AFTER years of battling serious health complications that left her in and out of hospitals and struggling to walk, a Lusaka woman has transformed her personal health crisis into a mission to help others reclaim their wellbeing.
Annastasia Munyati-Luundu, founder of Nourva Wellness Centre, says the facility was born out of her own painful journey with chronic illnesses that once left her physically weak and emotionally exhausted.
Munyati-Luundu revealed that for years she battled multiple health conditions including severe migraines, breathing difficulties, hormonal complications and heart problems which forced her to constantly seek medical attention.
At one point, she said, her condition became so severe that she struggled to walk and often relied on her husband to carry her around the house.
The situation worsened after she repeatedly contracted COVID-19, which later affected her heart.
While attending a conference in New York, Munyati suddenly fell ill and was admitted to hospital where doctors diagnosed her with stage one heart failure.
She said the diagnosis marked the beginning of a difficult period of constant medication and hospital visits both in Zambia and abroad, including medical consultations in South Africa.
Despite the treatments, Munyati said her health continued to deteriorate.
“I was always in and out of hospitals. My feet were swelling, I couldn’t walk properly and I was on medication for a long time,” she said.
But in January last year, Munyati said she reached a turning point.
Tired of the endless medical treatments, she turned to prayer and began researching holistic health solutions.
Using her academic background in population studies, she said she began studying nutrition, wellness and lifestyle medicine, enrolling in various online courses to better understand how diet and lifestyle affect the human body.
She then started applying the knowledge to her own life by making major lifestyle changes, including improving her diet and introducing regular exercise.
Within a few months, Munyati said her health began to improve dramatically as she lost more than 30 kilograms and gradually stopped taking the medication she had relied on for years.
By the time she returned to hospital for follow-up check-ups months later, doctors found significant improvements in her health.
“As I speak today, I have been off medication for over a year. The migraines stopped, the breathing problems stopped and my heart condition improved,” she said.
Inspired by the transformation, Munyati said friends and acquaintances who noticed her recovery began asking for advice on how they too could improve their health.
She started informally guiding people on nutrition and wellness practices and many began reporting positive results.
Some clients, she said, managed to lose weight while others saw improvements in conditions such as skin problems and metabolic illnesses.
Encouraged by the feedback, Munyati decided to establish a wellness facility where more people could access holistic health support.
The licensed centre, located in Chalala, now provides health consultations and wellness programmes to help people prevent and manage lifestyle-related illnesses.
Munyati said the goal of the centre is to help people understand that small lifestyle changes can have a powerful impact on their health.
By George Musonda
Kalemba, March 16, 2026.
