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The Gambia should not follow Saudi for moonsighting

Hadram Hydara
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The Gambia should not follow Saudi for moonsighting

By: Kebba O

On the 27th day of every lunar month, very early in the morning before sunrise, the waning crescent of the Moon is entering its journey towards being Astronomical New Moon (Conjunction). This disappearance of the moon before sunrise is locally called “Kaaro Taata”. At this phase, the Moon is between Sun and Earth, and it is invisible because the side facing Earth is not reflecting light from the Sun towards the Earth even though it is still there rotating and revolving the Earth.

In the Qur’an 71:15-16 “‘See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, “‘ And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp? Moon is called “Qamar” and the light we see is described in the Quran Muneer thus Reflected light.

This conjunction state will take the Moon 2.2 Days to appear in the same position it was when it was New Crescent on its 29th day (Santo Fello) or 30th Day (Bai Ballo) to begin the journey again as we are counting or calculating to know our times, Seasons, Edil Fitr, Edil Adha to name a few and our Hajj to Mecca. This will bring Astronomy into play a very important key to assisting us in maintaining the Sunna of sighting the Moon on the 29th day if not seen to complete by the 30th day. We are being reminded in the Holy Qur’an of this Phenomena of the Waxing, Waning, Full Moon and New Moon (Conjunction) in several places like

Qur’an 10:5

It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for her; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand?

Qur’an 2:189

They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage.

Qur’an 36:39

And the Moon – We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date stalk.

With the above information different countries fall into different Predicted Crescent Moon Visibility Curves, (just like how sunrise and sunset vary from country to country), which can provide us scientific guidance on the capability (visibility) of seeing the New Crescent Moon with naked eye in The Gambia in particular when the New Crescent Moon is visible, Saudi and The Gambia are different governments and different time zones.  Looking at various historical Crescent Moon Visibility Curves, one can see sometimes Saudi is capable of seeing the New Crescent when The Gambia is not and sometimes The Gambia seeing while Saudi could not be encouraging everyone to familiarize themselves with https://www.moonsighting.com to assist one in performing naked-eye sighting of the New Crescent to fast or break the fast at the 29th or 30th day. Bravo to the Current leadership of the Moon Sighting committee in The Gambia encouraging reports of sighting within The Gambia to be sent to them for final announcement. The https://www.moonsighting.com will be very useful in pointing to Conjunction Dates and times, New Crescent Moons and the like since don’t of us don’t’ know by heart the Islamic Months just like some of us know January to December. Wishing everyone many more Ramadans and Eids.

‘Let them admit that they made a mistake:’ GWA hits back at NSC

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‘Let them admit that they made a mistake:’ GWA hits back at NSC

By: Ousman Saidykhan

The Gambia Wrestling Association (GWA) has responded to the National Sports Council (NSC) which described their March 13th press conference as misleading.

The GWA called the press for their unveiling of the five-man wrestling squad that is representing the Gambia at the ECOWAS African Wrestling Championship holding from Match 17th -19th in Niamey, Niger.

During the unveiling on Monday, the GWA revealed to the press some of what they referred to as “the unfortunate circumstances meted out on the travelling wrestling team.”

Amongst the concerns of the body overseeing wrestling in the Gambia is the squad’s lack of camping and the differentness of the tracksuits for the team. However, these utterances did not go down well with the NSC.

In a press conference on the 16th of March, the NSC accused GWA of engaging in a smear campaign against them and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

In a counter press conference in the evening of the same day, 16th March, the same day meant to “set the record straight,” GWA debunked such allegation, saying they were disappointed with the NSC for misinterpreting their statements that were just meant to inform Gambians about the circumstances the body and its members found themselves in.

“So, I think it is good that sometimes we are sincere to admit when we are at fault. If we are at fault, we will admit that we are at fault. So, the National Sports Council should admit that they faulted that the team did not go to camp; that the dresses they gave them are not in the same colours; that they gave to each wrestler D20,000 directly and not through the association (GWA).

“Let them admit that they made a mistake and not try to belittle the effort we are doing,” says the Secretary General of GWA, Ebrima Suwareh.

GWA has also debunked the NSC Executive Director Marcel Mendy’s statement that the association uses its money on marriage and naming ceremonies, a statement they took to be very disparaging of their efforts.

“It is very good to encourage people when they are trying and not to damage people when they are trying,” the president of GWA, Serign Modou Faye said.

The wrestling association said they inherited a penniless association when they came and struggled to get some funds only for them to be criticised instead of being praised.

In any case, the wrestling team is already in Niamey, Niger. However, the manner in which the NSC and Sports Ministry handled the trip has not been impressive to the GWA.

Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu: 6-Packs come with a risk of depression

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Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu: 6-Packs come with a risk of depression

By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu

6-Packs come with a risk of depression

I chanced on this important study in the men’s health article in the Times of India (2018) and I want to share it with you. We cannot be wiser than God indeed. Well, today, the craving for body enhancement in both males and females has dominated the airwaves. But we don’t also look at the negative aspect of these body enhancements. We look at the interlocutory benefits.

One well Studies from researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Harvard University investigated the link between male body image issues and mental health.

A researcher interviewed 2,460 men aged 18-32 about their gym habits, and about 10% of them have “body-image disorder.”  They found that body-obsessed men have a higher risk of not only depression but also weekend binge drinking, and using illegal supplements, including anabolic steroids.

With this disorder, they will feel guilty when missing out on one workout even while they are in excellent shape; they will still feel the need to be thinner.

Apart from that, 6 Pack Abs Interfere With Your Breathing. Your breathing consists of your lungs, diaphragm, and accessory respiratory muscles. The “Rectus Abdominis Muscle,” what we know as the 6-pack, is directly connected to the lower part of your ribcage.

When your abs are in a contracted state, it will further pull your ribcage down and restrict the free gliding movement of the lungs and interfere with your breathing.

6-Packs?

The term “six-pack’” typically refers to the rectus abdominis muscle. Flynn and Vickerton, nd) explained that the rectus abdominis muscle runs from the sternum to the pubic bone and is responsible for dynamically flexing the spine forward.  Some Studies have shown, though, that this muscle is not necessarily effective as a stabilizer of the spine(Kim and Lee 2017; Stokes et al. 2011).

Tyler Read (2021) explained in his article that, the moniker “six-pack” comes from its appearance of visible rows of 4–8 distinct muscular segments that you can see on individuals with relatively low body fat.

Although many additional important muscles comprise your core, the rectus abdominis is the most superficial one.

As such, it’s the muscle that gives chiselled abs their distinct appearance. Likewise, because it’s the outermost layer of the ab muscle, it does not do much in terms of stability of the spinal column.

Visibility of 6-Pack

The major issue that has to do with six-pack visibility is the amount of subcutaneous body fat ststoredround the stomach.

We have been advised that the fact that one does not have visible six-pack abdominals doesn’t mean our core is weak, or even that you are carrying excess weight.

Traditionally, visible six-pack abs need a body fat percentage far lower than that required for general health benefits.

One study (Branco et al. 2018) recommended that a normal range for body fat percentage is 17.6–25.3% in males and 28.8–35.7% in females.

There is no universally accepted body fat percentage at which six-packs become visible, typical ballpark ranges are 10–12% body fat for men and 16–20% body fat for women.

Besides, Tyler Read (2021) opined that these figures are too low for those needed for optimal general health and fitness despite the popular association between visible abs and optimal fitness.

This notwithstanding, he pointed to one article by Harvard Health that asserts that the excess visceral fat, which is located deeper in the abdomen and surrounds our organs, is far more dangerous to our health than excess subcutaneous fat, which lies just under our skin and coves our muscles from the outside.

Hence, he believes that more levels of visceral fat may not affect the visibility of the six-pack to the same extent as subcutaneous fat, even though excess visceral fat is a greater health concern.

Also, genetics as well influences where you store body fat, which greatly influences the specific body fat percentage at which your abs will be visible. Tyler Read (2021) notes that if one stores more fat in the hips, the abs will be visible at higher body fat percentages and vice versa.

Lifestyle factors, such as sleep and stress levels, also affect fat gains, which will affect the visibility of your abs.

He justified this with one study by Cooper et al. (2018) that found regularly sleeping less than 7 hours was linked with greater rates of obesity and weight gain. They also found that sleep deprivation has negative effects on ghrelin, leptin, and insulin, which are key hormones for regulating hunger and fat storage in the body.

Another study by Valk et al. (2018) found that higher stress levels, as reflected by greater glucocorticoid activity, were also associated with increased rates of obesity.

Despite the above factors, a surplus calorie intake will typically lead to fat gains over time, which will decrease the visibility of your six-pack — independent of any other factors.

Should 6 Packs be the major goal in exercise?

Read had this to say: “While it’s OK to strive for aesthetic fitness goals like having visible abs, the truth is that your core and abdominals play a much more important role than just being nice to look at. The rectus abdominis is just one of many muscles in the so-called core, which is a series of muscles that span the hips to the thoracic spine and include superficial and deep layers, as well as different muscles along the front, side, and back of your lower torso. Collectively, the core muscles stabilize the spine and allow it to bend and twist as required for functional activities. The biggest benefits of core training have nothing to do with visible abdominals. Furthermore, the abdominals are just one of many core muscles you should target in your routine”.

He further says: Additional core muscles that play a vital role include:

  • transverse abdominis
  • multifidus
  • diaphragm
  • pelvic floor
  • internal and external obliques
  • quadratus lumborum

A large body of evidence supports core training for a variety of improved outcomes across different populations.

For instance, Hsu et al. (2018) study found that 4 weeks of core strength training enhanced performance on sudden perturbation tasks, which correlates to our ability to catch ourselves and stand upright when we’re about to fall over.

Also, another study by Hung et al. (2019) found that for athletic performance, additional research found that an 8-week core training program enhanced static balance, core endurance, and running economy in college running athletes.

Finally, Chang et al. (2015) study on core training and low back pain found that all core routines studied enhanced lower back pain. Frequent ones that targeted the deeper core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis and multifidus, had the greatest positive effects on lower back pain.

Read finally summed it all: “It’s worth noting that training the core may help build more muscle mass in that region, which will add more contour to your six-pack and potentially allow it to be visible at slightly higher body fat levels.

However, you will still need to have relatively low body fat for this effect to occur, and the main reasons to train the core have more to do with performance and health benefits rather than aesthetic appearances”.

In conclusion, getting six packs alone is not enough and researchers believe that those who engaged in them have no confidence in themselves, they drink more as well and have mental health issues leading to depression because they are not happy with their natural bodies.

Also, six-packs don’t automatically make you fit, but they also don’t mean you’re underweight or addicted to exercise. Those abs aren’t great correlations for much of anything and these are not markers of health and wellness.

NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT), African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. E. mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com.

References

Kim BJ, Lee SK. Effects of three spinal stabilization techniques on activation and thickness of abdominal muscle. J Exerthe c Rehabil. 2017 Apr 30;13(2):206-209. doi: 10.12965/jer.1734900.450. PMID: 28503534; PMCID: PMC5412495.

Stokes IA, Gardner-Morse MG, Henry SM. Abdominal muscle activation increases lumbar spinal stability: analysis of contributions of different muscle groups. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2011 Oct;26(8):797-803. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2011.04.006. Epub 2011 May 14. PMID: 21571410; PMCID: PMC3157598

 

Cooper CB, Neufeld EV, Dolezal BA, Martin JL. Sleep deprivation and obesity in adults: a brief narrative review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2018 Oct 4;4(1):e000392. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000392. PMID: 30364557; PMCID: PMC6196958.

Branco BHM, Bernuci MP, Marques DC, Carvalho IZ, Barrero CAL, de Oliveira FM, Ladeia GF, Júnior NN. Proposal of a normative table for body fat percentages of Brazilian young adults through bioimpedanciometry. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Dec 27;14(6):974-979. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836400.200. PMID: 30656157; PMCID: PMC6323334.

van der Valk ES, Savas M, van Rossum EFC. Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals? Curr Obes Rep. 2018 Jun;7(2):193-203. doi: 10.1007/s13679-018-0306-y. PMID: 29663153; PMCID: PMC5958156.

Hsu SL, Oda H, Shirahata S, Watanabe M, Sasaki M. Effects of core strength training on core stability. J Phys Ther Sci. 2018 Aug;30(8):1014-1018. doi: 10.1589/jpts.30.1014. Epub 2018 Jul 24. PMID: 30154592; PMCID: PMC6110226.

Chang WD, Lin HY, Lai PT. Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Mar;27(3):619-22. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.619. Epub 2015 Mar 31. PMID: 25931693; PMCID: PMC4395677.

Hung KC, Chung HW, Yu CC, Lai HC, Sun FH. Effects of 8-week core training on core endurance and running economy. PLoS One. 2019 Mar 8;14(3):e0213158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213158. PMID: 30849105; PMCID: PMC6407754.

From Senegal to Morocco: Why GFF chose Casablanca over Dakar for Gambia’s home game

Hadram Hydara
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From Senegal to Morocco: Why GFF chose Casablanca over Dakar for Gambia’s home game

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

With the country’s only football stadium still deemed unfit to host international matches, the Gambia Football Federation has chosen Morocco over Senegal for the Scorpions’ home game against Mali due to logistical concerns, and financial and technical considerations that favour the federation regardless of the potential huge fan turnout in Senegal.

On June 4, 2022, the Gambia used Stade lati dore in Thies, Senegal for its home game against the Bright Stars of South Sudan, however, they shunned the whole of Senegal this time for Morocco regardless of the proximity of the two countries.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, the Director of Communications at The Gambia Football Federation, Mr. Baboucarr Camara, explained why the federation picked Morocco over Senegal. He revealed that the North African nation will avail them to use the stadium at no cost, and pointed out that they have better facilities compared to neighbours, Senegal.

