Category: Natural Health

AS much as is feasible, I will limit this conversation on Dr. Strand’s What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You to Grape Seed Extract, a powerful ingredient in Restore LYF. This is for two major reasons. First, this is a script originally written for the product training of some of my friends on the chat group Incubating Diamond Life Earners. They are health lovers who always ask me for information about nutritional supplements on the market and have confined me, this time, to this one.

Secondly, I do not think I would have the space to break the bounds already set for me within the limits of time and space. Even while confining myself to Grape Seed Extract, would I have the priviledge of visiting the origins of its use in Alternative Medicine and some of the important scientific studies which made this possible?

Accordingly, I would strive to limit myself to about five case histories in Dr. Strand’s book in which Grape Seed Extract performed what we may term “wonders”. One was the case of a man who suffered from a deadly disease for which his doctor suggested chemotherapy. He declined the treatment and resorted to natural medicine. About one year after, his doctor saw him again and was surprised to discover that the patient, against all the odds, was completely cured.

Another case was that of a woman who, literally and clinically speaking, was going blind. She substantially regained her vision. This woman suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. Her legs and arms lost strength and she suffered from urinary and intestinal retention. She turn her back on her doctor’s prescription which she said made her life more miserable and turned to nutritional medicine. In these cases and many more, Dr. Strand was a Grape Seed Extract magician. He found it to be one of those natural substances which easily crossed the Blood Brain-Barrier to easily suffuse brain and nerve cells, protect them against Oxidative Stress which he said was of great value for the recovery of his patients in the treatment of neurological and other diseases.

A third case was a Driver’s. He, too, suffered from neurological problems which literally disabled his legs and made him wheelchair-bound. Grape Seed Extract not only gave him back his legs, he got his job back as well. The fourth case was Macular Degeneration or Central Vision Blindness. She abandoned driving, her passion, and thought her life was ending. Then, she met Dr. Strand who gave her nutritional supplements and a high dosage of Grape Seed Extract. In a few months, her vision was back to what it was six years earlier. Our last case here is that of a three-year- old asthma patient whose condition got worse on asthma medication but significantly improved on nutritional supplements in which Grape Seed Extract was a star feature.

Before I proceed, I would like to briefly introduce to you the product description of Restore LYF, which is made from two great  antioxidant plant medicines, one of which is Grape Seed Extract. The product literature says:

“Restore LYF contains a unique, comprehensive and standardised resveratrol blend of powerful longevity polyphenols: Japanese Knotweed, Grape Skin Extract, Grape Seed Extract Powder, Concentrated Grape Extract Powder (without the alcohol content)”.

Next I would like to visit some of the cases Dr. Strand deployed Grape Seed Extract against.

Lupus

This is a degenerative inflammatory disease caused by attacks of the immune system not on germs but on the human tissues they are meant to protect. It may involve the brain, bone joints, the heart, skin, lungs and kidneys. When the attacks are well-known, the condition is often called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. It saps the sufferer of energy and of life. Doctors still do not know what exactly causes the immune system to literally open fire on its friends and not on their enemies. Some believe it is a genetic problem. Others say environmental factors may trigger it in predisposed persons, and suspect that these factors include sunlight, infections and medications. In the 1990s, my extended family lost the teenage daughter of an Anglican Reverend gentleman who returned home, infected, from a holiday in the United States. She was so devitalised that she could not walk up the stairs of the family duplex home to her bedroom which, then, had to be shifted downstairs.

The doctors of this young woman in the United States gave a box loads of literature on this subject to bring home. I found two ideas in the literature interesting. One was called the Leaky Gut Syndrome. The other was Signalling Confusion. In Leaky Gut Syndrome, the absorbent layer of the intestine through which nutrients from digested food pass into the bloodstream have been so damaged by germs or toxins that their small “sieves” have widened enough to let abnormally large molecules through. These molecules are seen as “foreigners” by the immune system. The system, therefore, attacks whichever tissue or organ which accomodates them or grants them shelter. Thus, the immune system opens fire on these “foreign” bodies, quite in line with its call to duty.

The second assumption is that some factors have caused a signaling problem between the immune system and the rest of the body. Naturally, they are all expected “to speak the same language”. Afterall, they are all members of the 100 trillion or so cells which originated from a male cell fertilising a female cell to form a single cell, the Zygote, which continued to divide into several cells which differentiated themselves into various functions. Thus, the immune system ought to always recognise the eye or the kidney as a “friend” as they vibrate on the same frequency, speaking the same language as it were. So, why do they signal differently in a Lupus condition?

In Matt’s case as Dr. Strand calls this Lupus case note patient, the problem began with severe abdominal pains. A successful legal practice in Chicago was threatened. His doctors ran several tests and he went home with only painkiller drugs. He began to take nutritional supplements, but his condition did not improve much. He was weak and in pains. Finally, a specialist ordered a test called Antinuclear Antibody(ANA) which, against a count of 1:40 or less for normal, reported 1:640. The doctor prescribed chemotherapeutic drugs. But Matt rejected them. He pursued a more aggressive course of antioxidant Nutritional supplements which, this time, included Grape Seed Extract at 350mg everyday. When he turned up at the doctor’s for a review of his case months later, the ANA had crashed to 1:40, the normal.

Multiple sclerosis

Dr. Strand reminds us what causes illness or death is Inflammation of the tissues and organs caused by oxidative stress. Grape Seed Extract, which became his pet prescription in almost all conditions, is highly anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. Antioxidant are now known to destroy free radicals which are major causes of oxidative stress. In this condition, there is progressive degeneration of the sheath or covering of nerves in the brain and in the spinal cord. The symptoms may include blurred vision, muscle inco-ordination, speech impairment, severe fatigue and numbness. The causes are still guess work. More women than men are thought to be affected. Happily, this is not a disease prevalent in Africa and Asia where tropical sun, impacting Vitamin D, is thought to be protective. The Myelin sheath or cover of the nerves is like the plastic covering of electricity copper cables when the cable is impacted by water and oxygen, it may rust. Such may be fate of exposed nerves.

Dr. Strand mentioned the case of Evelyn, one of his patients, whose case he took up from another doctor who gave her Betaseron or “beta interferon”, a chemical that tries to build up the immune system, very offensive and difficult to tolerate. She gave it up after two months, as she “faced the possibility of sudden blindness”. Bowel and bladder retention led to several bladder and kidney infections. Her health declined despite the use of Alternative Medicine protocols. She switched over to more potent antioxidants and minerals about years after. These included “Grape Seed Extract and a natural nutrient called CoQ10”. As the narrative grows, Evelyn began “to feel better within weeks” and her long-experienced palpitations of the heart disappeared. Her doctor took her off medications for heart troubles. According to her doctor, Dr. Strand said: “I haven’t seen anyone with Multiple Sclerosis experience such results.”

Dr. Strand added: “Evelyn’s neurologist was speechless about her miraculous turnaround. He ordered a repeat MRI of her brain. To his amazement the white plaque spread throughout the brain that is so diagnostic of Multiple Sclerosis had significantly diminish. Here is strong evidence that the body is still able to heal itself when necessary nutrients are available at optimal levels”.

CoQ10 is another wonderful antioxidants. But, as said earlier, it would fall outside our purview, this review being for Restore LYF, which continues Japanese Knotweed and Grape Seed Extract in its arsenal.

 Macular degeneration

The first time I saw a person challenged with this condition was in the late 1980s when I was Editor ofThe Guardian. An African American man who paid me a visit in the office looked at me all through not through the center of his eyes but through the corners of them. I would learn more about Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) later on. Dr. Strand’s patient in this condition was Mavis. Her husband dead and her vision deteriorating for 14 years, Mavis met Dr. Strand in 1997. He gave her potent antioxidant and mineral tablets “along with high doses of Grape Seed Extract”. As he reports:

“Within a couple of months, Mavis’ vision began to improve. Her eyesight became clear and even her night vision got better. She was thrilled the next time she visited the local eye doctor because he confirmed the good news. In fact her vision that day was at the same level as it had been back in 1991, six years prior!”

Brain degeneration

The doctors of David gave him a few days to live when his condition got to terminal stage. It was similar to multiple sclerosis and known as “progressive, degenerative, demyelinating disease of the brain”. He was a driver in Utah, United States. He started developing vertigo and began to lose control of his bowels and bladder. Vertigo is a condition in which some people say they feel as though they are spinning around. Some cannot balance their gait. When they walk, some say their feet appear not to touch the ground, to float or to land on surfaces which have the texture of cottonwool. In the case of David’s, his legs were getting weaker, and he was often falling whenever he walked. He became wheelchair-bound. When he was given only one or two weeks to live, David and his family began to make funeral plans and to bid family and friends “goodbye”. He became bedridden, but did not die. Months later, he began to try nutritional supplements of antioxidants, minerals and small doses of Grape Seed Extract. In five days, he slept less and had more energy, getting out of bed once in a while. On Mother’s Day, his children sat him on his wheelchair and pushed him to a shop where he bought presents for his wife and mother. He got stronger by the day. Someone told him Grape Seed Extract was a powerful antioxidant easily absorbable by the fluid around the brain. He remembered a film he watched entitled: Lorenzo’s Oil. A little boy in the film suffered from a disease similar to his. The boy was called Lorenzo. David was surprised to learn that what helped Lorenzo out of his trouble was a great deal of Grape Seed Oil. He increased his dosage of this oil. The pain in his leg reduced and he could walk again as the lower limb gained strength. His doctors were amazed when he went to take his driver’s license examination…and passed. His doctors stopped the morphine prescription for pain. This was yet another of many beautiful Grape Seed Extract stories told by Dr. Strand.

Asthma

The patient was three years old. His doctor gave him Albuterol medications. He could not tolerate the medications, could not sleep well because of heart palpitations and was so weak that, according to Dr. Strand, “he was unable to run, play ball, or participate in even the simplest activities”. Additionally, Adam frequently had cold and breathing difficulties.

Dr. Strand adds:

“The most frightening time came on Adam’s fourth birthday. He had developed a cold and quickly became very ill. He began to run a 105-degree temperature, and an x-ray in the ER revealed a severe case of pneumonia and out-of-control asthma. The birthday boy was fortunate and survived this serious illness, but it left him even weaker and his underlying asthma remained a severe problem.

“Adam continued to have problems tolerating the medication the doctors prescribed, though they were doing everything possible for him. Their answer wasn’t good enough. His father began to look into other possible therapies that might help his son. He remembered that it had been early summer when they decided to experiment with a potent chewable multivitamin to see if it might help. He recalls in that summer Adam would stay near the edge of the swimming pool, barely venturing out into the water. By the end of the summer, Adam was swimming the full length of the pool. Within 60 days, Adam changed from a child who could virtually do nothing physically to one who could keep pace with other children. Adam also started playing baseball and eventually even soccer. Infact he qualified for a traveling soccer team over the following four years.

“Adam was not only able to play, but he excelled in the sport. (As a physician, I must say soccer is probably the most difficult sport for an asthmatic to play). He was able to discontinue most of his medications and needed his inhaler only occasionally. Adam is now 13 years old and continues to be very active in sports. Adam continues to take a potent multivitamin and has added a little grape seed extract and extra Vitamin C to his supplement program. It must be amazing for parents to see their child go from being basically disabled to being normally active. How simple and yet profound is the potential life-changing effect of nutritional supplements.”

The book

The Grape Seed Extract stories in this book recommend to us not only that we should add this herbal medicine to our regular use of food supplements from time to time but should also pull us by the shirt collar to buy Dr. Strand’s book, What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You, and make it a prime feature of our health libraries.

Conclusion

Shakirat Adeoti, introduced to me in the 1990s by Mrs Dorcas Akintoye, offered me experience in working with whole Grape Seed for healing. She was 33 and a microbiology graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University. She had cancer in both breasts. She sat in the car when Mrs Akintoye brought her to the offices of The Comet newspaper in Ijora, Lagos, where I was Editorial Director/Editor-in-chief. I came down to see her from my third floor office. The following year, she came up all the floors with food for all my office staff on my birthday. In those days, we did not have Grape Seed Extract in its present form. We crushed grapefruit seeds and soaked them in hot water to infuse the nutrients in the water. Adeoti took chemotherapy for one year on this supplement but it did not appear to severely affect her. Her energy grew. Her skin did not blacken. Her hair did not fall. Her records are at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos. Adeoti died later because, after one year, she began to respond negatively to the chemotherapy. How I wished she listened to me and Mr. Dotun Akintoye that she decline chemotherapy one year after the first course.

Ladies and Gentleman, although Dr. Strand may not know about us at Aim Global/Earn For Life for who this product training is meant, and although he may not have heard about Restore LYF, we are his disciples in respect of Grape Seed Extract through his work. Get a copy of his book, What Your Doctor Doesn’t’ Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You, and mould yourselves to become the doctors of tomorrow in fulfilment of the vision of Dr. Alexis Carrel, who once said:

“If the doctor of today does not become the dietician of tomorrow, the dietician of today will become the doctor of tomorrow”.

