NATURAL medicine practitioners under the aegis of the Natural Integrative Medicine Practitioners Association (NIMPA) has said that the cure for cancer will remain elusive to medical experts until there is a complete synergy of orthodox and unorthodox health practices.
NIMPA with support from the College of Integrative Medicine Lagos, and the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB) at a two-day wellness retreat held last week in Lagos said that researches have shown that integrating medical approaches is the best way to prevent, treat and manage cancers.
Also, LSTMB said it plans to probe all herbal medical products to verify the authenticity of the cure claims especially those for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), cancer, diabetes, hypertension, sickle cell anaemia; and continue to empower Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in it efforts to reduce maternal and child deaths.
President NIMPA, Dr. Isaac Ayodele, said: “Countries that advance today in healthcare do so based on synergy between the gown people and the non conventional. See what is happening in China, Japan and India. They are growing and developing steadily in line with their tradition. There everybody is carried along. Take the case of medicine for instance; every system of medicine is embraced. They know that no system of medicine is complete.
“We sure need the same kind of synergy in Nigeria that can harness all our resources both human and material together. We need to change some of our laws and educational curriculum that are not in conformity with the time we live. We need to be in tune with other parts of the world. Instead of winning arguments, let us focus on improving the health of our people. Let us see how we can engage majority of our conventional and non-conventional medical workforce in the new medicine that can make our society a better place to be. This is what NIMPA want to achieve in the wellness retreat and the College of Integrative Medicine, which is meant to train its members. This maiden edition of the wellness retreat is on cancer.
“A century ago, one in 33 developed cancer. Now one in two persons now develop cancer in a lifetime. What has changed to cause this significant increase? Some people say it is toxins. More and more people die from cancer every year. Why? We want this retreat to tell us the role of chemotherapy and the cancer industry, which is worth N50 million per patient.
“Is it true that chemotherapy drugs kill all cells, good or bad and that chemotherapy does not cure breast, colon or lung cancer? If it is true why do doctors still use chemotherapy and are patients not better off without chemotherapy?”
Ayodele said that the legal way to treat cancer was to burn it with radiation, poisoned it with chemotherapy and cut out body parts by surgery, yet, patients didn’t get well. “Why don’t we try natural or alternative treatments? Won’t recovery come from strengthening the body and not poisoning it?” he queried.
The NIMPA President further explained: “Somebody said cancer is not a disease but the physical symptom of our body’s attempt to eliminate specific life-destructive causes. He feels that cancer is an attempt to save one’s life. He also believes that most people are killed by the treatments than are saved.
“To me if one has cancer, it is not a cause for worrying. Rather, connect with nature, breathe some fresh air, and enjoy the sunshine. Be positive. You will also find the integrative medicine approach work well together. And today we may just discover in Nigeria a formula that can save the world of cancer. This is the prayer of this wellness retreat.”
The distinguished Special Guest of Honour/Chairman LSTMB, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, in a keynote address said: “There is need to harmonise traditional and conventional medicines in a very focused way. The conventional doctors don’t want us to move and that is natural. They are just like carpenters that see only nails. India is making billions of naira from Nigeria and we can do the same here. The retreat is a welcome development. As we move further we can develop our health tourism just like India has done. I have a health resort where nature becomes because I believe that is our future.
“I advocate integrative approach using different methods in the treatment of diseases especially cancer. You have so many methods we can use such as yoga, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, naturopathic medicine and osteopathy. Our duty is to find a way to bring them under one umbrella and in the process remove quacks.
“There is need for us to look for alternative method. Why do most men die after surgery for prostate problems? Most of them die within few weeks after surgery because conventional medicine does not have the answer.”
Omoseyindemi, who a conventionally trained medical doctor, said following the relevance of traditional medicine to the quest for universal health coverage, the World Health Organisation (WHO), last month, established a Foundation for the development of African Medicine in Nigeria. He said this has prompted the Lagos State government, which plans to investigate cure claims by herbal medicine practitioners in the state.
On the incorporation of TBAs into mother and child health project in Lagos State and the opposition to the programme by conventional doctors, Omoseyindemi said: “The patient to health professional ration in the country is very poor. We have 30 doctors to 100,000 patients; less than 100 nurses to 100,000 patients; less than 80 midwives to 100,000 patients and three laboratory scientists to 100,000 patients. We are under-developed based on inferiority complex by most traditional medicine practitioners.
“Most orthodox doctors are kicking against our practices. They say TBAs are causing more maternal and child deaths in the state. They tried to talk Governor Babatunde Fashola out of it but he stood his ground. He said we have to train. We believe that we should introduce them to some modern practices like scanning. Since most of our pregnant women patronize TBAs, why not empower them to use equipment like that of measuring blood pressure and sugar levels. It is our duty and responsibility to boost what we have.”
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
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