How to connect phone videos to TV

Written by Ozioma Ubabukoh, 
Phone: 08039474598 (sms only)
~Punch Nigeria. Friday, July 22, 2016


Watching videos on your phone or tablet is great. Streaming those videos to your big-screen television is even better.

There are lots of ways to see your phone through your TV. Here is how to enjoy those photos, watch videos and more.

Use a wire to connect

Nearly all smartphones and tablets can plug into an HDMI-ready TV. One cable end plugs into your phone or tablet while the other plugs into the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port on your TV.

Once connected, whatever you display on your phone will also show up on your TV. You can check out pictures, watch video, surf the web, use apps and play games on your big screen.

Top reason to connect: It is super simple-just one cable to connect. There is no Wi-Fi connection or password.

Consider this: Most HDMI cables are 15 feet or shorter, but you can find some as long as 65 feet. The longer the better if you are sitting on a couch that is on the other end of a spacious entertainment room.

Go wireless

If you are not used to cords, get a gadget that plugs into your TV, connects to your home Wi-Fi and communicates between your phone and TV.

The Roku Streaming Stick lets you put your Android screen on your TV, enables screen mirroring in your Roku settings and casting on your Android device; then click on the streaming icon that pops up on your phone or tablet to start viewing on the big screen.

Check out Miracast, which lets you stream your video with your home Wi-Fi. It's compatible with Windows Phone and Androids with 4.2 Jelly Bean, although not all Android devices can mirror your mobile screen via Miracast. Newer phones like the LG G5 can do the job.

If you use an iOS device, AirPlay allows you to wirelessly beam music, photos and video on your set-top box. You will need an Apple TV, but once you have that it is as easy as selecting the AirPlay icon from iTunes or the Videos app (or another supported app such as Netflix) to stream to the big screen.

Top reason to connect: Streaming movies directly to your TV using these gadgets could not be easier. The connection between them and your phone is a bonus.

Consider this: There are so many apps that support wireless streaming, which include Netflix, YouTube and Vimeo.

Get a smarter TV

If you are considering a new TV, look for one that will communicate with your phone or tablet such as one that is DLNA-certified.

DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. A DLNA-certified phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 or HTC One M9 can connect to a DLNA-certified TV, projector or set-top box as well as an Xbox One, when you link them to your home Wi-Fi.

Top reason to connect: There is nothing between your phone and your TV. No wires and no streaming gadget required.

Consider this: If you want to make your current TV compatible with Miracast, then plug your Belkin Miracast Video Adapter into your TV's HDMI input. That will do the trick.

Watch out for this suspected ATM fraudster, EFCC warns Nigerians

~PUNCH NIGERIA. Tuesday, July 19, 2016.


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has raised the alarm about the activities of identity thieves and automated teller machine fraudsters in the country.

It has also urged Nigerians to be more careful when carrying out transactions via ATMs and to avoid disclosing their Personal Identification Numbers to others.

In a post on its Facebook page, the anti-graft agency drew attention to the activity of one suspected ATM fraudster, who goes by the name Akinade Tofunmi.

The EFCC, which has released images of the suspect, is seeking the cooperation and support of Nigerians to capture her and prevent her from defrauding more people.

The suspected scammer, who is being trailed by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the EFCC, is into identity theft and lurks around the ATMs and Point of Sale machines.

According to the EFFC, Tofunmi, operates late in the night when all bank transactions had closed and preferably over the weekend when her prospective victims may not be able to alert the banks for any unauthorised transaction.

Common poisons in the home

Written by Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie

~Punch Nigeria. Sunday, July 17, 2016

One of the problems encountered as a result of our increasing urbanisation is the spectre of storing various types of materials at home for several different purposes. One of these is to keep the home free of pests and the other is to maintain a minimum level of health in a stressful environment. Sometimes we keep these harmful substances at home because they are needed as raw materials in making items that have positive use in the home. This may be useful because of the need to diversify personal sources of income or to save money by making the product by yourself at home rather than buying it in a shop or market. Many of these goods may be articles used in making soap or making perfumes or straightforward trade. Here is a brief description of some of those compounds and what to do about them once they have been consumed or are suspected to have been consumed.