I am glad that, finally, I am able to write again about Restore LYF, one of the “hot-cake” nutritional supplements of 2021 and a potential star plant medicine in 2022. The last time I tried to put my hands on the plough last year, I limited myself to the product literature and a few ideas I gained about 20 years ago from Dr.Ray Strand, author of What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May be Killing You. This is a great book by a humble, forthright doctor who could not help his dying wife but was kind enough to let medical lay friend treat…and heal her, using food supplements. Dr.Strand openly admits that neither he nor many doctors studied nutrition at school, what a doctor did not know about nutrition may be why he/she was not curing diseases…and his/her patients may be dying.

Before I proceed to let us hear directly from Dr.Strand himself about the experiences which urged him to become a nutrition inclined doctor, I would like to seriously advise that, this year, you read this book, introduce it to your doctors, friends and family members as one of the health books which deserve a worthy place in their home health library. Our doctors are well-meaning and humble persons who would not mind to learn from us their patients what would help them to save our lives…and the lives of other patients. I said at the beginning I was happy finally, I could now write this column the way I wanted. That was because, when I first attempted to, Dr.Strands book was missing from my library. I had been reading it since 2002. I was interested in one case history helped by one of the constituents of RestoreLYF, a product of Nature’s  Way of the United States. I asked Mrs Omolara Bello, resident in London, if she could send a copy to me. She tried to but could not before Cordelia  Dike called from New York to say her sister, Immaculate, resident in California, had purchased a copy. The hard cover bore a hole in my pocket. About two weeks later, another copy arrived from Mrs Bello.

Dr Strand

This is the humble story of Dr.Strand:

“I was not sure how much more frustration I could bear over my wife’s deteriorating health. And I wasn’t just another worried husband, I was a medical doctor. As a physician for more than 30 years, I was accustomed to having answers to medical questions. After graduating from the University of Colorado Medical School and doing postgraduate work at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, I settled into a successful family practice in a small city in western South Dakota. Along the way, I met and married Liz. She had some health problems, but Liz honestly thought that if she married a physician, her health would improve. Was she ever wrong! Before long, our family included three children under the age of four and a busy Liz grew increasingly weary. Every mom with little children is tired, but Liz seemed unusually fatigued. Although she was only 30 years old, she told me she felt 60.

“As the years passed she developed more symptoms and health problems that required several medications. By our 10th anniversary Liz was so tired that most of the time she laboured to put one foot ahead of the other. She experienced continual, total body pain, overwhelming fatigue, horrible allergies and recurrent sinus and lung infections. Finally, after testing and evaluation, Liz’s doctors diagnosed her problem as fibromyalgia. This medical condition involves an array of symptoms—the worst being chronic pain and fatigue. In years past fibromyalgia was called Psychosomatic Rheumatism, and doctors believed the disease was all in the patient’s head… Liz was willing to try anything so that she could continue the pursuit of her passion: training and riding dressage horses. But in time her pain and fatigue curtailed all work with her beloved animals. She became so tired that she was unable to stay up much beyond 8:00pm, and she struggled just to keep up with basic domestic chores.

“Since fibromyalgia has no cure, all I could do to ease Liz’s symptoms was load her up with medications. I had her taking amitriptyline at night for sleep, anti-inflammatories for pain, muscle relaxants, inhalers for her asthma and hay fever, seldane for allergies, and eventually weekly allergy shots. In spite of my efforts and all this medicine, year after year her health gradually worsened. In January of 1995, Liz and I concluded that more exercise would benefit us both… One infection after another left her sick and on antibiotics more often than not. In March she developed a severe pneumonia. She laboured to breathe as one lobe of her lungs became completely filled with infection and closed off. The physician caring for her lung was very concerned it might not hear and could possibly even require surgery and removal. We consulted an infectious-disease specialist, and he placed Liz on intravenous antibiotics, steroids, and nebulizer treatments. Fortunately, within two weeks the pneumonia cleared. Her cough, however, persisted, and she continued on heavy medication for months.

“Of greater concern was her fatigue, which was now worse than ever. Liz was out of bed only about two hours a day. Her asthma and allergies were raging and only with luck could she make the walk to the barn to see her horses. Liz was so sick the children took turns staying home from school to care for her. Constantly in bed, she felt too weak to even go watch TV or read. This went on month after month. Although I maintained my professional exterior, on the inside I was growing desperate. I visited several times with the pulmonologist and the infectious-disease specialist. They assured me that with Liz’s diagnosis they were doing everything possible. When I asked how long it would take for her to recover, the answer was six to nine months—or maybe never. About this time a friend of the family shared with Liz that her husband had also had pneumonia and had experienced significant fatigue during the recovery. He took some nutritional supplements, and they helped him regain his strength. Liz and her friend were aware of my negative attitude toward vitamin supplements, so Liz knew she would need my blessing before trying them. When she asked, even I was surprised at my response: ‘Honey, you can try anything you want. We doctors certainly are not doing you any good’.

‘Presuppositions put to the test’

To be honest, I knew next to nothing about nutrition or nutritional supplementation. In medical school I had not received any significant instruction on the subject. I was not alone. Only approximately six per cent of the graduating physicians in the United States have any training in nutrition… As I mentioned in the introduction, the education of most physicians is disease-oriented with a heavy emphasis on pharmaceuticals—we learn about drugs and why and when to use them. Because of the respect people have for doctors, they assume we are experts on all health-related issues, including nutrition and vitamins. Before my conversion experience with nutritional medicines, my patients frequently asked me if I believed their taking vitamins produced any health benefits. They brought their bottles of supplements into the office and let me look at them. I’d wrinkle my brow and, with my most astute professional expression, would carefully examine the labels. Handing the bottles back, I’d say that the stuff was absolutely no use at all.

“My motives were good: I just didn’t want people wasting their money. I truly believed that these patients did not need supplements and could get all the vitamins they needed from a good diet. After all, that’s what I had learned in medical school… What I did not share with my patients was that I had not spent a minute evaluating the hundreds of scientifically conducted studies that proved the value of supplementation to health. But what was I to do about my sickly wife? I might be able to pull off professional magic at the office, but at home I was just another husband looking on helplessly as his wife wasted away. I really had no choice, so I said to Liz, ‘Go ahead, try the vitamins. What do you have to lose?’ Her friend brought a collection of vitamin supplements to our house the next day—heavy on the antioxidants: nutrients like vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene that protect the body against the harmful effects of oxidation. Liz eagerly swallowed them and downed two health drinks as well. To my amazement, within three days she obviously felt better. I was happy for her but confused. As subsequent days passed, Liz gained more energy and strength and even stayed up later in the evenings. After three weeks of faithfully swallowing many pills and consuming those strange-looking drinks, Liz felt so good that she stopped taking the steroids and nebuliser treatments.

“Three months passed, all bringing gradual improvement, and Liz never looked back. She was stronger than she had been in years and exuded a renewed outlook on life. I saw the sparkle in her eyes when she returned from training and caring for her horses. She not only could do the work in the horse barn but also was no longer fearful of suffering from allergic reactions to the hay, mold, and dust. Instead of limping off to bed shortly after dinner, she was staying up until 11:00 and 12:00 at night. I was now the one who headed to bed before my mate. What had happened? If I had not been an eyewitness to this transformation, I would have never believed it. Was it possible that some ‘weird vitamins’ had restored my wife’s health when all the medical expertise and medications could not help? Not only had Liz’s lungs recovered from the pneumonia, the symptoms of her fibromyalgia had improved dramatically. Since there really is no medical treatment for fibromyalgia, what was going on? Was this one of God’s mysterious miracles or was it possible that Liz’s newly recovered health was due to those—Horror—nutritional supplements? For a person trained in medical science I did what comes naturally: I decided to run my own clinical trial. I culled my records to find five of my worst fibromyalgia patients and asked them to visit my office. (How’s that for a twist—a doctor calling a patient to make an appointment?) I shared Liz’s story with all of them and suggested they consider taking nutritional supplements. I told each patient that I had no idea whether this ‘alternative treatment’ would help…

“Typical fibromyalgia sufferers are despondent, so each of my five subjects was very eager. After a period of time ranging from three to six months, without exception each patient reported improvement after taking the vitamin supplements. Not everyone had as dramatic a health rebound as my wife, but all were encouraged and had fresh hope. One of these women’s cases was particularly severe. She had sought answers at the Mayo Clinic and two different pain clinics, but because there really is no effective medical treatment for fibromyalgia, she found no consistent relief. A year earlier pain had so beaten her down that she had attempted suicide. Now, after taking these vitamins, she called and left a message on my home answering machine. Obviously in tears and struggling to speak, she said: ‘’Dr.Strand, thank you for giving my life back to me’’. Every doctor loves to hear words like that… Since I knew that my preliminary study with five patients was not enough to reach scientific certainty on nutritional supplements, I needed to dig deeper.

My research on supplementation

While browsing through a bookstore a week later, I saw a book by Dr.Kenneth Cooper called The Antioxidant Revolution(Thomas Nelson, 1994). Since I had always admired Dr.Cooper for his expertise on aerobic exercise and preventative medicine, I was inquisitive about his opinions on antioxidants. Dr.Cooper explained a process called ‘oxidative stress’, which he indicated was the underlying cause of chronic degenerative diseases—essentially a ‘who’s who’ of the health problems plaguing humanity today… We all know that oxygen is essential for life itself. Yet oxygen is also inherently dangerous to our existence. This is known as the oxygen paradox. Scientific research has established beyond a shadow of doubt that oxidative stress, or cell damage by free radicals, is the root cause of more than seventy chronic degenerative diseases. The same process that causes iron to rust or a cut appple to turn brown is the underlying initiator of diseases like coronary artery disease, cancer, strokes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s dementia, and macular degeneration. That is right: we are actually rusting on the inside. Evey chronic degenerative disease I have mentioned is the direct result of the toxic effects of oxygen. Infact oxidative stress is the leading theory behind the aging process itself. In addition to this, our bodies are under constant attack from an army of pollutants in our air, food and water. Our stress-filled lifestyle also take a toll. If we do not counteract these processes, the result is cell deterioration and ultimately, disease. This is why the truths revealed in this book are so critical to our health.

“Learning about how unhindered oxidative stress damages the body drastically changed my perspective on chronic degenerative diseases. For example, since oxidative stress can actually cause damage to the DNA nucleus of the cell, it may be the actual villian in cancer. This opens up the tremendous possibility of using antioxidants in cancer prevention. Since oxidative stress also causes arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, macular degeneration, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Crohn’s disease, nutritional supplements may also combat and control those illnesses. In his book Dr.Copper reported on some studies of patients done at his aerobics center in Dallas concerning the cause of ‘overtraining syndrome’. Surprisingly, Dr.Cooper discovered that some athletes who trained intensely ended up later struggling with serious chronic illness. They all showed signs of having oxidative stress, and the list of the symptoms associated with the syndrome were eerily similar to those of fibromyalgia patients. I began to wonder, could oxidative stress cause fibromyalgia too? Is this why my wife and several of my patients are getting better by taking high-quality antioxidants? This marked the beginning of my investigation into the ‘dark-side’ of oxygen… In the past year alone, I have examined more than thirteen hundred peer-reviewed medical studies involving nutritional supplements and how they affect chronic degenerative diseases. These studies are double-blind, placebo-controlled medical studies show a significant health benefit to those patients who take nutrients at optimal levels, which are significantly higher than the RDA(recommended daily allowance) levels.

‘Vitamins and you’

When you understand the tremendous damage that oxidative stress inflicts during normal daily life on the human body, you realise how important it is to optimise your own natural defence system. Your health and life depend on it. Through my research I learned that the strongest defense against these diseases is our bodies’ own natural antioxidants and immune systems. These are far superior to any drugs I can prescribe. I concluded after much study that using nutritional supplementation on patients is not alternative medicine but is instead complementary medicine. Infact it may represent the very best in mainline medicine because it is true preventive medicine. Taking nutritional supplements is not about eradicating disease, it is about promoting vibrant health. After reviewing medical research studies, I have absolutely no doubt that my patients who take high-quality nutritional supplements have a health benefit over those who don’t. Although a patient may have a particular health problem, in recommending supplements I am not necessarily treating that particular disease. I am simply enabling the patient to provide the nutrients to his/her body at the optimal levels that studies have shown to provide a health benefit based on medical research. This approach to health I have labelled Cellular Nutrition, which enables the body to do what God intended. The personal case histories that I present in this book are ones I have documented in my office…

“… Almost all of these true-stories are about patients who had lost their health too. With much encourage and determination they continued to seek answers, and after testing the principles presented here, they regained their health. Liz is my best case study. By the way, her health remains robust—even though she married a doctor! Instead of spending many hours of everyday on pain and weakness in bed, she now lives the full life of her dreams. She had the energy to fully enjoy being a wife and mother. And her passion for training and showing horses is no longer just wishful thinking but a daily reality”.