“Logistics, financial and as well technical considerations; all these in Morocco are the best options. They have better facilities in terms of training and accommodation. They will avail the stadium to us for free, unlike Senegal where Lat Dior is banned and Diamniadou is a Public-private partnership and quite expensive,” Camara explained when quizzed on why the federation chose Morocco for its home game over neighbours Senegal.

The GFF Director of Communications further explained that in terms of travelling and players to and from the camp, Morocco is much more apt than Senegal.

“Also, in terms of travelling, Casablanca is a major hub where all our players coming for the game have direct flights from their destinations to the place, unlike Senegal where most of the players will have to transit. That will delay their arrival and affect our technical preparations and also delay their return to their clubs as well,” he added.

In June 2022, when the Gambia played in Thies against South Sudan, scores of Gambians made the journey to cheer up the team. This was due to its proximity to the Gambia. The crowd in Thies seems not to be too impressed by the federation and thereby not considering the need for Gambians to travel and support the players. Morocco, a country miles away from the Gambia, may see only a few Gambians travel to support the scorpions.

Komma Camara, a Gambian football fan, said the country playing its home game in a faraway country is something difficult for him to understand.

“Playing our home game far from home is something very difficult to understand or accept as a Gambian sports lover. The boys will not get the home fans’ support as host, which is disadvantageous to us despite other advantages,” he claimed.

The scorpions will face Mali at Stade Muhammed V in Casablanca on March 28.

Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu: Chewing Gum improves academic performance

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Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu: Chewing Gum improves academic performance

By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu  

Chewing Gum improves academic performance

This article seems funny though, but I am tempted to do this write-up due to the many female students I have seen who are glued to their gum. It appears that some are addicted to their gum and cannot do away with it. But the question is what are the health benefits of chewing gum?

What is chewing Gum?

The Health line writer notes that chewing gum is a soft, rubbery substance that’s designed to be chewed but not swallowed. Helen West (2021) article further held that the chewing gum recipes can differ based on brands, but they all have the following basic ingredients:

  • Gum. This is the nondigestible, rubbery base used to give gum its chewy quality.
  • Resin: This is usually added to strengthen gum and hold it together.
  • Fillers. Fillers, such as calcium carbonate or talc, are used to give gum texture.
  • Preservatives. These are added to extend shelf life. The most popular choice is an organic compound called butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
  • Softeners. These are used to retain moisture and prevent the gum from hardening. They can include waxes like paraffin or vegetable oils.
  • Sweeteners. Cane sugar, beet sugar, and corn syrup are popular sweeteners. Sugar-free gums use sugar alcohols such as xylitol or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.
  • Flavorings. Natural or synthetic flavorings are added to give gum the desired taste.

Most chewing gum manufacturers keep their exact recipes a secret. They often refer to their specific combination of gum, resin, filler, softeners, and antioxidants as their “gum base.” All ingredients used in the processing of chewing gum have to be “food grade” and classified as fit for human consumption.

Chewing Gum, Science

Reduces Stress and boosts memory

Five studies (Hirano and Onozuka, 2015; Allen and Smith, 2015; Chen et al. 2015; Hirano and Onozuka, 2014; Hirano et al. 2013) demonstrate that chewing gum enhances brain function, including alertness, memory, understanding, and decision-making.

Also, a recent randomized controlled trial by Yaman-Sözbir et al. (2019) established that students who chewed gum over 7 or 19 days had reduced scores for depression, anxiety, and stress compared to those who did not. Those who chewed gum also achieved greater academic success.  These studies are beginning to wow me to start chewing as well.  Check this one as well: Tucha and Simpson, (2011) also found that chewing gum could provide a bit of a distraction when performing any task at the start but could help you focus for longer periods.

Another, Onyper et al. (2011) found an impact of chewing gum during the first 15–20 minutes of a task.  It is interesting how just chewing gum improves memory. Some say that memory improvement is due to increased blood flow to the brain caused by chewing gum.

Two more studies (Smith et al. 2012; Smith, A, 2013) also confirmed that chewing gum could decrease stress and increase feelings of attentiveness.

In a small study (Smith and Woods, 2012) on university students, chewing gum for 2 weeks reduced participants’ feelings of stress, especially about academic workload. As to why this is so in academic performances.  Two studies (Kubo et al. 2015; Konno et al. 2016) explained that it has to do with the art of chewing which has been linked to reduced levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.

Though Allen et al. 2015 study found that chewing gum improves memory only at the time of chewing the gum.  Smith, A (2016) on the other hand, found that the impact is more on those who chew throughout the day.

Chewing gum improves weight loss

Studies found that Chewing gum could benefit those trying to lose weight. This is because it’s both sweet and low in calories, giving you a sweet taste without negatively affecting your diet.

Two studies (Xu et al. 2015; Lasschuijt et al. 2020) found that chewing gum could reduce appetite, which may avert overeating.

One small study (Park et al. 2016) also found that chewing gum between meals reduced feelings of hunger and decreased consumption of high-carb snacks in the afternoon.

Another small study (Kanno et al. 2019) found that chewing gum while walking could help burn more calories.

Other studies reported different findings. For instance, two studies (Mattes and Considine, 2013; Shikany et al. 2012) found that chewing gum does not affect appetite or energy intake over a day.

Though, one study (Swoboda and Temple, 2013) also held that those who chewed gum were less likely to snack on fruit.  This could be because the participants were chewing minty gum before eating, which made the fruit taste bad.

Finally, Kresge and Melanson (2015) agreed that chewing gum may enhance metabolic rate.

 Chewing gum improves breath, and protects teeth

Chewing sugar-free gum could help protect your teeth from cavities.

It’s better for your teeth than regular, sugar-sweetened gum. This is because sugar feeds the “bad” bacteria in your mouth, which can damage your teeth.

However, some sugar-free gums are better than others when it comes to dental health.

Xu et al. (2015) found that chewing gum sweetened with the sugar alcohol xylitol is more effective than other sugar-free gums at averting tooth decay.  Two studies (Takeuchi et al. 2018; Chavan et al. 2015) explained that xylitol averts the growth of the bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath.

One study (Bahador et al. 2012) found that chewing xylitol-sweetened gum reduced the number of bad bacteria in the mouth by up to 75%.

Finally, Wessel et al. (2016) held that chewing gum after a meal increases saliva flow thus washing away harmful sugars and food debris, both of which feed bacteria in the mouth.

Warnings

Apart from the numerous benefits, chewing too much gum could cause some unwanted side effects. Moderation is always the key to everything.

Sugar-free gums contain laxatives and FODMAPs

The sugar alcohols used to sweeten sugar-free gum have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts. In one study, Liauw and Saibil (2019) found that chewing lots of sugar-free gum could cause digestive distress and diarrhea.  Furthermore, all sugar alcohols are FODMAPs, which can cause digestive problems for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Sugar-sweetened gum is bad for dental and metabolic health

Chewing gum sweetened with sugar is bad for the teeth. For instance, Rugg-Gunn, A (2013) explained that sugar is digested by the bad bacteria in the mouth, causing an increase in the amount of plaque on the teeth and tooth decay over time.

Additionally, Bray and Popkin, (2014) also held that eating too much sugar is also linked with several health conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

Chewing gum too much causes problems with the jaw

Frequent chewing could lead to a jaw problem called temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which causes pain when you chew. Two studies (Tabrizi et al. 2014; Correia et al. 2014) found a link between excessive chewing and TMD.

Chewing gum, headaches

Lippi et al. (2015) review suggests that frequently chewing gum could cause headaches in those prone to migraine episodes and tension-type headaches, though more research is needed.

Take Home

The recommended is sugar-free gum made with xylitol.  However, for those with IBS. Sugar-free gum contains FODMAPs, which can cause digestive problems. Also, choose a gum sweetened with a low-calorie sweetener such as stevia. Chewing gum is generally safe, always read the label.

NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT), African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. E. mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com.

References

Hirano Y, Onozuka M. Chewing and attention: a positive effect on sustained attention. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:367026. doi: 10.1155/2015/367026. Epub 2015 May 17. PMID: 26075234; PMCID: PMC4449948.

Allen AP, Smith AP. Chewing gum: cognitive performance, mood, well-being, and associated physiology. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:654806. doi: 10.1155/2015/654806. Epub 2015 May 17. PMID: 26075253; PMCID: PMC4449949.

Chen H, Iinuma M, Onozuka M, Kubo KY. Chewing Maintains Hippocampus-Dependent Cognitive Function. Int J Med Sci. 2015 Jun 9;12(6):502-9. doi: 10.7150/ijms.11911. PMID: 26078711; PMCID: PMC4466515.

Hirano Y, Onozuka M. [Chewing and cognitive function]. Brain Nerve. 2014 Jan;66(1):25-32. Japanese. PMID: 24371128.

Hirano Y, Obata T, Takahashi H, Tachibana A, Kuroiwa D, Takahashi T, Ikehira H, Onozuka M. Effects of chewing on cognitive processing speed. Brain Cogn. 2013 Apr;81(3):376-81. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.12.002. Epub 2013 Jan 29. PMID: 23375117.

Yaman-Sözbir Ş, Ayaz-Alkaya S, Bayrak-Kahraman B. Effect of chewing gum on stress, anxiety, depression, self-focused attention, and academic success: A randomized controlled study. Stress Health. 2019 Oct;35(4):441-446. doi: 10.1002/smi.2872. Epub 2019 Jun 14. PMID: 31125164.

Tucha L, Simpson W. The role of time on task performance in modifying the effects of gum chewing on attention. Appetite. 2011 Apr;56(2):299-301. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.12.021. Epub 2010 Dec 28. PMID: 21192998.

Onyper SV, Carr TL, Farrar JS, Floyd BR. Cognitive advantages of chewing gum. Now you see them, now you don’t. Appetite. 2011 Oct;57(2):321-8. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.05.313. Epub 2011 May 27. PMID: 21645566.

 

Smith AP, Chaplin K, Wadsworth E. Chewing gum, occupational stress, work performance and wellbeing. An intervention study. Appetite. 2012 Jun;58(3):1083-6. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.02.052. Epub 2012 Mar 3. PMID: 22390954.

Smith A. Effects of chewing gum on stress and health: a replication and investigation of dose-response. Stress Health. 2013 Apr;29(2):172-4. doi: 10.1002/smi.2430. Epub 2012 Apr 11. PMID: 22496105.

Smith AP, Woods M. Effects of chewing gum on the stress and work of university students. Appetite. 2012 Jun;58(3):1037-40. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.02.054. Epub 2012 Mar 5. PMID: 22402304.

Kubo KY, Iinuma M, Chen H. Mastication as a Stress-Coping Behavior. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:876409. doi: 10.1155/2015/876409. Epub 2015 May 18. PMID: 26090453; PMCID: PMC4450283.

Konno M, Takeda T, Kawakami Y, Suzuki Y, Kawano Y, Nakajima K, Ozawa T, Ishigami K, Takemura N, Sakatani K. Relationships Between Gum-Chewing and Stress. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;876:343-349. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3023-4_43. PMID: 26782231.

Smith AP. Chewing gum and stress reduction. J Clin Transl Res. 2016 Apr 24;2(2):52-54. PMID: 30873461; PMCID: PMC6410656

Xu J, Xiao X, Li Y, Zheng J, Li W, Zhang Q, Wang Z. The effect of gum chewing on blood GLP-1 concentration in fasted, healthy, non-obese men. Endocrine. 2015 Sep;50(1):93-8. doi: 10.1007/s12020-015-0566-1. Epub 2015 Mar 11. PMID: 25758865; PMCID: PMC4546692.

Lasschuijt M, Mars M, de Graaf C, Smeets PAM. How oro-sensory exposure and eating rate affect satiation and associated endocrine responses-a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Jun 1;111(6):1137-1149. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa067. PMID: 32320002; PMCID: PMC7266691.

Park E, Edirisinghe I, Inui T, Kergoat S, Kelley M, Burton-Freeman B. Short-term effects of chewing gum on satiety and afternoon snack intake in healthy weight and obese women. Physiol Behav. 2016 May 15;159:64-71. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.002. Epub 2016 Mar 3. PMID: 26948161.

Kanno S, Shimo K, Ando T, Hamada Y, Miyashita M, Osawa K. Gum chewing while walking increases fat oxidation and energy expenditure. J Phys Ther Sci. 2019 May;31(5):435-439. doi: 10.1589/jpts.31.435. Epub 2019 May 10. PMID: 31164781; PMCID: PMC6511506.

Mattes RD, Considine RV. Oral processing effort, appetite and acute energy intake in lean and obese adults. Physiol Behav. 2013 Aug 15;120:173-81. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.013. Epub 2013 Aug 15. PMID: 23954409; PMCID: PMC3811075.

Shikany JM, Thomas AS, McCubrey RO, Beasley TM, Allison DB. Randomized controlled trial of chewing gum for weight loss. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012 Mar;20(3):547-52. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.336. Epub 2011 Nov 10. PMID: 22076595.

Swoboda C, Temple JL. Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake. Eat Behav. 2013 Apr;14(2):149-56. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.01.011. Epub 2013 Feb 13. PMID: 23557811.

Kresge DL, Melanson K. Chewing gum increases energy expenditure before and after controlled breakfasts. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015 Apr;40(4):401-6. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0232. Epub 2014 Dec 18. PMID: 25794237.

