ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH.

ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH. By Edidiong Rapheal Udoeyop. Although the earth produces clean air, nourishing food, and fresh water, humans are increasingly disrupting these natural processes. Scientists are desperately seeking solutions to reverse this trend. AUSTRALIA. Awake! report that It is estimated that as much as 120,000 cubic miles (500,000 cu km) of low-salinity water lies beneath the floor of the world’s oceans. “The sea level was [once] much lower than it is today,” says Vincent Post of Flinders University in Adelaide, so the coastline was farther out. At that time, rain would “fill up the water table in areas that are nowadays under the sea.” Scientists hope that these undersea reserves may in time help some of the over 700 million people who have limited access to clean water. SAHARA DESERT. Half the large animal species once found in the Sahara have either disappeared or are now confined to only 1 percent or less of their original range. Regional instability and widespread hunting are only partly to blame. Although the biodiversity of deserts rivals that of forests, researchers say that “the lack of scientific attention given to desert biodiversity is mirrored by a lack of financial support.” As a result, it is difficult for conservationists to monitor endangered desert ecosystems. WORLD. It has been estimated that 1 in 8 deaths in 2012 occurred as a result of air pollution. According to the World Health Organization, “air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk.” TO THINK ABOUT:Why are hardworking people with noble goals unable to stop the destruction of our environment?— Jeremiah 10:23. The result is clear, and 2 peter 3:12, Isaiah 65: 13,17 thus its only Gods kingdom under a perfect environmetalist will restore earth into a Paradise

SLEEP A PANACEA FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH.

SLEEP A PANACEA FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person. According to Awake! Magazine, Most newborns sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, toddlers about 14 hours, and preschoolers about 11 or 12. School-age children generally need at least 10 hours of sleep, adolescents perhaps 9 or 10, and adults from 7 to 8. Getting the right amount of rest should not be considered optional. According to experts, sufficient sleep is important for: *. Growth and development in children and teenagers. *. Learning and retention of new information. *. Maintaining the right balance of hormones that impact metabolism and weight. *. Cardiovascular health. *. Disease prevention. Insufficient sleep has been linked to obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and tragic accidents. Surely these give us good reason to want to get enough rest. So, what can you do if you realize that you have a problem getting enough sleep? *. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. *. Make your bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing, and neither too warm nor too cold. *. Do not watch TV or use gadgets while in bed. *. Make your bed as comfortable as possible. *. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. *. If after applying these suggestions you still suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders —such as excessive daytime sleepiness or gasping for breath while sleeping— you may want to consult a qualified health-care professional. Other factors for optimum health are keep yourself moving

Civil Service on the Run.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria’s civil service has a reputation for inefficiency, low productivity and corruption. Buhari, who was represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stated this on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of capacity building programmes, tagged “Structured Mandatory Assessment-based Training Programme and Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme”, for public servants. The President said that Nigeria’s civil service was declining due to its inability to articulate a vision and develop the required capacity to implement such vision. Buhari said, “Many, who mourn the decline of the civil service today from its days as ‘primus inter pares’ in the Commonwealth to one which has earned a reputation for inefficiency, low productivity, corruption and insensitivity to the needs of the public, fall into the error of thinking that the problem is a poverty of ideas and capacity on the part of the civil service; whereas, it is the inability to clearly articulate a vision, ensure that the service develops the required capacity to articulate and implement the various components of the vision. “The citizen, regardless of station in life, must be respected by the governing authorities and treated with dignity. “Flowing from these is the imperative that our society must be governed by the rule of law, administered by a trustworthy, fearless, impartial and efficient judiciary”. He described the federal civil servants as the foot soldiers in Nigeria’s march to a great destiny, saying he believed the federal civil service would not fail Nigerians. “An army cannot afford indiscipline, inefficiency or lack of focus, especially because the hopes and aspirations of a whole society rest on your shoulders,” the President said to the civil servants. Buhari said the civil servants must see themselves as servants and facilitators of commerce and entrepreneurship and that they must design policies and remove obstacles to doing business in Nigeria. Buhari said the civil service should provide answers to questions such as “What are the strategic and financial planning initiatives important in a strong private sector led, free market economy but with a robust social protection system for the poor majority? “What are the crucial communications to make to the people in a season requiring sacrifice and perseverance on account of falling revenues or for that matter communicate the position that our anti-corruption, zero tolerance stand, is not merely a moral or ethical stand but a developmental construct that recognises that corruption if not apprehended will destroy all institutions, the economy and eventually our society?” Earlier, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, said the objective of the programmes was to address capacity and leadership challenges in the service. He noted that the programmes were funded from the training budgets of the ministries, departments and agencies. He said Buhari, in the absence of ministers, had helped to restore the confidence of the civil service by depending on it for support in governing the country. He said the service would support the incumbent administration in its bid to bring about positive change in the country. Kifasi identified effective leadership as one of the challenges facing the civil service. He stated, “The Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme is one of the elements of the new Leadership Development Framework for the Federal Civil Service. “ LEAD-P will help to identify potential leaders at the various levels in the service, nurture developing leaders and enhance the capacity and capability of existing leaders.” “Our decision to restrict foreign training and promote home-grown capacity development is what has made SMAT-P and LEAD-P possible.” “The programmes are funded primarily from the training budgets of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies and delivered mainly by Nigerian Management Development Institutes. “This means that resources that could have been lost to foreign training institutions have been used to develop and strengthen Nigerian training institutions.’’ What your opinion ?