Poisons, such as the ones discussed below, would be harmful to people of all age groups. However, the key difference why we shall place more emphasis on the effects on children than on adults is because while children are likely to have consumed the substances in error, adults are more likely to have taken such compounds deliberately, as mostly is the case in suicide attempts. 

Children, especially toddlers, are so prone to accidental consumption of the various compounds mentioned that it is important for all parents and care givers to be aware of the dangers. As a result, people must have the presence of mind to keep all these substances safely away, far from the easy reach of children and stored in secure containers that are child and tamper-proof. These measures will keep most children out of harm's way except for the most obstinate ones. Here, as in other topics we have previously discussed on this page, prevention is better than cure and much easier to bring about if you try her enough.

Bad breath, an indication of internal disease

Written by Oladapo Ashiru
Professor of Anatomy/Consultant Reproductive Endocrinologist
Phone: 234-8023195521
~Punch, Nigeria. Thursday, July 7, 2016

Oladapo Ashiru

One of the common conditions found worldwide affecting individuals is halitosis also known as bad breath. It is a social nuisance and indicates clear and imminent danger. Fold your two hands into a cup and breathe into it to smell if there is bad odour. If there is, then there is a problem.

If you look at your tongue in the mirror and it has a thick, whitish coating, this also confirms it. The sad part is that colleagues, friends and relations are usually embarrassed to tell the person concerned that they have such problems.

They are just not able to go that far thinking that such comments can hurt the person. In such situations, they will hope that one day, the individual will find out one way or the other.

This condition has been linked to problems with the teeth, gums or throat. However, halitosis has been strongly associated with the body's ability to eliminate waste. Health experts have identified that improper and poorly functioning digestive system can cause mouth odour, which often results from accumulation of toxins in the kidneys or liver.


Chemical toxins that have built up within the body slow down the immune system and alter the natural course of elimination. Detoxification is the core treatment for halitosis. This is a great way to get your breath back on track and have a healthy body.

For the purpose of clarity, the fact as revealed through Modern Mayr Medicine is that when we eat food without proper chewing, for example such African food like pounded yam, and Eba, we call 'swallow', they are swallowed without proper chewing as if when they get to the stomach they will be further ground.

‘We are seeing more men with bad, weak or abnormal sperms’ - World Health Organisation (WHO)

~Vanguard, Nigeria. Sunday, June 26, 2016

Sperm counts have dropped over the years. What is regarded as normal sperm count is going down, even the World Health Organisation, WHO is aware of this. We are seeing more men who are having bad sperms, weak sperms and abnormal sperms, and there is a real need to explore a suitable intervention to meet the growing proportion of men that need help in this direction.

Initially normal sperm count was 40 million per ml. Then it reduced to 20 million per ml, now it is 10 million per ml and still going down. Over the last 10 years, we have seen a 30 percent decline in the sperm parameters of men who presented at Nordica Fertility Clinic, Lagos. That's an average of 3.3 percent every year and it is as severe all over the world.

A man can father a child up till age of 70 and for those who are fertile they remain fertile but everybody's sperm count reduces eventually and there are other reasons especially environmental factors.


The cells of men divide more than cells of women. That is why we reproduce into older age and people are saying that may actually be where the problem is from because with the division can come mistakes and probably that is why sperm count is getting worse by the day.

But as bad as things appear, there is hope. The first step of any successful treatment is the proper diagnosis of the male infertility cause.

Eating okra to beat diabetes, cancers, ulcer

Written by Chukwuma Muanya, Assistant Editor (Head Insight Team, Science and Technology)
~The Guardian, Nigeria, Thursday, June 23, 2016

Regular intake of okra soup could provide novel 'cure' for diabetes, breast and prostate cancers, stomach disorders, prolonged labour during childbirth and goitre (caused by iodine deficiency). However, okra may not be very good for males who are still producing children especially those that have previously had infertility problems. CHUKWUMA MUANYA, Assistant Editor (Head Insight Team, Science and Technology) writes.

