Don identifies stress as major cause of diseases in Nigeria
NAN-HG-56
Stress
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Malete (Ilorin), Sept. 21, 2016 (NAN) Prof. Adetayo Talabi, the Dean, Students’ Affairs of the University of Ilorin, has identified stress as a major cause of diseases in Nigeria.
Talabi made this submission on Wednesday in Malete while delivering a paper at the Kwara State University (KWASU).
He said that it was important for Nigerians to know how to prevent and manage stress in order to ensure their well being.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was on a research project on creating wellness awareness and establishment of a wellness centre for staff and students of the institution.
Talabi, who was on a secondment at KWASU, said that when one failed in handling his or her body, stress could set in.
”Stress is the reason why we fall sick and the major cause of stress is psyche disharmony because if you don’t know how to handle your body, stress comes in.
”We fall sick because of the way we live, we have raised our mental body to be alert but left our physical body to technology, which causes psyche distress,” he said.
Talabi added that the only solution was to raise the body activity level through exercise.
”Although, exercise is important in raising body level but precautions must be taken because there is a process for physical adjustment, you should go at your pace and level,” he said.
In his opening address, the KWASU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, said the fitness club was a product of a research carried out by a lecturer in the university.
”We, as a university, are committed to research and one of our researchers, Dr Rufus Ajayi, is working on wellness and fitness and he has developed a centre for our community.
”People should understand their body system and the needs of the body to be well and avoid sickness because most diseases now are high blood pressure related and diabetes.
”What we are trying to do is to ensure a good and sound body through wellness, knowing the food you should eat and the physical activities to engage in,” Na’Allah said.
The lead researcher, Ajayi, at the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, said he embarked on the research, having realised that people could not understand exercise, fitness and stress.
”If people are aware and conscious of all these, job outputs will increase and the personal health of individuals will also improve.
”Exercise is the in thing throughout the world now; it helps the mental, physical and spiritual being.
”It is the physical body that is seen but the driver is the spirit and if we exercise, there will be a synergy between the spirit and the physical body,” Ajayi said.
NAN reports that the Vice Chancellor launched the Fitness Club with a sum of N50, 000.
Registration to become members of the club for students is N3,000 per annum and N5,000 for staff and outsiders while it is free for the first three months. (NAN)
BAY/HS/YEMI
Edited by Halima Sheji
Controlled by Yemi Idris-Aduloju