- Being happy is enough to change things in the body and mind
A Consultant Physician and Nephrologist, Dr. Abayomi Aiyesimoju, on Friday said “people faced with emotional trauma are at risk of getting cancer”.
Aiyesimoju, the Medical Director of a Lagos-based clinic, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of a seminar on: “Breast and Cervical Cancer.”
The seminar was organised by Men and Women’s Health Services Limited, Lagos.
Aiyesimoju said emotional trauma could be as a result of loss of a loved one, divorce or issues arising from relationships.
He added: “This has been found in many cases of people who come down with cancer.
“When you look into the life history of people with cancer, six months or two years down the line before they are diagnosed, very often, they would have undergone some form of emotional trauma.
“The effect of this is what is now turning out to be recognised factor that can predispose such people to cancer.
“So, we advice people not to take their emotional trauma as if it is a do-or-die affair.
“They should deal with them and if they cannot do it themselves, they should seek help.
“We should also be our brothers’ keeper to help others go through their emotional problems.
“That way, the effects do not build up and contribute to cause cancer for us.”
The consultant also said stress was a contributory factor to the genesis of many diseases, as well as how people fared when they had those diseases.
Aiyesimoju said: “In such a case, people need to pay attention to how they manage their stress, bearing in mind that it is not so much what is happening to you but also how you manage it.
“These simple measures on daily basis will in bits and pieces ultimately contribute to how well you fare in the long run.
“Simple measures like trying to get enough sleep matters a great.
“This is because if you do not get enough sleep, you are setting yourself up for the onset of diseases, weakening of the immune system and more stress.”
Aiyesimoju also said cancer, to a large extent, was preventable and even when it occurs, there could still be a lot to be done to combat and possibly get rid of it.
According to him, undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy don’t have to result to having side effects.
He said: “We try to point people’s attention to the fact that there are things they can do to reduce the side effects.
“These include being well hydrated and eating nutritious diets.
“Also, having enough vitamins and minerals to help the body to maintain itself eases the side effects of the therapies.
“There is also need for people to be on the lookout for signs of cancer by doing their own breast examination, mammography and pap smear to detect early abnormalities in the cervix.”
In her remarks, a Nutrition and Weight Management Consultant, Susan Oyemade, said that being overweight was also a risk factor to getting cancer.
According to Oyemade, it is therefore necessary to reduce weight through regular exercise.
She explained: “When you have extra fat in your body, it accumulates toxins, which can develop into cancer, because in a toxic environment, there are lots of bacteria.
“But when you exercise, you sweat and release the toxins from the body.
“Exercise also makes you strong and boosts the immune system and you feel happy.
“Being happy is enough to change things in the body and mind.
“Again, most of the problems we face could have been solved by just being happy.”
NAN.
