As we become much more
aware and informed of the ravaging effects of chronic, degenerative,
non-communicable diseases such as, diabetes, hypertension and cancer, which incidence
and prevalence rates take toll after so called communicable diseases, rising
exponentially to overwhelm the health budgets, man power and infrastructures in
place to manage cases across the globe especially in such a time as this when
COVID-19 pandemic is rhetorically wrecking economies into recession, one may no
longer sit to watch as a keen spectator in the game but rather act as an
affected key player on the field of play and without hesitation giving voice to
the scriptures joining to ask this pertinent question:
“Is there no balm in Gilead; is there
no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people
recovered?” (Jeremiah 8:22) KJV
The question asked in the
Scriptures is one of many such questions that should concern each and every one
willing to take responsibility of their health. It’s quite obvious that many
are frustrated and disappointed with the failure in both the health systems and
chemical drug therapy to bring them the desired hope or expected solutions to
the problems of their health challenge like the biblical woman of the issue of
blood who had suffered many things of many physicians, and spent all that she
had to no avail yet her problem persisted until she met the bearer of the
truth, the way and life- Jesus.
“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased
with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of
his garment:”
(Mathew 9:20) KJV
“And a certain woman, which had an
issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians,
and spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,”
(Mark 5:25-26) KJV
“And a woman having an issue of blood
twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be
healed of any,”
(Luke 8:43) KJV
This pathetic agonizing story
of the woman with the issue of blood and how she received her healing meeting
Jesus after spending all that she had upon physicians without getting healed is
an attribute of the advice and warnings of the Creator to mankind, which fairly
describes the concerns and conditions of many persons desperately in need of
healing who have used all sorts of drugs and devices without success.
Lots of persons are faced
with various health challenges tending to impoverish them of their health and
wealth. These conditions affect victims spiritually, mentally, physically and
socioeconomically. They’re often non-communicable but their effect on the
immune system may progressively degenerate the body to a point where infections
overwhelm the body. The lack of adequate nutrition compromises the proper
functioning of the body particularly the immune response. For example, women may
have challenge with vaginal infections that are really not due to carelessness
or not being hygienic so to speak but due to malnutrition.
The presence of an
infection strongly suggests a compromised immunity not necessarily due to the presence
of the pathogen or opportunistic organism but rather due to the imbalance in
the function and/or form that have provided the enabling environment for the
microbes to thrive and in such compromised situation, the immune system’s
response becomes aggressive and offensive with symptomatic outcome. There are
many factors which may be responsible for the various infections and discharge.
However, there are guides on how to prevent or cure these infections without
antibiotics.
Many hygienically sound or
hygiene-conscious women still fall prey and victim to vaginal infection and
discharge. This condition is really a burden to women and men alike, especially
when it comes with discomfort: It affects the life of the woman when it becomes
irritating and itching coupled with an offensive discharge among others. It
might affect reproduction causing infertility or even cancer if not treated or
properly managed. The consequences are huge and includes impact on the economy,
high morbidity and mortality rate as well as broken marriages.
Our perception of
"infection" is fundamentally flawed regarding how we treat or manage
such condition. The understanding that microbes are responsible for virtually
every disease of man have left us in the dark ages of antibiotics abuse. Before
the advent of probiotics, our microscopic view of microorganisms always has
been from a negative perspective of causing disease as propounded by the germ
theory, and so, we often assemble a battery of antibiotics to get rid of these
supposedly pathogens but, unknown to us that we’re also destroying our
microbiota (the normal microbial flora or resident bacteria that are beneficial
to our health) and indirectly killing the human body.
However, the current
theories on probiotics has challenged the previous beliefs declaring microbes
as beneficial and friendly not just a foe. In the light of this novel
discovery, the human gut has been considered as a unique organ with a preserved
function similar to that of the human brain depending on the quality and
balance in the composition of the resident microflora, which have been shown to
prime our immune system, assist in digestion of food, providing essential
nutrients, such as, vitamins, etc. to such an extent that our health benefits
immensely and is said to be intertwined with this normal flora. Thus a healthy
gut would mean a healthy body. The importance is highly significant in the
Hippocratic quote:
“Death sits in the bowel and bad
digestion is the root of all evil.”
According to Swidsinski et al., (2016. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 39:67-75) each time we employ
the service of antibiotics to treat an infection, the drug affects the
diversity of the colonic microbiome and reduces the total number of bacteria to
a point that some of the substantial bacterial species cannot be recovered even
after the antibiotics treatment. This change is responsible for up to 43% loss
of the original microbiota, which may lead to an unstable and evolving
diversity of microbial communities comprising of newly acquired species or a
dysbiosis that may underlie some chronic disease. More so to the fact that
antibiotics destroy the brush border and the phagocytic capacity of the white
blood cells especially the neutrophils.
Neutropenia is a common
feature of compromised immunity especially in the presence of a chronic
infection. The deficiency in antioxidants like vitamin C and co-factors particularly
the B vitamins and other phytochemicals as well as the essential and/or conditionally
essential nutrients affects the white cells- neutrophils and lymphocytes
rendering them sluggish or dormant and not able to eat up or eliminate
offending bacterial cells and viral particles.
When the reproductive
apparatus become affected, reproduction is impossible and in the case of a
pregnant woman, the foetus is equally affected. The consequence may include
stillbirth, miscarriage, premature abortion, premature delivery and difficulty
in delivery requiring a caesarean section which is quite expensive. The economic
importance based on cost incurred on purchasing antibiotics and other
medications including antifungal for the treatment is huge especially in cases
of relapse, which is very common. Apart from the physical and chemical stress,
the pain, irritation, itching among others also trigger emotional stress and
deadly emotions.
In such case, probiotics
become inevitable. And the right to adequate nutrition is a fundamental need
and a necessity that becomes fulfilled when sufficient water and air (oxygen)
is available, and all essential nutrients including essential fatty acids
(EFAs: Linoleic acid and Linolenic acid), essential amino acids (EAAs) and
about 30 vitamins and minerals are present in the diet accompanied by adequate
rest and sleep, exercise, and fair exposure to sunlight. These are what it
takes to be free and enjoy quality wellness and optimum health.
