Dying Young & Cardiovascular Diseases!

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Wandusim Ramseyer 11 years ago

Good advice there, let avoid if possible eradicate illments such as these througth proper living habits ie more traditional foods, proper exercising etc.God bless our home land Ghana.

Good advice there, let avoid if possible eradicate illments such as these througth proper living habits ie more traditional foods, proper exercising etc.God bless our home land Ghana.
safohen 11 years ago

MOST PEOPLE IN GHANA DONT EAT FAST FOODS.SO IT IS WRONG TO ATTRIBUTE THE HIGH RATE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG CITY DWELLERS TO FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION.OUR LOCAL DIETS ARE AMONG OTHER THINGS UNBALANCED.WE TEND TO APPRECIATE ...
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MOST PEOPLE IN GHANA DONT EAT FAST FOODS.SO IT IS WRONG TO ATTRIBUTE THE HIGH RATE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG CITY DWELLERS TO FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION.OUR LOCAL DIETS ARE AMONG OTHER THINGS UNBALANCED.WE TEND TO APPRECIATE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAT IN OUR SOCEITY.IN THE PAST PEOPLE MOVED AROUND A LOT BY FARMING AND DOING A LOT OF BODILY ACTIVITIES,THAT IS WHY IN THE VILLAGES THERE ARE HARDLY PEOPLE WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES.SO IT IS OUR LOCAL DIET AND SEDANTRY LIFESTYLES WHICH IS BOOSTING THIS BAD TREND.
awonaniba 11 years ago

Obi anku wo a, waa wo b3 wu

Obi anku wo a, waa wo b3 wu
Adwoa 11 years ago

Great article.bwe are all guilty. That being said can you doctors have the patience to properly diagnose us and put us on the right medication.

Great article.bwe are all guilty. That being said can you doctors have the patience to properly diagnose us and put us on the right medication.
Dorkita Exercise. 11 years ago

And you will not get heart attack no matter what food you eat so long as you can exercise a minimum of 350 cal a day and drink about 2 lit of water during this exercise you are rest assured.
Again the first thing is exercise ...
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And you will not get heart attack no matter what food you eat so long as you can exercise a minimum of 350 cal a day and drink about 2 lit of water during this exercise you are rest assured.
Again the first thing is exercise, the second exercise, the third exercise and the last exercise!
I do it every day and burn about between 450-650 cal a day! Don't lift any weights.Jogging on treadmill, cycling and all the exercise bikes are good, rowing, boxing, martial art, skipping are just enough to flush your system to make circulation efficient.
Tekonline . org 11 years ago

Certainly exercise is essential for good cardiovascular health. Exercise stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the heart musculature, among other benefits.

However, the human body is largely a CHEMICAL organ and fo ...
read full comment

Certainly exercise is essential for good cardiovascular health. Exercise stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the heart musculature, among other benefits.

However, the human body is largely a CHEMICAL organ and food plays a tremendous role in maintaining organs. The heart cannot beat without the proper balance of electrolytes in the blood (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium). All the nutrients and micronutrients required for the proper manufacturing and functioning of the heart proteins are derived from the diet.

No amount of exercise can create potassium and calcium in the body. Those must come from the diet.

Certain essential fats, like omega-3, MUST come from the diet.

Antioxidants, that remove dangerous free radicals and help keep inflammation in check must be diet-derived.

Soluble fiber, which helps eliminate from the body dangerous cholesterol made by the liver, must be in the diet.

Furthermore, the type of beneficial bacteria in the gut, is largely determined by the food we eat. These friendly bacterial play numerous beneficial roles including synthesizing B-vitamins, detoxifying carcinogens, and maintaining the immune system.

So one cannot keep exercising but eat all the wrong stuff: salty diet loaded with saturated and trans fats, with almost no potassium, vitamins, minerals, and good fats, and expect the heart and other organs to be healthy.
Dorkita Exercise. 11 years ago

What kind of diet you are talking about? All that I am saying is eat normal but do regular exercise. A normal life style with regular exercise is the secret of good health!

What kind of diet you are talking about? All that I am saying is eat normal but do regular exercise. A normal life style with regular exercise is the secret of good health!
Tekonline . org 11 years ago

.... this is no laughing matter!

