The importance of conducting regular medical check-ups and tests can never be overemphasised. A medical test is a good way to diagnose a serious condition. Some very serious conditions do not show the symptoms you would ordinarily expect at the early stage. That means you may still be breathing fine and be going about your…
Apollo, formally called Acute Haemorrhagic Conjunctivitis, or simply conjunctivitis, is one of the most common eye infections here in Nigeria. It is very common in young children, although it is not rare to see it in adults. It often causes the affected eye to become pinkish or reddish, which often comes with pain and swelling….
Scotch bonnet is a variety of chilli pepper that is found in many parts of West Africa. They are used prominently in preparing cuisines and spicing up delicacies. Scotch bonnet pepper is called Ata Rodo in the Yoruba language of Nigeria. Fresh, ripe scotch bonnets can range from green to yellow to scarlet red colours….
Osu fruit is a round yellow fruit about 5 cm wide. It contains 12 or more disc-shaped seeds enclosed in its jelly-like pulp and has various nutritional values. The scientific name of osu fruit is Hunteria umbellata, and it belongs to the Apocynaceae family. The fruit is also known as ‘nkpokiri’ in Igbo language, ‘Erin’ or ‘Abere’…
Aju Mbaise is a herb containing the bark, leaves, and roots from 5 different plants, including ginger, uda (Negro pepper), and uziza. It is used in the production of pepper soup or other types of concoctions and is taken for its many health benefits. Aju Mbaise means “wrap from Mbaise.” Mbaise is a village in…
In Nigeria, roasted cashew nuts are quite the snack. Cashew nuts are the seeds of the cashew fruit. Unlike some other fruits that have their seeds buried deep in the fruit pulp, cashews have their seeds sticking out from the bottom. The seeds can be planted or roasted to make a tasty snack. Before roasting,…
There are so many types of fats in foods that we eat. Some are healthier than others, and we are constantly advised to keep away from the unhealthy type of fat due to the many adverse health effects they have. One of such type of fat is trans fat. Trans fat, or trans-fatty acids, is…
Inhaling smoke is never a good thing. Even though you do not smoke cigarettes or other kinds of drugs, it is not always easy to avoid getting smoke in your system. This is usually caused by secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke refers to the smoke being exhaled by a smoker and the smoke coming from the…
Ovulation is a very important time in a woman’s cycle. It is during this period that an egg is released from the ovary, ready to be fertilised, by sperm. It is when the egg has been fertilised that the period of pregnancy begins. If the egg is unfertilised, it is shed during the next menstrual…
Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological disorder and is one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases. A study found out that the estimated prevalence of epilepsy in Nigeria is 8 per 1000 people, which shows that there is a substantial burden of the disease in the country. However, epilepsy is one of those conditions…
