Docotal's blog

Getting rid of your belly fat or bulge is important for more than just vanity’s sake. Excess abdominal fat-particularly visceral fat, the kind that surrounds your organs and puffs your stomach into a “ beer gut ”-is a predictor of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and some cancers. Read on for 8 sure ways you can loose your belly fat. Limit alcohol intake Booze has more calories than you might expect: 153 for a 12-ounce regular beer and 125 for a 5-ounce pour of red wine. The calories in alcohol can’t be stored for later, so the body’s metabolism has to focus on alcohol first when it’s in the body. This diverts it from its task of burning fat, and fat burn especially drops in the belly. But there is such a thing as drinking responsibly for weight loss. Older women who drink about one alcoholic beverage per day seem to gain less weight over time than women who don’t drink, probably because they keep other healthy behaviors and are more physically active. Focus on the...

Nutritional and Health Benefits Of Cocoyam You Never Knew by Dr. Okey Colocasia esculenta popularly known as cocoyam is a tropical, perenial crop. It is a starchy tuber crop with three parts namely; corm, stem and leaves, which is grown basically for edible root. It can also be grown as an ornamental plant for the beautification of the environment as well as a medicinal plant. Cocoyam has its origin from Asia or Southeast Asia as some researchers have found out and it is a known staple crop in most developing countries of Africa. It can also be found in India, USA, Japan as well as Singapore. Cocoyam Delicacies It can be boiled and eaten with tomatoes stew or spinach sauce It can be roasted and eaten with fried groundnut It can be fried into chips It can also be prepared as a porridge. It can also be boiled, pounded and used as a thickener for local soup Nutritional benefits Great source of dietary fibre It is an excellent source of carbohydrate Contains a good...

Amazing Effects of Pepper by Dr. N. Elenwoke Peppers come in all sizes and colours. Some of them are packed with heat, while the others are sweet. You can get fresh pepper, frozen, dried, or canned. Peppers can be added raw to salads, baked or added to stir fries. Peppers are special as they have a lot going for them. They're low in calories and are loaded with good nutrients. Regardless of their color and hotness, all varieties of pepper are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. You might have seen bell peppers in different colors such as green, orange, yellow, and red - in the grocery store. But, do you know that the red peppers pack the most nutrition? Yes, they do, because they've been on the vine longest. Green peppers are harvested earlier before they turn into other colors like yellow, orange, and then red. Compared to green bell peppers, the red or yellow ones have almost 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C. A sub...

DOCOTAL (DIGITAL DOCTORS) HELPING US TO BECOME DIGITAL HUMANS: PART 3 -Dr. Okechukwu Ekemezie ” …and all his days (on earth) shall be a hundred and twenty (120) years. ”- Gen 6:3 “If we can live another 30 years from today, I think eventually, forget it, lifespan becomes indefinite” -- Peter Diamandis Why do most people retire after 60 years? Why settle down in small towns and villages and live off pension funds/savings and patiently wait for your last days on planet earth? Read part two here . Why should we allow society to dictate to us and programme our minds that we need pension/gratuity after we retire at the golden age of 60-65 years and become mentally lazy in the process thus paving way for cardiovascular diseases? The truth still remains that 60 years is just halfway our total lifespan on earth. Instead of waiting that long before we can enjoy retirements, Tim Ferris suggested in his book “ The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich ” that we should ...

The Most Common cause of Road Accidents by Dr. N. Elenwoke According to the World health organisation  (WHO), road accidents claim the lives of about 3,400 people every day. It is amongst the leading causes of death in Nigeria and in most developing countries. In 2013 road traffic crashes report of FRSC , 34% of road accident cases were fatal. Recent NOI polls  showed that most Nigerians recognise it as one of the major causes of death in the country. The causes of accidents Bad roads Unfavourable weather conditions Driver error Faulty cars Pedestrians Contrary to belief, driver error is the number one cause of road accidents not bad roads. It is arguable that although roads maybe bad or weather conditions unfavourable, the diver’s decision is critical to avoidance of accidents. The incidence of road accidents is lower in places where drivers obey traffic rules and vehicle movement is controlled. Before diving, especially a long journey, drivers should ensure the follow...

