Health

(b) The Science Behind

(i) Treatment using single medicine (mono-therapy) promotes resistance of germs to drugs. Once this resistance comes up, the concerned drug becomes useless in treating a disease caused by that germ.

(ii) Besides minimizing development of resistance, combining medicines often leads to better treatment results or outcomes.

(c) Challenge for present Africa

Western medicine is actively promoting combination therapy in the treatment of diseases. This again shows that our forefathers had got the concept of therapeutic treatment right. Besides, they had also identified several medicinal herbs. It is the responsibility of modern biomedical scientists/health workers to analyse these herbs, identify what works and what does not work, figure out how to develop and use that which works, i.e. what to remove, what to add, how to package it for effective use.

(d) What you need to consider

(i) When you fall sick and go to hospital, do they normally give you one type of medicine?

(ii) Have you noticed how difficult it is to take different types of medicines?

(iv) Can medicines be made in such way that they are easy to take, especially by children?

(v) If yes, how can medicines be made easy to take?

(vi) Have you ever heard of patients completing a dose of a given medicine, but they fail to cure?

(vii) If yes, what do you think might be the cause of medicine failing to cure patients?

(viii) Why do health professional workers look with contempt at traditional medicines and traditional health practices?

(ix) If you are able to identify the obstacle referred to in (viii) above, can you suggest what to do to address it?

(b) The Science Behind

(i) A bushy place with no evidence of recent human trespass meant largely a germ-free environment, characteristic of theaters in modern hospitals.

(ii) Local brew is diluted alcohol and it kills germs. Indeed, many research laboratories use diluted alcohol to maintain a germ-free environment in their work places.

(c) Challenge for present Africa

Diluted alcohol can prevent infections during (i) traditional birth-delivery (ii) traditional circumcision (iii) shaving in public salons, etc.

(d) What you need to consider

(i) What is hygiene?

(ii) Do you value hygiene yourself?

(iii) If yes, why and how?

(iv) Do you wash your hands after visiting the toilet or latrine?

(v) If not, please start washing your hands after visiting toilet or latrine?

(vi) Did you know that improving hygiene would reduce significantly the number of people falling sick in your community?

(vii) Is there a way you can promote hygiene at your home, school and community?

(viii) If yes, how?

(b) The Science Behind

An active life style is essential to the well-being of the human body.

(c) Challenge for present Africa

-Failure to exercise our bodies undermines their normal functioning, leading to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart malfunctioning, etc. Students like you, spending a lot of time sitting in classrooms, must become active in at least one sport. Working people, especially those switching from office work into cars, must find ways of exercising regularly.

(d) What you need to consider

(i) Do you play any sport?

(ii) If yes, do you play that sport out of interest, or do you want to eventually earn money out of it, or is it simply a way of keeping yourself busy?

(iii) You are likely to give up that sport in the near future, when things change, except when you decide to play it as away of keeping fit.

(iv) Without a sport to play, it is difficult to keep yourself fit as an adult.

(v) How do adults who are unfit look like? Do you admire them? If no, why?

(vi) What is it that you can do now that will prevent you from becoming like them?

(b) The Science Behind

(i) Plants produce various kinds of chemicals or substances, some of which cure diseases.

(ii) Many medicines sold in drug shops have been obtained directly or indirectly from plants.

(c) Challenge for present Africa

Work still remains in documenting plant medicines in African communities. This documentation will help in (i) ensuring better results in treatment using plant medicines (ii) conservation of plant medicines (iii) turning plant medicines into income generating sources.

(d) What you need to consider

(i) Have you ever used any local plant to treat a disease/a body injury?

(ii) If yes, did it cure you?

(iii) Have you ever seen people using local plants to treat themselves or their children?

(iv) Sometimes, you find people with money also using plant medicines. Why?

(v) Did you know that every disease that man suffers has a medicine? That this medicine is in our environment, i.e. plants, rocks, animals, minerals, etc.?

(v) How can we discover and use these medicines, especially with regard to diseases like cancer that have no effective medicines yet?