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The Medpulse Insights, Accra (2026)

01/06/2026

Music is therapy? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes…

That Song Playing in Your Ears Right Now? It Is Doing More Than You Think?

You put on your favourite song and something shifts. Your shoulders drop. Your breathing slows. The tension loosens. You thought that was just your mood. But science says something far more interesting is happening inside your body

When you listen to music you enjoy, your brain releases dopamine, the chemical linked to pleasure and reward. At the same time, cortisol, your stress hormone, begins to fall. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce cortisol levels by up to 61% (de Witte et al., 2020). Your heart rate slows. Your blood pressure drops. Your nervous system shifts into rest mode.

A 2025 meta-analysis confirmed that music-based interventions significantly reduced anxiety and depression while improving quality of life across both healthy and clinical populations (Zhang et al., 2025). In hospitals, music therapy is already being used to manage pain, reduce pre-operative anxiety, and support stroke rehabilitation — with no serious side effects reported (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2026).

Here in Ghana, music has always been how we process emotion, the highlife in our homes, the gospel in our churches. Our cultural instinct was always clinically sound. Science is simply confirming what we already knew in our souls.

Music will not replace your medication or your doctor. But it is one of the most powerful, zero-cost health tools available to every one of us. The next time life feels heavy, before you scroll, try a song that centres you instead. 🎵

What song shift your mood? Drop it in the comments. And share this with someone who needs a reminder that healing does not always come in a bottle, sometimes it comes in a melody. 🔬

| The Medpulse Insights|
| Medical and Health media|
References: de Witte et al. (2020), Frontiers in Psychology | Zhang et al. (2025), Frontiers in Psychology | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2026)

14/05/2026

Hantavirus disease; a rare but dangerous infection now making headlines again after recent reported cases? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes…

Hantavirus spreads mainly through contact with urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents. People can become infected by inhaling contaminated dust while sweeping rooms, stores, or abandoned areas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2025). Early symptoms often look like ordinary flu: fever, body pains, fatigue, and headaches.

What makes the disease frightening is how fast it can worsen. Within a few days, some patients develop severe breathing difficulty as fluid fills the lungs, a condition known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) (Jonsson et al., 2010). Without urgent medical care, the disease can become life-threatening.

The good news is that prevention is possible. Avoid contact with rats and their droppings, keep homes and food storage areas clean, seal holes where rodents enter, and avoid dry sweeping rodent waste. Health experts recommend spraying disinfectant before cleaning contaminated surfaces to reduce airborne particles (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024).

Do not ignore persistent fever or breathing difficulty, especially after exposure to dirty or rodent-infested environments. Share this post to educate others, keep your surroundings clean, and help stop preventable infections before they spread.

|The Medpulse Insights | Heath media and Education |

12/05/2026

5 Things Your Blood Pressure Monitor Is Trying to Tell You? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes…
Yesterday we talked about why every Ghanaian home needs a blood pressure monitor alongside their glucometer. Today let’s go one step further.
Because owning the device is only half the story. Understanding what it is telling you, that is the part that actually saves lives.

1. One high reading does not mean you have hypertension
Blood pressure fluctuates naturally throughout the day. Stress, caffeine, a full bladder, cold temperature, or even anxiety about checking can push the numbers up temporarily. Hypertension is diagnosed when readings are consistently elevated across multiple days, not from a single measurement. Always track over time.

2. The time you check matters more than most people realise
Morning readings before medication and before eating give you the most accurate baseline picture of your blood pressure. Checking immediately after exercise, a stressful phone call, or a heavy meal will give you a falsely elevated reading that tells you very little about your true cardiovascular status.

3. Your technique is changing your results
Sitting with your legs crossed, checking over clothing, holding your arm in the air, or talking during the measurement, all of these push your reading higher. Sit with your back supported, feet flat on the floor, bare upper arm at heart level, and stay silent. Bad technique is one of the most common reasons home readings differ from clinical ones.