Touring the brain health shelves of a five-star health food store may be as tasking as touring the zoological gardens in West-Berlin. It may gulp a whole day and fewer than half of the animal population or of the number of brain health nutritional supplements on the shelves may be seen. My work as editor or Editor-in-chief on a quality newspaper was tedious and often warranted daily 11a.m to 3a.m schedules filled with reading tiny page proofs, newsroom administration, executive management or executive board meetings and, once in a while, decking out with the boys to “blow some matter” as Mr Dotun Akintoye often described our lager and pepper-soup hangouts. I had known about Ginkgo Biloba as a brain tonic and did not miss it out at meals. It was Sunmi Smart Cole, our photo-editor at The Guardian newspaper who first invited my attention to the need to look after my eyes. I had just bought a Mamiya camera, Europes camera of the year that year. For a lazy photographer like me who had no time to be balancing focal length with aperture, lighting and stuff like them, the camera automatically adjusted all the values once the subject or object was in fairly clear focus. A red light flickering in the view window invited you to click. I never saw the flickers. But Mr Smart Cole would insist they were there. I, too, began to see them when I began to add nutritional brewery yeast powder to my meals.

As humans, we inhabit a wonderful earth-body of animal origin designed to run efficiently on certain substances the earth and the stars are designed to feed it with. We experience states of disease in this body when our diet, probably for sometime, does not supply these important nutrients. Such is the case with mental health, Dementia in particular. In the conclusion of the first part of this series, I aligned myself to the belief of Moslem friends, based on the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (May the peace of Allah be with him wherever he is). He taught his followers that no disease existed which the Almighty Creator did not foresee could arise and did not, well in advance, provide a cure for. My faith emphasises that the physical human body, which is a work horse for us humans on earth, is the greatest gift from the Almighty Creator to us in this plane of existence. We must, therefore, take proper care of it. In particular, my faith emphasises that neither drugs nor injections, but the right kinds of foods and drinks bring lasting health. It is on the foregoing light that the following dietary food supplements and those that space does not permit mention here are suggested for the treatment of Dementia. Some of them have been used for centuries in folk medicine on traditional medicine and alternative medicine. Some of them have become subjects of scientific studies and clinical trials which yielded positive results.

 Ginkgo Biloba

This has been a controversial herb since researchers discovered it. At that time, it was called Maiden Hair. It was so called that women took it in the satisfaction that it made their hairs long, thick, unbreakable and lushful. Scientists thought this was because Ginkgo Biloba helped to improve blood circulation to the scalp, brain and eyes. It is also believed that, in the brain, Ginkgo Biloba helps microcirculation. But there are many back and forth arguments over whether it significantly improves cognition or mild or mixed dementia responds favorably to it.

There are arguments   also over whether the research duration was long enough, if the dosages were high enough etc. Nevertheless, it was widely believed that Ginkgo Biloba is an antioxidant, may reduce inflammation, improves circulation, may reduce help in some psychiatric disorders, may improve symptoms of dementia. It is also generally thought to improve brain function, help in anxiety and depression. Other benefits ascribed to Ginkgo Biloba may include vision improvement, checks on asthma and Congestive Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), male Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).

Amid the controversies over whether Ginkgo Biloba works for dementia, several studies suggest it does. One of them was carried out by Masayuki Hashiguchi, Yuriko Ohta, […], and Mayumi Mochizuki. Their findings were reported in www.ncbi.nlm.nij.gov under the title: Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract for the treatment of dementia. They say:

  Background

The benefit of Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of dementia remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba in patients with dementia in whom administration effects were reported using meta-analysis.

 Methods

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane databases, and Ichushi for controlled trials of Ginkgo biloba for the treatment dementia. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were extracted. Meta-analysis results were expressed as standard mean differences (SMDs) in scores of the Syndrome Kurztest (SKT), Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) for cognition efficacy, or odds ratios (ORs) for dropouts and adverse drug reactions.

Results

Thirteen studies using the extract EGb761 met our inclusion criteria, which were duration of 12 to 52 weeks and daily dose of more than 120mg, and included a total of 2381 patients. Meta-analysis was performed by using nine of 13 studies, seven of which used the SKT and 2 ADAS-Cog (dose 120mg, 26 weeks) scores as efficacy parameters. In meta-analysis of all patients, SMDs (95 per cent confidence interval [CI]) in the change in SKT scores (7 studies) were in favor of Ginkgo biloba over placebo, but 2 studies that used ADAS-Cog did not show a statistically significant difference from placebo for ADAS-Cog. For Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) subgroups, SMDs [95 per cent CI] in SKT in the combined AD and VaD subgroup and AD subgroup were in favor of Ginkgo biloba over placebo. In terms of daily dose of Ginkgo biloba in the combined AD and VaD subgroup, SMD in SKT score in 240mg daily dose groups was significantly greater than with placebo. Dropout rates for any reason did not differ between two groups, but dropout rates due to side effects were significantly lower in Ginkgo biloba groups compared with placebo groups.

Conclusions

Taking a 240mg daily dose of Ginkgo biloba extract is effective and safe in the treatment of dementia”.

 Grape seed extract

Dr. Raymond Strand popularises this herb in his What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You (please see www.olufemikusa.com for Restore LYF: Dr.  Ray Strand, Grape Seed Doctor). He studied and introduced nutritional medicine to his practice when wholesale pharmaceutical drugs failed to cure his wife’s fibromyalgia. One of his pet neutreceuticals became Grape Seed Extract. His book cites some cases of neurological problems which, he said, GSE, as Grape Seed Extract is also called, helped to heal. Some of these included a driver who became wheelchair-bound, was later given weeks by his doctors to live but, nevertheless, recovered on GSE therapy, got his driver’s licence and job back. Another case was a woman whose neurological challenges were making blind but who recovered from them and saw again.

In several mice, GSE protected the brain against oxidative stress damage that may cause Alzheimer’s disease and reduced the impact of such disease. In the findings of one such study reported in PUBMED, the researchers say:

“Mitochondria-associated oxidative stress plays a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) have been reported to prevent oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanisms of GSPs in protecting neurons against oxidative injury in an experimental model of sporadic AD. Primary mouse cortical neurons were subjected to streptozotocin to mimic neuronal oxidative damage in vitro, and mice were subjected to intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of streptozotocin as an in vivo sporadic AD model. GSPs not only significantly ameliorated neuron loss and mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse cortical neurons pretreated of streptozotocin, but also reduced cognitive impairments, apoptosis and mitochondrial oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of sporadic AD mice. Moreover, GSPs increased phosphorylation levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3ß at its Ser9. Notably, GSPs inhibited streptozotocin-induced mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening via enhancing phosphorylated bind to adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), thereby reducing the formation of the complex ANT-cyclophilin D. In conclusion, GSPs ameliorate neuronal oxidative damage and cognitive impairment by inhibiting GSK-3ß-dependent mPTP opening in AD. Our study provides new insights into that GSPs may be a new therapeutic candidate for treatment of AD”.

The finding of another study which may be of interest to medical brain specialists such as psychiatrists and neurologists inform us:

“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive impairments in memory and cognition. Extracellular accumulation of soluble high-molecular-weight (HMW) Abeta oligomers has been proposed to be largely responsible for AD dementia and memory deficits in the Tg2576 mice, a model of AD. In this study, we found that a naturally derived grape seed polyphenolic extract can significantly inhibit amyloid beta-protein aggregation into high-molecular-weight oligomers in vitro. When orally administered to Tg2576 mice, this polyphenolic preparation significantly attenuates AD-type cognitive deterioration coincidentally with reduced HMW soluble oligomeric Abeta in the brain. Our study suggests that grape seed-derived polyphenolics may be useful agents to prevent or treat AD”.

Zinc

This fertility mineral is well-known for supporting nail, skin and hair health, enhancing the senses of smell and taste, boosting immunity and wound healing. ZINC would appear to offer more health benefits with some studies suggesting that aging people with low blood and serum levels of Zinc tended to suffer from depression and anxiety. The brain and mind of aging persons tend to sway in Zinc deficiency as well in magnesium and selenium deficiencies, thereby underscoring the value of micronutrients in brain health. The University of Maryland Medical Centre confirms that Zinc deficiency is common among old persons and that daily diet supplementation of 30-40mg of the diet may help their “cognition functioning and memory of those suffering from dementia”

Cardiotonic Pill

In the 1990s, this proprietary product from KASLY for blood circulation and heart health was popular in the Nigerian health food store. It won the hearts of many people because of a 1% camphor content which was thought to re-established circulation within ten minutes or fewer in frosted hand experiments. I believe it would help dementia and other allied challenges caused by poor brain circulation. The product statement says:

“Cardiotonic Pills works by stimulating the nerve endings, lowering the blood pressure and peripheral vascular resistance, decreasing the blood viscosity, possessing the strong ferrous ion chelating activity, blocking the nitricoxide, tumor necrosis factor, possessing the activity due to the presence of panaxatriol saponins content; eradicating the blood stasis thus promote blood circulation; decreasing the blood’s ability to clot and promotes blood flow. Cardiotonic Pills is used for Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, Itching, Toenail, Warts, Cold sores, Hemorrhoids, Osteoarthritis, Used for incense and perfumes, Cerebral ischemia, Inflammation and other conditions”.

Since the use of cardiovascular medicines are popularly used across the treatment of vascular and mixed dementia, Cardiotonic Pill may be tried by challenged persons.

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

This is a component of fish oil, which has been found to be an important factor in brain health. Science journals report several population studies which suggest that cognitive decline and dementia caused by, say, Alzheimer’s disease are common among people who do not consume enough Omega-3 fatty acids with diet. A common source of Omega-3 oil is fatty fish such as Sardine, Macrel and Titus. Researchers suggest a wide gulf between Omega-3 and Omega-6 consumption. Omega-6 comes chiefly from vegetable oils. The widespread of inflammatory diseases, which are precursors of many degenerative diseases worldwide today, has led researchers suggest that mankind has moved away from a natural dictate of 1:1 Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio in the diet to a 1:16 or 20 ratio. Omega-6 promotes inflammation, which is good for health in some cases but dangerous when it persists for too long. Omega-6 is anti-inflammatory and, therefore, health friendly.

In the introduction of the book Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory written by Joseph C. Maroon and Jeffrey Bost, we are told:

“Did you know that the root cause of serious chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, arthritis, and asthma has been identified as chronic inflammation? Although numerous studies have confirmed these findings, few, physicians are aware of or consider the fact that the battle against inflammation is at the forefront of the fight for the health and well-being of the global population. Pharmaceutical companies have spent billions of dollars in an attempt to understand the biochemistry of inflammation.Unfortunately, pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories such as Celebrex, Vioxx, and Bextra have been shown to greatly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and uncontrollable gastric hemorrhage, with potentially fatal consequences. Is there a safe alternative? Absolutely! The answer lies in the power of the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil undeniable the most under-recognized and also the most potent natural anti-inflammatory available”.

 PUBMEB says:

“More than a dozen epidemiological studies have reported that reduced levels or intake of omega-3 fatty acids or fish consumption is associated with increased risk for age-related cognitive decline or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Increased dietary consumption or blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appear protective for AD and other dementia in multiple epidemiological studies; however, three studies suggest that the ApoE4 genotype limits protection. DHA is broadly neuroprotective via multiple mechanisms that include neuroprotective DHA metabolites, reduced arachidonic acid metabolites, and increased trophic factors or downstream trophic signal transduction. DHA is also protective against several risk factors for dementia including head trauma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. DHA is specifically protective against AD via additional mechanisms: It limits the production and accumulation of the amyloid beta peptide toxin that is widely believed to drive the disease; and it also suppresses several signal transduction pathways induced by Abeta, including two major kinases that phosphorylate the microtubule-associated protein and promote neurofibrillary tangle pathology.

“Based on the epidemiological and basic research data, expert panels have recommended the need for clinical trials with omega-3 fatty acids, notably DHA, for the prevention or treatment of age-related cognitive decline with a focus on the most prevalent cause, AD. Clinical trials are underway to prevent and treat AD. Results to-date suggest that DHA may be more effective if it is begun early or used in conjunction with antioxidants”.

One of such studies was carried out in the United Kingdom decades ago. At that time, DHA was not formulated into infant food formulas. The study sought to find out the effects of diet supplementation on dull school children. Free DHA supplements were given to school children during a long vacation. The study study produced dramatic results as shown in the case of a school boy called Best. He was a bottom-of-the-class boy. But back from that long vacation, be began to show more interest in school work, paid more attention to homework and showed a longer attention span. In the next examination, he rose to the top of the class. His example of how DHA may boost brain health and activity earned banner headline such as BEST IS BEST! Today DHA is formulated into infant formula in many countries. It is present in MY CHOCO, a global antioxidant and polyphenols international cocoa drink for children and adults now fast selling in Nigeria.

Gotu kola

Asians describe this herb as a longevity medicine, claiming it made some persons live for more than 200 years. While this may be debatable, science gives Gotu Kola several testimonials as a health promoting herb, including enviable ones for blood circulation, nerve and brain function.

A 2012 study on mice with Alzheimer’s disease said it had positive effects on behavioural abnormalities in the mice. Other studies suggest that it may act as an anti-depressant, helps in Alzheimer’s disease, boosts cognitive function and curb stress and anxiety in the brain. Insomnia, inflammation and sluggish circulation are improved. Wound healing and, scarring and detoxification are in the basket as well.

