The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Remedy

  • Power supply: Challenges and remedy

    Power supply: Challenges and remedy

    Stakeholders in the power sector believe that only steady electricity can guarantee economic growth and stimulate industrialisation. In this analysis, Kingsley Okoye of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) writes on the efforts being made by the government and key sector players to boost distribution.

    WITHOUT steady power supply through effective electricity generation, transmission and distribution networks, turning the industrialisation plan of the Federal Government into reality may remain mirage for a very long time.

    Reason: the three chains of generation, transmission and distribution have always posed serious challenges from the outset.

    Observers note that long before the privatisation of the sector by the government, the challenges have lingered from the era of power managements under the defunct Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), the National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Plc.

    In a move to tackle the challenges head-on, President Muhammadu Buhari set an agenda for the sector’s development with a road map for achieving uninterrupted power.

    As of the last count, the Buhari administration has provided N701 billion payment assurance guarantee to operators to stimulate investment in the sector. The vote is among other interventions made by the government to reposition the sector.

    According to the government, the fund has brought confidence to the production side of the power business. The Presidency explained that the intervention is partly responsible for the increased power production to 7,000 megawatts.

    Available records also show that government’s action in transmission service expansion through Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has also increased transmission capacity to more than 5,000 megawatts to make power relatively steady.

    Critics, nonetheless, observe that the feat recorded in power generation and transmission has not been fully replicated in the distribution chain.

    The critics described as unfortunate that 2,000 megawatts of the power been generated are not being distributed due to inadequacy of distribution networks.

    But, the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Fashola, insists that the incidents of total and partial grid collapse have reduced, preparing grounds for effective distribution.

    He said: “The fact that we can produce more than 7,000 megawatts and put more than 5,000 megawatts on the grid means that we have 2,000 megawatts of unused power left.

    “This is a new problem that we must resolve; we must get those 2,000 megawatts out to the people who need power.

    “More power generation is coming in 2018 from power projects such as Gbarain Generation Company Ltd; 115 megawatts, Kashimbilla in Taraba; 40 megawatts, Afam III in Rivers; 240 megawatts, Gurara in Niger; 30 megawatts, Dadin Kowa in Gombe State; 29 megawatts and Kaduna; 215 megawatts, among others.

    “All of these do not include mini-grids and solar systems that are in various stages of development.’’

    The minister spoke of plans to ensure the distribution of the remaining 2,000 megawatts of power to industrial customers.

    He said: “If we can produce 7,000 megawatts and we can only distribute about 5,000 megawatts, the problem has changed from lack of power to locating where the need is.

    “It involves designing a solution that takes the balance of 2,000 megawatts to those who need it and can pay.

    “We must act to build the bridge that connects this gulf of supply and demand; that bridge is a bridge of data and information about finding the location of the businesses and industries that need power and getting the 2,000 megawatts waiting for deployment.’’

    Fashola’s explanation notwithstanding, analysts identify deficiency in distribution infrastructure, poor utilisation of existing distribution networks and inadequate power evacuation at newly completed Independent Power Projects (IPP) as reasons for the unutilsed 2,000 megawatts.

    Read Also: Power: NNPC plans 4,600mw plants in FCT, Kaduna, Kano

    However, the Niger-Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) says it will help to improve distribution of electricity to consumers by embarking on the construction of distribution networks.

    The NDPHC Managing Director, Chiedu Ugbo, said the company was developing 296 distribution projects across the country.

    Ugbo said: “We also have to work with the government for the minister to make sure that we complete a number of our distribution projects.

    “We have completed more than 20 distribution projects to improve the ability of distribution companies to take more power to the people.

    “We have seven distribution infrastructures in Kogi and these are completed projects yet to be taken over by the distribution companies.

    “We can’t leave this projects idle, the projects are being vandalised, some of the parts have been stolen, we need companies to start using this project to supply electricity to communities.’’

    Besides the efforts by government agencies, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANEDS) has been working to boost the electricity distribution network.

    Despites, the various interventions, stakeholders in the electricity sector, are pushing for more efforts to further expand distribution infrastructure and make use of the unused energy.

    They call on relevant agencies to give adequate attention to power generation, transmission and distribution to ensure steady power supply.

  • Expert advocates tree planting, others to remedy drought

    An ecologist, Mr. Habib Omotosho, says increased awareness campaign and adoption of land protection, as well as tree planting initiatives will fast-track efforts to deal with drought and desertification.

