Purify your drinking water at home by installing a reverse osmosis water filter

Drinking water is good for our health. But the most important question we fail to ask is if we are drinking the right kind of water.  There are many different sources of water and not all of them are good for health.

The need for water purification is very essential in the 21^st century. We have evolved with time and the side effects of this evolution (pollution) has also had its toll on the safety of drinking water.

There exist safe sources of drinking water that have been filtered through reverse osmosis like “tangui” water being sold in Cameroon.

You may be tempted to ask why people are buying reverse osmosis filters or bottled water. It is because some health experts have raised have questioned the safety of tap water for drinking. They are:

1Tap water contains Aluminum

Aluminium is used to treat water.  This is because aluminium makes organic materials in water to coagulate and sediment. However after treatment, it is impossible to remove all traces of Aluminium in water. Aluminium when ingested is more dangerous that chlorine and fluoride. Aluminium has been found to cause cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.

 2 Tap water contains fluorides

Adding fluorides to water is a common public health measure to treat water in developed countries. This fluoride is in the form of Sodium silicofluoride which is toxic to man when ingested. Fluoride has been shown to have a link between cancer, arthritis and osteosarcoma. According to the World Health Organization, low levels of fluoride consumption can help in preventing dental caries. However they have also pointed out that excessive consumption of Fluorides can cause skeletal fluorosis which is characterized by painful and stiff joints.  

3 Our tap water contains chlorine

Some health experts such as Dr. Don Colbert have raised concerns, stating that tap water is not very safe for drinking is because it contains chlorine. Chlorine is popularly known in the health world as an anti-vitamin. This means that chlorine destroys vitamins.

Chlorine is added to water as a means of purifying it, to make it safe for home use. However, some studies have showed that chlorine may be responsible for causing some cancers.

4 Tap water may contain microorganisms

The water that flows from the taps especially from those living in towns like Douala (Cameroon) may sometimes be brown in colour. This may be because underground pipes may have cracks that allow impurities to get in.

The solution: Purifying Water by Reverse Osmosis

How does water filtration by Reverse Osmosis work?

Reverse Osmosis works by which salts, impurities and heavy metals are removed from water whereby tap water is made to flow through a semipermeable membrane under pressure. This semipermeable membrane allows only water to pass through. Reverse osmosis also stabilizes the pH, optimizes the mineral balance of water, removes any a pathogens/microbes and reduces heavy metals.

This filter doesn't require the use of electricity to function. 

Water filtration by reverse osmosis is available in Cameroon and is being supplied by MelHRcons & Safety Associates International at a very cheap and affordable price.

Contact: +237 6988 27 699

Benefits of Our Mobile Health Sms Alerts in Cameroon

In the last post we were talking about our mobile health updates using our bulk sms system. We did mentioned three main categories namely:

1. Prevention and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels

2 Management and prevention of other diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, overweight including home remedies and health tips

3 sexual and reproductive health messages for women

We did not really get into the specific things you will benefit from these categories. We saw it necessary to make readers have an idea on what they will benefit from subscribing to our service.

Category1: Prevention and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels e.g. hypertension

You will recieve M-Health alerts based on the following:

·        Reminders and alerts to go for checkups

·        Meaning of health parameters e.g. what does a BP of 160/120  mean 

·        Lifestyle and habits that make u susceptible to developing hypertension, stroke

·        Foods that fight hypertension 

·        Foods to avoid if you have hypertension

·        How to determine your risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases such as the use of BMI, Waist-to-height ratios and waist-to-hip ratios etc.

·        Reminders on  the importance of exercise and the role it plays in preventing diseases of the cardiovascular system

·        Encouraging people to get medication from a trusted and verified health center and how to avoid scams from illegal drug stores ,illegal and unverified medications such as some panaceas

·        Consequences of not going for regular checkups.

Category 2: Management and prevention of other diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, overweight including home remedies and general health tips

You will learn the following

• Causes of diseases
• Causes of overweight and obesity and its consequences
• How to lose weight naturally without taking any medication 
• Importance and health benefits of foods, fruits and vegetables for example health benefits of eating cabbage, tomato, garlic, ginger, onions, pear bitter leaf etc.
• Importance of all the classes of foods, and nutrients including where to find them for example you will know the importance of Vitamin C and the various foods, fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C and how to get the maximum benefit from this fruits 
• How to make healthy choices when it concerns food, especially the difference and health benefits of living food (e.g. raw cabbage, raw tomatoes, raw onions) Versus dead food (e.g. over cooked and over reheated foods, junk foods)
• Some simple and cost effective home remedies for example how to combat itches gotten from exposure to grass during farming, how to manage cough, colds at home with things like ginger, home uses of honey, apple cider vinegar, how to treat pimples and razor burns with things like lemon etc
• subscribing to our mobile health packages will teach you how to avoid some simple mistakes that cost us our health over a long period of time such as eating too much junk food, smoking, not going regularly for screening/checkups, eating too much sugar and sweet things etc
• Knowledge on signs and symptoms of some conditions that require screening and medical checkups
• First aid measures for common accidents that happen at home e.g. small wounds, sprains, strains, burns from fire, hot oil, hot iron etc 

