Dikgang Publishing Company Holds Wellness Day

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Monday September 20, 2010 00:00

 

Every speaker spoke strongly of choices, which can destroy or make lives.  Titus Mbuya, Managing Director of DPC -  publishers of Mmegi and Monitor newspapers among other business interests - spoke against alcohol and drug abuse, problems which he says are not peculiar to staff of the media house.  'You do not need to be drunk to be an alcoholic.  The moment you start developing a craving for alcohol know that you have a problem,' he advised. 

Mbuya advised attendants not to 'bottle up their problems' but to get a counsellor or someone to speak to.  'There is no solution in a bottle of alcohol or cigarette and dagga.  Get a counsellor and let others help you,' he said. 

Indebtedness is another problem that affects an individual's health, the family's wealth and even productivity at work.  He advised his staff to avoid over committing themselves, but to 'cut the dress according to the size of the cloth. '

He observed that 'People consequently come here and throw tantrums, get annoyed easily, get short-tempered and therefore fail to relate well with others. In some cases people come here and demand their money because they have problems at home. All this affects productivity and it does not only happen at Mmegi,' he said. 

He says that the purpose of wellness day is to come out and share such problems.  'Wellness day is for us to remind ourselves of these things, and for us to benefit from those who know these things more than we do.' 

Another speaker, Prof. Kiran Bhagat of the Cardiac Clinic said that in the 18th and the 19th centuries, people got diseases from bacterial infections while in the 21st century, people's choices are the main cause of their diseases.  'In the past people got malaria, bilharzias, cholera and many others from bacterial infections but today, people suffer from high blood pressure, high sugar levels, high cholesterol and obesity.  These are diseases that we get as a result of our choices,' said Bhagat. 

He said that many things have happened in a short space of time, bringing along Western fast foods and a different lifestyle, which have led to more overweight Batswana.  Attendants were advised to avoid processed foods, but to eat foods grown in the soil and to walk more.  Processed foods causes high blood pressure and diabetes, which he revealed were the main causes of weak erection among men.  'If you have a dodgy heart everything else will be dodgy,' he said.  

Bhagat said that even though AIDS is thought to be the main cause of deaths, heart disease claims more lives world wide, with diabetes coming second and stress third. 'Stress is another cause of death even though it is taken for granted.  Studies have shown that currently there are over 100 million Americans taking sleeping tablets and antidepressants,' he said, addin g that, 'We have all heard of people who shoot or hang themselves, these have been identified as consequences of uncontrolled stress.  Painkillers, sleeping tablets and antidepressants have also been identified as raising blood pressure.'

Bhagat advised that people should develop a habit of going for tests, which could help them monitor their wellbeing better.  'A urine test will help you know how your kidneys are doing and blood test will check your sugar level.'

The last speaker of the day was an enthusiastic 'old woman' Ntombi Setshwaelo, a Life Coach and a counsellor at Transformation Consultant. Setshwaelo urged people to take care and be conscious of their minds, emotions, spirits and bodies.  'These are alive and interdependent.  They must be taken care of and be developed,' she said. 

The way we live, the mind processes information, and then passes it to emotions.  Information is then passed to the spirit and ultimately to the body, she said, further observing that what is common is that people take care of their bodies, disregarding other areas of their being.  'When your body gets sick you go to pharmacists, you buy products to treat your body, you cover it to protect it but we do not do anything for our minds, emotions and spirit,' Setshwaelo said. 

One of the activities of this wellness day was a walk from the Mmegi offices at the main mall to Gaborone Secondary School grounds where participants were able to test for high blood pressure, sugar levels and even get counselling.  There was also a soccer game match among staff members in the afternoon, which gave them a chance to walk the talk.  Exercise and be well!