Commonly called okro, okra or Lady's fingers in English; the French call it gombo or gumbo and to the Portuguese it is quiabo, quiabeiro or quingombo.

Scientifically known as Abelmoschus esculentus, okra belongs to the plant family malvaceae. In Nigeria it is called ikhiavbo in Edo, etigi in Efik, ikhiabo in Esan, okmi in Gwari, bera or dan dawan betso in Hausa, oro kpoloko in Igala, atike in Ibibio, okwulu or okwuru in Igbo, ihaa in Isoko, dena in Jukun, gebalgo in Kanuri, kpanmi roko in Nupe, ishavbo in Urhobo, ila in Yoruba, among others.

Can okra help reduce symptoms of diabetes – a group of diseases that includes type 1 diabetes; type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes?

Researchers have the first time, confirmed that Abelmoschus esculentus peel and seed possess blood glucose normalization and lipid profiles lowering action in diabetic condition.


The study was aimed to study the anti-diabetic and antihyperlipidemic potential of Abelmoschus esculentus peel and seed powder (AEPP and AESP) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats."

The ugly side of masturbation

Written by Tunde Ajaja
~Punch, Nigeria. Saturday, June 18, 2016

Apart from penetrative sex between heterosexual beings, it is no longer hidden that people have devised several other means to satisfy themselves sexually, and prominent among them is masturbation.

Defined simply as the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm, masturbation, which of course is usually done in the secret, is practised by both singles and married.

While people perceive men to be guiltier of this act, findings have shown that women indu lge in it as well, more so with the use of sex toys.

According to Kinsey Institute, an organisation that promotes interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the field of human sexuality and related aspects of gender, relationship and reproduction, about 92 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women engage in masturbation in their lifetime.

A study by Christin Bowman of the Department of Social-Personality Psychology, University of New York, United States, found that women's reasons for masturbating could be any of sexual pleasure, to learn about or better understand their bodies, as a release, to substitute for sex from their partner and general sexual dissatisfaction.

He found that even though women's feelings when they masturbate could lead to shame or fear that they are acting selfishly, mainly, most women feel sexually empowered when they do it.

The question as to whether this act is good for the human system or not has been tossed back and forth, without a unanimous outcome. While some experts say it is good for the body, some others say its side effect is best described as detrimental.

Controversy over dog meat

Written by Doris Obinna
~The SUN, Nigeria. Friday, June 3, 2016.

• It enhances libido, cures malaria -Consumers

• No, dog meat causes health hazards - WHO, vet doctors

Many detest dog meat and everything that has to do with it. They avoid it like a plague. Even the mere mention of dog meat puts them off. Some might even throw up at the mention of it.

However, there are some folks, who eat dog meat and relish it, doing so with every sense of gladness. For them, it is meat like no other.

One of such persons is Nsikan John. The 35-year-old man says dog meat is better than every other meat around.

"If you offer me a variety of meats, including dog meat, I will first go for the dog meat. It not only tastes better, it has medicinal values. I can't remember the last time I treated malaria fever. It fights it off summarily. In fact, dog meat is a common cuisine among my people and we enjoy it so much."

All over the world, dogs are accepted as trusted friends and security guards. But among some people, they suffer terrible fate. They are sold as items of trade, butchered and their meat consumed by humans.

Whereas some people in some climes accept the consumption of dog meat as part of their day-to-day cuisine, some consider the practice a taboo. In some cultures, exigencies of war and hunger sometimes make the consumption of dog meat a necessary practice.

Humane Society International is one of many non-governmental organisations

around the world fighting to end the dog meat trade.

Research shows that every year, an estimated 25 million dogs are killed and consumed. This statistics brings to the fore the telling truth that dogs in many climes suffer a great deal. It is for this reason that it has been stated that commercial dog meat production is inherently cruel. This practice condemns dogs to suffer at every turn. Even the rising belief that the consumption of dog meat might lead in the transmission of diseases does not deter its consumers.

