World Malaria Day: Defeating Malaria

The 25th day of April every year is devoted to celebrating Malaria day globally. The theme for this year is "Invest in the future, defeat malaria.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death globally. Statistics show that between 1-3 million people die annually in which Nigeria takes about 300,000 thousand of this figure. Hence, there is the need to combat this killer in our society.

I spoke with a specialist recently, he talked explicitly on the measures we need to put in place to avoid malaria and safeguard our future ( as the theme of the year is).

Surprisingly, all he said are what we all know but maybe indifferent to;

Using treated Mosquito net.

Having nets all around our houses

Shutting the door during the day so that Mosquitoes that are outside won't have access inside the house.

He commended the effort of the Government by giving out treated mosquito nets to women that just deliver in general hospitals but however said they (the government) need put in more effort by clearing drainages and providing more infrastructures.

So many lives have been cut short as a result of malaria, why not put in place all that is  highlighted and more so we can put a stop to this killer in our society?

Happy Celebration.

Chicken's Sudden Inflate, Cause?

Recently, I noticed that one of our chickens had tripled in size, and it was finding it hard to breath. No jokes, it increased in size like 3times more than its 'siblings'. You could see all the body organ through the balloon.

Since it couldn't breath well, I had to find a sharp object,  needle and I punctured the balloon all over its body (stomach region, neck etc). The air deflated and the chicken has been fine since that day.

What could be the cause?
Seen something similar before?

Self Medication: People’s Perspective.

So this article will be in two parts. The first which I will be treating now will dwell on people’s perspective. The one to come next will be Health Specialists’ Perspective.

PART  A

Self-medication has cut so many promising lives short. That has not discouraged people from practicing it.  The big question is WHY?

To begin with, what is self medication? To a layman’s understanding, it is when you self-diagnose yourself and use drugs on your own will with a purpose without consulting any specialist.
In the practical sense, it means, you get sick, rather than visit a health specialist so that you can be diagnosed and necessary drug be prescribed to you, you stay home and do all processes all by yourself.
So many factors make people to imbibe in self-medication. I took my time to ask lots of people to tell me their opinion on self-medication, and the reason why they engage in it rather than visit a pharmacist.

“Self medication is good and we all practice it. You have a slight headache and rush to the hospital?? Why? What you can just take Paracetamol for and you will be perfectly okay? Do you know that there are some headaches that you do not even need to visit hospital for? All you need is too rest and you will be perfectly fine. But you know, Pharmacists and doctors will tell you self-medication is bad. You know the reason? If everyone starts engaging in self-prescription, they (health specialists) will be out of business.”

“Self medication is good only when you are familiar with the symptom(s) of the ailment you have, if you are not familiar with it, my brother, run to Hospital oooo”.

I think I quite buy the idea. If you are familiar with the symptoms, treat yourself, otherwise, rush to a hospital.
Wait a sec. Some ailments do have the same symptom. What do you do in this case? For example, Headache is a sign of many ailments. Oh, I’m no more buying that idea, it’s wicked.

“Sometimes, even Doctors get it wrong. It is always helpful to make your own personal research, and sometimes, challenge their (specialists) knowledge in a respective manner. When you have certain symptoms it’s always helpful to Google it before going in to see the Doc. That way, you have a little bit of information when he is discussing with you or if the doctor diagnoses certain illness, you should make your own personal research too. Check again with the pharmacist any medication to be sure you have the right need for what is diagnosed.” I have to cut in here. I’m totally buying this idea and it’s final. Continuation “ I took one of the kids once to see Doc and their prescription was for hears instead of mouth, it was only because i asked at Pharmacy that I went back an she corrected her mistake.”
So, that’s it. Different strokes for different folks. And people learn more from experience. I believe people have their reasons for doing whatever they do. The last opinion above stresses that self medication/diagnose is bad, but that you shouldn't trust the specialist 100% as you have your own assignment to do as well.
People also have various kinds of allergies, you have to read or check with the doc or pharmacist the medicine does not consist those things you're allergic to, don't assume they know you know yourself better than anyone else.
And to the Nigerian factor, I feel peoples self medicate because it takes time to book an appointment with your Doctor. It takes a lot of of time to see a Doctor here unlike in developed countries.

So, what is your opinion on Self Medication?

Remember the other part is coming, from Specialists’ perspective.

Happy Weekend :)

When Doctors Prescribe Different Drugs For Same Ailment

Many a times, one gets indisposed and the need arises to visit a  Doctor to diagnose and prescribe  drugs to cure the ailment.

But what if, after a short while, you start seeing the symptoms of the previous ailment in your body? But this time, you visit another Doctor. You get there and he/she prescribes a new set of drugs for you different from the ones prior prescribed by the first Doctor.

The feeling of fear starts setting in at this point. And deep down your heart, you have literally stabbed the previous Doctor multiple times for wrong prescription. But after a while, you begin to wonder if it was the first Doctor that is quack or the new one. Well, to cure your dilemma, a friend of mine visited some health specialists and they made it known that in fact, none is quack between the two Doctors, and that it depends on individual school of thought vis-a-vis  the result of the diagnosis.

A Pharmacist changed the wheels to another direction totally. He said it is their job to prescribe drugs not the Doctors' because they (Pharmacists) are the ones who produce the drugs in the first place.

So, the button line is that, Pharmacists can prescribe different drugs for the same ailment,
1. it depends on their schools of thought.

These are my personal opinion
What if the medication for the first diagnose is no longer in the Market?

Another thing you should also consider is that some illnesses have same symptoms. You may have same symptom for totally different illnesses.

Eating Safe Foods

The World's Health Day was celebrated few days ago. The focus for the year is on Food Safety - The Global View.

As we all know, food is very essential in our lives. What you eat constitutes 80% of your Health. Don't quote me.

It is estimated that more than 2million people die as a result of contaminated food and water.

So, there is the need to watch what we eat. 

Eating the right food at the right time doesn't mean you should spend excessively, but it has to do with the "content" of your food; how it is prepared, the quantity etc.

I had a chat with a Professor of Epidemiology recently and he revealed to me various factors that get food contaminated.

Improper Transportation
Improper Storage
How it is displayed etc.

I then went further to ask him that what are the foods to be avoided?

He smiled and said All foods are meant to be eaten, but you should take note of these ones, for your health.

Food that is not well processed.
Food that is not clean.
Food that is not well cooked.
Food not well displayed, this is the type that we see at public places.
Lastly, expired foods.

I'll stress more on Expired food. 90% of Nigerians don't bother to check the expiry date of foods they buy (don't quote me still). I happen to be one of the victims. I only check the expiry date when the food tastes unusual in my mouth.
We should always endeavour to check before eating.

So that's it. Eat safe foods and stay healthy. :)