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THE NATION THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
THE NATION
NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net
CLINIC DAY The Product Manager, Artepharm Limited Nigeria, Jeremy Hu, who markets Artequick, the artemisinin herbal-based malaria drug, writes on the product. A not-for-profit organisation, Mayo Clinic, answers the second question.
Treating malaria with herbal drugs M
ALARIA is one of the biggest threats to human health, especially in Africa. Though some patients can afford and access effective anti-malaria drugs, malaria still causes great harm to people because of its special transmission characters. Therefore, a new strategy of malaria control is urgently needed in these countries to change the current situation. Prof Li Guoqiao, the inventor of Artequick, is engaged in promoting a new strategy of malaria control. Fast Elimination of Malaria by Source Eradication (FEMSE) in malaria epidemic countries, such as Cambodia and Comoros and the pilot projects of FEMSE conducted in these countries have achieved significant successes. The decreasing amptitude of population parasite carriage rate in Moheli, Comoros was 98 per cent and the parasite positive rate in mosquito vector decreased to zero after fourmonth administration of FEMSE project. Furthermore, malaria mortality decreased to zero after the commencement of the FEMSE project. Arteqquick is the main drug used in the FEMSE project. How to prevent malaria? • Wear long sleeved clothes such as long pants and long sleeved shirts to cover as much of your bare skin as possible. It can go a long way to prevent being bitten by the malaria carrying mosquitoes. • Avoid being outdoors at night when malaria carrying mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite. • Use mosquito repellents or patches that can be bought without any doctor’s prescriptions. These will
•Hu
keep the mosquitoes away from you and avoid any bites. • Burn insecticide oils or electrically heated insecticide tablets in the bedroom at night. • Sleep under a mosquito net. You can also spray your linen with proper mosquito repellent aerosols. • Clothes and nets impregnated with pyrethroid could be used. Quick action: Result of multi-centre clinical trials in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Comoros showed that Artequick control the malaria symptoms rapidly. Fewer Clearance Time (FCT) and Parasite Clearance Time (PCT) are 1630 hours and 36-60 hours respectively. This drug stops the parasite development within two hours and more than 95 per cent parasites are killed
• General Manager, Dr. Pan Longhua
within 24 hours after the drug administration. Due to its quick action, Artequick could reduce the occurrence of severe malaria cases and the malaria mortality. Short regimen: Two-day regimen, two tablets as the initial dose and another two tablets after 24 hours. High efficacy and prevention of drug-resistance: Artequick has high efficacy even in multi-drug resistant p. falciparum epidemic areas. twentyeight day cure rate is above 97 per cent. After two-month observation, it is found that the relapse rate of the product in treatment of vivax malaria is two per cent. The combination of artemisinin and piperaquine delays the development of drug resistance of plasmodium falciparum. According to the clinical trials,
Artequick causes much fewer clinical side effects than any other artemisinin-based combinations. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain and diarrhea are selflimited and only occur in less than three per cent patients. No abnormal laboratory results of haematology, biochemistry or ECG were reported. Malaria has been eliminated from some formerly endemic regions of the world, mainly in more temperate zones including countries in Europe, North America, some of the former Soviet Republics and some island nations. Improvement in public health, efforts in treating malaria patients and mosquito control measures were some key factors for the success of malaria elimination. Unfortunately, malaria control programmes have been less successful in many developing countries in the tropics and subtropics. Lack of resources for disease management and the emergence of drug resistant parasites and insecticide resistance mosquitoes contributed to the failure of many malaria eradication programmes during the era of the Global malaria Eradication programme initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1955. Similarly, the goals of the 1988 Action Plan to Roll Back Malaria have not been fulfilled in many countries. In China, integrated malaria control programmes, such as mosquito and transmission control, have been in place to eliminate the disease since the late 1950s. However, it took over 30 years to control Plasmodium vivax malaria in endemic areas along the Yangtze River. Although Plasmodium falciparum malaria has
QUESTION: 1. I understand there is a 24-hour herbal based malaria drug, do tell me about it? Ifeyinka Pariola, Oyo State. 2. My son has taken to smoking. Please how do I handle this situation? Nnenna Onu, Enugu State been eliminated in many endemic regions in China, the parasite is still present in Hainan and Yunnan provinces in Southern China after more than 50 years of disease control efforts. To reduce or totally eliminate malaria parasite infections from a population, interruption of parasite transmission is critical. One strategy for achieving the goal is to interrupt parasite transmission through mosquito vector control such as insecticide spraying and large-scale distribution of insecticide-impregnated bed nets. Although some successes have been achieved through these efforts, vector control in most endemic regions has had limited success at sustained interruption of transmission, especially when applied in isolation without aggressive drug treatment and prevention strategies. A second approach is to eliminate parasite from the human reservoir with antimalaria drugs. Unfortunately, many anti-malaria drugs cannot kill sexual stages in a human host and, therefore, cannot block parasite transmission even when blood stage parasites are eliminated and the patient is successfully treated for malaria symptoms. Additionally, the emergence of parasites resistant to anti-malaria drugs has contributed to resurgence of malaria cases in recent decades.