    Omotosho, who is the national coordinator, Environmental Advancement Initiatives, an NGO, in an interview News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said:

    “Remedies to drought and desertification problems involve public awareness, protection of marginal lands, planting of indigenous tree and shrub species, sustainable agricultural practices and use of alternative energy sources.’’

    He said increased public awareness of the dangers of drought and desertification at local and national levels was vital in efforts to tackle the environmental challenges of drought and desertification.

    According to him, the organisation of awareness campaigns is probably the cheapest means of combating desertification because it serves as a preventive measure.

    ”People should be made to fully understand the causes and consequences of desertification, to stem the growing menace of desertification.

    ”The public awareness campaigns should also aim at eliciting actions that would deal with some of the consequences of the environmental phenomenon and prevent further degradation of the soil,’’ he said.

  • Holistic remedy for HIV/AIDS

    Holistic Healthcare is the application of the best combination of natural therapies, in the provision of complementary and wholesome health care services. Natural therapy in this context implies a non-conventional system of preventing or eliminating physical, mental, social or spiritual ailments; which may rely exclusively on past experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, verbally or in writing. It involves the use of natural plants (herbs), animal matter and mineral compounds.

    Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a complex of diseases and symptoms resulting from unexplained immune deficiency; caused by a retrovirus, culminating in a “mixed-bag” of life-threatening opportunistic infections, which invariably result in death. The retrovirus that causes AIDS is known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with types I and II already isolated.

    During the past few years, a lot of technical and financial supports have been provided for scientists searching for a cure for AIDS. Many of their efforts have been to try and discover a single pharmacological or immunological solution to what is, in fact, a “mixed-bag” of different disease conditions.

    Paradoxically, while orthodox researchers have been struggling unsuccessfully to produce a single drug remedy for AIDS, there has been a tremendous advance made by the unorthodox, self-financed but highly ridiculed holistic approach; and it has become clear that the natural defence mechanisms of the individual sufferer can be augmented towards evolving a panacea to the disease problem.

    It is against this background of unproductive waste of human, material and financial resources, in the face of the physical, psychological and social hazards imposed on mankind by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and several other devastating, insidious and otherwise intractable diseases; that I have embarked on this exposition of the “wisdom of ages”, as a private sector contribution to the strategies towards attainment of the much-desired “Health For All” in this millennium.

    Over the past 30 years, I have conducted research at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; as well as at Interdisciplinary Research Centres in Europe and Southern Africa; on holistic and complementary healthcare systems.

    In the course of my research activities, it has become glaring that the body’s ability to protect itself from the onslaught of offending virus, bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, etc can be enhanced by holistic herbal ‘immuno-modulators’ , because, apart from supporting the body’s own immune defence mechanisms, they also prevent opportunistic infections.

    In Holistic Lifecare, we are committed to total care of HIV/AIDS sufferers when they have just been tested and diagnosed positive, when they are still able to eat, drink and move around on their own, but not when they are expecting their funeral the next day!

    The Holistic Natural Remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and longevity in HIV/AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion. Notable among the useful herbs for HIV/AIDS are Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Harpagophytum zeyheri, Echinacea augustifolia and Zingiber officinale.

     

    For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call  on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be.

  • Remedy for catarrh

    Remedy for catarrh

    A traditional medicine practitioner, Dr Lambo Adebisi, has recommended onions, garlic and sunflower for the prevention of catarrh and cold.

    According to him, these plants have essential ingredients that are useful for the treatment of these ailments.

    He said inhaling the smell of onions, sunflower and garlic can help clear the mucous membrane and nasal track of people who have catarrh.

    Adebisi, who is a naturopath, said this is a form of treatment known as aromatherapy, adding: “It is a form of alternative medicine that uses plant materials and aromatic plant oils, including essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the treatment of diseases.”

    He said people can also mix some cold pressed natural sun flower oil with some seabuckthorn seeds oil and grease the inside of their nostrils, using a cotton bud.

    He further said garlic tea can be drunk twice daily to relieve a catarrh problem.

    People who have catarrh, he said, can soak two fingers in vinegar and rub their nose from the tip to beneath the eye area. “Besides, those who have cold or catarrh can bring a bulb of onion close to their nose to smell it. Similarly, vinegar can be applied on the nostrils.