How to know when you are ovulating for easier conception

Written by Bridget Osho
Web: www.cheriemamma.org
Email: babies@cheriemamma.org.
~Vanguard, Nigeria. Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Natural Fertility:

SO today, I am going to be answering one very frequently asked question that people always ask me. It’s when to know you are ovulating by counting the numbers of days. So people asked me questions like 'my period started on the 10th of this month, when am I likely to ovulate?'My answer to that is, I don’t believe in counting the days when you ovulate because even if your cycle is regular, you do not necessarily ovulate on the same day of your cycle.

If you have a 28 days cycle, you might not always ovulate on the 14th or 13th, so that’s not the right way to know if you are ovulating. So many people think they aren’t ovulating because when they count and do the test using the ovulation predictor test kit and the results are negative, so they simply assume that they aren’t ovulating.

Are you ovulating?

The best way to know if or when you are ovulating is to chart your cycle everyday. So by this I mean you get a digital thermometer and you check your temperature first thing in the morning before you get up from bed. What you are trying to find out is your body’s average temperature without any activity, because when you ovulate, you release an egg and your progesterone levels increase.

Your body temperature

Progesterone will always increase your body temperature, so if you have been charting your cycle everyday and making note of the numbers you get, you will find out that there are certain days your temperature will be higher.The first day that your temperature is higher means you have ovulated the previous day. So if you are somebody who have been charting her cycle regularly, you will be able to find the pattern that works for you.

So you might find out that you do ovulate on the 11th or for example ovulate between the 13th and the 15th day of your cycle. Counting the days is not always accurate for most people and it causes a lot of headache and fear and panic that they aren’t ovulating.But once you chart your cycle everyday, you will find the results more accurate.Have you tried charting your temperature before? What was your experience? 

Sexual health challenges

Written by Funmi Akingbade
~Punch, Nigeria. Sunday, May 29, 2016

Funmi Akingbade

The World Health Organisation has given an amazing review of the extent that marital intimacy has suffered under the destructive and damaging effect of sexual health problems. Most times when I have the opportunity to counsel couples, my heart bleeds when I see the threat and danger untreated sexual health challenges pose to unions of loving couples. The most disappointing aspect of it is that 87 per cent of couples are not even aware that these sexual challenges can be prevented, treated and permanently cured.

Sexual health problem or dysfunction refers to a set of problems during any stage of the active sexual age preventing couples from experiencing satisfaction from sexual activities. Research suggests that 83 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women suffer from sexual health challenges and many couples are shy, timid, cautious, uncertain and hesitant to discuss them.

Fortunately, most cases of sexual health challenges are treatable, so it is important to share your concerns with your partner, doctor or sex therapist. Although both men and women are affected by sexual health problems unfortunately, men suffer more than women. Sexual health problems occur in adults of all ages. Among those commonly affected are those in the geriatric population, which may sometimes be related to a decline in health associated with aging due to bad lifestyle. For this week's article and next, we shall extensively shed light on the male sexual health dysfunctions and round it off with the sexual challenges facing women.

Barrister Kulaju and motor dealer in his late 50s was in my office some weeks ago, wanting to know the causes of male sexual problems. He was experiencing some recession changes in his sexual performance and this was hurting him. Sexual health challenges can be a result of a physical, psychological and medical problem. 'How do sexual problems affect men? he asked. The most common sexual problems in men are ejaculation disorders, erectile dysfunctions and inhibited sexual desire.

Psychological causes include work-related stress and anxiety, environmental pollution, concern about sexual performance, marital or relationship problems, depression, feelings of guilt and the effects of a past sexual trauma. Physical causes are many; we have physical and/or medical conditions such as diabetes, heart and vascular (blood vessel) disease, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalance, chronic diseases such as kidney or liver failure, alcoholism, drug abuse and smoking. In addition, the side effects of certain medications are leading causes. Let us start with erectile dysfunction and inhibited sexual desire.

