What are the health effects of chronic stress? by Medical News Today In this article, we look at what chronic stress is, how to identify it, and the medical consequences it can have. We also describe ways to manage stress, including medical treatments, and when to see a doctor. What is chronic stress? Signs of chronic stress can include headaches, fatigue, and low self-esteem. Stress is a biological response to demanding situations. It causes the body to release hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones help prepare the body to take action, for example by increasing the heart and breath rates. When this occurs, a doctor might describe a person as being in a state of heightened alertness or arousal. Many factors can trigger a stress response, including dangerous situations and psychological pressures, such as work deadlines, exams, and sporting events. The physical effects of stress usually do not last long. However, some people find themselves in a...

Prevailing wisdom says we should never eat right before bed, and mostly, experts agree. Nutritionists generally recommend not eating less than two hours before bed. "When we sleep, everything in our body slows down, including digestion. You want to make sure that your food is processed prior to bedtime so that you can utilize these nutrients for recovery overnight and rest comfortably," explains Alyssa Tucci, senior director of nutrition at Virtual Health Partners. This is particularly key for those with gastrointestinal issues, as going to bed too full can make heartburn and reflux worse. Eating immediately before bed can affect your sleep quality and weight, too. "People who eat meals close to bedtime may also be more prone to weight gain compared with individuals who eat most of their calories earlier in the day," adds registered dietitian Shauna McQueen. That said, going to bed is not going to help your sleep quality either, and balance is important. In f...

Why babies can't drink water by Business Insider While adults need a constant reminder to drink more and stay hydrated, it's a different story for newborn babies. Their bodies aren't developed enough to consume even a few ounces of water, which in extreme cases could be fatal. Following is a transcript of the video. There is a time in every person's life when drinking water is deadly. Even as much as a few ounces is enough to kill. The average, healthy adult is made up of 55-60% water. The average baby, on the other hand, is roughly 75% water. And that difference is why babies shouldn't drink water before they're at least 6 months old. Not from the tap, or a well, or a spring. Plain water is just plain off limits. You see, everyone's kidneys have a limit to how much water they can handle. Break that limit, and the excess water will back up into your bloodstream, where it dilutes the salt, or sodium, in your blood. Once your blood dips below ...

How parenting affects antisocial behaviors in children by Medical Xpress Less parental warmth and more harshness in the home environment affect how aggressive children become and whether they lack empathy and a moral compass, a set of characteristics known as callous-unemotional (CU) traits, according to findings from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University. The work was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In a study of 227 identical twin pairs lead by Penn psychologist Rebecca Waller, the research team analyzed small differences in the parenting that each twin experienced to determine whether these differences predicted the likelihood of antisocial behaviors emerging. They learned that the twin who experienced stricter or harsher treatment and less emotional warmth from parents had a greater chance of showing aggression and CU traits. "Some of the early work on callous-...

From scalp care to onion juice – 9 ways to boost your hair health in 2019, according to experts by Press Association Cold, damp weather, plus weeks of partying, bad diet and not enough sleep means winter can be a recipe for hair disaster. So, with January on the horizon, there’s no better time to give your tresses some TLC. That doesn’t mean a complete overhaul of your routine – depending on the state of your locks all it takes is a couple of tweaks to get them back to optimal condition. Pick from these transformational new-hair resolutions… 1. Look after your scalp “When it comes to hair health and growth, scalp is king,” says Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at Philip Kingsley. “If you think of each hair as a flower, and your scalp as the soil supporting it, it makes complete sense to nourish and care for your scalp. “Just like the skin on your face, your scalp benefits from weekly exfoliation. Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and pesky flakes. It also encourag...

How to Remove a Leech (And How to Avoid Them in the First Place) by The Manual Anyone who watched the classic 1986 Rob Reiner film Stand by Me, inspired by a Stephen King story called “The Body” probably already has a lifelong fear of leeches. And if you’re not in that category, don’t worry: you’ll fear and loathe these onerous bloodsuckers within a paragraph or two. But don’t go! Stay and read, because if you ever find yourself in the decidedly unenviable position of having a leech attached to your body, or to the body of a loved one, friend, or pet, you’re going to want to know how to remove leeches in the most expedient manner possible. If you currently have a leech adhering to your body, skip down a few hundred words and get that sumbitch off you. If you have the luxury of a few minutes, let’s first learn a bit about these creatures. What Is a Leech, Anyway? Leeches, to use the scientific term, are just awful. Broadly speaking, they are a member of the annelid phyl...

