Ozolua Uhakheme

 

THE Ben Enwonwu Foundation in collaboration with the Society of Nigerian Artists and supported by Alliance Française /Mike Adenuga Centre Lagos, will on February 26, present the fifth edition of its monthly series of talks ‘Point of View'(POV). It will hold at Alliance Française/Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Among discussants for the event include the Group Head, Creative Industry, Bank of Industry, Uche C. Nwuka, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, MTN Nigeria Odunayo Sanya, CEO, Hatch Ideas Worldwide Yemisi Mokuolu, Managing Director, Head Sub-Saharan Africa (Ex-RSA), Bank of America Merill Lynch Yvonne Ike, Chairman First Ally Capital, Femi Akinsanya, MD/CEO Iron Capital Jubril Enakele and Partner/Leader, In-sourced Solutions for Tax, West and Central Africa PwC, Chijioke Uwaegbute. The panel will be moderated by Creative Director, Revolving Art Incubator, Jumoke Sanwo.

Drawing from other creative disciplines and such diverse sectors as government, science and technology, POV interrogates the evolving role of the visual arts in addressing major issues affecting Africa and the rest of the world by impacting policy, raising awareness, advocating for change and inspiring action.

The fifth edition of ‘Point of View’ (POV 5) themed ‘Funding for the Visual Arts: Public and Private Sector Partnership’ examines recent developments in public and private sector funding support for the creative arts in Nigeria. High on the agenda is the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), a collaboration between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee that seeks to improve access to long-term, low-cost financing for entrepreneurs and investors in the creative and information technology sectors in Nigeria.

Presentations and discussions will revolve around the seeming exclusion of the visual arts from such policies and their overall expected impact in stimulating economic growth, capacity building, skill acquisition and job creation. In funding and strengthening policies that will transform Africa, the event will also serve to examine and compare models and partnerships in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

 

Dr Joel Akande

Last week, we discussed the emerging trends of pestilence. Human beings are not strangers to endemic and pandemic diseases. Indeed medical and educational history and scriptural books are littered with ravaging diseases that have killed millions. The origins of these pestilences are frequently human-animal interactions. Examples: the bubonic plague – or “Black Death” – killed as many as one-third of Europe’s people in three long years (1347–1350 with an estimated 30 million Europeans killed. The disease of bubonic plague is caused by a bacteria carried by fleas (which travel on rats). There are also the Egyptian plagues: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of firstborn children. Again, majority of these plagues were due to human-animal interactions – frogs, lice, flies, locusts. Until the vaccination was found, smallpox (a virus) ravaged humankind all over the world.

In modern times, Ebola, Lassa fever, and other new viruses such as Coronavirus family have become as devastating a pestilence as the ancient diseases. Today, we will discuss a present and evident danger in the name of Lassa fever.

Lassa fever: Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness, with bleeding and death in severe cases. It’s caused by Lassa fever virus. The disease took its name from Lassa town in Nigeria. In medical terms, Lassa fever virus is a member of Arenaviridae and is a RNA virus, enveloped with fat coating. You should not bother yourself about this medical details but I have written it here for completion. For historical reflection, in 1969, the first victim was an American nurse, a missionary in Lassa town in North-eastern Nigeria.

Outbreaks in Nigeria (1970), Liberia (1972) and Sierra Leone (1972-1973). Ever since the 70s, there have been sporadic outbreaks of Lassa fever in different parts of Nigeria and West Africa. Indeed, since the last 5 years, there have been widespread outbreaks and endemicity. The first case of the current outbreak was reported from Bauchi in November, 2015. Following this are cases reported by Kano State, and subsequently to eight other states: Nassarawa, Niger, Taraba, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Oyo, and Lagos.

Lassa fever causes estimated 300,000-500,000 cases per year 5000 deaths per year in Africa. It respects no age or gender.  Unlike the Ebola, which is a cousin to Lassa, approximately 15-20 per cent of patients hospitalised for Lassa fever die from the illness. However, only 1 per cent of all Lassa virus infections result in death. The death rates for women in the third trimester of pregnancy are particularly high.

Risks: Individuals at greatest risk of Lassa virus infection are those who live in or visit endemic regions, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria and have exposure to the multi-mammate rat. Risk of exposure may also exist in other West African countries where Mastomys rodents exist.

Spread: The reservoir, or host, of Lassa virus is a rodent known as the “multimammate rat” (Mastomys natalensis). Once infected, this rodent is able to excrete virus in urine for an extended time period, maybe for the rest of its life. Mastomys rodents breed frequently, produce large numbers of offspring, and are numerous in the savannas and forests of west, central, and east Africa. In addition, Mastomys readily colonise human homes and areas where food is stored. All of these factors contribute to the relatively efficient spread of Lassa virus from infected rodents to humans. Person-to-person transmission may occur after exposure to virus in the blood, tissue, secretions, or excretions of a Lassa virus-infected individual. Casual contact (including skin-to-skin contact without exchange of body fluids) does not spread Lassa virus.

