Top health care practitioners from different parts of the world, recently blazed the trail in Africa’s first international conference on lifestyle medicine in an all day confab that detailed facts on healthy living in an effort to redefine health care toward natural, non-toxic remedies.
The conference, kicked off by Dr. (Mrs) Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, was under the auspices of Brookfields Centre for Life Style Medicine. Its scheme was “the science and art of healthy living; revolutionising health, redefining healthcare” and featured experts from Nigeria, Canada / United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Saraki remarked that indeed for a healthier living, Nigerians need to, as much as possible, move away from drugs and concentrate on healthy eating and healthy life styles.
Professor Adrian Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, Arabian Wellness and Lifestyle Management, emphasised Workplace Health Promotion (WHP). The practice which involves corporate joint effort between a firm and its employees to improve and maintain the mental and physical wellbeing of its members is associated with many benefits, that are even quantifiable, he said. “These include reduced medicine costs (26 per cent); reduced absenteeism (27 per cent); improved productivity (14 per cent); cost benefit ratio (1:5). Others are improved retention, improved workplace safety and generally enhanced quality of life.
Prof. Erica Frank, Canada Research Chair at the University of Columbia, United States, espoused the international, evidence-based links between the health choices doctors make and those of their patients , evidencing the reasons physicians are key lifestyle medicine targets. She observed that studies have shown that physicians with the healthiest habits are more likely to advise their patients about related preventive habits, and quality lifestyle habits in general.
Dr. Ifeoma Monye, Consultant Family Physician, National Hospital, Abuja and lifestyle medicine practitioner underscored the role of nutrigenetics in gaining greater understanding of the mechanisms associated with intervariablility among individuals and the need to develop a personalised, bespoke, dietary recommendation for each individual where possible.