3 Sexual and reproductive health

You will learn the following:

• Birth control and family planning methods, their uses, their advantages, their disadvantages and where to have access to these methods
•  False rumours and false facts about some  forms of contraceptives and their true facts
• Prevention and management of STI’s
• Screenings that are available to prevent diseases of the female reproductive system like cervical and breast cancer screening.
•   Health education about some conditions peculiar to women’s sexual health such as vaginal infections, menopause, signs and symptoms of diseases  of the female reproductive system etc
• personal hygiene for women 

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Cameroon Health : Get updates and Health tips on your Mobile Phone anywhere in the world.

Why Mobile health messages? What's the problem?

The World Health Organization has revealed that Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 38 million people each year. Furthermore, almost three quarters of NCD deaths( 28 million) occur in low and middle-income countries.

“Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person. They are of long duration and generally slow progression. The 4 main types of noncommunicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases (like hypertension, heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.

Children, adults and the elderly are all vulnerable to the risk factors that contribute to noncommunicable diseases whether from unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, exposure to tobacco smoke or the effects of the harmful use of alcohol.

These diseases are driven by forces that include ageing, rapid unplanned urbanization and the globalization of unhealthy  lifestyles For example, unhealthy diets may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, increased blood glucose, elevated blood lipids and obesity. These are called ‘intermediate risk factors’ which can lead to cardiovascular diseases, a NCD.

A  positive change in diet, lifestyle and an increase in physical activity can reverse  and prevent cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, heart attack and stroke.”

                                                                             -WHO fact sheets on NCDs, 2015

Our solution-M health messages

The use of mobile phones in Cameroon and the world is on the rise and it is an opportunity to take advantage of technology to improve on the health of our country and society. It is not easy to gather people together in a group to give carry out health promotion. This is because people are very busy with their activities of daily living and so there is the need for another strategy to pass across health messages without disrupting the activities of daily living of individuals. Furthermore, urban dwellers can use the Internet to have access to health education messages while those in rural communities may not have access to the Internet and may have very limited sources of information, but they do have mobile phones to receive messages. 

If health messages are sent directly to mobile phones, it is guaranteed that the users of mobile phones will read the message and the goal of health education will be achieved. 

What are the packages?

 

Mobile SMS plan for healthplero

Category	6 month subscription	12 months subscription
1.Prevention and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels e.g. hypertension	600FCFA	1000 FCFA
2 Management and prevention of other diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, overweight  including home remedies and health tips	600 FCFA	1000 FCFA
3 sexual and reproductive health for women	600 FCFA	1000 FCFA

The following are the packages we have per Category;

1. HPL 6 months subscription which cost   600 FCFA
2. HPL 1 year subscription package which cost  1000 FCFA
3.  HPL Group subscription package : This package is good for companies,  njangi  groups, church groups , families and other groups If you want this package, you will have to Provide us with the number of people in your organization or family so that we can fix the  cost.  We understand the team spirit in Cameroon and we are ready to provide your team with updates and health care services at your request.
4. Mobile-health + Check Up subscription package

With this package, you will get updates on your health and check up by our team.

This is done through an agreement. 

       5.  Remind Me to Visit the Doctor

 We understand how busy people are given the current economic conditions. With this package you provide us with information about your appointment with a doctor and we remind you to take the appointment.  Even if you are healthy, we will remind you to go for important screenings such as those for breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, glaucoma etc This cost 1000 FCFA.

       6  I need Attention Package

Sometimes you might need basic check up such as Blood pressure, BMI, or you may need to speek one on one with a health professional. we understand everybody doesn't have time to go waiting for hours just to ask general questions and do check up. 

With this package you have the option to get to our team whenever you need health care. One member or two from our team will be there to take care of the situation. This package cost 3000 FCFA basic.  

This service is available for those in Buea  and Douala for now.  You are responsible for the transportation  cost too and from.

  

Even though our target is to reach Cameroonians, People from other parts of the world can still benefit.

A mobile application would have been a good idea but it will only be useful to those who can afford a smart phone and Internet connection.   It will equally cost us some money to get it done before reaching out to interested persons. This is why we decided to use the mobile health SMS service. All you need is a phone that can receive messages. You can also subscribe for your parents as a gift. 

 However, we are looking forward to working with developers who can also provide us with a mobile application for those who wish to use applications to get updates.

Health is wealth, we  have made the prices very affordable. You can sacrifice a bottle juice or beer to get  our health tips for one year. Remember prevention is better than cure. Do not spend your old age in pain and misery when you could have prevented it.

 Read : Things you will Benefit From Mobile SMS  health Alerts

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