Symptoms: Fever, headache, muscle, nausea and vomiting and join pain are common in mild cases. You will notice that these symptoms are similar to malaria and typhoid.  In severe cases, deafness, tremor, bleeding from body outlets such as nose, mouth, eyes, and ears may occur.

Treatment: If caught early, especially within first 6 days, drug treatment is available for Lassa fever. Travel advice and more information are available in the World Health Organisation offices or their websites and respective state and federal ministries of health.

Dr Joel Akande, Infertility Specialist and Consultant 

08188343865

Email: managementlease@yahoo.com

By Olaitan Ganiu

A non-governmental organisation, Amal Outreach, has offered free screening and medication for over 3,000 people in Lagos.

The four-day community health fair, which started on February 13 and ended 16,  was meant to prevent non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes in underserved communities.

The outreach, which held in Oke-Arin, Alakoro, Apongbon, and Balogun, a central business district in the west of Lagos Island, attracted thousands of residents and traders who exploited the opportunity to know their health status.

The managing trustee of the NGO, Dr. Folake Lawal, an infectious disease specialist, said the motive is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which is to ensure healthy living and promote well-being for all at all ages.

According to Lawal, there is a high prevalence of hypertension and relatively low prevalence of diabetes among Nigerians, adding that the primary focus of the NGO is to improve community engagement toward creating self-sustaining primary healthcare systems.

“It is estimated that three out of every 10 Nigerians have hypertension, while one of every 10 has diabetes mellitus. These diseases, when uncontrolled, lead to complications such as kidney failure, heart disease, strokes sometimes, leading to crippling expenses, lost wages and productivity to patients and their families,” she explained.

On the strategies to combat these diseases, Lawal revealed that her team has set out a year-long pilot programme, which focused on building relationships with the community members through local residents trained to provide medical support and engagement on the diseases.

“Hypertension and diabetes are some of the top silent killer diseases in the world, but they can be prevented and control, if detected early. This is the reason, after screening them, we offer dispenses medication and refers them to primary health centres.

“Apart from that, we are recruiting interns from these areas that will follow up with patients. They will continuously engage, screen and ensure they see doctors when necessary because we want to serve as a pillar for social community development by providing post health fair community support.”

From: Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) has said that Nigeria has the capacity to contain any unforeseen outbreak of the coronavirus.

Briefing journalists on the planned induction of fellows and the 2020 annual congress of the college billed for February 21 to 23, Dr. Godswill Okara, Chairman, Steering Board of WAPCMLS, observed that  should the coronavirus (now COVID-19) come to our clime, Nigeria has the capacity, personnel and designated facilities to respond appropriately.

“We have the capacity to contain any unforeseen outbreak of the coronavirus, and some regional laboratories have been put on red alert. Medical Laboratory scientists are fully involved and working behind the scene in the various laboratories like it happened in Lagos in 2014. It was in the research labs of LUTH and Redeemers’ University, that the Ebola virus was identified and diagnosed. That rapid identification and diagnosis made all the difference.

“Even when Nigeria succeeded in controlling the problem, a number of our colleagues from Nigeria were drafted by the WHO and sent to Liberia and other West African countries that had challenge. Until we leverage on that to ensure that we stimulate and catalyse the development of capacity across the region, we may never know the kind of blessings we have in-country. Given the enabling environment and infrastructural facility, Nigerian health professionals can perform wonders. If the COVID-19 does come to our clime, we have the capacity, personnel and designated facilities that can respond appropriately.

Read Also: South Korea city deserted after coronavirus ‘spreads’ in church

“The laboratories that both the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), are looking up to for diagnostic intervention are all manned by medical laboratory scientists, and we are certainly carried along. The earlier West Africans come together to address the peculiarities of our region the better for us.

“We have seen other epidemics that have been contained by this country in the past like Ebola, because the vectors of the virus were not commonly found in Nigeria, the threat was not there except if a person carrying the virus travels from another place to us. It is the same with coronavirus. Also, in all our borders, particularly the air borders, those coming from abroad can easily be detected. That is why we are saying we are prepared.”

Oral diseases are one of the most prevalent health challenges in the country, with poor awareness about oral wellness, dearth of dentists and absence of sustainable strategies for national preventive and therapeutic oral health services fuelling the crisis, reports MOSES EMORINKEN

 

Although oral infection is not considered as a life-threatening issue by many people, it has been shown to be strongly associated with high mortality. According to reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO), 3.5 billion people were estimated to have suffered from oral diseases worldwide in 2017, with untreated dental caries (tooth decay) being among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases.

In the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, WHO said most oral diseases and conditions share modifiable risk factors with the leading non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life. It encompasses a range of diseases and conditions that includes, but not limited to dental caries, periodontal disease, tooth loss, oral cancer, oral manifestations of HIV infection, oro-dental trauma, noma and birth defects such as cleft lip and palate.