Xu J, Xiao X, Li Y, Zheng J, Li W, Zhang Q, Wang Z. The effect of gum chewing on blood GLP-1 concentration in fasted, healthy, non-obese men. Endocrine. 2015 Sep;50(1):93-8. doi: 10.1007/s12020-015-0566-1. Epub 2015 Mar 11. PMID: 25758865; PMCID: PMC4546692.

Takeuchi K, Asakawa M, Hashiba T, Takeshita T, Saeki Y, Yamashita Y. Effects of xylitol-containing chewing gum on the oral microbiota. J Oral Sci. 2018 Dec 27;60(4):588-594. doi: 10.2334/josnusd.17-0446. Epub 2018 Nov 15. PMID: 30429438.

Chavan S, Lakashminarayan N, Kemparaj U. Effect of Chewing Xylitol Containing and Herbal Chewing Gums on Salivary Mutans Streptococcus Count among School Children. Int J Prev Med. 2015 May 22;6:44. doi: 10.4103/2008-7802.157543. PMID: 26097673; PMCID: PMC4455121.

Bahador A, Lesan S, Kashi N. Effect of xylitol on cariogenic and beneficial oral streptococci: a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. Iran J Microbiol. 2012 Jun;4(2):75-81. PMID: 22973473; PMCID: PMC3434645.

Wessel SW, van der Mei HC, Maitra A, Dodds MW, Busscher HJ. Potential benefits of chewing gum for the delivery of oral therapeutics and its possible role in oral healthcare. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2016 Oct;13(10):1421-31. doi: 10.1080/17425247.2016.1193154. Epub 2016 Jun 3. PMID: 27223231.

Liauw S, Saibil F. Sorbitol: Often forgotten cause of osmotic diarrhea. Can Fam Physician. 2019 Aug;65(8):557-558. PMID: 31413027; PMCID: PMC6693595.

Rugg-Gunn A. Dental caries: strategies to control this preventable disease. Acta Med Acad. 2013 Nov;42(2):117-30. doi: 10.5644/ama2006-124.80. PMID: 24308392.

Bray GA, Popkin BM. Dietary sugar and body weight: have we reached a crisis in the epidemic of obesity and diabetes?: health be damned! Pour on the sugar. Diabetes Care. 2014 Apr;37(4):950-6. doi: 10.2337/dc13-2085. PMID: 24652725; PMCID: PMC9514031.

Tabrizi R, Karagah T, Aliabadi E, Hoseini SA. Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits? J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Sep;25(5):1818-21. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993. PMID: 25203577.

Correia D, Real Dias MC, Castanho Moacho A, Crispim P, Luis H, Oliveira M, Carames J. An association between temporomandibular disorder and gum chewing. Gen Dent. 2014 Nov-Dec;62(6):e33-6. PMID: 25369399.

Lippi G, Cervellin G, Mattiuzzi C. Gum-Chewing and Headache: An Underestimated Trigger of Headache Pain in Migraineurs? CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(6):786-90. doi: 10.2174/1871527314666150225143105. PMID: 25714969.

 

Will Gitteh contest as an independent candidate despite signing a pledge to support any chosen NPP candidate?

Hadram Hydara
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Will Gitteh contest as an independent candidate despite signing a pledge to support any chosen NPP candidate?

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

“Whoever is selected here, I will be your Khalid Ibn Wali, I will do the fight for you”, Ahmad Gitteh promised when he was given a minute opportunity to talk to the delegates shortly before the National People’s Party’s March 8 primaries. This happened a few minutes after he signed the pledged document read by Demba Sabally, the First Vice President of the party.

Now that NPP’s ticket is beyond his reach, will Ahmad Gitteh contest as an independent candidate despite signing a pledge to support whoever is selected by the NPP?

On March 8, 2023, at the Regional Education Directorate region 2 hall, Ahmad Gitteh, just like all the six applicants signed a pledge to support whoever is selected by the delegates as the candidate for the party.

After signing the pledge, Gitteh could not win the 8 March primary as announced by Abba Sanyang, and eventually boycotted the runoff claiming foul play and that he had in fact won the first primaries.

When he was given the opportunity to talk to delegates, Gitteh, regarding the pledge for support, said: “If I were a woman, I would have carried the pregnancy of this party in giving birth to it. Whoever is selected here, I will be your Khalid Ibn Wali, I will do all the fight for you,” he uttered, which was greeted with applause.

Gitteh, who claimed to be a founding member of the party, is now expected to go solo against Seedy Ceesay and others for the top seat in the Brikama Area Council.

Even before the NPP’s primary, Gitteh, on many occasions, said he would contest regardless of whether NPP backed him or not. But with the signing of the support pledge and no public resignation from the party yet, will Gitteh go against his party?

Team Gitteh, a group of people backing Gitteh, announced that they will be organizing a press conference tomorrow. It is not clear if Ahmad Gitteh will resign and go against his pledge, but the writing is on the wall for all to read. Let’s see what the May election has in store for us.

Borom Buzz: Gitteh’s political career doomed by five cardinal mistakes in NPP

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Borom Buzz: Gitteh’s political career doomed by five cardinal mistakes in NPP

In a fiery Facebook live broadcast from the confines of his car, Ebou Bah, widely known as Serigne Chapa Cholly Borom Buzz, has raised five key reasons why Ahmed Gitteh, Brikama Area Council Chairmanship hopeful, would not be selected by the National People’s Party (NPP). Borom Buzz, a staunch NPP supporter, claimed that Gitteh’s missteps, including attacking the President and his family, and disloyalty to the party, should lead to his dismissal from the party. 

In a high-pitched voice, Serign Chapa began by citing Gitteh’s controversial comments about the president’s marriage. He recalled how Gitteh had questioned why Mandinka elders prefer to marry outside of their ethnicity, and had accused the president of doing the same. This, according to Borom Buzz, was Gitteh’s first mistake.

Borom Buzz then moved on to Gitteh’s opposition to the NPP’s chosen candidate for the Brikama South parliamentary seat, which many pundits and political observers believe could have cost the party the seat citing the good chunk of the votes that went to the independent. This comes after people pleaded with him to not side with or campaign for the independent as a member of the NPP. “Where is the loyalty in this?” Borom Buzz asked.

Mistake number three, according to Borom Buzz, was Gitteh’s social media outbursts against the president and his family, particularly the First Lady. He accused Gitteh of making name-calling and threatening to destroy the First Family even after being warned against doing so.

Borom Buzz went on to highlight Gitteh’s perceived arrogance, referencing his claim that he is more educated than the president, except for Lawyer Darboe. “No one is more educated than him,” Borom Buzz emphasized, “but Gitteh had the audacity to claim that he is.”

Finally, Borom Buzz criticized Gitteh for attacking West Coast Region elders during his campaign to be the nominee for the NPP. In a Facebook live, Gitteh had questioned whether the elders were “crazy enough” to elect his rival, Seedy Ceesay, who went on to be nominated by the NPP.

Serigne Chapa Cholly Borom Buzz concluded his live broadcast by arguing that anyone who goes against the NPP top brass should be excluded from the party, regardless of their past contributions. “These are all red flags,” he warned, “and they should have disqualified Gitteh and dismissed him from the NPP even before we reached this stage.

While Serigne Chapa Cholly Borom Buzz has listed these reasons as to why the NPP will not select Ahmed Gitteh as its candidate for the Brikama Area Council Chairmanship, it is up to the party’s leadership to make the final decision.

In spite of the reasons stated by Borom Buzz against selecting Gitteh as the candidate for the Brikama Area Council Chairmanship, he still holds out hope that the president will take heed of his message. Borom Buzz believes that the president’s veto power should be utilized to ensure Gitteh’s candidacy in order to promote peace within the NPP party.

However, it is important to note that loyalty, humility, and respect are essential traits that every politician should possess.

Regardless of where one stands, it is evident that political loyalties run deep and often dictate the course of action. As the election approaches, only time will tell if the NPP’s decision will help or hinder their chances of success in the Brikama Area Council chairmanship.

Six common diseases attributable to smoking and what The Gambia is doing about it

Hadram Hydara
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Six common diseases attributable to smoking and what The Gambia is doing about it
By: Dawda Baldeh
Six common diseases attributable to smoking and what The Gambia is doing about it
 Image source: The Pharma Times.

Smoking, especially tobacco smoking, is a harmful practice that can cause several diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and chest infections. Due to its harmful effects, smoking in public is banned, and the sale and advertisements of tobacco products are prohibited in The Gambia.

To further discourage people from smoking or importing tobacco products, the government plans to increase taxes on tobacco products (see page 67 ANNEX 5 Revenue Measures) and order tobacco (cigarettes) sellers not to sell it per stick.

In this explainer, DUBAWA highlights some of the most common diseases smoking causes. We engaged Seyfo Singhateh, Senior Program Officer of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), Directorate of Health services at the Ministry of Health of The Gambia, regarding the subject. The Ministry of Health noted that the disease affects smokers and those exposed to cigarette smoke.

1.  COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

COPD is an obstructive lung disease that causes difficulty in breathing. It also causes long-term disability and early death. It leads to inactivity and loss of strength that will eventually worsen, making walking extremely difficult for a distance. About 85% to 90% of all COPD is caused by cigarette smoking.

2.  Heart disease

Smoking causes dangerous plaque build-up that can clog and narrow the arteries. Poisons from tobacco smoke also quickly damage blood vessels and make blood more likely to clog. This can block blood flow and lead to heart attack, stroke, or sudden death.

3.  Stroke

A stroke is a loss of brain function caused when blood flow within the brain is interrupted. The ailment can cause permanent brain damage to the brain and sometimes lead to death. Smoking increases the risk of strokes in people.

4.  Asthma 

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it harder to move air in and out of the lungs, known as “breathing.” Smoking irritates air passages. It can trigger sudden and severe asthma attacks. Asthma is also a serious health problem that affects millions of people globally.

5.  Diabetes type 2

Smoking is a cause of type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes and smoke, your risk for kidney disease is two or three times higher than if you don’t smoke. Smokers with diabetes also have a higher risk for heart disease, an eye disease that can cause blindness, and nerve damage that leads to numbness, pain, weakness, poor circulation and amputations. Smokers who have diabetes also have more difficulty recovering from surgeries.

6.  Infertility and pregnancy problem

Smoking reduces a woman’s chance of getting pregnant and damages sperm cells. Damage to sperm could decrease fertility and lead to miscarriage or congenital disabilities.

Men who smoke are more likely to have erectile dysfunction, which can affect reproduction. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a higher risk for ectopic pregnancy, delivering their babies early, and stillbirth. Those who smoke during early pregnancy are likelier to have babies born with a cleft lip or palate.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are likelier to have low birth weight or die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

How does smoking cause diseases?

Smoking, especially tobacco smoking, weakens the immune system of a smoker. As a result, it will undermine the system in fighting any diseases in the body. When the immune system is weak, it makes it easier for any disease to overcome the system.

Cigarettes contain more than 7,000 harmful chemicals that can lead to several diseases in the human body. It also causes infertility in both men and women. When the immune system is weak, it leads to diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases. Smoking also increases the risk of tuberculosis and certain eye diseases.

What is the Ministry of Health doing to protect people from the effects of tobacco smoking? 

Over twenty years, The Gambia has compiled a good collection of legal frameworks that reassures tobacco control.

The Gambia has enacted the Tobacco Control Act and developed Tobacco Control Regulations.

The Gambia has approved the Protocol to Eliminate Unlawful Trade in Tobacco Products and developed the National Tobacco Control Program Document. In their effort to curtail tobacco use, The Gambia government, through the Ministry of Health, created an Act in 2016 called the ‘Tobacco Control Act 2016’. The Act was adopted in December 2016 and entered into force on December 17, 2018.

The Tobacco Control Regulation 2019 contains implementing details related to health warning content, sales restrictions, disclosure requirements, smoke-free places, and enforcement.

The Regulations entered into force on October 1, 2019. The Act prohibited all indoor workplaces, public places, and smoking on all means of public transport.

Based on scientific evidence, the conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention of Tobacco Control has stated that 100% smoke-free environments are the only proven way to adequately protect people’s health from the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke.

The researcher produced this explainer at the DUBAWA 2023 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with (The Fatu Network) Daily Trust to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

SKEPTICAL TUESDAY: Why ‘Chef de Garage’ is the Ultimate Scam

Hadram Hydara
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SKEPTICAL TUESDAY: Why ‘Chef de Garage’ is the Ultimate Scam

Welcome to Skeptical Tuesday, where we take a good, hard look at the ridiculous things that we encounter in our daily lives. Today’s topic is the infamous “Chef de garage” – a title that sounds like it was plucked straight from a French cookbook, but is really just a fancy way of saying “lazy, money-grubbing leech”. Ah, the “Chef de garage” – the fancy French title for the guy who sits under a tree all day, drinking Ataya and Cafe Touba, and collecting a few measly coins from poor drivers. It’s like a scene from a bad comedy movie, but unfortunately, it’s all too real in The Gambia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

These so-called “Chefs” sit under a tree all day, collecting coins from drivers and doing nothing to earn them – all while the garage slowly descends into filth and chaos. Gather ’round, and let us delve into the absurdity of the “Chef de garage” – the most useless title to ever grace the ears of drivers in The Gambia. It’s a title that reeks of pretentiousness and conjures images of lazy con artists, all while drivers are left scratching their heads and wondering why they’re being forced to pay for a service they don’t need.

Let’s start with the basics. What is a “Chef de garage”? It’s a fancy French term that essentially means “garage manager”. In theory, a garage manager might oversee the maintenance and repairs of commercial vehicles, ensuring that they’re in good working condition and that they pass safety inspections.
But in reality, in a country like The Gambia, this position is a complete and utter joke.

