The Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, Dr. Okai Aku, says safe motherhood remains an antidote to the onslaught of maternal and neonatal mortalities. He said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, noting that the physical and medical wellness of mothers is paramount to ending deaths of mother and child during delivery.

“Mothers should ensure that they are healthy and have good and quality nutrition during pregnancy. They must always go for antenatal appointments during pregnancy with routine checks of the baby’s status,” he said.

Medical professionals have advised pregnant women to desist from taking unprescribed medications, warning that it can lead to miscarriage and deformities in babies.

They said the use of medication in pregnancy without a doctor’s prescription could have devastating impacts on both the mother and her unborn baby.

A community pharmacist, Dr. Samuel Adekola says it is very dangerous to take medications, particularly capsules without water, warning that doing so can make them get stuck in the oesophagus (throat), causing tissue damage or inflammation.

He said the essence of using water to take medications is to aid easy movement to the stomach, stressing that when drugs are lodged in the oesophagus, they may cause significant damage.

Gynaecologists have warned that delayed mobility after undergoing a caesarean section when there are no underlying health conditions can cause blood clots to develop, warning that this may lead to complications and eventually death, if not properly managed.

According to them, if the clot gets detached and travels from veins in the legs and gets impacted to smaller blood vessels within the lungs, it can cause what is known medically as pulmonary embolism.

The President, Association of Residents Doctors, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital Branch, Dr. Margaret Erhunmwunsee, has warned women, especially young girls, against using pieces of cloth and tissue paper during menstrual periods. According to her, such items can cause infections, which may lead to infertility in the long run.

The medical practitioner gave the warning at the Comprehensive Secondary School Atai Otoro, in the Abak Local Government, Akwa Ibom State, when she led the leadership of the Association to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day with the theme, ‘Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030'.

Nutrition experts have warned that people who experience unexplained weight loss may be suffering from malnutrition, cancer, or cardiovascular diseases, among others. They noted that an unexplained weight loss that is not well managed might worsen such underlying illness and may finally result in death.

The dieticians, in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, said those who lose weight suddenly and for no apparent reason should be worried and consult medical experts to ascertain the cause.

Pharmacists and physicians have said it is dangerous to indiscriminately take prescription drugs alongside dietary supplements without seeking advice or counselling from qualified healthcare personnel. They noted that supplements contain certain ingredients, which though, are micronutrients, could interfere with drugs and lead to treatment failure.

The experts warned patients suffering from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, not to take supplements without discussing it with their doctor or a pharmacist.

A new study has suggested that women are more than twice likely to die after a heart attack when compared to men. The study discovered that 11.8 per cent of women die within 30 days after a heart attack compared with just 4.6 per cent of men.

The study, which was presented at the ‘Heart Failure 2023 Conference’ organised by the European Society of Cardiology, found that nearly a third of women studied had died within five years of a heart attack compared with 19.8 percent of men.

A Professor of Haematology, Musa Muhibi, says Nigeria requires a minimum of 1.8 million units of blood annually to meet the blood transfusion need of its citizens. He made this known at the seventh inaugural lecture series of the Edo State University, Uzairue, noting that the rate of blood donation in Nigeria was low.

Prof. Muhibi, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, noted that only 10 per cent of the population donated blood voluntarily. He said the majority of blood donations came from the families of patients, some of whom were not adequately screened for infections and other health conditions.

Dental experts have warned Nigerians against brushing their teeth with charcoal, noting that it is a harmful practice that can cause permanent damage. Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, they explained that the abrasive nature of charcoal could potentially damage teeth enamel and lead to sensitivity, decay, and other health-related problems.

According to them, persistent use of charcoal does not whiten the teeth and only leaves behind stains, especially on the gums. The dentists said over the years, there have been misconceptions about the use of charcoal as a home remedy to remove stains and whiten yellow teeth.