.... this is no laughing matter!
James 11 years ago

Thanks for the nice article. As our life expectancy increases we expect to have increasing cases of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to the factors you enumerated I would add lack of adequate rest. We have to wake up very ...
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Thanks for the nice article. As our life expectancy increases we expect to have increasing cases of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to the factors you enumerated I would add lack of adequate rest. We have to wake up very early, sit in traffic for long hours breathing toxic car fumes. And when we want to sleep our churches and mosques disturb us with so much noise. Our cities are "planned" with no provision for parks to walk and run on. We know the problems. We have to act on the solutions. Otherwise today's children will inherited worse problems
Vuvuzela 11 years ago

"Decades ago such ailments were unheard of in our part of the world let alone be seen in young people in the productive age group like we are seeing now."

"Unheard of" doesn't mean they didn't exist. They DID exist, in fac ...
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"Decades ago such ailments were unheard of in our part of the world let alone be seen in young people in the productive age group like we are seeing now."

"Unheard of" doesn't mean they didn't exist. They DID exist, in fact! The presently mammoth media attention, publicity and awareness from medical groups are what are bringing these diseases to limelight.

How many homes in Ghana had televisions in 1980s compared to now? How many newspapapers were in Ghana in the 80s and 90s and how many people could afford them?

Finally, the other factor that make the situation overwhelming is demography. Increase in populations has much to do with our perception about so many ills though the proportion could have been anticipated taking projections for granted.

F. DONTOH 11 years ago

I am not an MD but to the best of my knowledge, low-dose Aspirin (also referred to as Children's Aspirin) is meant to be taken on a daily basis not to prevent heart attacks but rather stroke. The aspirin's effect is to thin t ...
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I am not an MD but to the best of my knowledge, low-dose Aspirin (also referred to as Children's Aspirin) is meant to be taken on a daily basis not to prevent heart attacks but rather stroke. The aspirin's effect is to thin the blood, so to speak. This measure has to be recommended by one's doctor even though the pill is available over-the-counter because it could cause or worsen a stomach ulcer in those who are vulnerable or have an ulcer already.

Never in my experience have I heard full-dose Aspirin recommended as a preventative for heart attacks. I ask any medical doctor or pharmacist to help me out with some professional clarification.
Manu 11 years ago

The Doctor wasn't recommending taking high dose of aspirin daily. He took the dose he took because he knew he was going through a heart attact, and to him taking the dose he took would mitigate the progress of the attack to a ...
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The Doctor wasn't recommending taking high dose of aspirin daily. He took the dose he took because he knew he was going through a heart attact, and to him taking the dose he took would mitigate the progress of the attack to a more seroius one.
Tekonline.org 11 years ago

Aspirin prevents the platelets from promoting the formation of blood clots.
When a clot forms in or reaches the brain vessels, that leads to Stroke. When a clot develops in the heart vessels, that precipitates Heart Attacks.

Aspirin prevents the platelets from promoting the formation of blood clots.
When a clot forms in or reaches the brain vessels, that leads to Stroke. When a clot develops in the heart vessels, that precipitates Heart Attacks.
Mark (UK) 11 years ago

Dontoh you are wrong there regarding the use of Aspirin as one of the first courses of action in MIs (myocardial infarctions). What the doctor said was right. As one who has worked in Emergency Room before, that is the first ...
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Dontoh you are wrong there regarding the use of Aspirin as one of the first courses of action in MIs (myocardial infarctions). What the doctor said was right. As one who has worked in Emergency Room before, that is the first course of treatment.
Your point about taking small doses of Aspirin for preventative measures is well founded though. Weighing the pros against the cons of Aspirin ingesting, most won't take it.
You said 'never in my experience have I heard full dose Aspirin ......', I don't intend to be rude but what is your experience, Dontoh?
A good article from Dr Sodzi once more.
CROOKS AND LIARS 11 years ago

Reduce the excessive salt and fat to be found in traditional foods such as palm-nut/ground-nut/pepper soup!

Reduce the excessive salt and fat to be found in traditional foods such as palm-nut/ground-nut/pepper soup!
Tekonline.org 11 years ago

Groundnut soup is okay.

