What do Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Richard Gere, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney have in common? 

Besides the fact that they are super famous and successful in their own right, they all practice one thing to help keep them sane and centred – meditation. Meditation has been embraced by cultures around the world for thousands of years.

Evidence of health benefits

Many people meditate for mental wellness, to relieve stress and become more calm and relaxed.

According to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there’s evidence that practicing meditation may have a positive effect on certain medical conditions, like helping to lower blood pressure and easing symptoms of anxiety and depression, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and insomnia.

According to a previous Health24 article, activities like meditation leave a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how the genes are expressed. This simply means that meditation can cause the brain to steer DNA processes along a path which improves can ultimately improve overall well-being. 

You don’t need a dedicated space or a lot of time to try meditation. There are many techniques, and one might feel more comfortable to you than another.

Go on, give it a try

Here are three easy methods to help you get started:

1. Find your space

The first technique involves simply sitting or lying down and allowing your mind to go where it wants, without trying to control it. Watch where your thoughts go and what you think about as you let your mind wander at will. Do this for three to five minutes.

2. Breathe

Another easy technique is to focus on breathing. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and breathe naturally. Notice how different parts of your body move as you breathe in and out.

3. Find a focus point

As an alternative to focusing on breathing, try focusing on a single point. This could be staring at an object like a candle or saying a word or phrase – a mantra – over and over. When you feel your mind wandering, bring it back to focus on the object or mantra that you chose.

In the beginning, many people can only meditate for a few minutes at first before losing concentration. Stick with it, and you’ll soon experience the soothing benefits of meditation.

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Controversial talk show host Criselda Kananda Dudumashe, who ignited fury on social media over the weekend for defending the woman-bashing Mduduzi Manana, is due to be appointed to the board of the SA National Aids Council (SANAC).

SANAC facing a legitimacy crisis

Sources close to the process told Health-e News that Dudumashe’s name had been sent to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is expected to announce the new SANAC board within the next week. SANAC is a multi-stakeholder body that co-ordinates the country’s response to HIV. There is no public process for the nomination of SANAC board members and nominations appear to come from SANAC staff and top health department officials.

SANAC is facing a legitimacy crisis after being accused by the Treatment Action Campaign, SECTION27 and others of being controlled by a clique led by Steve Letsike, SANAC’s deputy chair, and Dr Ramneek Ahluwalia, CEO of the Higher Education and Training HIV/Aids Programme (HEAIDS) who are using the council to advance their own personal interests.

During the height of government’s Aids denialism, Dudumashe was part of a group centered around former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who worked to discredit antiretroviral medicine.

Former Mpumalanga Health MEC Sibongile Manana, was also part of this group. She is the mother of former deputy minister Mduduzi Manana, who resigned in disgrace over the weekend after being caught on camera bashing a young woman twice hard on her head while his henchmen held her down. The woman had apparently called him “gay” during an argument.

While Dudumashe expressed her “disappointment” at Manana’s behaviour in a Facebook post she has since removed, she went on to praise him as someone she has “travelled with countrywide to the most rural of villages” providing “socio-support to students with various issues from HIV infection, substance abuse, gender based violence” (GBV), someone committed to “youth development” and with “politics running in his veins” from “political family” who opened his eyes to injustice.

Promoted as a ‘role model’

Vuyokazi Gonyela, from human rights organisation SECTION27, said Dudumashe’s defence of Manana “is in line with her defence of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s quack remedies”.

“We are aware that HEAIDS is promoted Criselda and Manana, giving them platforms to – ironically – speak on gender-based violence.,” said Gonyela. “We would like HEAIDS to come clean on whether she will continue to enjoy this platform and how much she is being paid to do so.”

Meanwhile, TAC chairperson Anele Yawa said Dudumashe and Manana had been “rubbing shoulders on the HEAIDS and SHE Conquers programme that seeks to empower young women against new HIV infections”.

Dudumashe has been promoted as a “role model” through these programmes, said Yawa, but her defence of Manana was “an insult to these young women and a betrayal of those fighting for women’s emancipation”.

“Manana also beat the young woman because she called him gay,” said Yawa. “But there is nothing wrong with being gay. South Africa has one of the highest incidence of hate crimes against people because of their sexual orientation, and it is evident that Manana is one of the perpetrators of this.”

