By Dr Atta K.Bonsu
(Written in Buea, Cameroon and published in the Post Newspaper).
If you continue reading this site, there are so many medicines and blessings that you may gather, and you will soon become a great “doctor” of your own, and many will come to your light. For me, freely I was given, freely I give to you. And this is God’s plan for you and me.
Though I spend much to acquire these, yet with unselfish love, I cannot conceal these truths, I must relinquish them to posterity – our future generation. I am confined to write these things, not for this generation alone, but more especially for the coming generation – our future children.
Every instrument involved in this ministry is also charged, for the sake of people living in Africa, our beloved continent, to present this and pass to those coming after us. If God does not plan and raise instruments like these, the condition of Africans in the next decades of years would be horrible that one cannot imagine.
One thing that behoves me to write untiringly with an unselfish mind is not only for you, but presumptuously those coming after we had gone. So, if you do not take me serious, perhaps they are not for you but for our awaiting children. Then, the mission is accomplished, and God is glorified: that is how I see it. Notwithstanding this, I hope you are making use of these truths.
Why am I emotionally beginning like this? But we cannot blame ourselves, for we have been too long in this “mental slavery”, so, it is not easy for us to discern even good from uncountable bads.
There are so many smooth, natural, expectorant medicines such as chickweed, plantain (plantago major), mint, basil, comfrey, vervain and others; but look at what Africans use for treating cough, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis—chemicals. So these palliative treatments are entering everywhere, not only in hypertension and diabetes, but everywhere. It is a pity!
Inasmuch as we continue living like this, without searching for a way out, what examples are we setting for posterity? We are deceived to use medicines that can sustain us for a short while and die, then what trend are we marking for the future, and upon what foundation are we building? Most African asthmatics hold “sprays” to calm attacks, whereas even Europeans and Americans are switching to food supplements and herbs.
The Word Ventilation
It is a typical curse to see so many people clouded themselves in places, like large congested cities, where industrial gases, car fumes and decayed matters, polluting the environment. If we could reflect our minds back to Eden and creation, one realises how air and ventilation are important in human health.
So, look at the Lord keeping His minister (Adam) in a garden. While modern man prefers caging himself in a tight, unventilated air-conditioning rooms. Adam and Eve lived a condusive life in a garden, where they breathed freely fresh oxygen air. The ventilation, nevertheless, will take the greatest portion of my space, because I know how great and the benefits of fresh air to humans, especially on the pulmonary diseases we are talking about. Tuberculosis is common nowadays because of poor ventilation. Typical examples are those who use air-conditioning unwisely and breathe over and over sameness of air.
Yes, of course, it is very easy to contract tuberculosis from your victimized friend when you are tightly closed in unventilated places. There is much difficulty for me to live with about four other people in my car without opening the windows for proper ventilation. In case one is a tuberculosis patient and he coughs, it is easier for the rest of us in the tightly closed unventilated car to contract the disease than living in an open car.
Air-conditioning was first invented and implemented in Britain, when industrial gases polluted the largest city, London. Many preferred staying in tightly closed rooms with air-con to allowing environmental air to enter their chambers. But, as nature is greater than what modern ideology could do, Asthma, Bronchitis and other pulmonary diseases became the most common diseases in London, no thanks to the invention of the artificial air. Now, they have realised this, and thank God, they see the solution is by planting trees to bring more oxygenated air to neutralize the environmental polluted air.
But, today, air-conditioning has become a great fashion in Europe, America, Asia and Africa is the worst. Many live in very tightly closed places breathing sameness of air over and over. But for us in Africa, there are so many places that air-conditioning is not necessary, and it looks as if some use certain things because others are using without checking the benefits.
For instance, let us consider somebody living in Buea in air-conditioning. I see many driving in Buea in air-conditioning cars. We do not apply science and we do not understand the word ventilation. What is the need for aircon for one in a well-ventilated area like Buea, with ocean currents that blows over a volcanic, green mountainous breezes. The place is naturally cold, with plenty of natural air from green vegetation, yet some abandon these blessings and use over and over sameness, artificial air.
