The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Causes

  • Fibroid: Causes, effects and how to deal with it

    Clearly, there is a knowledge gap about fibroid in the perspectives of the public. This gap has given rise to a lot of mythical beliefs about the cause and treatment of fibroid. I have seen advertisements in public places such as eateries, market places and public business that promote a cure-all concoction directed at curing fibroid. More often, this sort of unproven preparations are inactive substances meant to defraud the victims. Women and families should be careful when this kind of “medicine” are being marketed to them. The myth surrounding fibroid is made worse by press stories and rumours of VIPs and eminent persons that died as a result of “fibroid operation”. In fact, what may have killed these important individuals may not be directed related to the fibroid or the surgery. What Are Uterine Fibroids? Taking a cue from WebMD and Mayo Clinic, uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths of the muscle tissue of the uterus. Fibroids can range in number and size from a single growth to multiple growths, and from very small to large, as many as 70 percent to 80 percent of all women will have fibroids by age 50. The medical term for fibroids is leiomyoma or myoma. Classification of Fibroid: Fibroid can be classed as follows: Intramural fibroids, the most common, grow in the wall of the uterus and can make it feel bigger. Subserosal fibroids grow on the outside of the uterus. As they grow larger, they can cause pain due to their size or pressure put on nearby organs. Submucosal fibroids grow just underneath the uterine lining and can crowd into the uterus cavity and lead to heavy bleeding and other more serious complications. Pedunculated fibroids grow on small stalks inside or outside the uterus. It’s possible to have more than one type of fibroid. Causes of Fibroid: Being a woman (needless to say) is a major factor. Having no pregnancy , longer exposure to the hormone estrogen. Family history, being Black African, being over age of 30 (note fertility also begin to fall rapidly) and having high body weight (obesity) are risk factors for developing fibroid. Pregnancy may make fibroid worse (growth / pain). The Symptoms that Fibroid Sufferers May Experience: Relying on the discussion by Health line, fibroid; may cause nothing especially if small. May cause heavy and or prolonged menstrual bleeding depending on location and size. May cause pressure in abdomen if large enough or cause pain if it got twisted on its stalk. It may also cause lower back pain. Pain is likely during pregnancy when fibroid may degenerate. Increased urination by pressing on the bladder is another likely development. Cramping during Menstrual Period is a common feature. Swelling or enlargement of uterus even without pregnancy may occur. Pain during intercourse if a frequent complaint. Signs That the Doctors May Detect: Doctor will take full history and detect his own signs such as: Discovering of swelling of womb/uterus and abdomen during examination. Ultrasound (which may be trans-vaginal (better) or trans-abdominal) is a key and most common investigation to discovering, locating and measuring fibroid. MRI/CT could be used but highly expensive but more specific than ultrasound.

    Treatment of Fibroid: Non-medical treatment is simply a medical or conservative treatment. Medical treatment will not remove a fibroid but may bring it to a level that will help achieve the desired objective for the time being. Example: Medication may stop heavy bleeding. Medication may reduce the swelling, pressure and pain. In some occasions, fertility may be improved. Fibroid is not generally a cause of infertility. The recommendation for dealing with fibroid is as follows. •Thorough counseling to discover why the need for treatment is required in the first instance for example: Is the treatment for fertility/reproduction, heavy bleeding, pain, pressure or abdominal swelling? • Use of various medications will be directed toward achieving the specific objective(s) listed above. •Some of such medications must only be used by specialists in the field to manage fibroid. Some contraceptive medications/devices may help. • Common pain killers or over the counter medications may however be used to control the pain and heavy periods. • Menopause may naturally cause fibroid to shrink because of fall in estrogen levels. 6. Fibroid Remedy: Exercise. Regular exercise may prevent fibroids. In one study, women who exercised seven or more hours a week had significantly fewer fibroids than women who exercised less than two hours a week. Obesity also is a risk factor for fibroids. So exercising regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your fibroid risk. Care for Anemia: Women with fibroids who are not getting enough iron through diet alone may develop anemia, where the body has fewer red blood cells than normal. Symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Treatment may include eating more iron-rich foods, such as meats, poultry, fish, leafy greens, legumes, and iron-fortified breads and cereals.

    • Myomectomy by open surgery or laparoscopy (directly or via morcellation). • Hysterectomy.
    • Ultrasound surgery using MRI.4. •Endometrial ablation to remove. A morcellator is a surgical instrument used for division and removal of large masses of tissues during laparoscopicsurgery. In laparoscopic hysterectomy the uterus is minced up, or morcellated, into smaller pieces inside the woman’s belly cavity in order to extract from the abdomen. •Embolization. For mild to moderate symptoms, uterine fibroid embolisation may be a good option. A catheter is guided to the uterine artery. Tiny particles of plastic or gelatin are then released into the blood vessels that feed the fibroid, causing it to shrink over time. Embolisation should not be an option for women wanting to get pregnant at some point after treatment. In summary, fibroid is common, non cancerous but also treatable by trained specialists.

  • Fibroid: Causes, effects and how to deal with it

    Clearly, there is a knowledge gap about fibroid in the perspectives of the public. This gap has given rise to a lot of mythical beliefs about the cause and treatment of fibroid. I have seen advertisements in public places such as eateries, market places and public business that promote a cure-all concoction directed at curing fibroid. More often, this sort of unproven preparations are inactive substances meant to defraud the victims. Women and families should be careful when this kind of “medicine” are being marketed to them.

    The myth surrounding fibroid is made worse by press stories and rumours of VIPs and eminent persons that died as a result of “fibroid operation”. In fact, what may have killed these important individuals may not be directed related to the fibroid or the surgery. What Are Uterine Fibroids? Taking a cue from WebMD and Mayo Clinic, uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths of the muscle tissue of the uterus. Fibroids can range in number and size from a single growth to multiple growths, and from very small to large, as many as 70 percent to 80 percent of all women will have fibroids by age 50. The medical term for fibroids is leiomyoma or myoma. Classification of Fibroid: Fibroid can be classed as follows: Intramural fibroids, the most common, grow in the wall of the uterus and can make it feel bigger. Subserosal fibroids grow on the outside of the uterus. As they grow larger, they can cause pain due to their size or pressure put on nearby organs. Submucosal fibroids grow just underneath the uterine lining and can crowd into the uterus cavity and lead to heavy bleeding and other more serious complications. Pedunculated fibroids grow on small stalks inside or outside the uterus. It’s possible to have more than one type of fibroid. Causes of Fibroid: Being a woman (needless to say) is a major factor. Having no pregnancy , longer exposure to the hormone estrogen. Family history, being Black African, being over age of 30 (note fertility also begin to fall rapidly) and having high body weight (obesity) are risk factors for developing fibroid. Pregnancy may make fibroid worse (growth / pain).

    The Symptoms that Fibroid Sufferers May Experience: Relying on the discussion by Health line, fibroid; may cause nothing especially if small. May cause heavy and or prolonged menstrual bleeding depending on location and size. May cause pressure in abdomen if large enough or cause pain if it got twisted on its stalk. It may also cause lower back pain. Pain is likely during pregnancy when fibroid may degenerate. Increased urination by pressing on the bladder is another likely development. Cramping during Menstrual Period is a common feature. Swelling or enlargement of uterus even without pregnancy may occur. Pain during intercourse if a frequent complaint. Signs That the Doctors May Detect: Doctor will take full history and detect his own signs such as: Discovering of swelling of womb/uterus and abdomen during examination. Ultrasound {which may be trans-vaginal (better) or trans-abdominal} is a key and most common investigation to discovering, locating and measuring fibroid. MRI/CT could be used but highly expensive but more specific than ultrasound.

    Treatment of Fibroid: Non-medical treatment is simply a medical or conservative treatment. Medical treatment will not remove a fibroid but may bring it to a level that will help achieve the desired objective for the time being. Example: Medication may stop heavy bleeding. Medication may reduce the swelling, pressure and pain. In some occasions, fertility may be improved. Fibroid is not generally a cause of infertility. The recommendation for dealing with fibroid is as follows. •Thorough counseling to discover why the need for treatment is required in the first instance for example: Is the treatment for fertility/reproduction, heavy bleeding, pain, pressure or abdominal swelling? • Use of various medications will be directed toward achieving the specific objective(s) listed above. *. Some of such medications must only be used by specialists in the field to manage fibroid. Some contraceptive medications/devices may help. • Common pain killers or over the counter medications may however be used to control the pain and heavy periods. • Menopause may naturally cause fibroid to shrink because of fall in estrogen levels. 6. Fibroid Remedy: Exercise. Regular exercise may prevent fibroids. In one study, women who exercised seven or more hours a week had significantly fewer fibroids than women who exercised less than two hours a week. Obesity also is a risk factor for fibroids. So exercising regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your fibroid risk. Care for Anemia: Women with fibroids who are not getting enough iron through diet alone may develop anemia, where the body has fewer red blood cells than normal. Symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Treatment may include eating more iron-rich foods, such as meats, poultry, fish, leafy greens, legumes, and iron-fortified breads and cereals.

    • Myomectomy by open surgery or laparoscopy (directly or via morcellation). • Hysterectomy.
    • Ultrasound surgery using MRI.4. •Endometrial ablation to remove. A morcellator is a surgical instrument used for division and removal of large masses of tissues during laparoscopicsurgery. In laparoscopic hysterectomy the uterus is minced up, or morcellated, into smaller pieces inside the woman’s belly cavity in order to extract from the abdomen. •Embolization. For mild to moderate symptoms, uterine fibroid embolisation may be a good option. A catheter is guided to the uterine artery. Tiny particles of plastic or gelatin are then released into the blood vessels that feed the fibroid, causing it to shrink over time. Embolisation should not be an option for women wanting to get pregnant at some point after treatment. In summary, fibroid is common, non cancerous but also treatable by trained specialists.

     

  • Some causes of pain and some solutions …5

    Can we speak of pain without mentioning menstrual pain?

    In today’s poor-diet, simple sugar – overload world where the female hormones hardly balance themselves, menstrual pain may be as common as headaches, neck and muscle pain, nerve pain, joint pain and upper and lower back pain. In the Comet newspaper before it became defunct, one of the female reporters often became a spectacle every month. It was always obvious to almost every one that she was flying the Chinese flag or that her friends, the Reds, were visiting.