Importance of Body Alkalinity.

According to WebMD. The theory is that some foods, like meat, wheat, refined sugar, and processed foods, cause your body to produce acid, which is bad for you. Eating specific foods that make your body more alkaline, on the other hand, can protect against those conditions as well as shed pounds. The alkaline diet really rocketed into the news when Victoria Beckham tweeted about an alkaline diet cookbook in January 2013. Does It Work? Maybe, but not for the reasons it claims. First, a little chemistry: A pH level measures how acid or alkaline something is. A pH of 0 is totally acidic, while a pH of 14 is completely alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral. Those levels vary throughout your body. Your bloodis slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45. Your stomachis very acidic, with a pH of 3.5 or below, so it can break down food. And your urine changes, depending on what you eat – that's how your body keeps the level in your bloodsteady. The alkaline diet claims to help your body maintain its blood pH level. In fact, nothing you eat is going to substantially change the pH of your blood. Your body works to keep that level constant. But the foods you're supposed to eat on the alkaline diet are good for you: lots of fruits and vegetables, and lots of water. Avoiding sugar, alcohol, and processed foods is healthy weight-loss advice, too. As to the other health claims, there's some early evidence that a diet low in acid-producing foods like animal protein (such as meat and cheese) and bread and high in fruits and veggies could help prevent kidney stones, keep bones and muscles strong, improve heart healthand brainfunction, reduce low back pain, and lower risk for colon cancerand type 2 diabetes. But researchers aren't sure yet. People who believe in the alkaline diet say that though acid-producing foods shift our pH balance for only a little while, if you keep shifting your blood pH over and over, you can cause long-lasting acidity.What You Can and Can't Eat Most fruits and vegetables, soybeans and tofu, and some nuts, seeds, and legumes are alkaline-promoting foods, so they're fair game. Dairy, eggs, meat, most grains, and processed foods, like canned and packaged snacks and convenience foods, fall on the acid side and are not allowed. Most books that tout the alkaline diet say you shouldn't have alcohol or caffeine, either. Level of Effort: High You'll be cutting out a lot of foods you may be used to eating. Limitations:Many foods are off-limits, and so are alcohol and caffeine. Cooking and shopping:You can get fruits and vegetablesat the grocery store. It may take a while to learn how to prep and cook your meals when you use fresh foods. In-person meetings?No. Exercise:Not required. Does It Allow for Restrictions or Preferences? Vegetarians and vegans:This diet is mostly to completely vegetarian. It also works for vegans, in that dairy is off-limits. Gluten-free:The diet excludes wheat, but to avoid glutencompletely, you'll need to check food labels carefully, as gluten is not just in wheat. Besides wheat, the diet nixes most of the other major triggers for food allergies, including milk, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, fish, and shellfish. It's also good for people who are trying to avoid fat and sugar.

Aspirin, NSAIDs May Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Aspirin, NSAIDs May Lower Colon Cancer Risk But findings should be viewed with care, researcher says WebMD News from HealthDay By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter. Regularly taking low-dose aspirinor other common pain relievers may lower long-term risk of colon cancer, new research suggests. Men and women who took low-dose (75 to 150 milligrams) aspirin for five years or more saw their risk of colon cancerdrop by 27 percent. And taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) such as ibuprofenfor that long was linked to a 30 percent to 45 percent drop in colon cancer risk, the study found. "The protective association is certainly amazing, and it's a good example of how everyday drugs can have unexpected benefits," said study co-author Dr. John Baron, a professor of medicine in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in Chapel Hill. "But there are also potential risks," said Baron, who urged the findings be viewed with care. "I don't think we should imply or recommend that these medications be taken for cancerprevention without working closely with a physician," he said. The study did not assess the potential impact of high-dose aspirin, and no protective benefit was seen for irregular or short-term users of either low-dose aspirin or other NSAIDs. And the study did not prove that the use of painkillers reduced the risk of colon cancer, just that there was an association between the two. In the United States, NSAIDs include over-the-counter Aleve( naproxen), Advil and Motrin(both ibuprofen), and prescription drugs such as Celebrexand high-strength Motrin. Baron emphasized that the drugs were taken continuously for years before any cancer-preventive benefits were realized. "For aspirin, you would have to take it fairly consistently, meaning at least every other day, for at least five to 10 years for the protective effect to even begin to appear," he said. "That's a significant amount of time for side effects to accumulate, all without getting any benefit," he said. Potential side effects include gastrointestinal bleedingwith aspirin, and heightened risk for heart attackand strokewith long-term use, or high-dose use, of NSAIDs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the United States, colon cancer is a leading cause of cancerdeaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the study, published in the Sept. 1 issue of theAnnals of Internal Medicine, investigators sifted through several Danish cancer databases to gather the health histories of more than 10,000 colon cancer patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2011. Patients were between the ages of 30 and 85. Medical records were stacked up against aspirin and non-aspirin NSAID consumption patterns -- this was possible because in Denmark most NSAIDs and low-dose aspirins are obtainable by prescription only. A comparison of cancer patients with more than 100,000 cancer-free Danes revealed that regular, long-term use of low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs seemed to confer long-term protection against colon cancer. The biggest benefit was linked to NSAIDs with the highest degree of so-called COX-2 selectivity. Celebrex is one such drug. That said, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires a "black box" warning -- its strongest drug-related warning -- on Celebrex packaging to alert users to the heightened risk for heart attackor stroke. The investigators said the finding of a low-dose aspirin benefit was qualified by the fact that only 2 percent to 3 percent of the study patients actually took low-dose aspirin continuously for many years. (Many doctors recommend patients take low-dose aspirin to help prevent heart attack). Still, Baron said the findings are "hopeful, because it means that we're understanding cancer better and better." That sentiment was seconded by Dr. Andrew Chan, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "The question now is really whether aspirin can also help prevent other cancers as well," Chan said. "We need more research, but there's already some evidence that that might be the case. And we now have a substantial and very consistent body of evidence showing that aspirin can prevent colon cancer." For certain people, Chan said, "like those with a predisposition to colon cancer, the risk-benefit analysis might make a lot of sense."

