An Associate Professor of Internal Medicine/ Consultant Neurologist, University of Uyo, Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Akwa Ibom, Bertha Chioma Ekeh, has advised Nigerians on the need to take precautions through regular medical checks and healthy lifestyles to avoid stroke. This she warned was necessary as there is no up to date stroke center in Nigeria.
She made this known during a health talk organized for a media house in Lagos.
She stated that only some developed worlds like US and UK, own a standard stroke care centre and for the person to revert it, you need to get to the hospital within three hours. She said: “So, for the politicians and those who claim to be very rich, there is no magic thar they can do with their private jets to get abroad in three hours.
“The ones who are saved are those who reside in those countries and are able to make it in less than three hours. No one in Nigeria will be spared the day they will have stroke. Nigerian government need to step up and have a standard stroke care centre. We also have lack of awareness and are quick to attribute everything to spirituality. The African mentality will say it is a spiritual disease, some will stay with native doctors for weeks and come back with sores, only to die days later. The reason why you ran to the hospital is because the case is very bad.
“The faster they get to the hospital the better, late presentation is also the problem. Stroke occurs in the night in most cases, this is why it is difficult to manage stroke even in countries with sophisticated equipment.”
She pleaded with Africans on the need to return to their native dishes devoid of preservatives. “The best stroke is the stroke you never had. You must know your blood pressure, just enter any pharmacy, health center or hospital and know your blood pressure. Stop cutting corners when they ask you to fill medical forms. Also know your sugar and cholesterol level.
“The healthy West African diet is one of the fastest ways out, let Africans go back to their food. Medical history in West African said that 100 years ago, there was no stroke, no diabetics, no cancer. We spotted the disease after we changed our food and lifestyle. These days a child is living in a body of a 35-year-old destroyed by food. Those days if you want to eat Chicken, you kill and cook.
“We borrowed packaged foods and they have salt which is used as preservatives. Our native dishes have minimal processing with no addictive. We ate oil gotten from plants unlike now that people prefer animal oil from Cheese, Margarine and others which are all preserved with salt.
“We borrowed the processed sugar and that is causing all kinds of disease. Reduce your salt intake. Stop unnecessary salt, don’t boil your corn or groundnut with salt, don’t sprinkle salt on Pawpaw, Avocado Pear or Pineapple, reduce further the Salt inside the food, avoid food inside packet or tin.
“Buy your food and cook it. Learn to cook your food, because it is only the cook that knows the content. Reduce alcohol intake and if you must take ensure that you eat well.
“That’s a healthier way to drink. Incorporate exercise in your daily activities. Ensure you move as much as you can on a daily basis. Stop two bus-stop away and walk. Do some house work, run errands, see off your visitors and reduce the number of hours you spend sitting down.
“Sitting is a new smoking, administrators and journalist, sit for hours. Always find a reason to stand and move around.
“There is a high-rate of stroke in Africa and one out of four persons will die of stroke. Prevention is still the best way to avoid it. To avoid stroke lifestyle modification is very important,” she stated.
