Grenada is awaiting the result of samples sent to CARPHA in Trinidad to determine the type of virus or bacteria that is responsible for an outbreak of gastroenteritis

View the full post Health official confirms gastro outbreak on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- Health tourism has become a “very important” sector in the Dominican Republic’s economy due to its contribution to resource generation, job creation, and technology transfer.

Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS), highlighted the growing influx of tourists seeking health services in the Dominican Republic. Globally, health tourism generates over 100 billion dollars and accounts for 2.5% of airline tickets.

Cambiaso noted that the Dominican Republic leads in medical tourism in the Caribbean, ranks second in Latin America, and holds the 19th position worldwide, according to the Medical Tourism Index.

The main health service centers for tourists are located in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Punta Cana, La Romana, and Puerto Plata. Most patients traveling to the country for health services are Dominicans living abroad, as well as individuals from the Caribbean Islands, the United States, Canada, and Spain.

In 2022, the country welcomed 338,747 health patients, with 292,902 coming for medical tourism and 75,845 for tourist medicine. These health tourists contributed 1,321 million dollars to the Dominican economy, with an average expenditure of 7,500 dollars per tourist, plus their companions, as 70% of health tourists travel with a companion.

Speaking on the program ‘Now’ on Super 7 Matutino, Cambiaso mentioned that the majority of health tourists visit the Dominican Republic for dental care and cosmetic surgery.

Barbadians are generally aware of the staggering statistics that 80 per cent of our deaths are attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). What is also known, as an unhealthy diet often contributes significantly to the early onset of NCDs while diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and healthy fats have been found to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease among others.

A known fact is not always an achievable reality and the most common lament to healthy eating is the belief that healthy foods cost more than highly processed foods that are typically less nutritious. Healthy foods are often seen in the context of food for the rich and out of reach of the economically less fortunate.

So, the question is, does healthy eating actually cost more? And the answer to that question is complicated.

In a recent attempt, at a business place I am associated with, offering some treats to our team, we chose the healthier option of fruits. It is worth noting that to our surprise a small bag of basic fruits for each staff member was 100 per cent more costly than industrially produced muffins, which we did the previous month. If at that micro level, the cost difference between healthy and non-healthy is that significant, imagine the challenges at the macro level.

Professor Winston Moore, deputy principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, was recently quoted in the press acknowledging that the cost of healthier options was deterring people from buying nutritious food. A 2022/2023 study, Mapping Taxes on Healthy Foods, he conducted in collaboration with Dr Antonio Alleyne, found that food imports high in sugar, sodium and fats were taxed at 35 per cent but healthier foods were taxed at 10 per cent higher.

Decisions regarding food choices are based on a variety of factors including cost, taste, convenience, and availability. Many people feel that nutritious foods cost more than foods high in calories and low in important nutrients. In an effort to save money, people most likely will select less nutritious foods when shopping resulting in less healthy meals and snacks. And that certainly has been the response of many people who we speak with about eating healthier.

Government policy coupled with awareness and behavioural change are the calls that emanate from groups working in the space to combat this existential threat of NCD-related illness and death. Making healthy foods more affordable and easily accessible must be placed up front and centre on the government’s agenda. To continue to kick the can down the road on making healthy foods affordable when evidence abounds on the price differences between healthy and unhealthy foods is to condemn our generation and future generations to NCD-related illnesses and deaths.

Making healthier foods more affordable and easily accessible helps in creating the environment and culture for behavioural change. If the pocket of average-income householders factors significantly in eating choices, then removing that hindrance places healthier options higher on the selection decision-making process.

A walk through our well-known Cheapside Market on a Saturday morning is refreshing to see Barbadians buying produce, fruits, and vegetables. The accessibility, freshness, and bargains there are perhaps better than in other places. But healthier food options cannot only be in our markets, they must be widespread across the length and breadth of Barbados and Barbadians should appreciate affordable, locally home-grown foods over a less healthy, less nutritious, cheap food import.

When discussing the cost of healthy eating, it is important to consider the cost of not incorporating nutritious foods into meals on a regular basis. Unhealthy dietary patterns that consist of high amounts of sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and calories, are linked to higher rates of chronic diseases such as overweight and obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, among many others. Not only is the risk of chronic disease greater, but the financial costs of treating the diseases listed are expensive. The majority of Barbados’ health care budget is spent on persons presenting themselves to the QEH or polyclinics with an NCD or NCDs. Consider the millions that can be saved by reducing the incidences of NCD-related illnesses.

Suleiman Bulbulia chairs the National NCD Commission

The post Healthy food must be affordable too appeared first on Barbados Today.

Empowering Wellness: Your Health, Your Future

View the full post Huggins Foodland Health Fair on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Red Cross has proposed creating a working group comprised of various sectors that provide blood services and blood products to collectively promote a culture of voluntary blood donation in Dominican society.