Viewpoint watch (ediraphwatch): YOUR DIET, A THREAT TO MENTAL HEALTH.

YOUR DIET A THREAT TO MENTAL HEALTH

Experts caution that while diet can be part of a treatment plan, it shouldn't be considered a substitute for medication and other treatments.more of these at Can What You Eat Affect Your Mental Health?
Here’s what they do know about how diet may play a role in mental health. What you eat affects how your immune system works, how your genes work, and how your body responds to stress.

3 Ways Diet Impacts Your Mental Health

Here are some more details on how good nutrition impacts brain health:
1.It's crucial for brain development.
"We are, quite literally, what we eat," says Roxanne Sukol, MD, preventive medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute. "When we eat real food that nourishes us, it becomes the protein-building blocks, enzymes, brain tissue, and neurotransmitters that transfer information and signals between various parts of the brain and body."
2.Itputs the brain into grow mode.
Certain nutrients and dietary patterns are linked to changes in a brain protein that helps increase connections between brain cells. A diet rich in nutrients like omega-3s and zinc boosts levels of this substance.
On the other hand, "a diet high in saturated fats and refined sugars has a very potent negative impact on brain proteins," Jacka says.
3.It fills the gut with healthy bacteria.
And that's good for the brain. Trillions of good bacteria live in the gut. They fend off bad germs and keep your immune system in check, which means they help tame inflammation in the body. Some gut germs even help make brain-powering B vitamins.
Foods with beneficial bacteria ( probiotics) help maintain a healthy gut environment, or "biome." "A healthier microbiome is going to decrease inflammation, which affects mood and cognition," Ramsey says.
A high-fat or high- sugardiet is bad for gut health and, therefore, your brain. Some research hints that a high-sugar diet worsens schizophrenia symptoms, too.
Read full article here
can-what-you-eat-affect-your-mental-health

YOUR DIET, A THREAT TO MENTAL HEALTH.

YOUR DIET A THREAT TO MENTAL HEALTH Experts caution that while diet can be part of a treatment plan, it shouldn't be considered a substitute for medication and other treatments.more of these at Can What You Eat Affect Your Mental Health? Here’s what they do know about how diet may play a role in mental health. What you eat affects how your immune system works, how your genes work, and how your body responds to stress. 3 Ways Diet Impacts Your Mental Health Here are some more details on how good nutrition impacts brain health: 1.It's crucial for brain development. "We are, quite literally, what we eat," says Roxanne Sukol, MD, preventive medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute. "When we eat real food that nourishes us, it becomes the protein-building blocks, enzymes, brain tissue, and neurotransmitters that transfer information and signals between various parts of the brain and body." 

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2.Itputs the brain into grow mode. Certain nutrients and dietary patterns are linked to changes in a brain protein that helps increase connections between brain cells. A diet rich in nutrients like omega-3s and zinc boosts levels of this substance. On the other hand, "a diet high in saturated fats and refined sugars has a very potent negative impact on brain proteins," Jacka says. 3.It fills the gut with healthy bacteria. And that's good for the brain. Trillions of good bacteria live in the gut. They fend off bad germs and keep your immune system in check, which means they help tame inflammation in the body. Some gut germs even help make brain-powering B vitamins. Foods with beneficial bacteria ( probiotics) help maintain a healthy gut environment, or "biome." "A healthier microbiome is going to decrease inflammation, which affects mood and cognition," Ramsey says. A high-fat or high- sugardiet is bad for gut health and, therefore, your brain. Some research hints that a high-sugar diet worsens schizophrenia symptoms, too. Read full article here can-what-you-eat-affect-your-mental-health