Under-reported gynaecological problems - | - Plight of cancer patients

Topics:

• Under-reported gynaecological problems
• Plight of cancer patients

_________________________________

Under-reported gynaecological problems
Written by Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie

~Punch, Nigeria. Sunday, May 22, 2016

Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie

The spectre of having to deal with specific problems such as vesico-vaginal fistula and recto-
vaginal fistula are important conditions which many people across the country have become familiar with. Not the least because of the stigmatisation associated with those conditions and the campaigns that has helped to bring attention to the abnormal situation.

These problems are known to be associated with largely unsupervised deliveries in the rural areas, just likeutero-vaginal prolapse, also known as UV Prolapse. This is a condition that is associated with unsupervised delivery invery young expectant mothers who are commonly in their teens. Expectedly, this problem is seen mostly in the underdeveloped Third World where ignorance, disease and poverty hold sway.

Utero-vaginal prolapse is an abnormal condition where parts of the female genital organs descend into the vagina and the person becomes aware of that anomaly. The level of descent varies in accordance with the severity of the weakness in the supporting structures that hold the uterus in place. Sometimes, a part of the uterus may descend into the vagina; that is usually the cervix, the neck of the womb, which the woman is able to feel. At other times, the entire uterus may descend into the vagina. Worse still, the spectre of the entire uterus actually passing through the vagina could be turned completely outside. If it is as bad as this, then the situation is desperate, with the patient constantly aware of the fact that she is undergoingan abnormality. The organ, now inside out, is prone to bruising and ulcer-formation. As a result, there is associated bleeding,constant infection and the woman descends into poor health. Through it all, she is largely left to her fate. It is cruel.

Many of these conditions are common in many parts of Nigeria where forced under-age marriages occur. It is perhaps far more common than the much more popular conditions like VVF and RVF. The causes are similar. Many victims are themselves children who are forced to have babies at the time they develop the condition.

I made N3,000 hawking water in 20 minutes - White Naija Girl

~PUNCH, Nigeria. Sunday, May 15, 2016

Popularly known as White Naija Girl, Ibukun Afolabi, from Hungary tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO why she decided to hawk sachet water on the streets of Lagos

Can you give a brief background of yourself?


My husband gave me a Nigerian (Yoruba) name, 'Ibukun,' which means 'blessing.' I am originally from Hungary. I live in the United Kingdom at the moment. In 2008, I came to the UK, where I met my husband, Gbenga Afolabi of MagnumN3. I studied Business and Management. I also hold degrees in German and French languages. When I first came to the UK, I could not speak English, so I had to start learning it from the beginning.

In 2012, I decided to start ­a blog, the whitenaijagirl.com, soon after I got married. Initially, I wanted to write a book, but my husband advised me to start a blog instead so I could reach more people. I started to write about my experiences as a 'Nigerian' wife. Soon, many people - men and women – in relationships with Nigerians started to contact me, asking different questions. The blog became quite successful. Finally, I visited Nigeria in the middle of October last year. I stayed for a month. It was during that period that the video of me selling sachet water was shot.

Was your visit to Nigeria in October your first trip to the country?

Yes it was. But here in the UK, I have had contacts with a lot of Nigerians. The church I attend in the UK is predominantly a Nigerian church. I have always been inspired by Nigerians and their way of living. I love the culture, food and their attitude to life. I also love it that Nigerians take education seriously. My husband is a film-maker and I produce most of his films. When we came to Nigeria; that was when I noticed how hard people in Nigeria are working and how much they needed to struggle on a daily basis to earn a living.


What was the inspiration behind the video of you selling pure water and drinks on the streets of Lagos?

It is because I saw these people doing this every day for a living. And I wondered why they had to live like that in a rich country like Nigeria. That 'pure' water video was done because I wanted to experience what Nigerians are going through, to empathise with them and to go through what they are going through. I realised that it is really hard. And I wanted people to know about this. In the UK, when you have a child, you get child benefits. In Nigeria, there is nothing like that. It is difficult for the women hawking 'pure' water. It is really a difficult job. I wanted to raise awareness about their plight. These people need help from the government. They don't have to risk their lives on the road doing such a job. That was purely my inspiration. It was a great experience, I felt their struggle, because it was hot, you could see me sweating. The load was very heavy. At the beginning, I could not take off the bowl from my head. It was hurting my head even though I had the scarf on. I am planning other projects to raise more awareness about the difficulties every day people face. For me, what I did (selling pure water) was not so extraordinary. What is extraordinary is that people are doing this job daily for a living.