The proposal was made by the president of the Red Cross in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Miguel Sanz Flores, during the relaunch of the “Save Me with Your Pint, Donate Blood” campaign. This annual initiative coincides with the celebration of World Voluntary Blood Donor Day on June 14.

Dr. Sanz Flores emphasized that this working group should include government authorities as leaders, health risk managers, and private or non-profit institutions that offer blood services or work towards fostering a culture of voluntary blood donation. He offered the expertise of the Dominican Red Cross’s National Network of Blood Banks, which has 75 years of experience, to support this initiative.

He highlighted the need for better education on the importance, protocols, requirements, and benefits of blood donation. He noted that while the Dominican people are generally supportive, they often lack awareness about the significance of blood donation, leading to a persistent blood deficit.

Benefits of Donating Blood
Dr. César Matos Moronta, director of the National Network of Blood Banks of the Dominican Red Cross, encouraged the public to donate blood voluntarily and altruistically to help save lives and improve their health. He explained that blood donation stimulates blood circulation, promoting a healthier cardiovascular system. Donating blood triggers the production of new, healthy blood cells, enhancing the overall condition of the circulatory system.

He also pointed out that a single pint of donated blood can save three lives, as it can be separated into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma, each of which can be used to save a life. “Donating blood is an act of life because it improves your health and helps save three lives,” he emphasized.

Voluntary Donation
Despite a slight increase in voluntary blood donations in recent months, the rate remains low in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Red Cross, a private humanitarian and non-profit entity, provides about 50% of the blood supply in the country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), countries should aim for at least 4% of their population to donate blood voluntarily, with an ideal target of 20%. Currently, the Dominican Republic only reaches 2.64%.

Dr. Matos Moronta reported that in the first six months of this year, the Red Cross registered 28,982 people intending to donate blood at the Blood Bank of the National District. Of these, 16,012 qualified, with 15,588 being replacement donors and only 424 donating voluntarily and altruistically, representing 2.64 percent. He also noted that the Red Cross dispatched 16,152 units of blood from its headquarters during the same period last year.

“Men’s health and building good relationships were the focal points of a recent symposium for men working in the public sector in Carriacou and Petite Martinique”

View the full post Men urged to stop undervaluing their health on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- The draft resolution requesting President Luis Abinader to recommend that the Ministry of Public Health acquire vaccines for the prevention of monkeypox has been sent to the Health Commission for further study.

This initiative, introduced by Representative Soraya Suárez, comes in response to the presence of monkeypox in the country.

Monkeypox (Simia Orthopoxvirosis), though less well-known than other infectious diseases, necessitates a prevention campaign to prevent larger outbreaks.

Can Alzheimer’s disease be reversed?

Dr. Heather Sandison, a renowned expert in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia care, believes that reversal isn’t just possible — but that it’s already happening in multiple patients. 

In her new book "Reversing Alzheimer's: The New Tool Kit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health," which was published by HarperCollins on June 11, Sandison — who is based in California — offers a step-by-step guide to helping Alzheimer’s patients improve their overall brain health.

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One of the core elements of Sandison’s program is a focus on exercise as one of the most important lifestyle factors in preventing and controlling dementia. 

Research has shown that physical activity can reduce the likelihood and progression of Alzheimer’s. 

In the excerpt below, Sandison offers some specific recommendations for the types of exercise that can benefit patients living with the disease. 

Dr. Heather Sandison: Need a new motivation to be active? Exercise is medicine for the brain and provides an amazing array of benefits. 

Most obviously, exercise increases blood flow throughout the body, including to the brain. That means getting your body moving will deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your brain while also flushing away more waste products. 

Exercise also strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system, which helps improve blood flow even when you’re not working out; it also reduces the risk of arterial plaques that might disrupt blood flow to the brain and contribute to dementia.

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The overarching reason that exercise is such a powerful health protector is that it is what’s known as a hormetic, or a beneficial stressor. 

Basically, when you put your body through its paces, the body is forced to use up resources, and your tissues can even be broken down a bit. (That’s what happens when you lift weights: Your muscles tear a tiny bit.) 

In that sense, you’re introducing stress to your system, but that stress is a force for good, because it triggers your body to get more efficient at using its resources and your tissues to grow back even stronger. In other words, exercise makes your body — including your brain — more resilient.

Exercise benefits several of the root causes of neurological disease.

It improves structure by increasing your cardiovascular capacity and boosting circulation, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the brain.

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It reduces stress in multiple ways — by giving you an outlet to blow off steam, by producing feel-good hormones such as endorphins and lowering the stress hormone cortisol, and, depending on what kind of exercise you choose, getting you outside and into nature, which is a well-known stress reliever. 

