By Eberechi Obiagwam Special Correspondent, Lagos
In the bid to enhance the health status of people in their environs, the people of Onicha-Ugbo, living at the Alimosho area of Lagos on September 7 held a health education programme on healthy lifestyle.
Onicha-Ugbo is in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The programme, which centred in the area of diabetes, featured the president/founder of Edna Amuche Nwobi Foundation (EndiCare), Mrs. Edna Amuche Nwobi, who had been leading a campaign against diabetes.
The programme was held on the auspices of the Onicha-Ubo Patriotic Union (OPU), Alimosho branch, under the leadership of Francis Ndudi Chiazor. The members of the association, both men and women, eager to know how to avoid diabetes, which is one of the killer diseases in the country, came in large number to listen to Mrs. Nwobi, a diabetes activist, and food scientist, who had once suffered the disease, but had overcome it through her research into the disease and how it can be managed through food. Her research resulted into a popular book, “Managing Diabetes through Foods”.
Mrs. Nwobi’s talk with the Onicha-Ugbo people was divided into three segments. The first was a lecture. The second phase was an exhibition of foods, which can cause diabetes and those, which are healthy for consumption. The third segment was question and answers during which the listeners asked Mrs Nwobi several questions, which she took time to answer them.
Before the programme, Mrs Nwobi had advised the participants to test their blood sugar, which some of them did. She also brought some health workers who tested their blood pressure.
Mrs Nwobi, during the lecture, told her listeners that diabetes is caused mainly by the type of food people eat and advised them be doing their blood sugar tests regularly to determine their sugar level, since diabetes is caused by excess sugar in the body.
She recalled that in the past, many people died without knowing the cause of their deaths, while relatives of such people attributed such tragedies to the actions of witches and wizards, when in fact such deaths could have been caused by diabetes.
She said that many deaths, even in this modern time, as well as amputations are linked to diabetes. She also said that difficult wounds, which do not heal easily, could be caused by diabetes, while it makes people to pass urine frequently, eve at an embarrassing level.
Mrs Nwobi lamented that people spend a lot of time chasing money and caring less about their health, thereby exposing themselves to unnecessary health conditions like diabetes, which can terminate their lives prematurely.
She urged people that have reached 40 years to be mindful of their health status, stressing that diabetes, arthritis and cancers are some of the conditions associated with the aged.
Mrs Nwobi lamented that people no longer eat natural foods, instead they go for highly processed and artificial foods, drinks and juices, which she said lack fibre and contain a lot of surgery substances.
“In men, it leads to prostrate cancer, while women have cervical cancer”, even as she urged people to eat foods like cubed spices, and noodles. She, however, urged the people to use more crayfish, pepper, fish, little meat, vegetables, eggs to prepare their foods and avoid starchy foods.
On the early indication of diabetes, she noted that the disease is hereditary and that others whose children are fat at birth should know that such children are prone to diabetes when they grow older. She also said that people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol are prone to diabetes, which can also lead to stroke.
Mrs Nwobi, however, assured them that diabetes can be controlled if properly managed by one’siting habit and exercises, and not necessarily by drugs, although she added that drugs are helpful. She, however, warned that most of the diabetes drugs in the market, especially the imported ones are fakes. She stressed that diabetes is not death sentences and as such anyone who allowed himself or herself to be killed by diabetes committed suicide, adding that peoples sugar levels are not supposed to be more than 100. She however stressed that diabetes is not a disease of the old and rich as both poor and young people suffer it and that it leads to kidney failure. Nwobi added that most people who go for kidney transplant overseas and spend a lot of money in the process, suffer diabetes. She said diabetes could lead to people having bad teeth and poor memory, poor sight and ulcer.
Other food items she warned against included, biscuits, wheat products, starchy foods and ripe plantain.
Speaking with daily Independent, Chairman of the Onicha-Ubo Patriotic Union (OPU), Alimosho branch, Chiazor, said the aim of his executive in bringing Mrs Nwobi to talk to them was to make them aware of their health status so that those who are ill can commence early treatment.
He said: “Mrs Nwobi instructed us to test our blood sugar, which we did. We also invited a health worker, a matron in a hospital, to test our blood pressure (BP) and we also received professional advice. We shall organise more tests on our people.
“Now that we have done the basics, we will take the programme to wider spectrum of our people for Mrs Nwobi to give us more advise at a wider level. She will be pleased to come back to give our people more advise”.
According to Chiazor, most of the things Mrs Nwobi taught them were interesting and good, adding that his people had been educated better on diabetes and the type of foods they should embrace and those they should shun for their own good.
He commended the efforts of Mrs Nwobi and her foundation to bring good health to the door steps of people through her educative programmes and drug-free programme to diabetes patients. Chiazor also pledged the support of his people to the Edna Amuche Nwobi Foundation (EndiCare) to enable it continue it its good work of educating Nigerians on diabetes.
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