In the Gambian transportation system, it’s not uncommon to come across these so-called “Chefs de Garage” who collect fees from drivers in exchange for nothing more than a false sense of security. They often lounge around the garage all day, sipping on Ataya and Cafe Touba while drivers come and go, wondering why they’re being forced to part with their hard-earned money. And the worst part? These “Chefs” make no effort to maintain the garage or keep it clean.

Let’s talk about the conditions of these so-called “garages”. They’re not exactly what you’d call hygienic, are they? Dirt, mud, and flies are everywhere, and you can practically see the germs multiplying. It’s like a breeding ground for disease. And yet, the “Chef de garage” seems perfectly content to sit there, collecting his coins and not lifting a finger to improve the conditions.

It’s a scam that’s been going on for far too long. After all, why should they be forced to pay for a service that doesn’t exist? It’s high time that the Gambian government takes action to put an end to this ridiculous practice and protect its citizens from these opportunistic “Chefs de Garage” who are nothing more than glorified con artists.

If we want to improve the situation for commercial drivers in The Gambia, we need to focus on creating a formalized system for maintaining and repairing vehicles, with clear guidelines and accountability measures in place.

We don’t need a fancy French title for someone who’s essentially doing nothing. It’s time to call out the “Chef de garage” for what it is: a complete and utter joke.

Medical Negligence on the rise in the Gambia: A Call for National Action

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Medical Negligence on the rise in the Gambia: A Call for National Action

By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu and Juliana Twumwaa Obeng

         

Medical Negligence on the rise in the Gambia: A Call for National Action

As students of the law, we are saddened by the high rise of reported media cases of alleged medical negligence in the Gambian healthcare system.  Some of the cases ended up in court with interesting decisions. In this article, we report some of the alleged negligent cases:

The first case was reported by What’s on Gambia on 3rd July 2014. In this case, a nurse was jailed for medical negligence.  The story held that a pregnant woman, Isatou Bah visited Brikama Health Centre, in November 2013 to seek help. She was heavily pregnant and in pain, but Ndey decided to send her away.

Isatou pleaded and pleaded for help until she was allowed to stay in the labour ward. But that was not the end. The nurse asked for D1,800 from her husband, who later gave her D400 and promised to pay the rest. Despite paying D400, Isatou was left unattended. She delivered on her own, and sadly the baby fell on the floor and later died.

The second reported case of alleged medical negligence was reported by the same online portal on 11th September 2021. In this case, Fatoumatta Bah was 7 months pregnant when she died at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital.

The third reported case of alleged medical negligence was attributed to a story published by the Voice Newspaper on October 13, 2022.  This refers to some children who died taking some cough syrups in the Country.

The fourth case of reported medical negligence was also attributed to one Dr. Mbowe, accused of endorsing and taking part in Jammeh’s treatment causing loss of life by the Standard Newspaper (2022).

The fifth case of alleged medical negligence was directed to The Gambia’s main hospital, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul.

Finally, a recent alleged case was reported on what’s on-Gambia, (2023) where a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby died at the Medicare Clinic in Brusubi.

Medical Negligence?

A simple definition was espoused in the Ghanaian case of The State v Tsiba (1962) 2 GLR 109 at p.111, Akufo Addo J.S.C (as he then was): “the omission to take care where there is a duty to take care”.  It is also worth noting that the practice where we assume that doctors know it all in the medical profession is a thing of the past.

For legal academic education, we examine the common law perspective, academic legal studies, the Evidence Act 1994, and court decisions in the Gambia to buttress our argument on why the assumption that doctor knows it all is a thing of the past in the health system.

Bolam (1957) Covering Doctors-History

The adage of doctors knowing it all in the healthcare industry was a shield under the Bolam principle. This principle, which saves the medical profession held that when a doctor engages in a negligent act and it goes to court, once a colleague doctor testifies that the doctor’s practice or act is accepted by a reasonable body of medical opinion in that act the doctor could not be held as negligent.

The ‘Bolam’ principle has long been the traditional test governing how much information is necessary to avoid liability in negligence. Doctors would rely on their professional judgment to determine the amount of information to be disclosed.

Prior to that, Hunter v Hanley [1955] S.C. 2000 also permitted the medical profession to decide what information a patient could receive about options for treatment and the risks and benefits of those options. Information delivery to patients was filtered by the practice of the profession.

During this period, the courts in the UK were content to permit the medical profession through the evidence of expert witnesses on professional practice to dictate what information patients were entitled to receive.

The focus was not on the rights of the patient and the disclosure of risks inherent in a proposed treatment was seen as a product of the doctor’s duty of care rather than as a product of the patient’s right to self-determination.

Roger v Whitaker (1992): A patient’s right

There came Roger v Whitaker, an Australian case, that was celebrated for departing from doctors know it all in Bolam and Sidaway. Roger’s case reasoned that instead of cementing medical opinion, even on patients’ decision-making, the court is willing to re-examine the appropriateness of the standard adopted by doctors.

Bolitho (1997): Judges have the power to think for medical people

Bolitho v City and Hackney HA, 1996 helped to clarify what was meant by “a responsible body,” defining it as one whose opinion had a “logical basis in the medical profession.”

This means that the Bolam Test and the Bolitho Test are used in combination in medical negligence. Bolitho test is saying that the doctor’s decision, though appears sound in the medical community has to be logical. Combining the two cases means that a doctor is not negligent if he or she acts in accordance with a responsible body of medical opinion, provided that the Court finds such an opinion to be logical.

For instance, the Evidence Act 1994 of the Gambia, Section 75 permits expert opinion to be given in evidence before the court in matters relating to medical, science, pathologist’s report and many others. There are instances where the court is confronted with a conflict in what is regarded as expert opinions.

For instance, in the case of Babourcarr Touray v MRC and 2 OR GCA CIV.APP. 55/94, where medical experts presented diverse explanations as to the cause of gangrene (death of body tissue due to a lack of blood flow or a serious bacterial infection) which led to the loss of the plaintiff’s two hands. When this happens, the court is not bound to accept the opinion of an expert or anybody else.  It is the duty of the court to describe what is logical, not the medical profession. The court has to examine all the issues that are before it.

Thus, Bolitho questioned the authenticity of expert knowledge given the Bolam test to the extent that opinion among expert groups may not be based on sound current knowledge.

In Pearce v. United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 1999, the Court of Appeal established that the standard adopted in Bolitho was equally applicable to cases dealing with the duty to inform.

Chester v Afshar (2004): Courts protecting doctors

In Chester v Afshar, Lord Hope said “the function of the law is to protect the patient’s right to choose. If it is to fulfil that function, it must ensure that the duty to inform is respected by the doctor.” Based on this statement, some commentators held that the courts have been lenient on doctors and have not been robust enough to hit the nail on the head to protect the rights of patients. Probably, those affected by alleged medical negligence in the Gambia are not testing the law.

Foo Fio Na v Dr. Soo Fook Mun, 2007: Millennial Approach

In this Malaysia case, Foo Fio Na v Soo Fook Mun and Anor. (2007), the Court viewed the Bolam’s as being “overprotective and deferential” to the medical profession.  The judges reasoned that the law is indeed in their bosom, and they can disagree with medical opinion. The court determines the reasoning behind doctors’ conduct and not the profession. The Federal Court opined that “the Rogers v Whitaker test would be a more appropriate and viable test of this millennium.

Sidaway & Montgomery: doctors are not superior

Even before the development in Montgomery in the modern era, in 1985 the House of Lords in Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlem Royal Hospital adopted the test to be employed in case a doctor fails to advise a patient of the risks involved in a particular treatment.

Sidaway became the first test for information disclosure to patients that recognized their right to self-determination in the context of decisions about their medical treatment. The case was recognized in Montgomery.

The ‘Montgomery case has called on doctors to consider ‘material risk or significant risk’ and the doctor has a duty to provide all useful information or all possible options. Hence, failure on the part of the doctor to provide the patient with other possible options available is suicidal on the part of the doctor.

‘Reasonable patient’ rather than ‘Reasonable doctor’.

In Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, UKSC 1, 2015, has raised the standard of a reasonable test as the focus is now on ‘reasonable patient’ rather than ‘reasonable doctor’. The law defines material risk as either a risk to which a reasonable person in the patient’s position would be likely to attach significance or a risk that a doctor knows or should reasonably know is perceived to be of significance by this particular patient.

The issue of concern is ‘this particular patient. Bismark et al. (2012) explained that many jurisdictions have moved towards legal standards for risk disclosure, prioritizing the preferences of patients. The Ghana Health Service Patient’s Charter thus, gives a patient the power to make decisions as well.

This was the case in ‘Cantebury v Spencer’ in 1972 in the District of Columbia Court of Appeal, the court rejected the traditional approach of ‘what reasonable practitioner would do’ to a patient-centred standard: ‘what would a reasonable person want to know?’

Montgomery applicability in Ghana

‘Montgomery’, ‘Pearce’ and ‘Roger v Whitaker’ concerning a doctor’s duty to take reasonable care to ensure patients are aware of any material risks involved in recommended treatment and the alternatives were applied in  Dr. E.L.A. Chinbuah and Attorney General case, 2021, when the deceased was due to deliver, she opted for a Cesarean Section, but her request was turned down. Instead, the doctors decided to take her through normal delivery. This caused her to bleed profusely and died in the process. The Ghanaian court adopted a more patient-centred approach here.

Are Doctors in Danger?

Some commentators believe the new law appears to be harsh on doctors as the courts have decided to tell doctors how to practice medicine instead of doctors making changes in their profession. But others also believe that the new law will help doctors to sit up instead of believing that they are superior and know it all in the medical profession. But the ‘unlettered’ man in the Banjul Street will think that the new law is the way to go judging from recent allegations of medical negligence.

The law even went further to state that when a doctor knows there is another doctor who is more experienced to take a certain case and failed to do so could be held as negligent. This was manifested in an Australian case, ‘Chappel v Hart’ [1998], the attending doctor failed to disclose the availability of a more experienced surgeon for a particular procedure, the factual causation must be followed by a second aspect of causation, the scope of liability that the patient would only claim if the risk materializes, as in ‘Wallace v Kam’ [2013] HCA 19.

Other commentators assert that Wallace could pose a great challenge as some patients could demand highly expensive treatment, disregarding the cost-effectiveness issue or opting for alternative medicine without strong scientific evidence. For instance, Strauss and Thomas (2009) held that in modern health care, responsible bodies of medical opinion mean judicious use of the best current evidence in making decisions about the care of patients, and also a strong emphasis on patient-centred care. This would bridge the gap between the two different standards (professional vs reasonable person) and also the legal and medical perspectives regarding disclosure and consent.

Conclusion

As students of the law with interest in medico-legal issues, we are concerned with the state of alleged medical negligence in the Gambian media space. We believe that it is prudent for doctors and healthcare workers to understand that the healthcare team is about collaboration in this new era, and patients are becoming more proactive about their health. Many are seeking legal opinions on health issues and negligent acts can affect the image of the doctor and the facility.

We recommend that the healthcare industry should start looking at how to avert negligence in their practices. However, as students of the law, it is encouraging to know that “doctors know it all” is no longer an option as the court has the power to disregard this.  Hence, we recommend that the Gambian Health authorities be up and doing to curb the rising cases of alleged medical negligence.

The authors are BL Candidates at the Gambia Law School, Banjul, Gambia. E-mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com. julianatwumwaa@aol.com

 

 

Banjul-Beijing diplomatic relations: What The Gambia missed for 2 decades

Hadram Hydara
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Banjul-Beijing diplomatic relations: What The Gambia missed for 2 decades
image 71
By: Talibeh Hydara

On 12 June, 195, President Sir Dawda Jawara met the great Chairman Mao, the pioneer of the new China, which was featured in the pages of Peking Review, now renamed Beijing Review. The Gambia had only been a republic for five years and just a year after establishing diplomatic ties with China. During that visit, and in subsequent ones in 1976 and 1987, various agreements were signed between the two countries.

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Historian Hassoum Ceesay stated: “The projects signed included the construction of the Independence Stadium and Friendship Hostel in Bakau in 1983, six major health centres at places like Kaur, Kuntaur, Yerobawol, Fagikunda and rice projects in the then Maccarthy Island Division. With Chinese support, The Gambia, in the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, was on the cusp of achieving food security.”

Yes, 30 years ago, with the help of China, we were on the verge of attaining food security. Let that sink in. But just last year, the World Food Programme revealed that over 200,000 people were facing emergency levels of hunger in The Gambia. A stark difference and what a drop it has been.

Jawara laid the foundations for Gambia-China relations. A tiny snake-like country with a population of barely half a million at the time would have enjoyed the fruits of such relations with a potential superpower like China. He didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Chairman Mao respected Jawara. Chinese people respected Jawara and The Gambia. In fact, according to Mr Ceesay, Jawara was taken to visit the famous Chinese Premiere during his first visit, Chou En-Lai, who later died in 1976. “Jawara went to see him at his hospital bed, and according to Xinhua, the two leaders spoke for 30 minutes, and were both satisfied with the talks. In fact, Jawara was one of the few African leaders to have had the chance to meet with Chairman Mao on two occasions—a measure of how seriously China regarded The Gambia as a dependable partner,” Hassoum said.