It can also be social, and a great way to spend time with friends or even meet new people, which helps address the loneliness and social isolation that The Lancet lists as one of the modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

It improves sleep by tiring you out.

It strengthens immune function, which reduces the risk and effects of infection — all those muscular contractions and moving against gravity improves the flow of lymphatic fluid, which delivers immune cells and flushes away invader cells.

It promotes detox, both through increased circulation and through sweating. 

It improves signaling, as challenging and strengthening your muscles triggers the release of multiple signaling molecules, known as exerkines, that have demonstrated neuroprotective functions.

If you do only one thing: Change up your current exercise routine in a way that challenges your brain and amps up the intensity. 

If you are a devoted walker, find a new route that includes hills or stairs. If you’re open to trying something different, check out a new exercise class that you’ve been meaning to try.              

There are four types of exercise that you want to prioritize. Four may sound like a lot, but they are not mutually exclusive. 

You can combine at least two types of exercise in one session — you can turn strength training into cardio by performing your strength moves in high-intensity intervals, or you can make your cardio dual task by doing something that requires your mental focus while you move.

Aerobic exercise is what we think of as "cardio" — it gets your heart and blood pumping and includes forms of exercise such as walking, jogging, biking, dancing and swimming.

Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart, and what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain, because your heart sends the brain the blood, oxygen, and nutrients that your brain relies on to function.

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Your first goal with adding more exercise to your life is to get 150 to 200 minutes of aerobic exercise each week so that you get your heart rate into the vigorous zone of 70-85% of maximum heart rate. 

Listening to your body and adjusting your intensity level based on your perceived exertion is one of the best ways to know if you are pushing yourself hard enough.

Strength training — also known as resistance training — is just what it sounds like: using weights or other forms of resistance to build muscle tissue.

Building muscle — particularly in the big muscle groups of the legs, hips, and torso — is directly related to brain health, because these muscles generate brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a "fertilizer" for the brain, cueing it to create new neuronal connections and promoting neuroplasticity.

You want to aim for at least two strength-training sessions per week. Strength training doesn’t have to involve your standard barbells and bench pressing your body weight. 

You can use resistance bands, light dumbbells, or even the weight of your own body in exercises like squats, lunges and planks. 

Even climbing stairs or hills counts as strength training and cardio in one activity, because they get your heart rate up as they also keep the muscles of the legs and hips strong.                    

This next-level form of exercise combines physical movement with a cognitive challenge. The simplest form of this is walking and talking. 

What is a cognitive challenge will vary from person to person, but if you’re in prevention mode, listening to a foreign language lesson or a nonfiction book while you walk outside or ride the stationary bike, and then pausing the recording to recap what you’ve just learned every few minutes, is a good option. 

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For some people, going to a Pilates or yoga class or other class where you really have to pay attention to the teacher’s cues constitutes dual-task training — but not if it’s something you’ve been doing for long enough that you can zone out. 

And if you have already started experiencing measurable cognitive decline, dual-task training may look like going on a walk while pointing out the names of the plants that you pass along the way, or having someone quiz you on the names of family members, or recalling family stories or important dates. 

Wherever you are, you want to be working right on your edge — you can almost feel the wheels of your brain turning in order to stay focused.

This relatively unique form of training alternates the amount of oxygen in the air you breathe as you exercise — an approach that encourages the tiniest blood vessels (known as your microvasculature) throughout your body, including your brain, to open up, resulting in greatly enhanced blood flow. 

It’s similar to going to altitude to train and build your aerobic capacity, and it is incredibly valuable for cognitive function.         

This type of exercise does require specialized gear. You can buy the device, or go find a clinic near you where you can try it out. It does require you to wear a mask that is hooked up to a machine while you exercise, and when the oxygen saturation is low, it can be intense because you have to work harder to bring in enough air. 

In other words, contrast oxygen therapy is not for everyone. But if you are willing and able, it can be dramatically helpful.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health 

Honestly, exercise is such a powerful health intervention that if we could just bottle it, we could probably get rid of chronic disease. 

Exercise does take time and effort, but making this one activity a regular part of your life addresses so many causal factors of dementia that it can profoundly reduce your risk.

Excerpted with permission from the new book, "Reversing Alzheimer's: The New Tool Kit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health" (HarperCollins) by Dr. Heather Sandison, copyright © 2024 by Dr. Heather Sandison. All rights reserved. 

“The money was allocated to 10 students for flights, accommodation, and transportation during their stay at Cardiff University in Wales, UK”

View the full post Government funds EC$60,000 Nursing Students UK Practicum  on NOW Grenada.

Damien Dolland, is the lead consultant to the new research/teaching hospital project management team for the 84-acre Project Polaris in Grenada

View the full post Damien Dolland appointed lead consultant to Project Polaris on NOW Grenada.