4. A record is worth more than a single reading
One reading in isolation means very little. A week of morning readings tells your doctor everything. Record the date, time, and both numbers every time you check. That log is one of the most useful things you can bring to a medical appointment, and it costs you nothing except two minutes of your morning

Which of these 4 surprised you the most? Drop it in the comments below. And share this with someone who checks their blood pressure but isn’t quite sure what they’re looking at. 🔬

— Dr. Ewua-Gyan | The Medpulse Insights | Health Media & Education

11/05/2026

Stroke often begins long before the emergency room. It begins with years of unnoticed high blood pressure at home? Dr Ewua-Gyan write..

You probably know someone who owns a glucometer. Maybe you own one yourself. It has changed how we manage diabetes at home, and it has genuinely saved lives.
But there is another device that belongs right next to it in every Ghanaian home. Most people don't have it. And the consequences of not having it are serious.

It is the blood pressure monitor. And unlike diabetes, which usually gives you warning signs, high blood pressure gives you absolutely nothing. No headache. No dizziness. No fatigue. You feel completely fine, while your blood vessels are under dangerous pressure every single day.
That is why it’s called the silent killer.

A blood pressure monitor is a Point-of-Care Testing device, same category as your glucometer. It brings clinical-level monitoring into your home, without a queue, without waiting for something to go wrong before you find out.
It gives you two numbers. The top number is your heart pumping. The bottom number is your heart resting. Together they tell a story your doctor needs, and that you deserve to understand.

In Ghana, hypertension is one of the leading causes of stroke, kidney failure, and heart disease. Most people only discover it when something has already gone wrong. A blood pressure monitor catches the warning signs early, giving you time to act before a crisis, not after.
One small device. Potentially life-changing information.

The habit is simple. Sit quietly for five minutes. Take your reading in the morning. Record it. Share it with your doctor. That consistent record is more valuable than any single reading taken in a rushed clinical setting.
Glucometers changed how we manage diabetes. Blood pressure monitors can do the same for hypertension. If your home has one without the other, it is time to complete the pair.

It gives you two numbers every time you use it.
Top number (Systolic) — your heart pumping
Bottom number (Diastolic) — your heart resting between beats

Here is what normal looks like 👍
*Below 120/80 mmHg — Normal. Excellent.
*120-139 / 80-89 mmHg — Elevated. Lifestyle changes needed now.

*140/90 mmHg and above — Hypertension. See a doctor.
*Above 180/120 mmHg — Medical emergency. Go to hospital immediately.

Do you have a blood pressure monitor at home?
Drop your answer in the comments. If you have questions about how to read your results, ask me below,I will answer every one.
And if this post helped you, share it with someone whose home needs one. It might be the most important share you make today.

|The Medpulse Insights | Health media and Education |

06/05/2026

In just three decades, global diabetes cases have quadrupled, surging from 200 million to over 830 million. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear; take control of your health today

Own a glucose meter now.

Check your blood sugar regularly, at least twice a month for non diabetic people

| Dr. Ewua-Gyan | Medpulse Insight | Health media and Education|

04/05/2026

A client checked her blood sugar herself every morning for three months. Every reading looked normal. She still had diabetes. Here's what she didn't know? Dr. Ewua -Gyan writes…..

Glucometers are everywhere in Ghana. You’ll find them in homes, pharmacies, churches during health screenings, and even at market health fairs. Millions of people prick their finger every day and stare at a number on a small screen.

But do you actually know what that number ( Results) means? Do you know whether you should have eaten before the test or not? Do you know when to be worried and when to relax? If not, this post is for you.

First, What Is a Glucometer?
A glucometer is a small handheld device that measures the amount of glucose (sugar) in a tiny drop of your blood usually taken from a finger prick.

It gives you a result in seconds, right there at home or wherever you are.
It is one of the most important home health tools ever invented, especially for people managing diabetes or monitoring their blood sugar. But its usefulness depends entirely on whether you understand the result it gives you

FBS vs RBS; The Difference You Must Know
This is the most important thing to understand before you even switch the device on. There are two types of blood sugar readings and they mean completely different things:

Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS)
This is a blood sugar reading taken after you have not eaten or drunk anything (except water) for at least 8 hours. Usually done first thing in the morning before breakfast.
FBS tells you your baseline blood sugar level, what your body looks like at rest, with no food influence. This is the reading used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes

Random Blood Sugar (RBS)
This is a blood sugar reading taken at any time of the day, regardless of when you last ate. You could check it one hour after jollof rice or four hours after your last meal. The time does not matter.

