Vigilant Living

Depression Depression has been compared to a black dog by Winston Churchill, which flows you everywhere you go, when you sleep it lies next to you, when you are with friends and family it sits next to you and wants you isolated. So what is depression, what causes it, and how can you cure or prevent it. Introduction Depression clinically known as Major depressive disorder   is a  mental disorder   characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive  low mood , low  self-esteem , and  loss of interest or pleasure  in normally enjoyable activities (anhedonia) .  We all get sad from time to time however, depression lasts longer and gets worse till the point of losing interest in life and motivation when nothing gives you joy anymore e.g. if you like music, you stop liking it.   Some people can have a persistent mild depression known as dysthymia for up to two years.  It may feature sadness, difficulty in thinking and concentration, and a s...

  Stress Stress is a leading topic in conversations worldwide. The causes of it whether work, finances, or relationships, and the impacts of stress on both physical health and mental health, which were emphasized by covid-19 pandemic times. Introduction Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. It is the psychological pain.  Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. How we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being. Small amounts of stress are beneficial, as they can improve our performance,  motivation , and reaction to the environment. It saved us from wild animals and the dangers of wildlife. That stress is called eustress or good stress which is when stress is perceived positively however, when stress is perceived negatively it becomes distress or bad stress. Excessive and chronic stre...

 Atherosclerosis If there was someone killing people left and right, we would want them arrested and taken out as quickly as possible, so how come we have ignored the number one murderer currently, atherosclerosis? Introduction Atherosclerosis  is when  the wall of the blood vessels  develops abnormalities leading to  narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels. At the onset, there are usually no symptoms, in some cases, symptoms generally begin around middle age, often presenting as a silent death.  Almost all people are affected to some degree by the age of 65.   It is the number one cause of death  and disability with more than 50% of deaths worldwide. It can result in a heart attack , stroke, kidney failure, and leg amputation depending on which blood vessels are affected. Causes Just like diabetes, obesity is the main risk factor for getting atherosclerosis. The inner lining of the blood vessels especially arteries get damaged and repaired n...

 Diabetes Due to it being a forever preventable punishment, diabetes is much like a life sentence for a crime on your body.  Definition The World Health Organization's definition of diabetes is for a single raised glucose reading with symptoms, otherwise raised values on two occasions, of either:   A fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L.  A  glucose tolerance test , two hours after the oral dose a plasma glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L.  A random blood sugar of greater than 11.1 mmol/L  in association with typical symptoms. A  glycated hemoglobin   (HbA 1c ) of ≥ 48 mmol/mol. . World Health Organization defines prediabetes as a fasting glucose range of 6.1-6.9 mmol/L.  There are two main of diabetes:  Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the loss of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, leading to insulin deficiency. This type is often caused by the immune system attacking the body. Norma...

Obesity Obesity is the leading cause of death and disability in the world,  Is it genetic or environmental and how can you prevent it or overcome it? I personally struggled with obesity for my whole lifetime, after trying  and failing to lose weight or maintain a standard weight,  It required a commitment of 2.5 years and persistence in a never-ending struggle. Introduction World Health Organization defines obesity as a body mass index/BMI (weight/height) of  30 or higher, while overweight has a BMI of 25 or higher. Due to inaccuracies of BMI,  for not accounting for muscle mass, a better measurement is waist circumference for  men of more than 102 cm and women of more than 88cm. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, with increasing rates  in adults and children. In 2016, 2 billion adults were overweight, and  6oo million (12%) adults were obese, triple from 1975. 100 million (7%)  children were obese, from 1% in 1975....

  Female Infertility Few things make us happier than having kids. So why are some of us can't have kids and are there some things that we can do to overcome infertility.  Introduction The World Health Organization defines  Infertility as a disease of the reproductive system characterized by the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected  sexual intercourse   (and there is no other reason, such as breastfeeding or  lack of menstruation ).  Male infertility  is responsible for 20–30% of the cases, while 20–35% are due to  female infertility , and 25–40% are due to combined problems in both parts.  In 10–20% of cases, no cause is found. The rates are increasing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Infertility in a woman often leads to cultural and social stigma alongside depression and poor self-esteem. Marital disputes, domestic abuse, infidelity , and polygamy, especially in cultures that normalized it, can be...