CHICAGO—The Nation of Islam celebrated its annual Saviours’ Day commemoration of Master Fard Muhammad, God in Person, from February 20-23, on the grounds of the National Center in Chicago.
On the second day of the commemoration held Feb. 21, plenary sessions were held, with health being one of the topics highlighted. Speaking on the topic were Sister Dr. Safiyya Shabazz, Sister Dr. Darnita Muhammad, and cardiology resident Sister Naa’irah Muhammad.
Brother Tariq Muhammad, a student in the ministry class, was the moderator. “Health: Preventative Care, Nutrition, Mental Health,” was the title of the session.
Sister Dr. Naa’irah discussed cardiovascular disease prevention, presenting not just the causes but exactly what cardiovascular disease is and how to prevent experiencing the potentially life-ending disease.
The captivated audience learned that 47% of American adults have hypertension (high blood pressure) which leads to cardiovascular disease. In the United States, this disease is the leading cause of death for Black people. An estimated $417.9 billion is spent in annual direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease in the United States.
Some of the risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease are obesity, diabetes, having a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, high cholesterol, alcohol consumption, unhealthy eating habits, and mental stress.
Sister Dr. Naa’irah stressed that eating fruits whole instead of juicing will allow the consumer to gain the full benefit of the fruit and is a good way to prevent disease development.
Other healthy lifestyle choices are consuming vegetables, avoiding store bought canned food because of the salt content, eating whole wheat bread, and consuming plant protein such as navy beans and lentils, which are healthier than animal protein. She attended medical school in Cuba.
“I learned about Cuba through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, and I was really impressed with their health care system. They are a third world country that has better [health] outcomes than the United States.
I remember reading an article where former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro knew there were third world communities in the United States and he offered full scholarships to study medicine in Cuba [for them to] return to the United States and serve our communities.
An opportunity to learn a different language and connect with another group of people was something that was very appealing to me,” Sister Dr. Naa’irah shared with The Final Call.
Sister Dr. Darnita’s presentation was entitled, “The Impact of Nutrition (Physical, Mental, and Spiritual) On Our Health and Healing.”
Highlighting points from the book, “How to Eat to Live” by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Sister Dr. Darnita taught the audience the importance of reading and applying the instructions on what foods to eat, which ones to stay from, specifically the hog, and fasting.
Fasting encourages weight loss, promotes diabetes prevention, improves brain health, improves heart health, and reduces inflammation, she said.
Sister Dr. Safiyya Shabazz, a Philadelphia-based physician, stated that diabetes is a $413 billion disease in the United States. Mental health conditions linked to diabetes are depression and anxiety. Diabetes nearly doubles the risk of dementia. Diabetes triggers inflammation in the brain. She emphasized that “How to Eat to Live,” when followed, saves lives.
Sister Dr. Safiyya relayed a timely instruction from Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, to get periodic health screenings and checkups.
Sister Marcia Muhammad, is a student in the ministry class in Chicago and said the information presented was informative and she liked how the information was presented. “The presenters made the information relatable and used words that were easy to understand. I like how, ‘How to Eat to Live,’ was emphasized.”
Sister Nicole 4X of New York stated, “I thought the information was excellent, I am thankful to Allah (God) that I was able to be here.”