Groundnut soup is okay.
Dorkita Exercise. 11 years ago

eXERCISE and you will not get heart attack no matter what food you eat so long as you can exercise a minimum of 350 cal a day and drink about 2 lit of water during this exercise you are rest assured.
Again the first thing is ...
read full comment

eXERCISE and you will not get heart attack no matter what food you eat so long as you can exercise a minimum of 350 cal a day and drink about 2 lit of water during this exercise you are rest assured.
Again the first thing is exercise, the second exercise, the third exercise and the last exercise!
I do it every day and burn about between 450-650 cal a day! Don't lift any weights.Jogging on treadmill, cycling and all the exercise bikes are good, rowing, boxing, martial art, skipping are just enough to flush your system to make circulation
Tekonline.org 11 years ago

There is no doubt that exercise is essential for good cardiovascular health. Exercise stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the heart musculature, among other benefits.

However, the human body is largely a CHEMICAL ...
read full comment

There is no doubt that exercise is essential for good cardiovascular health. Exercise stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the heart musculature, among other benefits.

However, the human body is largely a CHEMICAL organ and food plays a tremendous role in maintaining organs. The heart cannot beat without the proper balance of electrolytes in the blood (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium). All the nutrients and micronutrients required for the proper manufacturing and functioning of the heart proteins are derived from the diet.

No amount of exercise can create potassium and calcium in the body. Those must come from the diet.

Certain essential fats, like omega-3, MUST come from the diet.

Antioxidants, that remove dangerous free radicals and help keep inflammation in check must be diet-derived.

Soluble fiber, which helps eliminate from the body dangerous cholesterol made by the liver, must be in the diet.

Furthermore, the type of beneficial bacteria in the gut, is largely determined by the food we eat. These friendly bacterial play numerous beneficial roles including synthesizing B-vitamins, detoxifying carcinogens, and maintaining the immune system.

So one cannot keep exercising but eat all the wrong stuff: salty diet loaded with saturated and trans fats, with almost no potassium, vitamins, minerals, and good fats, and expect the heart and other organs to be healthy.
Dorkita Exercise. 11 years ago

Your chemical nomenclatures is not what I am talking about. They are not going to stop eating what they really like and my advise is, so long as they do regular exercise everyday and burn a minimum of 350 cal they are better ...
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Your chemical nomenclatures is not what I am talking about. They are not going to stop eating what they really like and my advise is, so long as they do regular exercise everyday and burn a minimum of 350 cal they are better off than those who eat the same food without work out.
Tekonline . org 11 years ago

No amount of exercise can offset the damage and risk to the body by eating high sodium, low potassium, high saturated fats, low monounsaturated, excessive transfats, low fiber, and predominant starchy diet.

We MUST promote ...
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No amount of exercise can offset the damage and risk to the body by eating high sodium, low potassium, high saturated fats, low monounsaturated, excessive transfats, low fiber, and predominant starchy diet.

We MUST promote good dietary habits in addition to exercise.
Incidentally, for a patient whose coronary arteries are almost completely blocked by high LDL-cholesterol, exercise could actually trigger cardiac arrest (death). So go figure!

Tekonline.org 11 years ago

Quite a timely article, Sodzi. Let's hope there would also be a series in the mass media, educating the general public on such medical matters. A well-informed populace makes healthcare delivery more effective.

I'm a bit c ...
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Quite a timely article, Sodzi. Let's hope there would also be a series in the mass media, educating the general public on such medical matters. A well-informed populace makes healthcare delivery more effective.

I'm a bit curious about Korle-Bu's facilities. You wrote:
"...In the aftermath of my little scare on the N1, I have had myself thoroughly checked by my doctors. My cardiologist assures me that there is nothing to worry about..."

Would your "thoroughly checked" include the following (in addition to a thorough EKG):
-a coronary angiography using cardiac catheterization to determine the state of the coronary arteries, or a blood clot anywhere?
-blood tests like D-Dimer and INR tests to see how easily your blood clots?
-an ergonovine-challenge test to see whether what you experienced on NI was a coronary vasospasm?
-making you wear a Holter monitor for 24-hours to see what might show up in the collected data?
-making you undergo a cardiac stress test (not emotional stress), either drug-induced or by threadmill, while collecting data (with nuclear imaging devices) on heart fuction?
-blood tests that include the heart enzymes LDH-1 and Creatinine Phosphokinase (to see if indeed a cardiac event really took place)?
-High-Definition Circulating Endothelial Cell (HD-CEC) assay? (during a heart attack, endothelial cells from the coronary arteries escape into the blood stream)
-an echograph to determine if the heart was enlarged (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)?
-etc

In this day and age, medical practice heavily involves DEVICES, sophisticated TESTS, and PROCEDURES. As the nation's premier medical establishment, I hope Korle Bu is leading the way.