    Someone else would have to finish her work while she was taken to the clinic where the doctor or the nurse would give her anti-pain and anti-cramp injections. Meanwhile, her friends would have to mop the floor after clearing her vomit. She loved coffee and soft drinks and enjoyed junks food. It was only about last year that she grudgingly agreed to give up coffee after she developed multiple uterine fibroids. Who wouldn’t, who was still expecting the proverbial “fruit of the womb” at almost forty years of age? Many women are like this woman. But many of them are not as lucky because dominance of the estrogen hormone over the progesterone hormone, which may be a source of this problem, may also predispose them to such breast irritation that may, someday, spring up breast lumps or even breast cancer.

     

    CAUSES OF MENSTRUAL PAIN

    Researchers keep adding to the list of possible causes of menstrual pain. According to www.healthline.com, the check – list may parade 18 possible causes which it ranks in order of severity as:

    (1)        “Heavy….

    • Heavy, prolonged or irregular menstrual periods
    • Endometriosis
    • Fibroids
    • Fertility
    • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
    • Depression
    • Stress and Anxiety
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
    • Necrotising vasculition
    • Polycystic kidney disease
    • Hypopara thyrodism”

    Is menstruation natural or a disease?

    Today is not the day to examine this idea which I first picked up in THE NEW RAW ENERGY, written by sisters Deborah and Leslie Kenton in the raw food era in Europe, when the eating of especially salads, fruits and greens generally, was advocated by nutrition  activists, researchers and doctors. Raw food, now endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which suggests that about 80 percent of the daily diet be raw, contains lots of organic Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, other minerals, Vitamins, co-factors and trace elements, among many others.

    Working synergistically like an orchestra, they provide the body with much, if not all it needs, for a healthy and balanced biochemistry. THE NEW RAW ENERGY featured research findings which showed that women who ate lots of raw food during these studies did not menstruate but were nevertheless fertile and some of them actually became pregnant. This was attributed to high levels of Beta carotene in their bloodstream, and the suggestion that women are menstruating today only because they had low levels of Beta carotene in their system. The information enabled me to  explain what it thought was the circumstance of a young mother of three who was banished from her village in Benue State because she was not menstruating but was fertile, getting pregnant and having babies. Her case was presented at a Gothe Institute health seminar in Lagos I attended. We run the risk of throwing up the floor for a debate of this subject today. But I’d rather not. So, I would only suggest today that it may be possible for some cases of menstrual pain, if not all, be avoided by those women who are prone to this disorder if they get more Beta carotene into their diet.

     

    The pain

    rguably, the most well known cause of menstrual pain is caused by cramping of muscles in the uterine (womb) wall. Doctors say these muscles contract to expel the inner lining of the uterus, the endometrium, when no pregnancy occurs, despite preparations by the endometrium to receive a fertilised egg and nurse it. The shedding or expulsion occurs because the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the blood decline. These are two hormones which, like the endometrium, would have supported the growth of a fertilised egg. As these hormones are watered down, literally speaking, the endometrium swells up. It is shed by the muscular contractions in what is sighted as the menstrual flow, to be replaced in preparation for another cycle. Contractions of the muscles narrow or constrict vessels which supply the endometrium with blood. Loss of blood supply means loss of oxygen supply, and loss of oxygen supply means death of the endometrium which breaks up in the process of the muscular spams.When the endometrium breaks up, it releases its blood holding into the uterus for expulsion through the Cervix and the virginal. At this time, certain chemicals in the endometrial blood pour into the uterus as the endometrium breaks up, releasing its blood holding. These chemicals include leukotrienes, which are believed to induce cramping of the uterine muscles, and prostaglandins.

    There are two types of prostaglandins… the ones which cause inflammation (and pain) and the ones which oppose inflammation and soothe the pain of inflammation. A woman’s diet will determine how much of each she would have in her blood and endometrium. Women who have large amounts of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins are known to suffer almost, if not exactly, the same degree of birthing pain experienced by women who are given pro-inflammatory prostaglandin injection to induce their labour. Thus, for women who suffer severe menstrual pain, the consumption of anti-inflammatory food factors should be the beginning of wisdom. Some of these include Titus fish (the type called original Titus in Nigeria), Sardine. Oily fish contains omega-3 fish oil which is highly anti-inflammatory. Red meat (beef) on the other hand, yield sarachidonic acid which, in turn, fuels inflammation.

    In the plant kingdom, flax seed oil offers omega-3 oils as well so does evening Prime rose oil. Vegetable oils produce omega-6 oils which fuel inflammation. We must never forget The Law of Balance, one of the laws of Nature which requires balance in everything, whether in Estrogen or Progesterone, the two major female hormones, or in Omega-3 and omega -6 oils, to maintain balance between inflammation and anti-inflammation responses. There’s little need, I believe, to emphasis now that too much of cooked food and junk foods such as white flour bread and food beef, fries, sugar etc increases acidity which in turn, fuels inflammation, and pain. On the other hand, the health food industry today offers the health–conscious public powderised or micronised forms of alkaline forming foods such as carrot powder, spinach powder, Spirulina powder, kale powder and many others. These may be added to soups, stews, beans, pap, even cassava flour to mineralise, vitaminise, protenise and alkalise them.

    WOMEN who experienced blood clots in their menstrual discharge may be candidates for menstrual pain. If their periods are pain free, the blood clots may be a signal for something serious they should worry about. If the endometrium breaks up, and there is a large amount of clots in the blood it releases, and the clots find their way to the cervix for expulsion through the vagina, the pressure these clots exert on the tissue of the cervix may be a source of menstrual pain if the cervix outlet is, for example, too narrow and they have to be forced out. When a woman tells me her period comes with heavy or tiny clots, I suggest she add apple cider vinegar and/or cayenne to her diet. They help to break down the clots so the blood flow can be rich red and fresh. Rich, red menstrual flow suggests a well oxygenated uterus and good blood circulation. In many women, the blood circulation to and from the uterus is sluggish and poor, damaging to the health of this organ. Some women have found that serrapeptase helps to breakdown these clots and even some uterine fibroids, another cause of menstrual pain.

    We shouldn’t lose sight of Calcium and Magnesium which should exist in ratio 2:1. Many women are Calcium bound because they do not take enough magnesium in through the diet. Calcium contracts. Magnesium relaxes. Menstrual pain may arise from too much contraction and insufficiency of magnesium to counter balance excess calcium. Thus, magnesium supplements may help troubled women as should the aforementioned greens. In emergencies, I have found magnesium oil and St. John’swort oil helpful. In the cell salt pharmacy, Ferrumphos breaks down clots of all sorts and oxygenates while Mag Phos stamps out cramping, even in palpitations of the heart.

    NOTHER source of irritation for the uterus and source of menstrual pain is Lactic acid which the cramps of muscles produce. If you haven’t cut grass or exercised in a long while, and you suddenly overdo it, the pain you experience in your muscles the day after or so is coursed by lactic acid irritation. Lactic acid is a by-product of energy production in the muscles. You need potassium along with alkaline minerals to reutilise it. While Magnesium oil massage may help, it is always beneficial to take potassium-rich foods such as banana, Avocado pear, water Mellon Juice etc. for potassium. Mrs Florence Fusi told me that in her Vermanda region in the Cameroon, banana skin is eaten. I have learned from a woman in Lagos, also, that the herbalist who helped her get rid of uterine fibroids gave her the powder of plantain fruit peel.

    Both peels are rich in potassium. The peel of orange or Tangerine or that of any citrus fruit is also good and anti-inflammatory. They help me to easily knock bone pain away.

    UTERINE FIBROIDS may be a cause of menstrual pain, especially if they irritate the endometrium and the reproductive cycle. Getting rid of these growths may be easy or complex. Dr. Max Gerson taught the world that oil growth arise from oxygen and potassium deficiency.

    I have had testimonials from women who say their fibroid sizes shrank under a good potassium-rich diet. Add to that the balancing of the female hormones with Vitex, Dong qual, yarrow, maharane and the lusertion vaginally of Guffebao or Happy Woman.  Heavy bleeders may become tired and suffer shortness of breath and pain because of anaemia due to iron loss. The proprietary formula Jobelyn should help. So should iron-rich herbs such as kenp, kalebeet root and Spirulina. If fibroids cause excessive bleeding, herbal astringents should help. Yarrow and Chankapiedra help a lot. The fibroids press on the bowels causing constipation, or the bladder, causing frequent urination, appropriate herbs are available for these conditions.

    Many women visit their doctors with laboratory reports which suggest that their condition is  P.I.D – driven, yet do not know what to make of Pelvic + inflammatory Disease (P.I.D). This is an infection of the female reproductive organs. These organs include the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, Cervix and Vagina. The Pelvis is in the lower abdomen region. P.I.Ds can cause pain in the lower abdomen, pain in the upper abdomen, fever, painful sex, urination, irregular bleeding, increased or foul smelling vaginal discharge, tiredness”, according to Health line as a PID infection may be dangerous if it gets into the blood stream, holistic treatment is often advisable. Golden seal Root is a favorite natural remedy. It may be supported with Grape seed extract, Cranberry tea (if the urinary tract is infected), colloidal silver taken internally and used as a vaginal wash, Walnut husk and proprietary blends. Sometimes, preparations of these herbs are inserted into the vaginal, and after the therapy, a course of probiotic is undertaken orally and through vaginal insertion.

    Finally, today, is the havoc of endometriosis. It arises when endometrial cells from the uterus escapes elsewhere, implants there and begin to grow as if they were still in the uterus. One of the facilitators for this escape is thought to be fat worms which travel from the uterus through the fallopian tubes to the pelvis. Another therapy suggests retrograde menstrual flow, that means that, rather than flow from the uterus through the cervix vagina, menstrual blood flows backwards into the fallopian tubes and the pelvic cavity. In the Pelvis, these cells adhere to tissue, thicken and behave as though they are still resident in the uterus. This may cause scar tissue in disturbed organs such as organs of the bladders, set off inflammation and bleed during the menstrual cycle. Besides, they may cause period pains. As this condition causes blood loss, blood replacement and decomposition important.

    Pain therapy is important. Hormonal balance is important as well. Some doctors prefer to put out the ovaries to prevent them from making excess estrogen. But others prefer to normalise ovarian secretions. Ovarian herbs such as Vitex, Blue colosh, St. John’s Wort are good. So is valerian root or leaves to calm the nerves, prime rose oil as well.

  • Some causes of pain and some solution…4

    This series has explored such pain challenges as headaches, neck pain and upper and lower back pain.

    This section of the series will examine, also, carpal tunnel syndrome, that pain in the wrist which affects people in certain professions, and then examine some healing approaches to managing or resolving them. Incidentally, the exploration, so far, has been limited largely to bone malaise, including bone joint problem. In the second part of the series, nerve and muscle discomfitures as possible causes of the three major types of headache featured.

     

    CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME PAIN

    This subject reminds me of three old friends. One of them is a barrister. For weeks, he could not sleep well or write with his right hand.

