There are many medical myths that have permeated the social space in Ghana for generations and have influenced health-related decisions for a lot of people. Some of these pronouncements are outright ridiculous lies, while some are misunderstood truths. Interestingly, some are not myths at all; they are truths that only sound silly. I have heard of many interesting assertions during my years of medical practice and have chronicled a few below, tagging each as true, untrue or a misconception, with explanation.<\/p>\n
When shingles (Ananse in Akan) becomes circumferential around a body part, the affected person will die- UNTRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n In an individual with a competent immune system, shingles occurs in one dermatome (strip of skin supplied by a single nerve) at a time, as such it never forms a complete ring. However, if an individual\u2019s immune system is compromised, as is the case in late stages of some cancers or AIDS, multiple areas of skin may be affected, and thus a complete ring of lesions may form, usually on the chest, face or neck. Since these individuals are usually very ill, a few of them will die from the underlying illness soon after development of the complete ring of shingles; it is not the shingles that causes the death.<\/p>\n Having multiple sexual partners decreases a man\u2019s risk of prostate cancer- MISCONCEPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n Frequent ejaculations decreases a man\u2019s risk for prostate cancer, but this does not necessarily translate into a license to have multiple sexual partners. Researchers at Harvard University in one study discovered that men who ejaculated 21 or more times a month (whether through sexual intercourse, masturbation or nocturnal emissions) enjoyed a 33% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who ejaculated 4 to 7 times a month. This risk had nothing to do with the number of sexual partners. Actually, a study in Australia found that men who had sex with 30 or more women were 2 to 3 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with only one partner. Thus having multiple sexual partners may rather increase a man\u2019s risk for prostate cancer.<\/p>\n Pawpaw seeds have good deworming properties- TRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n Pawpaw seeds contain a chemical called benzyl isothiocyanate, which has been found to have good worm-killing properties. Pawpaw also contains other chemicals like papain and benzylglucosinolate, which are also thought to have some anthelmintic activity. In one series in Nigeria, pawpaw seeds in aqueous formulation administered to sheep was found to have similar anthelmintic activity as mebendazole, a potent de-wormer. It must be noted though that the efficacy of pawpaw seeds in humans has not been properly documented; the amount of seeds needed to obtain optimum benefits and the most efficient mode of preparation- whether dried and powdered or in liquid form- is still poorly defined.<\/p>\n All headaches can be treated by drinking enough water- MISCONCEPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n It is true that when a headache is caused by dehydration, drinking water will help alleviate the pain. However, dehydration is only one of hundreds of causes of headaches. Drinking water when you have a headache due to malaria or severe high blood pressure, or other condition, will not worsen your plight, but it will definitely not treat the illness.<\/p>\n Battery acid cures tooth disease- UNTRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n When my Dentist friend told me she had treated a few people who had actually done this, I was bemused. It is simply false, and dangerous. The use of battery acid in the mouth can cause severe chemical burns. Battery acid is not a mouth wash, neither is used for whitening teeth. I think the confusion comes from the use of caustic agents like hydrogen peroxide in dental practice for various purposes; these agents have been carefully formulated to do their work without causing injury. Battery acid is a strong acid and has no place in the mouth.<\/p>\n Multiple abortions cause infertility- MISCONCEPTION<\/strong><\/p>\n This was possible in the days when D and C (dilatation and curettage) was commonly used to terminate pregnancies; the process of D and C involves scrapping out of the products of conception with a metal instrument. When this is done too aggressively, the inner lining of the uterus- without which conception is impossible- is scrapped out. As such, it is the skill of the service provider that determines whether or not a complication like that will occur, not the number of times the procedure is performed. Nowadays though, a very safe method is available, where vacuum action is used to perform the removal of products of conception, and this has made the complication of infertility very rare after surgical termination of a pregnancy. But really, abstinence or contraception is an easier and safer way to prevent or delay childbearing.<\/p>\n Referral of an emergency to Korle-Bu or Komfo Anokye teaching hospitals means the patient will surely die- UNTRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n A teaching hospital is the highest in the pecking order of health facilities, in terms of experience of the medical personnel, capacity to handle challenging cases and availability of certain investigative procedures and medicines. These hospitals, KBTH and KATH, for a long time were the only teaching hospitals in Ghana. Referral to either is actually supposed to provide the patient the best chance of survival. But since it is the most challenging cases that will be referred there, some patients will unfortunately die, even after the facility\u2019s best efforts to save them. Referral to KBTH or KATH is not a death sentence.<\/p>\n There are many more such assertions to explain or debunk. Next week we will find out whether you can catch an STD from a toilet seat, whether 3-monthly deworming is a must for all, whether tomato juice actually prevents constipation, and many more; but the conversation continues this Wednesday on the Citi Health Chat at 1pm.<\/strong> Let\u2019s make it a date.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: K.T. Nimako (MB ChB)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr. Kojo Nimako is a private medical practitioner with an interest in public health and Citi FM\u2019s Chief Medical Correspondent. He is also the Executive Director of Helping Hand Medical Outreach, an NGO focused on health education.<\/p>\n E-mail: kojotwumnimako@gmail.com<\/p>\n Twitter: @KTNimako<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are many medical myths that have permeated the social space in Ghana for generations and have influenced health-related decisions for a lot of people. Some of these pronouncements are outright ridiculous lies, while some are misunderstood truths. Interestingly, some are not myths at all; they are truths that only sound silly. I have heard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":69253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[8,15,38],"yoast_head":"\n