NMA president gives recipe for good health in 2013

President of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele has urged Nigerians to do everything possible to stay healthy in 2013 saying how well the individual manages his health
on a daily basis would determine how far he will go in achieving all other goals for the year
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Health & Wellbeing, the NMA President listed some vital health habits and practices everyone must adopt in the new year to stay healthy and be free of diseases. These include good nutrition, especially with balanced diets, avoiding sedentary lifestyles, abstaining from smoking and reducing alcohol intake, as well as keeping the environment clean. Not only that, regular medical checks should become a routine, while symptoms of diseases or ill-health should be reported on time for early diagnosis and management.
Dr. Enabulele believes Nigerians can enjoy good health in the year, though the country is situated in the tropical part of the world which has so many health and psycho-socio- economic challenges.
“We can still stay healthy in 2013 if we begin with eating well. Good nutrition is an important immunity booster and central to healthy living. Not eating balanced diets impairs immune function. So Nigerians must ensure they include fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts in their diets because they’re rich in nutrients which the immune system requires.”
He however noted that eating and drinking right will be in futility when the environments producing them are dirty. “Though urban cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, especially the former are witnessing more urban migration, thus, becoming congested and dirty, deliberate efforts must be made at keeping the environment clean lest no amount of balanced diets will save us all from resultant health hazards such as cholera and lassa fever.
“Let’s begin with decongesting our homes, surroundings and store waste properly, thereby having less dark corners that can inhabit rats, cockroaches and other creeping creatures that add no value to our health. Every mother must store food items in containers and not paper or carrier bags, as preventive measure against the occurrence of lassa fever.
Dr. Enabulele who is also a family and community health expert observed that a sane and clean environment could be best created and enjoyed only by a stressfree mind and body. According to him, when an individual is stressed, his adrenal glands churns out epinephrine also known as adrenaline and cortisol. Also, he said, acute stress pumps up the immune system, grinding long-term duress over-burdens the defense mechanism.
As a way forward, Enabulele suggested the need for Nigerians, especially those in very busy commercial cities such as Lagos to adopt de-stressing approaches on daily basis.
“Most of us might not be able to afford going to a spa, stress-reducing activities such as meditation and rest, produce positive changes in the immune system. While work-related and traffic snarl might be inevitable, do not subject yourself to the stimulus of the environment. Whatever you can’t deal with on the immediate, leave alone for another time lest you develop all manner of ailments which wouldn’t exclude hypertension” he advised.
He however prescribed body massage, quiet music or after-work hangout with like-minds or religious gathering as very good ways of recovering from everyday hassles and boosting immune functions. “Don’t always wait till weekend or month end to do these; when you create time for them, they will become a part of you” he added.
Smokers, he further noted should abstain from tobacco, while drinkers must reduce their alcohol intake if they intend to live healthier lives this year. According to him, “tobacco smoke triggers inflammation, increases respiratory mucus, and inhibits the hair-like projections inside your nose (cilia) from clearing that mucus. Children and adults exposed to tobacco smoke are more at risk for respiratory infections, including colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis and middle ear infections.
“Habitual alcohol consumption runs contrary to healthy-life plan. Alcohol-abuse is associated with an increased risk of alcoholism, malnutrition, chronic pancreatis, alcoholic liver disease, and cancer. In addition, damage to the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system can occur from chronic alcohol abuse. Long-term use of alcohol in excessive quantities is capable of damaging nearly every organ and system in the body not just the immune system”.