    Often, he cried like a baby. My second friend, a seamstress, gave up her lucrative office because pain in her right wrist and pain forbade her to work.

    Tutu Folashade Koyi, who helped me at The Guardian newspaper of the 1980s to pioneer traditional medicine reporting, supported this venture at The Comet newspaper and is now the News Editor of The Sun Newspaper, is the third friend. I remember today, Editorial work at The Comet, now defunct, could keep a reporter at his or her desk for days, mind you not hours, but on end. Being about the only computer literate person on her desk at that time, Tutu had to typeset editorial materials that may fill as many as four or eight pages in addition to her other routine work which involved writing. Soon, the pressure took its toll on the wrist and her shoulders. She suffered serious nerve, hand and shoulder pains. But the harder the pains hammered, she threw herself at her work.

    Sometimes, as in this case, journalism can be a brutal profession, and this explains why journalists make a success of whatever they do outside their profession, where the pressure is much kinder, even in mid-career changes.

    Many people suffer from Carpal tunnel Syndrome. This condition derive its name from the bones on the wrist, the carpals. If you turn your palm up, you would find what looks like a gutter running up to the base of the palm. This is the carpal tunnel. It is like a conduit pipe. The median nerve, which serves the fingers, and some tendons, which make the fingers to move pass, through this tunnel.

    When the wrist joint is moved or used too frequently, metabolic wastes may be produced by this activity which, if not quickly and efficiently removed, may irritate the nerves and tendons. Irritation of tissue is often the cause of inflammation, and inflammation the foundation of pain.

    In inflammation, the connective tissue will be overstretched, and the overstretching may lead to tearing, an injury that micro-organisms such as candida and other yeast may exploit to cause infection and tissue degeneration.

    In the book titled THE DOCTORS BOOK OF HOME REMEDIES, written by the Editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books, we have some graphic descriptions of how this condition may present. Say the editors:

    “Three paragraphs into the letter to your grandson and the aching tingle in your writing makes you put down the pen. You spent weeks finding the right paint for the kitchen, but after a few short strokes bothersome pain in your wrist and hand make you leave the brush in the bucket. At night you wake up with numbness on your hand and wrist for no apparent reason. If incidents like this are happening to you, chances are, you have Carpal tunnel Syndrome.

    The United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggest that Carpal tunnel Syndrome may affect such workers as “meat cutters, cashiers, data processors, assembly line workers, pneumatic hammer operators, the kinds of people who absolutely must use their hands on the job.

    The institute says that even people who work at home may be at risk as well.

    “Carpal tunnel Syndrome has been known to attack home makers who spend lots of time wringing wet laundry by hand, sweeping with a broom, dicing with a knife, or even shelling peas. Even weekend Do-It-Yourselfer can do themselves in. Excessive use of a staple gun over the weekend is enough to trigger the disease but diegut have to”.

    The editors produce additional insight from Dr. John Sebright, M.D., head of the hand surgery section and director of microsurgery Laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michugan, who says:

    “If the wrist is repeatedly flexed and extended, the pressure is increased.” But Dr. Sussan Isernhagen, a physical therapist, believes wrist and hand pain may not always suffer Carpal tunnel Syndrome but, indeed, be a syndrome of osteoarthritis, a degeneration condition of bone joint. “If you get a crackly or crunchy feelings in your wrist when you exercise, that’s not a sign of Carpal tunnel Syndrome; it may be a symptom of osteoarthritis.”

     

    PHYSICAL THERAPIES

    octors advise that cold compresses may do help to reduce the swelling. Hot applications are ruled out. Crepe bandaging is also discouraged, as this may congest circulation traffic and balloon the problem. It is suggested, also, that the hand be always raised above the shoulder to reduce pressure in the Carpal tunnel.

    Being an inflammatory condition, anti-inflammatory natural remedies are prime solution for the condition. They work, also, for many, if not all conditions of pain, caused by inflammation. Fish Oil has become well known for its anti-inflammatory powers. Researchers and doctors keep telling us that it supports the production of anti-inflammatory substances and that it is better than Aspirin which works wonders but impact some dangerous side effects, including lacerations in the stomach and intestine, which cause bleeding and possibly, anemia.

    Since Aspirin is extracted from Small Powered Willow herb, and anti-inflammatory whole herb which supports shrinkage of enlarged prostate gland and comfortable urination, it seems reasonable to assume that the willow herb will do Aspirins Job without the side effects. As for fish oil, if there is only doubt about its purity, because some people suspect contamination from fish caught in polluted sea, chemical and toxin KRILL OIL offers good safety valve. Krill fish resides in unpolluted water, and has become the toast of fish oil lovers. But is a little more expensive than the regular fish oil. Flax seed oil, obtained from flax seed, is a good option, too. But the oil has to be converted in the body before it can be used. Some losses may occur during this process.

    I would like to quickly mention that the Nigerian antioxidant and blood growing proprietary herbal formula, JOBELYN, has shown remarkable anti-inflammatory effects in studies carried out for this activity in Germany and the United States.

    Originally designed to rapidly counter anemia in 24 hours, for which in 1994 it earned from The Guardian newspaper, the accolade of an “alternative to blood transfusion,” it was soon found by researchers at the college of medicine of the University of Lagos to also help diabetes, arthritis and other conditions. Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has run a study which found Jobelyn improved the wellbeing of people challenged with sickle cell disorder.At the University of Ibadan, it proved helpful in a psychiatry study. A study at the Military Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos, found that it helps people with HIV.

    VITAMIN B6

    There is hardly any Carpal tunnel Syndrome proprietary remedy worth its name which does not include Vitamin B6 in its contents. It helped my barrister friend. The Doctors Book of Home Remedies says: “Recent Scientist studies are showing that physicians supervised used therapy with Vitamin B6 can help relieve the symptoms of Carpal tunnel Syndrome. In 12-year study conducted at Louserville Kenturky, Morton kar kasdan, M.D., found that 68 percent of his 494 Carpal tunnel Syndrome patients improved while taking Vitamin B6 daily.

    John Ellis, M.D., a surgeon and family practitioner of the institute for Biomedical Research in market pleasant, Taxes, has been using Vitamin B6 for so many years to treat Carpal tunnel Syndrome. Dr. Ellis believes that Carpal tunnel Syndrome is caused by a deficiency pure and simple. In a high percentages of case, the patients are deficient in Vitamin B6.

    “Dr. Ellis says over the past 26 years, he has successfully treated hundreds of patients with large Vitamin B6 dosed daily and they have no side effects, Vitamin B6 treatment does not bring about immediate relief,” he warns. “You have to be patient”, he says, “it often takes about six weeks until the enzyme changes are sufficient enough that the symptoms gradually begin to subside.  From six weeks you will really notice a decided difference in your hands and fingers, he says. The numbness, toughing, stiffness and pain in your hand subside.” Dr. Ellis also says that, “a number of people have a recurrence of Carpal tunnel Syndrome when they stop taking the Vitamin”. Incidentally, Vitamin B6 is present in good dosage in green herbs such as Spirulina and Kelp, often mentioned in this column.

     

    CURCUMIN

    here is a wonderful proprietary product blend on the Nigeria market called CURCUMIN 2000X. It is so called because it is compared to CAYENNE, another anti-inflammatory healer, which, as the name of this product goes, is said to make Curcumin 2000 times more active than it ordinarily is. Curcumin is the yellowish part of Tumeric, which is a component of curry powder. It is widely believed that intestinal problems, such as inflammation and pile, were infrequent in the days Nigeria women cooked with Curry powder and Thyme alone. The situation is said to have drastically reverse in these days of Monosodium Glutamate (NSG) spicing. It is largely for this reason that Tumeric is thundering back to popularity as part of any protocol for healing many of the health challenges of todays, which  are boiled down to preventable inflammation. Mrs.Bukola Aseez, chief executive officer of Budget Travels and Tours, a travel agency, asked me last week for information about Tumeric. She had difficulty moving her bowels, and her friend in England, Mrs. Omolara Bello, had sent her a jar of Tumeric Capsules which she took as advised on the label. Her bowels moved almost immediately to her surprise.

    According to Robert Rester, author of Japanese Herbal Medicine, the healing Art of kampo:

    Tumeric root branches have been used in Kampo at least since the middle of the seventh Century AD. An acrid, bitter and warming herb, it invigorates the blood. The action unblocks delayed menstruation, and relieves swelling and pain caused by traumatic injury. Tumeric root is thought to invigorate the flow of vital energy, or quicken especially through the shoulders. By simulating the flow of energy, this herb quells wind disorders, in which painful symptoms seem to migrates from one side to the other throughout the body.”

    Turmeric rhizome, used in Japanese medicine even longer than the root, is reported to be more fabulous. Together, they not only stimulate energy and blood, they break up congestions, heal chronic sores, supports the heart and the liver, intestine, and joints, it clears phlegm, quells agitation and anxiety, mental derangement and seizures.

    Curcumin is about four percent of Tumeric, but is said to be the most active component for these purposes. In Curcumin 2000X, Curcumin is said to have been concentrated to 96 percent. Lister says of Curcumin in his Japanese herbal medicine book: “Curcumin is a powerful cancer preventative. It inhibits the action of P450 a liver enzyme that causes some environmental toxins to be processed in ways that make them Carcinogenic. Curcumin affects cancers associated with tobacco use by absorbing nitric oxide, a chemical produced in the lungs when they are exposed to tobacco, which prevents reactions associated with cancer and inflammation. It also stops the cellular reaction in both the lungs and the mouth that activate cancer-causing agents in both cigarette smoke and smokeless tobacco. “

    Curcumin helps prevent colorectal cancer. It works in the same manner as do Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), by suppressing the substances for both the start and spread of cancer. Curcumin suppresses two gene necessary for colorectal cancer development and prevent damage caused by afflatoxin, a poison produced during improper storage of grains and peanuts.

    Tumeric can relieve inflammatory conditions by stopping the relieve of PAF, it stops the reactions that induce an asthmatic attack. Curcumin also relieves the discomfort caused by bursitis and Carpal tunnel Syndrome by deactivating immune system cells that may cause inflammation without harming the body’s ability to defend itself. Clinical studies have confirmed that the volatile oil in turmeric can ease acute pain caused by arthritis, eczema, gastritis, psoriasis or tendonitis. Its effectiveness is equal to that of steroid preparations such as hydrocortisone and phenolybutazone, but without their side effects.

