By Francis Ewherido
I had a lengthy talk with a friend recently. We go way back to the early 70s. He was my senior in primary school. We lost touch but got reunited in the 90s. One day, we went to a restaurant to eat. I ordered rice and chicken. I peeled the skin off the chicken before eating the chicken. He queried me and I explained to him that my boss in the early 90s suffered a stroke. Among the foods doctors told him to stay away from subsequently was chicken skin because of the high cholesterol. “But na the chicken skin sweet pass for the chicken nah. If I remove am, wetin remain again,” he asked rhetorically. He took the chicken skin that I removed and added to his and ate.
Thereafter, we didn’t see for a while. I didn’t know he suffered a mild stroke. I am not saying the chicken skin was responsible. Other factors and lifestyle might be responsible. When we spoke recently, he told me he had suffered three more strokes since then. I was worried and probed into what he was taking to control his blood pressure and the drugs he was taking to avoid another stroke, apart from drastic lifestyle changes that he needed to make.
What he told me jolted me and forms the basis of this article. He said he saw some drugs being sold online and patronized them, but they did not seem to be effective. I have no trust in most remedies and drugs they sell online and I told him. I have carried out my research. Most of them are scams. I have thrown a challenge before and I am throwing it again. If your drugs or remedies you promote online are effective, come let’s team up with the media channels I use to see how we can use them to promote the wellbeing of humanity. I have zero financial interest; only service to humanity. I sustained a knee injury about 51 years ago while playing football. A player from the opposite team deliberately stepped on one of my knees. I collapsed in pain. I was scared and never told my parents when I got home. Since then, I have continued to live with the pain. At a time, I met an orthopedist who said I now have arthritis on the knee from the result of the scans.
I have read a little bit about arthritis. There is no cure. It can only be managed. Then I saw an advert on social media about a therapy that cures arthritis. I took time and read the testimonies. Many of them were people in their 20s. “Arthritis nor dey common among young people nah,” I said to myself, but the cost was reasonable, so against my better judgement, I placed order and made payment. It was promptly delivered. I could just have flushed the money down the toilet! I got zero relief!
My next experience had nothing to do with the social media. It was a physical interaction. Someone close to me recommended a therapy to me. Without checking its efficacy over time, I preached the gospel to the ends of the world, including Oyibo people. After spending over two million naira, buying the therapy, it did not work for anybody (those I recommended it to and myself). I continued with other products recommended by words of mouth. I subsequently did tests. When my doctor saw the results, she was alarmed. “Frank, I am no longer comfortable with these your alternative therapies.” To cut a long story short, I sorted out the problem in a hospital. It was expensive, but problem solved. Let me quickly add that I still believe firmly in African medicine and therapies, but my experience is a full topic for another day.
Most of the people who sell drugs and medical solutions online play on people’s desperation and gullibility. The solutions they offer are mainly for medical issues people desperately want to cure/solve: infertility, erectile dysfunction, low libido and low sperm count; arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, prostate enlargement, amongst others and outlandish claims like cure for cancer and HIV AIDS.
Let me start with the last two. There is no cure for cancer other than the medical procedure we know. It is important that cancer is detected early. The patient undergoes surgery to remove the cancerous parts. Then the patient undergoes radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other medical treatments. The doctors know better. I am just a writer. Any other person who claims to have a cure other than this should come forward. There are cancer centres all over Nigeria. You will get more than enough patients to cure their cancer. If you cannot step forward, you are a fraudster. Also, please spare me the talk about miracle healing. The healers know the hospitals and centres where their miracles are needed. They should go there.
The same applies to HIV AIDS. It is no longer the killer it used to be. There are countless people living very normal life with the HIV. Some have even married and have children who are HIV-free. It is through the same orthodox medicine we all know. All others who claim to have alternative cure should also come forward and prove it. If you are not willing to come out to spread that your joy, you are also a fraudster.
Doctors say there is no permanent cure for arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., but they can be managed with treatment and lifestyle changes. Those who claim to have permanent cures should also come forward.
Orthodox medicine can be used to take care of prostate enlargement. Some people have also vouched for the efficacy of traditional therapies. I am sure there are, but I don’t know any that I can vouch for. But consistent consumption of tomatoes remains very effective in preventing prostate enlargement (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/my-natural-prostate-remedies/). It is preventive not a treatment/cure. Once the prostate is enlarged to a certain point, you go for treatment, not only consumption of tomatoes anymore.
Another common product advertised on social media are those for penis enlargement. I have written about three articles on the penis previously. No more comments, but for me, worrying about the size of your penis is what the Urhobos call okamuka (much ado about nothing). The Asians have one of the smallest penises in the world, yet it is the most populated continent. As for the relationship between the size of penis and the pleasure it gives to women, why don’t you ask your wife or the women who make you worry about your penis size? At best, it is different strokes for different folks and how the workman uses his tools.
My final advice: Have a personal/family physician you can consult. If you do not have the resources for private medical facilities, patronize government hospitals. Government (federal and states) has invested reasonable money in the medical sector. They have the equipment and the personnel though the work ethic of the medical personnel is still very poor. There are effective alternative medical solutions, but do your due diligence. There are too many fraudsters. Beware!
