1. Clean
• Wash your hands and surfaces often!
• Always wash your hands after handling uncooked meats, seafood, eggs, and flour.
• Wash your utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
• Rinse fresh vegetables and fruits under running water.
2. Separate
• Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods when you go shopping.
• Keep raw or marinating meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator to prevent contamination.
• Raw chicken is ready to cook and doesn’t need to be washed first. Washing these foods can spread germs to other foods, the sink, and the counter and make you sick.
3. Cook
• Cook food properly – to at least 75 °C or hotter.
• If you use a microwave, ensure the food is cooked evenly throughout.
• Cook foods made from eggs thoroughly.
• Reheat food until steaming hot.
4. Chill: Refrigerate food as soon as possible
• Keep your refrigerator at 4°c or below and your freezer at -17°c or below.
• Refrigerate perishable food (meat, seafood, dairy, cut fruit, some vegetables, and cooked leftovers) within 2 hours.
• Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave. Never thaw food on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.

By following these food safety tips of “Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill,” you can greatly reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and enjoy delicious and safe meals. Remember, proper food handling practices are essential for the well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

Causes and Risk Factors:

Several factors contribute to the development of brain tumours. Understanding these causes can help us identify potential risk factors and take preventive measures. Some common causes and risk factors include:

1. Genetic factors and family history: Certain genetic conditions and a family history of brain tumours can increase the risk of developing one.
2. Exposure to ionizing radiation: Prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, can raise the risk of brain tumour formation.
3. Smoking: Studies have suggested a link between smoking and an increased likelihood of brain tumours.

Common Symptoms:

Recognizing the symptoms associated with brain tumours is crucial for early detection and timely treatment. Some common symptoms include:

1. Headaches (often worse in the morning)
2. Seizures: Unexplained seizures or convulsions
3. Nausea and vomiting: Persistent nausea and vomiting, particularly in the absence of other gastrointestinal issues, should be investigated further.
4. Changes in sensory perception: Loss of smell, alterations in vision, speech difficulties, and hearing problems can all be potential symptoms.
5. Cognitive and personality changes: A brain tumour can cause changes in cognition, memory, and behaviour, including personality changes.
6. Weakness or numbness on face and limbs: The presence of weakness or numbness, especially on one side of the body, could be a sign of a brain tumour.
7. Balance and coordination problems: Difficulties with balance, coordination, and fine motor skills may indicate a brain tumour’s presence.

Treatment:

Advancements in medical science have provided various treatment options for brain tumours. The most common treatments include:

1. Surgery: Surgical removal of the tumour is often the primary treatment method if the tumour is accessible and can be safely removed.
2. Radiation Therapy: Targeted radiation is used to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours.
3. Chemotherapy: Medications are administered to kill cancer cells or slow down their growth.
4. Targeted Therapy: Medications specifically designed to target genetic mutations or proteins present in certain types of brain tumours.
5. Immunotherapy: This treatment aims to boost the body’s immune system to fight against tumour cells.

Prevention:

While it may not be possible to prevent all brain tumours, adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing one. Here are some preventive measures:

1. Avoid environmental hazards: Minimize exposure to environmental hazards, such as smoking and excessive radiation.
2. Regular exercise: Engage in regular physical activity to promote overall health and well-being.
3. Balanced diet: Maintain a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to support a healthy immune system.

Do not panic! It’s important to emphasize that the presence of a brain tumour does not automatically mean it is cancerous or life-threatening. Many brain tumours are benign and can be successfully treated. Even malignant tumours have various treatment options. Remember, early detection and appropriate treatment greatly improve the chances of a successful outcome.

Consult a medical professional:
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms or has concerns about a brain tumour, it is best to consult with a medical professional for a proper evaluation.
By understanding the causes, recognizing the symptoms, and exploring the available treatment options, we can approach the topic of brain tumours with a balanced perspective. Stay informed, seek professional guidance, and remember that knowledge is a powerful tool in managing health-related concerns.

Signs of Poor Gut Health:

1. Heartburn and discomfort.
2. Abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, and constipation.
3. Fatigue and sleep disturbances.
4. Sugar cravings.
5. Skin breakouts triggered by certain foods.
6. Mood swings, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
7. Rectal bleeding.

