An estimated 1.25 million induced abortions occurred in Nigeria in 2012, equivalent to a rate of 33 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–49 despite the existing legislation against abortion. It does seem as though the legislation appears to be a case of ‘shooting one’s self in the foot’ as it hasn’t helped to reduce the rate…
DetailsThe impact of religion on health in Nigeria is not easily downplayed any day. In fact, there’s probably no way to downplay it. Religiosity permeates every aspect of the Nigerian atmosphere and this doesn’t exclude health at all. There’s seldom any patient that comes into any Nigerian hospital without a prior attempt at divine healing.…
Details“The boy was beaten to a pulp. I saw terrible injuries on his back and his dad, a pastor in a popular Nigerian Pentecostal church said, ‘if I can deliver other people, why can’t I deliver my son,’” This case would be one reported case of many others. In a country somewhat obsessed with the…
DetailsReceiving the news of a cancer growing in one’s body could be horrendously disheartening to put it mildly. It’s often viewed as a death sentence anyway and this is well portrayed in the media. Thia fear is actually not unfounded in that cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the world. Of course, there’s…
DetailsThe word ‘oligospermia’ might sound foreign to most, at least not until it is revealed to mean ‘low sperm count’. By then, everyone recognizes the word and its implications. Problems with fertility constitute a large percentage of frequently asked questions (FAQs) online. It follows that ‘low sperm count’ tops the list of the questions from…
DetailsWe once did a fairly good job of convincing ourselves of huge contributions of religion to good health. At least I hope we did. On the flip side, let’s discuss some negative effects religion might have had and still have on health. The religious model of disease causation believes that disease are from man’s common…
DetailsMany people snore while sleeping yet lead fairly healthy lives. It’s different when snoring comes along with a couple of other medical problems that may even be potentially fatal if left to fester. Let’s discuss obstructive sleep apnea on this note. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which breathing stops involuntarily for brief…
DetailsI’ll never forget a perplexing experience in my early years that has gotten so clear in retrospect. I was in my third year of primary education. I had a particular classmate who found it difficult to cope in class. He could barely articulate words. Actually, he seldom talked. He also found it very difficult to…
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