    “With two dried fingers, rub on the nostris some vinegar, then put another finger in vinegar and daub the insides of his nostrils. This will bring some relief. Also, people can burn garlic cloves, which has been peeled off for three seconds and inhale the resulted smoke on one nostril and then on the other afterwards,” he said.

    He said people can drink garlic tea to prevent coming down with allergic reactions or seasonal allergic rhinitis, or even hay fever

    “All a sick person needs to do is boil 20 garlic cloves, 20 bulbs of onions and some violets flower in one litre of water to be taken daily.

    The sick person can be taking one or two cups daily depending on his immunity.

    The naturopath also recommended foods that are rich in magnesium.

    He said this is active against the ailments, adding that cucumbers and red pepper have magnesium, as such people should consume then in soup when sick.

  • Nature’s remedy for fibroid

    Nature’s remedy for fibroid

    There is hope for women suffering from uterine fibroid.

    A naturopath, Dr Solomon Abutoh, said though the diease is difficult to treat, “nature has a remedy for it”.

    He said herbs made from bitter leaf known as ewuro in Yoruba, onugbu in Igbo, eyinbisowo known botanically as phylantus amarus, mistletoe known botanically as viscum album and afomo onishana in Yoruba and other herbs and roots, can shrink the fibroid.

    He said only in very rare cases that women with fibroid conceive, adding that at times people give the impression that sufferers are pregnant because of the protrusion of the stomach.

    He described uterine fibroid as an exclusive reproductive abnormality in women.“The womb or uterus is an abode for the formation of foetus, which translates to pregnancy,” he added.

    The traditional healer said due to complications in growths, fibroid do occur.

    The condition, he said, is very painful as it causes abnormal bleeding during menstruation.

    He advised against the use of orthodox methods in treating the ailment, saying surgery does not tackle it as it “usually results in re-growth”.

    “In traditional medicine, herbal concoctions are prepared to shrink the fibroid, thereby preparing the way for conception,” Abutoh said.

    He said fibroid can be prevented if young women marry early. Fibroid, he said, can be prevented if young women marry and conceive before they turn 31.

    “The incidence of fibroid is common in women from 30 years and above, but younger women can also have it,” he added.

    Abutoh urged young women to avoid multiple sex partners. “By being promiscuous, they are likely to contract infections, veneral diseases, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),“ he said.

    He urged women who have fibroid to change their lifestyles, adding that they should reduce their eating of red meat and fatty foods because the disease thrives on them.

  • Nature’s remedy for fibroid

    There is hope for women suffering from uterine fibroid.

    A naturopath, Dr Solomon Abutoh, said though the diease is difficult to treat, “nature has a remedy for it”.

    He said herbs made from bitter leaf known as ewuro in Yoruba, onugbu in Igbo, eyinbisowo known botanically as phylantus amarus, mistletoe known botanically as viscum album and afomo onishana in Yoruba and other herbs and roots, can shrink the fibroid.

    He said only in very rare cases that women with fibroid conceive, adding that at times people give the impression that sufferers are pregnant because of the protrusion of the stomach.

    He described uterine fibroid as an exclusive reproductive abnormality in women. “The womb or uterus is an abode for the formation of foetus, which translates to pregnancy,” he added.

    The traditional healer said due to complications in growths, fibroid do occur.

    The condition, he said, is very painful as it causes abnormal bleeding during the menstruation.

    He advised against the use of orthodox methods in treating the ailment, saying surgery does not tackle it as it “usually results in re-growth”.

    “In traditional medicine, herbal concoctions are prepared to shrink the fibroid, thereby preparing the way for conception,” Abutoh said.

    He said fibroid can be prevented if young women marry early. Fibroid, he said, can be prevented if young women marry and conceive before they turn 31.

    “The incidence of fibroid is common in women from 30 years and above, but younger women can also have it,” he added.

    Abutoh urged young women to avoid multiple sex partners. “By being promiscuous, they are likely to contract infections, veneral diseases, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), “ he said.

    He urged women who have fibroid to make changes in their lifestyles, such as reducing the eating of red meat and fatty foods because the condition thrives on them.

  • Migraine?Alternative remedy to the rescue

    Migraine can be a nagging problem if not quickly addressed. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on its treatment.