RBS tells you how your body is handling sugar at that particular moment. It is useful for monitoring and for quick checks — but it cannot be used alone to diagnose diabetes

Understanding Your Glucometer Results
Glucometer results are measured in mmol/L (millimoles per litre) in Ghana and most of Africa, or mg/dL in some countries. Make sure you know which unit your device uses.
Here is how to read your results:

FASTING BLOOD SUGAR (FBS) — No food for 8+ hours

Normal
3.9 – 5.6 mmol/L Your blood sugar is in a healthy fasting range. 👍

Prediabetes
5.7 – 6.9 mmol/L Higher than normal. Not yet diabetes but a serious warning sign. Lifestyle changes needed now.

Diabetes
7.0 mmol/L and above Consistently at this level means diabetes. Please see a doctor immediately. Do not ignore this.

RANDOM BLOOD SUGAR (RBS) — Any time of day

Normal
Below 11.0 mmol/L Good reading regardless of when you last ate. 👍

Diabetes Range
11.1 mmol/L and above This alongside symptoms (thirst, frequent urination, fatigue) strongly suggests diabetes. See a doctor.

When to See a Doctor, Do Not Wait
If your FBS is consistently above 7.0 mmol/L or your RBS is consistently above 11.1 mmol/l, please see a doctor.

A glucometer is a screening and monitoring tool. It is not a substitute for proper laboratory testing and It cannot diagnose diabetes on its own, a proper lab FBS or HbA1c test is required for diagnosis

Your glucometer is a powerful tool when you understand what it is telling you. Use it wisely, record your results, and always share them with your healthcare provider when in doubt.

— Dr. Ewua-Gyan | The Medpulse Insights | Health Media & Education

02/05/2026

Final Episode: Just One Biscuit? The Myths, The Excuses & The facts? Dr. Ewua- Gyan writes….

If you've followed this series from the beginning, thank you. Genuinely. You now understand your blood tests better than most people who have been getting them for years.

In this final episode, I want to address the things I hear most often from patients, from relatives of patients, and honestly, sometimes from other healthcare workers. These are the myths, the excuses, and the misunderstandings that keep landing people back in the waiting room for a repeat blood draw.

Myth 1: “I Only Had a Tiny Biscuit, That Can't Possibly Matter"
Oh, but it can.
Your body doesn't grade food by size. Even a small snack triggers a glucose response, a fat response, and a hormonal response. Your blood doesn't know it was "just one biscuit." It just knows food arrived and immediately starts processing it.

The fact: If a test requires fasting, even a small snack can compromise the result. Wait until after the draw, then eat everything in sight. You deserve it.

Myth 2: "My Tea Had No Sugar, So It's Fine"
I understand the logic, no sugar, no calories, no problem, right? Tea and coffee both stimulate a cortisol response and can raise blood glucose even without added sugar. They also contain compounds that can interfere with certain test parameters.

The fact: The only safe drink before a fasted blood test is plain water. Not tea. Not black coffee. Not juice. Water.

Myth 3: "I Fasted, But Only for 4 Hours"
Four hours feels like a long time when you're hungry. But your body doesn't finish processing a meal in four hours.
Depending on what you ate, it can take your blood 8 to 12 hours to fully return to a fasted baseline. The fat particles from a heavy evening meal can still be circulating in your bloodstream the next morning if you didn't fast long enough. That's what creates the milky serum we see in the lab.

The truth: 8 to 12 hours is the standard minimum. Go to bed, let your body rest, and schedule your test early in the morning.

Myth 4: "The Results Were Fine Last Time and I Ate Then Too"
This is a tricky one, because technically, you might have gotten away with it once. But here's what you don't know: you have no way of comparing what your fasted result would have looked like versus what was reported. The result may have appeared "normal" on paper while still being inaccurate compared to your true baseline.

The fact: Getting away with it once doesn't mean it was accurate. Your health decisions deserve reliable numbers.

From the perspective of a Biomedical Scientist-
I've spent this entire series bringing you behind the curtain, into the part of your healthcare that most people never see. The centrifuges. The milky samples. The rejected samples. The silent frustration of a lab scientist who just wants to give your doctor the most accurate information possible.