According to experts, the mouth is the litmus for a healthy body, not just because it is the passage for meals, but more importantly, because it can show vital symptoms of nutritional deficiencies in an individual. Therefore, whether a person is five years old or 75, the subject of oral health remains germane to overall health and wellness of every individual. It is sad that many Nigerians are not aware that the mouth needs to be healthy for their whole body to be healthy.

The situation in Nigeria is worse, especially for adults, as most suffer from the accumulation of untreated oral diseases. Millions with untreated caries have cavities and suppuration, yet planners continue to overlook oral diseases, despite their significant impact on cost and quality of life. In Nigeria, the silent epidemic of oral diseases rages because of many factors. Right from an early age, people are taught that proper oral health begins and ends with maintaining healthy teeth. With this, many people grow up with the mindset that the simple acts of brushing and flossing are enough to guarantee oral health; yet, dental experts insist that oral health is much more than having clean teeth. Dentists say oral health involves having the gums and their supporting tissues, the palate, the lining of the mouth and throat, the tongue, the lips, the salivary glands, the chewing muscles, the nerves, and the bones of the upper and lower jaws.

Impact of oral infections

Recent research has indicated possible associations between chronic oral infections and diabetes, heart and lung disease, stroke, and low birth weight or premature births. In other words, oral health refers to the health of a person’s mouth and, ultimately, supports and reflects the health of his or her entire body. Although advances in research and technology have improved the status of oral health in Nigeria, especially with the development of dental implants and the refinement of dental materials and treatment techniques, millions of Nigerians still experience tooth loss and gingivitis by middle age.

Although largely preventable, dental caries and periodontal disease are the two biggest threats to oral health, and are among the most common chronic diseases in Nigeria. Dental caries is said to be the most common chronic disease in children, while the most common cause of tooth loss among adults is untreated periodontal disease.

The President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Evelyn Eshikena, said oral health can have a huge impact on people – physically and psychologically; it overwhelmingly influences how people grow, look, talk, chew, taste food and socialise as well as their self-esteem. Severe tooth decays detract from children’s quality of life because it causes severe pain, discomfort, disfigurement, acute and chronic infections, and eating and sleep disruption. It also leads to high risk of hospitalisation, huge out-of-pocket expenses, and loss of school days with a consequent reduction in their ability to learn.

“Oral infections can cause gangrenous infection of the mouth like noma, which is a disease that result from poor oral hygiene and nutrition. Tobacco chewing or smoking can bring about oral cancers. Other factors can equally cause oral cancer. The most common infection people get is what is called gingivitis (inflammation of the gum). When nothing is done to improve on oral care, it gets worse and progresses to what we call Periodontitis, which is inflammation of the gums and supporting structures of the teeth. It is one of the most common human diseases, and can lead to eventual tooth loss.”

Encouraging a culture of prevention

Prevention is not only better than cure; it saves time, money and preserves lives. However, for many people, the mindset of preventive approach to their health is very alien because of the mentality that – “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” So, experts laments that many Nigerians prefer to wait until the time their health has nearly failed before seeking health care. In Eshikena’s words: “In this part of the world, we have so many things to juggle with, and the average person has so many things competing for attention and priority. So you find that a lot of them don’t take health matters as a priority. People wait until their health gets worse because we don’t have a culture of preventive health care. All these are happening because there is a perceived feeling of high cost for medical services. So, they believe if they are not down with a problem, why should they go and find out if the problem is there or not. If people know that prevention helps to improve their future health situation, they probably would adopt the act of visiting the hospital or seeking dental services.

“Another reason is that huge out-of-pocket funding. In Nigeria, insurance coverage is not optimum yet, and not many people are covered. So, people will rather put their monies into other things. By the time the government makes national health insurance compulsory and people are receptive to it, people will begin to take preventive health more seriously.

“As an organisation, we are looking at a situation in Nigeria where we will have primary health care (PHC) centres integrating oral health into their own activities. We also want a situation where we could have a dental health unit in each of those PHCs. We are advocating that there should be at least one dental clinic in each local government area in the country. If each state has this, then, we will be able to take dental health closer to majority of the people because we have the majority of people suffering from poor oral hygiene in the rural areas and hinterlands. If oral health is integrated in the PHCs, the dentist can give oral education to patients when they come in, take care of emergency tooth extractions etc.

“Primary services that can be rendered for the good of the people should be rendered in PHCs. It is only when things are more complicated that they should be directed to secondary and tertiary hospitals. Primary healthcare centres serve emergency purposes, and dental conditions can be emergencies. The fact that one is poor doesn’t mean one shouldn’t have the knowledge of basic oral hygiene. People who cannot afford the modern materials for cleaning of the mouth can even use traditional means of mouth cleaning like chewing sticks, charcoal etc. Poverty in itself does not cause poor oral hygiene. However, it has a way to relate with poor education, awareness and enlightenment. Education and awareness goes a very long way when we talk of oral hygiene, and also helps to avert very serious and grave disease at its early stages.”