COCOA DRINK

We overlook natural foods and drinks in health, especially dementia therapies. But listen to what Google says about Cocoa:

“The cocoa drinks contained flavanols, which are thought to reduce the risk of dementia by protecting brain cells from damage and increasing blood flow around the brain. Those on the highest and medium concentration cocoa drinks had the best improvements in their cognitive tests”.

YULETIDE bells are ringing again, Christmas lights are blinking and sonorous carols can be heard. We are reminded that the Prince of Peace visited our planet about 2,000 years ago on a high divine mission, from a realm far, far above those of angels. They remind awaken souls of a Yoruba song…OL’OJO N K’AJO, EDA GBAGBE A TI SUN (The Owner of the days is counting them, the creature forgets how he would sleep). This means the world clock is ticking towards zero hour, but man is slumbering or revelrous. The seriousness of what warranted a High Divine Mission to the earth is what ought to engage the attention of Christendom this season, not the revelry that the Christmas season has become. Ideally, all serious-minded Christians ought to be on spiritual retreat now, extracting from Christmas its real meaning. The following are some of the ideas that are coming to me…

1) An urgent need brought Jesus to the earth.

2) Where he came from was outside the world. The World was that place, paradise, created with the divine command Let There be Light.

3) These suggest there was only one realm of existence before the creation of paradise… the Divine Realm in which only divine beings existed. The divine realms has two parts. The forms of the beings in that first and higher part cannot be substantiated. That is why it is called Divine Unsubstantiate. It is the abode of the Almighty Father. No-one has ever beheld His countenance to be able to say how He is. No-one will ever be able to. That is why He will eternally remain Unsubstantiate.

The second part of the Divine Realms is Substantiate with visible forms, knowledge of which has been coming to humanity through revealed knowledge. In Revelation, chapter 12 informed humanity about the Woman and the Child the Dragon sought to destroy.

4) Below the Divine Substantiate Realm or the abode of Archangel and Angels existed a cold, lifeless and dark void. According to Revealed Knowledge, certain events brought about the Creation of Paradise in a part of this void immediately below the Divine Substantiate Realm. The beings created to exist in Paradise were the “Images of God”. These beings are not the human beings on earth who erroneously believe they are the Created Ones. How can a cheating husband or wife or a treasury-looting politician be an Image  of God?

5) Great question. The beings on Earth were spiritual seeds who could not grow or exist in Paradise because they were too weak to bear the direct pressure and heat from the Unsubstantiate Creator. Only the Images did that. Part of the remainder of the cold, lifeless and dark void now below Paradise was developed into the materials spheres with reduced pressure and heat in which the weak or unconscious spirit seed germs which could not evolve consciousness in Paradise could now gradually develop themselves over a specified time and return home to Paradise as Developed Human Spirits, not Created  Images of God.

6) To be on earth, Jesus journeyed through the Divine Substantiate Realms of Archangels and Angels, past the Temple of the 24 Elders in the Divine Substantiate Who eternally sing Holy, Holy, Holy God Almighty. This was the boundary of the Realms of the Angels with the Realms of the Created Beings or the Images of  God.

7) With the creation of Paradise, also known as the Spiritual Realm in the former void, Primordial Spiritual Beings emerged to inhabit it. These were the ones of whom it is said Let us create man in our own image…these Primordial Spiritual Beings never needed to leave their home in Paradise for further development.

8) To create Paradise, a part of the Almighty Father had to be sent to the cold lifeless void to eat it up. The Light of God brought pressure and heat into the void, and only those Spiritual Beings who could bear the pressure and the heat were able to live there.The other members of the spiritual species who could not bear the pressure and the heat had to migrate downwards to lower regions in the void continuum which the images of God were permitted to develop for them as prototypes of Paradise. This developed world is the physical or material world. The earth is the outpost of these materials spheres of existence for developing human spirit seed germs from which earth-men evolved.

Some Christians recognise that the Power or part of the Almighty Father resident with the Primordial Spiritual Beings in Paradise is…the Will of God, The Holy Spirit, Emmanue, which means For God is With Us.

9) Some Christians also recognise that the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, created the world and will judge it. The creation story reminds us the spirit of God “hovered over the land”. That land is not earthly but spiritual land. The Holy Spirit, Emmanuel, with His Authority as the Creative Will and Justice of the Almighty Father, anchored the Law or the Will of the Almighty in creation.

10) In their inner struggles to recognise who they are and where they came from, many human tribes on earth and other spheres of material existence have gained some knowledge about these events. The Yorubas of Southwestern Nigeria express their recognition of the Holy Spirit as the Justice of the Almighty Father when they say…Esan kogbo ogun, Esan ni Akobi Olodumare (Justice has no remedy. Justice is the first child of the Almighty). They also say Ase pamo  l’owa , Asegbe ko si. (Transgressions may be hidden, they will eventually be avenged).

11) Jesus confirmed this Truth when He said sins against the Father and the Son (that is Himself) will be forgiven but sins against the Holy Spirit would not!

12) Christians do not ask why the Holy Spirit does not forgive sins when the Father and Jesus do. It all boils in my understanding to the facts that The Almighty Father works  and through a triad with two executive arms, Love and Justice. He is Love. It was in Love  that He acceded to the request of would-be dwellers in creation that a world be created for them where they could experience and worship Him in full consciousness.

13) Christians know the Almighty Father is purity, Love and Justice. Purity is holiness. Love grants. Justice rewards all deeds, good or evil. They know, too, that He is Light. Indescribable Light. Light radiates. The radiation of light is not the light but a quality of it. On earth, we experience and need the radiations of the sun and of the stars. In the Radiation of the Almighty Father, who is also known as The Light, are the seeds of the species of all creatures capable of conscious existence. How these seeds came to be in the Radiation of THE LIGHT, no creature will ever know. Do humans remember their existence in their mother’s wombs? Various seeds of beings meant to live conscious existence lie dormat or slumbering within Radiations of THE LIGHT because the pressure of THE LIGHT within His immediate vicinity is unbearable by them. Through Revealed Knowledge, we now also understand that a surging ocean of fire envelopes this immediate environment for vast distances that the human intellect cannot fathom. It is only when the pressure steps down at vast distances or sub-worlds away that the species which can bear the pressure at that new level can emerge in full consciousness! That is the origin of the Divine Beings we the human spiritual species call Angels. We cannot exist consciously in their Realms. And that is why we fall flat on our faces when we encounter their earthly luminence as happened on the HOLY NIGHT, and we have to be reassured that all is well.

14) From Revealed Knowledge, our time came for a world or spiritual Kingdom to be created for us where we could live conscious existence in honour and worship of the Almighty Creator. That was when the URGE for conscious existence willed up in our species. This PRAYER was granted with the statement: LET US CREATE MAN IN OUR OWN IMAGE. We do not know who the other conversants were. Some theologians have suggested they were angels or even LUCIFER, at that time a powerful leader of the Angels. For Angels do have ranks which depend on the origin of their existence in their Realms. Angels are no co-creators with the Almighty Creator. They exercise no “free will” and unconditionally fulfill His Will, for which reason they have wings. The day an Angel steps into the depths of Creation where it is possible for a conscious being to express “free will” and act contrary to the WILL which rules over Creation, as Lucifer once did,  the wings would automatically detach.

15) For the CREATION of man to take place, Revealed Knowledge informs us that PART of the Almighty Father, THE HOLY SPIRIT, was sent forth from the Unsubstantiability of the God-Head to move RADIATIONS OF THE LIGHT beyond the boundary of the Substantiate Divine Realm of the Archangels and Angels. For only God or A PART HIM that works IN and THROUGH Him can bring Creation about.

16) Thus, the WILL of the Almighty Father stood at the boundary of the Divine Realm and the Radiation of The Light flooded a hitherto lifeless and cold void…and PARADISE was created.

17) For millennia, the human spiritual beings on earth had formed the wrong assumption that they were the created beings of Paradise. They did not know that the Primordial Paradise, the Paradise of the created beings or the IMAGES OF GOD was not their home. It is the home of those members of the spiritual species who came to consciousness with the Creation of Paradise because they were able to withstand the pressure of THE LIGHT which had been stepped down for them. There are seven realms of existence in Primordial Creation. The Yorubas of South-western Nigeria must have once come to this knowledge, because, as children, my generation was taught by oral tradition of THE SEVEN HEAVENS! So, where does the human spirit on earth struggling for its existence belong to in these schemes?

18) Again, we must turn to Revealed Knowledge. They remained formless and unconscious, still, in the Primordial Paradise because even the stepped down pressure was too unbearable for them. So, in love for them, the Power of the Light Radiation had to be stepped down yet again to develop what we may call an annex of the first paradise of seven realms. This lower Paradise had seven realms as well. It is in any of these seven realms of the lower Paradise that human spiritual beings on earth can aspire to exist if they develop themselves accordingly during their sojurn on earth.

19) The World of matter in which we earth-men exist today issued from the hands of Primordial Spiritual Beings. It did not issue directly from the Holy Spirit. That is why it is perishable. Huge as is it with the seven Universes, the material parts of the world are meant only to be a school for the maturation of the human seed germs which could not form itself in all the seven Realms of upper Paradise and seven Realms of lower Paradise. The material Realms are perishable. Paradise is NOT because it came directly from God as a Spiritual Kingdom for the human spiritual specie. Jesus warned us that the Heavens and the earths would pass away. That is when they would have fulfill their duty in providing a soil in which human spiritual seed germs were planted to sprout, flower, fruit and return home to Paradise. But for many of us, our horizon is limited to only the earth. We wish to return to our home in Paradise, but we do not know who we are, or where we came from and why we cannot describe the journey back home!

20) To help us resolve these questions, Archangel LUCIFER led a Mission to the earth. Some of the IMAGES OF GOD led other Missions. Archangel Lucifer Mission failed because he followed His own Will, and not God’s, in the discharge of His duties. There is a time for everything, we know. There is a time human spirit seed germs were expected to spend in the material spheres and return home to lower Paradise as matured human spirits. Our school system on earth does not perpetually host student. If they cannot graduate, they are chalked out. The time for the chalking out of undeveloped human spirit in creation is the time of the FINAL JUDGEMENT. Their failure to develop is tantamount to a sin against the Holy Spirit, which is unforgivable as Jesus warned.

21) As the reconning fast approaches, Jesus the Love of God undertook a Mission of SALVATION to the earth to one of the impending danger and to show the way. As part of this warning, He said the spirit of truth would come to reprove the world of sin and to proclaim the judgment. Christians who are following this events easily link it with the Revelations chapter 12 where the dragon sought to destroy the woman with a child. Revealed Knowledge educates us that the woman represents Divine womanhood caring and tending the infancy of the Mission of the spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit for the final judgement. The fact that John the Baptist gave this revelation from the fifth Primordial plane of Paradise confirms the statement of Jesus that no-one on earth was as great as John the Baptist. This is because the highest we earth-men can aspire to is lower Paradise whereas His origin is upper Paradise. I try to imagine the import of this knowledge for Salome who demanded his head in a plate.

22) Lucifer failed in His mission to grow the weak human seed germs and bring back the human spiritual fruit to its home in lower Paradise. Meanwhile, the clock of the END-TIME is ticking away. We run the risk of not getting home as conscious human spirits. To help us out, because sins against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven us, Jesus, as the Love of God, undertook a SALVATION MISSION from the unsubstantiability of the God-Head, to show us the way back home acceptable to the HOLY SPIRIT, the WILL of God. He travelled down the realms. Beings from every Realm offers to join the Mission. We are reminded of the appearance of the ANGELIC and HEAVENLY HOST on Holy Night on earth to the THREE WISE MEN. The star of Bethlehem came from Paradise as a greeting from the Father. The wise men came with Him. The fourth missed the top to Bethlehem upon sighting the star. Lucifer was at work, trying to kill Baby Jesus even before He had stepped into His earthly mission. In this season, knowing what we did to Jesus, we ought to be in sober reflection to see if we are worthy of admission to Paradise as the End-Time clock ticks away. Jesus, as a part of the God-Head, knew the World Judgement was coming and that the Holy Spirit would not forgive sins.

Lucifer lured the early Christians to Spiritual sleep in the teaching that Jesus came to die for man’s sins. Yet Jesus had told them that after He would have left the earth, the Spirit of Truth (Holy Spirit) would reprove the world of sin and proclaim the judgement. What judgement should there be to proclaim if, indeed, the Blood of Jesus had washed man’s sin’s away? This Luciferian teaching is spiritual sedative, nay morphine. Sins against the Holy Spirit are unforgivable. The Holy Spirit is the Alpha and Omega in Creation. After His return to the Fifth Primordial Spiritual Realm in Paradise, John the Baptist released the Book of REVELATIONS. In Chapter 12, we observe how Lucifer tried to devour a woman with a child. We are being shown of the infancy and caring and tending of the would-be proclaimer of the Final judgement and Lucifer’s challenge of unsubstantiate Divine Will. Lucifer is indestructible. To put him in chains for a thousand years of piece that is the millennium, only One of an origin higher than Lucifer’s can do the job. Lately, many people see apparitions of a woman with a child. They say this is Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. How wrong! It is the image of the queen of heaven, ELIZABETH, and He Who from the Unsubstantiate of God is the proclaimer of the judgement. The frequency or persistence with which this image is sighted throughout the earth ought to advise us that the world clock is ticking to zero hour, that we should awaken from slumber and not spend the Christmas season or any day for that matter in earthly revelry.