And it all comes down to this: you are part of the process. Your preparation before the test is just as important as the test itself.
Fasting is not punishment. It's preparation. It's how you give your body the best chance to tell the truth.
Thank you for reading every episode of this series. I hope it's changed how you think about your blood tests and made the next early morning fast at least a little more bearable.
Until the next series, stay curious, stay informed, and please, drink more water. 💧🔬

~ The Medpulse Insights.

01/05/2026

Why Overnight Fasting Matters for Certain Blood Tests? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes…….

Episode 4: Which Blood Tests Actually Require Fasting, And Which Ones Don't?

Welcome to Episode 4, and this is probably the most practically useful episode in the whole series.

The truth is not every blood test requires fasting. And just as importantly, not every test that says "fasting" requires the same fasting window. The confusion around this leads to a lot of unnecessary hunger, and sometimes, people skipping the fast for tests that actually needed it.

Tests That Absolutely Require Fasting

1. |Fasting Blood Sugar (FBG) |
Fast required: 8–12 hours (Overnight fast)
This is the big one. FBS is the primary test for diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes. Your glucose must be measured in a true fasted state to get a reliable baseline. Eating anything beforehand, even just fruit will spike your sugar and could lead to a misdiagnosis.

2. Lipid Profile (Cholesterol + Triglycerides+ HDL+LDL)
Fast required: 8–12 hours
Triglycerides are extremely sensitive to recent food, especially fats. A non-fasted lipid panel is almost meaningless for assessing cardiovascular risk. If your doctor is checking your heart health, please take this fast seriously.

Folate
Fast required: 6–8 hours (confirm with your lab)
Recent dietary intake can temporarily raise folate levels. For the most reliable picture of your nutritional status, these are best tested fasted.

Tests Where Fasting Helps but Isn't Always Mandatory

Liver Function Tests (LFTs)
Technically, most LFTs don't strictly require fasting. But eating can temporarily raise some liver enzymes like ALT and AST. If your doctor is investigating liver disease, they may prefer a fasted sample. When in doubt ask your healthcare professional.

Kidney Function Tests (Urea & Creatinine)
A high-protein meal, like grilled tilapia the night before can temporarily raise urea levels. For routine kidney screening this isn't always critical, but if kidney disease is suspected, a fasted sample is preferred.

The Golden Rule
When in doubt, always ask. Call your lab or hospital before your appointment and ask specifically which tests have been ordered and whether any require fasting. One phone call can save you a wasted trip and an unnecessary test repetition.

And if you're told to fast, please fast properly. Water is always okay. Plain water. Not juice. Not tea.

One more episode to go! In Episode 5, I'll take on all the myths and excuses we hear in the lab and I'll do it with love 😁
See you in the next episode. 🔬

30/04/2026

Why Overnight Fasting Matters for Certain Blood Tests? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes….

Episdoe 2: What Actually Happens Inside Your Blood the Moment You Eat?

Most people imagine their blood as a kind of steady, quiet river flowing calmly through the body. But that picture changes completely after you eat. Within minutes of your first bite, your blood becomes something more like Accra's Spintex Road during rush hour 😁

Everything is moving fast, things are being picked up and dropped off, and the conditions are very different from just an hour ago.

Here's what specifically changes when food enters your body:
1. Your Blood Sugar Shoots Up
The moment carbohydrates like rice, bread, bananas, whatever you had hit your gut, they're broken down into glucose and absorbed straight into your bloodstream. Within 30 to 60 minutes, your blood glucose can jump significantly.
In a healthy person, the body responds quickly by releasing insulin to manage that spike. But the key word is quickly, meaning your glucose is already elevated by the time most people arrive at the hospital for a morning blood draw.

Why this matters: The Fasting Blood Glucose test is how we diagnose diabetes. If your glucose is high because of breakfast and not because of a health condition, you could receive a completely wrong diagnosis unless we interpretes the resuits within the context of Random blood glucose. That's not a small mistake, that's life-changing.

2. Your Blood Fats (lipids) spikes up.
When you eat fatty foods, your intestines package those fats into tiny particles called chylomicrons and release them into your blood. Triglyceride levels, which are normally well controlled can spike dramatically after a meal.
We're not talking a small increase. A single fatty meal can push your triglycerides 5 to 10 times above the normal range within just a few hours.