Dearth of dentists in the country

Recently, the Federal Ministry of Health hinted that it will be implementing the 2020 National Oral Health Policy, which aims to reduce the rate of oral disease among Nigerians. The policy considers the political, cultural, and economic reasons that affect the state of oral health in Nigeria. Although the implementation of this policy is still nascent, more efforts and political will need to be put in place to make it a reality for the good of Nigerians.

However, with the huge dearth of dentists in the country to cater for Nigeria’s teeming population, reducing the preponderance of oral diseases and fatalities may prove difficult. Eshikena told The Nation that there are more ‘quacks’, that is, those who are not trained as dentists than the qualified and trained dentists in the country.

“At present in Nigeria, we have about 4,000 dentists. However, talking about recommendation as to the numbers needed, WHO does not want to give a recommended number like they do for medical doctors because of the nature of the works dentists perform. We only want a situation in which dentists can always be there to take care of patients.

“Also, allied detal professionals are more in number because there are more of such schools producing allied dental professionals such as dental technology, dental therapists, etc. There is an uneven spread of dentists, as most are resident in urban centres, while there is a huge deficiency of dentists in the rural areas. We find that those that are not trained as dentists tend to fill in the gaps because the average man does not know the difference between the different professionals. A lot of patients have lost their lives due to some of the complications that could have arisen from the allied dental professionals not knowing what to do at the right time.

“We are advocating that if the government can integrate dental or oral health into primary health and provide at least one dental unit in different primary health centres, then will well be on our way to reduce the scourge of oral diseases and infections. You will be shocked to know that in some parts of the country, there are only one or two dentists in the whole of their health facilities. You find out that when these dentists are not around, the allied dental professionals do the job, and with that you can get bad result.

“Sometimes last month, in Gombe State, a student of one of the higher institutions died. He had tooth problems, was attended to, and unfortunately lost his life. There were rumors that the student died in the care of a dentist. That is not true. It happened that the personnel that attended to the student was a therapist not a dentist. This is the more reason we need more dentists in the country, because in the absence of dentists, most hospital and health institutions tend to use allied dental professionals. We want the government to pay more attention and spend more funds on dental are in the country.”

What the individual can do

At the individual level, people are admonished to practise good oral hygiene by always brushing their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth once a day with floss or another interdental cleaner, and replacing toothbrush every three or four months. Also, eating a balanced diet and limiting between-meal snacks is very important. Always remember to make regular dental check-ups a priority. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is a life-long commitment. The earlier a person learns proper oral hygiene habits such as brushing, flossing, and limiting your sugar intake, the easier it will be to avoid costly dental surgeries, procedures, and long-term health challenges. Finally, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets high in free sugars, are major causes of oral conditions, especially oral cancer.

Our Reporter

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola on Thursday declared open a two-day roundtable summit to review some of the extant policies on education, to strengthen the sector.

The governor, represented by Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi, said the roundtable is in furtherance of the Oyetola administration’s promise to run an all-inclusive government based on the people’s yearnings and needs.

The governor said:  “I believe good governance is about listening to the people who elected you and running a participatory system. That was what informed the Thank-you tour I embarked on after the election in 2018; to feel the pulse of the citizens and assess their needs.

“We found out that there were aspects of the state education policy that they want removed, adjusted or improved upon. The DFID Citizens Needs Assessment also revealed that there are areas in our education policies that need to be strengthened.”

Read ALSO: Oyetola holds civic engagement in nine constituencies

“This is why we have lined up tested and proven hands in education in Nigeria here today to take a critical look at what we have and advise us on how to meet the needs of the people of Osun.”

The 11-man committee is chaired by Prof. Olu Aina, former Registrar/Chief Executive, National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB). Others are Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd), Prof. Yemisi Obilade, Harvard-trained educationist and former Vice Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Prof Pai Obanya, Emeritus Professor in the Institute of Education, University of Ibadan, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, former Registrar of the West African Examinations Council, Prof Adeyemi, Mr. Akinropo Emmanuel, Mrs. M. O. Aluko-Olokun, Mr. Wakeel Ayinde and Mr. Folorunso Alao.

 

 

Our Reporter

 

Fire outbreaks are causing more harms than Boko Haram terrorists, Managing Director of Surveillant Fire Limited, Mr. Jumade Adejola has declared.

He said Nigerians should start giving more attention to fire outbreaks as they battle militants.

Adejola spoke in a chat with reporters at his head office in Magodo, Lagos recently.

He blamed law enforcement agencies for failing to enforce legislations made to curb erecting buildings without installing every necessary fire and security system.

