Hello everyone,
Thank God its Friday!!!!! Its April Fools Day!!!!
I will be talking about our toilet hygiene today. Toilets are the bane of many homes and organisations. A business executive once told me that a dirty toilet means the house/institution/organisation is unhealthy. She said when she goes for inspections, she goes first to the toilets!
I believe a toilet should be a sanctuary, i love to use my tablet there.
Toilet hygiene is simple keeping one's toilet clean.
There are various types of toilets in use in Nigeria, but whatever the case, a toilet should be neat and well fragranced. Steps To A Hygienic Toilet:
Toilet malpractices should be stopped (many adopt acrobatic styles when using toilets and some fall and get hurt). If a toilet is hygienic, this practice would not be necessary.
Toilets should be regularly washed
Toilets should be well washed regularly with disinfectants,antiseptics.
Tough stains should be removed with stain removers.
The floors of a toilet should be clean and dry.
Use of insecticides regularly to ward away insects
Toilets should smell pleasant
Water and tissue paper should be readily available.
In picture above is a Toilet Deodoriser AntiStain Rock aka Dr.Dileem Toilet Rocks. It is available as a freebie for the first 10 people in Kano who make comments.(fill in your name and send an email to ndiche@gmail.com,title of mail should be Toilet rocks).
For those who would like to buy or learn how to produce these contact our representative on 08121418586.
The prostate gland is found only in men. Most men are not aware they have got one unless it become problematic.When a man reaches about age 25, his prostate begins to grow. This natural growth is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and it is the most common cause of prostate enlargement. BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to prostate cancer, though the two problems can coexist.
First, a qualified medical doctor has to diagnose one as having Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
Although 50% to 60% of men with BPH may never develop any symptoms, others find that BPH can make life miserable. I have 2 close relatives living with this and it can be difficult sometimes. The symptoms of BPH include:
a hesitant,interrupted, weak urine stream
Frequent urge to urinate,urine leaks and wettin of clothes, or urine dribbling/dripping
a sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder
more frequent urination, especially at night.
Most men eventually develop some type of prostate problem, and when they do there are usually no easy solutions.
As a result, many men seek treatment. Some go traditional,sone resort to some chinese machines, and some eventually land on the physicians especially when there is complete obstruction of urine flow.The good news is that treatments are constantly being improved. Patients and their physicians now have more medications to choose from, so if one doesn't do the trick, another can be prescribed. And thanks to some refinements, surgical treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects than ever before.
But there are some things men dealing with BPH can do on their own. When symptoms are not particularly bothersome, watchful waiting may be the best way to proceed. This involves regular monitoring to make sure complications aren't developing, but no treatment. For more troubling symptoms, most doctors begin by recommending a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. Often this will be enough to relieve the worst symptoms and prevent the need for surgery.
Simple tips for relieving BPH symptoms:
1.Some men who are nervous and tense urinate more frequently. Reduce stress by exercising regularly and practicing relaxation techniques.
2.When you go to the bathroom, relax and take the time to empty your bladder completely. This will reduce the need for subsequent trips to the toilet.
3.Talk with your doctor about all prescription and over-the-counter medications you're taking; some may contribute to the problem. Your doctor may be able to adjust dosages or change your schedule for taking these drugs, or may prescribe different medications that cause fewer urinary problems.
4.Avoid drinking fluids in the evening, particularly caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Both can affect the muscle tone of the bladder, and both stimulate the kidneys to produce urine, leading to nighttime urinatuion and sleep disturbances.
Hello everyone,
Today I will be sharing a healthy recipe made with oats. It is a non-cook recipe,great for breakfast or as a snack.
I love overnight oats. I have never been able to eat oats cooked as pudding ever since I was a kid,but overnight oats is my way of overcoming that.
Overnight oats are versatile.
What I like about overnight oats is that I can also have it after my workouts. It keeps me satisfied and I know I am not throwing away my efforts at exercise.
Overnight oats is a great way to start the day, have as a snack any time of the day or even after a workout. It is a healthy option that will keep you satisfied for long. It is full of fibre, protein, and omega 3’s, which acts as a anti-inflammatory agent…and let’s not forget this recipe will also help you lower your cholesterol since it is full of soluble fibre.
A great option for those considering their healthy habits.
I added Moringa/Zogale powder because I love it
I added soya powder to because its full of protein. I used homemade groundnut milk too. So this is so full of nutrients
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats-they have been strip of nutritive value)
1 handful roasted Nigerian egusi seeds
6 cups groundnut milk
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp Zogale/Moringa powder
2 tsp vanilla(Optional)
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl add all the ingredients. Combine and place in the fridge overnight. If you find them dried the next morning you can add some more milk if you like.
Serve!!