  • Some causes of pain and some solution…3

    Some causes of pain and some solution…3

    When you have a challenge that is a “pain in the neck” for you, it is often a heavy cross to bear. Such is the medical pain in the neck which may warrant the wearing of a neck collar, or even surgery. As a young sub editor in the newsroom of THE DAILY TIMES, I developed such a medical pain in the neck, and had to wear a neck collar for many months. Sub editing in those days was a tasking job. The sub editor was the last bridge between the newspaper and the reader. That is, the quality of the newspaper depended on the quality of its sub editing. We ran up to three or four editions of the Daily Times.

    In those days, Alhaji Babatunde Jose, (Chairman/Managing Director or Mr. Henry Odukomaiya (Editor) could fire you on the spot if a spelling or tense error found in the newspaper was linked to you.

    Our heads were always bent forward on the copy. Mr. Glad Anson Diri often wore a neck collar, and so did our boss Mr. George Okoro. Soon, I developed a tingling pain in the index left finger, and before you could call Jack Robinson, as they say, my arms and neck were, literally speaking, on fire. The doctor was to place me on some drugs, which must be anti-inflamating, and gave me a neck collar.

    The pains subsided, and I soon forgot the experience. But, in later years, at THE GAURDIAN newspaper, they returned. In those formative years of that newspaper, there was hardly time to look after one’s health. But I was soon reminded of the neck collar by the side of Sunmi Smart-Cole, photo editor, and later, editor of Lagos Life, now defunct, who wore a neck collar regularly. An x-ray of my neck bones showed that some of them were wearing. Doctors give this condition a huge and scary name… Cervical spondylosis. They say it is age-related, which means bones must wear, and the pain must come as we grow old. But I was only Twenty something when the x-ray report suggested an onset of this condition. Yet there are many old people who have not experience this condition.

     

    Cervical Spondylosis

    lso called Cervical osteoarthritis or neck arthritis, this condition simply means bone joints in the neck are wearing and are probably pinching on the nerves which jot out from nerve outlets in these bones. The bones are arranged in a well-aligned structure where two bones are separated and are not permitted to touch each other. There are seven cervical bones. Each is covered by a cartilage. The cartilage is one of the structures which prevent bone-and-bone contact to prevent surface wearing and pain. The cartilage is maintained by glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate among other nutrients. Its surface is lubricated by a fluid called Synovial fluid which is separated from the other by a disc. Each disc is a load bearer. All neck bones are saved from the pressure the weight of the neck impact on the spine. Between Ten and Fifteen Pounds would have impacted directly on them, probably crushing them. When the neck structure is not well maintained with good diet which furnishes the right amounts and quality of Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc and other bone-structure minerals, and when the neck structure is not well exercised to prevent the muscles in the joint capsule from becoming still, making the neck less mobile or mobile with pain, these disc may lose tone, become dehydrated or even become herniated, that is break. When they herniates and their contents spill on surrounding tissue, especially the nerves, an infection may arise in the affected region which may give rise to the familiar pain in the neck, arms and fingers.

    Other possible courses may include occupational lifestyle and bad posture, writers and hair dressers, for example, may discover through self-education, that their heads are always bent forward. This may put pressure on the muscles at the back of the neck.

    Besides herniation of the disc, spinal subluxations, too, cause problems. Edgar Caycee spoke always about them. He was a Christian seer who went into trances whenever his patients consulted with him. He diagnosed their conditions from his trance state and wrote his prescriptions. He said spinal subluxations caused many diseases. Chiropactors of today also attend to spinal subluxations in addressing many health challenges. We can see a chiropractor as a bone adjuster. He looks at the arrangement of the bones in a sick person, may conclude a misalignment problem and then knock the structure back into fine shape. As chiropractor define spinal subluxation today it is “the altered position of the vertebra and subsequent functional loss, which determines the location for the Spinal manipulation.”

    According to www.healthline.com, subluxation is: “A partial abnormal separation of the articular surface of a joint.” In chiropactic medicine, spinal misalignment is considered a process which makes tissue change and cause symptoms of disease and/or pain. Some of these changes are:

    • Hyperemia
    • Congestion
    • Edema
    • Minute haemorages
    • Fibrosis
    • Local ischemia
    • Atrophy
    • Tissue rigidity

    In Hyperemia, there is “an excess of blood in a particular area of the body.” Obstruction of blood flow sometimes causes it. A joint dysfunction may cause congestion in a muscle, and this may cause toxin accumulations which irritate nerve endings and produce pain. Edema may arise from damaged small blood vessels called capillaries. The damages may cause blood to leak from them into surrounding tissue. In minute haemorages, small amounts of blood leak from blood vessels. In fibrosis, normal tissue is damaged and replaced with scar tissue which limits joint mobility and causes pain when the limit of mobility is to be exceeded. In ischemia, there is restriction to blood flow in the muscles which causes pain. Atrophy of muscles or the wasting away of muscles develops from disuse or inactivity, disease, nutritional deficiencies or other factors.

    Rigidity is often an end-point of these conditions. It occurs not only in the joint capsule but may also affects ligaments and tendons as well. Edgar Caycee spoke often of adhesions. These are foreign bodies growing or perched on strange tissue. When a disc ruptures or herniates, spilling its contents on surrounding tissue, the nerve, for example, is in  pain- pain is a constant feature. A few months ago, doctors misdiagnosed prostate disorder in the case of an 84-year old man who suffered from an almost permanent pain in his penis. It took the Grace of the Most High for one of them to discover an adhesion on the bladder was the source of this problem. Thus, adhesions on muscles, ligaments, tendons or nerves in the neck region may be a cause of neck pain.

     

    Spondylitis and Ankylosing Spondylosis

    Cervical Spondylosis is arthritis of the neck bone. Spondylotis is inflammation of any bone joint. In Ankylosing Spondylitis a fusion of the bones of the back occurs, particularly with pain in the Sacroiliac joint, meeting point of the spine and the pelvis. The pain may be felt, also in the eye, hip joint, the heels, waist joint, ankles or other joints. In some cases, Ankylosing spondylitis affects the rib bones at their junctions with the Spinal bone causing tightness in the chest and breathing difficulty that may be misdiagnosed as a heart or lung condition. The pain of Ankylosing spondylitis responds to exercise, a feature which distinguishes it from spondylosis and spondylitis. If left untreated, it may cause a forward curvature of the spine. Some authorities believe it is called by the failure of calcium to deposit in the bone. Bone spurs may fuse two vertebrate bones, or fuse one bone to ligaments, tendons, muscles or nerve.

    Treatment

    Stiff neck muscles, like strained neck muscles, responds to sensible exercises. In my days at The Guardian Newspaper when 20 hours schedules was common, I learned of the turtle exercise from a book titled BURN DISEASES OUT OF YOUR BODY.

    It requires one to lie on one’s abdomen on a flat surface, place one’s arms by one’s sides, raise head, turn it slowly from side to side for counts which range from, Say, 50 to 100 or multiple of them, take a break by resting the head on the plane surface, and starting all over again for full count.

    Warmth may be felt especially in the back next muscles. This is an indication that blood is flowing through them, and they are receiving oxygen and other nutrients, while their waste are being taken away. This exercise counters the forward lurch of the head in which many people find themselves for several hours in one day, and, in a way, fulfils the law of Balance, one of the Laws of Nature, in the use of front and back muscles of the neck. In another neck exercise, one may sit or stand and rotate the head alternatively in clockwise and anti-clock wise positions. In yet another exercise, one may use a bed or a table. The head droops from a free side or edge of either and then is raise, with muscle action, to the level of the rest of the body, held up there for as long as possible, while rotating the head from side to side. One last suggestion: in an upright position, a bath towel is held at opposite ends, one end in one hand, and placed against the forehead. Then, a backward pressure is applied against it, to which the head responds with counter force resistance.

    A count can be taken for as long as the exercise can be tolerated. Next, the direction of the exercise is reversed, with the towel placed at the back of the neck to impact forward pressure against backward pressure of the head.

  • Some causes of pain and some solution…2

    There’s no doubt that ours is a near-empty civilisation, when it comes to healing simple body ailments with simple provision for them from Mother Nature. When my younger sister was a teenager, she suffered almost every month from severe migraine headache which seemed incurable. She had to be taken to our maternal grandfather in the village who possessed bit of knowledge of healing herbs. He took her to a nearby bush, picked a leaf which he placed on her head, asked her to hold it there with a head scarf, remove the leaf at sunset and bury it in the soil. And, pronto, she hasn’t had migraine headaches ever since. She was 63 last September. Unfortunately, we his grandchildren were too young to appreciate what he did, and he died with this knowledge just as I was about to proceed on national youth service in 1977.

    Today, many people suffer not only from migraine headaches, but from other types of headache as well. But rather than seek to understand the cause(s) and avoid them, or address the symptoms with natural remedies, these headache sufferers gobble pharmaceutical pain killers which may compound the problems.

    To begin with, it is important to know that there is not only one type of headache, but many which may include:

    (1) Migraine headache, (2) Cluster headache and (3) Tension headache

    Tension headache: Believed to be the most common, originates from tensions in the muscles of the head, the shoulders and the neck. But other researchers see muscle contractions in these.

    People say it may be caused by “Heightened sensitivity to stress” or a “sensitised pain system”, whatever the cause, the symptoms are clear. According to MAYO CLINIC, these may include dull, aching head pain, sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head, tenderness on your back, neck and shoulder muscle.” If the muscles are tense, in tension headache, the next step towards a healing is how to relax them. There are a thousand and one suggestions. Eno Asam, of Abuja, eulogizes massage with coconut oil or palm kernel oil and speaks well, also, about massage with Guardian Angel, a hand-held acupressure device. Many people find that a Guardian Angel massage relaxes muscles, perhaps by causing tension in them to drain off and, thereafter, promoting blood circulation. Tightening of muscles produces lactic acid which makes them sore unless it is drained off or neutralised by alkaline agents. Today’s lifestyles filled with emotional and work stress cause muscles to tighten. At the work place, especially when we sit behind the computer, we tend to slump, launch, or slouch. When we sit before a desk to read or to write, some of us lean over so badly that our eyes are just about a foot from the print! In this condition, some muscles are over worked and stressed up. One of the solutions to posture problems, especially, in this computer age is the ergonomic (adjustable) chair and table. Back to massage, I find Magnesiumoil soothing and relaxing. Even in severe menstrual cramping and pain, massage with this oil helps to relax muscles and quiten pain. Tension depletes magnesium levels in the blood and tissue. According to www.ancientminerals.com: “Ancient mineral Magnesium Oil is considered the gold standard for rapidly restoring cellular magnesium level through the skin… Magnesium benefit can include reduced symptoms from condition such as chronic pain, fatigue, and insomnia. Magnesium may also provide protection from a number of chronic diseases, especially those associated with aging and stress. Recently, rediscovered as an overlooked key to good health, a number of medical researchers are recommending increases to the RDA for Magnesium sometimes suggesting as much as double the current recommendations to ensure protection from diseases such as osteoporosis, and hypertension. Essential to life, necessary for good health, and a vital component within our cells, Magnesium benefits help our bodies maintain balance, and illness, perform well under stress, and maintain a general state of good health.

    his column speaks always of the need to add Magnesium supplement to the daily diet, suggesting NATURAL CALM for stress, insomnia, pain etc. and OSTEO CALM for serious bone joint disorders. www.ancientminerals.comoffers an insight into the value of this ancient mineral: to good health: “without Magnesium, we could not produce energy, our muscles would be in a permanent state of contraction, and we could not adjust the level of cholesterol produced into the body stream. Magnesium is the central element in chlorophyll and the basis of early life on the planet. Magnesium ions regulate over 300 biochemical reactions in the body through their role as enzyme co-factors. They also play a vital role in the reactions that generate and use ATP, the fundamental unit of energy within the body’s cell.”

