Health Wise

10 Health Threats for SVG for 2019!
Health Wise
webmaster 
January 22, 2019
The World Health Organization announced a list of 10 health issues that will require attention in 2019. Some have referred to them as health threats w...
Pay attention to Dengue!
Health Wise
webmaster 
January 15, 2019
Talk of yet another mosquito-borne disease is going around. Last week, some media publications stated that scientists were concerned that the Madariag...
Have a healthy holiday!
Health Wise
webmaster 
December 18, 2018
The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season, people make exceptions; then, during...
Remember your Health this Christmas
Health Wise
webmaster 
December 11, 2018
The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season people make exceptions, during the ne...
Diabetes – A killer disease
Health Wise
webmaster 
November 20, 2018
WEDNESDAY, November 14, 201,7 was celebrated as World Diabetes Day. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2018 and 2019 is The Family and Diabetes. This th...
Suicide – a public health problem
Health Wise
webmaster 
November 13, 2018
Over the last month or so, several young people have been turning to suicide as a way out of their problems. Suicide may seem to be the easy way out, ...
Violence and Crime – a public health problem
Health Wise
webmaster 
November 6, 2018
We tend to view violence and crime as merely social or legal problems. However, they are very important public health problems. Violence has probably ...
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Health Wise
webmaster 
October 30, 2018
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life – for ...
Reducing the risk of Breast Cancer
Health Wise
webmaster 
October 23, 2018
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. During this month people wear the colour pink to raise awareness about the disease. There are many activitie...
Exercise and health
Health Wise
webmaster 
October 9, 2018
Many people exercise for one reason or another. Some understand the importance of exercise to health and so they do it voluntary and on a regular basi...
Your wellness
Health Wise
webmaster 
September 18, 2018
Last week was designated as Caribbean Wellness Week. In 2011, Caribbean Wellness Day was expanded to become Wellness Week in the Americas. This was pa...
Healing and aging
Health Wise
webmaster 
September 11, 2018
The aging process changes both the body and the mind. Many aging changes are physiological in nature, as the body begins to degenerate and break down....
Is your school healthy?
Health Wise
webmaster 
September 4, 2018
The School term has just begun. Children will now spend more time at school than anywhere else, except when they are at home. Schools can have a major...
Preparing your child to head back to school
Health Wise
webmaster 
August 28, 2018
This is the last week that many students have at home before they head back into the school environment. It is the culmination of a long summer break ...
From styrofoam to plastic
Health Wise
webmaster 
August 21, 2018
St Vincent and the Grenadines implemented a ban on the use of Styrofoam products sometime this year. I wrote on this topic applauding this ban in a pr...
Chemical hair products linked to cancer
Health Wise
webmaster 
July 31, 2018
African-American and white women who regularly chemically straighten their hair or dye it dark brown or black have an elevated risk of breast cancer, ...
That chubby child! – childhood obesity
Health Wise
webmaster 
July 24, 2018
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- a...
Health Wise
webmaster 
July 17, 2018
Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the narrow opening into the uterus from the vagina. The normal “ectocervix” (the portion of the u...
Suicide – A public health problem
Health Wise
webmaster 
June 19, 2018
Over the last month or so, several young people have been turning to suicide as a way out of their problems. Suicide may seem to be the easy way out, ...
Act on NCDs
Health Wise
webmaster 
June 12, 2018
The recently published information on the state of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not new and should not be ala...
Watch your health during a hurricane
Health Wise
webmaster 
June 5, 2018
Last year, I was deployed to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency (CDEMA) Rapid Needs Assessment Team (...
Mumps a highly contagious disease
Health Wise
webmaster 
May 29, 2018
There are many contagious diseases that we hear about, but are rarely seen. Thanks to the development of vaccines and an effective vaccination program...
Hypertension: Know your numbers!
Health Wise
Webmaster 
May 15, 2018
Each year since 2006, on May 17, the World Hypertension League (WHL), in close partnership with the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and ot...
Vaccination: An Act of Love!
Health Wise
Webmaster 
May 8, 2018
In the United States, the month of August is dedicated to building awareness around vaccination. The National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is a...