He said that there are codes and legislations that fire system should be installed in houses but questioned “why are we not following up legislations to ensure that we implement it?”

Adejola said: “You are building an estate, you don’t have fire hydrant and you are getting approval from physical planning.

“How can that be approved when you don’t have the laid down plan for fire hydrant?

“Nobody is here to blame anyone but a it is a call for us to wake up from our slumber. It is not only to run after Okada People, it is not only about security and do you know that fire is causing more death than Boko-haram?”

He added: “We are lucky in Nigeria or let’s say Lagos, that we have never had a terrible high-rise building fire, you would have known the number of death recorded.”

The veteran fire engineer said the firm is determined to create awareness among Nigerians on ways to combat the ever increasing incidents of fire outbreaks amidst the several brutal cases reported across the nation in recent weeks.

He lamented many have fallen victims of fire outbreaks because they fail to acquire fire control technologies like extinguishers, hydrants and other similar technologies.

He stated those who suffer fire incidents despite having those technologies lack the skills to use them suitably.

“Just about three days ago, inside Magodo, very close to my house, we watched a whole house come down.

“The whole thing came down because fire, within three minutes, grows into an inferno and when fire has grown into inferno, you cannot tackle it, only the fire service can tackle it.

“That is why people need to be careful and they need to have what they need to have in place. It is not about the weather alone.

“Even, when the weather is still okay, you need to be very sensitive about everything you are doing, you need to understand that you need the right equipment.

Read Also: Fire razes 16 stores in Lagos market

 

“Many people are buying the equipment but are not buying the right one anyways.”

He noted that the public must know not all fire extinguishers are original and those that are original may not be well suited.

He urged government to seek professional means to acquire fire and security control systems.

“Two things I advise people to do: when you finish building the first thing you must do is insure your house.

“Then before you finish, don’t use quack electrical personnel. They are responsible for the fire incidents because they buy anyhow cable and we are fond of something in Nigeria.

“All our pipes are inside the wall. When the cable begin to get burnt, for you to take it out is always an issue.

“So, you need to use a qualified or certified electrician who will give you what you need to buy. When you use a qualified person, he will give you the quality cable that you need,” he advised.

The UK-trained safety expert decried the attitude of people towards safety.

He advised that the people should treat things that concerns safety as important as how they care about eating foods.

“Most times because of cost implication, people will say this thing is too expensive for me.

“If I will advise you will need fire proof cable, because there is no way it will get burnt even when hot.”

“After building, put fire extinguisher… ordinary three or two bedroom bungalow cost nothing less than N5million in Nigeria of today, forget about where you buy the land.

“Then, what is N30,000 or N50,000, which the cost of fire extinguisher is that you cannot put in your house to protect you?

He added: “It is not only for you to buy fire extinguisher, you also need to be trained by whosoever sell fire extinguishers.

“Don’t just go to market that you want to buy fire extinguisher, because fire extinguisher is for life and death.

“When anything happens you can use it to escape death, but when you don’t have it, people will just shout and find you dead in the house.”

By FEMI KUSA

 

I remembered a newspaper photographer killed about 20 years ago by rampaging soldiers when someone spoke with me last week about systemic lupus erythematous (SLE).

We were in the newsroom when the news came that some soldiers had been killed in his village in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Almost everyone  old enough to know what may follow the killings asked this gentleman to not go home when he wrote an application for casual leave .

But who could stop him? His parents were old, and lived in the village. He left. He found that all the young men had fled.

His parents asked him to get out. But he objected, saying he had a newspaper identity card. When angry soldiers stormed the village on a vengeance-taking mission, they separated no wheat from chaff.

I have forgotten this photographer’s name. But I still remember his face and story.

I thought of him again yesterday because health challenges such as SLE, which are over-reactions of the immune system or auto-immune diseases, are like soldiers, or anyone for that matter, who does what American lieutenant William Cally Jr did in the Vietnamese village of My Lai on  March 16, 1968.

About 500 unarmed people were massacred after the women and girls were gang raped. One of the most touching cases of murder was that of a baby.

He was placed on the ground and the nozzle of a gun was inserted in the ear. Then, the trigger was pulled and the small head blasted. A war commander explained it off in the following words “…it became necessary to destroy the city in order to save it”.

Of 26 soldiers charged with the murder, only Lt, William Cally Jnr was jailed, originally for life, but later commuted to three and a half years under house arrest.

Thus, in My Lai, the medicine for headache was to behead the sufferer in order to cure the headache whereas, in America, it may very well be Panadol.

At 18 in 1968, I was an avid reader of my father’s daily copy of the Daily Times newspaper, and followed the Vietnam war with passion, supporting the khamer rouge and denouncing B-52 Napalm bombings.

And when I became old enough to appreciate what goes on under the human skin in auto immune diseases, I saw similarities in these immune system destruction of the body and the wanton recklessness with which an insane army may carry out simple tasks which require no more than horsewhips to accomplish.