You also mentioned coronary artery spasms. These are well known, especially as triggered by nicotine from cigarette-smoking or damage from LDL-cholesterol or hypertension. The type that continues to befuddle scientists is "variant angina" (also known as Prinzmetal's Angina), which happens at rest. Even though some evidence points to some damage to the endothelial layer of the coronary arteries, the brain also seems to be involved, raising the philosophical question: why would the brain instruct the coronary arteries to squeeze shut? Aren't humans hard-wired for survival? The mystery persists, but the good news is that the condition can now be detected before it happens. The drug ergonovine can somehow induce a mild coronary vasospasm in those predidposed to variant angina, allowing preventive therapies.

The stress response itself was designed by nature to PROTECT us from danger. You are taking a walk in the forest and suddenly spot a lion some hundred feet away, slowing approaching. The body immediately mobilizes all resources to allow you to escape, making you break the Olympic 100-meters record! Those "resources" include the stress hormones that make energy available and increase the blood pressure (so that all organs get plenty of blood supply). In fact, that is why some athletes like to take steroids, which are a class of stress hormones!
BUT, the stress response was meant to be short-lived. Once you escape from the lion, everything, including the blood pressure, returns to normal. The response was never meant to linger on for many months or even years. Untreated hypertension tends to damage the lining of blood vessels everywhere (including those of he kidneys), cause the heart to be enlarged, among other effects.

You also wrote:
"...We have given up on our healthy traditional diets and now indulging in cholesterol laden fast foods, diets that were foreign to our culture and previously unknown before the advent of this epidemic..."

The fact is, all over the world and accross many cultures, the diets are based on DELICIOUSNESS and not necessarily on nutrional principles. So even though our traditional diets are devoid of additives most of which have BP elevating chemicals and even some carcinogens (like the nitrites), we should not assume our traditional diets are nutritionally complete. Rather we should make noise for improvement:

(a) Not all oils are the same. We need to rely more on oils high in monounsaturated fatty acids as found in olive and hazelnut oils. Groundnut oil is half monounsaturated and half polyunsaturated. Since olive oil is quite pricey, the next best thing is groundnut oil.

(b) We should emphasize the consumption of fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). These lower the level of triglycerides. Triglycerides tend to lower the level of LDL-cholesterol thereby protecting against strokes and heart attacks. Furthermore, omega-3s provide structural components to the brain. The fish highest in omega-3 belong to "the group of five": salmon, herring, mackarel, tuna, and sardine (unsalted). We should note that omega-3 CANNOT be made by the human body and must come from the diet.

(c) Food items high in POTASSIUM should be a staple. These include plantain, yam, cocoyam, banana, and orange juice. In fact, ALL fruits and vegetables are high in potassium, and apart from kontomire, okras, tomatoes, garden-eggs, I don't see a lot of fruit and vegetables as a major component of our traditional diets. POTASSIUM HELPS LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE. By contrast, consumption of sodium (from salt, biscuits, cakes, maggi-cube spices, etc) tend to elevate BP. All those dried condiments like koobi, momoni, etc, are heavily salted and therefore very high in sodium.

(d) Fruits and vegetables are also very high in ANTIOXIDANTS, mankind's only tool to help ward off cancer. Besides, they help lower the incidents of strokes and heart attacks by curtailing inflammation from bad cholesterol. The berries are particularly very rich in antioxidants.

Prevention is the best strategy for dealing with any disease, and can help offset the soaring cost of healthcare.

Finally, let's hope the family of the late Komla Dumor would honor him by issueing medical advice to Ghanaians that can help save many lives. In fact, one of the noblest way of honoring a departed one is by promoting a medical cause in his name. The family doesn't have to reveal the details of the autopsy report or medical history, but based on what they know, they can advise the general public through a foundation: for instance, "The Komla Dumor Foundation for Heart Health among Young Professionals". This would ensure a LASTING memorial, rather than the few days of big funeral do, after which everyone forgets about the deceased!

immediately mobilizes all resources to let you escape.
Dorkita Exercise. 11 years ago

The sugar level, cholesterol level, your weight are what really matters in the test. So the blood test can predict the 10% chance of living the next 10 years.

The sugar level, cholesterol level, your weight are what really matters in the test. So the blood test can predict the 10% chance of living the next 10 years.
Tekonline . org 11 years ago

Electrolyte levels (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride) control the vital organs.
Vitamins, essential fats, essential amino acids, ....do I really need to go on?