Why this matters: The lipid profile test checks cholesterol and triglycerides to assess your heart health risk. If you've eaten before this test, your results are essentially useless for clinical decision-making.

3. The Liquid Part of Your Blood (plasma) Changes Color.
Here's the one that always gets people talking. Your blood isn't just red cells. When we spin a blood sample in the centrifuge, it separates into layers and the top layer, called serum/plasma, is normally clear and pale yellow.
But when someone has eaten, especially something fatty , that serum can turn milky white. Cloudy. Almost opaque. We call this lipaemia. And trust me, when you see it in the lab, you know immediately that something is off.
We'll dig into lipaemia more in Episode 3. But for now, just know this, we can literally see when you've eaten. The sample tells us.

4. A Wave of Hormones Floods Your System.
Eating also triggers a hormonal response. Insulin rises sharply to manage glucose. Cortisol which is already naturally higher in the morning interacts with food in ways that shift various test parameters. Hormones that regulate digestion also fluctuate. All of this can affect results in ways that are difficult to predict or correct for.

So What Does Fasting Actually Do?
Fasting gives your body time to settle. After 8 to 12 hours without food, the glucose spike has passed. The fat particles have cleared. The hormones have returned to a stable baseline. Your serum is clear again.

That's the version of you we need to see in the lab for certain tests like lipid profile, Fasting blood glucose etc not the version that just had jollof and fried plantain. 😄
The fasted state gives your us a clear, honest picture of how your body functions at rest. That's the only foundation for accurate clinical decisions for the above tests.

In Episode 3, I'll take you behind the scenes of the lab and show you exactly what we see and what we have to do when a sample arrives that clearly wasn't fasted. It's more dramatic than you'd expect.
See you in next episode.
- Medical Press

29/04/2026

Why Overnight Fasting Matters for Certain Blood Tests ? Dr. Ewua-Gyan writes…

Episode 1: That One Biscuit Before Your Blood Test, Does It Really Matter?

Okay, be honest with me for a second.
You've done it before, haven't you? You were told to fast before your blood test. You set the alarm, went to bed early, woke up... and then at 6am, you snuck one small biscuit. Or a sip of tea. Or you thought, it's just a tiny snack, what's the worst that could happen?

Well most of us have done this before. Nobody ever really explains why fasting matters. They just say "don't eat" and send you on your way. So you're left guessing, and honestly, that's not fair to you as a patient.

I’m a Biomedical Scientist, I work in the lab that receives and processes your blood samples every single day. And today, I want to have an honest conversation about what actually happens when you eat before a blood test that needs an overnight fasting state, because once you understand it, you'll never skip the fast again.

So Does That Biscuit Really Matter?
Short answer? Yes. More than you'd think.
Over the next four episodes, we'll break it all down, the science, the lab secrets, the specific tests affected, and the myths we really need to put to rest.

A quick preview; when you eat even something small, your blood changes. Your sugar goes up. Your fats spikes up. The liquid part of your blood (Plasma) can literally turn cloudy. And when that happens, the results your doctor gets back may not reflect your true health and wellbeing. They might reflect your breakfast instead.

Why Nobody Tells You This?
Here's something I've noticed after years in the lab, there's a big communication gap between what happens on our end and what patients are told. You get a slip of paper that says "fasting required" and that's it. No explanation whatsoever.

No explanation. No reason. Just instructions. And when people don't understand why they're doing something, they're less likely to do it properly. That's not a criticism, it's just human nature.

That's exactly why I started this series to bridge that gap. To bring you into the lab with social media and show you what's really going on with your health.

What's Coming in This Series?
Here's what we'll cover over the next four episodes:

•Episode 2: What actually happens inside your blood the moment you eat, explained simply

•Episode 3: What we see in the lab when you don't fast, a confession from behind the bench

•Episode 4: Which blood tests need fasting,and which ones don't (yes, some don't!)

•Episode 5: The myths and excuses we hear all the time, and the honest truth behind each one

By the end of this series, you'll understand your blood tests better than most people who've been getting them for years.
So stick around. Share this with someone. And I'll see you in Episode 2.
— Medical Press.

The Medpulse Insights

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