Start preparing for the Hurricane Season
Health Wise, Searchlight
Searchlight 
May 1, 2018
IN EXACTLY ONE months’ time, on June 1, the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will start. It is predicted that this year’s hurricane season will be simil...
Should you be taking Vitamins daily?
Health Wise
Searchlight 
April 24, 2018
THERE ARE VARYING opinions on if one should take vitamins regularly. Most of the arguments in favour of regular or daily vitamin use, highlight the fa...
Overweight and obesity
Health Wise
searchlight 
March 20, 2018
Overweight and obesity are on the rise. We are seeing our people getting big in front of our own eyes, including our children. Obesity is not only aff...
Keep moving – It’s good for your health
Health Wise
searchlight 
March 6, 2018
We often hear that inactivity or sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health. In fact, it has been proven that inactivity is a risk factor for a number...
Sugar and pressure not a good combination
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 27, 2018
Some people may suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), while some may suffer from high blood sugar (diabetes). However, there are a significa...
Measles: Get immunized!
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 20, 2018
Many of us may not have seen what measles looks like, but would have heard of it. This disease is virtually wiped out, thanks to the high rate of immu...
Cancer: ‘We can. I can’
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 13, 2018
Sunday, February 4, was marked as World Cancer Day. It is a day when organizations and individuals around the world unite to raise awareness about c...
Hydration: why is it important?
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 6, 2018
The average adult human body is 50-65 per cent water and every cell, tissue and organ in your body require water in order to function at its best. Wat...
Headaches
Health Wise
searchlight 
January 23, 2018
The head is one of the most common sites of pain in the body. We have all suffered from some kind of headache. Headaches or head pain sometimes can ...
Have a healthy holiday!
Health Wise
searchlight 
December 19, 2017
The holiday season is upon us. It is important that we do not forget about our health. During the festive season, people make exceptions; then, during...
Head Lice
Health Wise
searchlight 
December 12, 2017
In the school setting, head lice can spread easily from one child to another. This sometimes worries parents, especially for females, who may fear tha...
Sex toys, public morals and medical use
Health Wise
searchlight 
December 5, 2017
I am taking off my physician hat and putting on a hat that I seldom wear. That is, the hat of an ethicist. As an ethicist, I am compelled to respond a...
Chemical hair products linked to cancer
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 28, 2017
African-American and white women who regularly chemically straighten their hair or dye it dark brown or black have an elevated risk of breast cancer, ...
The complications of diabetes aren’t sweet!
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 21, 2017
Last Tuesday, November 14, 2017 was celebrated as World Diabetes Day. Diabetes and its related complications is one of the leading causes of death in ...
Cervical Cancer and HPV
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 14, 2017
Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cervix, the narrow opening into the uterus from the vagina. The normal “ectocervix” (the portion of t...
Human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 7, 2017
I am again compelled to write on the issues of human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer and vaccines, after reading the long epistle by the anti-va...
PTSD post Hurricanes Irma and Maria
Health Wise
searchlight 
October 3, 2017
It is not unusual for people who have experienced traumatic events to have flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories when something terrible happe...
Watch your health during a hurricane
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 26, 2017
two weeks ago, I was deployed to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency (CDEMA) Rapid Needs Assessment Te...
Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes:
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 5, 2017
Marijuana is globally the most commonly used psychoactive substance under international control. In 2013, an estimated 181.8 million people aged 15-64...
Red eye (conjunctivitis)
Health Wise
searchlight 
August 29, 2017
Conjunctivitis is a common condition that causes redness and inflammation of the thin layer of tissue that covers the front of the eye called the conj...
Deworming in schoolchildren
Health Wise
searchlight 
August 15, 2017
It is the custom for some parents to deworm their children before they go back to school. They do this to ensure that whatever worms or helminths they...
Health Wise
searchlight 
July 18, 2017
A heart attack happens when the flow of blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked and the heart can’t get oxygen. The heart, like ...