Life expectancy has leapt 10 years

Dudumashe has always liked hanging out with politicians, and her condemnation of ARVs ensured she was in with the dominant faction during the Mbeki years. At the time, Dudumashe claimed to be a disciple of Tine van der Maas, the Dutch nurse who said that her concoction of lemons, olive oil, beetroot, garlic and vitamins, could stop Aids.

However, in the post-Mbeki era, government discarded Aids denialism and rolled out the world’s biggest ARV treatment programme. The life expectancy of South Africans has leapt 10 years – from 52 in 2006 to 62 in 2014 – thanks to the ARV programme. Being an Aids denialist was no longer viable in the face of this evidence.

In order to survive as an HIV speaker in the new era, Dudumashe toned down her antipathy towards ARVs but still draws attention to their side effects.

No platform for Aids denialist

Yawa said he was shocked by the idea of Dudumashe serving on SANAC’s board:

“As TAC, we will object her appointment and we will do whatever in our powers to stop her appointment to that position because she’s a disgrace and disappointment to other woman and victims of GBV,” said Yawa. “We can’t have people whose minds are located into their bank accounts; people who prefer to make money and good fortunes about the pain and misery of others.”

Meanwhile, Gonyela said “we trust SANAC will also not give this Aids denialist any platforms or position and we will challenge any moves to do so”. – Health-e News.

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Kerry Cullinan

Summer camp in the US conjures up pictures of children having fun, partaking in outdoor activities, roasting marshmallows by the fire and telling ghost stories.

But now there is a different kind of camp parents can send their children to. It’s unusual because the children attending this camp all suffer from chronic asthma.

At this camp you can partake in activities such as “make your own mucus” and “the bronchial tube relay race” — all designed to improve your child’s asthma. 

Why a camp for asthma sufferers?

The approach is to help children cope with the symptoms of asthma in a fun way, as well as raising awareness of the condition. Asthma camps were established for young asthma sufferers to help them understand and deal with their condition in a controlled environment and enjoy the best quality of life possible.

Currently, there are 120 asthma camps serving nearly 10 000 children in the United States of America, according to research published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Camps are facilitated by registered nurses and respiratory therapists. The age groups and severity level differ from camp to camp.

Applying for asthma camp

Application for an asthma camp is the same as for any summer camp, except that you have to provide an additional form filled in by your child’s physician, giving their medical history and current treatment plan. This is submitted along with a standard application form and payment.

These camps vary in length: They can either take the form of a day camp, or an overnight camp for a weekend or a week.

Special guidelines are provided for parents on how to pack their child’s medication, which is carefully monitored for the duration of the camp.

How asthma camps are different

As with normal camps, children still get to partake in activities such as rowing, rock climbing, team games and swimming. But there are loads of activities and sessions created specifically for children to understand their condition and its symptoms. The Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps lists different sections of the camps, such as activities explaining the anatomy of the lungs, activities based on medication and how to recognise triggers and warning signs of an asthma attack.

Sessions are also focused on coping. An example of one of these activities is to make a “wishing wand” where children can list their asthma wishes such as wanting to play sport, wanting to own their own pet, or “Fly your fears away,” where children are encouraged to talk about their fears of asthma (“I’m scared to get an asthma attack in class”).

The food served at these camps is pretty similar to normal summer camp menus, but food allergies are taken in consideration during the application process.

Overall goals

Asthma camps do make use of volunteers who can apply and receive special training to equip them for this camp, but it is important to have trained medical staff on board as well.

According to the Consortium, there is a camp medical director, camp physician, respiratory therapist and pharmacist involved at every asthma camp. These staff members receive thorough training and orientation before camps and are involved in different sections and activities at the camps.

The overall goal for asthma camps is to provide children with an understanding of their condition, as well as practical tools to help them manage their condition. These camps are not necessarily there to treat asthma, but serve as an education for kids to improve their lives. And as with normal camps, it’s important to build social skills and friendships.

A study done on 1 783 campers at 24 different camps indicates that there is definitely a need for symptom management and life-improvement in young asthma-sufferers, making asthma camp an important component of dealing with the condition.

The situation in South Africa

On own soil, the prevalence of asthma is high and treatment limited. And while children tend to outgrow asthma, many adults continue to display the symptoms they experienced in their childhood years.

Control your child’s asthma

Breathing is a function that most of us take for granted, but some are not so lucky. The World Health Organisation (WHO) established that an estimated 235 million people worldwide suffer from asthma and that it’s the most common chronic disease in young children.