Like all survivors of near-death disasters, those of the 21–storey collapsed Ikoyi building tragedy will almost likely become “born again” persons. Being “born again” may not necessarily make them religious…it may impact their lives in several other dimensions. This will be in keeping with Sir Isaac Newton’s FIRST LAW OF MOTION which says an object at rest will remain at rest unless impacted by a force mightier than its resistance, or, if it is in motion, its movement on a straight line will be altered by an impact. For us humans, that is why serious experiences we go through reshape our thinking, beliefs and action. As Google defines this Newtonian theory:

“Newton’s first law states that if a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force”.

So, as I thought of what life under the rubbles and after may have been for the survivors, friends and relations of the dead and survivors alike, and for those of us who vicariously experience the tragedy, like fractures, wounds, grief, pain, altered mind sets, internal bleeding, psychosis and depression, among others, in an unending list, I wondered about some of those everyday First Aid Folklore medicines which may be of help in such and similar circumstances. I cannot talk about them all within the limitation of time and space. The treasure trove of Mother Nature for all situation is always inexhaustible. So, here are some which immediately pop up in my mind…

Comfrey

I do not remember how I first learned about COMFREY, which Alternative Medicine grants the nickname BONE-KNIT. That was in the 1980s. But by 1996, I loved to read about it in RALEIGH BRIGGS pocket book, HERBAL FIRST AID. It was a book I could take with me everywhere I went. In rapidity, it describes herbs and medical conditions they could address. Comfrey leaves as well as the root were well recommended, especially for all conditions of the bone, including fractures, rheumatism, arthritis, pain when used as a tea, massage cream, poultice or…what have you. So effective has Comfrey been found for bone regeneration in thousands of years of its use in Euro-American folklore that it is often the first port of call for the herbal doctor attending to bone challenges.

Comfrey is nicknamed “Bone-Knit”, which suggests that it fixes broken or fractured bones. This use subsumes its other health benefits as a herb to work with in the medical problems that may arise from home accidents or the disaster of the collapsed 21–storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos. The disaster may record fractures as well as internal and external injuries, some of them bleeding. Comfrey have been used for hundreds of years to treat wounds and inflammation. One of its active ingredients which works for wound healing is ALLANTOIN. It is present in the leaves and in the root. It makes new skin to rapidly grow. The rapidity of its work calls for caution in the use of Comfrey for wound healing. Many Comfrey users learn this lesson the hard way. Some say the best way to use it for deep and surface wounds healing is to first pack the inside of the injury with an antibiotic herb powder, such as GOLDEN SEAL ROOT or ALOEVERA GEL. This will ensure that germs do not proliferate at the bottom while new skin and tissue are reforming at the top. Where this step is not taken, pus and abscess may gather below the healing above.

Comfrey is also recommended for diarrhea, ulcer, heavy menstrual bleeding, sore-throat, gum disease inflammation, joint pains, surgical wounds and other pains, Comfrey may be added to carrier oils such as those of Olive and Olibanum or the powder may be mixed with shea-butter and the amalgam placed in a saucepan and gently heated to make them mix well as a cream. This cream may be massaged deep on the site of bone pains. Not much has been heard about Comfrey for sometime because it is suspected to have chemical substances which may damage the liver and the lungs in high concentrations inside them. Even when it is used as a cream in joint or other bone pain or in open wounds or burns, it is often advised that the application at a time lasts for no longer than one week and that, even then, only small amounts be used.

Sea Cucumber

This is by no means the popular fruit grown or harvested in the sea. It is a small animal found on the sea floor and resembles the fruit cucumber. Australians have been importing Sea Cucumber from the Chinese since they began to trade in the 18th century. Sea Cucumber was introduced to Nigeria by DYNAPHARM INTERNATIONAL from Malaysia. This product may be one of the Malaysian interfaces with Nigeria’s Alternative Medicine market which has been off the shelves since the onset of that country’s total Covid-19 lockdown about February.

Establishment medicine in the United States requires more scientific evidence that Sea Cucumber possesses the health nourishing abilities ascribed to it, especially in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Nevertheless, some studies suggest that CHONDROITIN SULFATE and other compounds found in this animal may treat bone joint problems. Other studies say the dried form may help suppress ARTHRALGIA, a pain in the joint. People who suffer from thin skin, fine lines and dry skin may benefit from the PEPTIDES found in Sea Cucumber because this chemical contains COLLAGEN and collagen softens the skin and protects it against damages. This may be a wonderful recipe for skin burns or skin roughened up by bruises or outright breaks or wounds. There are many other health benefits ascribed to the small sea animal. It is said to prevent blood clots, heal wounds, prevent and fight arthritis, helps tissue repair with a high offering of protein, presents anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidants, anti-fatigue properties and immunity-boosting compounds. It brings good cheer for gum disease sufferers and persons who need help for thrombosis, which is blood clot in the vein or arteries with swelling in one leg, numbness in one part of the body or chest pains.

One characteristic of Sea Cucumber has recommended it for brain health studies. This characteristic is not about its endowment with Vitamin A, Vitamin B-complex, minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc, essential amino acids, fatty acids, nervonic, arachidonic acids and collagen. It is about its ability to be soft like gelly this minute and be as hard, if not harder than the fruit cucumber the next minute. This is a protective mechanism its adopts when its feels endangered by touch. In the Sea Cucumber, there are collagen fibril matrix and fibrillin microfibrils. The relationships of these substances can be altered to soften or hardened the Sea Cucumber by its cells known as effector cells when these are activated by touch. Designers of the brain study imagine there may be lesson to learn from the way the Sea Cucumber softens and hardens. As Google explains current brain study difficulties in this regard:

“Currently, there is a lot of interest in using intracortical microelectrode implants to measure and influence brain electrical activity. This brain pacemaker method has shown a great deal of promise in treating Parkinson’s disease, pain, stroke, and spinal cord injuries, among other disorders. Unfortunately, however, with current procedures the electrode signals tend to diminish after a few months, causing the treatment to have questionable long-term usefulness. It is hypothesised that the reason the signal decays is due to the rigidity of the electrode, which damages surrounding cortical tissue, leading to the electrode’s corrosion when glial cells respond to the threat.

“Study suggests the use of an electrode that resembles the nanocomposite material they designed, which could be made rigid for penetration of the outer layers of the brain, then more flexible when implanted in cortical tissue to avoid doing harm to its environment. The aqueous makeup of the cortex could be suitable to displace the hydrogen bonds made between cellulose fibers and cause the electrode to become pliable”.

Apple Cider Vinegar

This products has been well received in Nigeria, today. Thanks, especially, to the marketing efforts of Sam Ayeni of Seaduck Nigeria Limited. Cyril Scott taught me about Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) in his small but, nevertheless, information packed handbook. So valuable is this handbook to me that I still keep it despite the defacing of almost every page in the 1980s by one of my sons when he was learning to write. According to Cyril Scott, there is no part or function of the body that Apple Cider Vinegar does not help to stay healthy. It makes hair to grow long and strong, the scalp to be free of dandruff and lice, the gums not to bleed, the teeth to be strong and white, the mouth not to smell, the skin to be supple, the blood to be alkaline, the digestive system to digest food well and be free of an abnormal high population of unfriendly bacteria, apart from being parasites free, it helps the nervous system to remain astute and calcium, magnesium and phosphorus to fix properly in the bones. And that is why I would not hesitate to recommend it to survivors of the 21–storey collapsed building or any disaster for that matter.

In any disaster, there may be trouble in the brain. About 10 years ago, I witnessed a train crash at Pen-cinema, Agege, train level crossing. The car of a couple who were to be married the following day was caught under the wheel of a coach. Axes and machetes could not free the car. Sympathies were passing sachet water and soft drinks to the occupants through a small aperture in the ripped car metal. In the car with the couple were four would-be bridal train children. Happily, everyone was alive. The bridegroom-to-be telephoned his folks back home to announce their fate. In a short while, a convoy of cars brought friends and family members. They hired a crane. Soon, the coach was lifted, and the car freed. There was jubilation. It was well past 12 in the night. One by one, the occupants were brought out. Some could not stand on their feet. When one woman came out, she broke loose from the crowd, not minding the traffic. Rescuers chased after her. Something had gone wrong with her thinking. This may be a trauma symptom. Some studies suggest Apple Cider Vinegar may soothe the frills in the intestine which may impact on the brain, causing disorientation of the mind. The impact of the car caught under the train coach may have swirled the intestine and the impact may have been felt in the brain. Events such as schizophrenia, a psychiatric or brain and mind disorder, is sometimes attributed to microbiome insufficiency in the intestine. Could there have been a microbiome problem activated by trauma in this case? Will Apple Cider Vinegar help with its rich sources of antioxidants and probiotics? Some researchers say it is a good remedy for psychiatric patients coming off psychiatric drugs.

I find Apple Cider Vinegar fascinating to prevent and to stop unnecessary bleeding. I’ve seen women rejoice when it stops excessive menstrual bleeding. It was a routine food supplement for my wife three months before any birthing to prevent or to minimise blood loss. About 20 years ago, it helped a woman with a serious case of uterine fibroids which had caused incessant bleeding for months. The uterus was to be surgically removed and, being anaemic, members of her family had to donate blood. She went on a course of Apple Cider Vinegar one month before the surgery which was successful and required no blood transfusion to stabilise her. I know, also, of three men who took Apple Cider Vinegar before their surgeries for hernia. They lost no blood!

Anxiety

Everyone likely to be guilty of construction defects in the collapsed building may be in a state of anxiety now. This may be Generalised Anxiety Disorder which defies explanations and in which it is hardly possible to complete the day’s task without blemishes. In Social Anxiety Disorder, the sufferers is afraid of being judged or humiliated by other people and often withdraw to themselves. Heart palpitations, shortness of breath etc may accompany Panic Disorders. Phobias are co-travellers. Survivors of plane crashes may never wish to fly again. Who among us will not have second thoughts inside a skyscraper from now on? There are other forms of anxiety space cannot permit mention. Herbs which relax the brain, the nervous system and the mind are good for them all. These herbs include but are not limited to…Chamomile, Cannabidiol, Valerian root, Ashwagandah, Kava Kava, Gotu-Kola, Lavender, Passion Flower.

I wish to highlight Cannabidiol. It is a macortics-free oil from hemp which powers the body’s master system, the Cannabidiol system. It is the medically useful oil in Cannabis Sativa. The recently discovered Cannabidiol system governs all other systems…nervous, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, excretory, skeletal etc. If anything goes wrong anywhere, it is possible because the body is not producing enough CBD(Cannabidiol) oil, in which case, the shortfall may be corrected with a food supplement. It is used for pain, anxiety symptoms, depression, cancer-related symptoms, seizures, epilepsy, heart challenges, brain function, post-traumatic stress, digestion, inflammation, bone diseases, skin conditions, and it is useful as an antioxidant.

The mind

When we speak of MIND OVER MATTER, what we mean is that the power within us is mightier than the capabilities of the world of matter. To start with, the world of matter is a lifeless world which is given life by power from Above which descended into it, particulated it and gave it form. We are told this even in JOHN DALTON’S ATOMIC THEORY. He spoke of SPIRIT MOTES permeating matter and breaking it up into particles. It is this permeating power that’s is released in Atomic Bomb Blast. This is SPIRITUAL POWER. When, as in the headline of this series, we speak of MATTER OVER MIND, we imply that the spirit, Lord in the world of Matter, is crawling on fours and MATTER, the tool or messenger, is on top of the game. Diseases of the mind are treatable or curable from within, that is in the spirit, with an understanding of reality to which there is voluntary and unconditional submission. So, if I am the engineer who did wrong, why should I seek to hide my face from the world and, in the process, suffer bodily, psychic and spiritual harm? Why do I not simply own up, accept my purnishment, free my mind and spirit and enjoy the rest of my life out of social circulation, accepting that I deserve it and enjoying every moment of the rough side of existence left in my hands? The Yorubas say we can only hide our misdeeds, we cannot escape Divine justice for them because JUSTICE is the name of the first child of the Almighty Creator. To open up the mind, we have to work in the SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA, that is the point at which the Spirit and the body (matter) connect through the SILVER CORD.

According to Google:

“The solar plexus chakra is located in your stomach area. It’s responsible for confidence and self-esteem, as well as helping you feel in control of your life. This blockage can sometimes lead to solar plexus pain. While this pain may be centralized to nerve fibers around the solar plexus area, you can also experience: chest pain, stomach pain, anxiety, intestinal contraction, painful sensations in the upper abdomen or even severe abdominal pain”.

We erroneously refer to the SOUL or to the SPIRIT as the MIND. To free the blockage of energy flow from the THIRD CHAKRA to the body, there are some herbs which have been found to help out. There are seven chakras throughout the body. A chakra is a point at which the Soul, nay the Spirit as the OVERSELF, connects to the body. It is like a an electricity transformer. When a transformer is blown, there is no energy in electricity in the neighbourhood. When a chakra is blocked, energy does not flow from the Spirit to the region it serves energise in the day or mud human body. For today, some of the herbs useful in freeing third chakra blockage include Bach Flowers, Holy Basil, Lemon Balm, St. John Wort etc.