    Magnesium is plentiful in deep green vegetables, particularly spinach and kale, which in powder form, I enjoy for their vast amounts of LUTEIN and ZEAZAN THIN, two eye antioxidants which protects the lens of the eye against cataract formation, and the retina against free radical damage, a cause of vision loss. To rice, beans, soups or stew or yoghourt, water or juice, I add pinches of the powder of Inash, Kale, Chlorella and Cayenne, the anti-inflammatory, anti-pain and heart health and blood circulation African pepper. Lately, I have shifted to a breakfast of the porridge of ground whole millet and ground whole guinea corn to which I add Spirulina, the blue green algae, and the aforementioned powder of vegetables.

    The bar is inexhaustible. When it comes to massage therapy to chase away tension and their headaches,Aromatherapists often prescribe Lavender, Rosemary or peppermint essential oils. These may be too “hot” for some skin types and may, therefore, not be applied directly on them but diluted with water or Olive oil.

    In www.naturalremedies.com, Dr. Axe says: “In a 1996 study, 41 patients (and 174 headaches attacks) were analyzed in a placebo controlled, double blind cross-over study. The peppermint oil was applied topically 15 and 30 minutes after a headache began. Participants reported headache relief in their health diaries and peppermint oil proved to be a well-tolerated and cost effective alternative to usual headache therapies.

    There were also no adverse side effects reported after peppermint treatment. Another important study was conducted in 1995 and published in the International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytophamacology.

    Thirty-two healthy participants were evaluated and essential oil treatment was investigated by comparing the baseline and treatment measurements. One effective treatment was a combination of Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil and Ethanol. Researchers used a small sponge to apply this mixture, which has a muscle soothing and mentally relaxing effects, to the participants’ foreheads and temples. When Peppermint was mixed with just ethanol, researchers found that it reduced sensitivity during a headache.

    In order to improve blood circulation, reduce pain and relieve tension, dilute two to three drugs of Peppermint Oil with Coconut oil and role it into the shoulders, forehead and back of neck.

    As for Lavender essential oil, www.naturalremedies.com says:

    “Lavender essential oil has a variety of therapeutic and curative properties. It induces relaxation and relives tension and stress, working as a sedative, antidepressant, anti-anxiety, anti-convultant  and calming agent.

    There is also growing evidence that Lavender Oil serves as an effective treatment of neurological conditions and disorders. According to researchers, aromatic and topical use of Lavender oil affects the Limbic system because the main constituent Linaline, and Linalyl acetate are rapidly absorbed through the skin, and are thoughts to cause central nervous system (CNS) depression. For this reason, Lavender oil can be used to treat headaches caused by anxiety disorders and related conditions.”

     

    Cluster Headache

    This is a battery or group of headaches which pounds together, or one after the other, making one part of the heads a punche bag. This pain affects more men than women and is likely to go away today only to return the day after. This cycle may run from weeks to months before the sufferer gets a remission. Often, it brings aches and pains in and around one eye. In a remission period, this headache may disappear for months or years, and then suddenly end its holiday, coming on often in the night and following a calendar. Some researchers believe that a cluster headache arises from the activation of the trigeminal nerve, which causes the eye pain associated with this type of headache. This nerve is also believed to stimulate the eye tearing and redness and nasal congestion and discharge of cluster headache attacks.

    The trigeminal nerve is reported to be the fifth cranial nerve located within the brain. Its primary job is to transmit sensations from the face to the brain. It has three main branches. One goes to the eyes, another to the cheeks and the last, the mouth. Years ago, I saw a young woman of about 24 in my housing estate who suffered twisted cheek after a headache. She was too young to be considered a candidate or victim of partial stroke. The trigeminal nerve had probably contracted or become Suboptimal in tone and function. Happily, her face is normal again. She may, therefore, have overcome trigeminal neuralgia. The late Maria Treben, the legendary Austrian herbalist and author of HELP THROUGH GOD’S PHARMACY, recommends St. John’s Worth tea and St. John’s Wort Oil (for massage) to treat this condition.  She says: “A tincture of St. John’s Wort, easily prepared, is described as ‘arnica of the nerves’ and is effectively used for nervous complaints, neuritis, neurosis nervous debility. Speech disorder, fitful sleep, hysterics, sleep walking are remedied with St. John’s Wort, as well as bed wetting and depression.” Trigeminal neuralgia usually occurs when a blood vessel (vein or artery) in the brain expands or enlarges and piles pressure on the nerve. Rarely, it is said, do brain tumour cause this condition. But tumour occurrence cannot be ruled out. One of my “O” Level classmate died a few years ago from multiple tumours in the brain. He hadn’t responded well to headache medication. A brain scan suggested a few tumours which the neurosurgeons at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan thought they could handle. But when they opened the skull, they found far too many tumours for their competence and facilities, and closed it up. He was then left to die. One of the natural solutions for cluster headache is CAYENNE PEPPER. It blocks pain transmission by nerves. In nutrition facts.org, Dr Micheal Gregar, M.D., reports on a study in which medical student placed pepper cuts in their nostrils. At first, it hurt badly and their noses ran. But they felt no pain and the nose stopped running after a few days. It was determined that a substance in pepper, capsaicin, had blocked a pain transmitting substance in the nerves called substance P. When the experiment was resumed after the break, the pain and runny nose resumed, indicating that the nerves had made new substance P in the interim. Today, Cayenne is used as a dietary supplement for a variety of reasons, which includes anodyne (anti-pain/anti-inflammatory), anti-congestant, anti-fungal, anti-cold and anti-flu, anti-irritant, anti-allergen, digestive aid, saliva production for digestion, dissolution of blood clots, detoxification support, anti-bacterial, possible anti-cancer agent, weight loss support, heart health promotion, remedy for tooth ache e.t.c. Blocking the pain of cluster headache is not enough. What causes blood vessels to inflame and inconvenient the trigeminal nerve is important. If there is too much blood entering the brain, a cold compress may be placed on the nape of the head to constrict the vessels while, simultaneously, the feet may be immersed in hot or warm water to cause dialation of blood vessels there. Less blood flows through constricted muscles while more circulate in dilated vessels. Orthodox medicine believes there is no permanent cure for cluster headache. For this reason, many pharmaceutical drugs are presented only for its management. Among the protocol suggested by MAYO CLINIC which interests me is the inhalation of pure oxygen during acute attacks. It is said to often bring relief in about 15 minutes. May it not help, I wonder, if sufferers regularly take oxygen capsules or oxygen-rich herbs (Spirulina, kale and chlorella for example) in their diet? Additionally, Nature presents powerful anti-inflammation to present blood vessel enlargement. An example is CURCUMIN. In Nigeria now, there is a preparatory blend of Curcumin with Cayenne (Curcumin 2000 X) which is saidto make Curcumin 2000 times more effective.  Also available now is AMAZON CNS SUPPORT. CNS stands for Central Nervous System and may help, although the Trigeminal be longs to the Autonomic Nervous System. The Homeopathic remedy NATRUM MUR has been known to resolve many types of headaches. Magnesium remains a great anti-inflammatory mineral. We cannot ignore Fever few. Both the British Medical Journal and Harvard Medical School Health Letter have mentioned this herb as a migraine reliever. Clinical studies suggest it may work better than some Non-Steroidalanti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin. It inhibits the release of two inflammatory substances, serotonin and prostaglandins which cause headaches and migraine, skullcap, too, is anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic and is widely used in Alternative Medicine to treat all sorts of nervous system conditions. Two more herbs worth mentioning are orange peel, to which about 50 health benefits, including headache remedy, had been ascribed, and Walnut leaf.

     

    Migraine headache

    ll remedies suggest so far are helpful in this condition as well. Migraine headaches usually affect one side of the head, inducing nasal problems, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Dr. Max Gerson (see Gerson therapy on the internet), a German doctor, suffered migraine headache for an average of two weeks in one month until a medical lay person advised him to try vegetable and fruit juice. He did. And his migraine disappeared. Dr. Gerson was to discover these juices contained a lot of potassium and was to successfully employ them to treat some causes of cancer and tuberculosis of the skin. More women and girls than men and boys suffer from migraines. Sometimes, migraine are hormone related, especially when estrogen out strips its level. In a 2011 study published in PHARMACOGNOSY REVIEW, it is reported that Fewer  can prevent and curb migraine. The small-flowered Willow herb, used to reduce prostate enlargement, helps in the treatment of migraine. It is from the bark of the Willowtree that Aspirin, a pain killer, was extracted. Willows has been used since the time of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in about 400BC to treat conditions such as fever, inflammation, headaches, tendonitis and lower back pain. Other useful tips are Valerian root, Ginger, Peppermint, Lavender oil, rosemary, lime, raw potato, Honeysuckle, Mullein,  and Yarrow.

  • Some Causes of pain and some solutions…1

    When I lived at 3A Emina Crescent, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, a trauma hospital next door constantly reminded me of pain. Day and night, agonizing cries from body-wrenching pain sounded like the signature tune of this hospital. And the specialist doctors who worked there would appear to have bundles on their hands. For one set of peculiar cries often quickly gave way to other ones, suggesting that some patients were calming while the hospital was admitting a new set of others.

    I hate pain and agony and, so, never ventured into the grounds of this hospital. I have been lucky not to live in pain, except for when, in 1966, I suffered a femur fracture when a taxi knocked me down in Ibadan, and when, in 2000, a terrible toothache sent me to the dentist. It was a 50th birthday toothache and began in the night. I had at home no herbal remedy such as Clove Oil to calm it.

