Health expert urges women to maintain healthy living

By Correspondent in Akwa

Mrs Franca Nwigbo, a Retired Chief Nursing Officer, has called on women to ensure they maintain healthy living in their various homes, to create a healthy and responsible society.

Nwigbo made the call while delivering a paper entitled, “Good Health Habit and regular check up”, during the 2021 Awka Diocesan Christian Family Day celebration in Awka on Friday.

She described health as a state of complete physical,mental and social wellbeing,not absence of disease or infirmity.

Nwigbo said that for a family to be described as a healthy, certain good health habits must dwell in such home and listed such good healthy habits to include good eating habits. .

“ Family must be served breakfast to improve the energy level of the members of the home,also to prevent ulcer and give balanced meals at all times.

“ Fruits, vegetables, white grains, fat free or low fat milk and milk products, beans, eggs, nuts,fish, poultry, amongst others must be included in the diet of a home with good health habit

“ A healthy eating every day helps to protect against malnutrition in all forms as well as non-communicable diseases” she said.

Nwigbo also advised family to ensure exercise so that members could enjoy good healthy living, adding that “exercise strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation, increase flow and raises the oxygen level in the body.”

The health exper said that a family that engaged in daily exercise would enjoy lower risk of heart diseases, low cholesterol, heart attack, high blood pressure, weight management and improves on joint pains and stiffest.

“ A simple exercise like dancing, brisk walking, gardening , doing house chores amongst others will take families away from hospitals or being sick always,” she said

Nwigbo advised nursing mothers to ensure that children were given exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of their life and that children should be given beans to eat three times a week.

She said that dental hygiene which is brushing morning and night which helps to prevent dental caries gum must be maintained.

She urged women to ensure that family members takes at least 8 glasses of water a day, more intake of water melon cucumber and plenty of fluid to keep warm.

Nwigbo said that it is very good to practice sleep habits in the afternoon or at 8 hours a day as it helps clear the brain from any junk, sleep strengthens memories and conserve energy.

She urged women to discouraged lack of sleep in their homes because it can cause blood pressure , diabetes , stroke, physical and mental confusion ,loss of productivity, greater risk of death amongst others.

Nwigbo said that women who had people in their homes who drink too much alcohol ,smoking needed to work harder to break the bad health habits as such habits could lead to heart diseases, liver diseases and digestives problem.

She said that smoking did not add any value to the family healthy living, “rather it leads to poor vision, certain eye problem, premature aging, lung diseases, risk of tuberculosis.

Nwigbo said that family must,as a matter of importance, maintain a healthy weight, women to have, a weight measure scale at home, saying that heavy weight could lead to heart diseases , stroke, diabetes ,

She urged women to maintain personal hygiene such as, washing of hands and always inculcate that into the lives of our children by letting them wear clean pants and cloths , wash their hair regularly and hang washed cloths in the sun.

“ All these healthy habits prevent infection, idea of going for check up to medical doctor is very safe and a good health habit.” She advised.

Mrs Martha Ibezim, wife of the Archbishop province of the Niger and Bishop of the Awka diocese, the chief hostess of the celebration, commended the guest speaker for a well thought out topic.

Ibezim urged the women to enshrine all that they learnt from the presentation so as to build a healthy family and vibrant society.