I do not understand why you travel from say Buea to Duoala in an air-con car, at least you need to breathe and enjoy natural oxygen air from CDC plantation and the greenage of what God has vouched to Cameroonians. But you see about five gentlemen travelling a long distance in tightly closed small car sharing theirs gases. And it is easy to contract infectious disease from friends. I will not be surprised of the high rate of tuberculosis.
Ventilation mean, air goes air comes. If you sleep (even in cold season), open a small area for air to come in and used air to go out – this is ventilation. But you will see a family of about six sleeping in a single room with the windows and doors tightly closed, they breathe over and over the same carbon dioxide air they send out – and this exchange and sharing of impure air makes the children wake up weak, tired, coughing, feverish and I would not be surprised to see some developing asthma.
A person can live for several days or weeks without food and water but none of us can live about some seconds without air. This means that air contributes to good health than anything in life. And, for me, wherever I go, wherever I sleep or chose my office, the first thing I consider is air and ventilation – air comes air goes – never do I live in a stagnant air. Mind you, your idea of living European climate in Africa, you will drink medicines! God never made it so!!
Other Causes of Asthma
The cells, the tissues, the organs that are grouped into systems are all tubes, like gutters on our environmental streets. When these tubes are blocked, the result is disease.
Definitely, if you want to prevent Asthma, you make sure you keep the respiratory tract and the organs involved clean, open and free for circulation of air. Therefore from the nostrils to the mucus membrane of the larix, the trachea that divides into two air sacks, the lungs, one on each side of the body, with its numerous bronchial tubes and tiny badges; you make sure they are cleansed of mucus, phlegm, bacteria, germs and harmful disease organism. Dust particles, dry spray and air pollutants have been the major problems of asthmatic patients. They can cause asthma and later become great allergies and enemies to the victims. Oftentimes, too much starchy foods like gari, white rice, white bread and white sugar cause much accumulation of mucus and phlegm. This thick mucus blocks the air passage, causing coughs which when persisted develops into asthma, with common symptoms like hoarseness of breath, difficult in breathing, fever, cold and other unpleasant complications.
Meat, fat, too much eating of oil, butter and artificial sweet drinks and foods contribute to the formation of asthma. Another serious cause is the free use of coffee and tea. Caffeine in tea and coffee also stimulates asthma attacks.
Snuffing, smoking and high consumption of alcoholic beverages, contribute to asthma attacks. This will not only cause cough and asthma, but serious lung problems such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and emphysema that can easily lead to lung cancer. Sprays of all kinds, especially mosquito sprays and smokes from burnt mosquito chemical coils lead to serious lungs diseases, and are poisonous to the lungs. One may not take this seriouly, till he sees blood in the spitum.
Vervain And Other Therapies
Blue vervain is very common in Africa. Some houses are decorated with vervain as flowers; gather some, dry, powder or make it in granule-form and bigging using as your tea (only lemon and honey can be added)
But if ½ teaspoon each of clay and charcoal powder were mixed with ½ glass of water and drunk before the blue vervain tea, it would heal fast. That is, you mix the clay and charcoal with water and drink and wait for sometime then you take the tea – 3 times daily before meals, there is the tendency that the disease will be cured. But as for the duration of treatment, I do not know for sure the number of days, months or years that it will take, but at least, you may observe improvement till you stop taking when the body is fine. But you skip a bit when treatment prolongs.
If the following herbs are available, one can combine them about (2 to 5) and use to treat asthma: corn silk, comfrey (moderately), chick-weed, plantain (plantago major), golden seal (or tumeric), with some spices such as ginger, black pepper (piper guinseense), mint, basil and “masepu” (Ocimun gatissimum) – they are all good for asthma.
Another simple treatment for asthma is “lemon, garlic and honey syrup”. You can prepare it fresh or as syrup, kept in bottle and be used continuously. When it finishes you prepare till you see a great change. It is capable of curing tuberculosis too if it is done patiently with faith.
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