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The World Health Organization defines obesity and overweight as abnormal and excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. The most commonly index used in classifying overweight or obesity in adults is the body mass index (BMI). This is weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). A BMI equal to or greater than 25 is classified overweight, and that which is equal to or greater than 30 is classified obese.  Obesity usually results from consuming more calories than the quantity spent. When a person consumes more energy dense foods without an equivalent increase in energy expenditure (physical activity), weight gain follows. Also, a decrease in the amount of physical activity without a decrease in calories consumed will result in weight gain. Here are some interesting facts about obesity: 1. Obesity and being overweight in general predisposes a person to noncommunicable diseases like type 2 diabetes; cancers like endometrial, colon, kidney,...

Maintaining healthy menstrual hygiene is of paramount importance to a woman's general well-being, comfort and health. The United Nations defines menstrual hygiene management as the use of clean menstrual hygiene management products to soak menstrual discharge by women that are changeable in privacy as required, with proper access to water, soap and disposal methods. Menstrual hygiene products are the products used to catch menstrual flow, such as pads, cloths, tampons and menstrual cups.  Lack of access to feminine hygiene products (often caused by poverty) compels some women to use unhealthy menstrual hygiene products. Poor menstrual hygiene threatens a  woman's health by exposing her to bacterial vaginosis, fungal infections, urinary tract infections, infertility and others. A woman's risk of getting cervical cancer also increases if she is repeatedly exposed to reproductive tract infections and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Contracting UTIs is possible when a woma...

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removing or expulsing an embryo before it is ready to survive outside the uterus. Medically speaking, abortion is defined as the loss of a fetus, for any reason, before it can survive outside the uterus. This includes both miscarriages and deliberate termination. Abortion in the context of this article refers to the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. So many myths surround abortion, and we'll be debunking some of them in the article. 1. An abortion is dangerous to a woman's health. An abortion is not dangerous when done with a method recommended by the World Health Organization that is appropriate to the duration of the pregnancy, and when done by a qualified medical practitioner. There are two WHO-approved ways of ending a pregnancy: in-clinic abortion and a medical abortion (the abortion pill). According to the WHO, an abortion is deemed unsafe when the pregnancy is terminated  either by persons lacking the necessary ski...

In a bid to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus in Italy, Italy Prime Minister has announced an extension of lockdown measures already in place in the northern part of the country. At a press conference on Monday evening, he said: "All the measure of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territory." A "red zone" entails people staying at home except for work and emergencies. He introduced a new slogan for citizens to live by: "I am staying home. Italy is a protected zone." In addition to the nationwide lockdown, PM Conte also announced a ban on all public events. Italy is the first European country to announce such nationwide restrictions. Italians seeking to move around the country for work, health or other extenuating circumstances would have to be granted permission. Italy has recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe with 9,172 cases as of now. The death toll of the disease rose to 463 as 97 more people died...

A study released on Monday shows that people infected by the new coronavirus - Covid 19 are symptom-free for an average of five days. As revealed by the study, 5.1 days is the median length of time it takes for infected persons to start showing signs of illness. A few people however take up to two weeks to become symptomatic. The study was carried out by Justin Lessler of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and some colleagues of his. Lessler said: "Based on our analysis of publicly available data, the current recommendation of 14 days for active monitoring or quarantine is reasonable, although with that period some cases would be missed over the long term." His research was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. It suggests that the symptomatic screening for the virus, like temperature checks at airports, would likely miss cases of recently infected persons. "If somebody is in their incubation period, that is the window when someb...

The race to find a vaccine against coronavirus is on, and a laboratory  at Queen Mary BioEnterprises Innovation Centre at Whitechapel in  in London is offering people $4,600 to be infected with a form of the disease. Hvivo is the company that runs the quarantine unit in a laboratory in east London.  Up to 24 people at a time will be paid to be infected with the virus. The Covid-19 strain of the virus is currently causing ravages in the world - more than 3800 deaths since its outbreak. The volunteers are to be infected with two common but much less serious strains of the virus - 0C43 and 229E. These strains reportedly cause only mild respiratory symptoms. It is thought that if a vaccine can fight the weaker strains, then it could possibly fight the killer coronavirus, putting an end to the pandemic. Volunteers will be quarantined for two weeks, and will not be allowed to exercise or have physical contact with others. They will also follow a restricted diet plan....

Adrenarche or "the awakening of the adrenal gland" is an early stage in sexual maturation that typically begins around the age of 10 or 11, which entails the development of body odor, skin oiliness, acne and pubic hair. Being overweight increases a child's risk for premature adrenarche. Premature adrenarche occurs when the adrenal gland begins secreting sex hormones called androgens earlier than normal, which would lead to a child developing pubic hair for example at the age of 8 in girls and 9 in boys. It is however worth noting that the adrenal hormones responsible for the development of pubic hair and body odor are different from those that affect the maturation of sex organs. Testosterone produced in the testes is responsible for the growth of the penis while estrogens produced in the ovaries are responsible for the enlargement of breasts. More often than not, girls with premature adrenarche tend to have periods a little earlier than the average, but usually ...