Factors Contributing to Poor Gut Health:

1. Unhealthy diet choices.
2. Sedentary lifestyle.
3. Elevated stress levels.
4. Specific medical conditions.
5. Excessive alcohol consumption.

Dos and Don’ts for Improving Gut Health:

1. Increase fiber intake, including whole grains and leafy vegetables, to promote a healthy microbiome.
2. Eat a small evening meal at least two hours before bedtime.
3. Incorporate garlic, bananas, rice, apples, and probiotic foods like yogurt into your diet.
4. Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.
5. Chew food slowly and thoroughly.
6. Dilute lemon juice in water and consume it.
7. Engage in regular exercise and manage stress levels effectively.
8. Don’t drink water with meals; instead, drink water 30 minutes before or 1 hour 30 minutes after eating.
9. Avoid excessive use of over-the-counter pain medications.
10. Steer clear of highly spiced foods, fried foods, carbonated drinks, and stimulants like coffee.
11. Avoid extremely hot or cold foods and concentrated sweets.

When to Seek Medical Attention:

1. Persistent or worsening heartburn.
2. Vomiting blood.
3. A sensation of food stuck in the chest or throat.
4. Unusual or persistent belly pain.
5. Pain or difficulty when swallowing.
6. Bloody or black stool could indicate various conditions such as ulcers, haemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, or cancer.
7. Chronic hoarseness or an enduring sore throat.
8. Unending diarrhoea.
9. Chronic constipation (less than two bowel movements per week).

Prioritizing digestive health is crucial for overall well-being. By being aware of potential signs of poor gut health and adopting healthy habits, individuals can enhance their digestive system’s functionality and enjoy a better quality of life. Remember, if any concerning symptoms persist, seeking medical attention is recommended.

• 120/80 -Normal blood pressure
• 120-129/80: Elevated blood pressure
• 130-139/80-89: Stage 1 hypertension
• 140/ 90: Stage 2 hypertension
• 180/120 and over Hypertension crisis

Symptoms to look out for;
Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. Therefore, you can have blood pressure for years without having any symptoms.

A few people with high blood pressure may have:

• Headaches
• Shortness of breath
• Nosebleeds

There are two main types of high blood pressure.
1. Primary hypertension or essential hypertension.
Most adults have no identifiable cause of high blood pressure, and this type develops gradually over the years.
2. Secondary hypertension
An underlying issue causes this type of hypertension, which tends to appear suddenly. Conditions and medication that lead to secondary hypertension include:

• Kidney disease
• Thyroid problems
• The build-up of plaque in the blood vessel
• Certain tumors
• Drugs such as cocaine.
• Some pain relievers, birth control pills, and other prescribed drugs

What puts you at risk of getting hypertension:

• Age.
• Family history of hypertension.
• Obesity and being overweight.
• Lack of exercise.
• Tobacco or use of vaping.
• Too much salt.
• Drinking too much alcohol.

Management of Hypertension: The Do’s and Don’ts.
Prevention is key, and diet plays an important role in maintaining blood pressure within healthy limits.

The more fruits and vegetables one consume, the lower the hypertension risk.

Here are some measures to manage hypertension;

• Reduce salt intake.
• Keep fit! Physical exercise keeps your blood pressure in check.
• Take a diet low in fat. For example, you can steam vegetables instead of
  frying, bake or grill foods instead of deep frying. Take low-fat milk instead of whole milk and
  have skinless chicken.
• Take fibre-rich foods: Peas, soybeans, oats, chia seeds, broccoli, sweet
  potatoes, arrow roots, and almonds.
• Reduce or remove alcohol from the diet – alcoholic beverages increase
  hypertension.
• Quit tobacco– The chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your
  artery walls.

When to see a doctor.
Blood pressure screening is an important part of general healthcare. People aged 40 and older and anyone above 18 years with a history of blood pressure should get checked every year.

Jubilee Health Insurance Limited

Length of Treatment
Therapy can range from a few sessions to several weeks, depending on your concerns
or goals. While you may want to know how long it will take to “feel better,” there is no
simple answer. The length of therapy will vary based on various factors such as
individuals’ unique needs and situations as well as the severity of the issue being
addressed. Ultimately, the level of therapy is highly individualized to ensure success.