    Yinka Ipaye, a journalist closed late from work and drove home. At home, he could not sleep until about 2:00am. But by 4:35am, he woke up. He was worn out. As he got out of bed, he felt a strong pain on the right side of his head. He went to take his bath. Before 9:00am, he was back in the office. The pain was becoming severe. To Dr Segun Fahuwa, the pioneer Traditional Medicine in the Department of Pharmacy, college of Medicine, University of Lagos (UNILAG), that was not an ordinary pain. It is migraine.

    Fahuwa, said what causes migraine is still a mystery, but the most common triggers include sleep changes, either getting too much or too little sleep may trigger migraine. Stress and anxiety, be it emotional or mental, can cause migraine.

    Medications, such as certain medications may increase your chance for a migraine. These include oral contraceptives and vasodilators. Vasodilators are medicines that act directly on muscles in blood vessel walls to make blood vessels widen (dilate). Purpose Vasodilators are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

    Causes

    “Bright lights (photophobia); loud noises (phonophobia); strong odours, such as perfumes or secondhand cigarette smoke (passive smoking). Amazingly, foods also pre-dispose to migraine. The most common food include aspartame, an artificial sugar substitute that now abound in popular drinks in the country; foods that contain tyramine (a substance that forms as foods grow old), such as hard sausages, foods that contain monosodium glutamate or MSG, a key ingredient in many processed foods; caffeinated or alcohol drinks, particularly beer and red wine; and foods that contain nitrates, such as hot dogs and bacon. Skipping a meal or fasting may also increase your likelihood for a migraine.”

    He said: “Changes in the weather or season can also prompt migraine headache. Likewise hormonal changes. This is a particularly troublesome trigger for many women—fluctuations in estrogen, caused by menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, may cause a migraine. Hormone medications, including oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, can trigger or even worsen migraines, too. Physically exerting yourself, whether through exercise, sexual activity, or physical labour may cause a migraine, as experienced by Yinka.

    “Migraine is a disorder characterised by repeated attacks of severe headache. A migraine headache causes throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on only one side of the head. These headaches are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound; they generally last between four hours and three days. Migraine headaches, which are often misdiagnosed as sinus or tension headaches, are severe enough to interfere with sleep, work, and other everyday activities. They may occur as often as several times per week or as rarely as once or twice a year. It is most common among people aged 25 and 55, though it can affect children and teens as well. Migraine is about three times more prevalent in women than men; roughly one in five women and one in 16 men suffer from migraine.”

     Types of Migraine

    Explaining different types of migraine, Dr Fahuwa, said there are several of them depending on source or predisposing factor. For example, common migraine, also called a migraine without aura, is the most prevalent type of migraine, and it accounts for about 80 per cent of patients. Auras are not associated with headaches in this type of migraine. Fatigue, mood changes, anxiety, and mental fuzziness are among the symptoms frequently experienced.

    “Classic migraine, also called migraine with aura, occurs in about one-fifth of migraine sufferers. Visual or other sensory symptoms called auras most often occur before a headache but can also appear during or after a headache. Most commonly, sufferers see auras that are flashing lights, zigzag lines, or blind spots. Auras can also include feelings of numbness or tingling, speaking difficulty, ringing in the ears, smelling a strange odour, or having an odd taste in the mouth.

    “Menstrual Migraine is a type of migraine related to fluctuating levels in estrogen during a woman’s menstrual cycle. About 70 per cent of female migraine sufferers report a relationship between their migraine headaches and menstruation. Abdominal migraine is an episode of moderate to severe abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting that can last up to 72 hours. It is typically seen in children, especially those with a family history of migraine. Children who suffer from abdominal migraines usually suffer from classic migraine headaches as adults.”

    Dr Fahuwa said: “Retinal Migraine, also known as ocular migraine involves temporary partial or total loss of vision in one eye that can last an hour or less and is not always accompanied by headache. Familial Hemiplegic Migraine is a very rare inherited condition caused by one of several chromosomes. In hemiplegic migraine, one side of the body may have some temporary motor paralysis or go numb during a migraine headache.

    “Basilar Artery Migraine is a type of migraine that presents itself as a headache, usually in the back of the head, and is associated with an aura that includes dizziness, confusion, problems of speaking, hearing changes, and visual disturbances. It is usually related to hormonal changes and most often affects young adults. Ophthalmoplegic Migraine is a rare type of migraine that requires emergency treatment. Patients develop a partial or complete paralysis in nerves required for eye movement. Status Migrainosus is also a rare condition characterised by an extremely severe headache that lasts more than 72 hours.