Sunday Morning Inspiration- Gratitude by Dr. Okey It's another sunday morning inspiration. Today's article is all about Gratitude. If you missed last week's post read it  here  it was such an insightful article. "Thank you" is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding''.Alice Walker. Happiness is not found in acquiring "more" but in being thankful for what is already been given. Why should you give thanks and show gratitude to the Supreme being First? God deserves our gratitude because of the gift of life. You may be dissatisfied with the way things had turn out in your life last year. You may say: "Oh I was not able to buy that dream car, have that cool vacation in the best travel destination" and so on. Even then, this is a new year and there is need to begin this year with a high note of thanking your Divine Creator. Have you thought for a moment that y...

Effects of psychological stress on your brain by Dr. N. Elenwoke Stress is an internal factor which is always not dangerous, but when mentioned, we talk about chronic stress. The later is extremely harmful to our body. Every form of stress acts in the same ways including Psychological Stress (PS). It produces a hormone known as cortisol and it can save us in emergency situations. But, a high level of cortisol hormone in the blood for a longer duration can actually damage your brain. It is found that chronic stresses increase the activity and neural connections in the amygdala body, which is the fear center of our brain. Another study also shows that giving daily injections of corticosteroids to the rats for several weeks kills certain brain cells. During this study, the scientists were able to recognize that prolonged periods of cortisol in blood stream damage and kill the cells in the hippocampus – the area of the brain which is responsible for memory. It is not a secret that stress...

Benefits of Kola Nut by Dr. N. Elenwoke Even though people are very familiar with the world “cola”, they might not know that this word originated actually by the Cola genus , which includes the kola tree, where kola nut grow. Kola trees are native to the tropical rainforests in Africa and their nuts contain caffeine, which makes it desirable as a food source and as an element in alternative medicine. Other than in alternative medicine, Kola nuts are also used in food industry to flavor sodas of different varieties. The medicinal benefits of kola nuts have begun to make it a popular dietary supplement for health, despite its slightly bitter taste. There are many health benefits of Kola nuts, starting from boosting the metabolism to weight loss. Now let us have a look at how kola nuts can benefit our health: Weight loss Kola nuts have also been recognised to stimulate fat-burning of the body and therefore, is a good option for those who want to lose weight . In a study published in the N...

Sunday Morning Inspiration - "ASK AND RECEIVE" by Dr. Okey Ekemezie Truth is simple. If it was complicated, everyone would understand it –Anonymous Each time I wonder why the simplest things in life are the most difficult to understand and apply in life, this particular topic comes to mind. It is so simple yet difficult. This is the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots". The former comprehends one of life’s greatest law and daily apply it to their lives, while the latter only complain and give excuses for not having anything. For you to receive anything in life, you must ask for it. It is like a child being born to a wealthy home and suffer so much lack when all he needs to do is simply ask his father and it will be granted to him . Though his father wants him/her to enjoy all of life’s greatest treasure but if he doesn’t ask, the father might just simply assume he's so comfortable with life and he will go on with his normal business. But...

Newborn baby: What you need to check by Dr. Nnamdi Elenwoke. The newborn baby’s first cry always brings a smile to everyone around him. But, to see if this baby is really healthy, the doctor will perform a physical examination within 24 hours. After the immediate examination of the baby to indicate the Apgar score , a full body check-up is done. Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was an Anaesthesiologist that introduced the Apgar score in 1952 to quickly check the health of a newborn baby. The Apgar test includes 5 factors: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace response, Activity and Respiration. It is usually given to a baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth. This examination starts with the measurement of body weight, length and head circumference of the baby. Then the doctor examines the newborn's skin, head and neck, heart and lungs, abdomen and genitals and also the nervous system and reflexes in order to check all the body systems and organs. Moreover, to b...