Author: Dr. Biodun Ogungbo

The motorcyclist (Okada rider) took his passenger on a ride to Masaka in Nasarawa State. When they got there, the customer decided he wanted to steal the motorcycle. Well, one would not say whether that was the passenger’s initial plan. Anyway, the rider refused and he received a stab in the head. The passenger hoped that the Okada rider would fall off the bike so that he could then steal it. Alas, the rider did not. Instead, he continued his ride with a long dagger stuck in his head. Image 1: The dagger in the head The Police: The saga…

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In a space of a few weeks, she lost her legs, her bladder and her bowel. It started like a joke but at the end it was not funny. A young 40 year old married woman with a young child could not walk anymore and had to be turned in bed by her husband. She could not control her urine and was passing stool without realising it. She first noticed incoordination in one leg which seemed to stop obeying commands. She tripped a few times falling flat on her face once or twice. The problem started in the other leg…

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The Guild of Medical Directors is set to tackle the issue of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) during its 25th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference coming up in Abuja. The event slated for the 25/26th October will discuss widely and proffer solutions as private medical practitioners lead the vanguard. The GMD which is a body of the Chief Medical Directors of some of the most active practices in Nigeria has always been concerned that the critical role of private practitioners has not been fully tapped, to improve health delivery to the majority of Nigerians. The GMD can contribute massively through…

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I want to introduce you to self-prostate examination. So, please read on if you are any of the following: 1: A man 2: A man over 40 years old 3: A married man 4: A man with a family history of prostate cancer 5: A woman whose husband needs information about prostate cancer 6: A health conscious man or woman Prostate gland The prostate gland is a walnut shaped organ at the base of our bladder (men only). It is hidden between the bladder and the penis. In fact, the urethra (where we urinate from) runs through the prostate. So,…

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This article is not supposed to be humerus (pun intended), but you have my permission to chuckle!Okay, let us start at the beginning. Fact: We have not had a single case of wound infection in over 500 operations. Operating on patients with brain and spine conditions can be fraught with danger. One such problem is wound infection. We guard against this by using stringent methods, protocols and practices. But, all these will fail without human supervision and foresight. In some countries, 11% of patients who undergo surgery are infected in the process. In Africa, up to 20% of women who…

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Number 1 He was referred by his brother. After 3 weeks of festering on a hospital bed in town with a broken neck and paralysis. The hospital kept promising and cancelling plans for operation. He had also started developing bed sores and was in constant pain, bed bound in the same position all day long. The story was simple. On the way to work he had been involved in road traffic accident. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown out of the car. He could not move his arms and legs and a passer-by dragged him off…

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Today we remember Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh (Lagos, 1956), the physician who discovered that Ebola had arrived in the most populated state in West Africa (Nigeria), lodged in the body of the North American of Liberian origin Mr Patrick Sawyer. Origins There’s a statue in Yaba, Lagos, of a man, Herbert Olayinka Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay, whom many in Nigeria have forgotten. His family never have. And now, we all have a chance to remember him, and in a way, to honour him. He is the man on our one Naira coin. Herbert Macaulay, had a daughter, Sarah Idowu Abigail,…

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There are certain medical conditions that Nigeria should never worry about. One of such is paruresis, a phobia for urinating in the presence of others or in public places. It’s almost inconceivable that such a condition exists in the first place. But, it does and is a type of phobia in which the sufferer is unable to urinate in the real or imaginary presence of others, such as in a public restroom. The analogous condition that affects bowel movement is called parcopresis or shy bowel. Here in Nigeria, urinating, or pissing as we prefer to call it, is like a…

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I went to the barbing saloon recently to get a haircut. Usually, when I go, I take my shaving kit with me and so avoid any risk of catching head lice or even Hepatitis. God forbid! Anyway, that is not the story I want to relate to you. The hair cut was performed efficiently and the barber succeeded in making me handsome (to my amusement). He then did the following: First, the barber got a hot wet towel from a small oven in the shop. He then proceeded to slap this hot towel on my head without warning. It was…

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The baseline When patients complain of headaches, progressive loss of vision and pain behind the eyes, I think of a pituitary tumour. But, then I am a neurosurgeon and I know about pituitary tumours. When patients with similar complaints talk to an optician, some think of prescription glasses as a solution. When patients speak to a general practitioner, some diagnose the same problem as Malaria and Typhoid. The stories The story is that she has been having progressive visual failure for years and diagnosed with all sorts, by opticians and ophthalmologists before the penny dropped. After a long period of…

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Kidneys Do you know that your urine can say a lot about your health? Urine is the waste product that is made by the kidneys after they filter and clean your blood. Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. In addition to removing excess water, excess chemicals and waste from the body, your kidneys control blood pressure. They also make a hormone called erythropoietin that is necessary for making red blood cells. The quantity, colour and smell of urine…

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If only… If only she had said no (loud and repeatedly!) If only she had insisted (and resisted!) If only they used protection If only she did not get pregnant If only she knew who If only she knew where If it wasn’t so difficult Perhaps she’d be alive today But you are, so come on this journey! Far too many girls have died and are dying during attempts to get an abortion. Hopefully, we will be able to prevent some more deaths after you have read this article.  The story Okay, let us take it from Cameroon. A man,…

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In the house The two-year old girl did not know she was going to die on the fateful day. She thought mummy truly cared and would do all to protect her from harm. But, on this day, mummy had her head in the clouds and her brain in the blender. She had had a hard time, getting to the market, and a most stressful time shopping at the market. And you know Nigerian markets. She was cooking a lovely pepper soup meal for the family. It was nice and hot and she had spent all day cooking. So, with frayed…

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Jack Dorsey, the founder of twitter wakes up early to meditate and then goes on a 6 mile run. He also apparently walks five miles to work in the morning to clean his mind. Mark Zuckerberg is well known for dressing the same way each day as he once claimed it gives him “one less decision to make”. Bill Gates is known as an advocate of good health and spends an hour on the treadmill. Howard Schultz revealed his early morning routine. “I get up at 4.30am every morning to walk my three dogs and work out,” Schultz said. “Around 5.45…

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A patient came to see me recently. She came because she had suffered a seizure, and was complaining of confusion and headaches. A brain scan was required and fortunately, this did not show a brain tumour. However, she has a horrible breast cancer and had been prescribed Cellgevity, for her breast cancer, by a doctor. I will let that sink in for a second. Now, follow me for a minute. There is a chemical in the body called Glutathione. Glutathione is thought to be essential for maintaining the body’s defense system (immune system) and fighting poisoning. Now, when I say…

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