Space does not permit a further discussion today of this subject. As it is characteristic of this column, the goal of which is the dissemination of Alternative Medicine information for sound, mind and body, this subject of caring for the MIND as we care for the BODY will continue to pop up and to be addressed.

Only the watchers of earth-men can exactly tell what is happening to the 45 persons who were killed on  November 1, 2021 when Femi Osibona’s 21–storey building under construction at 44 Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, came down like a pack of cards. But it is almost certain many of them may be behaving as “Wanderers In  Spirit Land”. Earth-men have not ceased to wonder about what may be happening to people they knew who have gone on. My grandmother died in 1980 but I still see her in my dreams, implying that she is still much around. Wasn’t it my mother who left the flesh on  August 5, 1959 who told me in a dream on 24th August 24, 1998 “your father has left the earth?”. Did my father not bow out two days later? Almost 20 years after, did my father not tell my sister “H.A. has gone?”. Pa H.A.Olubanjo was his bosom childhood friend through whose help my father married my mother, his cousin. So, when my sister told me our father informed her “H.A. has gone”, I advised her to keep the news to herself for sometime.

There is none of us who has not experienced correspondence with departed ones in one way or another. Even among the Caucasian (Euro-American) race, who have overcultivated the intellect to the point that they tend to no longer believe anything outside the realms of the five physical senses, concerns about life beyond the earth are not completely eradicated. These concerns have been kept alive among them by persons such as Franchezzo, author of “A  Wanderer In The Spirit Land”. He wrote the book in 1896. At that time, science and the intellect, that is the cerebrum or frontal brain, had not tried to completely usurp the throne of the spirit as they do today, to suppress Spiritual  Reality and establish Intellectua Reality or Material  Reality as the Real Reality.

We must be thankful to persons such as photographer Semyon Kirlian who have made it impossible for man to obliterate his Spiritual Ancestry. He is reported to have “accidentally” discovered a photographic technique which has helped to shed more light on Ghost  Pains and reopen the debate as to whether the physical bodies of men are not mere coarser or denser versions of prototypes and immutable archetypes which survive physical or material demise. When science and the intellect says Semyon Kirlian “accidentally” discovered the now widely celebrated photographic technique, they are trying to deny that there is a higher guidance from the forces which watch over men on earth and guide them.

In Ghost Pains, a man or woman whose leg is amputated from the knee who, therefore, in physical or material reality has no lower leg or foot, sometimes develops pains where his physical lower leg or foot had once existed. Doctors used to write off such complaints as hallucinations. But what does the patient do when the high priest of medicine had spoken but he continues to feel and believe his lower leg or foot are still where they used to be and he is experiencing serious pains in them.

Semyon Kirlian photography showed a whole leaf and, later, other objects in two dimensions. The first dimension was physical reality. The second dimension was real, also, but of a different consistency from the first. When the whole leaf was cut into two and rephotographed, the first dimension appeared as a half leaf physical reality. The second appeared as a whole leaf, as if nothing had happened to it. This sparked a controversy of archetypes and prototypes and of whether physical earth bodies are not mere reflections of prototypes and archetypes.

Of Semyon Kirlian, Google says:

“Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a high-voltage source, an image is produced on the photographic plate. The technique has been variously known as electrography, electrophotography, corona discharge photography(CDP), bioelectrography, gas discharge visualisation(GDV), electrophotonic imaging(EPI), and, in Russian literature, “Kirlianography”.

“Kirlian photography has been the subject of scientific research, parapsychology research, and art. Paranormal claims have been made about Kirlian photography, but these claims are rejected by the scientific community. To a large extent, it has been used in alternative medicine research”.

Long before Kirlian photography, the Mediums of old had tried to establish communication between earth persons and the departed ones. It was, and still is, a function of Radiations or of Sensitive  persons who have reported seeing images of persons who had just departed, hearing knocks or footsteps at night around the dwelling of being irradiated or worked up by certain fragrances of inexplicable origins.

In the days of Franchezzo, people paid mediums to help them communicate with departed persons. The book A Wanderer In The Spirit Land is one of such efforts. Here is the author, Franchezzo, telling us about this book:

“I came across this experience written in 1896 London by a medium, Franesse, who was in contact with the soul of a man known as Franchezzo when he was alive who related through this medium his experience after his death on earth. For those who probably do not know, a medium is someone with psychic powers or heightened senses able to see or hear souls/spirits. Through these people or mediums, loved ones or people who have died are able to communicate with their loved ones still living or pass on certain messages to certain people through them.

“Franchezzo lived a very materialistic life, in his own words, while on earth, living only for the highest earthly sensualities and had very strong addiction to material possessions. He paid little attention, if any, to anything regarding spiritual matters or life after death. He tells his story, through the medium, of the effect of materialism on his soul, how he got stuck after death and the efforts he made in the afterlife to rise through being stuck. Franchezzo tells his story through the medium as a lesson to earthlings still living on earth about the dangers of getting addicted to materialism or earthly distractions.

“His story is quite interesting that it tells a different reality of the so-called ‘hell-fire’ as popularly brandished in organised religion (Islam, Christianity). ‘Hell fire’, so to speak, does not exist. An unconditionally loving God would never condemn any of his own to ‘burn forever’ just because they made the wrong choices while on earth. The theory of hell fire is a wrong teaching introduced by the early church fathers that has been cycled around for generations, however experiences like this or from people who have been near death (near death experiencers), tell a different story altogether. The afterlife is not all bliss and there exists another place full of darkness and lack of love, often called the void and this is, oftentimes, where souls who accumulated heavy negative karma through their actions while on earth go to for temporary restitution, reflection on their just concluded life, etc. There is hope for these souls to progress as our unconditionally loving God never condemns any of his own to eternal damnation.

“For those who think that there is no life after death, the soul does not exist or after death is nothingness, you may need to have a rethink…”.

Dr Raymond Moody

True humanity has had the gift of Raymond A. Moody, a firm believer in the paranormal, philosopher, psychiatrist and author of Life After Life who has reopened this subject more powerfully in our time. He interviewed several people who had near-death experiences, who were thought by their doctors to have died, but who “woke up” in the mortuary and told stories of their existence in other worlds from which, in some cases, they did not wish to return to the earth. The near-death subjects Dr Moody interviewed came from different backgrounds…age, gender, social, economic, linguistics, religious, nationality, profession etc. Their stories about how they left the earth, they passed through a “dark tunnel”, in a brightly lit environment lit up not by a sun, of how the lighting was not scorching, neither dawn nor dusk nor night, of how they did not realise they had “died”, saw their pets and relations who had long “died” or of some persons standing by to help but who would not unless he was asked for help. This (Life After Life) was the book Obafemi Awolowo at his last birthday on earth asked to be given by anyone who had a copy, and which for me, an honour to give him, free of cost, one of the two copies in my library.

According to a review of Life After Life by Goggle:

“Raymond Moody is the “father” of the modern NDE (Near Death Experience) movement, and his pioneering work Life After Life transformed the world, revolutionising the way we think about death and what lies beyond. Originally published in 1975, it is the groundbreaking study of one hundred people who experienced “clinical death” and were revived, and who tell, in their own words, what lies beyond death. Life After Life introduced us to concepts including the bright light, the tunnel, the presence of loved ones waiting on the other side that have become cultural memes and have shaped countless readers notions about the end life and the meaning of death”.

Dr Moody’s critics

We would not be the humans that we are, standing at various heights of the perception of reality, if Dr. Moody’s work was not roundly criticised by the doubting Thomases. The criticisms re-enacted the battle of old between Mechanists and the Vitalists understanding of existence. The mechanists believe nothing exists unless they can see it, touch it, smell it and taste it. They call themselves Realists and their civilisation was termed the age of realism. They thought the human being was no more than his/her bones, blood and brain and that he/she was no more than a collection of organs working mechanically, like the parts of a mechanical device such as a motor-car. The vitalists recognise the existence of bone, blood and brain and…something else which makes them to function the way they do, the human soul, a vital aspect in the equation of human existence on earth.

According to the critique of Life After Life extracted from Dr Moody’s biography in Wikipedia:

“The philosopher Robert Todd Carroll has written that a characteristic of Moody’s work is the omission of cases that do not fit his hypothesis, confirming the aspect of cherry picking. Carroll writes that what Moody describes as a typical NDE may be due to brain states triggered by cardiac arrest and anesthesia. Moody believes NDEs are evidence for an afterlife but Carroll states they can be explained by neurochemistry and are the result of a “dying, demented or drugged brain”.

Dr Steinpach

Dr Richard Steinpach took Raymond Moody’s study one step further with his book Why We Live After Death.

Amazon.com says:

“Why We Live After Death is one of those rare books that encapsulates deep and far-ranging ideas with an articulate and engaging style. Austrian-born Richard Steinpach was an attorney by profession, a seeker-after-truth by inclination and temperament. From 1979 until shortly before his death in 1992, Dr. Steinpach delivered hundreds of lectures throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Why We Live After Death is a small book with a big message…the author has added value to understand the experience of death, a subject long denied and little understood. Steinpach’s explanations are consistent with the prevailing ecumenical thought on spirituality and the essence of the soul. He challenges the reader to expand preconceived ideas about religion and spirituality, and to allow understanding to establish firmer foundations in our lives and in our world.

“Why We Live After Death accomplishes what no other book on life after death does. Steinpach takes the basic Laws of Nature and applies them to the ethereal realm. By doing so, he demystifies the world beyond, and opens the door to a fuller understanding of the totality of our existence. Why We Live After Death makes it possible for readers to answer the eternal question, What is the meaning of life?”

Remarks

The foregoing were thoughts which made me wonder what could have been going on under the rubbles of Femi Osibona’s 21–storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos. Many people do not know they, or rather their bodies, have “died” when they vacate these bodies. In the battlefield, some soldiers who have been “killed” still go on fighting, dodging bullets and hiding from their enemies believing they are seen. They are surprised their enemies do not see them. They try to kill an enemy nearby, severally shooting him and are shocked the bullets have no desired effects. Weeks or months later, they may break down. They may not realise they now exist in their astral bodies, which, sooner or later, they may also discard in their ascent homeward.

Tired of it all, they may send out a genuine prayer for help to understand what is happening to them. A helper may approach them and inform them that they have died. They may fall on their faces and cry in disbelief. To help their unbelief, helpers may bring them to their homes to see their families. Their widows and children may be at breakfast table. The woman’s head may swell, her blood radiations irradiated by the visitor’s. Some of the children may develop goose pimples. Some may see images. He may speak to them. But no-one may hear him. He may try to embrace his wife, and his hands and arms may pass through her. He may get the message and begin to cry again. He may now be led away to that part of the universe, usually for many people just around the fringes of the earth plane, where his Spiritual Gravity permits him to rise not beyond. In this place, as in other places, there are rehabilitation centres where care givers help in-coming souls to settle down in their new environment or plane of existence. Often, the convinction that they have died on earth comes when they are taking on visits in their new environment to the homes of friends and relations who had left the earth a long time before them. Their existence in this new world becomes a new reality which the human brain left behind on earth cannot visualise or recognise. These teaches us that only the instruments of the same consistency with an environment can investigate or navigate it. The brain which produces signs is consistent with the material world. It is the inner cloaks which many of us live undeveloped that are consistent with the worlds of new realities beyond the earth and can investigate them. It takes the new comers to the worlds beyond the earth time to learn about The Law Of Thought, for example. They may not realise they need no food, sleep or have no need to walk. They may take time to learn their helpers and caregivers “float” along.

At 44 Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, will the disembodied souls accept that they deserved to end their earthly lives the way they did? Would they accept that there is No Accident in the universe? Will they be at Femi Osibona’s throat, accusing him of bringing about their fate? Are there squabbles going on there that our mortal eyes are not beholding? Will the site be haunted by “ghosts” for sometime? There are official records of public places in the Western world even till this day that are haunted by soldiers killed inside them. The internet has a list of haunted places in Rome, London, Edinburgh, Bucharest, Madrid etc. Will Femi Osibona seek help to detach from the decaying body, forgive his wife and siblings feuding over his property within one week of his gruesome death, and go on his journey to wherever he deserves to be, or will he become earthbound, still chasing the material after the music has stopped playing and risk the chances of another incarnation?

May our prayer be granted that the departed souls wander not in the land of spirit which Franchezzo’s book, A Wanderer In The Spirit Land, describes to us but awaken to joyful and beautiful activities in consonance with upbuilding in the wonderful and magnificent Creation of the Almighty Creator and Ruler of All the Worlds. May it be granted, also, that all of us still on the earth learn from the experience of the collapsed building that there is only one step between life and death and, therefore, make hay for the development of our spirits while the earthly sun still shines upon us. Whoever learns no useful lesson in the events around him/her lives in a Fool’s Paradise.