Dr Dileem
The LikitaBokanturai
Kano Nigeria
www.facebook.com/docdileemsays
Twitter: @inqemdilim
A mint cocoa smoothie that’s actually healthy is what's for today. The moringa green tea powder kicks it up a notch, fills it with fibre, and gives you a gentle boost of energy, plus this smoothie feels like an indulgent treat.
1 glass homemade almond milk.
About 5 fresh naa'naa/mint leaves
1tbsp zogale/Moringa green tea powder + a pinch for sprinkling
3 pitted dates
Blend all the ingredients really well.
Pour into a glass and serve with a sprig of fresh mint.
Absolutely Medelicious!!
Dr Dileem
Likita Bokanturai
Kano Nigeria
www.facebook.com
Twitter: @inqemdilim
Hello everyone,
It rained in Kano today. Hurray. I expect the harmattan will be back soon before the heat returns in full gear.
So today, I prepared a Healthy Sunday snack for the family with the new week in view and goodness, we could not have enough. There was none left over for the week. Imagine,Phew!!!
Its so quick and such an easy one. It saves you a lot of money too!!You should try it.
I call it 'Dr.Dileem's Longbread'
Ingredients:
Bread- sliced into long strips (wheat bread can also be used)
1 egg (whisked)
1 tbsp Corn Flour
1/4 tspn Powdered Spice mix
Olive oil or Tigernut Oil to lightly grease fry-pan
Preparation:
1.Slice bread into long strips
2.Lightly dip into egg
3.Add spice into the corn flour
4.Dip egg coated bread strips into it
5. Place on greased fry-pan and toss from side to side for 30secs
Long Bread Is Served!!
We had it with Dr Dileem's Tamarini!!!
Dr Dileem
The Likita Bokanturai
Kano Nigeria
www.facebook.com/docdileemsays
twitter: @inqemdilim
I was on Cool FM Kano the other day and shared a couple of skin care tips for healthy skin. I had to write this because of the numerous questions I received even after the program.
The prevalence of use and abuse of bleaching agents in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized. The marketplace is also overwhelmed with those in search of these agents.
Men and women bleach. Some who are dark are suddenly lighter than me (im light skinned by the way).A ridiculous instance is someone with a very fair face and significantly dark skin, hands and legs. I think one’s skin colour is something one should be comfortable with.
Myths flying around in Nigeria make us erroneously believe that light skinned young ladies tend to get married more easily as they attract male attention easily. It may be easier to get a job or promotion if you are light skinned and the list goes on. Men also bleach but I’m yet to know the reasons why.
What many abuse is steroids and hydroquinone. In many countries of the world, hydroquinone use has been banned. Hydroquinone and steroid use on the skin is for use as drugs.Their use is usually for short duration of time on affected spots/parts of the skin and then stopped. Many have assumed their use is lifelong. The prolonged use of creams, lotions, serums that contains these substances leads to progressive wearing out of the skin. The skin becomes thinner, more prone to injury, more prone to ageing. Also, prolonged use eventually leads to darker skin. Ever seen the knuckles of one who is bleaching over a period of time? Their knuckles become so dark (I’m sure we can relate).Worse, is that if there has to be a surgery, suturing a thin skin can be quite difficult and this can make healing difficult too.
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It happens to be God’s personal gift to every human and our responsibility to take care of it. I will briefly highly must dos
There are ways to protect your skin and your skin will look very healthy:
1. Know your skin type. This will help determine if you will need lotion or cream. Creams are heavier than lotions.
2. Sun protection.Use creams and lotions with spf 15 or more. Stay under shades when possible. Wear protective clothing
3. Pat dry-after bathing.Gently pat your skin dry with towel so that some moisture remains on your skin. Don’t rub so hard to over dry the skin. It is not necessary.
4. Treat your skin gently
5. Avoid strong soaps, they dry out the skin. Some use harsh soaps and harsh sponges to bath. These can strip oil from your skin.
6. Shave carefully (that’s if you shave). Shave carefully-to protect and lubricate your skin,apply lotion or gel before doing so.
7. Exfoliate regularly
8. Moisturise thoroughly.
9. Drinks lots of water. The skin has two layers-dermis and epidermis. The dermis is made of 70% water and epidermis is made up of 15% water
10. Stop Smoking. Smoking damages elastic skin fibres and accelerates ageing. It makes skin look older and contributes to wrinkling. It depletes nutrients that are important to skin health. If u smoke the best way to protect your skin is to quit.
11. Manage stress-take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time for things you enjoy. External stress damages the skin- learn how to manage and cope with stress.
Nutrients for Healthy Skin: Eat healthy fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, Vitamin C, etc. Diets rich in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote older looking skin.