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In 58 years of independence, The Gambia has got just one national stadium, which was built by the Chinese and Friendship Hostel after Jawara secured 13 million dalasis during his visit to China. Both structures are still alive, even though the Confederation of African Football, CAF, considered the stadium no longer fit to host international matches after our musicians turned it into a nightclub for decades by launching their albums there and dancing it to the ground. This means The Gambia now plays its home matches away. Imagine, just for a moment, if our requests to play our games in people’s stadiums have all been rejected. We would be given the Nobel Prize for international embarrassment. I can bet half of my salary on the fact that, had our relations with China continued unabated, we would have had a new stadium. I will only bet half of my salary because if I bet all and lose, I will starve. Jawara had the foresight to understand that China would be a world-beater in the future, so he grabbed the opportunity at the earliest.

However, in 1995, Jammeh, in his lack of wisdom and pure naivety, ended diplomatic relations with China and recognised Taiwan. A 30-year-old lieutenant in the army decided for the whole Gambia that Taiwan was a better development partner than China. For the next 18 years, Jammeh not only flirted with Taiwan but trolled China, mounting the podium at the UN General Assembly and demanding the independence of Taiwan. He invited at least two subsequent Taiwanese presidents in Chen Shui-bian in 2000, and Ma Ying-jeou in 2012. Those are the ones I remember. He might have invited more but I was too young to bother. He played football and did a push-up challenge with President Ma on national television. Not just that, he has visited Taiwan nine times. That was incredible. I am still not sure what The Gambia benefitted from Taiwan in nearly two decades of relations apart from building a secondary school and giving us lots of rice. Maybe that is too harsh. But when Jammeh started growing rice in large scale and building schools in bushes, the stupidity of his decision to opt for Taipei over Beijing dawned on him. And, as typical of him, shortly after his last visit to Taiwan in 2012, he severed ties with them, citing ‘strategic interest’. Yes, he finally understood the meaning of strategic interest after 18 years. That cost The Gambia a lot in terms of education and infrastructure development.

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The only good thing Jammeh did in our relations with China was to restore them in his final year as president in 2016. Since then, China has been providing regular financial aid to the government, scholarships to Gambian citizens to study in universities across China, exchange programmes for civil servants, medical team offering healthcare services to poor Gambians, funded the construction of roads and bridges and built a top-class international conference centre which is comfortable enough to host even an assembly of angels in heaven.

In 1976 China was just finding its feet and the country was probably not even in the top 30 major economies in the world. Now they are second, just behind the United States with all the signs of overtaking soon. We could have developed with them. Maybe not at the same pace but we wouldn’t have been this far behind.

Since I arrived here, I haven’t seen a mutilated bank note. Cash transactions are rare. Everything is done through apps; Alipay, WeChat. Technology is advanced in China. If you want to ride a bike, buy food at the supermarket, clothes at the mall or take the subway just scan the QR Code, and bingo! I still look at my new banknotes and smile. In The Gambia, because everything is done with cash, our bank notes become so mutilated and soiled that you don’t even recognise them. I recently received some cash from our office and there was a particular bank note that I ended up leaving on my table. Everyone I turned to refused to accept it; drivers, shopkeepers, even fish sellers, who are half of the time responsible for the tragic appearance of our bank notes because of how they manhandle cash. China is the perfect place to learn how to solve that problem. Every year we print a new family of banknotes, and none survives the torture of our palms.

The bottom-line is, The Gambia should never have severed ties with China in 1995. We could have increased rice production and stopped importing it. We have vast arable land and at least six months of sufficient rains. We could have maximised our groundnut production by providing modern equipment to farmers and we wouldn’t be seeing government haggling with farmers over the price of groundnut. We could have built more and better roads without waiting until 2023 to have our first flyover. We could have hundreds of Gambians with advanced knowledge in science, technology and engineering, so we could solve our perennial drainage problem during rainy seasons with houses filling up like buckets under running taps. We could have… we could have… we could have but we missed all of it because of a terrible decision Jammeh made. It is not too late though. We need to work harder. Learn best practices from the best. Instil discipline in the citizenry. Modernise, not Westernise, by preserving our values and cultures. A country of 2 million people doesn’t require magic to develop. China got it right. We need to get it right too. And with relations between Banjul and Beijing at an all-time high, there is no better time to both benefit from China and learn from its path to development. The Barrow government has a chance to revisit Jawara’s plans and focus on areas that have a long-term impact on the people. President Barrow has already visited China. As a president of a Least Developed Country (LDC), stepping into Beijing alone gives you all the inspiration you need to be pragmatic and spearhead a revolutionary development in your country. The time is NOW!

Beware Gambians: Why Recent Bank Failures in the U.S Should Raise Red Flags Everywhere

Hadram Hydara
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Beware Gambians: Why Recent Bank Failures in the U.S Should Raise Red Flags Everywhere

As the saying goes, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Similarly, the recent collapse of two banks in the US within three days serves as a warning to Gambians everywhere about the potential vulnerability of the global banking system. Just like a chain, if one link fails, it can cause a ripple effect that can impact everyone connected to it. In this case, Gambians, whether at home or abroad, need to be aware of what’s happening and take action to protect themselves financially.

Imagine a water well that supplies a community with water. The well is operated by a company that has been trusted for years to manage the well and ensure that the water is safe to drink. One day, rumours start spreading that the company may not be managing the well properly and that the water may be contaminated. As a result, people start rushing to the well to collect as much water as possible before it runs out or becomes unsafe to drink. This sudden rush causes chaos and confusion, making it difficult for anyone to get access to the water they need. The company is unable to meet the sudden surge in demand and is forced to shut down the well, leaving the entire community without a reliable source of water.

In the same way, a bank run occurs when depositors start to lose confidence in a bank and begin withdrawing their funds en masse, creating a sudden surge in demand for cash that the bank cannot meet. This can lead to the bank running out of cash and being unable to meet the needs of its depositors, causing panic and chaos.

In the case of the recent bank collapse in the US, the collapse of two major banks and the looming banking crisis highlights the need for Gambians to be cautious and vigilant about the safety and stability of their own banks, regardless of where they are in the world.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has significant implications for Gambians, both at home and abroad. The Gambia, like many other countries, has a banking system that is interconnected with the global financial system. If there is a banking crisis in one part of the world, it can have ripple effects that spread to other parts of the world, including The Gambia.

Whether you are living in The Gambia or abroad, running a business or an average Gambian, it is crucial to understand the implications of these events on your financial well-being and take necessary precautions.

In The Gambia, the collapse of banks in other countries can affect the operations of local banks. The Gambia’s central bank, for example, may need to take measures to protect the country’s financial system in case of a global banking crisis. Additionally, local commercial banks may also face difficulties in obtaining financing or conducting international transactions if there is a global banking crisis.

For Gambians living in the USA or other countries with banks that are experiencing financial difficulties, there is a risk that their money could be lost if the bank collapses. Therefore, it is important for Gambians to be aware of the financial health of their banks and to consider spreading their money across different banks to minimize the risk of losing all of their savings in case of a bank collapsed.

For Gambians in business, whether at home or abroad, the collapse of these banks could affect your business operations and financial stability. It is important to review your banking arrangements and ensure that your funds are spread across multiple financial institutions to minimize the risk of any potential losses. You may also want to consider consulting with financial advisors to help you navigate the current situation.

It is essential for Gambians to be aware of the potential risks and to take appropriate measures to protect their savings. One such measure is to save money in small banks rather than large, multinational banks. Small banks are less likely to collapse because they have less exposure to risky investments, and they are more likely to have closer relationships with their customers, which can help them weather financial difficulties.

As we conclude, it is important to acknowledge the severity of the recent bank collapses and the potential impact on the global economy.

However, we must also remember that there are steps we can take to protect ourselves and our financial future. The recent bank run and collapse of SVB and Signature Bank in the United States have raised concerns about the overall stability of the global banking system. This can have significant implications for Gambians both at home and abroad, as well as for local banks and the central bank. Gambians should be aware of the potential risks and take measures to protect their savings, such as saving money in small banks.
It is important to stay informed about developments in the global banking system and to take appropriate action to safeguard one’s financial well-being.

The Gambian Football Dream: A Bleak Future for Young Talents?

Hadram Hydara
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The Gambian Football Dream: A Bleak Future for Young Talents?

By: Bully Sowe

As the final whistle blew, and the dreams of The Gambia’s U-20 team were dashed, the question remains, what’s next for these young talents? With hopes and dreams of becoming the next generation of national heroes, these talented players face immense pressure to succeed. What lies ahead for them after Egypt? Will they achieve their dreams of playing for top European clubs, or will they face the same fate as their predecessors, such as Ebou Bojang or Alassana Camara who went on to win a gold medal and finished as joint-top scorer in the U-17 Championship in Algeria, but only to end up being a fisherman? This heartbreaking tale underscores the bitter reality faced by many young Gambians hoping to make it in the highly competitive world of professional sports, where success is often fleeting and the road to the top is littered with obstacles and disappointments.

The beautiful game has the power to inspire and bring together people from all walks of life, but for the talented young footballers of The Gambia, their passion and dreams are met with challenges that seem insurmountable.

Despite their raw skill and determination, these young men often find themselves forgotten and left to struggle in the face of overwhelming adversity. In a country where the love for football is embedded in the culture, one cannot help but wonder why these talented individuals continue to be overlooked and neglected. The sad reality is that their story is not unique, and it is one that deserves attention and action.

The defeat to Senegal in the Africa U-20 Championship final was a bitter pill to swallow, but what matters now is how they will respond to this setback. What fate awaits these Gambian young stars as they return home? Will they continue to be ignored, neglected, and forgotten by the authorities? Will they be left to languish in obscurity while their Senegalese counterparts bask in the glory of success? Will their dreams and aspirations be shattered, leaving them with nothing but despair and hopelessness?

It begs the question, why is it difficult for those responsible for nurturing Gambian talents to brand them and sell them to the best clubs in Europe?

These are the questions that linger in the minds of many as we reflect on the missed opportunities and the failure of our sports authorities to nurture and support our young talents.

It’s time to ask ourselves why Gambia has failed to replicate the success of our neighbours in nurturing young talent to become global stars. What did Senegal get right that we got wrong? How do we ensure that our young players are not only sold to top clubs but also sustained and transformed into the national team? These are the tough questions that must be addressed if we hope to elevate Gambian football to the next level. We cannot afford to let these young talents slip through our fingers and end up taking up manual jobs or playing in less successful leagues, never reaching their full potential.

The future of Adama Bojang and his team is uncertain, and whether they will make it to the top European clubs or end up in obscurity remains to be seen. The road ahead will be tough, but with proper nurturing and guidance, these young stars could be the future of African football.

It’s easy to point fingers and assign blame to the players, but in truth, it was simply not their day. Senegal, on the other hand, were lucky enough to capitalize on their opportunities and ultimately emerged victorious.

However, the real concern lies in what happens to these young, talented players after the tournament. Still, fans and pundits alike are left pondering the question, “What went wrong for The Gambia?” Despite their impressive run in the tournament, the young Scorpions fell short in the final, losing 2-0 to their arch-rivals Senegal.

The Senegalese Football Federation has shown a remarkable commitment to the development of young players, providing them with the necessary resources, facilities, and support to thrive. They have invested heavily in grassroots football, creating a solid foundation for the future of the sport in their country. In contrast, the Gambian Football Federation has failed to match this level of commitment and dedication, resulting in a dearth of opportunities for our young talents.

Meanwhile, our young Gambian players are left to languish in desolation and despair, shattered dreams and aspirations, as they watch their counterparts across the border achieve greatness. It is disheartening to think that our future footballing stars are being denied the opportunities that could have propelled them to greatness.

Moreover, the disgraceful state of Gambian football is an indictment of the wider societal issues facing the country, from corruption and mismanagement to poverty and underinvestment. Only by addressing these systemic problems can Gambian football hope to achieve the success and recognition it so richly deserves.

If we continue to neglect the development of our young players, we risk condemning them to a life of unfulfilled potential, while other nations reap the rewards of investing in their youth.

It is a sad reality that for many young Gambian footballers, the dream of playing for a top European club may remain just that – a dream.

Despite the abundance of talent and potential within the country, systemic issues such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of funding, and limited exposure to scouts and agents continue to hamper the development of the sport.

The time has come for our sports authorities to take a long, hard look at themselves and do the right thing for once. They must invest in the future of our young talents, provide them with the necessary resources and support, and create a conducive environment for their growth and development. The onus is on them to provide the necessary resources, infrastructure, and guidance to help these young players reach their full potential.

We cannot afford to let the next generation of Gambian footballers fall through the cracks and end up as fishermen or labourers. The future of Gambian football rests on their shoulders, and it is time for them to step up and take action. Let us not let this defeat be in vain, but rather, let it serve as a wake-up call to all those responsible for Gambian football.

Failure to do so would be a great disservice to these young men who have shown so much promise and potential. Only by nurturing and supporting young talent can we hope to see the emergence of a new generation of footballing stars that will do the country proud.

As we reflect on the events that have transpired in Egypt, let us not forget the dreams and aspirations of these young Gambians. Let us not forget the hours of training, the sacrifices made, and the unwavering passion they have for the sport they love. Let us not forget that they represent the future of Gambian football, and if we fail them, we fail ourselves.

NPP & the Gitteh debacle: A comedy of errors

Hadram Hydara
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NPP & the Gitteh debacle: A comedy of errors

By: Dida Halake

I was lying in hospital in London when I saw the news about NPP candidate selection for Brikama Chairmanship. Now, I had been warned by the doctor against any sudden movement, but I couldn’t stop laughing when I read the bit about voting with CHEWING GUM!

And the comedy did not end there: one of the chewing gums, which would have made Gitteh the winner, was disqualified for not having a wrapper!