White House Mulls  New Year Executive Order  to Bar  Huawei, ZTE Purchases President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by China’s Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd [HWT.UL] and ZTE Corp, two of China’s biggest network equipment companies, out of the U.S. market. The United States says the companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans. Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied that their products are used to spy.

Akwa Ibom to Launch Nigerian State-Owned Airline Nigeria-based Akwa Ibom´s state governor has announced plans to launch Ibom Air, a state-owned airline, the governor said. The governor said Ibom Air would ensure the state remains a destination of choice for foreign investors. Obong Victor Attah International, a state-owned and operated airport, has a category 2 runway with work progressing on second taxi way. Ibom Air service is expected to begin with two aircraft, with a third aircraft expected to be added to the fleet by February 2019.

Boko Haram  Governor Shettima Calls Emergency Security Meeting Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno has called what was called “an emergency security meeting” to address the increasing attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the state. “Gov. Kashim Shettima has called for an emergency extraordinary security meeting in Maiduguri ‎to be attended by heads of security establishments, leadership of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hunters, traditional rulers, elders, three senators, 10 members of House of Representatives and 28 members of the State House of Assembly”, said Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy. He said the meeting will hold on Monday Dec. 31; at the Government House, Maiduguri. “Other participants were selected local council chairmen and commissioners from the areas affected by recent attacks; leadership of the University of Maiduguri and selected tertiary institutions, Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC...

Is it OK to wear underwear to bed? by TODAY It's not uncommon for gynecologists to have patients who believe myths about their bodies. Some women rush to buy the latest rose water spray to treat a weird smell coming from their groin. Others buy expensive probiotics to protect their vaginal microbiome. Doctors want women to know this: Vaginas do best without supplements, perfumes or obsessive washing. “Your vagina is great,” Dr. Jen Gunter, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and author of the upcoming “Vagina and Vulva Bible,” told TODAY. “The whole area is designed to deal with crud. Every time you over clean it, over-pluck it, you are actually damaging the system that takes care of it.” Gunter and other doctors shared the truth behind some other commonly held myths about women’s bodies: 1. Myth: Strip off your skivvies for bed. The truth: There’s no evidence that wearing underwear — or not — to bed bolsters health. “Your vagina and vulva don’t have lungs. In fact,...

Fortnite for Android Now Available for All, No Invite Necessary by Hot Hardware It's crazy to think that as popular and lucrative Fortnite already is, it may see an influx of new players, making it an even bigger success story for Epic Games. How so? The exclusivity period for playing the Fortnite beta on Android on Samsung Galaxy devices has come to an end, and now anyone with a compatible Android phone or tablet can download the game. Technically, the exclusivity period ended back in August. Epic Games teamed up with Samsung to offer the Fortnite beta for Android on the Galaxy Note 9, which ended around the middle of August. However, there was a catch—Android users rocking a supported handset still had to sign up for a Fortnite Android beta invitation and cross their fingers they would receive one. That is no longer the case. Anyone with a supported Android phone can grab the installer and start building, fighting, exploring, and everything else the game entails. S...

UK Now Has Systems to Combat Drones - Ben Wallace Detection systems are now able to be deployed throughout the UK to combat the threat of drones, ministers say. It follows three days of disruption at Gatwick airport last week, when drones were sighted near the runway. Security minister Ben Wallace said those who use drones "either recklessly or for criminal purposes" could expect "the most severe sentence". It comes after the couple arrested and released without charge over the chaos at Gatwick said they felt "violated". About 1,000 flights were affected during 36 hours of chaos at Gatwick airport last week. The airport has spent £5m since Wednesday on new equipment and technology to prevent copycat attacks.

DSS Gives Update on Aisha Buhari’s ADC  Arrested for Fraud The Department of State Services (DSS) said it had returned Mr. Sani Baba-Inna, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, to the Police. Mr. Peter Afunanya, Public Relations Officer of the service disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. The police had on Sept. 22 handed Baba-Inna to DSS for investigation over alleged use of office of the First Lady for extorting people. Afunanya said that the suspect was alleged to have carried out the illegal and other unethical activities in the name of Buhari on whose behalf he falsely claimed to have acted. “Investigation, however, revealed that he was never, at any given time or circumstance, directly or indirectly, instructed, by the First Lady, to act or collect, in her name, money or material gifts from any person(s) or group(s). “In line with standard procedures expected in handling a matter of this nature, Baba-Inna is returned to the Pol...