That thing (bowl of sachet, bottled water and drinks) on my head felt so heavy and I only carried it for less than an hour. But those people who do it for a living actually do that for about eight to 10 hours a day. They are the real heroes, not me. I did it for less than an hour because we attracted a little too much attention so we could not carry on. And that was at the time the police were really after people selling on the streets. So, we were a little cautious so as not to get into trouble.

Were you scared at any point?

Viral hepatitis is preventable

Written by Rotimi Adesanya
~ Punch, Nigeria. Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Rotimi Adesanya

A reader of this column sent this, "I am 35 years; I just found out I have hepatitis B virus. I never used drugs and I don't drink. I'm so afraid right now, and I can't stop crying. I don't have a clue as to how I contracted it. The different tests listed by my doctor scare me. Dear doctor, kindly advise me''.

My response as an expert goes to everyone that has tested positive to hepatitis B or C virus. They should be optimistic, as some people have been able to flush out the virus from their system within six months.

The tests are just the beginning of treatment, be patient with your doctor so that proper diagnosis could be done after which treatment follows.

The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the month of May as Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19 as Hepatitis Testing Day in some countries.

The day provides an opportunity to remind the public and health care providers about the essence of hepatitis testing. Millions of Nigerians have chronic hepatitis, most of whom do not know that they are infected.

Viral hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by alcohol, drugs, bacteria, viruses and other toxins.

Viral hepatitis refers to hepatitis resulting from infection of the liver by viruses. These include the hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. The most common forms of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Early signs of mental illness

Written by Adeoye Oyewole
~Punch, Nigeria. Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

Adeoye Oyewole

Mental illness is one of the most stigmatised illnesses in the world, especially in Africa. This attitude has serious social implications for affected persons. Many have been denied marriage and other employment opportunities even when they got better.

Educated folks, who know that there is treatment for mental illness like any other condition, often discriminate against such individuals. This belief has encouraged alternative methods of managing mentally challenged patients. Families would rather conceal information and sentence a relative with mental illness to spiritual cleansing instead of seeking orthodox help.

The mental health policy articulation and implementation suffer setbacks because we prefer to live in the denial of the reality of the illness. Alternative caregivers have flourished at the expense of the orthodox ones because they explore our cultural models.

Supernatural prescriptions of intervention such as exorcism, offering of sacrifices to the gods, prescribed prayers and rituals are some the unconscious psychological strategies we adopt to confront mental illness and its management on the continent.

The mandate for mental health practice in Africa and especially in Nigeria is to interrogate these alternative models and interrupt their adverse influences that have been reported to be responsible for increasing number of deaths among the mentally ill.

Spanking can harm your child's mental health

Written by Bukola Adebayo
~Punch, Nigeria. Friday, May 6, 2016

Agreed that a verse of the Bible says, "Spare the rod and spoil the child". And it will be wrong to disobey instructions from above. However, the Holy Book does not say you should use the rod to harm the child.

Many parents, caregivers and guardians use the rod to harm children in an attempt to 'discipline' them. Such incidents bring up the moral and logical question on the role of the rod in parenting.

Science may have provided some insights and answers to the puzzle. After collecting and evaluating the results of a 50-year-old study, researchers announced the troubling and yet enlightening result of spanking in kids, either for correctional or punitive purposes.

The study, published in this month's Journal of Family Psychology, reveals that the more children are spanked, the more likely they are to defy their parents; experience anti-social behaviour; express aggression, suffer mental health problems and cognitive difficulties.

The scientists evaluated the research which involved over 160,000 children across the globe.

The lead researcher and associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, Elizabeth Gershoff, described the result as the most accurate and evidence-based analysis that has showed the effects of spanking alone in many years.