Gitteh then cried “Foul, stolen election”, repeating exactly the words of Lawyer Darboe when Gitteh ALLEGEDLY helped Barrow “steal” Darboe’s win.

HOW DID NPP ALLOW SUCH A MESS?

I admired the sheer smartness of Barrow’s advisers with regard to pure politics. But this Ahmad Gitteh issue was handled so badly when it started a year ago that it cost NPP in West Coast NAM elections. And it may yet cost NPP dearly in the coming West Coast Council and Chairmanship elections. How did NPP’s brilliant political strategists get the party to a situation where, as I see it, they have a chance with Gitteh (however slim), but they have no chance at all without Gitteh? In other words, making NPP’s chances in West Coast a HOSTAGE TO GITTEH?

The answer is that political strategists placed emotion and personality before calmly calculated political analysis.

WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE?

1. Gitteh is too useful to the NPP to be discarded for displeasing the First Lady. That matter should have been quietly settled and Gitteh handed the Ministry of Information where he would have done a brilliant job.

2. Once Gitteh was dumped, he went against the NPP and cost them NAM seats in West Coast. I would have kicked Gitteh out of the NPP at this point. Instead …

3. NPP, in recognition of Gitteh’s popularity with West Coast voters, tried a “reconciliation” with Gitteh without actually offering him anything … except a handshake with the President. I would not have done that because it made Gitteh believe that NPP might support him in his bid for West Coast Chairmanship.

4. So Gitteh threw his hat into the NPP primary for Chairmanship and got more chewing gum than anyone else … though one chewing gum was naked! There were 81 delegates selected BY the party … and 31 (or 30) voted for Gitteh. That is a big number considering that party delegates may have had instructions not to vote for Gitteh. I, as NPP, would have swallowed the personal hate for Gitteh and made him my candidate for Chairmanship.

5. But the NPP have decided to re-run the vote instead and Gitteh has refused to partake … which means NPP will be giving the Chairmanship candidacy to Seedy Ceesay … who was reported to be their preferred candidate anyway. So, it looks as if the NPP rigged/stole the primary for Seedy Ceesay! And Gitteh claims the moral high ground with what appears to be overwhelming support of Gambians on social media.

6. What would I do at this point?
A) Give the Chairmanship candidacy to Gitteh without a 2nd round of voting,
B) Surrender the Brikama Chairmanship to UDP.

Stay blessed reader.

Walking barefoot improves menstrual flow, eyesight, sleep, hypertension, pain, and inflammation

Hadram Hydara
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Walking barefoot improves menstrual flow, eyesight, sleep, hypertension, pain, and inflammation

By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu

 The writer

Walking barefoot improves menstrual flow, eyesight, sleep, hypertension, pain, and inflammation.

Most of my articles are born out of inspiration. Others are requests from readers. I know this topic will shock many people. Others will also as usual think this is an ordinary Naturopathic Professor exploring extraordinary beliefs. Maybe, this is a Psychology of an extraordinary belief.

While subjective responses and anecdotal success stories may be enough to convince some, there are plenty of non-believers in the supposed benefits of sticking your bare feet on the ground.

But, I have been seeing a few people who walk barefoot. Most of these people are spiritualists. However, most of us do barefoot walking at home.  Some adopt barefoot walking as a practice they do daily.

While walking barefoot is by no means a part of traditional medicine, it does belong to the group of practices that are becoming more socially accepted as an effective way of maintaining health. As more people begin to support and practice integrative medicine, it can be expected that walking barefoot will be socially reinforced and gain more popularity.

When a toddler is learning to walk, parents are told to let this process happen naturally, and without shoes.  This is because shoes can affect how a child uses the muscles and bones in their feet. They also receive feedback from the ground when they walk barefoot, and it improves their proprioception (awareness of their body in space). However, in our quest to adjust to the modern world, we tend to shove our feet into shoes and therefore the child loses the importance that is attached to barefoot walking as the child gets older.

Also, walking barefoot in natural surroundings brings you in contact with the earth. This transfers the earth’s electrons into your body, inducing therapeutic effects. These include reduced inflammation, stress, and pain and improved mood and sleep.

I have been asked several times whether it is safe to walk barefoot. Hence, in this article, I examine the science behind barefoot walking and the side effects attached to it.

 Earthing?

“Earthing” means walking barefoot on soil, grass, or sand (i.e. any natural surface). So, to reap the aforementioned benefits, you might have to get off the sidewalk.

The planet has its natural charge, and we seem to do better when we’re in direct contact with it.

Barefoot walking, Science

The important question I asked myself is whether there is any science in barefoot walking.  I found one important answer from  Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, foot and ankle specialist and ororthopaedicurgeon with Hoag Orthopaedic Institute. He asserts:

“The most straightforward benefit to barefoot walking is that in theory, walking barefoot more closely restores our ‘natural’ walking pattern, also known as our gait.”.

He further explains that if you go to any running or walking store and look at diverse pairs of shoes, you will notice that several of them have excessive cushioning and support.

While this pillow-type padding can feel pretty amazing when you walk in these types of shoes, board-certified podiatrist and foot surgeon Dr. Bruce Pinker says they can prevent you from using certain muscle groups that can strengthen your body.

 Barefoot, decreases Inflammation

This question was answered in one study by Oschman et al. (2015) and found that:

Grounding (another name for direct skin contact with the surface of the earth) produced measurable differences in cytokines and compounds involved in the inflammatory process. This effect can be linked to the earth’s electrons.  The study also found that walking barefoot improves our white blood cells and reduces pain.

This is because skin contact with the earth’s surface enables the spread of electrons from the earth to the human body. These electrons enter the body through specific acupuncture points and mucous membranes (residing right under the skin).

A previous study by Chevalier et al. (2012) explained that the antioxidants in our body are made of electrons, which help neutralize free radicals and eventually fight inflammation.

Also, the study found that grounding was also linked to lower anxiety levels. Subjects dealing with anxiety and depression, when grounded to the earth during sleep in their beds (using a conductive mattress pad), experienced improvements in their condition.

Let me state that though this study wasn’t conducted on subjects walking barefoot, however, the mechanism involved was the same.

Barefoot walking, improves cardiovascular health

Some studies have thrown light on the physiological effects of walking barefoot (grounding) in improving cardiovascular health. One such study conducted by Chevalier et al. (2013) found that barefoot walking helps to decrease blood viscosity levels, an effect that may lower hypertension. Due to the sample size, more studies are needed in this area to buttress the beneficial effects of walking barefoot on cardiovascular health.

Barefoot walking, changes the brain

An earlier study (Sokal and Sokal, 2011) found that earthing changed the electrical activity in the brain2, as measured by electroencephalograms. Fast forward, another study (Chevalier et al. 2012) found that grounding aided skin conductivity, moderated heart rate variability, improved glucose regulation, reduced stress, and support immune function.

Barefoot, immunity

Oschman et al. (2015) study affirmed that the transfer of electrons is the key to barefoot walking and enables the body to absorb and donate electrons to the areas that need immune support. The authors further held that the mere fact that we disconnect ourselves from the Earth may be a significant rise in inflammatory-related diseases that have wrecked our weak immune system, and this can be corrected by going back to the earth by barefoot walking.

The reason is that a lack of sufficient electrons in the body can weaken the mitochondria (structures in the body’s cells that are responsible for energy production), leading to chronic fatigue and other issues. Even a minor injury can become a long-term health problem.

Barefoot walking, Reduces Pain

Oschman et al. (2015) study further believe that when we walk barefoot, helps to reduce pain. This is done by altering the numbers of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes. It also modulates various other factors linked to inflammation.  It further leads to the rapid resolution of painful chronic inflammation. Ravi Teja Tadimalla’s (2022) article further highlights that this could even prevent the signs of inflammation following heat, swelling, and pain.

Barefoot, encourages sleep

Chevalier et al. (2012) study found that walking barefoot can also encourage better sleep.  This is because the earth’s electrons spread to your body and cause multiple beneficial psychological changes, including enhanced sleep every night.

One article by Georgia Kinch (2012) reports that grounding also helps normalize the day-night biological rhythms. This helps you relax and sleep better.  However, it is not recommended you take a walk (let alone walk barefoot) if you have a serious injury.

Barefoot, improves eyesight

Maybe, this could be a ridiculous assertion. However, one study, by Embong et al. (2015) explained that barefoot walking improving eyesight could be due to the reflex points on the foot that are connected to the optic nerves. Is this not surprising that one could improve his or her eyesight by just walking barefoot? Well, this activity doesn’t come without certain caveats. Let us explore them.

Barefoot walking, warnings

Jayasinghe et al. (2007) study found that barefoot walking could expose one to diabetic foot disease in those vulnerable individuals.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) affirms that walking barefoot on contaminated soil can also lead to hookworm infection. The larvae (immature worms) present in the contaminated soil can penetrate the skin of humans. This also applies to walking barefoot in areas usually associated with fungal infections.  Andrew Ramirez, (2011) article also notes that areas such as swimming pools, locker rooms, the gym, and the beach are all affected.

Take Home

There is no prescribed duration for barefoot walking, but it is advisable to begin slow and practice walking for 10-15 minutes each day for the first few weeks to ease yourself into the habit.

There are many benefits one could derive from barefoot walking. For instance, Hollander et al. (2016) study found that walking barefoot may strengthen your feet and make them more flexible.

Also, walking barefoot does not cause nerve damage. However, those with existing nerve damage, such as peripheral neuropathy, should avoid walking barefoot to minimize the risk of further injury.

Note also that frequent walking barefoot for a long period may wear down the heel pads on your feet and lead to plantar fasciitis or heel pain.

A previous study also proscribes walking barefoot on concrete and other similar hard surfaces as this could put excess pressure on the heels and lead to foot issues over time (Mohamed et al. 2015).

In submission, walking barefoot has many benefits such as decreasing inflammation, reducing/eliminating chronic pain, improving sleep, increasing energy, normalizing the body’s biological rhythms, improving blood pressure, lessening menstrual symptoms, and dramatically speeding healing time (just to name a few). Therefore, make sure to walk in clean areas and follow good hygiene practices afterwards

NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a respected Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, a researcher, an author, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. Currently BL Candidate at the Gambia Law School, Banjul. E. mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com.

References

  1. Hollander, K., van der Zwaard, B.C., de Villiers, J.E. et al.The effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years: study protocol for a multicenter cross-sectional study (Barefoot LIFE project). J Foot Ankle Res 9, 36 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-016-0166-1
  2. Andrew Ramirez,(2011) Preventing and treating fungal infections. https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/preventing-and-treating-fungal-infections/
  3. Hookworm(2022). https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/index.html
  4. Embong NH, Soh YC, Ming LC, Wong TW. Revisiting reflexology: Concept, evidence, current practice, and practitioner training. J Tradit Complement Med. 2015 Sep 28;5(4):197-206. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2015.08.008. PMID: 26587391; PMCID: PMC4624523.
  5. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. J Inflamm Res. 2015 Mar 24;8:83-96. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S69656. PMID: 25848315; PMCID: PMC4378297.
  6. Chevalier G, Sinatra ST, Oschman JL, Sokal K, Sokal P. Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth’s surface electrons. J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:291541. doi: 10.1155/2012/291541. Epub 2012 Jan 12. PMID: 22291721; PMCID: PMC3265077.
  7. Chevalier G, Sinatra ST, Oschman JL, Delany RM. Earthing (grounding) the human body reduces blood viscosity-a major factor in cardiovascular disease. J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Feb;19(2):102-10. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0820. Epub 2012 Jul 3. PMID: 22757749; PMCID: PMC3576907.
  8. Georgia Kinch(2012) Body-Earthing. https://u.osu.edu/vanzandt/2018/04/18/body-earthing/
  9. Jayasinghe SA, Atukorala I, Gunethilleke B, Siriwardena V, Herath SC, De Abrew K. Is walking barefoot a risk factor for diabetic foot disease in developing countries? Rural Remote Health. 2007 Apr-Jun;7(2):692. Epub 2007 Jun 15. PMID: 17571928.
  10. Sokal P, Sokal K. The neuromodulative role of earthing. Med Hypotheses. 2011 Nov;77(5):824-6. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.07.046. PMID: 21856083.

Pinggu District: A valley with a value

Hadram Hydara
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Pinggu District: A valley with a value
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By: Talibeh Hydara

I have been in Beijing for ten days now. It’s very close to the longest I have been away from my family. But the excitement has been nothing sort of extraordinary. Last Wednesday, we were billed to visit Pinggu District, roughly 70km outside Beijing and I had eaten different dishes the day before. Knowing how funny my digestive system is, I had anticipated a potential stomach upset. Like in Nigeria, the Jollof rice and the soup were too pepperish that some of my colleagues spent more time on the toilet seat than on the seat in the lecture hall. It was a disaster!

Moving out of our residence at DRC, a few hundred meters near the ultramodern Galaxy Soho in Chaoyang, the traffic was static, but the streets came to life.

As the bus moved, sitting on the right side and curiously observing the skyscrapers; Industrial Bank Building, BRCB, China National Opera House, Oriental Garden Hotel, were all on the same string. There is flyover over flyover. Beijing is a work of art.

The roads are immaculate. The size. The texture. The design. All top-class. From the Dongwei road to the Pingfang bridge, everything looks like a well-oiled machine.

Welcome to Pinggu District. It means ‘flat valley’ in Chinese, and it is a stunning ecological conservation district; mountains on the east, west and north sides of the settlement and plain valley in the middle.

Pinggu announces itself at the entrance without needing signposts. It is littered with carefully planted trees on either side of the road; from Tonghui, Muyan, Misan, and Cuixing to Pingsan highways.