Your First Therapy Session
Your first session will be different from future visits. The initial session is where you and your therapist get to know each other (Rapport Building) and get an idea of how to proceed. Subsequent sessions will be more therapeutic.
During your first session, your therapist may ask:
● What brought you to therapy?
● What do you feel is wrong in your life?
● They may ask about your history, including your childhood, education, relationships, current living situation & career.
● What do you hope to achieve by the end of these sessions

Therapy Methods
Therapists have training in various techniques to help you better cope with life stressors and mental illnesses and create personal changes in your life.
This includes:
● Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
● Art Therapy
● Group Therapy
● Occupational Therapy
● Family & Couple Therapy

Patient Confidentiality
A therapist is requested to keep information discussed during therapy private. In most
cases, a therapist is required to breach confidentiality if a client poses an imminent
threat to themselves, the therapist, or a third party. This information is divulged to a
person capable of taking action to reduce the danger, for example, a police officer.

What to Ask your therapist:
● How can you assure my confidentiality
● How long will each session last?
● What experience do you have working with clients with similar concerns?
● Will you briefly explain what I can expect to happen in my sessions?

Is my therapist right for me?
A big part of successful therapy is feeling comfortable with your therapist. Here are some of the qualities to look for in a therapist:
● They challenge you in a supportive way
● They check in with you regularly
● They help you set and achieve goals
● They show acceptance and compassion
● They help you learn and grow

Therapy vs. Counselling

Therapy Does Not ‘Fix’ You Because You Are Not Broken

Author:
Chiromo Hospital Group

Dr. Edna Kerubo Ngare
Head of Wellness
Jubilee Health Insurance Limited

Why are generic drugs frequently less expensive than brand-name drugs?

Generic medications are typically less expensive than brand-name medications. The primary reason for the price difference is that the development cost of a generic drug differs from that of a brand-name drug. When a company introduces a new drug to the market, it has already spent significant money on research, development, marketing, and promotion. The company recoups its costs by charging a higher price for the brand-name drug. This price is frequently significantly higher than the cost of producing generic medicine.

Generic drugs benefit from lower marketing and advertising costs and development costs. As a result, generic drugmakers can invest less money in product promotion than brand-name drugmakers do. This is a significant factor in the lower price of generic drugs.

The goal of developing a generic version is to offer medication to patients at a lower cost than they would pay for a brand-name drug.

Generic medications are just as safe and effective as brand-name medications. In fact, they must meet the same quality and efficacy standards as their brand-name counterparts. The FDA, for example, requires that generic drugs contain the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form, and route of administration as the brand-name version.

To summarize, generic drugs are identical to brand-name drugs in terms of dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, risks, safety, and strength. Because of lower development, marketing, and advertising costs, they are typically less expensive than brand-name drugs. Furthermore, generic drugs must meet the same quality and efficacy standards as their brand-name counterparts.

Next time visit a pharmacy, ask if a generic version of the brand-name medication is available to save money on your medical coverage limits.

By Dr. Ezra Omolo
Head of Strategic Purchasing & Provider Partnership
Jubilee Health Insurance Limited

A life insurance policy is a relatively inexpensive way to provide money for your family when you pass on. Once you purchase a Term Life insurance policy, the insurer pays a lump sum death benefit to your beneficiaries if you die during the contract term.

There are two important factors to consider when purchasing a Term life policy. The first one is the duration of your coverage. This is informed by the number of years that your family will rely on your income. For example, the years that you need to pay school fees for your children.

The second consideration is how much life insurance coverage you need. For instance, this can be based on the needed amount to cater to your children’s education until they become self-reliant. Having clarity on these two issues will guide you on the right Term life to purchase. With Term Life insurance policies, younger clients may acquire more coverage at a lower immediate cost. It is highly recommendable that you purchase this policy when you are relatively younger.

Lastly, an individual should purchase a Term Life insurance policy from a reputable and credible insurance company. This will ensure that your dependents receive the benefits in line with your policy. Ensuring that an insurance company has positive customer satisfaction and experience ratings will give you confidence that the agreement will be easily settled. Jubilee Life Insurance has been trusted by our customers for 85 years. We continue to innovate and build on this trust to enable our customers to overcome uncertainty.

Jubilee Life Insurance has introduced AHADI which is an online Term Life insurance policy that runs from 1 to 10 years. The policy has a minimum coverage of KES 500,000 and maximum coverage of KES 3 million.

