Piles

Piles or haemorrhoids can affect anyone, any-time and anywhere. This disease is known for affecting children, but nowadays it extends its arm to adults especially men. Piles are enlarged and engorged blood vessels in or around the anus. They are often associated with pain, bleeding, itching and feeling as if a lump or bump is hanging down.

There are two types of piles, internal and external piles and both result to enlarged blood vessels in your back passage. Internal piles are small swelling that are most common from and are tucked away in your bottom. External piles are fond of protruding from your red or purple, sometimes resembling a bunch of grapes.

The main cause of piles is really simple. It is all down to increase pressure in your blood vessels stretch and swell, leading to a variety of symptoms, including itchiness and bleeding. Increased pressure in your abdomen can be due to a multiple of factors which among includes lifting heavy loads, constipation, being overweight, pregnancy and child birth and so forth.

The symptoms of piles can be noticed both external and internal and are caused by increased pressure on your abdomen. The symptoms vary from person to person. Among to be experienced are as follows; itching and soreness around your bottom. A dragging sensation in your back passage. Blood on the toilet paper after you have been to the toilet. Discomfort or pain up when you go to toilet, a bulging or lumpy feeling inside you or hard lumps protruding from your bottom.

If you have these symptoms, you are likely that you have piles. There is plenty that you can do to make them better. One can go for treatment such as anusol, which can be bought over the counter at pharmacies.

Again, if it is your first time to encounter piles problem visit the doctor. It is roughly estimated that eight out of ten people will suffer piles at some stage of their lives.

Those with piles should not panic and feel shy since there are many people who suffers from them. In Zimbabwe there are a number of people of different age groups both males and females who suffers from piles.

Interviewing HIV positive people

Interviews in journalism is one of the most important and critical activities in the process of gathering information. Both broadcasting and print media rely extensively on interviews to craft a good story that whit the appetite of the reader.

Interviewing people who are HIV positive or those living with AIDS poses an extra challenge to journalist who must adorn a cloak of sensitivity, while being able to break through the silence and taboo in many cultures of openly talking about sex. In Zimbabwe as well as many cultures, it is a taboo to discuss issues of sex and to name them explicitly. Certain words associated with sex such as virus and condoms do not exist in the Zimbabwean local languages. Worse still human private parts in an Africa context can not be freely and easily mentioned without infringing the taboos.

For a journalist to be recognised and to be respected has to be aware of the cultural factors that can compromise people being open with information which is salient for a good interview. Culture is a complex and contested phenomenon that can be defined in a multiplicity of ways. While it can be defined as “ordinary” , that is what people do at a given moment. However, on the other hand it can perceived as a “totality of life learnt across time and is transmitted from generation to generation”.

The complexity of culture can be experienced through the way people form and express their sense of identity. As a way of life, it is made up of norms and values which informs thought perceptions and behaviour.

In many cultures, because of gender roles women are less eager to speak openly, or honestly, about the “private”, and issues related to sex and sexual behaviour. When an interview takes place where both men and women are present, women will fall silent and leave the discussion to the men.

In an African context a good woman does not openly reveal her hurts, pain, sexual abuse, violence and denial of sexual rights. Such silence perpetuates the violation of women and other human rights.

Understanding gender role in journalism tells the whole story why women may tend to be silent or less forth coming during interviews which have to do with sex or HIV/AIDS. As a journalist knowing gender relations, culture and social traits that underpin the society your are informing, help all journalist to become better forearmed and understanding “what is to be said”.

Through interviews as a method of gathering news information and understanding the complexities of important issues, journalist may begin to uncover the stories of everyday efforts by women and men who make small decision to protect themselves but come up against obstacles.

In Zimbabwe, several workshops have been conducted to educate journalist to be guided by media ethics in their day to day business. Among the issues that the media associations have been reminding journalists is that they should tell the truth, respect the individuals, protect the source, report objectively and give their audience the right to respond.

For more information you can email Masuku at masuku.caven@gmail.com or at sukuman08@yahoo.co.uk