Nigeria: Stella Damasus Denies Dumping Acting

By Ayo Onikoyi, 24 November 2012

It is no longer news that sultry actress turned singer, Stella Damasus, now lives in the capital city of Abuja. The popular actress who exolained reason for her relocation said, "Abuja makes her think properly" but sources persist that the main reason she did so was to pursue a number of projects she has been handling of late.

Stella has been busy doing other things outside acting. In August, she was into some sort of radio tour in Abuja to promote her concert, tagged, The Alternative which held at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel.

She also joined forces with Yinka Lawanson known as Lamboghinny to solicit for relief materials for flood victims in Delta state as well as turning a social motivator, teaching some ladies on how to handle matters involving men, money, sex and the fear of God.

This and many more engagements, including launching her musical career has sparked off speculation that the seasoned actress may have dumped acting for other juicy deals.

In a chat on phone, the Delta state-born star, confirmed relocating to Abuja but said the gist about her dumping acting has no truth in it. In her words, "It is not true I have quit acting because I have three yet to be released movies I have done and I just finished a short film. I am about to start a feature-length movie".

Thinking Of Burning Fats? Here Are 5 Fat-Burning Fruits

Posted by daniel in Home » Lifestyle on November 23, 2012 -

Are you trying to lose weight? Now you can have your fruit and your weight loss too. Most fruit contains excessive amount of natural sugars that quickly converts into fat when eaten in excess. There are some fruits that actually work to help burn fat. Adding more of these fruits to your diet can help with fat loss. While fruit has many natural healing compounds, sometimes its sugar content can be a problem for people interested in losing weight.
However, some fruits actually help you to burn fat. Here are 5 Fat-Burning Fruits:
Avocado: Loaded with healthy Omega 9 fatty acids (the same fats found in olive oil, olives, and macadamia nuts), avocados speed the conversion of fat into energy and boost the rate of metabolism.
Coconut: Coconut is rich with medium chain triglycerides (MCFAs) which increase the liver’s rate of metabolism by up to 30 percent, according to some experts. They also help keep you full so you’re less likely to snack on junk food. Coconut oil frequently aids the functioning of the thyroid gland. Coconut oil, coconut milk (not the low fat variety), coconut flour, and shredded (unsweetened) coconut all contain MCFAs.
Lemons: Excellent liver detoxifiers, lemons also alkalize our body. They may seem acidic based on taste but in the process of being metabolized by the body, they actually alkalize our bodily fluids and tissues. Maintaining the health of the liver is also imperative to the body’s ability to digest and burn fat, since the liver is one of the organs responsible for these functions.
Grapefruit: Many studies confirm that grapefruit is an excellent weight loss food. In one study at Johns Hopkins University, women who eat grapefruit daily shed almost 20 pounds on average in only 13 weeks, without changing anything else in their diet or lifestyle.
Tomatoes: Packed with vitamin C and the phytochemical lycopene, tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid known as carnitine. Research has shown carnitine helps speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by one third.
Not only will these fruits help with weight loss, they have plenty of other health benefits too. Avocado helps prevent heart disease. Coconuts help prevent cancer. Grapefruit gives the liver a boost. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that studies show cuts the risk of heart disease by 29 percent.

How to ease heartburn without drugs

Friday, 23 November 2012

Heartburn is more than just a minor discomfort; it can significantly reduce quality of life. Expert warns that heartburn, this burning feel in the chest or throat, can be eased by many simple lifestyle modifications, including weight loss, reports Sade Oguntola.

Maybe it was that beans supper taken last night or overindulgence at a holiday meal, but at one time or another, most people would have dealt with the unpleasantness of heartburn. For most people, it is a rare occurrence.

Doctors call it gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Millions of people, because of its burning feel in the chest or throat, call it heartburn. By any name, GERD is common, bothersome, and sometimes serious. It can significantly reduce quality of life.

One survey revealed that 65 per cent of people with heartburn may have symptoms both during the day and at night, with 75 per cent of the night-time heartburn patients saying that the problem keeps them from sleeping, and 40 per cent reporting that night-time heartburn affects their job performance the following day.

A chest physician, Dr Cyril Chukwu, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), described heartburn as an uncomfortable, but common feeling of burning or warmth in the chest.

