HEALTH AND WELLNESS

                                Robert Frost, in the last verse of “The Road Not Taken”                                          “I shall be telling this with a sigh                                            Somewhere ages and ages hence:                                            Two roads diverged in a wood, and I                                            I took the one less traveled by,                                             And that has made all the difference.”         It deals with my favorite philosophical question: CHOICE. What choices do we have and what do we do with those choices? We can ponder on endlessly how much of life is predetermined, how we are limited by heredity, intellect, social status, environment, economics. That is not the issue here; nor do I believe that it is important. However limited the choices, what matters is what we do with the choices we have.         Victor Franki survived the death camps of World War II to write in man’s

        Many mysteries abound in Africa, many of them are unexplainable even with science advancement and technological greatness. Mysteries like ghost attack, reincarnation, witchcraft, nightmares, e.t.c. have been explained in many ways but the truth is that not one of the explanations is right. One of the amazing mystery is an unbelievable landscape in Namib Desert, what made it more amazing is the fact that is it physical that is you can see it, touch it, and feel it.         In an area of about 2,000-kilometer swath along the western edge of the Namib Desert in southwestern Africa, patches of barren, sandy soil three meters in diameter dot the landscape. Each patch is girded with a ring of tall grass. To some visitors the rings look like terrestrial chicken pox or splash marks made by giant raindrops. Local tradition has it that these circles possess magical powers. Some tribes believe that each circle surrounds the grave of a bushman who died in one of the many conflicts

                                     Genetically modified crops are banned in most European and North America countries and are not grown in these areas. But in Africa the opposite is what is happening, genetically modified crops are found everywhere in Africa. What are the dangers in genetically modified crops? What can be done about it?    Biotechnology has moved at such a dizzying pace that neither the law nor regulating agencies can keep up with it. Research can scarcely begin to prevent unforeseen consequences from arising. A growing chorus of critics warn of unintended results, ranging from severe economic dislocation for the world’s farmers to environmental destruction and threats to human health. Researchers warn that there are no long-term, large-scale tests to prove the safety of genetically modified [GM] food. They point to a number of potential dangers.    If a gene producing a protein that causes allergic responses ended up in corn, for instance, people who suff

     The nine-month wait is finally over, and the baby so longed for is about to be born. The expectant mother’s cervix has remained firmly shut, keeping the fetus safely in the womb. But now her cervix thins, softens, and relaxes. The miracle of birth begins.     What is behind the marvelous process of childbirth? Of the several factors involved, two are especially amazing. First, OXYTOCIN , a hormone produced in the brain, is released. Both men and women produce this substance, but a great quantity of it is released in the pregnant mother when labor begins, causing the cervix to dilate and the uterus to contract.        Just how the pituitary gland of the expectant mother knows when to begin releasing this hormones is a mystery. The book incredible Voyage- Exploring the Human Body states: somehow her brain senses that gestation is complete and that it is time for the powerful uterine muscles … to take on their brief but heroic job.        A second factor involved in this

                                        A few drops of blood taken from a newborn can show whether the baby has a thyroid abnormality. If blood tests reveal a problem, physicians can take corrective measures. Lacking sufficient thyroid hormones, a child may become physically and mentally retarded, a condition called cretinism. Hence, babies are usually tested just days after birth.                                                     Thyroid impairment may be the result of a diet poor in iodine, physical or mental stress, genetic defects, infections, disease [usually autoimmune disease], or side effects of medications prescribed for various        illnesses. An enlarged thyroid, or goiter, may be an indication of disease. The enlargement may be diffuse or in the form of nodules. Although genetically benign goiters should always receive medical attention, for they might indicate a more serious condition, such as cancer.     Just as the accelerator controls the speed of a car