A NDOLA-BASED clergyman Chende has called on Zambians not to shun herbal medicines, saying these can supplement conventional treatment of serious ailments such as cancer and HIV/AIDS.
Pastor Chende, who says he has been cured of prostate cancer using herbal medicines, adds that herbal drugs such as the Sondashi Formula and the Mailacin should not be taken lightly as a number of people have testified on how these herbal medicines have helped them.
“Yes, even in the Bible, before we go to the modern medicines, God used to cure people using herbs and the same trees that God used are still in existence today, so why not use them?” Pastor Chende said.
He said while some herbalists could not be genuine, there are some that are genuine as they advise their patients not to stop receiving conventional treatment and that patients should always go back to hospitals for laboratory tests after taking the herbal medicine.
He said early this year, he went to a hospital in Ndola where he was diagnosed with prostate cancer though in its early stages. He was, however, told that there is no cure for prostate cancer unless he undergoes an operation.
“I decided to go and see Mr Maila within Ndola, the man who administers a herbal drug called mailacin. Mr Maila gave me a 2.5 litre container and advised that I take eight table spoons of the liquid four times a day for a month which I religiously did,” he said.
Pastor Chende said after taking the medication for a month, Mr Maila advised him to go back to the hospital which he did and went to see the same doctor who had advised that he should undergo an operation. At the hospital he did a scan and x-ray only to find that he had become normal – the cancer cells had disappeared and to-date he has not felt any pain or discomfort. He says he told the doctor that he had taken some herbal drug.
“I went back to Mr Maila and showed him my laboratory results from the hospital and he told me that these things work as long as you follow instructions and you have faith. He also told me that a number of people with HIV/AIDS, other types of cancers, and other chronic illnesses were being healed using the same drug.
As for me, I am very fine now and it looks like the cancer will never recur, and I thank Mr Maila for that” he said.
He appealed to government to use local people who have ideas on how to cure various medical ailments and support them instead of always flying patients out of the country when the cure is available within.
“I appeal to the listening government that it should bring together some of these herbalists and see how best their medicines can be developed further by carrying out appropriate trials on patients from hospitals who are ailing even when they are receiving treatment. Let’s not shun herbalists especially those that want to treat their patients side by side with conventional medicines,” he said.
Pastor Chende adds that it is however unfortunate that some herbalists who are not genuine will tell their patients to stop taking drugs from hospitals saying such herbalists should be shunned.
He says some herbalists do a very good job except they lack appropriate equipment and support from authorities.
Thanks Pastor Chende for sharing your experience on the use of herbal medicine to supplement conventional medicine and I am sure that you will continue sharing every time I call on you. Next week, I will look at the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) HIV/AIDS guidelines which recommend providing ART to all adults living with HIV, regardless of CD4 cell count, and offering oral PrEP as an additional prevention option to all people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.
In those guidelines I will also share what AVAC feels about the new guidelines in as far as ending AIDS is concerned.
Founded in 1995, AVAC is a non-profit organization that uses education, policy analysis, advocacy and a network of global collaborations to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines, male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP and other emerging HIV prevention options as part of a comprehensive response to the pandemic. More information at www.avac.org.
Until next week for now I pen off but if you have anything you would like to share on HIV/AIDS or any health related issue, do not hesitate to contact me on knoxngoma@gmail.com or text/call +260955883143