It’s not just the trees. There is a beautiful scenery of sheep raring, greenhouses and local fishponds. Pinggu is small, a little less than half a million people, but its production capacity and potential are admirably unmatched.

It’s violin time

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Our first port of call was to the famous Beijing Huadong Musical Instrument Co, Ltd, initiated by the revered Dai Hongxiang, Wang Chonggui, two top-class violin makers. It is simply a violin-making complex. We were introduced to all types of violins and their worth, the making of violins and, though rather briefly, even playing them. Making a violin is no child’s play. We’re told that 246 tools are needed to make a violin. I don’t think even a human being would need as many tools to be made. Requiring a genius craftsmanship skill, the stages of violin-making show an intricate process leading to perfection and global appeal. And all the different colours on a violin are extracted from natural ingredients.

For over three decades, the Beijing Huadong Musical Instrument Co, Ltd has blazed the trail for the making of violin family and their violins are sold in more than 30 countries and regions, such as Europe, America and Southeast Asia.

It brags that “one out of every three violins in the world are produced in Donggaocun town”.

It was a relishing experience for me. I have always wanted to play at least one instrument; drum, violin, guitar, kora, or any other musical instrument. Maybe, just maybe, that instrument is a violin, and I might just start learning now.

Zixingyuan food company

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On the schedule, it was specifically stated that it would be a full day. So, I don’t think any of us was happier visiting any other place than a food company.

Zixingyuan Food Technology Co, Ltd is just two years old, covering 12, 900 square meters and with a total investment of 120 million yuan.

The state-of-the-art food company has a processing centre that mainly produces meat, condiments, frozen pasta and rice products, hot-processed pastries, and pre-made dishes, among others.

It also has a production centre divided into a pastry workshop and a cooked-meat workshop, producing.

Mantou, Huajuan (steamed bread), Tanghuoshao (steamed buns with brown sugar and sesame paste), Zenggao (glutinous rice cakes with red beans and dates), sesame paste-flavoured shaobing (small wheat cake sprinkled with sesame seeds), beef pies, Tongguanbing (Chinese hamburger), Jiaozi (dumplings), Wonton, fresh noodles, and semi-dry noodles, and others.

After showing us how food is produced, processed, packaged, weighed and labelled, we were asked to taste. But we almost ate all of it. I roamed between the marinated quail eggs and duck necks like a hungry fox. I didn’t touch the chicken feet though, but I love it. A few among the group argued that there’s nothing to eat on chicken feet. Yes, there is, people. Back home in The Gambia, especially a local chicken, biting its ‘phalanges’ is a joy for me. I’m drawn to it. But to avoid embarrassment, I stayed away from this one. I would have violated the chicken feet.

The group perched on the line-up of different foods like vultures. In 10 minutes, half of the foods, which were only meant to be tasted, have been devoured. The food tasting led us to a nice lunch on a beautiful revolving table, after the ladies among us were all given flowers in observance of International Women’s Day. It was a very thoughtful gesture from our hosts. I must admit I had never seen a revolving table before, only in movies. I don’t even feel embarrassed to mention it because the only thing revolving in The Gambia is poverty.

Yukou poultry

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Beijing WOD Chen-Long Biotechnology Ltd has three competitive companies: Yukou Poultry, specializing in poultry breeding; Smart Food, specializing in chicken processing; and Wode Botron, specialising in the digital economy. It is the world’s largest egg breeder and the leader in agricultural industrialization. With 16 branches and subsidiaries across 12 provinces and cities in China, it has 400,000 grandparent breeders, and 5 million parent breeders with an annual capacity of 250 million chicks and pullets, accounting for over 50% of the market. This is an astonishing complex that blew my mind.  If you know me, then you will know I don’t just love eating chickens, I love buying chicks. In my modest home, I would buy chicks from the market and, because I don’t have money to regularly buy feeds, I would just let them grow among the local chickens. So, the chicks go out and peck whatever is available to them. Pecking insects and other things also makes them stronger than normal chickens. That is my form of subsistence poultry. There are just two things I would definitely leave journalism for: diplomacy and poultry. It was a spellbinding experience visiting the Yukou poultry and seeing how a top-notch poultry operates and having the opportunity to even pick chicks which were only a day old. It was life-changing. We even witnessed a local cooking competition.

Grazing the strawberry farm

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The last place we visited was Nanying Doctor Farm, a cold-formed steel structure greenhouse developed by a team based on years of experience and research in agricultural production.

It has a unique strawberry planting method, allowing the plants to grow naturally without any growth hormones and no soil. There is also a distinctive pest and weed control method.

The farm was lively. The strawberries have grown and most of them are already red and ripe for harvest. Our host said we’re free to pluck it and taste it. I guess he didn’t get the memo of what we did at the food factory. We don’t taste; we consume. We were unleashed on the farm and in no time, the ripe strawberries became scarce. And because it was so delicious and we couldn’t just keep eating, some people had to buy the packaged ones.

We also visited the Jingwa Centre, which sets a firm footing in scientific and technological research and development in the drive to independent innovation.

Pinggu is incredible. It’s a small place that can teach big places big things. China is ahead. Very far ahead. The rest of us have got some catching up to do. Follow me as I continue to bring Beijing to Banjul.

Attaya as Aphrodisiac: Boosts Libido and Sexual Pleasure

Hadram Hydara
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0
Attaya as Aphrodisiac: Boosts Libido and Sexual Pleasure

By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu

The writer

Attaya as Aphrodisiac: Boosts Libido and Sexual Pleasure

Don’t be too quick to judge as I have noticed in the Gambia without reading. I admonished the fact that desserts in the Gambia are loaded with too much sugar. This can be dealt with through proper education and awareness. Besides, it should not make us shun the natural remedies, delicacies, and cuisines we have in the Gambia. The health benefits are more if we can cut down the sugar, or better still prepare them ourselves.  Attaya, wonjo, and many others have so many benefits, but we end up overburdening our health with sugar.

Don’t be surprised to read that a cup of attaya can help improve your sex drive in both men and women.  This is because attaya is green tea, and science has revealed the potency of green tea to spice up your sex life.

Attaya, widely known in the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia, Ghana, and other African countries is akin to Matcha in Japan. So, Attaya is African green tea as I will call it. The only disappointment is that attaya is still not cultivated in Africa. It is cultivated by the Chinese and exported to Africa. I have written extensively on the benefits of attaya since my arrival in the Gambia, but I felt I needed to share this with you.

 Aphrodisiacs?

Aphrodisiacs were named after Aphrodite, the Grecian goddess of love. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite originally came from the ocean and took her shape from sea form.

What makes attaya an aphrodisiac?

The Gambia attaya is from green tea and has an intimate effect due to the powerful feel-good effect triggered by L-theanine. L-theanine, which is found in large quantities in green tea, has been studied to be an excellent social lubricant that lowers anxiety and stress levels, allowing individuals to make genuine connections and authentic conversations. L-theanine was discovered as a constituent of green tea in 1949 by Sakato and in 1964 was approved as a food additive in Japan.

In my article on attaya and brain function, I highlighted that L-theanine increases dopamine and serotonin production in the brain with evidence from human electroencephalograph (EEG) studies showing that it has a direct effect on the brain. L-theanine significantly increases activity in the alpha frequency band which indicates that it relaxes the mind without inducing drowsiness.

Green tea has been used for centuries as a natural aphrodisiac in Japan, tastefully setting the stage for intimacy with its fragrant aromatic chemicals and natural libido-boosting compounds (Ali et al. 2013).

Old research (Chen et al. 2013) has unexpectedly found that tea drinking was positively related to sexual orgasm and sexual satisfaction in female hypertensive patients. The study, therefore, hypothesizes that long-term regular consumption of tea may play a role in sexual activity.

Also, a flavonoid called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can lower your testosterone levels if you drink enough green tea. However, moderate consumption of green tea may provide health benefits due to a compound called catechin. Catechin’s antioxidant properties aid in the elimination of free radicals that would otherwise damage blood vessel linings and compromise blood flow.

L-theanine triggers the pleasure centre of the brain, releasing dopamine.

One recent study by Baba et al. (2021) found that green tea contains significant concentrations of l-theanine, which has been heavily studied to increase dopamine generation in men and women. Dopamine — released when the body consumes l-theanine from green tea powder — is a chemical neurotransmitter that triggers the pleasure centre in your brain. So when you drink attaya, it naturally boosts blood flow, alleviates anxiety, and increases overall sexual attraction and enjoyment.

Attaya caffeinated but has an effect on sex drive for both men and women

Studies admonished the effect of green tea during sex. Hence, drinking attaya can help. According to Russ Mason(2008), two small human studies showed that within 30-40 minutes of consuming 50 or 200 mg of L-theanine, there is an increase in alpha wave activity/electrical signals produced by the brain. The perceived relaxation effect in the subjects coincided with the detection of alpha waves. This shows that L-theanine fosters a state of alert relaxation, which is consistent with the fact that anxious people have fewer or smaller alpha waves.

Other same studies found that L-theanine, at realistic dietary levels, has a significant effect on the general state of mental alertness or arousal. It is well established that female sexual dysfunctions and low desire, in particular, are frequently associated with an elevated level of psychological stress. Consequently, anything that can be done to promote relaxation and reduce the effects of stress may be able to help. The amino acid L-theanine fits this description.

Recent studies by (Peng et al. 2021; Ali et al. 2013) established that green tea is loaded with large amounts of caffeine, which has been studied to increase sexual desire — especially among women. The calming effect of green tea also improves your holistic sex drive, increasing energy and endurance during intercourse among men and women.

Attaya: erectile dysfunction and longer-lasting erections.

This is what I always pray for. This is the response: Keske et al. (2015) study confirmed that green tea powder lowers blood pressure and improves circulation by triggering a natural process known as vasodilation.

Vasodilation helps the relaxation of the blood vessels and supports the body and brain to get extra oxygen and nutrients. Hence, drinking green tea powder even was reported to help men achieve hard and more enjoyable, longer-lasting erections. One animal-based study (Neves et al. 2008) found that signs of erectile dysfunction were reduced and largely reduced by giving a concentration of green tea serum for six months.

Another study, by Keske et al. (2015) that green tea’s libido-boosting benefits are also due to the exceptional content of polyphenols and catechins it contains.  For instance, one top green tea product matcha is cultivated, grown, and harvested in a special way to safeguard maximum potency. Catechins work in the body, killing off free radicals and stopping damage to inflamed blood vessels. They cause blood vessel cells to expel nitric oxide, which increases the size of blood vessels and improves overall blood flow.

Green tea has been shown to increase sex drive in menopausal women.

Elara Hadjipateras’s (2022) article asserts that there is one top green tea product known as matcha, which studies have found to increase sex drive in menopausal women.  Matcha has even been studied to help reduce and alleviate the signs and symptoms of menopause in women — including the lack of interest in sex.

Hence, regularly drinking green tea products such as attaya or matcha can help balance estrogen levels and has been shown to work extraordinarily well for improving the sex lives of menopausal women.

Green tea product has also been shown to combat signs and symptoms of depression. Just in case you feel some decrease in the sexual drive due to seasonal depression, regularly drinking attaya or green tea products may help.

Take Home

Attaya green tea has proven in research that it can be an easy and effective natural aphrodisiac that boosts libido and overall sexual pleasure while also offering a grounding and blissful effect.

I am just excited that attaya or green tea products can be used as a natural aphrodisiac, though there is still more research that needs to be done when it comes to interaction with prescription medications and other common health conditions.

In conclusion, though several factors affect our libido, and have to be taken in holistic ways, scientific natural remedies have been proven to help.

 NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey University College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. Currently BL Candidate at the Gambia Law School, Banjul. E. mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com. +2207452652 (for more information) 

References

  1. Ali, J., Ansari, S., & Kotta, S. (2013). Exploring scientifically proven herbal aphrodisiacs. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.112832
  2. Baba, Y., Inagaki, S., Nakagawa, S., Kaneko, T., Kobayashi, M., & Takihara, T. (2021). Effects of l-Theanine on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study. Journal of Medicinal Food, 24(4), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2020.4803
  1. Chen XJ, Pang D, Li LP, Chen YQ, Tan XR. A hypothesis on the relationship between tea drinking and sexual activity. World J Hypertens 2013; 3(4): 32-36 [DOI: 10.5494/wjh.v3.i4.32]
  1. Keske, M. A., Ng, H. L., Premilovac, D., Rattigan, S., Kim, J. A., Munir, K., Yang, P., & Quon, M. J. (2015). Vascular and metabolic actions of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate. Current medicinal chemistry, 22(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.2174/0929867321666141012174553
  2. Neves, D., Assunção, M., Marques, F., Andrade, J. P., & Almeida, H. (2008). Does regular consumption of green tea influence expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor in aged rat erectile tissue? Possible implications for vasculogenic erectile dysfunction progression. AGE, 30(4), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-008-9051-6
  3. Opuwari, C., & Monsees, T. (2020). Green tea consumption increases sperm concentration and viability in male rats and is safe for reproductive, liver and kidney health. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72319-6
  4. Patisaul, H. B., & Jefferson, W. (2010). The pros and cons of phytoestrogens. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 31(4), 400–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.03.003
  5. Peng, X., Zhang, M., Wang, X., Wu, K., Li, Y., Li, L., Yang, J., Ruan, Y., Bai, R., Ma, C., & Liu, N. (2021). Sex differences in the association between green tea consumption and hypertension in elderly Chinese adults. BMC Geriatrics, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02431-3
  6. Samavat, H., Wu, A. H., Ursin, G., Torkelson, C. J., Wang, R., Yu, M. C., Yee, D., Kurzer, M. S., & Yuan, J. M. (2019). Green Tea Catechin Extract Supplementation Does Not Influence Circulating Sex Hormones and Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis Proteins in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Postmenopausal Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(4), 619–627. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy316
  7. Webster, A. D., Finstad, D. A., Kurzer, M. S., & Torkelson, C. J. (2018). Quality of life among postmenopausal women enrolled in the Minnesota Green Tea Trial. Maturitas, 108, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.10.013
  8. Jenkinson, C., Petroczi, A., Barker, J., & Naughton, D. P. (2012). Dietary green and white teas suppress UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B17 mediated testosterone glucuronidation. Steroids, 77(6), 691–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2012.02.023

 

 

 

Barrow’s partisan Commission of Inquiry and matters arising

Hadram Hydara
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Barrow’s partisan Commission of Inquiry and matters arising
By: Dawda Baldeh
Barrow’s partisan Commission of Inquiry and matters arising
 Photo source: Gainako Online

President Adama Barrow, on Friday, February 24, 2023, swore in a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the conduct of Local Councils just a month before the upcoming Local Government Elections, scheduled on May 20, 2023, in The Gambia.

