Health Tips - Haiti Observer Blog

The onion, in all its shapes and varieties, not only provides a succulent addition to hot recipes and crunchiness to raw salads, but also promotes many health benefits.

The onion is classified as a botanical vegetable, part of the genus alliaceae, also called allium cepa. The plant grows approximately two feet in height, and takes three to our months before it can be harvested. It is a popular vegetable used in cooking all over the globe.

Yellow and white onions possess a pungency because of a sulfur compound, allyl propyl disulphide. The Spanish red variety are milder and sweeter, a perfect accompaniment to salads. The shallot, a small, mild-tasting onion, possesses an ovular shape and sweeter flavor.

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In a recent blog post, chronicling the abject state of neglect meted out to living, breathing, suffering Haitians, who have agonizing illnesses and no recourse from the pain, Dr. John A. Carroll reawakened a topic that's long been ignored. As a practicing MD Carroll states that, in his over 30 years of working in the country, not once has he seen the inexpensive, easily obtained and highly effective alleviant morphine ordered.

It's a topic some have given voice to in the wider media; most noticeably, respected Hollywood actor, Sean Penn. After the Haiti earthquake, the actor called on his considerable connections to transport morphine and other IV medications to the victims he'd seen reports of undergoing surgeries and amputations without anesthetics.

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In recent years, people have been given information on precautions they must take in order to remain healthy, and prevent infections from developing. For example, lack of good dental health habits can lead to conditions like gingivitis or pyorrhea. It can also affect the rest of the body, creating the conditions for diabetes to develop.

In the area of gynecological health, it has been discovered that wearing underwear when sleeping can affect the health of the vulva, the external female genitalia. This is something that every woman should, my Haitian women in particular.

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The 2010 earthquake that demolished Haiti's infrastructure robbed the poorest Haitians of what little they had, homes that were nothing more than hovels. Thrown into the streets of Port-au-Prince with no access to toilets, sanitation virtually did not exist. Having no clean potable water added to the misery.

Nine months following the January earthquake, in October 2010, a cholera epidemic took hold of Port-au-Prince, largely affecting those living in tent cities. These cities are still filled today with earthquake survivors, and cholera cases have increased noticeably since early 2012.

The United States Department of State has kept a travel advisory in place since the earthquake, cautioning American citizens to stay away from Haiti. With the exception of necessary business travel or humanitarian work, Americans are advised not to visit Haiti.
But others claim the majority of travelers to Haiti are not likely to contract cholera. However, they recommend a cholera prevention kit as a precautionary measure:

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Cholera, a severe bacterial infection, affects the intestines, causing bouts of watery diarrhea, heaving, circulatory distress, and shock. Anyone can contract cholera, the exception being nursing infants. But there are particular contributors that can predispose people to the illness:

Malnutrition. People who are starving have a propensity to catching cholera. The illness takes hold in places where survivors of war or natural disasters live. Or in communities that suffer famine.

Low levels of stomach acid. Inadequate levels of stomach acid create an environment for cholera bacteria to flourish in. Age groups that have low-acidity markers are children and aged people. Gastric surgery survivors and antacid takers, suffering from ulcers, are also prone to getting cholera.

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Cholera, a potentially fatal disease in some cases affects the intestinal tract. Some forms of cholera are symptom-less, or exhibit only moderate signs of the illness. The onset of cholera symptoms happens within a 24- to 48-hour period. Typical signs of having contracted cholera include diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. In moderate cases, normally healthy people experience spontaneous and extreme amounts of watery diarrhea between one and five days of consuming food containing the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.

In extreme cases of cholera, which afflicts one out of twenty people, diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting and muscle cramps. These symptoms come on quickly, and excessive loss of body fluids caused by diarrhea will bring on dehydration. Dehydration may lead to shock. If this extreme form of cholera is left untreated, a person can die within a few short hours.

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Haiti's 2010 earthquake, which shook the country to its foundations, especially Port-au-Prince, displaced tens of thousands of Haitians. They were reduced to living in the streets, without adequate sanitation. Nine months later in October of 2010, a cholera epidemic began, and has continued afflicting the poorest segment of Haitians, many of whom remain living in tent cities.

The Ministry of Public Sanitation and the Population has recorded 581,952 cases of cholera as of July 2012, with a 7,455 death tally since October 2010. A noticeable rise in cholera cases have been reported since early 2012 in Centre, Nord, and Port-au-Prince. Port-au-Prince neighborhoods reporting cases of cholera include: Carrefour, Cité Soleil, Delmas, Kenscoff, Petionville, and Tabarre.

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The issue of abortion causing or being the effect of breast cancer has been highly politicized. This is the case because no scientific research has been conducted to confirm the close connection between the two. In light of these facts, the section that follows is dedicated to show the possibility of the linkage between the two issues.

Cancer occurs because of the overgrowing of the tissues of a particular organ. This means that the abnormal growth of the cells of organs under observation makes the organ form cramps. It actually forms a tumor on the body part. Every part of the body is susceptible to abnormal outgrowths and breasts are not exceptions. If the growth happens to the breast then what follows is breast cancer.

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