The Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria (SOLONg), to hold its third conference on December 2-4, 2021, to focus on ways to address the double burden of diseases in Africa using lifestyle medicine approaches.
The President, SOLONg, Dr Ifeoma Monye, founder of the first Lifestyle Medicine centre in Africa, told newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, that a new era had come. Healthcare approaches must now be applied with specific considerations made to the long-term, taking to note that unhealthy lifestyle choices would ultimately impact sustainable living negatively.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that life style medicine that is a healthcare approach that adopts fact-based behavioral changes to prevent, treat, manage, and reverse chronic diseases related to lifestyle choices.
The new medical approach advocates therapeutic approaches to sustainable living built on the pillars of proper nutrition, effective stress management, sleep, avoidance of harmful substances, consistent physical activity, and social connectedness.
Monye said that the conference would educate and spread awareness on the new specialty of Lifestyle Medicine which would help individuals, families, and communities adopt healthy lifestyle choices, such as whole food plant-based nutrition, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, thriving social connections, stress management in the country.
She added that the Conference theme;
Addressing the Double Burden of Diseases in Africa: The Challenges and the Lifestyle Medicine Solutions
“The Sub-themes:1. Mitigating COVID-19 Pandemic with Lifestyle Medicine Solutions. 2. The Place of Sustainable Behavioural Change in Obesity Management 3. The Business of Lifestyle Medicine,” she explained.
She added that presentations would investigate more closely how lifestyle medicine can help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and obesity management and look at the business side of lifestyle medicine in the region.
The President added that lifestyle medicine was emerging as the fastest-growing branch of medicine around the world. In the last decade, lifestyle medicine organizations and colleges have been founded Worldwide new organizations were emerging on all continents.
NAN recalls that SOLONg founded in 2017, is the first medical professional association in Nigeria representing physicians, medical and healthcare professionals who are dedicated to the advancement and practice of Lifestyle Medicine.(NAN)