Gershoff says, "Our analysis found that spanking was associated with unintended detrimental outcomes and was not associated with more immediate or long-term compliance, which are parents' intended outcomes when they discipline their children."

Scholar and co-author Andrew Grogan-Kaylor links spanking with 13 of the17 negative outcomes in children and adults.

"The upshot of the study is that spanking increases the likelihood of a wide variety of undesired outcomes in children. Spanking thus does the opposite of what parents usually want it to do," Grogan-Kaylor says.

10 cancer symptoms men should not ignore

Written by Ayodele Oluwagbemi

~Punch, Nigeria. Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Cancer remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world, with 14 million new cases and 8.2 million deaths recorded in 2012, World Health Organisation statistics show.

According to cancer.org, cancer can start anywhere in the body.

It starts when cells grow out of control and crowd out normal cells. This makes it hard for the body to work the way it should.

It is important to note that cancer affects both men and women.

“One of the best ways to fight the disease is to catch it in the early stages, when it's more treatable," says WebMD's Linda Rath.

“The problem is that the warning signs for many kinds of cancer can seem pretty mild.”

Below are 10 cancer symptoms men should not ignore:

1. Finding it difficult to urinate

2. Changes in testicles

3. Blood in urine, semen or stool

4. Weight loss without trying

5. Bone pain

6. Erectile dysfunction

7. Skin changes

8. Breast changes

9. Belly pain and depression

10. Mouth changes

Orally contracted sexually transmitted diseases

Written by Dr Ikhisemojie

~Punch, Nigeria. Sunday, April 24, 2016

There is a notion that oral sex somehow protects people from contracting and suffering from Sexually Transmitted Diseases. It is a false one. Among various age groups around the world today, and increasingly in our own country, many teenagers and young adults are engaging in oral sex not because they necessary think it is safer but because they think it is now fashionable to do so. Some others have enough knowledge to determine that it may be safer to do so from a health perspective. Others see it as an escape from having to cope with unwanted pregnancies. That may be all that they can protect themselves against.

It is important to note from the outset that diseases such as gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia and HIV are infections that can be acquired from performing oral sex. So, it must be seen in the proper context that oral sex is not the same thing as safe sex. Safe sex only exists in a make-believe kind of life. The only way to guarantee safe sex is to have only one partner or to abstain from it. As a result, most doctors would not consider oral sex or other sexual practices to be safe unless certain precautions have been taken to reduce or prevent such unwanted consequences from occurring.

Oral sex is the way of getting off a genital stimulation using the mouth and tongue. It does carry a substantial risk of leading to an infection particularly when there are cuts, sores and bruises around the mouth and tongue. It is now one of the most common ways in which sexually transmitted infections are passed on. The incidence of these infections around the world is increasing. And in addition to the four different diseases named above, others like herpes simplex, hepatitis A, B and C, and genital warts can also be transmitted. The precise incidence of this new and growing problem is unknown at the present time. What is clear is that the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections through oral sex is perhaps lower than in vaginal or anal sex. However, the risk exists. The risk is dampened significantly by using a condom or a dental dam. It is not clear why it is called a dental dam because it has been used from the very beginning as a barrier method of preventing pregnancies in non-penetrative sex. It is used to cover either the vagina or the anus. Only of recent has it been adapted to oral usage. When you do not have a dam, you can make an emergency one out of a condom.

As for gonorrhoea, there is now a distinct classification for it with associated features that can also help to diagnose it. It is thus called oral gonorrhoea, more specifically pharyngeal gonorrhoea. It is a sexually transmitted disease caused by direct contact between a person who is secreting the typically yellowish fluid and the throat of another individual. These features may be different in both men and women because of the different ways in which they are acquired, but certain common signs are present in both sexes. These are a sore-throat, a rash within the mouth, a fever and difficulty with swallowing. Most of the time, a person's natural immunity is sufficient to cure an attack of oral gonorrhoea so that it may pass without much trouble. At other times, however, such persons may have a sore in the mouth with yellowish or whitish specs and some discharge of the same colour. Women who perform oral sex are more likely than men to have oral gonorrhoea. Men, by contrast, who perform oral vaginal sex are not as likely to have the disease.