How to help your child quit smoking
W
ANT to stop teen smoking? Follow this no-nonsense approach, from setting a good example to making a plan and celebrating success. Teen smoking is a big deal. After all, teens who smoke are likely to turn into adults who smoke. If you find your teen smoking, take it seriously. Stopping teen smoking in its tracks is the best way to promote a lifetime of good health. Set a good example As a parent, you’re one of the most powerful influences in your teen’s life — and your actions speak louder than your words. If you smoke, don’t expect your teen to stop smoking. Your teen likely interprets your smoking as an endorsement for the behavior. Instead, ask your doctor about stopsmoking products and other resources to help you stop smoking. In the meantime, don’t smoke in the house, in the car or in front of your teen, and don’t leave cigarettes where your teen might find them. Explain how unhappy you are with your smoking, and why it’s so important to you to quit. Start talking
You could simply tell your teen to stop smoking. It’s an important message. But commands, threats and ultimatums aren’t likely to work. Instead of getting angry, be curious and supportive. Ask your teen what made him or her start smoking. Perhaps your teen is trying to fit in at school, or maybe your teen thinks that smoking will help relieve stress. Sometimes teen smoking is an attempt to feel cool or more grown-up. Once you understand why your teen is smoking, you’ll be better equipped to address smoking as a potential problem — as well as help your teen eventually stop smoking. Encourage your teen to share his or her concerns. Although the consequences of smoking — such as cancer, heart attack and stroke — are real, they’re probably beyond the realm of your teen’s concern. Rather than lecturing your teen on the long-term dangers of smoking, ask your teen what he or she considers the negative aspects of smoking. Once your teen has had his or her say, offer your own list of negatives. Consider appealing to your teen’s vanity: • Smoking gives you bad breath.
• Smoking makes your clothes and hair smell. • Smoking turns your teeth and fingernails yellow. • Smoking causes wrinkles. • Smoking leaves you with a hacking cough. • Smoking zaps your energy for sports and other activities. Of course, smoking is also expensive. Prompt your teen to calculate the weekly, monthly or yearly cost of smoking. You might compare the cost of smoking with electronic devices, clothes or other items your teen considers important. Help your teen make a plan Teens can become addicted to nicotine surprisingly quickly — sometimes within just a few weeks of experimenting with smoking. While many teens who smoke think they can stop anytime, research shows this isn’t usually true. When you talk to your teen about stopping smoking, ask if any of his or her friends have tried to stop smoking. Consider why they were — or weren’t — successful. Then ask your teen which stop-smoking strategies he or she thinks might be most helpful. Offer your own suggestions as well:
Put it on paper. Encourage your teen to write down why he or she wants to stop smoking. The list can help your teen stay motivated when temptation arises. Set a quit date. Help your teen choose a date to stop smoking. Avoid placing the stop date during a stressful time, such as final exams. Hang out with friends who don’t smoke. Would your teen’s friends support your teen’s stop-smoking plan? Would they try to stop smoking, too? If your teen feels pressured to smoke, encourage him or her to get involved in new activities. Making new friends who don’t smoke could make it easier to avoid friends who aren’t willing to stop smoking. Practice saying no. Peer pressure to smoke might be inevitable, but your teen doesn’t need to give in. Help your teen practice saying, “No thanks, I don’t smoke.” Be prepared for cravings. Remind your teen that if he or she can hold out long enough — usually just a few minutes — the nicotine craving will pass. Suggest taking a few deep breaths. Offer sugarless gum, cinnamon sticks, toothpicks or straws to help your teen keep his or her mouth busy.
Consider stop-smoking products. Although nicotine replacement products — such as nicotine gums, patches, inhalers or nasal sprays — weren’t designed for teens, they might be helpful in some cases. Ask your teen’s doctor which options might be best for your teen. Seek support. Contact a tobacco-cessation specialist. A tobacco-cessation specialist can give your teen the tools and support he or she needs to stop smoking. Some hospitals and local organizations offer stop-smoking groups just for teens. You might look for teen groups online, too. Web-based programs can also provide support for your teen whenever he or she needs it. If your teen slips, remain supportive. Congratulate your teen on the progress he or she has made so far, and encourage your teen not to give up. Help your teen identify what went wrong and what to do differently next time. Above all, celebrate your teen’s success. You might offer a favorite meal for a smoke-free day, a new shirt for a smoke-free week or a party with nonsmoking friends for a smoke-free month. Rewards and positive reinforcement can help your teen maintain the motivation to stop smoking for good.