals to walk free because of claimed mental illnesses? Or has South Africa been so much of a free country that crimes such as rape are becoming acceptable to our societies, even if they affect the vicitms both phycically and psychologically?