When a skyscraper collapses, as happened at 44 Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, 01 November, 2021, human casualties may occur. About 45 persons were killed and 15 were rescued in the Ikoyi disaster. Several others were physically hurt in several ways with bone fractures and excruciating pains. Some were psychically broken and would require trauma therapies. For yet others, the impact would be heartbreaks and grief or psychological disorientation. It would not matter if the victims are alive or dead!

For sometime to come, we would be talking about the experiences of the survivors and their loved ones. Many of us will very quickly forget the persons who were killed, or what they went through, even in death under the rubbles, because many of us do not seriously believe that life goes on after physical death on earth. Before I come to the dead, I would like to make some remarks about Life beyond earthly existence.

ONE: At 24, I had an Out of Body Experience (OBE). I came out of my physical body and consciously observed that my body lying in bed was fast asleep. Later on, I attained day consciousness in a few dreams. Day consciousness in your dream means that you are as conscious in that dream as you are day conscious behind the steering wheel of your motor vehicle in fast moving traffic. It opens the door to a wide range of psychic experiences in which earth life is no longer seen as a cage and a mystery, but as part, though infinitesimal, of a single existence which transverses many worlds that may be simultaneously experienced even when we are still earth beings.

These higher realms of existence govern human activities on earth for good or ill, depending on where earth men and women incline towards. The Universe is beaming to the earth different broadcasts from different power centers, some pure and good, some dark and evil. These broadcasts are what we call INSPIRATION or GUIDANCE. Whatever Inspiration or Guidance we receive depends on the power centers we incline towards or tune to like radio or television receiving sets. We can now configure from which power centre came the idea to build a 21–storey building on a foundation suited for only five floors. We can also conjecture where the idea comes from when we use inferior or inadequate materials in building constructions simply because we wish to cut corners. Such power centres give us the ideas we searched for by opening up to them, enlarge these ideas and encourage us to perilously walk over the edge and down the cliff.

TWO: Another evidence for me of existence beyond earth-life was the death of my father at about 3:30a.m on 26 August, 1998, a Wednesday. I rose from a dream about 20 minutes after in which he told me he had gone and reminded me to tidy his affairs, he even handed his family to me at the last family meeting he called. I planned to check on him by 6a.m. But at about 5:30a.m, one of my brothers who lived with him at Obanikoro, Lagos, came to break the news to me at Ikeja, where I lived. One of the things he wanted was for his earthly remains to be interred not later than the Saturday after his departure. I obliged this wish for his funeral which we had only two days to plan for. For this, I will ever be grateful to Mr. Jide Ogundele, my colleague at The Guardian newspapers, Rev.Adenugba, who made Emmanuel Church, Isonyin, accept the short notice, Brigadier Buba Maruwa (RTD), at that time Governor of Lagos State, who sent his chief press secretary, Mr. Sina Ogunbambo, to represent him, even without an invitation, my co-siblings for their unreserved cooperation, many relations who waved funeral tradition for me and many friends who attended the funeral in full force as though we had planned it for months.

THREE: Like my father and his mother before him, many people do not want their bodies kept in the mortuary. So was a former boyfriend of a young woman who lived with her brother at 39 Elmina Cresent, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos. They had disengaged for sometime, and she did not know he had died. They were both Igbos. His eldest brother lived in the United States. So, he could not immediately come for the funeral. Accordingly, he requested that his younger brother’s body be kept in the mortuary until he was ready. The departed brother tried to reach many members of the family to request that the burial be carried out immediately, so he could go his way. Apparently, something connected with his funeral had made him become earth-bound, which he must have hated to be. Finally, he turned to this former girlfriend of his in a dream, urging her to help him tell other members of his family to persuade his eldest brother to conduct the funeral immediately.

This young woman kept this dream to herself, assuming it was one of those stupid dreams. I was a distributor of some of the products her brother was importing in those days. These products included ALKALIVE GREEN, ALKALIVE RED, ALKALIVE BLUE and SILVERGEN. Alkalive Green was a mixed grill of about 60 green plants for alkalization and detoxification. Alkalive Red was for purification and strengthening of the blood. Alkalive Blue was for calming and strengthening the nervous system, and for pain. Silvergen was colloidal silver which was absorbed from under the tongue into the bloodstream to fight and to kill all types of germs. This young woman came from Port-Harcourt where the business network of her brother was well established to work with him in Lagos where the business was just being developed. When she knew about my interest in transcedental matters, she began to ask me life questions everytime I showed up in their office. It was in the course of one of such meetings that she related to me the dream in which she saw her former boyfriend. I encouraged her to enquire about his wellbeing from members of his family. Lo and behold, he was dead and his funeral had not taken place. This young woman was almost devastated. I informed her to immediately narrate her dream to every member of his family including his eldest sibling. How the matter ended I do not remember. But it reminded me of one or two lessons I had learned about the departed.

I am narrating these experiences because we may assume those who died under the Ikoyi rubbles have gone for good. That may be why, within one week of his death in gruesome circumstances, the wife of Mr. Femi Osibona, owner of the collapsed building in which he was killed, and his siblings are ferociously involved in a bitter battle over his exotic cars and other properties. These are people who should be mourning and possibly bed-ridden in hospital because the dust of the gruesome death of their husband and sibling had not yet settled.

Read Also: Collapsed Ikoyi building wasn’t insured

One of the lessons I was referring to is that we, the living essence, are attached to our physical earthly bodies with an astral or unseen SILVER CORD. This cord is similar to the UMBILICAL CORD which attaches a baby in the womb to the pregnant woman through the placenta. If the Umbilical cord is not severed, the baby is not freed from its would-be mother. If the Silver cord is not severed, the departing soul is not freed from the physical body it is discarding. When we still live in the physical bodies, the Silver cord is elastic, which is why we may be asleep in Lagos and find ourselves in New York in dreams. When the body is dead and the soul stands outside it, the Silver cord becomes inelastic, and the soul is bound to the body until the Silver cord is detached. Anything which happens to the physical body can still be experienced by the soul through vibrations which flow to him/her from the body through the Silver cord. This is why the cold in the mortuary freezer can be torturing to the departing soul. That is, also, why cremation is awful. That is why the souls may also feel the pain of Post Mortem surgeries. That is, also, why embalment, in which all the internal organs are removed and the cavity is stuffed with cotton-wool or other material, may be an unpallatable experience for departing ones. Some do not even know they have “died”. They find themselves still existing, experiencing pain, and are confused, unless they receive help to understand what is going on. How soon a departing soul will be freed from the Silver cord and from the corpse will depend on how light or heavy the soul is. Souls that are entangled with earthly matters and with many troubles to sort out with many persons on earth on account of attachments are usually heavy souls. Souls that are not entangled are usually light souls. The conditions of some souls are so heavy and bad that they are actually drawn back into the body they had existed. Imagine Mr. Femi Osibona becoming terribly shocked that his wife and siblings are thinking less about him and more about his property, and wishing to express to them his disappointment! The only way he will be able to do this is to communicate with them through the physical body, using the brain. On the other side of earthly existence, the brain does not exist. That is why those who have departed can walk in and out of our residencies, even through the walls as the Lord Jesus did in the upper chamber after his Resurrection. We cannot see them with our physical eyes. We can only feel their effects when they are around, but they cannot touch us physically. To communicate with us in the death chamber, they require their bodies and the brains. As they desire to do so, they will be linked up with an appropriate power centre that will encourage them to go on. They may be pulled back into the bodies and be unable to free themselves from it, since they voluntarily went in, and reside in there for months or even years witnessing the horrible decay of the bodies they had once priced highest over other values when they existed in blood and flesh. What a terrible fate!

FOUR: A 15-year-old girl whose experiences I am discussing with her mother heard knocks on the entrance door of their house one day two months ago. She went out to open the door, saw her mother, tried to embrace her but found that her hands passed through her mother, and then lapsed into a state of surprise and shock. She found herself back in the house sleeping on a couch then got up as the knocks persisted, and followed the exact processes she earlier undertook. This time, she embraced her mother, and the contact was physically real.

The news of 44 Gerrard Road reminds me of COMFREY, the “bone-knit” and tissue generating or healing herb of which not much is heard nowadays. Bone-knit refers to the healing powers Comfrey exercises in the healing of bone challenges ranging from fractures and rheumatism to arthritis and much more. The building disaster also reminded me of APPLE-CIDER VINEGAR which mobilises CALCIUM into fractured bones for speedy healing. Pain is almost inescapable in those circumstances.

GRIEF is in the domain of the heart, nay spirit! The history of the collapsed building is making many people angry, and anxiously looking forward to how everyone responsible for it would be brought to book. The owner of the property, Femi Osibona who died in the disaster has lost substantial money. So would the banks which financed it if they did not professionally scrutinise the project. The engineers who resigned from the project may go free. But what about the ones who took over from them, believing they could add two plus one to make four? Then, there are the civil servants who are trapped in the net. Grief and anxiety will at this time trail many persons, living or “dead”. Trauma is an emotional response to an event. It may be immediate or long-term. In the 1970s, some corpses were discovered at the Anthony Underbridge on Ikorodu Road, Lagos. Till this day, about fifty-something years after, the images still tense me up wherever I am there!

The owner of the building, Femi Osibona, died under the rubbles. He will be remembered as an unwise man or as one of those rich persons who were made by money to be unable to think straight. That was the understanding of him by a 20-year-old girl. Had she all that money, she reasoned, she would stop the building at only five floors the foundation could withstand, and buy five more plots of land on which to expend the remaining funds. Or, if he wanted a skyscraper by all means, perhaps because he ran into more money while the construction was going on, could he not uproot the five floors and the foundation and reconstruct a foundation for 21-storey building? Has the foundation not been excavated now in his absence?

The site will be haunted by grief for a long time to come. As a Christian, I believe in the continuation of existence beyond physical earth life. The Bible gives us many examples of it. A vivid example is the appearance of Moses and Elijah with the Lord Jesus at His Transfiguration. They were long gone from the earth and were with Him in non-earthly bodies. Jesus told His Disciples Elijah came back but men had done with Him what they wished. There could be seen an illogicality in the two images of Elijah, one of him at the Transfiguration and the other as John the Baptist, who the Disciples erroneously thought Jesus refered to as the reincarnation of Elijah. This discomfiture is corrected in the knowledge that it was NOT JESUS, but the REPORTING DISCIPLE, who reported that “….IT BECAME CLEAR ONTO THEM THAT HE SPAKE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST”. That was “interpretative” reportage by the Disciple and not the exact words of the Lord. Thus, we can infer that Elijah returned not as John the Baptist but as someone else long before the Transfiguration.

Forgive the digression. We are looking at the site of carnage, and cannot escape talking about life and death. As a person who believes in the continuation of existence after physical demise on earth, I am trying to imagine what could be happening to the people who died in that disaster. Femi Osibona invited his friend, WALE BOB-OSENI, who was to travel abroad later that day to visit him at No 44, Gerrard Road. Something must have linked them together for a common fate or the other man may have been careless about guidance to avoid Gerrard Road. We know “CARELESSNESS AVENGES ITSELF BITTERLY”. Under the debris and on the other side, outside of his physical remains, WALE BOB-OSENI, must have been wondering about why he altered his travel plan. I learned something in this regard a long time ago from a gentleman who concerned himself about the world we do not see as much as he did the world in which we still live. At that time, I closed from the office between 1a.m or 3a.m. He said on no account should one transit from one place to another without first not physically clearing the route. Most people do this through prayer. His illustration touched me. Would a President travel on a route that its security details had not cleared? Does he arbitrarily alter his itinerary? He taught a group of us that, once we had prayed for our route to be cleared up of any mishap, we could still cause some challenges for our unseen friends who were helping us if we allowed in our entourage someone who was not meant to be in it.

We do not know the karmaic debt(s) hanging from the necks of people around us. We do not know if one or more persons were meant to depart in a gruesome circumstance such as happened at 44 Gerrard Road.

Federal health officials ran into stormy weather before Senators last month when they sought approval for a $200 million loan to import mosquito nets. The request failed more from the incoherent explanations of the presenters than from the reluctance of Senators to yield grounds for yet another foreign loan. The request pigeonholed Nigeria as one of those African countries which, a Jewish leader say, will continue to wallow in poverty because they are consumers, not producers. Nigeria’s backyards, bushes and forests are overpopulated with herbs and plants which cure malaria, but the nation is unwilling to convert them into anti-malarial medicines for domestic consumption and export.

Nigeria’s laziness or deliberate ineptitude promoted by thieving in government circles has paid off again for the United States, where NATURE HERBAL LIFE has made BITTERLEAF and OKRA into capsules which are billed for export to this country as medicinal herbs! It is intriguing, if not correlative, that in the week the Senate rejected the $200million loan request, two Federal civil servants were found to own 301 houses in Abuja. One of them owned 246 of the houses, the other 55. Right inside the Presidential Villa, civil servants wish to build a 14–bed clinic that would cost N21 billion. I have not seen the President’s photograph recently. But MOFE OYATOGUN, presenter of EARLY RUSH HOUR 8am-9am programme on Star Fm radio said he was looking fresh, healthier than ever and rosier in the cheeks. Maybe planners of the 14–bed hospital believe Asorock needed a United Kingdom-standard health-care which has brought the President back to life and may reduce the cost of his health trips aborad. Whatever their reasoning, it is difficult for some people to not believe that something is going on beyond their reasoning that is linkable to the $200 million budget for mosquito nets and the 301 houses found to be owned by only two federal civil servants.

