LetLucia

                                      Okay parents, now let’s get information *in Beyoncé’s voice*. The reason why this might just interest parents is because kids are the most vulnerable due to their cute small bodies, and because they are usually unable to explain what they are experiencing. Hence the job of the parents to be very vigilant after the child gets out of the pool. Now, don’t freak out! It is an extremely, extremely rare situation. They only cause about 2% of drowning. So, pump on the breaks a little. There is something called ‘ Dry drowning ’ and another thing called ‘ Secondary drowning ’ which typically occur up to 24 hours after a child has gotten out of a pool, and has probably even forgotten that they went swimming that day. Both situations occur when the child breathes in water when swimming. In the case of dry drowning, the water does not get to the lungs but ...

One of the safety signs at Laguna Beach, Orange County, California Sometime during the spring break, I visited California, and of course, I visited one of the beautiful beaches in the area, Laguna Beach to be precise. It was my first time on a beach in the US and I couldn’t help but notice the various safety signs and notifications around the beach. It was like I was in the CIA and taking mental notes of what was around me. I also noticed that lifeguards would come by in their vehicles at intervals to warn about the tide, especially when the sun began to go down and whenever they saw that you were going too far into the water. My best friend, whom I was visiting, told me to write about beach safety but I wasn’t sure what to write. I knew that there were a lot of safety concerns about the beach but I was just really blank. Sadly, I got news today that two ladies drowned at a beach back home in Nigeria and I felt terrible. The news pushed me to finally write an article on be...

You would sometimes hear people say things like ‘I function better at night’ or ‘I am a morning person’. This is as a result of their body’s ‘circadian rhythm’ which is the natural functional pattern following the normal 24 hours where it knows to sleep at night, wake up when it is bright and even when to eat…all in the brain. It is what the body has come to know over time, and when that rhythm is disturbed, people may start to feel like they are not functioning right. This also gives an explanation for what happens when you travel to a different time zone and you say you are ‘jet lagged’. It is because your circadian rhythm has been disturbed and your body needs time to adjust to the new situation. Like every other ‘disturbance’ to the body, working night shifts and depriving your body of sleep has an effect over time if not properly managed. I have friends who work night shifts and I find myself worrying about their health. The most common problem with workin...