 

Immune system

 

It is just about when some people are told their immune systems are underfunctioning or overfunctioning, like rampaging soldiers, that they begin to wonder what the immune system is all about.

It is like any system of the body, such as the locomotive or skeletal system, the digestive system or the reproductive system or the newly discovered Endocannabinol system.

Its job is like that of the military and industrial complexes of any nation… to defend the body against its potential enemies.

The enemies may include microbes of all sorts which come into the body through food, air, water, damage to the skin, contact with saliva through kissing, using infected cutlery, sexual transmissions, through handshakes with infected hands before eating with it.

As a boy, I was taught, for example, to wash bananas before eating them. As an adult, I found that one of the best ways to rid bananas of germs is to soak them in vinegar solution for about five to 10 minutes before peeling them.

For if microbes are on the peel, and one peels them off and cuts the banana to eat with unwashed hands, those microbes on the peel may find their ways into the stomach.

If one is young and one’s stomach acid and digestive enzymes are still “sharp”, as we say, they may kill these germs, otherwise they may continue their journey to the intestine where they may cause all sorts of disturbances.

Only people who visit gastrointestinal clinics or hospital almost all the days of their lives will appreciate what it means to have healthy bowels.

Vegetables, tomatoes and peppers, too, need to be sanitised. Turning the door knob or turning the steering of a car may be a cause of trouble.

When we fail to keep the enemies out, there’s an army within the body to take them on. This is the immune system. It is not an amorphous system. It is real.

Infact, man has patterned the defence of his societies after the formations of the body’s immune system. This system comprises fixed and mobile entities as well as chemical arsenal.

Among the fixed entities are the TONSILS,  SPLEEN,  BONE MARROW and  LYMPHATiC SYSTEM, the thymus gland and others.

The mobile system comprises the white blood cells of all descriptions. These cells are broadly named as LYMPHOCYTES, and  PHAGOCYTES.

Lymphocytes comprise T-CELLS, B-CELLS,  MAST CELLS and NATURAL KILLER CELLS. In their formations, we may see them as differentiated and specialised in activity as infantry soldiers, signals, air force, artillery, military police and all that.

LYMPHOCYTES and PHAGOCYTES mediate immune responses, that is the recognition of foreign and harmful entities. LYMPHOCYTES have about three basic formations or kinds…T-cells,  B-cells and Natural killer (NK)cells.

While T-cells destroy germs and stimulate B- cells to produce antibodies which are antigen specific, PHAGOCYTES surround foreign bodies, engulf them and destroy them.

That is like saying they eat up germs. An antigen is a protein which announces the existence of any dangerous substance, such as a cold virus, which can harm the body,  and cause the body to produce antibodies against it, in a bid to fight off disease.

Natural killer cells are known to contain viral infections. On the other hand, PHAGOCYTES have a broad extended family as it were which include macrophages, NEUTROPHILS, monocytes, dentritic cells or mast cells.

They destroy foreign bodies by eating them up(phagocytosis) LYMPHOCYTES are different from PHAGOCYTES in that they develop  specific antibody responses to foreign materials, whereas phagocytes employ a one way mechanism.

In other words, lymphocytes would study the  chemical structure or protein make up of a dangerous cellular or multi cellular body and create the type of “poison” that would kill it.

Thus, if there are 1,000 different “illegal” migrants in the body, lymphocytes would create 1,000 different chemical “poisons” against each of  them,  then keep a record of the poisons which work in each case.

This is like generating a biological “biometric” identity card and criminal record entry for each of them. In future, they would handle these criminals without us even knowing that anything is going on.

But that is if we feed them right, on the right diet and maintain a clean internal hygiene which provides a healthy “work environment”.

We can observe two activities of the immune system at work. For while lymphocytes are ADAPTIVE in nature, helping us to adapt to pathogens as they come, phagocytes are innate, acting in multilateral ways.

 

Under activity/hyperactiviy

 

We are again in the province of THE LAW OF BALANCE, a law of nature. This law governs the stability or equilibrium wherever we find it in the universe.

It is the law which prevents the atom from cracking up on its own and makes the solar systems and the galaxies to not collapse.

If a building or a bridge collapses, or there are pot holes on a motorway on which billions of naira had been spent, it is because The Law of Balance was infringed in the structures of these forms.

Being a glaucoma challenged person, I have not failed to recognise, and to tell fellow challenged persons of the missing links of this law in our eye structures and function.

As for the immune system, an underactive system shows the system is weak. In the hyperactive immune system, there is an irritating environment or other factors which are overcharging the system.

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Immune deficiency

 

Immune system or immunodeficiency may be primary or congenital(that means we are born with it), or secondary, that means acquired. Immunodeficiency people suffer regularly from health break downs and hardly enjoy their lives.

Some researchers link it to conditions such as protein-deficient diet, poor diet, sleeplessness, stress, certain drugs such as chemotherapy.

