*Iwu calls for more funding for natural medicine development
Today is World Kidney Day (WKD). Until now, diabetes, high blood pressure, poor diet, lifestyle, and obesity have been identified as the main causes of kidney damage. Some studies show that the only real long-term solution to kidney disease is drinking more clean water, getting more exercise, and most importantly, refusing processed and unhealthy foods. We recommend that you support natural whole foods.
Researchers have also identified foods that treat kidney disease and boost kidney function. Topping the list are garlic, ginger, and watermelon. Researchers believe that eating a diet rich in ginger (Zingiber officinale), onion (Allium cepa), and garlic (Allium sativum) may represent a new preventive and therapeutic diet or medicine against this threat. I discovered that there is.
However, another study published in the journal Tropical Doctor links traditional herbal preparations to acute kidney failure in Nigeria.
Researchers from Qatar Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Hospital. University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan; Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos Dr. Yaba said, “53 cases of acute renal failure (ARF) (36 males, mean age 30.2±9.5) associated with traditional herbal preparations. (years old) was seen over a period of one year.” The period is 10 years. This preparation was used for the treatment of febrile illness (38 cases), abdominal complaints (7 cases), and unexplained symptoms (5 cases). Vaginal pessaries were used to induce abortion in two cases and for infertility in one case.
“A small number of plant materials identified include mango (Mangifera indica) leaves and bark, cashew nut leaves (Anacardium occidentale), pawpaw leaves (Carica papaya), lime leaves (Citrus aurantifolia), Solanium erianthum, Morinda lucida The main symptoms were oliguria or anuria (41); jaundice (39); and anemia (25). Urine occurred 3.5 ± 0.7 days after ingestion of the herb. This symptom was consistent with acute tubular necrosis in all cases, and the mechanism was: due to intravascular hemolysis (34). Liver toxicity (5); and possibly direct nephrotoxicity (14).
“45 patients underwent dialysis and 3 deaths were recorded. These cases of ARF could have been prevented with proper education and awareness.” Another published in the journal Nephrology The study concludes: “Kidney damage has been reported in association with several herbs. The most well-known herb-induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is aristolochic acid nephropathy. This condition is a progressive interstitial It is characterized by nephritis, and some patients develop urothelial malignancies. The toxic compound is aristolochic acid (AA). AA-DNA adducts have been identified in kidney and urothelial tissue.
“Recent evidence suggests that AA also contributes to the development of Balkan endemic nephropathy. The role of herbs in the development of CKD in other regions of the developing world, especially in rural populations. It is assumed that public awareness and regulation of the use of herbal medicines is necessary to eradicate this presence from the community.”
Meanwhile, Professor Maurice Iwu, professor of pharmacology and CEO of Interced Health Products (IHP) maker BioResource Development and Conservation Group (BDCG), said there is a need to increase funding for research and development. Emphasized gender. Natural medicine in this country.
Speaking at his induction ceremony as Fellow and National Patron of the Nigerian Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine (NCPNM) in Abuja, Iwu, who is also a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said that natural medicine is a holistic He said that it is a good approach. He added that Nigerians must embrace this new development in medicine considering its effectiveness in healthcare.
He said, “Natural medicine is the development of medicine that deals with the natural environment, and the whole world is moving toward this. Instead of waiting for people to get sick, we prevent you from getting sick.” We used to talk about diseases and medicine, but now we can think about human health, how the natural environment and the person himself can contribute to health. That is, diseases, hospitals, surgeries, etc. We take medicines from patients and manage their care.
“Here, some natural medicine doctors don’t even provide medicine, they just advise how to live. Also, this is another economic measure in the sense that it saves people a lot of money. For example, in Nigeria When we had the Ebola virus crisis, it was care, not drugs, that actually saved lives. That’s why I remain extremely grateful to former President Goodluck Jonathan for providing the necessary resources. I would also like to thank former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola for his intervention.”
He further explained that natural medicine does not refer to traditional medicine or physical therapy, but to medical care as a whole. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to exercise properly, eat well, and make sure to use our medications last. Therefore, natural medicine is a holistic approach to caring for yourself. ”
Mr. Iwu urged the government and well-meaning Nigerians to invest more resources into research on diseases such as Lassa fever, saying that the work done by the Jonathan government during the Ebola outbreak greatly helped advance research and contain the disease. emphasized. He also praised the former governor. Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State praised the pragmatic approach to funding Ebola research, saying that despite the low number of deaths recorded, funds were quickly raised to fund research into the scourge. He said that the provision of medical supplies helped immediately contain the Ebola virus.
Iwu called on Nigerians not to rest their heads in the fight to contain Ebola, noting that the virus remains widespread at its source. “Just a two-hour flight can put you in contact with someone infected with Ebola. This shows that more needs to be done to eradicate the virus.
“We must continue our hand-washing habits. This is the first big step in containing the virus. A big step in medicine is not just treating patients, but treating potentially big problems. We have to know that it is the care and control of a situation,” he added. He appreciated the efforts of the NCPNM in ensuring the development of alternative medicine in Nigeria and pledged to work hard for the growth of natural medicine in Nigeria.