Page 23 - People Daily Newspaper

Monday, September 20, 2021 / PEOPLE DAILY

NUTRITION
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Are you obsessed
role in pandemic with healthy eating?

In 1997, Steve Bratman desire to achieve an ideal
coined the name Orthorex- image of health and well-
ia Nervosa (ON) to refer to ness. And this desire can
an unhealthy obsession be influenced by many fac-
with healthy eating where tors including individual
individuals’ psychological, reasons such as health
physical and social well- concerns, personality
being is impaired by ex- traits ore beliefs in food;
treme diet practices that social and other external
are based on perceived influences. But while it
quality and not quality of is important to practise
food consumed. healthy eating, it is not
The feeding habits of normal to have food at the
people with ON are often centre of your life. I mean.
distorted and are char- Are you spending all your
acterised by restrictive money on what you con-
diets and certain foods sider healthy food? Are
avoidance. They may also you unable to meet people
ritualise food, or have very and socialise because you
strict feeding routines, are afraid you will not find
which they are also not something there to eat?
able to adhere to. They Is your relationship with
also spend so much time food causing you anxiety
buying, planning and and sadness?
preparing food so that it Anything healthy must
is as healthy as possible. have a balance. So, if you
Unfortunately, these realise you no longer have
tendencies tend to result control of your feeding
Lorna Masila, physiotherapist at Belleview Hospital. PD/RODGER NDEGWA in malnutrition (micro- habits, take that as a red
nutrient deficiencies and flag and get help. Now I’m
of the pandemic,” says Ngure. Though in We have been hardest hit. At least three
Kennedy Mogire displays the incentive undernutrition). not saying changing your
spirometer gadget that helps with panic, colleagues extended sympathy and quarters of those admitted in the special Notably, while many lifestyle is easy. Habits
support in the recommended way. ward were physios,” says Mogire.
breathing. PD/WAHINYA HENRY eating disorders are have never been easy to
“I remember fruits being pass through According to a World Physiotherapy driven by the desire to change. But pay attention
at home has kept physiotherapists on toes. the window. A support kitty was even set report, physiotherapy services have achieve an ideal weight, to who you make these
“Presence of a physio in this pandemic up by staff from the physiotherapy unit,” he been severely disrupted globally by ON may initially start as changes. You could end
is critical. Patients require lungs to be says. the pandemic. At least 70 per cent of a means to lose weight, up doing more harm than
oxidised regularly. Our presence has For nursing officer, Betty Akoth, sleep respondents said services, both public and but it’s driven more by the good to your health.
become mandatory,” says Lorna. Mogire was the last thing on her mind as she lay private, were disrupted and 65 per cent
concurs on her bed in the Covid-19 facility at the they had challenges accessing personal
hospital. protective services.
Not left out “I feared I will not be there any more Many of those who recovered resumed
“Initially our role was not recognised if I shut my eye. Death was real,” says duty instead of resigning for fear of getting
like that of medical doctors and the Akoth, who was at hospital for nearly sick again, says senior physiotherapist
privileges that comes with recognition. a month on oxygen and who suffered Sarah Hungu.
Our value has been appreciated,” he stigma after discharge. She is among the “Ours is a calling. There would have been
says. “It has taken a long time to come. people who benefited from the services of no safety elsewhere. It is even worse in
We were also consulted to give input into physiotherapists at the hospital. matatus, churches, and funerals. These are
the development of policy guidelines on “Covid-19 is like any other disease and high risks zones,” says Sarah.
management of Covid-19.” patients need not be stigmatised. Exericse, The experts at KNH recently underwent
But just as everyone in the healthcare nutritional diet and observing the protocols a detailed awareness programme and
sector, they were not spared by the disease. are key in recovering,” said the nurse, training in celebration of the World
Joseph Ngure was the first calling for support for those who have Physiotherapy Day held annually on
physiotherapist at KNH to get Covid-19. recovered, asking relatives and friends to September 8.
He battled the disease and wreathed in raise funds to help others under treatment “We will seize the opportunity to
pain in the ward with the help of an oxygen and recuperating at home. raise awareness of the important role
ventilator. “We were caught off-guard by the professionals perform if services are to be
“News of my state spread like bushfire. pandemic. Physiotherapists became accessed by more people and challenges A woman enjoys a meal. obsession with healthy food
Everyone was in shock and fear at the onset extremely vulnerable due to exposure. they face,” said Mogire tends to cause malnurition COURTESY
Researchers call for larger cigarette warnings
by Mwangi Mumero more than 8,100 Kenyans die of of smoking also increased from 28 through health warnings on packag-
tobacco related diseases each year, per cent to 43 per cent of smokers. ing is rarely effective for smokeless
Picture-based cigarette pack while more than 220,000 children Smokers who said that health tobacco users, including young
warnings benefit Kenyan smokers to and more than 2.7 million adults warnings made them “a lot” more people who may be starting to use
quit tobacco products, but there are continue to use tobacco each day. likely to quit increased from 24 per those products.
still significant challenges, accord- The survey found introduction of cent to 38 per cent. The report described a challenge
ing to national survey conducted by picture warnings significantly in- The survey found that only 12 per to reducing tobacco use is the high
researchers from the Kenya Medical creased effectiveness of warnings. cent of such users reported noticing rate of single cigarettes.
Research Institute (KEMRI) and the “There is also a need for Kenya health warnings “often” on smoke- The survey whose finding were
University of Nairobi. to increase the size of their health sity of Waterloo in Canada, and the less tobacco. Because most smoke- recently released was conducted in
The researchers call for larger warnings, from their current 30 per Chief Principal Investigator of the less tobacco is sold in loose form 2012 and 2018 among 1,500 tobacco
warnings in all tobacco products to cent to at least 50 per cent which is survey project. instead of packaged, most smoke- users and 600 non-tobacco users.
encourage quitting. Strong tobacco the required size of warnings under Researchers found that aware- less tobacco users are not exposed The 2018 survey found that 82 per
control measures should be stepped the WHO Framework Convention on ness of the warnings increased from to health warnings at all. cent of smokers reported last pur-
up according to researchers. Tobacco Control (FCTC),” observed 64 per cent to 72 per cent of smok- Thus, educating the public about chasing single cigarettes rather than
According to Ministry of Health, Prof Geoffrey T Fong of the Univer- ers. Thinking about the health risks the harms of tobacco products a pack, about the same as in 2012.