Some of the tell tale diseases of immunodeficiency include yeast infections, colds and flu, diarrhea, sinusitis, pneumonia.

In hyperactive immunity, the immune system is literally “trigger happy”, attacking the body instead of defending it. The results of this unwholesome activity are called autoimmune diseases.

Among them are multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, auto immune thyroid gland disease.

Autoimmune diseases are a group of ailments before which orthodox medicine still bows. Orthodox medicine believes they are caused by genetic and other factors impacted by viruses, bacteria, parasites or drugs in persons genetically predisposed to them.

But it is well recognised that inflammation and pain are hallmarks of some of these conditions, so non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs play a huge role in their management. On the other hand, alternative medicine  takes a broader view.

The hygienists speak about a toxic internal environment which offers viruses, bacteria, fungi and mycoplasma a huge breeding ground.

The PH of this environment is acidic, oxygen deficient, demineralised, suffused with microbial toxins, and unsupportive of life forms friendly to the human system.

Hygienists remind us that the 100 trillion or so cells in an average adult human body originate from one male cell which fertilised the female egg to form the ZYGOTE, a single cell which thereafter continued to subdivide until a maximum number is attained for differentiation into all body organelles, cells, tissues, organs and systems.

All of these 100 trillion cells or so, therefore, speak a common language by which they recognise one another. This language is a SIGNALLING frequency.

Every living form, be it a germ or a human cell, signals its existence on a vibrational frequency specific to it. It is like an Igbo man or a Yoruba man or hausa or efik man suddenly hearing a person speak his language in a crowd of about 1,000 people abroad.

They would automatically become relaxed towards each other and friendly. The same scenario happens between the lymphocytes and phagocytes and the 100 trillion cells.

There are certain nutrients in the diet which enhance this speaking ability or signalling of every cell, tissue and organ. Where the cell is “dumb” an account of not having enough of them, or the human cell is deaf and cannot hear friendly signals, “friendly fire” of the immune system is inevitable.

That occurs, also, on the human battlefields where friendly bombers bomb out friendly troops. How can a national army fight effectively and efficiently without robust signal departments? Where only three apartment blocks are to be taken out in an air raid, may the attack not lay waste to a whole neighbourhood in the absence of satellite and signalling guidance? We can observe signalling guidance in the journey of the sperm cell to the egg in the fallopian tube.

Both signal their whereabouts to each other. Some fertility researchers attribute this to calcium and Omega 3 fatty acids in particular.

In osteo-sarcoma, researchers speak of healing therapies supported by the signalling enhancing potentials of such natural compounds as curcumin, resveratrol and apigenin in particular.

Beyond blaming free radicals in food, air, water and from metabolic processes for pollution of the internal environment, and poor nutrient and antioxidant to address them as to cause the erratic immune system, there is also much talk about leaky gut syndrome.

This means the pathways of the intestine through which digested food migrates into the bloodstream have become so enlarged or porous or leaking that the sieves allow abnormally large molecules to pass.

This means the digestive system, right from the mouth is compromised. Polysaccharides, for example, are to be broken down by the pytalin in saliva into disaccharide which digestive enzymes in the intestine convert to monosaccharides for absorbtion.

Many people swallow heavy carbohydrate foods rather than chew them to paste or puree before sending them downstream,

The effect after many years may be a leaky gut syndrome which, in men, may even leak fetal matter to the prostate gland, causing its infection, inflammation and disease.

On a much serious note, when larger food molecules migrate or leak into the blood, the immune system is believed to recognise them as “enemies” and pursue them to wherever they go.

By this hypothesis, tissues and organs which harbour and use them in the event of having nothing else to feed on are attacked as well when the immune system opens fire on these molecules. In my 40s, I literally lost use of one arm due to inflammation and pain.

I could not turn a steering wheel with it or wind down the door glass. I could not carry a brief case for long. As the second arm became threatened, my doctor gave me non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which failed to stop the problem.

He then switched me on to corticosteroids, a set of more powerful drugs which unearthed simmering eye pressure. I went along with mother nature afterwards, using fruits and vegetable juices and ginger, which has been shown to have good anti inflammatory effects.

My family switched from crokerfish to Titus fish for omega 3 fatty acids, another anti-pain and anti-inflammatory aid. I cleared up my liver and intestine using vervain(verbana histata). One day, I over reached myself by adding four leaves to a pot of vegetables.

Good as I still am on bitters, we threw away the soup. It was about this time that I also got involved with tumeric, lecithin and many other herbs.

It is impossible to address as many ramifications of auto-immune diseases as pop up almost everyday on the Nigerian health landscape. Therefore, this column will restrict itself to the subject of the day, systemic lupus erytomatosus (SLE).

The first case I witnessed was in the 1980s and involved the daughter of a priest from my village, ISONYIN, resident in Lagos. Her bedroom had to be located downstairs because she had no energy to climb the stairs.

