Kenyan Scientists Affirm Herb causing commotion in Tanzania, as Having Capabilities to Treat Drug-resistant Form of Herpes Virus

A retired pastor in the East African country of Tanzania has in the last few months attracted publicity due to his claim to have a “wonder drug” that treated many chronic ailments including Cancer and AIDS.

Due to the positive response by those who have taken the pastor’s concoction, the road to the pastors residence in a remote village of Tanzania has caused traffic commotions leading to the Government’s intervention.

The concoction known as Mugariga uses a herb which apparently local tribes in the region have previously used for various ailments. According to Rev Ambilikile Mwasapile, the Pastor behind the treatment, a single cup of Mugariga, together with special prayers, was able to cure chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, Tuberculosis, and AIDS

The Tanzanian government started an investigation to establish the drug’s safety early in the month as people continued to flock the herbalist home. Laboratory tests have so far cleared it as safe for human consumption. The Government is currently investigating whether the herb does in fact cure the chronic conditions the cleric claims it does. So far the government has had over two hundred people volunteer for the study.

In the meanwhile the government has had to intervene to control the inflow of traffic towards the clerics village. According to a local news paper, as of the week ending on the 27th of March 2011, there were 24,000 ailing people and their relatives stranded in a queue of more than 4,000 vehicles that extended several kilometers.

What is of interest though is that the “magic herb” was actually identified by Kenyan Scientist four years ago as “a cure for a drug -resistant strain of a sexually transmitted disease”. Apparently the drug is one of the most common traditional cure for many disease.

The herb known as “Mtandamboo” in Swahili, has been used to treat gonorrhea among some Kenyan ethnic groups, namely the Kikuyus, Samburus and the Maasais. The Kambas on the other hand have used the herb for chest pains while the Nandi have boiled it and used to for the treatment of breast cancer, headache and chest pains.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/alternative/kenyan-scientists-affirm-herb-causing-commotion-in-tanzania-as-having-capabilities-to-treat-drug-resistant-form-of-herpes-virus/#ixzz1ICeSksIo

Becoming Aware of the Manifestation and Warnings of Cardiovascular Disease

Coronary heart disease is a potentially lethal blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, or myocardium. Its chief clinical manifestations are ;
1) Myocardial infarction( a blockage of a section of the coronary arterial system) resulting in death of the myocardial tissue by that arterial branch;

2) Angina pectoris, a severe chest pain signaling that the delivery of oxygenated blood to the affected area of the heart is insufficient for its current workload; and

3) Disturbance of the heart’s electrical conduction consequent to arterial blockage, resulting in disruption or interruption of the heart’s pumping action, often leading to death.

Most of the time we assume coronary heart disease is a condition affecting the elderly and therefore ignore symptoms in a younger person that could have saved life. The following cases demonstrate the importance of health knowledge and intervention in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in particular as concerns young people.

Wes Leonard, a 16 years old high school basketball ball player collapsed after scoring the final score that gave his team victory on the 3rd of March 2011 and died thereafter. Wes was a 6’2 tall young man and weighed 215 pounds. Autopsy report shows that he died of a cardiac arrest caused by an enlarged heart.

On the 5th of March a 17 years old rugby player collapsed after a tackle on his chest during a game. Matthew Hammer was pronounced dead on the pitch. According to the Coroner report Mathew died of cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect.

Two days later on the 7th of March 2011 a female athlete collapsed during practice and was rushed unconscious to hospital. Sarah Landauer a 17 years old soccer player and track star died while undergoing treatment on the 9th of March 2011. Sarah had apparently collapsed in February 2011 while training but had been cleared to resume sports by her doctors. It is not clear what killed her but her parents claim that she had a cold and was having problems breathing

Read more: http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/becoming-aware-of-the-manifestation-and-warnings-of-cardiovascular-disease/#ixzz1ICdQrBNX

The Phenomena referred to as Gender Identity Disorder

Gender Identity refers to one’s sense of maleness or femaleness. This maybe distinguished from gender role, which refers to the masculinity and femininity of one’s overt behavior. Gender identity is the strongest correlation with biological sex, but is not perfect.

There are cases of individuals who feel extreme discomfort and unhappiness with their biological sex and trongly desire to change to the opposite sex. Such people referred to as transsexual, actually opt for expensive and complicated surgery to accomplish their desire.

The DSM-IV-TR list gender identity disorder under sexual disorders and is characterized by two components;

1) A strong and persistent cross-gender identification- that is the desire to be, or the insistence that one is of the opposite sex, and

2) Gender dysphoria- a persistent discomfort about one’s biological sex or the sense that the gender role of that sex is inappropriate. This disorder may occur in children or adults of both sexes.

Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood:

Research shows that boys with this disorder show a major preoccupation with traditional feminine activities (Zucker, 2005; Zucker & Bradley, 1995). This boys may prefer dressing in female clothes and prefer playing stereotypical girls activities like playing with dolls. Such boys are normally ostracized by other boys as “sissies”.

Girls with the disorder resist wearing the stereotypical girls clothing like dresses preferring boys clothes and short hair. They prefer boys sports and show little interest in dolls . Most tomboys will have these traits but girls with gender identity disorder are distinguished by their desire to be a boy or grow up as a man.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/health/the-phenomena-referred-to-as-gender-identity-disorder/#ixzz1FTZgzS6t

The Diagnosis of Somatization Disorder under the DSM

Somatization disorder is characterized by many different complaints of physical ailments for several years that are not adequately explained by independent findings of physical illness or injury and that lead to medical treatment or to significant life impairment.

Somatization disorder was formerly known as Briquet’s syndrome, after the French Physician who first described it. The disorder is similar to hypochondriasis but people with hypochondriasis tend to be convinced that they have an organic disease. Further more the person suffering from hypochondriasis has only a few primary symptoms while in somatization there are multiple symptoms.

People with this disorder are costly to health care systems because they often have multiple unnecessary hospitalizations and surgeries. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) list four other symptom criteria that must be met before a diagnosis of somatization can be made.


These are;

1) Four pain Symptoms: The patient must report a history of pain experienced with respect to at least four different sites or functions. These maybe the head, abdomen, back, joints, rectum

2) Two gastrointestinal symptoms: The patient must report a history of at least two symptoms of, other than pain pertaining to the gastrointestinal system. For example having nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or vomiting when not pregnant

3) One Sexual symptom: The patient must report t least one reproductive system other than pain. This maybe sexual indifference or dysfunction, menstrual irregularity, or vomiting throughout pregnancy


4) One Pseudoneuroligical symptom: The patient must also report at least one symptom, not limited to pain, suggestive of a neurological condition. This could be systems that mimic sensory or motor impairment such as loss of sensation or involuntary muscle contraction in a hand.

Read more at: http://healthmad.com/mental-health/the-diagnosis-of-somatization-disorder-under-the-dsm/

Important Factors about Hypertension

Ideally, one’ blood pressure should be 120/80. By convention the first number given is the systolic pressure when the heart contracts; the second is the diastolic or between -beat pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is defined as having a persisting systolic blood pressure of 140 or more and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 or higher. There was a time when blood pressure below 140/90 was considered normal. Currently blood pressures in the range 130-139/85-89 are classified as “high normal”(Joint nation committee, 1997).

In general, blood pressure increases as we age. In younger adults, more men than women suffer from high blood pressure. However at the age of 50, the prevalence of hypertension is higher in women. This could be attributed to menopause which amplifies the stiffness in the arteries that naturally occurs with increasing age (Takashi et al., 2005).

As of 2002, it was estimated that almost 50 million Americans had sustained hypertension (Blumenthal et al., 2002 ).

Possible Causes of Hypertension

Many clinicians believe that hypertension begins when a person has a biological tendency toward high cardiovascular reactivity to stress. This coupled with given difficult life circumstances, makes the person progress through borderline to frank hypertension in the adult years.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/important-factors-about-hypertension/#ixzz1FTWpdkIb

The Effect of Stress on the immune System

A person’s overall life situation influences when a disorder first develops and the nature, duration, and prognosis of that disorder.

The link between stress and physical illness involves diseases (like colds) that are not directly related to nervous system activity. This suggest that stress may cause an overall vulnerability to disease by compromising immune functioning.

Early studies that examined the association between stress and immune functioning rapidly established an association between stressful circumstances (like medical exams) and diminished immune reactivity. Such diminished immune reactivity would make a person more susceptible to infections.

Although individuals may react differently to stress, stress does have the ability of suppressing the immune system thereby leaving one vulnerable to an attack.

The word immune comes for the Latin word “immunis” meaning “exempt”. The immune system protects the body against such things as viruses and bacteria. If the immune system is too weak it cannot function effectively and the body succumbs to damage from invading viruses and bacteria.

In the same way, if the immune system is too strong and unselective, it can turn on its own normal sells. This is the cause for autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The white blood cells are at the front line of the immune system defense. Those cells are produced in the bone marrow and then stored in various places throughout the body, such as the spleen, and the lymph nodes.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/mental-health/the-effect-of-stress-on-the-immune-system/#ixzz1FTUNc5Ow