Tips for dating a Nigerian woman

By Femi Ajasa

~Vanguard: Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Dating a typical Nigerian lady can be a topsy-turvy experience especially for a man who is just wetting his feet in the dating game. Normally, women are complicated beings let alone a Nigerian woman who has so many challenges to deal with like an unstable economy, family, tradition, ethnicity, religion, peer pressure, biology and much more. All these factors conspire to influence whoever she will date.

The averageman with his chauvinistic African mindset or perception does not understand this and expect this type of woman to accept him hook, line and sinker. Little does he know that the days of parents marrying wives for their kids isold skooland that most women know what they want. If you want your relationship to blossom with a typical Nigerian woman, Jovago.com, Africa's shares tips that can make this dream a reality.

Give her money to make her hair

Didi,Shooku, andPatewoare traditional hairstyles in Nigeria but young women prefer the Brazilian hair, the deft Ghana weaving, and attachment because it makes them appear sophisticated. They rarely wear their natural hair, adorning these foreign hairstyles cost money and time and she expects her man to foot the bill for her hair. If not always but once in awhile. In other cases, if you notice she is wearing a new hairstyle, it will not kill you to compliment her and perhaps pay for it. Afterwards, it is because of you, she spends that much time at the salon anyways.

Lost memories may be recoverable - Study

~Punch, Nigeria. Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease may not have “lost” their memories, but could simply have difficulty accessing them, say researchers, who Wednesday unveiled a possible treatment that could one day offer a cure to the ravages of dementia.

Nobel Prize-winner Susumu Tonegawa said studies on mice showed that by stimulating specific areas of the brain with blue light, scientists could make the creatures recall thoughts that were otherwise unavailable to them.

The results offer some of the first evidence that Alzheimer’s disease does not destroy specific memories, but rather makes them inaccessible.

“As humans and mice tend to have a common principle in terms of memory, our findings suggest that Alzheimer’s disease patients, at least in their early stages, may also keep memories in their brains, which means there may be a possibility of a cure,”Tonegawa told AFP.

Tonegawa’s team used mice that had been genetically modified to exhibit symptoms similar to those of humans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease - a degenerative brain condition that affects millions of adults around the world.

The animals were put in a box which had a low level electrical current passing through the floor — giving an unpleasant, but not dangerous, shock to their feet.

An unaffected mouse that is returned to the same box 24 hours later freezes in fear, anticipating the same nasty sensation.

Germs in the home

Written by Anino Aganbi

~Vanguard, Nigeria. Thursday, March 17, 2016

IN every home around the globe, mothers always tend to take special care in creating a good hygienic home for their children, with emphasis on toddlers and infants. Yet, no matter how squeaky clean your home may be or how many times you disinfect your floor while cleaning because of babies who are at the crawling stage, facts show that there are still places unknown to humans where germs delight in hiding.

Many hand sanitizers and disinfectants on the market claim that they "kill 99.99% of germs" or "kill germs on contact." But they fail to explain what really needs to be cleaned and how often.

Some places where germs can be found in the home.

The kitchen sink: like most places in the home, germs find it easy to breed in kitchen sinks if you are fond of not cleaning up properly.

TV remote and controllers: This object is often held by all and sundry and is easily put in the mouth by any child thereby transferring germs.

Floors: No matter how much you disinfect your floors, there are still some germs that find their way around.

Shoes: You think your shoes are safe? Germs attach themselves to the insole of shoes especially if you walk about with your bare feet in the office. This germs end up in your home.

Sponges: Sponges tend to absorb a lot of germs unknown to you.

Toilet seats: if your toilet at home is shared by the general public, then the possibility of your toilet being infected by germs is very high.

Toothbrushes: Germs are spread by toilets being flushed thereby infesting your toothbrush.

Contaminated make up: A lot of people tend to use their hands to apply their make up thereby transferring germs from their hands to the make up and their faces.