Your health in 2023

Often times we wait until we are very ill before we think of getting a health check. We spend a lot of money on clothes, drinks and frivolities but fail to spend just the required amount of money on quarterly health checks. And by the way I don’t mean that you should go to a fancy hospital where if you smile at a receptionist, you pay your 2 months’ salary to the facility. I mean just find a simple General Hospital where you can register, build relationships, and run routine checks every four months.

While you are at it, cultivate the Doctors and the nurses so they treat you kindly. General Hospitals in Nigeria can be sluggish so be ready for long waiting times and occasional poor customer service. But they would have Doctors and nurses and a facility.

More than anything else it is a lot cheaper than most health facilities. They are also good for routine checks. In addition to this, you must get registered in a reasonable private hospital for those days when you cannot afford the General Hospital’s lackadaisical attitude and you have an emergency. So, there you have it.

If you work in an office, you need to know if your office has a relationship with a clinic like a partnership. Join that clinic through the office. That means you have three hospital outlets for looking after your health. This year 2023 is a good year to check out Health insurance policies. These are important areas to register your family members. Whether you work for yourself or for an organisation, you would do well to check.

It has been scientifically proven that lifestyle, stress, and food are majorly responsible for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc

Does your office have a Health insurance coverage? Use it! If not register with one. Find out their reputation, hospitals they use and their offer. What it does for you is that once you pay your premium, any health challenge is absorbed by the insurance company for a year. Always check what your entitlements are and get on board. Read the information and small notes.

To the big issues now. Past illnesses, medical history and DNA. What illnesses are in your medical history. Do you have a predilection to non- communicable diseases? Is a Primary parent diabetic, hypertensive? How are you working hard to avoid what your parents had?

There is medical science, nutrition, technology to help you along. So how intentional are you or are you leaving everything to chance? What diseases are in your family history? How much research have you done on your family history to ensure you escape that disease in your life or at least minimise its impact? How often do you do your bloodwork?

It has been scientifically proven that lifestyle, stress, and food are majorly responsible for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc with some persons coming down with these illnesses because it’s in their DNA. Okay so watch what you eat in 2023. You cannot have a Primary parent who is diabetic, and you live on white bread, pasta, processed foods and rice five times a day.

Read also: At last, a modern Mental Health Law for Nigeria

You cannot have a parent who suffered a stroke and your food is fast food while partying hard most weekends Friday to Sunday while drinking alcohol to the limit. In between you are working hard at work. That’s a recipe for a heart condition. You don’t need it. If you continue, while worrying about all sorts of things you can’t do anything about then a stroke is round the corner.

Let’s add some more tips on your healthy living in 2023. Make a commitment. a) If you are single, make up your mind that you do not want to end up permanently in hospital because you and your partner might produce a sickler child by insisting on getting married and having two children who would take you to hospital every day. Remember you are also punishing the child. Also please check the medical history of your partner. It is so important. If you are already hitched then you need to manage your health, your partner’s as well as the children from this relationship.

b) Look after your mental health. You do not want to be in a relationship with someone who makes you feel less like yourself. You must not stress yourself out to the point where you are too ill to get out of bed. You must never be too sad that it will last more than two weeks. Now you are heading for depression and depression is so hard to cure. Don’t go there. Take time out to distress. Take yourself to lunch. Get me time. Go out with the boys/ the girls once in a while. Get some sun. Go for a walk in the park. Go window shopping it’s very therapeutic. Attend a play. Go watch a movie. Get a massage.

Finally, health is well. Do whatever you can to avoid diseases. Sleep early. Sleep is Medicine. Drink a lot of water. Avoid food poisoning. Don’t eat salads out except it is a trusted vendor. Check yourself often. I want to see you on the other side of 2024, healthy and happy.