Beards are more than a confidence booster and a good source of attraction for testosterone-chasers aka ladies. There are a host of proven health benefits to keeping a beard. Read on as we detailly explore the amazing health benefits beards provide. 1. Beards can protect a man's face from damaging sun rays. Dermatoheliosis/photoaging describes the damage the skin suffers as a result of chronic UVA and UVB exposure. Beards are reportedly able to block up to 95% of these harmful sun rays. 2. Beards keep your face moisturized. The sebaceous glands underneath the skin excrete oils that moisturize the skin. Men who do not keep beards have their skin constantly exposed to drying from the wind or the sun, and are more likely to suffer from skin conditions related to dryness. With a beard, the moisture provided by oils excreted from the sebaceous glands is locked in and the skin is healthy and nourished. 3. Beards prevent shaving side effects such as acne flare-ups, ingrown hai...

Many people do not take time to go through all the ingredients contained in their body care products. It may be boring reading ingredients and not as captivating as the beautiful image on the side of the bottle, but that is what should determine whether you buy a product or not. Unless issued on prescription by a medical doctor, body lotions and creams containing ingredients such as topical corticosteroids, mercury or hydroquinone should not be used because of their severe side-effects. Mercury is sometimes listed under other names, such as mercurio, mercurous, mercuric, or calomel. Even those prescribed by medical specialists should be used under the doctor's supervision. Pregnant women most especially should stay away from products containing such ingredients as they can be passed onto their unborn children. Campaigns for body positivity and inclusion are on the rise, but so are the global sales for skin whiteners - most of them containing toxic ingredient...

A woman goes through a lot of external and internal changes during pregnancy. Most of these internal changes are unknown to the mother. Here are some facts about pregnancy you may not have known. Be ready to get wowed to the max. 1. Some women suffer from a chromosomal disorder called Turner syndrome. They have just one X chromosome instead of two, so cannot reproduce without fertility treatment. Turner syndrome affects about 1 in every 2500 girls. 2. Babies can cry in the womb. Research has shown that fetuses can express their displeasure by crying silently while still in the womb. This can happen as early as in the 28th week of pregnancy. According to scientists, this is a form of communication practice for life after birth, and not a reaction to feelings. 2. A pregnant woman's partner can involuntarily experience some pregnancy symptoms as well, a condition called Couvade syndrome or sympathetic pregnancy. These symptoms include: morning sickness, minor weight g...

Breast sagging or ptosis as it is called in medical jargon is a natural body change, but a challenge to most women. At some point, a woman's breast will sag, but women turn to experience sagging at varying degrees. Some women in their twenties may have droopy breasts, while some in their forties may still have perky breasts. The ligaments in the breasts - Cooper's Ligaments - give the breasts lift and support. With time, they stretch and the breasts begin to sag. Many factors determine the rate at which a woman's breasts will sag. The include your genetics, the number of times you've been pregnant, the size and shape of your breasts, aging, smoking, collagen deficiency, menopause, estrogen deficiency, gravity, a high body mass index, rapid weight gain followed by rapid weight loss. By the way, breastfeeding is not one of the causes. Research has shown that it is rather the changes in size that a woman's breasts undergo during pregnancy that result in sagging ...

In 2014, Indian doctors performed a record-breaking surgery in which they extracted 232 teeth from the mouth of a then 17-year-old boy. The surgery had a seven-hour duration. Ashik Gavai, the teen from whose mouth the teeth were extracted, was brought to Mumbai for medical care, by his father Suresh Gavai. "I was worried that it may turn out to be cancer so I brought him to Mumbai," said Suresh. Dr. Sunanda Dhiware, head of Mumbai's JJ Hospital's dental department told the BBC Ashik was brought in with a swelling in his right jaw. After suffering for 18 months with local doctors in Ashik's village unable to diagnose Ashik's ailment, he was brought to the city. His condition was described as being "very rare". "Ashik's malaise was diagnosed as a complex composite odontoma where a single gum forms lots of teeth. It's a sort of benign tumour," said Dr Dhiware. "At first, we couldn't cut it out so we had to use the...

Menstruation/menarche refers to vaginal bleeding that occurs at the end of a menstrual cycle. The endometrial lining builds up throughout the course of every menstrual cycle and is shed at the end, when pregnancy fails to occur. In case you wonder why menstrual cycles are also called periods, they are called so to mean an "interval of time" or a "repeated cycle of events", and this since 1822. Here are 15 surprising facts you may not have known about menstruation. 1. There are more than 5,000 euphemisms for menstruation around the world. These are the most frequently used euphemisms for menstruation in English: Aunt Flo/Aunt Flow/Aunt, Time of the month/TOM/That time of the month, on the rags/rag/ragging, red tide/river, code red, monthly visitor, mother nature, lady friend, bloody Mary, shark week. The French say "Les Anglais ont debarqué", which translates to "The English have landed". 2. Menstrual taboo can still be observed in...