Nigeria Needs $337bn to Implement SDGs from 2019 to 2022, UN Reveals Nigeria needs nothing less than 337 billion dollars to implement the Sustainable Development Goals from 2019 to 2022, the UN Support Plan for the Sahel has estimated. The cost of implementing the SDGs in Nigeria, according to the plan is 80.65 billion dollars in 2019, 82.83 billion dollars in 2020, 85.07 billion dollars in 2021 and 87.37 billion dollars in 2022. On the investment needs in the Sahel, the plan reported the cost of implementing the SDGs in the Sahel is projected to be between 140.25 billion dollars and 157.39 billion dollars per year between 2019 and 2022 in the 10 Sahelian countries. The plan said the 10 countries under the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel needed an average of 148.7 billion dollars annually to implement the SDGs or 594.8 billion dollars from 2018 to 2022. The overarching goal of the Plan, targeting 10 countries; namely Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Gu...

12 Facts About the Pancreas by Mental Floss You could live without your pancreas, but it wouldn’t be easy. For one, you would need to give yourself insulin shots on a daily basis because you would develop diabetes. A helping of enzyme pills would also be needed to help you digest food. It's clear that the 6-inch-long pancreas, located behind your stomach, has crucial functions—and that's why diseases like pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis are often so devastating. Here are a few other important facts to know about the pancreas. 1. Pancreas means “all flesh” in Greek. Around 300 BCE, a surgeon in ancient Greece named Herophilus became the first person to formally describe the pancreas as a gland. However, the organ didn’t get its name until about 400 years later, when another Greek surgeon and anatomist named Ruphos dubbed it the pankreas, meaning “all flesh”—possibly because of its lack of bone or cartilage. (The plural of pancreas, by the way, is pancreata or pan...

8 Secrets That Help You Memorize Anything By power of positivity The human brain has no issue with storage because it has limitless space. But you lose the capacity to recall things as you get older because the brain is protecting you from information overload. You can, however, continue to train your brain to memorize the important things despite the threats of memory loss. Below are some secrets on how you can do it. Here Are 8 Secrets That Help You Memorize Anything “Knowing a little bit more about how your brain works can really help [you] to be a little more compassionate with yourself when it might take you a little more time than another [person] to learn a topic.” – Barbara Oakley 1. Use repetition to keep the information in your head. The brain processes new information in the short-term memory but it can quickly forget if you don’t use the information repeatedly. According to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, you forget half of what you learn in an hour. That ...

Male Fertility FAQs and Advice: How to Keep Your Swimmers Strong by The Manual Do hot tubs fry sperm? Should we burn our briefs and replace them with boxers? Do little swimmers get slower after a whiskey neat? We’re here to set straight all the hype about your nether regions and fertility. The Manual asked Dr. Brian Levine, founding partner and practice director of CCRM New York about the junk in our trunks and why and how we should and can help our swimmers get healthy. The Manual: Why should guys be aware of their fertility health? Dr. Brian Levine: Fertility is a good parameter of general health. Fertility can be a first checkpoint for a man to see if he needs to see a specialist (i.e. a urologist). Warning signs might include constant headaches, double vision, discharge from the breasts, sexual dysfunction, or pain with intercourse. If you’re trying to have a bambino, it’s dependent on the woman’s fertility, right? When evaluating an infertile couple, male fertility ...

This Petite Cat Is the World's Deadliest. Mini-Series 'Super Cats' Shows You Why by Smithsonian The African black-footed cat weighs roughly 200 times less than the average lion, but it has a predation success rate of 60 percent Standing just 8 to 10 inches tall, the African black-footed cat resembles a petite version of your average neighborhood tabby. But though the speckled feline is unequivocally adorable, a vicious, adept killer lies beneath its charming exterior. Felis nigripes, as the black-footed feline is formally named, is, in fact, Africa’s smallest cat. To give you some perspective on that statistic, the black-footed cat, which averages 2.4 t0 4.2 pounds, weighs roughly 200 times less than your typical lion. Still, don’t be fooled by its demure stature—the species is also the deadliest of all the world’s felines, capturing more prey in a single night than a leopard does in six months. As Live Science's Mindy Weisberger reports, the cat's sk...