Although, the pain of heartburn is felt in the chest, he stated that heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. Instead, heartburn is caused by stomach acid.

The frequency of stomach acid reflux (backflow of liquid) varies from one person to another. But, Dr Chukwu stated that “for many people, it happens very rarely while in others, it is a weekly or daily incident. Heartburn usually occurs after eating a large meal or drinking a lot of alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, coffee and smoking of tobacco that obstruct the function of the sphincter.”

The ring-like muscles of the lower oesophagus that prevent swallowed foods from returning from the stomach back into the oesophagus is called the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES). When the stomach is full, a tiny amount of food can sneak back into the oesophagus after it was swallowed. That is normal.

But in people with GERD, substantial amounts of stomach acid and digestive juices backwash into the oesophagus. Heartburn is a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in which acid and stomach enzymes rise from the stomach into the oesophagus. This is much like water bubbling into a sink from a plugged drain.

Heartburn and “acid indigestion” are the most common result. A burning pain is usually accompanied by burping or bloating points to GERD as the cause. Sometimes, signs of GERD are noticed in the lungs, mouth, and throat. This includes a sour or bitter taste in the mouth; the regurgitation of food or fluids, sore throat or the need to clear the throat and persistent coughing without apparent cause, especially after meals.

Anyone, including infants and children, can have GERD. Many women experience this sensation during pregnancy. If not treated, it can lead to more serious health problems. In some cases, medicines or surgery are required to treat it to prevent it causing damage to the oesophagus and even increasing the risk of cancer. It’s important to consider the possibility that chest pain may mean a heart attack instead of heartburn.

Some people with GERD need to turn to medications to relieve symptoms and prevent possible long-term damage to the oesophagus. Medicines called antacids can be helpful for some people who have GERD. These work by lowering the amount of acid in the stomach. They should only be used for a short time because they can cause side effects and might not control the problem for very long.

For long-term problems, doctors may prescribe other medicines. Some work to lower stomach acid. Other medicines can help make the sphincter muscle stronger and help the stomach empty more quickly. If nothing else works, a person may need surgery to treat GERD, but this isn’t done very often.

But simple lifestyle modifications can control heartburn and other GERD symptoms. These include the following:

Eat smaller meals: A large meal remains in the stomach for several hours, increasing the chances for gastroesophageal reflux. It puts pressure on the muscle that normally helps keep stomach contents from backing up into the oesophagus. Of course, the more food that is consumed, the longer it takes for the stomach to empty, which contributes to reflux.

Avoid late-night eating: It is important to eat three hours before going to bed, to leave enough time for the stomach to clear out. Having a meal or snack within three hours of lying down to sleep can worsen reflux, causing heartburn.

Don’t exercise right after meals. Wait at least two hours after a meal before engaging in vigorous physical activity in order to give the stomach time to empty. But don’t just lie down either, as this will worsen reflux.

Sleep on an incline: Elevate the head of your bed by placing a wedge under the upper body if affected by night-time heartburn. But don’t elevate your head with extra pillows. Doing so makes reflux worse by compressing your stomach.

Stop smoking: Nicotine stimulates stomach acid. It also impairs the body’s ability to keep stomach contents in place.

Identify and avoid foods associated with heartburn: Common foods that contribute to heartburn include fatty foods, spicy foods, garlic, milk, coffee, tea, cola, peppermint and chocolate. Carbonated beverages cause belching, which also causes reflux.

Lose weight: Being overweight puts more pressure on the stomach and pushes stomach contents into the oesophagus. Tight fitting clothing and belts that come with weight gain may also worsen heartburn.

Relax well before and after meals: Stress increases the production of stomach acid, so make meals a pleasant, relaxing experience. This may help prevent and relieve heartburn.

Rule out medication side effects: Drugs that can predispose to reflux include aspirin and other NSAIDs, birth control pills, hormone therapy, narcotics, certain antidepressants and some asthma medications.

Chew sugarless gum after a meal: Chewing gum promotes salivation, which helps neutralise acid, soothes the oesophagus and washes acid back down to the stomach. But avoid peppermint gum, which may trigger heartburn more than other flavours.