The move by the president received criticism from different politicians and individuals. Some described it as a “witch-hunt” targeting opposition-led councils, with few praising him for the move.

At a press briefing held at the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) by The Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA), Landing B. Sanneh, the Chairman of Mansa Konko Area Council and President of the Association, read a statement.

Sanneh claims that most commissioners set to conduct local government councils and related activities are known members of the National People’s Party (NPP). See the full video at The Fatu Network (17:29 onwards), an online media house in The Gambia established since President Yahya Jammeh.

Given the controversy over the constitution of the Commission of Inquiry, DUBAWA attempts to discover who the commissioners are, their political connections or affiliations with the President’s party, the criteria used in selecting them and whether or not these criteria were adhered to. We will also explore the legal implications associated with the choice of personnel for the Commission.

What did the law say about Commissions of Inquiry?

CHAPTER XVIII Section 200 of the 1997 constitution of The Gambia gives the president the power to establish a commission of inquiry to look into the conduct of any public officer. This includes District Seyfo (a district chief), Alkalo (village head), or persons managing any department or authority of the public service or any local government or public enterprise.

What are the criteria for selecting Commissioners? 

Amid controversy over who should be appointed a Commissioner and whether or not they can have partisan lenses, DUBAWA found as follows;

CHAPTER XVIII Section 201 of the 1997 constitution of The Gambia subsection (1) outlines the criteria for selecting a presiding commissioner/chairperson in a commission of inquiry.

Subsection (1) states that a person shall not be appointed a sole Commissioner or the Chairperson of a Commission of Inquiry unless:

(a) he or she is or has been, a judge of a superior court, whether in The Gambia or outside it; or

(b) he or she is qualified to be appointed a judge of a superior court.

It is clear that partisan considerations are not part of the criteria for selecting a Commissioner. However, the functions of the Commission are why the critics of the president are demanding a non-partisan representation.

Functions of a commission of inquiry?

Section 202 of the 1997 constitution states the functions of a commission of inquiry.

(1) A Commission of Inquiry shall:

(a) make a full and impartial investigation into the matter in respect of which the Commission is established; and (b) furnish in writing a report on the results of the inquiry, including a statement of the reasons leading to the conclusions of the Commission.

(2) A Commission of Inquiry shall have all the powers, rights and privileges of a judge of the High Court at a trial in respect of:

(a) enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath, affirmation or otherwise;

(b) compelling the production of documents;

(c) issuing a commission or request for the examination of witnesses abroad, and

(d) making interim orders.

What are other people saying about this new commission?

Demba Ali Jawo, a former Information Minister under President Barrow, is of the view that the president is within his constitutional power to establish a commission of inquiry into the conduct of local government councils; however, he doubts the timing and impartiality of the Commission members as the country is heading to the polls in a few weeks.

“The timing of the commission is not only suspicious, but it seems to have all the hallmarks of a political witch hunt, with the next local government elections just a few weeks away.

“We have all seen or heard how President Barrow, both in words and action, had shown his determination to wrest control of the councils, particularly the KMC and Banjul, from his main political rival, the UDP, in the forthcoming local government elections,” he said.

Others described the commission as a “witch-hunt” targeting United Democratic Party (UDP) candidates occupying most of the seats.

“This latest attempt at election interference by the Barrow administration is calculated to impose Barrow’s preferred albeit incompetent, ethically and morally compromised choices on The Gambian electorate at the local level,” UDP said in a press release.

Who are the commissioners?

Chairperson Jainaba Bah Sambou, others include Samba Faal, Oreme E. Joiner, Sukai Secka Sanyang, and Alhaji Sillah, a former Banjul Lawmaker. 

Initially, Imam Baba Leigh, who works at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), was on the list. However, he quickly withdrew his appointment to the newly established Commission of Inquiry, saying accepting such an appointment would breach the NHRC Act 2017.

DUBAWA investigations further revealed that Oreme Joiner, among the five commissioners, was once a co-opted National People’s Party (NPP) member before President Adama Barrow appointed him as the Vice Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in 2021. =

This appointment was condemned by many, with some calling for his removal as Vice Chair of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and suggesting opposition parties go against the appointment, saying he is not fit to occupy that position. See the report on The Fatu Network online media.

The United Democratic Party (UDP), the main opposition party in The Gambia, issued a press release condemning the appointment of Mr Oreme Joiner.

Photo source UDP Facebook Page

Mr Oreme Joiner, a retired Banker, appeared in the NPP Banjul Executives as a co-opted member in 2021.  Image source: Photo of NPP 2021.

After a huge public outcry erupted over the appointment of Oreme E Joiner, amid reports that he is a National People’s (NPP) member, the government rescinded the appointment. Meanwhile, Alhagie Sillah, a former Banjul National Assembly member, replaced Imam Baba Leigh, who withdrew from the commission.  Even the replacement was not without controversy.

DUBAWA contacted Modou Lamin B. Bah, National Assembly Member for Banjul North Constituency, who accused Alhagie Sillah of openly supporting President Adama Barrow in the run-up to the December 2021 Presidential elections and also campaigned for his candidates in the April 9 Parliamentary election.

“Hon Alhagie Sillah has been openly supporting the NPP, and a clear manifestation was during the Presidential election in 2022. We saw him openly with an NPP vehicle campaigning for the President, and during the Parliamentary election in 2022, he was campaigning for NPP aspirants,” Bah said.


He further revealed that the appointee was seen “openly doing house to house for the NPP Candidate for Banjul North.”

“Antouman Ngaache Ngalaama Sa Legai Rafeet Na!” (Wolof language) Translations of the text in the pictures (Thank you, Abdoulie. Your Job is Very Good. April 9th, 2022, Victory is for Wadda by Allah’s grace,” Ousman Wadda wrote on his Facebook page.

Pictures of Alhajie Sillah campaigning for the NPP aspirants during the parliamentary election of 2022 are on his Facebook page. Two of the five commissioners sworn by the president have a political connection, while there is no evidence of their involvement in politics for the rest of the three.

Conclusion

President Barrow’s appointment of Commission of the Inquiry members to investigate the local councils has no doubt generated a heated debate. It has led to many rescissions by the appointees. While the president may not have breached the law in appointing persons believed to have partisan affiliations to his party, that singular action may have robbed the Commission of the perception of independence, fairness and objectivity needed for it to do its job.

The researcher produced this explainer per the DUBAWA 2023 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with (The Fatu Network) Daily Trust to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

The Gambia Rubs Shoulders with ‘Those Who Carry Last’ at UN Conference

Hadram Hydara
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The Gambia Rubs Shoulders with ‘Those Who Carry Last’ at UN Conference

By: Bully Sowe

Picture this: instead of sipping champagne and hobnobbing with the G20 elite, you find yourself jetting off to attend a conference for the “Least Developed Countries Association”. And guess who’s the star of this show? None other than the Gambia, a nation that’s been slapped with the label of “Least Developed Country”. Despite being independent for over half a century, poverty levels have soared to absurd heights, and development has taken a nosedive. And yet, here we are, with our illustrious leaders gleefully spending taxpayers’ cash to attend this pathetic pity party, all the while proud to be members of the “Association of Those Who Carry Last”.

On a balmy Sunday, Foreign Minister Tangara travelled to the bustling city of Doha in Qatar to participate in the infamous Conference of Least Developed Countries Association which lasted for five days. A gathering of nations that have been plagued by poverty and underdevelopment. One couldn’t help but wonder – was The Gambia the least developed of them all?

Attending a conference for the “Least Developed Countries Association” is like going to a restaurant to beg for scraps from other diners’ plates while proudly wearing a bib that says “I’m with the Beggars.” It’s just downright pathetic.

As a Gambian, it is disheartening to see our country still being labelled as one of the “Least Developed Countries” in the world. Our leaders have failed us in many ways, from the lack of vision and foresight to blatant incompetence in leading our nation towards progress and prosperity. It’s time for them to take responsibility and prioritize the development of our country.

I cannot help but marvel at the sheer ridiculousness of the Least Developed Countries conference held in Doha, Qatar. What a misnomer! It’s a euphemism for the “Beggars Conference” where African leaders gather to showcase their ineptitude and incompetence.

Among the countries that made up the list are The Gambia, Afghanistan, Laos, Yemen, Benin, Somalia, G/Bissau, South Sudan Kiribati, Tuvalu, Haiti, and Chad.

While some proponents of attending the conference may argue that it presents a unique opportunity for African leaders to gain insight into successful development strategies, it begs the question: how can they learn from others when they have failed to learn from their own mistakes? If our leaders are truly committed to progress and development, they must first acknowledge and address the root causes of poverty and underdevelopment within their own nations before seeking solutions elsewhere.

Our leaders must take accountability and work collaboratively to achieve growth and advancement. It is intolerable that decades after independence, we remain at the nadir of the development spectrum.

As the sun sets on yet another day, it’s hard not to feel a sense of despair wash over us. For 58 years now, we have been a sovereign nation, independent and free to chart our own destiny. And yet, here we are, still struggling to overcome the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and a lack of leadership. It’s a sad reality that we must face head-on, as a nation in need of serious soul-searching. How did we get here? Where did we go wrong?

And more importantly, how can we finally break free from the chains that have held us back for so long? These are the questions that must be answered if we are to move forward and realize the full potential of our beloved country.

As the beggars’ conference draws to an end, I wonder what crumbs the Gambian delegation will bring back home to their starving people. Will Foreign Minister Tangara arrive with a handful of “Last-place” trophies or a gold-plated begging bowl? Either way, the outcome remains bleak for a nation that has been reduced to attending such humiliating events in search of aid.

 

Mufti Menk’s epic football analogy leaves Manchester United fans chuckling

Hadram Hydara
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Mufti Menk’s epic football analogy leaves Manchester United fans chuckling

By: Bully Sowe

The East London Mosque was abuzz as Islamic scholar Mufti İsmail Menk took the stage for his Pre-Ramadan Boost Lecture series. While the spiritual preparation for the holy month was the focal point of his talk, it was his hilarious football analogy that had the audience in stitches. And, unfortunately for Manchester United fans, they were the butt of his joke. “Yesterday’s 7-0 loss,” Mufti Menk began with a grin, “reminds me of the gruelling preparation that goes into entering the holy month of Ramadan with purity.” The audience roared with laughter as he went on to compare the dedication of football players to that of those embarking on the spiritual journey of Ramadan. “Sometimes they will come in as a substitute, create a bit of damage, and go back,” he joked, leaving the audience in hysterics.

It was a brilliant use of humour, and one that left Manchester United fans red-faced. One Manchester United fan even took to social media to express his embarrassment. He wrote, “Not even Mufti will spare us”, to which Mufti Menk responded, “I never knew my witty joke would land me in trouble (with United fans) after his analogy.

It seems they’ve taken a hit for seven goals, and now one more. Mufti Menk’s use of satire and humour is a refreshing departure from the serious tone often taken by Islamic scholars. His ability to draw on contemporary events and cultural references to make his teachings relatable is a gift that has endeared him to his followers.

But it’s not just during his lectures that Mufti Menk’s humour shines through. His social media accounts are filled with witty one-liners and playful banter, showing that even the most serious of scholars can have a sense of humour.

As we approach the holy month of Ramadan, let us remember that even in the most solemn of times, there is room for laughter and joy. And who knows, maybe even Manchester United fans will find something to chuckle about during their preparations.

As the laughter and joy of Mufti Menk’s pre-Ramadan lecture fades, we are left with a sense of inspiration and gratitude for the gift of his teachings. His ability to bring humour and levity to even the most solemn of topics is a reminder that the journey of faith is not a burdensome one, but one that can be filled with moments of joy and celebration.

In these challenging times, where the world seems filled with darkness and despair, the teachings of scholars like Mufti Menk serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration. Their wisdom and guidance help us navigate the complexities of life and find solace in the embrace of our faith.

As we prepare to embark on the spiritual journey of Ramadan, let us remember the lessons of Mufti Menk and other scholars who have dedicated their lives to sharing the beauty of our faith. Let us strive to embody the qualities of compassion, generosity, and kindness that are at the heart of Ramadan, and let us find joy in the knowledge that we are not alone on this journey.

May Allah bless us all with the strength and guidance we need to make the most of this blessed month, and may we emerge from it with hearts filled with gratitude and hope for the future.

By : Bully Sowe

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