    Being unable to bear the head-splitting headache which accompanied the toothache, I dabbled the tooth with an Aloe Vera product which was not meant to be administered internally. And the tooth cracked, worsening the pain.There are two other pain experience I cannot easily forget. The first was a sharp and prolonged pain in both eyes which I experienced in an airplane on my way home from the Netherlands. It was as though pins were being short into each eyeball. Obviously, these were nerve pains and should have educated me well enough to pay more attention to those eyes. Like most people, I forgot about that pain after an almost instant relief from a dose of Aspirin which the cabin attendants gave me. Years after, the underlying cause, glaucoma, was to be woken from slumber, according to my ophthalmologist, by drugs an orthopaedic doctor gave me for suspected rheumatoid arthritis in both shoulders.

    When Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) he gave did not appear to work well, he replaced the prescription with Corticosteroids, a more powerful anti-inflammatory regimen, and, according to the eye doctor, this was what exhumed and roused a slumbering volcano. I will not forget, also, post-operative pain after a minor surgery to connect a deviated septum. The septum is that ridge of tissue which separates nostrils, it was possible that I fell as a baby, bled from nose and the blood was stopped but the septum was not properly checked. said Dr. Kunle Okupe, a terrific Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor (now of blessed memory) who carried out the surgery. I had noticed that, if I lay on one side of the body, the septum flipped to cover or block the nostril on that side, leaving me to breathe with only one nostril during sleep. When Dr. Okupe said he would ‘’pack’’ the nostrils after the corrective surgery. I didn’t understand the procedure in all its ramifications. When he finished, cotton wool was stuffed into the nostrils to absorb blood from bleeding tissue. I had to breathe through the mouth for the next 24 hours.

    That meant I had to keep awake all night, as the surgery took place in the evening, with severe headache which heavy doses of pain killer, could not contain. But this was only the beginning of post-operative pain. Removal of cotton wool was traumatic as blood clots had glued it to tissue after the cotton wool was removed, cleaning of the Nostrils to remove blood clots was an unforgettable experience. I was free of the cotton wool, dressing every three days to clear the nostrils of blood clots were an unforgettable pain experience.

    The experiences of many people with pain are varied. Some people suffer from migraines or tension headache, some from cluster headache. Eye pain is the challenge of others. For some others still, degenerating neck bones may cause a type of arthritis known as cervical spondylosis.

    In this condition, the neatly arranged and well aligned neck bones may shift or misalign, pinching a nerve, and this may set off a pain reaction. Surgery may be advised to re-align the bones. But the risk taken may involve the possibility of the surgeon’s knife cutting a nerve and causing paralysis. Sometimes, neck collars are worn to help the condition. If one prefers a chiropractor may be called to knock the bones into shape, but there are not many of them in Nigeria. Peptic ulcer and duodenal ulcer cause pain. Indigestion and other digestive system problems do cause pain. If the blood does not flow well to the organs, pain may arise. And when one organ exceeds its boundary and encroaches on another, such as when the intestine drops on the testes in testicular hernia, pain arise. One time Nigerian military Head of State Gen Ibrahim Babangida once suffered from radiculopathy, inflammation of the radicles, a nervous system condition, which warranted surgery in France. Chronic hypoxia (insufficiency of oxygen in the blood) is another pain factor. Tumours or cancers of any sort are another breeding ground for pain. Even when iron levels (ferritin) are too high in the blood, this causes pain. Many people are challenged with fibromyalgia. Most of the sufferers (about 50 percent) are women.

    This is an arthritic condition of the muscles and skeletal system which affect both sides of the body. The symptoms encompass fatigue and sleep disorders. Mrs. Elizabeth Strand, the wife of Dr. Ray Strand, was a well-known sufferer from this condition. Her energy crashed to the point that she couldn’t even brush her teeth. Her husband couldn’t help her. But she got well on herbs and nutritional supplements she was given by her friends to the point that she could tend and ride her horses again. Dr. Strand was intrigued by this that he began to research nutritional supplements, with Grape Seed Extract becoming his pet supplement, and he wrote the book WHAT YOUR DOCTOR DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT NUTRITION MAY BE KILLING YOU. Many of these conditions are not lone rangers. Fibromyalgia, for example, is associated with some medical situations, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), itself caused by micro-organisms in the bowels, post-traumatic stress disorders and lupus, an auto-immune disorder. Back-ache is reported in many countries to be second in occurrence to only headache. Back-ache may arise from factors which may include back injury, arthritis of the spinal bones, slipped disc, herniated disc, nerve injury, muscle and/or ligament tear or strain, muscle spasms or swollen joint. Bad standing or sitting posture may be culprits as well. Bone spurs caused by deposition of calcium not inside the bone but on the outside is another problem to watch. Dr. Oz, whose television programmes are popular in Europe and in the United States, advices that pancreatic cancer can be a cause of back pain. He says that, when a tumour blocks the pancreatic duct, which sends pancreatic enzymes into the intestine to digest food there, this causes an acid build-up in the pancreas, eating up this organ and causing abdominal pain which may radiate to the back. He suggests that, to rule out this condition if your stool is pale and your skin is yellow, you see your doctor immediately. Lymphoma is becoming a common ailment in Nigeria. It is cancer of the lymph nodes (in the neck, armpit and groin) which attacks white blood cells. Some sufferers experience lumps in the throats and difficulty in swallowing. Another pain factor many pain-stricken people do not consider before they gobble pain-killing or relieving pharmaceutical drugs is that too much iron or too little of it is dangerous to health. Iron is needed to form heamoglobin, a constituent of red blood cells which transport oxygen throughout the body. When the cells are deprived of oxygen for their living processes, they ‘’cry’’ out in pain. For the purpose of making red blood cells wherever they are needed, the body stores iron inside a special protein called ferritin, it is found in bodycells with a little of it found circulating in the bloodstream. The Mayo Clinic says ferritin contains 20 percent iron, with the largest concentration of ferritin being in the liver. When it is time to make more red blood cells, the body calls for the release of ferritin. Ferritin thus released is then bound to another substances called transferrin, another protein which takes ferritin to where new red blood cells are manufactured. One authority describes transferrin as a “taxi”. In low ferritin levels, the following symptoms may be experienced as iron levels deplete: “Unexplained fatigue, dizziness, chronic headaches, unexplained weakness, ringing in the ears, irritability, leg pains and shortness of breath, in excess ferritin levels, the symptoms may include “stomach pain, heart palpitations or chest pains, unexplained weakness, joint pain and unexplained fatigue.”

    Rising ferritin levels call for a check on the liver and spleen as damage to these organs may cause ferritin influx into blood circulation. This would cause pain, which, in Nigeria, many self-medicating people try to resolve with a popular pain killer. Unfortunately, accumulations of the residues of this pain killer damage the liver and the kidneys. It is a pity, too, that this pain killer can be purchased by anyone over the counter, and doctors who prescribe them do not often warn their patients against an over dose. According to an article on the Gastro-enterology and Hepatology Journal, as reported by Racheal Nail in Health line Medical Review team (www.healthline.com): “The most common causes of elevated ferritin levels are obesity, inflammation and daily alcohol intake Health line add: Lower than normal ferritin level can indicate that you have an iron deficiency, which can happen when you don’t consume enough iron in your daily diet.”

    Another condition that affects iron levels is anemia, which is when you don’t have enough red blood cells for iron to attack to. Additional conditions includes excessive menstrual bleeding, stomach conditions that affect intestinal absorbtion and internal bleeding. Ferritin levels that are too high can indicate certain condition. Some example is haematochromatosis which is when your body absorbs too much iron. Other conditions that cause too much iron levels include rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, adult still’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, leukemia, Hodgken’s lymphoma, iron poisoning and frequent blood transfusions. This much has been said of iron and ferritin as causes of pain and some of the causes of their elevation have been mentioned as well, to advice that it is not in all cases of pain that these dangerous pain killers should be greedily consumed. They do not solve underlying problems of pain. They merely block the pain temporally. Pain is terrible. So, where we may seek to block it, however temporally, so we can move on more freely with our lives, we should not relent in making our doctors investigate the root causes of the pain. Doctors will prescribe Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) or Corticosteroids, such as that which exhumed my slumbering glaucoma. It would be up to us, once armed with the appropriate diagnosis, to find natural solutions to these underlying conditions, as I did for my smoldering rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

    Many women would not forgive me if I do not mention the pain which comes with menstruation. For it makes them miserable every month. Some have even lost their Jobs on account of this. What would happen, for example, is better imagined if, on the day of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, that crucial examination in Nigeria for University placement, a girl is knocked out of the competition by menstrual pain. It would mean she would have to wait another year to try again. But who can predict the future? What if menstrual pain debars a young university graduate from attending an important job interview or mars her performance before the panelists?  It is still arguable medically if women should menstruate. In THE NEW RAN ENERGY published in the 1960s, Leslie and Susannah Kenton featured research work  which showed that, like the old World Monkeys, women who consumed large amount of beta carotene do not menstruate but, nevertheless, fertile and get pregnant.

    At a Gotha Institute health  seminar I attended in Lagos in the 1990s, a young mother of three from the middle belt zone of Nigeria was presented. She was banished from her village because she was not known to menstruate. This menstruation is now being seen in some medical circles as a New World disease. For women who menstruate, this phenomenon is the expulsion of the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, if no pregnancy occurred prior to it. Menstruation is stimulated by some hormone like substances called prostaglandins. Of which there are two major types. One type promote inflammation. The other is anti-inflamating, if a woman has too much of the former, they may cause excessive cramping of the uterine walls. And lactic acid would build up in these walls, inducing inflammation and pain.

    The pro-inflammation prostaglandins have been linked to diet, especially the consumption of red meat, white sugar, white flour foods, fried foods etc. Many women who are beset with this condition  are known to have an excess of calcium (from milk consumption etc.) viz-a-viz magnesium. While Calcium causes those contractions, there is not enough magnesium at work to simultaneously relax the nerves and muscles. Research in this field of pain have noted that other factors may cause menstrual pain. These include endometriosis (when the uterine lining grows in other parts of the pelvic region), family history, early puberty (before age II), irregular periods, heavy periods, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), uterus fibroids and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), among others. This column is exploratory. Other columns in the series will examine specific conditions or groups of them with the aim of suggesting natural ways of answering them or overcoming them.

  • Causes of low libido

    Stress: The body reacts to stress by releasing adrenaline and cortisol. Chronic stress, in particular, can interfere with your body’s hormone levels, and result in a low libido. The arteries can also narrow and restrict blood flow in response to stress, which can also lead to erectile dysfunction. Stress can also reduce your libido by distracting you and taking your mind off sexual desire.

