EXCLUSIVE Terrifying risks of 'harmless' beauty treatment used by 7M Americans exposed... and the damage is irreversible
If consumed in food, it attacks the nervous system and causes an array of alarming neurological symptoms. In high doses it can be deadly.
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
The ‘schools for husbands' training men to help with household chores
In Senegal 's capital of Dakar, an imam named Ibrahima Diane explains to groups of men why they should be more involved in household chores. 'School for husbands' is a United Nations -backed initiative where respected male community members learn about 'positive masculinity' in health and social issues and are encouraged to promote them in their communities. 'The Prophet himself says a man who does not help support his wife and children is not a good Muslim,' the 53-year-old said, as he described bathing his baby and helping his wife with other duties. In Senegal, as in many other West African countries with large rural or conservative populations, men often have the final say in major household decisions, including ones related to health. Women may need their permission for life-changing decisions on accessing family planning or other reproductive health services, along with hospital deliveries or prenatal care. Following his sessions at the school for husbands, Diane regularly holds sermons during Friday prayers where he discusses issues around gender and reproductive health, from gender-based violence to fighting stigma around HIV. 'Many women appreciate my sermons," he said. 'They say their husbands' behaviour changed since they attended them." He said some men have told him the sermons inspired them to become more caring husbands and fathers. Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births. 'When my son's wife was pregnant, I encouraged him to take her to the hospital for the delivery,' Diallo said. 'At first, he was hesitant. He worried about the cost and didn't trust the hospital. But when I explained how much safer it would be for both his wife and the baby, he agreed.' No more barking orders The program launched in Senegal in 2011 but in recent years has caught the attention of the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection, which sees it as an effective strategy to combat maternal and infant mortality. 'Without men's involvement, attitudes around maternal health won't change," said 54-year-old Aida Diouf, a female health worker who collaborates with the program. Many husbands prefer their wives not to be treated by male health workers, she said. The classes for husbands follow similar efforts in other African countries, particularly Niger, Togo, and Burkina Faso, where the United Nations Population Fund says it improved women's access to reproductive health services by increasing male involvement, growing the use of contraceptives by both men and women and expanding access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendants. Discussions for men also have focused on girls' rights, equality and the harmful effects of female genital mutilation. The program now operates over 20 schools in Senegal, and over 300 men have been trained. In some communities, men who once enforced patriarchal norms now promote gender equality, which has led to a reduction in the number of forced marriages and more acceptance of family planning, according to Senegal's Ministry of Gender. Men join the groups after being recruited based on trust, leadership and commitment. Candidates must be married, respected locally and supportive of women's health and rights. After training, the men act as peer educators, visiting homes and hosting informal talks. 'My husband used to not do much around the house, just bark orders. Now he actually cooks and helps out with daily tasks,' said Khary Ndeye, 52. Still too many dying in childbirth While maternal and infant deaths in Senegal have declined over the past decade, experts say it still has a long way to go. It recorded 237 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2023, while 21 newborns out of every 1,000 died within their first month. The U.N. globally wants to reduce maternal deaths to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births and newborn deaths to under 12 per 1,000 by 2030. One key problem was that many women have been giving birth at home, said El Hadj Malick, one of the Senegal program's coordinators. 'By educating men about the importance of supporting their wives during pregnancy, taking them to the hospital and helping with domestic work at home, you're protecting people's health,' Malick said. He said he still experiences difficulty changing mindsets on some issues. 'When we just talk to them about gender, there is sometimes tension because it's seen as something abstract or even foreign,' Malick said. Some men mistakenly believe such talk will promote LGBTQ+ issues, which remain largely taboo in much of West Africa. "But when we focus on women's right to be healthy, it puts a human face on the concept and it becomes universal,' Malick said.
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Nine-year-old dies from rare infection caused by ‘brain-eating amoeba'
A nine-year-old girl in southern India died from a rare and often fatal infection caused by the 'brain-eating amoeba', local health authorities confirmed. The child from Thamarassery in Kerala 's Kozhikode was admitted to a local hospital on 13 August with fever. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was moved to the Kozhikode Government Medical College, where she died. Tests done at the hospital later confirmed that she had contracted primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. She was one of three people in the district afflicted by the disease, local health officials said, adding that a three-month-old and another person were currently battling the infection. 'We are clueless about how the three-month-old baby got infected by the rare disease,' a health official told The Indian Express. The disease is caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the 'brain-eating amoeba '. A free-living microorganism found in warm freshwater and soil, it can enter the body through contaminated water or soil. It travels to the brain and destroys tissue. Symptoms appear within days and lead quickly to seizures, coma and death. Health officials are attempting to trace the specific water source linked to the Thamarassery case. 'Once the water body is identified, we will look for those who may have bathed in it recently,' an official told the PTI news agency. Globally, amoebic meningoencephalitis shows a fatality rate of almost 97 per cent. India reported its first case in 1971, but infections remained rare until Kerala witnessed a sharp rise in recent years. The coastal state recorded only eight cases from 2016 to 2022, but confirmed 36 infections and nine deaths in 2023. Every known case in India until last year had been fatal. In July 2024, a 14-year-old boy from Kozhikode became the first patient in the South Asian country to survive the infection, joining just 10 other known survivors worldwide. Public health experts attribute the spike in Kerala to greater testing for acute encephalitis syndrome – a group of conditions that includes amoebic meningoencephalitis – as well as environmental pollution and climate change. Kerala's government has introduced special treatment protocols and operating procedures for suspected cases. Doctors say awareness and prevention remain the most effective defences against the illness. They advise against going into stagnant warm freshwater, particularly after heavy rainfall, and recommend using clean, filtered water for nasal irrigation.
Times
12 hours ago
- Times
‘Functional beverages' are booming — but is it all hype?
Before you take that magnesium supplement or sit down to meditate, what if a drink could help you relax? Enter 'functional beverages', drinks that claim to possess additional health benefits beyond those of a standard fizzy drink or fruit juice. Functional drinks are surging in popularity, with supermarkets in Britain seeing sales increase by 24.5 per cent in the past year, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. The market research firm also said that almost 30 per cent of UK households now purchase functional drinks. However, Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietician with more than 15 years of clinical experience in the NHS, has warned that she 'wouldn't rely on them [functional drinks] for measurable health benefits'. Ludlam-Raine, who now works privately and is the author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed , said: 'Functional drinks containing ingredients like CBD [cannabidiol], lion's mane [a type of mushroom], and ashwagandha [a herb typically used in ayurvedic medicine] are part of a growing wellness trend, but the science isn't as strong as the marketing.'
