Two experts, Dr Yashua Alkali Hamza and Dr Monisola Ogunsanya have identified stress as a major cause of ill health and urged Nigerians to always create time to relax.
Hamza, a pediatrician and public health expert said sudden deaths probably from cardiac arrest or sudden rise in blood pressure are all stress-related and could be eased off through relaxation.
Also, Ogunsanya, a consultant family physician, said the holistic care of a person goes beyond what happens in the hospital, adding that wellness and mental health are affected by what happens in the society, thus the need to bring Nigerians back to nature.
They spoke at the launch of the Wellness and Revitalized Holistic Service by the Childcare and Wellness Clinic, in Abuja.
Hamza said, “People have to try as much as possible to learn how to manage stress. Stress is by far the number one cause of ill health and it is not just about heart disease but any other illness. When you are under stress, your body strive to fight that stress and it diverts your immune system from fighting illnesses that they are supposed to fight. So, if you don’t manage your stress and if you don’t take care of your stress levels, it is going to affect your health.”
Hamza, who is also the chief executive officer at Childcare and Wellness Clinics, warned that consistent stressing of the body can pull it off balance.
“You should try as much as possible to relax and avoid stress. I know that things are difficult and I know that times are hard, but you have to take some time to take a deep breath in, bring yourself back into balance and try and manage that stress.”
All these sudden deaths probably from sudden cardiac arrest or sudden rise in PB are all stress related and so managing your stress is very important,” she added.
On the setting up of the wellness and holistic service she said it is an initiative that is part of a larger facility. “As part of our wellness and as part of our complementary medicine, we decided to open this digitalised area. It is a relaxation area, if you are stressed, we have a lot of things that will put your body into balance. We have our green house where we grow organic products and we have a spa. We also have counselling where we counsel.
“A lot of the products out there are full of fertilizer and all sort of things so we decided to grow a Green House that is fertilizer-free. We all know how important it is to detoxicate. If you have a cold for instance, ginger can work, we have the products, we can even give you as a client to go and plant and tell you how important it is, we use it in some of our products.
“For instance, you have malaria and you keep on coming for treatment. You know these are drugs and they keep on building up in your system, so you can use some of these natural products to detox yourself. You can also use a lot of these natural products; this is scientifically proven.
“If for instance you are taking BP drugs and your BP is just not coming down, you can take these natural products. By no means are we saying take this instead of that but this is just to complement. Everybody needs balance and these products will keep you balance,” she explained.
On her part, Ogunsanya said the clinic is trying to help Nigerians to be aware of how the herbs that grow around them, in their gardens and in their communities can help them maintain their health.
“We want them to have the opportunity to have counselling and go through all the experiences that they have had and see how they can come out of it. That in particular is the essence of going beyond clinical care and offering other forms of holistic care,” she added.
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