1. Water – It keeps skin hydrated, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It helps cells take up nutrients and purge toxins. And water improves circulation and blood flow, keeping your skin glowing. Drinking nine to 12 8-ounce glasses of water a day is recommended.
2. Selenium is a trace mineral that may help protect skin cells from free radical damage. It may also play a role in skin cancer prevention.
Excellent sources of selenium include nuts,shrimp. lamb, and fish such as stockfish, tuna, and salmon. Selenium is also found in cooked beef, light turkey meat, oysters, sardines, crab, and whole-wheat pasta.
3. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant made naturally in your body. However, its production decreases with aging. CoQ10 protects skin and other body cells from the damage caused by free radicals. It’s also involved in energy production and basic functioning of cells. Low levels of this antioxidant are found in many age-related illnesses. When used topically, it is reported to improve the appearance of wrinkles and the signs of aging.
4. Antioxidants prevent or slow the damage done to cells by free radicals. This damage contributes to signs of aging, such as wrinkles and dry skin
Antioxidants can be found in all kinds of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables such as berries, tomatoes, beets, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, peppers, and beans.
5. Vitamin A. Applying vitamin A to the skin appears to improve signs of aging, such as wrinkles. Topical and oral forms of vitamin A are common prescription treatments for acne and other skin conditions, including wrinkles. Other sources of vitamin A include leafy greens, eggs, and low-fat dairy.
6. Vitamin C helps protect skin from the sun. It also helps undo damage done by free radicals, which destroy skin-firming fibres such as collagen and elastin.
Excellent sources of vitamin C include red bell peppers, citrus fruits,pawpaw, greens
7. Vitamin E is another antioxidant that may help shield your skin from damage done by the sun. Vitamin E is also an anti-inflammatory and immunity enhancer.
Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, olives, and leafy greens in small amounts.
8. Essential fatty acids such as omega-3s and omega-6s help produce your skin’s natural oil barrier, keeping dry skin and blemishes at bay. EFAs are necessary fats that help leave skin smoother and younger-looking.
Good sources of essential fatty acids include olive and canola oils, walnuts, and coldwater fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel.
9. Good-quality oils like extra virgin olive oil and cold- or expeller-pressed oil are more simply processed than many commercial oils, and so they may help retain more skin-boosting nutrients.
These oils may also help lubricate skin and keep it looking and feeling healthy.
10. Green tea may be the closest thing to a magic elixir that nature can offer for your skin. Green tea helps to stop inflammation, slow DNA damage, and can help prevent the sun from burning your skin. In Nigeria, there is another kind of potent green tea called Moringa Tea
You can find green tea in an abundance of cosmetics, but why not go straight to the source for a green tea boost: your tea pot.
Hello everyone,
So the heat is in full swing. Do endeavour to take the required water intake daily.It helps to keep us healthy too. Pure water and bottles water sellers are in season now. Hurray!! Lol
I want to share a recipe I have had for a while now. I used to use refined sugar but after making to move a healthy lifestyle, I twirked it a bit! It is made with the popular tsamiya/tamarind and is chock full of nutrients. Let's go!
Ingredients:
1 cup tsamiyya/Tamarind
1 1/2 pineapple
1/2 knob ginger (grated)
1-5 dry pepper (adjust with discretion)
5 cloves
5 tbsp honey (as a rule refined sugar is a no no)
Soak tsamiyya in 250ml of hot water for 30 mins.
Peel,core and chop pineapple.
Blend pineapple with 1litre of water till smooth.
Drain tsamiya using a Nigerian pap-cloth. Keep the tsamiya juice
Pour tsamiya juice into blended pineapple, add all spices and honey.
Boil for 20mins
Let it cool and strain with Nigerian pap-cloth
Chill and serve!
Tamarini is taken alone or along with food or snacks!!
Hello beautiful, it is a warm day today. I started writing
this piece some days ago and it took the massive fire at Singer market on February
18, 2016 for me to complete writing it. The fire was said to have been started
by a ‘mei-shai’ a.k.a. tea sealer. My sincere condolences to all affected.
Now the NEPA/PHCN/KEDCO seem to have stepped down on their
responsibilities in Kano. The popular ‘I better pass my neighbour’ generators
have now been banned. There has been a spate of fires in Kano and now with the
approaching heat more accidents at home may just happen. God forbid!
I will address it from the perspective of those I
interviewed who have suffered losses from fires and then suggest prevention. We
do better when we know better! First Things First:We should all try to get fire extinguishers. They are quite affordable depending on your need. You just never know when one will come in quite handy!!!
1.Avoid
living in relatively dark houses. There are many poorly built houses which are
poorly lighted even in the very bright Kano sunshine. Many who suffered losses
claimed that they had to use candles and lanterns during the day and the
inevitable happened. If one did not live in such houses, it may have been
avoided
2.Do
not use candles. Many who suffered losses drifted off to sleep and the
inevitable happened. As a rule candles are not used in my home.