    Depression: Libido and depression share a complicated link. “Depression can change the body’s biochemistry and therefore reduce libido,” says Mark L. Held, PhD, a clinical psychologist in the Denver area. “It’s also harder to feel sexual when you’re depressed.” Some medications commonly used to treat depression may also lower libido as a side effect.

    Low self-esteem. It’s hard to feel sexy when your self-confidence is down or when you have an unhealthy body image. “Someone who feels unattractive is less likely to want to engage in sex,” says Held. “Fears of rejection may also come in to play.”

    Alcohol or drug use. While a little alcohol can help lower inhibitions, too much can impair your nervous system and lead to fatigue making it difficult to become aroused. Other drugs can decrease your sex drive as well. For example, marijuana suppresses the pituitary gland, which regulates the production of testosterone.

    Lack of sleep. A good night’s rest might be hard to come by, but you need sleep to keep a sharp mind, a healthy body, and an active libido. “When you’re exhausted, you’d rather catch up on sleep,” says Alan W. Shindel, MD, clinical instructor and fellow of andrology at the University of California at San Francisco. Physically, a lack of sleep can elevate cortisol levels, which also leads to low libido. Even more surprising in the sleep-ED connection? One recent study found that men with restless leg syndrome (a neurological disorder characterised by jumpy, creepy-crawly sensations as you’re falling asleep) are at higher risk for erectile dysfunction, probably due to low dopamine levels.

    Medication. Some medications used to treat depression, high blood pressure, and other common illnesses can affect libido or cause sexual dysfunction.

    Erectile Dysfunction. Low libido is a common emotional side effect of ED. “Once a man experiences ED, he may get anxious,” says Shindel. “His confidence is shaken, and he might be afraid it will happen again. His libido shuts down to preserve his ego.”

    Hormone imbalance. Libido is directly influenced by testosterone levels. Therefore, low libido is often caused by low testosterone levels — a hormone imbalance. “Low testosterone can be caused by injury, inflammation, or tumors in the testicles,” says Ira Sharlip, MD, clinical professor of urology at University of California at San Francisco and a spokesperson for the American Urological Association. Other causes of a hormone imbalance include cirrhosis of the liver or pituitary diseases. “The liver is responsible for breaking down estrogen; when it fails, estrogen level goes up, and this causes low libido. And pituitary diseases reduce the amount of testosterone in the body,” says Sharlip.

     

    • Source: www.everydayhealth.com

     

     

  • ‘There’re bizarre causes of cancer’

    ‘There’re bizarre causes of cancer’

    The Head of Department (HOD) of Radiation Biology, Radiotherapy, Radiodiagnosis and Radiography, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Prof Remi Ajekigbe, discusses cancer with Health Reporter OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA.

    Many Nigerian women with breast cancer often delay going for treatment early because they believe they are ‘attacked’, and conclude that it is a spiritual matter. Could this assumption be true, and are they justified?

    According to a Radiologist and Oncologist Prof Remi Ajekigbe they are actually right, but whether  their postulation is right or not, they should always come to the hospital to get the lump examined, and treated, if confirmed cancerous.

    Explaining some of the creepy causes of cancer, the professor with over four decades of treating cancer said there are numerous unorthodox causes of cancer. He said one of the unorthodox ways which cannot be proved is encountered by patients. “It is called ofa in Yoruba language while in English I call it evil arrow.”

    Why does he tow this line of thought? Prof Ajekigbe explained that when he was having his interview to become an associate professor, the then Vice Chancellor (VC) asked him  the cause of cancer in a rhetorical question: “Is it not evil arrow that is causing cancer?” He answered:  “All the books we read are written by white men and all the cancer patients shown in the books are whites. Evil arrow was not mentioned in any of the books but our people here do mention it; but sir that cannot be proved.”

    Prof Ajekigbe recalled, “The V. C looked at me in the face, pointed a finger at me and said it cannot be written off either.”

    He further said:“The then deputy VC in Academic and Research   (name withheld) then shared her experience with me.  She  said  she attended a party and while she was discussing with somebody there, someone else was coming to say ‘hello’ to her but she did not know the fellow had evil intention. But the fellow she was discussing with was also very high in spirit, they  both looked at each other in the face and the oncoming woman went back. Then she told the deputy VC that if that woman had come in,  the deputy VC would have had cancer of the breast. I just told them that I did not know.  People say it and they still say it up till tomorrow but that is one of the unorthodox ways of having cancer.”

    On his personal view, Prof  Ajekigbe said honestly, he did not know how to test that in the laboratory and, “those who say they know have never come to enlighten us because they say they see what  we cannot see. It is more of metaphysics than science.”

    And what does he suggest Nigerians do immediately they notice any unusual lump on the body? Prof Ajekigbe said any lump, thickening or unusual growth in any part of the body- tongue, breast or any part at all should be reported to the doctor. Any natural orifice discovered in the body should be reported to the doctor. An orifice is a bleeding in any part of the body. If there is a change in your voice or absence of the voice, go to your doctor, it could be cancer of the larynx. If you notice any unusual thing in your body, go to your doctor.  “Because cancer does not respect anybody and it can come at any age. Even children do have cancer. The best way to manage cancer is to detect it early,” he explained.

    He said this is based on his experience, because should the patient present it early, the chances of healing the cancer is very high.

    Prof Ajekigbe who is the Head of Department (HOD) of Radiation Biology, Radiotherapy, Radiodiagnosis and Radiography, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) said 75 percent or more of, “Our patients present their cases late and this is why we appeal to all our other ‘doctors’ either in the church, mosque or native doctors that emphasise  that they can cure. We medics are not telling them not to pray for their clients but that they come to the hospital first, later the clerics can pray for them.”

    He clarified some assumptions on telecommunication masts as the cause of cancer. According to him, there is something called ionising and non- ionising radiation.

    “And the Bible made mention of cancer indirectly. It talked about a woman with the issue of blood. It could either be cancer of the cervix or cancer of the endometrium.

    “Jesus Christ ordered the bleeding to stop and it did. At that particular time, the words of Jesus Christ were radioactive. It would deliver what we call haemostatic dose of ionising radiation to the bleeding tumour. People around would not see it because radiation can neither be seen nor smelt. Do not forget that the Bible said there is power in the word, so the power in the word of Jesus Christ at that particular time is the power of ionising radiation. This is a scientific explanation for masts as suspects in cancer formation,” he explained.

    Throwing more light, Ajekigbe said the mast is also radioactive but it is non-ionizing radiation.Non-ionizing radiation is not as dangerous as ionizing radiation. Telephone and microwave are non- ionizing radiation. “When you put your phone in your ear and you are listening to the caller, molecules are vibrating in your head. The molecules vibrating in the head can cause many things because of the radiation effect. It may not cause cancer fast as ionizing radiation but it may also lead to it in the nearest future. We pay a price for everything in science and nature; old people would not be as pretty, fast, strong and energetic as before. Even the make-up women use they would pay a price for it when they get old,”

    He advised that women should be very careful with cosmetic products because they all have expiry dates. Once expired, they should be disposed off. “Some of these things we rub on our body are Carcinogens. We pay price for being civilised even with the food we eat. We do not eat direct foods from the farm again. Modern foods contain so many addictives, though additives make the food sweeter but we pay price for it. This is why cancer cannot go. They talk about aniline dye in garment industries; these are colours and chemicals that cause cancer.

    On the viability of local concoctions for the treatment of cancer, Ajekigbe said: “Before I studied Medicine, I studied Pharmacy and I was a pharmacist before I went to medical school. In the study of Pharmacy, there is a study called Pharmacognosy which is the study of medicinal plants. Even in the drugs of white men they use seed, back, roots, leaves and flowers of trees. The only difference is when and how the whites want to use it. Till date, we boil so many things and we drink. But in developed places the active ingredients are made into tablets. The scientists, doctors and pharmacologists are all researching on how to do this.

    “We are not saying the native drugs are absolute nonsense. They work. To me, our brothers and sisters in native drugs are not cooperating as they should. When you go to them for something, they demand money, for a research you want to do. They do not understand that you do not get money for research; the money collected must be accounted for. It is not to make you rich or buy vehicle for you, it is to make you work. After the work, you are going to publish the result in journal. It is in the journal that we can acknowledge the contribution of the ‘babalawo’. The traditional practitioners see it as a means of money making.”

    He added: “For instance, there is a traditional aphrodisiac. The Hausa man call it ‘burantashi’, it is for the male organ to be strong. When you ask a Hausa man on how to get the ingredients that you want to conduct a research he would just smile. He would not want to disclose the ingredients. There is nobody who would use your idea and not acknowledge your contribution. The only thing we medics do not know how to go about is the incantations.”

  • Some causes and treatment of male, female infertility (5)

    Being the fifth part in the serialisation of the paper presented by Femi Kusa at the training seminar of the NATIONAL INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE ASSOCIATION (NIMPA) held on 8th October 2014 at the WATER PARKS HOTEL,Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

    We are back to terra ferma, which are familiar grounds. Apart from infections which may cause inflammation, scarring or blockage of the fallopian tubes, not to mention ovarian cysts, other common causes of infertility in women are hormonal imbalance (already discussed) and uterine fibroids. I would like to begin with uterine fibroids and some of the natural remedies which have helped some women resolve them. Uterine fibroids have become a torment to many women. If we keep medical records properly in Nigeria, we may discover that more than half of the female population live under this scourge. Many women have gone through unspeakable experiences while they try to resolve it through herbal medicine. But despite the menace of quacks, we have witnessed many encouraging interventions. Some decades ago, I walked into Elizabeth Kafaru’s ELIKAF CLINIC in Ogba, Lagos, as a woman bleeding from the vagina was being put in a taxi that would take her to ADAZIE HOSPITAL in Mushin, also in Lagos. This woman was one of the many fibroid-troubled women who did not wish to have the growths surgically removed from fear that the knife may damage their wombs. AT ELIKAF CLINIC, as in many other helpful clinics, Ijaw women help to massage the pelvis to achieve all sorts of positive results. It is a healing art which they inherited from their forebears. Had this country visionary governments, this healing arts, like many others, would have been refined and taught to gynaecologists, to achieve that integration in medicine, we all so eagerly long for. I have seen and heard of many cases of babies not well positioned in the womb for safe delivery, which were to warrant surgical birth, but which these women had brought to natural conclusion simply through massage and petting of the coming babies.

    How easier getting pregnant or having pregnant women delivered of their babies could have become in our country is better imagined if this art had been well recognised by government and mainstream medicine and then developed and incorporated into hospital gynaecology protocols. Such is the dream of an Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria educated architect, Dr. BisolaFernadez, who has also trained as an orthodox medical doctor and gynaecologist. He find natural medicine so dynamic in the treatment of female reproductive ailment that he has been enlisted for training in this area new to him. So, do not be surprised if he shows up at the next seminar of NIMPA.

