One of the most dangerous ways to live life in Nigeria is to accept every idea thrown at you in public places, especially places like beer parlours where people talk out of either excitement or stupor. Interestingly, self-acclaimed doctors often discuss issues that border on human health in such places and do so with absolute confidence. Unfortunately, some of the claims they make can influence unsuspecting members of the public into embarking on life-threatening experiments in pursuit of sound health. Worse still is the fact that many persons, including the educated, accept these fallacies and even amplify them, thereby lending credence to ignorance and stupidity.
Unless one is adequately equipped with scientific or medical knowhow, he or she may easily fall for the fallacies peddled by those I prefer to call beer parlour doctors. For these people, every ailment has a concocted cure manufactured from their illusive medical knowledge.
The following are popular health fallacies (I detest to call them myths) Nigerians should stop believing as peddled by beer parlour doctors and other charlatans.
Eating a cow or ram’s spleen is contraindicated in temperamental persons
This is one of the biggest lies you can easily fall for. I have even heard it from a so-called nurse in the Ikotun axis of Lagos. The said nurse spoke with the kind of confidence that was out of this world. Those who listened to her urged her on with their nods of approval as I listened with subdued rage. She succeeded in poisoning the minds of more than ten people with garbage, which they will also pass across to other people in an endless cycle of misinformation and miseducation.
Babies with hiccups can be cured when a thread is placed on their heads
Arguably the most accepted fallacy about health in Nigeria, the idea that babies with hiccups need a thread to be placed on their heads is laughable, as it has no basis in the medical sciences. Although it is a popular practice in many Nigerian homes, this fallacy can lead to wrong medical decisions in emergencies that require urgent or intensive medical care for babies. Hiccups do not require any special medication as they usually resolve on their own.
Infants with fever, boils and coughs must be teething
While one or a combination of the mentioned symptoms can indicate that an infant is teething, there is no definitive rule to the onset of the experience. Only a physician can determine the cause of these symptoms in an infant. It must be noted that infections can also present similar symptoms in infants. In order to avoid giving the wrong treatment, we must be careful the way we make conclusions about health matters, especially as they affect infants and children.
A mixture of ogogoro (local gin) and Alabukun or Karaole cures malaria
This is one of the most dangerous fallacies that has gained traction among artisans. It is a combination with serious toxicological concerns. First, most of the local gins sold in a place like Lagos are pure ethanol that can adversely affect the liver and kidney. More worrisome is the fact that they are cheaper compared to other classes of alcohol like whiskey, vodka and red wine. Their affordability has continued to fuel their abuse. For instance, a measure or what is known as pelebe of ogogoro in Lagos costs between 200 and 300 naira and the level of intoxication it gives is equivalent to that one can get from five bottles of beer. As for the local analgesics, Alabukun and Karaole – since their active ingredients are not taken into consideration by most users, mixing them with local gin may raise toxicological concerns.
Eating dog meat boosts immune system and prevents witchcraft attacks
While this may sound spiritual, it is also relevant to healthcare because the consumption of dog meat in Nigeria has become very popular. The major concern however, is that the mode of preparation may be compromised, thereby leading to public health concerns. Dogs are vectors of many infectious diseases and their unwholesome consumption can trigger health challenges. There is no proof that eating dog meat cures any ailment. More so, linking it to the prevention of witchcraft is totally beyond the scope of orthodox medicine.
Drinking soup cooked with lizard cures stubborn cough
This claim was very popular during my childhood days in north central Nigeria. It was propagated by many who believed in its efficacy for the management of cases like whooping cough and diphtheria. Sadly, there is nowhere it has been documented or validated by medical research. Consuming such concoctions can be detrimental to human health, depending on many factors, especially in communities with high illiteracy and poverty levels. Sometimes, self-acclaimed traditional medicine practitioners compound the situation by supporting these claims.
