May 13, (THEWILL) – The well-attended week-long event, themed “The Effects of Stress on the Heart and Brain: Prevention and Care,” commenced at the Graceland Event Centre, near Graceland Estate off A.A. Rano filling station in Owerri, the state capital. Notable health experts and captains of industry were in attendance, including Dr. Damian Oparaocha, Dr. Benjamin Dozie Anyanwu (CMD of Regions Healthcare and Hospital), Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Okhueleigbe (CMD of Doctors Save-A-Life Mission Hospital), Dr. Richard Okoye, Dr. Pearl Onukwugha, Dr. John Ohiri, and numerous others. They convened to brainstorm on the central topic and to find a lasting solution to the pressing national issue of stress.
Addressing the gathering, the initiator, who is also the President of Precious Healthy Life Foundation (PHLF) and Chief Medical Director of Precious Stone Hospital located at Km 2 Owerri-Onitsha Road, Irete, Owerri West LGA, Imo State, Dr. Damian Oparaocha, stated that the seminar’s mission is to address the whole person – body, soul, and spirit – with the mission statement: “To assist in raising a generation of healthy and educated people, and a society balanced in health and education; to achieve success in career, vocation, leadership, and faith in God, accomplished by committed professional men, women, and youths”, he submitted.
Dr Oparaocha reiterated that cardiopulmonary resuscitation is central to the PHLF project and has been incorporated into its programs. He provided a brief history of the annual Healthy Heart Seminar, recalling its inception in April 2022 with the theme “Prevention of Heart Attack” (April 26, 2022), followed by “Preserving the Heart” (June 16-17, 2023), “Prevention of Stroke and Care” (April 25-27, 2024), and the recent “The Effects of Stress on the Heart and Brain” (April 24-26, 2025), which yielded numerous testimonies, he concluded.
Dr Oparaocha also pointed out that PHLF has anchored numerous sensitisation programs, both completed and ongoing, at various workplaces, schools, and marketplaces to educate citizens on how to handle cases of sudden cardiac arrest and other cardiopulmonary problems.
In their respective speeches, the Imo State Commissioner for Health (Primary Health, Health Insurance, and Social Services), Dr. Chioma Egu; Prof. Chukwuemeka Ubaka, Commissioner for Health (Secondary and Tertiary Health); and Dr. Perry Njoku advised citizens to be mindful of their health status.
In his paper presentation, the Chief Medical Director of Regions Healthcare and Hospital, Dr Benjamin Dozie Anyanwu, provided an extensive rundown of how stress affects the brain, using cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and physical examples.
Also in his presentation, the Chief Medical Director of Mark of Glory Hospital, located along MCC Road, Owerri, Dr. Mark Okhueleigbe, highlighted that “Proper management of stress will go a long way to help a patient; suicide is not an option,” Dr. Okhueleigbe admonished.
Furthermore, Dr. Richard Okoye of Save-A-Life Mission Hospital mentioned that stress has claimed many lives, and he enjoined everyone to join hands in finding a way to mitigate its effects.
Consultant Physician in the Department of Medicine at Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Ernest Nwaigbo, also spoke extensively on the effects of stress on the heart and brain, its prevention, and care. He described stress as a buildup of mental and physical tension in the human body that distracts mental focus, drains energy, impairs the immune system, and reduces work productivity.
Lending his voice as a discussant, Consultant Pathologist Dr John Ohiri harped on stress among professionals, suggesting that longer working hours contribute to stress. Education Expert Dr. Pearl Onukwugha, also a discussant, elaborated on how stress can affect families in various homes.