Before I play the Devil’s Advocate in the cases of the $200 million loan and the N21billion 14–bed Asorock clinic, I would quickly like to make brief comments on Nature Herbal Life and the comments by a Jewish leader about African nations.

In its presentation of the Bitterleaf and Okra capsules, Nature Herbal Life backed the findings with scientific studies of some American universities which extol the virtues of BITTERLEAF in the treatment and cure of diabetes, arthritis, high blood cholesterol, obesity and much more. The company says we should also expect nutritional supplements such as Bitterleaf Moringa capsules, Bitterleaf tea, Bitter greens capsules, Maxx Immune Support etc. So, do not be surprised if, despite our huge arable land and a huge army of unemployed young people, these products pour into Nigeria and there is a wild demand for them. The problem is less that of incapacity to develop capacity to till the land and bring these products forth but more of the penchant to patronise foreign market.

In respect of capacity, there are four levels of activity. These herbs must be cultivated at plantation level. There must be processing factories to purchase them from plantation owners. There must be merchandisers who will market them in bulk nationwide and abroad. Finally, there will be dispensers or marketers. What we have today are dispensers who are trying to be everything in the system.

In an interview making the rounds on the internet, a Jewish leader was asked:

“Why are Blacks not wealthy? Why are Blacks so behind economically?

Jewish leader:

The only thing Blacks understand is consumption. Blacks don’t understand the importance of creating and building wealth. The fundamental rule is to keep your money within your racial group. We the Jews build Jewish business, hire Jewish, buy Jewish, and spend Jewish. There is nothing wrong with that but it is a basic rule Blacks cannot comprehend and follow.

“He kills his fellow Blacks daily instead of wanting to see his fellow Blacks succeed”

The story is not different in Africa. Their leaders steal from their people and send the money back to their colonial masters from whom they borrow the same money.

Every successful Black wants to spend his money in the country of his colonial masters. They go on holiday abroad, buy houses abroad, school abroad, go for medical treatment abroad, etc. Instead of spending this money in their own country to benefit their people. Statistics show that the Jew’s money exchanges hands 18 times before leaving his community while for Blacks it is probably a maximum of once or even zero.

Only six per cent of Blacks’ money goes back into their community…. Instead of buying Louis Vuitton, Hermes, expensive cars, shoes, houses, dresses, etc, Blacks could industralise Africa, build banks and get rid of colonial institutions by putting them out of business.

So what can Blacks do to liberate themselves?

Jewish leader:

Blacks must take responsibility. Blacks must unite. And vehemently fight corrupt leaders who run down their country and run to IMF as though IMF is Father Christmas. They need to look inwards otherwise they will continuously remain economically colonised and lose their place in history”.

This is where we are heading. The $200 million loan for mosquito nets will create jobs in foreign lands. Young Nigerians will go to those lands to work as slaves. Back home, loan repayment will substantially eat up the budget offering no room for development. There would be economic stagnation. Our excuse for wanting to take the loan is that Covid-19 depressed our economy. But did Covid-19 not depress the economy of the lenders more than ours? Let me play the Devil’s Advocate and then quickly eat my words. Health officials must be worried that Nigeria carries the biggest malaria burden in Africa with 51 million infections and 207,000 deaths every year. 51million infections in one year alone easily subsumes 212,120 cases of Covid-19 in two years. Also, 207,000 malaria deaths in one year easily subsumes total Covid-19 2,898 deaths in two years. Nigerian health officials have been accused of paying too much attention to Covid-19. So, malaria must now engage their attention. But is a $200 million loan to import mosquito nets the best way to fight malaria, lower infection and death rates and reduce government spendings?

At the conservative rate of N500 to the U.S. Dollar in the Nigeria currency black market, $200 million is equivalent to N100 billion. It boils down to about N450 per person in the 220million population. I find only about four matters about the loan annoying, if not disgusting. For they continue to remind me that today’s Nigerian leaders are still behaving like those monarchs of old who took Whiskey, Schnapps, umbrellas and mirrors from Europeans in exchange for selling their citizens off as slaves.

We are in the season of the fallen or dead elephant when all sorts of knives emerge from their sheaths for homongus cuttings of meat for hungry and insatiable butchers. We are in the season in which almost every public officer is seeing the nation as a Prostate fool and getting the best out of her, rather than serving her. It is the raping of a helpless state. About 400 million has been taken in foreign loans to buy Covid-19 vaccines. President Donald Trump in his hey days suggested Nigerians would “die like flies”, if we didn’t. We had no standard hospitals, our hard-trained doctors were migrating to greener pastures in America. American citizens were hurriedly evacuated to make us believe we were living in one huge graveyard in the making over which the skies would soon fall. Nigerians didn’t “die like flies”. Americans died “like flies”. Did Africans “die like flies” in the BLACK PLAGUE, as Europeans named the BUBONIC PLAGUE which eradicated about a third of the population of Europe between 1346 and 1353, killing 25 million people? No we didn’t. Only a few hundreds in the northern fringes of Africa reportedly died. I believe, like many people that our natural immunity from diet, sunshine, simple lifestyle are what are standing by us.

Today, we are thinking of $200 million loan to import mosquito nets instead of setting up factories to produce Lemongrass tea, capsules, fluid extracts, oil, KARELA, CHANKA PIEDRA, PAPAYA LEAF, AWOPA tree bark etc. To take these anti-malarial remedies from us, there is serious thought of importing anti-malarial vaccines!

Foreign jobs

The second annoying factor of the $200 million loan is that it will create jobs for not Nigerians but foreigners in their own lands which will continue to grow lushfully and to where our impoverished citizens will flee in future as slaves.

Anti-malaria herbs

Nigeria’s backyards, bushes and forests are blessed with anti-malarial herbs and plants. All the government needs to do is encourage plantation cultivation of these herbs, as South Africa has done with Roibos tea to sell it internationally, encourage the setting up of processing plants and embark on massive public campaign to encourage their daily consumption. My family takes these herbs everyday. I cannot recall coming down with malaria fever in the last 30 years. Never mind that my genotype is AS. There are AAs in my family and they, too, are not down. I hope I will be able to discuss about three of these herbs.

Lemongrass

I grew up to know it as an anti-snake remedy around village homes. That perception changed in the 1990s when a Lagos University Teaching Hospital(LUTH) study said hot water extract of Lemongrass killed PLASMODIUM FALCIPARIUM in the test-tubes and in the human body. Plasmodium Falciparium is the parasite from the Anopheline female mosquito which causes malaria fever in humans. It travels from the blood to the liver where it grows before returning to the bloodstream to invade red blood cells, destroy them and cause anaema and all these symptoms of malaria, including death in severe attacks.

Later, LIPTON (NIG) Limited commissioned the Federal Institute for Industrial Research Oshodi(FIIRO) in Lagos, under Prof. Sunday Ayodele Odunfa as director-general (December 1990–October 2000), to study the health benefits of Lemongrass. Both studies merely confirmed what was known for ages by the IYA ELEWE-OMO in the open markets of Southwestern Nigeria. The Iya Elewe-omo is the traditional herb seller who makes herbal medicine prescriptions of all sorts for patrons. In these markets, Lemongrass is a standard prescription for malaria fever. But international business politics killed the dream of a Nigerian Lemongrass tea and imposed on this country a tea brand from the United Kingdom sold worldwide.

In his ETHNOMEDICAL USES OF PLANTS IN NIGERIA, Prof L.S.GILL confirms that Lemongrass is widely used in Nigeria in the prevention and cure of malaria. He mentions other herbs, including tree barks which should have been of interest to those health officials. If, for the sake of argument, they are interested in keeping the mosquito out of our homes, have they not heard that ORANGE-PEEL and PALM-KERNEL OIL can do the job better? When I noticed that there were too many mosquitoes in my flower gardens on account of many food crops grown there, I began to burn orange peel in a small charcoal-fire. They would all disappear for days. Orange peel is everywhere. The orange sellers are beginning to know it is money, not orange waste. For it helps out in cough, asthma, elevated blood sugar and diabetes, inflammatory conditions and digestion, among other state of disease. Abroad, the orange is cultivated in plantations and expressed for juice for the fruit juice market, the pith and the fruit snacks are processed into bioflavonoids for that market and fiber market. The orange peel is then processed into fine grade powder for its own global market.

Back to Lemongrass, some Nigerian herbal medicine practitioners have succeeded in turning the leaves into powder, which may be taken as tea or spread on food. The oil is good for many uses. Rubbed on the body, it has an anti-mosquito effect like palm-kernel oil. Sometimes, I use it as perfume. When I encounter a serious case of malaria, I put about two or these drops of the essential oil in a carrier oil and suspend in a 1.5liters of water in a bottle. Often, the effects are dramatic, especially if the therapy goes with two JOBELYN capsules three times a day for three days, eased down to one capsule daily for the next seven days.

Federal health officials pushing for a $200 million loan to import mosquito nets may not have heard that, last year, researchers at the BENGURION UNIVERSITY of NEGEV discovered that, in test-tubes, the lemon aroma such as that in Lemongrass grass kills cancer cells without harming healthy cells. The researchers were led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof.Yakov Weinstein. An American university and a Japanese university had, before then, discovered that a Lemongrass extract named CITRAL killed cancer cells in test-tubes and restricted their growth and spread in humans. Armed with these ideas and more, a Governor in Nigeria whose state was poor was given the proposal of organising plantation farming of Nigerian medicinal plants and herbs such as Lemongrass, setting up an international company to process and market them, thereby creating use for idle arable land, creating jobs in a huge value health chain for his people and improving Internally Generated Revenue(IGR). Rather, he embarked on the construction of an airport which he could not complete and remains an abandoned project, owed pensioners and workers alike. Such is what we face in an attempt by federal public officers to borrow $200 million to import mosquito nets as a way of fighting malaria fever in Nigeria. If my “O” Level Arithmetic can still reason in high figures, this is a scenario my mind conjures will be the ends of the loan…

• One net will cost about N500
• The selling price will be about N1,500
• Loan repayment will take out N500.
• There would be available to play with a free-falling or free-floating N500 per net per person in the 220 million population or N110 billion.
• I do not know why the words to eloquently present this budget did not easily flow from the mouths of the presenters as they stood before the scrutinising senators. Couldn’t they reason that the floating N110 billion surreptitiously withdrawn from 220 million people could have been put back in Federal Government treasury to reflate the 2022 budget?

If they remembered that and got through with the loan, who among us would remember that surplus money was anywhere? Again, if I may play the Devil’s Advocate, couldn’t this N110 billion not have started the NIGERIAN HERBS project, which federal health officials have kept in the dust for decades? An English man from the United Kingdom read of this advocacy, came to Odogbolu, Ogun State, organised women to grow Lemongrass, brought it to a factory on BILLINGS WAY, Ikeja, Lagos, dried and cut into chips he called DARADARA tea, could not sell it well on his own, and asked the PAX HERBAL CENTRE of Catholic Rev.Father Anslem Adodo to help him. The centre had distribution networks throughout Nigeria, helped for sometime and…the great idea fizzled out. DARADARA tea was marketed as possessing the following abilities…. Dara Dara Herbal Tea Mixture is used for the treatment, control, prevention, and improvement of the following diseases: Bacterial, Amebic, Diarrhea, Filarial, Fungal infections, Larvicidal, Anxiety, Hyperglycemia, Hyperlipidemia, Hypercholesterolemia, etc. Imagine if the government put its weight behind it as other countries, including SouthAfrica and Ghana, have been doing. We would have several Nigerian anti-malarial herbs in capsules, teabags, oil extracts etc. We would take the tea on empty stomach for breakfast and take the capsules over lunch at work. These herbs include, but are not limited to, Lemongrass, Neem (Dongoyaro), Karela (Ejinrin), Chanka piedra (Ehinbisowo or Ehinolube), Awopa bark, Bitterleaf, Pawpaw leaf!

We are a wasteful, thieving people who do not develop the Nigerian economy, as the Jewish leader castigates us, and a consumer, not producer as he and the U.S.-based NATURE HERBAL LIFE are still telling us to our faces. Imagine Nature Herbal Life growing Bitterleaf and Okra in America and coming to sell them in Nigeria! This is one of the disasters those who stopped Moshood Abiola from becoming President did to this Nation. Abiola welcomed many of us modern herbalists in his house for the discussion of ideas in herbal medicines development in Nigeria. He would migrate from some meetings on the ground floor of his house in Ikeja to his bedroom where we could be holding our meetings. His head was “loaded”, his spirit “fired”.  Not only traditional and herbal medicine practitioners lost him, the Nigerian nation, nay, Africa, did…and that is why, today, we can be talking of a $200 million loan to import mosquito nets from abroad, empower the economies of the exporting nations, disempower ours and, on top of it all, leave our people, children, pregnant women, young and old men and women still at the mercy of the female Anopheline mosquito…and malaria fever.