What’s the difference between ionic and covalent bonds by ZME Science Every bit of matter around you is held together by chemical bonds. Sometimes, chemical bonds are broken, such as during a chemical reaction, only for atoms to bond again to form different molecules. Energy is always released to generate bonds and, likewise, energy is always required to break bonds.There are two main types of chemical bonds: ionic and covalent. What are ionic and covalent bonds? Atoms bond together to form compounds because in doing so they attain lower energies than they possess as individual atoms, becoming more stable in the process. By the Law of Conservation of Energy, when a new chemical bond is formed, the chemical reaction releases an amount of energy (usually as heat) almost equal to the difference in the amounts of stored chemical energy between the products and the reactants. This stored chemical energy of the system, or heat content, is known as its enthalpy. An ionic bond form...

Femi Otedola Sells Forte Oil Nigerian businessman, Femi Otedola, has agreed to sell the entirety of his 75 per cent direct and indirect shareholdings in Forte Oil. In a letter sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange and signed by Akinleye Olagbende, the general counsel of Forte Oil, Otedola said he was divesting from the company in order to “explore and maximise business opportunities in refining and petrochemicals”. “Forte Oil Plc hereby notifies the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Securities and Exchange Commission, Shareholders and the investing community that its Majority Shareholder, Mr. Femi Otedola, CON has reached an agreement with the Prudent Energy team, investing through Ignite Investments and Commodities Limited, to divest of his full 75% direct and indirect shareholding in the Company’s downstream business,” the statement said. The billionaire has been the majority shareholder in the company since 2007, when he the Incorporated Trustees of NNPC’s Pension Fund divested ...

Race for Golden Boot:  Topscorers in Europe's Elite League 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 "Premier League" 🔰 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) - 12 🔰 Mohamed Salah (LIV) - 11 🔰 Harry Kane (TOT) - 11 🔰 Raheem Sterling (MCI) - 9 🔰 Eden Hazard (CHE) - 8 🇪🇸 "LaLiga" 🔰 Lionel Messi (BAR) - 15 🔰 Luis Suarez (BAR) - 11 🔰 Cristhian Stuani (GIR) - 11 🔰 Iago Aspas (CEL) - 10 🔰 Wissam Ben Yedder (SEV) - 8 🇩🇪 "Bundesliga" 🔰 Luka Jovic (FRA) - 12 🔰 Paco Alcacer (BVB) - 12 🔰 Marco Reus (BVB) - 11 🔰 Timo Werner (RBL) - 11 🔰 Robert Lewandowski (BAY) - 10 🇮🇹 "Serie A" 🔰 Krzysztof Piatek (GEN) - 13 🔰 Cristiano Ronaldo (JUV) - 11 🔰 Fabio Quagliarella (SAM) - 10 🔰 Ciro Immobile (LAZ) - 10 🔰 Mauro Icardi (INT) - 9 🇫🇷 "Ligue 1" 🔰 Kylian Mbappé (PSG) - 13 🔰 Nicolas Pepe (LIL) - 12 🔰 Emiliano Sala (NAN) - 12 🔰 Neymar (PSG) - 11 🔰 Florian Thauvin (MAR) - 11

Doctor Explains: Is Coffee Bad for You? by Power of Positivity When the topic of coffee comes up, there are many mixed responses you would expect to hear. Drinkers will disagree on the best way to drink it, which roast is the best or there will be some people that completely detest it. Even health officials cannot seem to agree on the subject of whether coffee is good for you. However, that has not stopped medical professionals from studying this highly debatable drink in order to understand how it affects our minds and bodies. According to research, there is a multitude of wonderful benefits a good cup of java offers us. Yet, there are also some not so desirable side effects that one should not ignore. While we explore the valuable data that medical professionals have discovered about coffee, you can decide whether you want to include it in your daily diet or leave it out. Benefits of Coffee According to research, when consumed this beverage offers drinkers many addition...

NLC To Hold Nationwide Protest Over Minimum Wage The Nigeria Labour Congress has declared January 8, 2019, a national day of protest over the delay in processing a new minimum wage for the country. NLC leaders took the decision at its National Executive Council meeting, according to a statement by the union’s President, Ayuba Wabba, and General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, on Friday. “The NEC-in-Session approved that the protests should hold in all state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja on January 8, 2019. The NEC mandates all industrial unions and state councils to fully mobilise workers and coordinate with other labour unions for this mother-of-all protest,” the statement read in part. The labour leaders are dissatisfied with the progress made since November 6, when the Tripartite Committee on Review of National Minimum Wage submitted a report to the President, recommending N30,000 as the new minimum wage. They expected that the Federal Government would h...