Electrolyte levels (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride) control the vital organs.
Vitamins, essential fats, essential amino acids, ....do I really need to go on?
princewilly@ymail.com 11 years ago

A man suffered a serious heart attack and consequently had a quadruple heart bypass surgery. He woke up to find that he was in the care of nuns at a catholic hospital. When he had recovered sufficiently a nun began to ask him ...
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A man suffered a serious heart attack and consequently had a quadruple heart bypass surgery. He woke up to find that he was in the care of nuns at a catholic hospital. When he had recovered sufficiently a nun began to ask him questions as to how he was going to pay for the treatment he has had.

The nun asked…"Do you have health insurance?"

The patient replied in a rapsy voice…."No health insurance.."

The nun asked …."Do you have money in the bank?"

The patient replied…"No money in the bank."

Somewhat impatient the nun asked…"Do you have a relative who will be willing to help you settle the account for your treatment?"

The patient replied…"I only have a spinster sister who is a nun."

The nun became agitated and announced loudly.."Nuns are not spinsters! They are married to God."

The patient retorted.." Then send the bill to my brother in law.”
dennis awah 11 years ago

Sodzi, I feel your emotions have clouded your judgment and thus you make the cardinal mistake of perpetrating a lie, the lie being the statement in your article - "The epidemic proportions of cardiovascular diseases we are se ...
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Sodzi, I feel your emotions have clouded your judgment and thus you make the cardinal mistake of perpetrating a lie, the lie being the statement in your article - "The epidemic proportions of cardiovascular diseases we are seeing now have been blamed largely on the westernisation of our society" -. this is totally false and while I allow that it may be a statement that is not originally yours, by propagating it instead of discussing it or asking a question about what is the westernization of our society and its effects on our diet and health, you continue to propagate a falsehood and lie.

My first question is this - what is the westernization of our society??? is it acquiring the attitudes and habits of western culture or simply acquiring western produced goods and services ???? So for example if an African buys a car built in the West does he instantly become westernized???? Or, is an African who develops the habits and education that science and engineering require and builds a car as a result be termed as westernized or on a larger scale westernizing his society?????

Your crucial mistake in blaming "westernization" for our current state of health is based on a notion that because we have office jobs, transport ourselves in vehicles etc, we have become westernized!!!! that is totally false, and using Ghana as an example, the multitude of vehicles on our roads do not in any way make us western, we still lack the knowledge, science and engineering (habits)that will make us equal to the West in terms of conceptualizing and realizing modern methods of transportation.

Simply having cars does not make us westernized. Only by developing and internalizing habits of the populations in the west do we become westernized not simply by acquiring their goods and services.

To conclude this first point, we in Africa cannot claim to have "westernized" our society, we have not in any way replicated the habits and traits that populations in the West have developed over the last 200 years that has seen them rise to levels of human development we in Africa only dream about? we lack Science, Technology, Critical thinking, Vision, Creativity etc. the fact that we do not even industrialize our own natural resources is a damning indictment to the fact that we lack the ability to modernize and therefore claim our society to be westernized. No Western country today will build an economy based simply on the trade of their raw materials like we do.

A second falsehood you propagate is the notion that foreign "fast Food" is a factor for the increase in health problems vs our "healthy" local foods which are healthier??

in answer to this I will simply say that the foods in themselves are not the problem, but rather their preparation and commercialization - for example, waakye is a nutritious, good meal, but waakye prepared commercially will not be as healthy as waakye prepared at home. all im saying is that our local foods sold commercially (fast food) are as unhealthy as a plate of fried rice bought at any "check, check", while home made local foods tend to be healthier, same as a meal of fried rice prepared at a home. evidence of this is available at any local eatng spot - whether fufu, banku, waaye, rice/stew- the foods are drenched in oil, inferior ingredients such as rotten tomatoes are used to make stews, unhealthy and dirty surroundings and practices of vendors etc etc.

Implying that our local foods are in any way healthier than foreign foods is a lie. however as more of our populations have less time and space to cook our complex local meals they will turn to roadside vendors and also vary their eating habits etc, resulting in many eating less nutritious and healthy meals. this advance in our society ie having less time and space is not a feature of "westernization" but a feature of population growth which is a universal feature not a western feature.
ADONGO 11 years ago

Well written ,Yaw

Well written ,Yaw

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Dying Young & Cardiovascular Diseases!

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