3.Avoid
locking up kids in the house. Those who have to run errands and lock up kids in
the house and due to little or no babysitting alternatives have suffered losing
their homes and kids who were locked in during the process. Desist from this
4.Use
of gas cylinders. These days most tenants keep their gas cylinders outside
their flats. This is because when the heat gets to the cylinder it heats up and
explodes. Always keep the valve of your gas cylinder locked daily.
5.Avoid
use of heating agents like Nigerian boiling rings, etc. This is because it does
not have a thermostat that helps regulate the heat. Use electric kettles
instead.
6.I
suggest use of some household items should be discouraged. I do not use an
electric gas cooker because my family escaped a fire accident using one. This
is because one can forget to switch it off when electricity is cut off. I do
not use matches in my home this is because kids could play with it and light up
the curtains, etc. I use a lighter instead.
7.When
the gas cooker knob is turned on, light it immediately. Do not keep the gas
escaping before you finally put light to it. It could end up consuming one.
8.Always
have a look round the house before retiring each night.
9.As
much as possible, cook ‘beans’ during the day. A lot of fires resulted from
cooking beans at night and consequent falling asleep.
10.If
lanterns are kept on overnight, adjust it to quite low. Also make sure the area
it is kept is well ventilated. Many deaths have occurred from carbon monoxide
poisoning via this.
11.Avoid
topping up the petrol tank of your generator when the generator is running
12.Avoid
using ‘torch-light’ phone as lighting when topping up the petrol tank as
generator. This applies whether the generator is switched off or running.
13.Switch
off all electric appliances before leaving home. Its not like one is even
expecting electricity in this heat wave. So ,its better safe than sorry
You could comment and share yours or other
peoples’ experiences so we can all learn.
Hello beautiful,it is such a bright day today. Kano weather
has suddenly changed!! I decided to share this healthy snack recipe. It is
easy,cheap and best of all healthy.’Doya’ is the word for yam in the Hausa
language of Nigeria. There are lots of new yams on the market and in Kano you
can really get confused with the variety. Depending on the species, you may be
able to eat the head and the tail of the yam. If the species are not nice, the
head and tail of the yams won’t be palatable. At home we call it ‘shukuru
shukuru’ yam when the head and tail is not nice and of course no one would it
it. I am not a fan of head and tail of yams whatever the species. I use them to
make this recipe and it saves waste for me. I also use the body of the yam if I
want to make a large amount. It I call it Dr Dileem’s Doya Krispies. It is a
snack great for kids and adults.
Ingredients:
Yam
Salt
Ground Pepper (any ‘yaji’ mix will do)
Olive oil
Preparation:
Peel the yams
Slice into circles
Using a slanted grater, slice the yam into thin slices
Heat the oil, drop the yam strips gently into the hot oil.
Do not overcrowd the fry-pan else, they will stick together
Once there are no more bubbles around the Krispies,it means
it is dry and all the moisture gone
Remove from the oil quickly so it does not get too brown.
Sprinkle on salt and pepper (or ‘yaji mix’) while it is
still hot.
Arthritis a painful problem that can interfere with your ability to do the things you enjoy. But you can take steps to protect your joints, reduce discomfort, and improve mobility.
1.Keep moving. Avoid holding one position for too long. When working at a desk, for example, get up and stretch every 15 minutes. Do the same while sitting at home reading or watching television.
2.Discover your strength. Put your strongest joints and muscles to work. To protect finger and wrist joints, push open heavy doors with the side of your arm or shoulder. To reduce hip or knee stress on stairs, let the strong leg lead going up and the weaker leg lead going down.
3.Plan ahead. Simplify and organize your routines so you minimize movements that are difficult or painful. Keep items you need for cooking, cleaning, or hobbies near where they are needed
4.Take advantage of labour-saving devices and adaptive aids. Simple gadgets and devices can make it easier to perform daily activities such as cooking,etc. Long-handled grippers, for example, are designed to grasp and retrieve out-of-reach objects. Rubber grips can help you get a better handle on faucets, pens, toothbrushes, and silverware. Pharmacies, medical supply stores, and online vendors stock a variety of aids for people with arthritis.
5.Ask for help. People with arthritis often worry about the possibility of growing dependent on others. But only a very small percentage of people with arthritis become severely disabled. Still, the emotional burdens of arthritis can be considerable. Educate family members and friends about how arthritis affects you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
I come from a family where osteoarthritis is common despite the absence of obesity in the sufferers. I had a panic attack one day when I realised my knees started making crunchy noise anytime I move them. My BMI is also normal.I have since started knees exercises as prevention. I told myself that I will not suffer knee arthritis!
