Are you among females who indiscriminately apply herbal mixtures to infected vaginas, then this story is for you?
Dr Nathaniel Adewole, a gynecologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, has advised Nigerian women to apply appropriate medication for the treatment of vaginal infections.
Adewole said on Sunday that the best way to treat infection was to run laboratory test before embarking on any form of treatment.
Adewole said that using local herbal concoctions, either for drinking or steaming was not the best way to treat vaginal infections.
According to him, for instance, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) occurs naturally like boil and can spread within days or weeks depending on the cause and the nature of the infections.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Adewole added that bladder stone could also cause UTI, adding that retaining urine for too long could cause vaginal infection.
“Who knows the active ingredients in those combination, how toxic it is for the body.
“How are we sure it is not all the herbal mixture that is causing the high increase of cancer.
“Not knowing the right dosage and which toxic substance will cause harm in the body.
“The steaming is even more dangerous, but both still has their danger,” he said.
Adewole said that anything taken into the body should be regulated, adding that if not regulated, it could be very dangerous to the body.
“We cause some of the dangers to ourselves without knowing,” he said.
Adewole said that he always advised people not to use things they know nothing about just because someone else had used it.
However, while speaking to NAN, Miss Fatima Musa, a trader, said she used cloves for the treatment of infections and it had helped her over the years.
“I rinse the cloves in water and then soak it in water and drink it or wash my vaginal with it.
“I use medications given to me by my doctor also, but most times, I use the concoction.
“I use it once every three months, and this has helped me very well,” she said.
She added that she had been using the cloves solution for a very long time without any difficulty in her body.
“It is not expensive and it is something you use every day even in your cooking,” Musa said.
Also on her part, Mrs Olabowale Gold, said the concoction was very cheap and affordable.
“The concoction is like a first aid treatment and it is very effective,” she said.
Gold added that anytime she felt any itch in her vaginal, the first thing she will do is to boil ginger and garlic cloves and sit on the hot water for about 30 minutes.
