The disturbing Halloween-style MASKS that show how smoking ages the skin and causes horrifying cancers

# The masks show the horrors of mouth and throat cancers, macular degeneration and periodontal disease, plus premature ageing of the skin 

 # They were inspired by health warnings on cigarette packets and are part of Health Express' Stop Smoking campaign this month 

 # Actors wearing the masks will be out and about in cities known to be home to many smokers to highlight the dangers of the addict

As well as highlighting the horrors of mouth and throat cancers, macular degeneration and periodontal disease, the masks (pictured) show premature ageing of the skin and early greying of the hair, as part of a new campaign

The man's grey hair is the result of added stress on his body, while crows feet around his eyes are brought on by squinting to protect his eyes from smoke fumes. 

His eyes have irregularities and lumpy tissue on the white of the eye due to irritation from the smoke, while the hardening of the carotid artery makes a stroke six times as likely compared to a man who does not smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day.
The final mask is of a 30-year-old female who has skin damage to her lips, which is a visual symptom of mouth cancer.

The girl's teeth and gums have been damaged by tobacco products, which deplete gum tissue and expose tooth roots to periodontal disease, while there is nicotine staining on her imperfect teeth. 
As well as highlighting the horrors of mouth and throat cancers, macular degeneration and periodontal disease, the masks (pictured) show premature ageing of the skin and early greying of the hair, as part of a new campaign

He has ear let him hear 

Help for couples trying to conceive

More than ever before statistics have shown that it now takes some expectant spouses longer and difficult time to get pregnant. For most couples trying to conceive, they probably have wondered if it will ever be, how long it will take to get pregnant, when to have sex, and how often, what are the natural methods or mediums if surgery is not the option. It may surprise you to know that sometimes the needed remedy or remedies may not be the big things such couples have not done, it may just be the little basic thing they overlook. There are some factors that can affect couples’ chances of getting pregnant, most especially the woman.

Mother paralysed in a car crash is woken from a coma by her son who then chews her food and mouth feeds her

A son's love: Gao Qianbo, two, helpfully chews up mother Zhang Rongxiang's food and feeds it to her mouth to mouth

Adorable: Gao Qianbo spends every day by his mother's bedside helping her eat and making her laugh

It’s never too early to protect your bones

Simple biology teaches us that, generally, the bone protects the delicate organs of the body — in addition to being the framework that props up the skin and gives it shape. Without the bones, the skin would just be a drag, literally.

Scientists say at birth, we have about 270 bones, which systematically fuse together as we grow. By the time we reach adulthood, the normal adult human has 206 bones in all; and this underscores the importance of the skeleton to overall human health.

Bone functions

Scientists say the skeleton provides the framework that supports the body and maintains its shape. For instance, they say, without the rib cages, costal cartilages, and intercostal muscles, the lungs would collapse.

Again, the joints between bones allow movement, with some allowing a wider range of movement than others. “Movement is powered by skeletal muscles, which are attached to the skeleton at various sites on bones. Muscles, bones, and joints provide the principal mechanics for movement, all coordinated by the nervous system,” scientists enthuse.

Natural cure for cataracts, glaucoma validated

Can extracts of bitter kola (Garcinia kola), garden egg (Solanum melongena) and pepper fruit (Dennettia tripetala) provide the elusive natural cure for eye diseases especially cataracts and glaucoma?

UNTIL now, they are renowned for their bitter and peppery tastes. They have been validated in clinical trials for treating various ailments such as osteoarthritis, food poisoning, indigestion, and heartburn, among many other disease indications.
  But now researchers are adding more feathers to their caps. Extracts of bitter kola, garden egg and pepper fruit have shown promise as the next best eye drugs in town.

Garcinia kola of the family Guttiferaceae is an indigenous herb in Nigeria colloquially referred to as “bitter kola”, “false kola” or “male kola.” Garcinia kola has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antimicrobial and antiviral properties.
  Botanically called Dennettia tripetala, pepper fruit belongs to the plant family Annonaceae. It is called Ako in Edo, Nkarika in Ibibio, Mmimi in Igbo, and Ata igbere in Yoruba.

Beware of these in food products

A list of food products and ingredients banned in several places around the world was released recently. Surprisingly, many items on the list are still available in Nigeria.
It is not unexpected that a host of the banned ingredients are disguised and passed off as “safe” and “healthy”. Here are tips for avoiding the offending ingredients.
Artificial food colourings – Today, many companies are removing artificial colours from their products, so a little research should help you find safe alternatives. Many common snack foods contain Yellow #5 in their ingredient list, but it’s not the only artificial food colour that is banned in other countries. Blue #1, Blue #2 and Red #40 may also cause health problems.

Baby elephant 'cries' for five hours after mother tried to stamp him to death shortly after birth!

Horrified zookeepers were forced to intervene after a female elephant attempted to stamp her calf to death shortly after he was born.
The female elephant had stepped on baby Zhuangzhuang almost immediately after giving birth at a Chinese zoo on August 30.
But vets initially thought it was an accident. They removed the calf to treat his injuries and returned him to his mother two hours later - but she started to stamp on him again.

Keepers drove her off and took the little elephant away.