    From here, I would now like to explore some hypothetical causes of uterine fibroids and suggestions offered in several literature for their resolution.

     

    UTERINE FIBROIDS

    As already stated, uterine fibroids may not hinder fertility. But, sometimes, they may be a “Rock of Gibraltar” barrier. Its prevalence in the Nigerian female population seeking a “fruit of the womb” should challenge us to see it as an important possible obstacle. There are about 20 possible causes or  different combinations of them, according to many researchers. We cannot examine them all. So, here are a few:

    •Back up or retrograde menstruation.

    •Estrogenation i.e. elevated blood estrogen levels

    •Emotional distress and second chakra impairment or energy outage

    •Spinal subluxations

    •Deoxygenations

    •Poor blood circulation

    •Free radical damage and antioxidant deficiency

    •Nutritional deficiencies, including insufficiencies of Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids and Magnesium deficiency

    •Microbial (yeast, Candida, viruses etc.) nibbling and damage

    •Heavy metal poisoning

    •Potassium deficiency

    •Infection

     

    any researchers believe all the discarded blood (menstrual flow) didn’t flow out. Some which hung or stayed back is named “back-up menstrual blood” or “retrograde” menstruation. It is considered a “waste and an irritant. Lodging in otherwise healthy uterine muscles tissue, retrograde blood would in time cause blood circulation slow-down or stasis. This would imply congestion, inflammation, pain, a habitat for germs, the waste products of which compound the poisoning of the tissue. Circulation stallage or stasis would imply deoxygenation. According to the theorists, irritated muscle tissue would seek other means of existence outside the disturbed or destroyed norm.

    This, they say, is the onset of uterine fibroids. Resolving it, then, would mean putting all processes in the womb back on the reverse mode. Thus, a healthy blood circulation must be promoted.

    Horsechestnut, which promotes circulation downstream, is a good ally here. So is cayenne pepper. In particular, cayenne helps in dissolving blood clots. Like Apple Cider Vinegar, it should help women whose menstruation comes with dark blood clots. In a few months, the menstrual blood should be clean and rich-red again. Apple Cider Vinegar has the advantage of preventing excessive bleeding which may cause anaemia and weakness. Many women beset with uterine fibroids bleed excessively. I always encourage them to take Yarrow, Stinging Nettle, Beet root, Apple Cider Vinegar, Shepherd’s Purse and Silica. Silica is found in little amounts in Nettle and more in Horsetail. But the richest source of it would appear to be Damatomaceus which is 96 per cent silica. If damatomaceus is too mouthy to easily pronounce or remember, call it by its other name…food grade edible earth.

    Edible Earth? Yes, edible earth! That’s not for discussion today. What may be is that silica is one of the most abundant minerals on the earth’s surface which, surprisingly, some people may lack. It does many things in the body, including the promotion of digestion, support for bowel movement, killing of germs in the intestine, supporting absorption of calcium and other minerals, alkalising the body, breaking up of tumours and other growths, energy production, control of appetite, improvement of skin hair, nail and teeth tone. Silica is present in connective tissue and tighten the collagen bonding the cells. This is what I believe make it useful in stopping excessive bleeding where blood vessels are weak and loose, letting out their content. As for the other remedies, they may very well be rich source of bioflavonoids which behaves like silica when it comes to stoping bleeding. I remember always three cases whenever I have to suggest Apple Cider Vinegar. I had learnt from Cyril in the 1980s that Apple Cider Vinegar stops excessive bleeding. So when one of my aunties was going to have her womb removed because it had been filled with fibroids and she had bled so much and continually for months that she couldn’t climb the stairs of her home, I advised the surgery be postponed by one month to enable her take Apple Cider Vinegar for that long before the evacuation. The hospital had many of her relations donate blood because it was thought she would need a blood transfusion after the surgery. But she had no need for it! For the Apple Cider Vinegar prevented alarming bleeding. The second case was that of an editor in Lagos whose doctors believed would need a blood transfusion after a hernia surgery. He took Apple Cider Vinegar six weeks before the surgery and needed no transfusion. If I had my wife’s permission to say this, I would add that, in the last three months of pregnancy, she took Apple Cider Vinegar to prevent excessive bleeding during and after childbirth.

    ESTROGENATION 

    Many women are estrogenated. That means they have more estrogen vis-à-vis progesterone, another female hormone, than they should have. This may signal as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as when the breasts swell and become sore and painful before menstruation, or as period pains. Such woman are advised not to take egg or milk or food wrapped with cellophane. Estrogen is fed to chickens to make them lay eggs almost every day. It is fed to cow to make them produce more milk every day. In the egg and poultry fresh, therefore, there is estrogen, as it is present in cows milk. Cellophane emits zenoestrogen into food. With such exposure to these estrogen sources, a woman’s body may become suffused with, and ravaged by estrogen. Rising estrogen levels mean falling progesterone ratios. Progesterone is needed to make the placenta viable. The fetus feeds through the placenta an unviable placenta is one of many reasons spontaneous abortion occur and pregnancies are lost. Balancing are lost. Balancing the estrogen-progesterone ratios involves some work.

    As already stated, thyroid function must be balanced, and the pituitary gland and other endocrine glands must function synegically for healthy pituitary gland function, one of the herbs of choice is VITEX, also known as CHASTEBERY. Effort must be made to ensure the three major fractions of estrogen (estriol, estrone and estradiol) are in the right ratios while relying on herbs such as Vitex, Black Cohost and Dong qual for this purpose, the liver and the diet have important roles to play. The liver is meant to breakdown excess estrogen into its component parts and pass them on to the bowels for evacuation through the stool. If the liver is week, it cannot do this well. Thus, the estrogen load would increase as more estrogen molecules from food or water join the estrogen chain band wagon. Even where the liver detoxifies well, but there is not enough fibre in the diet to mop the broken down molecules, these fragments may be re-absorbed in the colon and re-form into full estrogen chains, and the cycle of loading up begins all over, or continues. Estrogenation may increase blood levels of prolaction, an hormone, and this may block ovulation or lead to breast pain or disease, an early signal of which may be fluids or milk nipple discharge from the nipples when a woman is not pregnant or breast-feeding. The liver may be helped with supplements such as Liver Balance, Milk Thistle, Liver Health, Liver Essentials, Carqueja, Amazon Liver Support, and bitters, especially Maria Trebens. Zinc intake may support more output of progesterone, to reduce estrogen dominance. Thyroid supplements, including sea weed such as kelp, may support the elevation of estriol in the estrone/estradiol/ estroil estrogen matrix. Estroil is the least harsh and dangerous of these estrogen fractions. In many cases, plant estrogens have been used to block harsh human estrogen fractions. In this circumstance, estrogen receptors in the body prefer them to human estrogen. The receptors admit this plant hormone and lock out the human equivalent.

    That was why plant estrogens such as the proprietary PHYTOESTROGEN were once popular in Nigeria.

     

     

    here are many infections which may throw a woman’s reproductive system out of gear. As usual, we cannot mention them all in this presentation so, we will limit our discussion to some of the common ones. Women fall prey easily to vaginal infections. Sometimes, water closet water is splashed on their buttock by a heavy, dropping poop and they do not think much of it. They may wipe off the water with toilet paper, but some germs may have hooked up to the buttock skin. These may later find their way to the vagina. It may also happen that they spread their under briefs in a toilet. Water closet flushings may displace air which carry some pathogens on these briefs which are worn without being ironed. Spreading the briefs on the clothes line outside may not help much where dust bring germs and pollen to settle on exposed laundry. By far the largest source of infections, in my view, is through foreplay before sex when, with dirty or infected fingers and nailbeds, men probe the vagina to sexually arouse their partners. Who knows what the man may have touched before that act? Did he pick his nose? Did he remove a strand of beef caught in-between his teeth? Was he from the toilet, or did he drive her straight to an hotel and had picked several germs from the steering wheel?

    There are two main causes of vaginal infections:

    -Tiny parasites called Trichomonas

    -Bacteria (bacteria vaginosis), arguably the most common source of vaginal discharge.

    Trichomonas is caused by trichonomad, a tiny parasite resident in the vagina. Bacteria vaginosis is caused, as the name shows, by bacteria, the symptoms of these infections may include: “Itching, soreness and redress around the vagina or anus”. The vagina may discharge a green or yellow substance with a fishy smell, especially after sexual intercourse, and there may be a burning sensation during urination. There may be pain during intercourse as the micro-organisms may have eroded the cornifed cells of the vagina which protect underlying nerves and blood vessels.

    In trichonomad infections, the green or yellow discharge with fishy odour is frothy. If these vaginal infections are not promptly treated they may migrate to the pelvis, where reproduction organs such as the uterus, fallopian tube and ovaries are located. Here they may cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an umbrella name for any inflammation of the organs in this region. PID symptoms may include foul-smelling vaginal discharge, fever, pain in the lower abdomen, bleeding in-between periods, back pain, pain during sexual intercourse, frequent urination.

    It is important that these infections, like that of Candida albilans, a yeast or fungus, be treated promptly, as the parasites may be a cause of tubal blockage or ovarian problems from which many women suffer. In addressing this question, it must be borne in mind that a possible cause of PID is alkalisation of the vagina. The vagina is supposed to be slightly acidic to prevent germs making it a ready habitat. The vagina is supposed, also, to house a good population of friendly bacteria. These bacteria literally eat up unfriendly bacteria to make them less active. But in many women, the vagina is either too acidic or too alkaline.

    An over acidic vagina will kill sperm which thrive in alkaline environment. Semen is alkaline, which is why sperm thrive in it. The introduction of semen too frequently into the vagina, even by a woman’s husband and, therefore, legitimate sexual partner, may make her vagina become alkaline in over time. The alkalinity may be the source of infections of an unprotected vagina. Frequent sex with same sexual partner would, therefore appear unnatural and unhealthy. I observed while rearing pigs, rabbits and native chicken that the females agreed to mate with the males only when they were on “heat”. A female pig (sow) brought a male pig (boar) when she was not on heat, would fight the boar to death and even eat up or bite its penis. The rabbit would do the same. Only human females agree to sex any minute or hour of the day irrespective of whether her time of the cycle permits it. It is intriguing that if there is no boar in a pen when a sow is on “heat”, she would break through the pen in search of a boar elsewhere. These facts have to be remembered when a PID is being treated. In the treatment of PIDs, vitamins and minerals are foundational remedies. Vitamin C helps boost immunity and supports formation of collagen.