Health Wise
searchlight 
July 4, 2017
Chest pain is common. Many times, chest pain can be confused for many different medical conditions. Often it is brushed aside as just “gas”. Howev...
Health Wise
searchlight 
June 27, 2017
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life – fo...
Health Wise
searchlight 
May 30, 2017
A few days back, on May 17, World Hypertension Day was celebrated. The World Hypertension Day was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has become an annu...
Health Wise
searchlight 
May 16, 2017
I have written on the topic of yellow fever at least twice before. The first time was when the outbreak in Africa sparked global public health attenti...
Health Wise
searchlight 
May 9, 2017
While practising medicine in St Vincent and the Grenadines years back, I was amazed that so many patients did not know the names of the medications th...
Health Wise
searchlight 
April 25, 2017
If we are what we eat, then many of us must be tripping all over the place due to a lack of balance. The average Vincentian consumes, on average, one ...
Health Wise
searchlight 
March 21, 2017
The issue of salt consumption is one that is closely related to the development of hypertension. In most people, the kidneys have trouble keeping up w...
Health Wise
searchlight 
March 7, 2017
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension or commonly as just "pressure” is the single most important risk factor for stroke in St Vincent and...
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 28, 2017
By Dr Rosmond Adams Obesity is a growing epidemic in the Caribbean and worldwide. Defined as excessive fat accumulation that may impair health or Body...
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 21, 2017
Prime Minister Gonsalves recently announced a ban on styrofoam products imported into St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). This ban is a welcome initi...
Health Wise
searchlight 
February 7, 2017
Dr Rosmond Adams, MD, MSc, FRSPH When I served as the Focal Point for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in St Vincent and the Grenadines a few years ba...
Health Wise
searchlight 
January 24, 2017
Serious workplace injury or death can change lives forever for families, friends, communities, and co-workers. Human loss and suffering is immeasurabl...
Health Wise
searchlight 
January 17, 2017
A US government task force has reaffirmed its stance that women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should take folic acid supplements a...
Health Wise
searchlight 
January 10, 2017
New Year’s resolutions often fall flat early in January because they are usually overwhelming or unattainable. Now is the good time for you to look ...
Health Wise
searchlight 
December 20, 2016
Christmas is a time of celebration, but it tends to be a time of high-fat, high-calorie foods and excessive alcohol consumption also. Being part of th...
Health Wise
searchlight 
December 13, 2016
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become the leading causes of death globally, killing more people each year than all other causes combined. Much ...
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 29, 2016
There is no need for any official study for us to say that a huge proportion of our young people are abusing marijuana. Results from the National Heal...
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 22, 2016
Over the last week, there have been many discussions surrounding mental illness, violence and drug abuse. I wish to use this article to again highligh...
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 15, 2016
Wear purple on Thursday According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, for the first time, the complications of pre-term birth outranked a...
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 8, 2016
In the United States, National Diabetes Month is observed every November, so individuals, health care professionals, organizations, and communities ca...
Health Wise
searchlight 
November 1, 2016
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among Vincentian women. Although a lot is known about this disease, there are still some myths that ex...
Health Wise
searchlight 
October 18, 2016
The growing concern about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is taking centre stage for public health officials, policy makers and individuals. As we kn...
Health Wise
searchlight 
October 11, 2016
by Dr Rosmond Adams Hurricanes are natural disasters that have unfortunately been on the rise as the years have gone on. With any natural disaster, co...
Health Wise
searchlight 
October 4, 2016
Influenza, commonly referred to as "the flu” or just "flu” is a highly infectious illness that spreads rapidly through the coughs and sneezes of p...
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 27, 2016
People with diabetes are at increased risk of peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy, as well as having a higher risk of developing infections and...
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 20, 2016
Last week, news of a new mosquito-borne disease emerged. The discovery of the Mayaro virus in Haiti started to spread, causing some concern as we batt...
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 13, 2016
This year, Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) focused on children, under the theme, "Healthy Children in Healthy Environments”. We continually hear this w...
Health Wise
searchlight 
September 6, 2016
The School term has just begun. Children will now spend more time at school than anywhere else, except when they are at home. Schools can have a major...