Cardiac Clinic Botswana

04/01/2026

Is Black Pepper A Healthy Spice?

Black pepper is the most popular spice in the world. Black, green and white peppercorns all come from the black pepper plant (Piper nigrum), native to Asia. Black pepper is the whole, partially ripened fruit; green is the unripe fruit; and white is the peeled seed.

Black pepper can provide you with significant health benefits: it is a proven antibacterial agent, and compounds in this spice help protect the integrity of DNA as well, making it a possible weapon against cancer. It also can aid in the absorption of healthy anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric.

Learn to enjoy the spice by investing in a grinder to break down the whole peppercorns onto any dish you make. Not only might there be greater health benefits to grinding fresh, but a better, richer taste as well. Keep in mind that overconsuming black pepper can irritate the GI tract, urinary tract, and prostate, so should not be eaten frequently in high quantity.

04/01/2026

Chronic Pain Linked To High Blood Pressure

A large study of over 200,000 adults found that chronic pain — especially pain that is widespread throughout the body — significantly increases the likelihood of developing high blood pressure. The investigation, led by researchers at the University of Glasgow in the UK, shows that the more extensive a person’s pain is, the higher their risk, and that depression plays an important role.

Participants were followed for an average of 13.5 years. Compared with people reporting no pain, those with chronic widespread pain had a 75 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure. People who had chronic pain in a single area of their body had a 20 percent higher risk. Risk also seemed to vary depending on its location: people with chronic abdominal pain had a 43 percent higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure, while those with chronic headaches had a 22 percent higher risk, followed by chronic neck and shoulder pain (19 percent), chronic hip pain (17 percent), and chronic back pain (16 percent).

Previous research suggests that widespread pain increases the likelihood of depression and that depression itself has been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure. While pain is known to raise blood pressure temporarily, this study clarifies how chronic pain may contribute to long-term hypertension risk, potentially through inflammation, depression, and the effects of certain medications.

04/01/2026

3 Mood BoostersFor The New Year

A mood state is the medical term for a person’s long-term emotional temperament. One way to improve a mood state in a durable way is to consistently focus on the positive experiences in your life.

Being a born optimist is not required – this is a habit you can acquire! A simple way to get started is to begin the “Three Good Things” intervention: each day for at least one week, write down three things that went well that day, and the reasons why.

This simple act fosters the ability to habitually notice what’s going right in our lives and has been shown to lift happiness for a full six months! You can buy a journal or notebook and dedicate it to this task or send yourself emails or texts throughout the day when you have something positive to write down. Give it a try and see how it affects your mood!

23/12/2025

Lower Your Blood Pressure In 4 Simple Steps

Want to lower your blood pressure in four simple steps? It’s not as difficult as you think, and the benefits include a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems, erectile dysfunction, cognitive difficulties including dementia and osteoporosis. Adopt the following:

1. Ditch the ci******es. Smoking and va**ng can temporarily spike blood pressure, while promoting long-term damage to blood vessel walls, and raising your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

2. Get moving. Research shows that regular aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, swimming and cycling, can reduce blood pressure, possibly by keeping blood vessels flexible. Regular exercise can also help you lose weight and keep it off, which is crucial to the success of any high blood pressure treatment plan. Start slowly and aim for 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week.

3. Stay calm. Stress can raise blood pressure, while relaxation techniques appear to lower it. Learn and practice a mind-body approach such as breath work, yoga or meditation and take advantage of its benefits regularly.

4. Eat a healthy diet. Adequate intake of micronutrients, including potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin C, is essential to maintain blood vessel tone and healthy circulation. On the other hand, avoid excess amounts of sodium. Realise that most people’s sodium intake comes from breads, pizza and processed foods, not sprinkling table salt. Work on ways of relying on whole foods daily and not store or restaurant prepared meals. Doing this will ensure that using some moderate table salt for flavouring is harmless.

23/12/2025

A Spoonful Of Molasses?

Unlike refined white sugar, molasses is high in minerals. There’s also an increasing amount of evidence that suggests a number of the compounds in molasses have health benefits.

Before you start eating a spoonful of molasses every morning, remember this: It’s still first and foremost a sweetener. At 58 calories and 15 grams of sugar per tablespoon, you’ll want to use it in moderation — that’s already about half of your recommended daily sugar intake!

That said, using molasses, and especially the darker blackstrap molasses, as a natural sugar substitute in your cooking and baking can be beneficial to your health. A typical tablespoon of molasses contains 41 mg calcium (3 percent of your recommended daily allowance), 48 mg magnesium (11 percent RDA), 292 mg potassium (6 percent RDA), as well as other micronutrients like iron (5 percent RDA), copper (10 percent RDA), manganese (13 percent RDA), selenium (6 percent RDA), and vitamin B6 (8 percent RDA). Molasses also contains trace amounts (

23/12/2025

Don’t Take Heart Health Sitting Down

Habitually sitting for long periods of time has already been linked to a number of health risks. Now, a recent study suggests that any other activity — even sleeping — may be better for the heart than sitting. Researchers from University College London looked at data from 15,246 people who wore devices to monitor their daily movement; they also assessed the participants’ heart health. The investigators created a ranking of daily behaviors based on their benefits for heart health: moderate-to-vigorous activity, light activity, standing, sleep, and sitting. They then developed a model of how swapping one behaviour for another might affect heart health.

The team discovered that even small changes, like substituting moderate-vigorous activity for five minutes of sedentary time, notably improved heart health. While vigorous activity quickly improved heart health, those with limited physical abilities could also benefit from any increase in activity: Even subtle variations, like using a standing desk, had positive effects over time.

23/12/2025

3 Ways To Use Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus is a stately tree that yields fragrant dried leaves. Often used as decoration or for its fragrant scent in the home, eucalyptus leaves have applications that promote your health – they are:

1. Useful for treating respiratory problems including chest congestion, bronchitis, bronchial cough and sinusitis.

2. Effective in addressing sore throat and laryngitis.

3. A natural antibacterial agent.

A small handful of whole leaves or a few drops of the essential oils in boiling water are effective for twice-daily steam inhalations. You can apply rubs as needed to the chest and throat to ease congestion or use a diffuser to enhance the air you breathe. When buying eucalyptus products, choose oils containing 100 percent pure eucalyptus or at least 55 percent eucalyptol

23/12/2025

Feeling Bloated? Try These 4 Suggestions

Many of us are familiar with the swollen fingers and ankles that accompany water retention. Whether you retain fluid due to hormonal changes or after eating too much salty food, don’t reach for prescription or even over-the-counter diuretics, both of which can put a strain on the kidneys, electrolyte levels and have unpleasant side effects. Instead, try the following:

1. Eat sensibly and watch your salt intake. Most sodium in the diet comes from breads and processed foods, so aim for the whole, natural versions of food and lots of produce.

2. Get regular exercise. Things that challenge the muscles will be best to move blood back to the heart. Try wall slides or air squats to work the bigger leg muscles and calf raises where you press up off of your heels to get an additional blood flow pump.

3. Drink black tea, which is a safe, natural diuretic. This can be either hot or cold. Be cautious drinking this in the evening hours, as the caffeine may affect sleep.

4. Invest in quality compression socks or hose. Have them fitted to you by a medical facility/Dr and enjoy the constant movement of blood flow back toward your heart. You can also spend some time at the end of the day elevating your legs above the level of your heart to let gravity help your circulation after a day on your feet.

15/12/2025

https://youtu.be/IMgdoc3td0w?si=uhh8CQy2t3yoK-L-

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