Asthma is the fourth highest cause of death in South Africa, yet it is severely undiagnosed with little understanding of the condition.

While we don’t have asthma camps in South Africa, there are ways you can help your child deal with the symptoms:

• Find out what triggers the asthma by means of allergy tests. This will make it easier to eliminate causes. 
• Teach your child to use the inhaler and medication exactly as prescribed.
• Tell them to take immediate action when their chest closes up and the inhaler is not helping.
• Make them understand that sport and other physical activities are still possible.
• Have your child thoroughly evaluated by your doctor at least once every four months. Don’t let them stop their medication if symptoms improve. Asthma is a chronic disease and should be treated as such.

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Marelize Wilke

The information on Health24 is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional. See additional information.

If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, you might be blaming your condition on a number of factors – from the time of year to the air-conditioning at the office. But have you ever taken a look at what might be lurking in the nooks and crannies of your own home?

We hate the idea that the safe haven we call “home” can make us sick. And we like to think that our living spaces are clean, which might however not be always the case – especially when it’s windy, humid or damp.

Chronic sinusitis is caused by inflammation in the tissue lining the sinuses. This can lead to infection and the onset of unpleasant symptoms such as a sinus headache, thickened mucus, congested nasal passages and fever.

What’s lurking in your home?

Sinusitis may be caused by external factors such as dust, pollen, animal hair, house-dust-mites and fumes given off by chemicals. So if you have sinusitis and it’s not clearing up, it’s time to check how clean your house really is.

1. Dust

It can be very easy to merely clean and vacuum on the surface while neglecting hard-to-reach areas such as curtain rails, skirting boards and nooks and crannies such as blinds and ventilators. Always pay attention to these often-overlooked areas, especially if you live in a dusty or windy area. Your vacuum cleaner might seem like the most effective cleaning appliance, but you might want to bear in mind that it can actually contribute to the dust problem if you don’t clean the filter often enough. A dirty filter will just blow dust back into the air. Make sure you regularly empty the filter bag of your vacuum cleaner.

2.  Mould

Before you say “yuck” and protest that you don’t have a mould problem in your house, check it out. Mould is more common than you think and can appear near leaky sinks, underneath wallpaper, on leaky ceilings, underneath carpets, on curtains and blinds and even on your clothes. If you can’t pinpoint the cause of your sinusitis and you live in humid or damp conditions, start investigating. Mould isn’t always visible to the naked eye.

3. Your fluffy friends

Of course we aren’t suggesting you get rid of your pets, but if you find your cat or dog is shedding hair in the house, it can be the cause of your sinus problems, especially if they’re allowed on bedding or upholstery, where the hair tends to stick. If your sinusitis is extremely bad, try keeping them off beds and couches. Vacuum your house and groom your pets regularly. Also regularly clean areas such as cages and cat litter boxes to remove bacteria and allergens.

4. Perfumes and toiletries

Investigate your beauty products and toiletries as strong fragrances found in products such as hairspray and perfumes can linger in the air, triggering sinus symptoms. If you can’t find the specific fragrance or product that’s making your head feel thick and heavy, limit your use of perfumed products. Also be mindful of where you get ready for the day – spraying perfumed products in poorly ventilated, enclosed spaces can aggravate sinus problems.

5. Your cleaning products

It may sound counter-intuitive blaming cleaning products when dirt’s the main problem, but harsh chemicals can also affect your sinuses. Replace normal household detergents with “milder” brands.

6. Houseplants and flowers

Plants and flowers add a touch of colour to any home, but they might be to blame for your poor sinus health. Flowers with a high pollen count such as daisies and chrysanthemums can be especially harsh on your sinuses, while house plants such as ficus can produce allergens through their sap, which can attach to dust particles. Rather choose plants with a low pollen count that actually filter the air such as mother-in-law’s tongue.

7. The swimming pool

Your swimming pool might be a treat during summer months, but chlorine might be the cause of your sinusitis. Studies have proven a definite link between swimming and sinus symptoms. High chlorine levels can cause chlorine sensitivity, which can aggravate sinusitis. An indoor pool, heated tub or sauna can also increase moisture levels in your house, which leads to mould (see point 2). Keep chlorine levels as low as possible and make sure there’s no mould and leakage. 

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Marelize Wilke