The unique features of AHADI include survival benefits for policies. This means that a policyholder will receive an amount when they survive the policy’s duration. AHADI also offers a free editable online calculator and an online self-sign-up process to empower individuals easily sign up for the product.

Click here to sign up for AHADI. Reach out to our team at onlinesales@jubileekenya.com for further clarification or assistance.

Written by Amidah Rajab, Deputy Head of Retail Agency Sales, Jubilee Life Insurance on 7th December 2022

The low savings rate has been attributed to limited financial literacy on all available and suitable financial products to utilize and build savings over time. Building an effective savings kitty requires an individual to identify and use financial tools that give competitive returns. This means that your money should be “gainfully employed” in an avenue that ensures growth and stability over time.

Jubilee Life Insurance Limited has two retirement solutions for individuals; the Personal Pension Plan and Personal Provident Fund, which enable individuals to put aside money during their active work life to be spent during retirement. Retirement age is segmented into three categories; normal retirement which is at 60 years, early retirement at 50 years and late retirement at 65 years.

The benefits of retirement planning cannot be over emphasized. Jubilee’s pension products are long-term savings products geared towards giving individuals independence and peace of mind during retirement.

It is recommended that at least 30 per cent of your income should go towards saving to secure a lifestyle that is like what you have during your work life. Jubilee Retirement Plans enable individuals to save and plan for their retirement. The contributions are invested in a Guaranteed Fund, ensuring capital preservation; with a minimum guarantee of 4%. Jubilee Life has consistently given competitive returns with an average net return of 10.5% for the past 10 years.

Individuals can make flexible contributions on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, or annual basis and receive a tax relief of up to Kes. 20,000 per month. The plans also give flexibility to increase, decrease or stop contributions based on an individual’s financial situation.

Over and beyond the provision of Insurance, Savings and Retirement solutions, Jubilee Life Insurance also offers advisory services to set you off on your financial journey and enable you live free. Our experienced team of financial experts are available to give you guidance on financial products that match your needs and goals.

Learn more about our Pension Plan and sign up via https://pensions.jubileeinsurance.com/eforms

Unknown to majority of us, your greatest asset is your health. It is so great that there is no price tag attached to it.

While most of us will say that the statement “You are just one disease away from poverty” is cliché, it is sadly true. The moment your health starts deteriorating, it’s just a matter of time before you liquidate all your assets in search of health restoration.

That said, it is paramount to ensure you protect your greatest asset as much as possible, and this is where health insurance comes in handy.

Most people, when considering the purchase of health insurance will look back and think they don’t need it since they haven’t fallen sick in the last, say two years or so. Health insurance will thus appear as an unnecessary expense, and they would rather spend that money enjoying some Nyama Choma and a cold beer.

Diseases and accidents do not have a schedule

Having been healthy in the last three (3) years and visiting no health facility is no guarantee that the coming months will be just as healthy. Diseases and accidents have no schedule and can strike at any time, catching you flat-footed.

A great example is the COVID-19 pandemic, which struck and affected humanity across all spheres of life. The affected people underwent untold anguish with those who had pre-existing conditions suffered double tragedy.

While nobody can plan for a tragedy or a disease, we can all plan for a proper health insurance cover and purchase it in advance, giving us the much-needed peace of mind as we run our day-to-day activities.

Regular Medical Check-Ups

Perhaps one of the wrong assumptions people make when considering health insurance is that it can only be used when one has fallen ill. The fact is, with health insurance, you can get regular medical check-ups (cost covered by your provider).

This can help find potential health issues before they become a problem. If not treated early enough, they may end up costing a lot of money to treat, or ultimately costing a life. Day in day out we hear of thousands of cases of conditions that are diagnosed late, and doctors have to play catch up, trying to contain them. Early detection gives you the best chance of getting the right treatment quickly, avoiding any complications.

Take care of yourself, and your loved ones too

With good health insurance cover in place, you can take care of yourself and your loved ones too. I don’t think there’s a better way of expressing love than this. Have comfort knowing that, should a disease or tragedy strike, all will be taken care of, without the need to call friends and relatives to help you raise money for medical treatment.

Health insurance is way cheaper than the cost of treatment of thousands of diseases and conditions. As you plan your budget and make resolutions, be sure to have health insurance at the top of your list.

Protect your most valuable asset!!