That was when I learned that, in such diseases, immune system boosters are out of the equation. You do not arm a soldier who has gone beserk and is on a firing spree with more ammunition.

It is much better to clean up the internal hygiene and feed the patient with adaptogenic herbs which calm the immune system, curb inflammation, heal injury and damage and avoid diet and environmental triggers of this condition.

This young woman died. But I have seen and heard of many survivors with long spans of remission and what would appear to be complete remissions.

The battle against SLE(Lupus which has engulfed the systems) begins with DETOXIFICATION of the liver and digestive system. Organic coffee (not edible) enemas are highly recommended.

From weekly intervals, frequency may be minimised to monthly therapies, with the intervals suffused with bitters before meals.

Maria Treben bitters has been my first choice since the 1980s. Curcumin 2000x is a good anti-inflammatory because the addition of cayenne and capsiasin is reported to have upgraded it’s activity 2,000 times over.

Pure Omega 3 oil is a good compliment. So are many aromatic oils of plants with anti inflammatory and pain relief properties.

 

CBD oil and adaptogens

 

Jennifer Chan informs us that, with many chemical drugs failing to live to their Billings in Lupus therapy, Dr Fotios Koumpouras, rheumatologist and director of Lupus programme at Yale, is investigating cannabinoids for their anti inflammatory and anti pain effects in Lupus therapy.

He says the landscape of conventional “treatment of Lupus is a bit bleak”. Jennifer says the body produces cannabinoids and that CB1 and CB2 receptors for cannabinoids in the body or from plants can be found throughout the body.

CB1 receptors are in the “nervous  system, connective tissues, gonads, glands and organs”. CB2 receptors are in “the immune system, spleen, liver, heart, kidneys, bones, blood vessels, lymph cells, endocrine glands and reproductive organs”.

The psycho-active elements of hemp oil bind more to CB1 receptors, whereas the medical and health improving cannabidiol(CBD Oil) binds to CB2 receptors, which are in the organs often affected and damaged by SLE. So, using CBD oil in SLE should promote symptoms relief and healing.

Jennifer Chan says : ” The National Academies of sciences, engineering and medicine released a report detailing the potential health benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids.

A committee of 16 experts from a variety of scientific and medical fields analysed more than 10,000 scientific abstracts determining there is conclusive  or substantial evidence supporting the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for chronic pain in adults, multiple sclerosis, related stiffness and muscle spasms as well as chemotherapy induced nausea and vommitting.

The researchers also found moderate evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids reduced sleep disturbances in people with obstructive sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis”…

CBD oil may be taken orally or massaged into areas of CBD impact such as the scalp or skin, or broken blood vessels.

Being adaptogenic, calming high acting immunity or bringing up low immunity, CBD oil should have good company in adaptogenic herbs such as aloe vera, curcumin, ginseng, licorice, borage, ashwaganda, wild yam, schizandra, goji berry, eluethroroot , tumeric etc

 

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

 

In our highly-competitive society, the likes of Ms. Obiageri Mazi, the primary school teacher who came into limelight because the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum found her in school by 6.30a.m, are rare.

Learning about her story – how she spent 31 years teaching in the same school and did not go beyond college education (National Certificate on Education- NCE) to earn a degree – she could come across as unambitious.

I dare say few teachers, especially in southern Nigeria, would remain in such situation that long without seeking to upgrade qualification, change posting and fight tooth and nail for promotion.

Doing any of these is actually not bad.  However, there is so much to learn from Ms. Mazi’s patience, consistency, dedication and commitment which show that there are so many routes to success; that one can achieve success the slow and steady way.

The 54-year old taught in the same school for 31 years earning N35,000 only before Governor Zulum promoted her, yet she remained committed.

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Not only did she do her work as expected, but she went beyond the call of duty to get to work when some would still be on their beds.

She could have chosen to be bitter – one of her former pupils was an assistant teacher in the same school while she was still a teacher – but she did not.

She could have done her work without much energy; but she was passionate about teaching.  For her, it was a calling, a promise to God.

It was while in that lowly position where she had been faithful for years that reward, fame and even money found her.

Beyond the promotion and cash gift she got from the Governor, Ms. Mazi was sought out and rewarded by complete strangers who had not met her but were inspired by her story.

From north, south, east and west, people gave to her.  I do not know how much it was in total that she got, but I know it was more than three years of her salary.

What does this teach us? What should this teach any teacher or head of school in charge of moulding chldren’s lives out there?

It teaches that sometimes we may not be able to control our circumstances, our place in life, but we can control how we behave in whatever situation we find ourselves.

Ms. Mazi controlled what she could – her behaviour, her dedication to duty, her love for the children, punctuality, professionalism and today, miles away from her home state, Abia, she found honour.  Well done Ms. Mazi.  Thanks for inspiring us.