MEDICAL experts, under the aegis of the Society for Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria (SOLONG), have called on Nigerians to change and stop their lifestyle habits to prevent terminal diseases such as hypertension, colon cancer, cancer and diabetes, among others.
President of SOLONG, Dr Moyosore Makinde, who made the call at a media briefing by the organisation at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said many people living in major cities now suffer from sleep disorders, anxiety, stress and poor eating habits that contribute to mental stress, abysmal health, a high rate of drug abuse, poor sexual performances, a shortened lifespan and marital disharmony.
Makinde, a consultant pharmacist and family physician, stated that current and practicable lifestyle interventions around obesity, sexual health, sleep disorders and others will be shared with the public at the fifth edition of SOLONG’s annual International Scientific Conference, with the theme, ‘Healing Africa with Lifestyle Medicine from Evidence to Action,’ starting today at the NECA Event Centre in Lagos.
She said, “People know what to do, but they don’t know how to translate it to practical habitual methods. Lifestyle medicine helps intervene in lifestyle-related conditions such as high cholesterol levels, breast cancer, colon cancer, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Our bodies have a system to heal themselves if we imbibe the right culture.
“For lifestyle medicine practitioners, our cardinal advice to the public is healthy eating, regular physical exercises, restorative sleep, stress management, positive psychology and good social connectedness among individuals.”
Also, a public health physician, Dr Uchenna Anekwuonye, stated that lifestyle medicine has become a global phenomenon.
She, however, stressed that lifestyle interventions do not sabotage the pharmaceutical companies, as many firms are also responding to prevalent ethical responsibilities.
Dr Anekwuonye stated that lifestyle medicine, including supplements, exercise routines and dietary advice, is meant to help ill and chronically ill people maintain a habit that would allow the body to activate a self-healing process.
Chairman, local organising committee of the SOLONG conference, Dr Chinasa Amadi, stated in a remark that Nigeria has spearheaded lifestyle medicine in Africa, with South Africa, Egypt, and Rwanda following its trail.
According to her, the conference, which would involve lifestyle health experts from Australia, India, the United States, and others, will also be a veritable meeting point to share ideas with industry players, health experts and the general public to create enabling health business environments and to expand professional networks.
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