    “Hospitalisation is often required to relieve symptoms.  There is Transformed or Chronic Migraine, a form of chronic daily headache. Transformed migraine occurs when, over time, a migraine becomes a continuous background headache with, occasionally, severe migraine symptoms. Sometimes called coexisting migraine and tension-type headache, it is challenging to treat,” he said.

    Treatment

    According to Fahuwa popularly known as Mr Guarantee, chronic stress may contribute to the development of the most common types of headaches. “So it’s not surprising that alternative treatments aimed at stress reduction, such as biofeedback and relaxation and considered effective treatments for some patients with headaches. There are additional “nontraditional” headache treatments, including acupuncture, massage, herbs, and diets, for which there are varying degrees of effectiveness.

    “Life events that increase stress, anxiety, and depression have been associated with migraines headaches. The results of a large study indicate that stress management therapy reduced headache and headache-related disability. Hence, people should learn to identify the cause and address it. If there is no result, then one can visit a practitioner.”

    Natural remedy/Migraine cure-Tulu 

    He said he has a preparation, registered by NAFDAC called Tulu, “a powerful answer which provides cure to sufferers of migraine headaches. When Tulu solution is administered, within the next five minutes migraine would be gone. It proffers lasting result to migraine. It is available in soap form for washing of head, which when applied stops migraine in less than 10 minutes.”

  • Holistic Remedy for HIV/AIDS

    Holistic Healthcare is the application of the best combination of natural therapies, in the provision of complementary and wholesome health care services. Natural therapy in this context implies a non-conventional system of preventing or eliminating physical, mental, social or spiritual ailments; which may rely exclusively on past experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, verbally or in writing. It involves the use of natural plants (herbs), animal matter and mineral compounds.

    Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a complex of diseases and symptoms resulting from unexplained immune deficiency; caused by a retrovirus, culminating in a “mixed-bag” of life-threatening opportunistic infections, which invariably result in death. The retrovirus that causes AIDS is known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with types I, II, and III already isolated.

    During the past few years, a lot of technical and financial supports have been provided for scientists searching for a cure for AIDS. Many of their efforts have been to try and discover a single pharmacological or immunological solution to what is, in fact, a “mixed-bag” of different disease conditions.

    Paradoxically, while orthodox researchers have been struggling unsuccessfully to produce a single drug remedy for AIDS, there has been a tremendous advance made by the unorthodox, self-financed but highly ridiculed holistic approach; and it has become clear that the natural defence mechanisms of the individual sufferer can be augmented towards evolving a panacea to the disease problem.

    It is against this background of unproductive waste of human, material and financial resources, in the face of the physical, psychological and social hazards imposed on mankind by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and several other devastating, insidious and otherwise intractable diseases; that I have embarked on this exposition of the “wisdom of ages”, as a private sector contribution to the strategies towards attainment of the much-desired “Health For All” in this millennium.

    Over the past 28 years, I have conducted research at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; as well as at Interdisciplinary Research Centres in Europe and Southern Africa; on holistic and complementary healthcare systems.

    In the course of my research activities, it has become glaring that the body’s ability to protect itself from the onslaught of offending virus, bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, etc can be enhanced by holistic herbal ‘immuno-modulators’ , because, apart from supporting the body’s own immune defence mechanisms, they also prevent opportunistic infections.

    In Holistic Lifecare, we are committed to total cure of HIV/AIDS sufferers when they have just been tested and diagnosed positive, when they are still able to eat, drink and move around on their own, but not when they are expecting their funeral the next day!

    The Holistic Natural Remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and total cure in HIV/AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion. Notable among the useful herbs for HIV/AIDS are Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Harpagophytum zeyheri, Echinacea augustifolia and Zingiber officinale.

    For further information and consultation on Holistic Lifecare research and services, especially on Blood Infections, Infertility, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Chronic Debilitating Conditions as well as mental and social problems, please call  on: 0803-330-3897 or visit: Mosebolatan Holistic Lifecare Centre, Adeyalo Layout, Ogbere-Tioya, Off Olorunsogo Express Bridge, Ibadan. Website: www.holisticlifecare.com. Distance is no barrier, we can send remedies by courier if need be. We also have facilities for accommodation, admission and hospitalization in a serene and homely environment.