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Renowned acupuncturist lists benefits of alternative medicine
By
ZIKA BOBBY
“Should
we become a workshop of invention and scientific discoveries only to be bought
over by other countries and the by-products of our discoveries resold to us?”
This was the question put to Nigerian leaders by Dr. Friday Thompson Udo
Essien, a renowned Nigerian acupuncturist, as he delivered his speech at the
launch of his book: Modern Clinical Acupuncture, in Lagos recently.
Visibly
miffed at the attitude of our past leaders who, he noted, have over the years
shown no interest in inventions and scientific discoveries, the octogenarian
said if his tablet-moulding machine had received the necessary attention 26
years ago, Nigeria would have gained a step higher in the field of science.
“General
Babangida was aware of my invention. Nineteen state governors at that time knew
about this machine. I paid countless visits to my state governor. My retirement
money got exhausted in my many attempts to get someone interested in this
machine. But at the end of the day, it all resulted into zero. What I needed at
that time to kick-start the project was N800, 000. Because of the type of
system we operate in Nigeria, it did not see the light of day,” he said.
Dr.
Essien, a one-time engineering lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology, said
his love for acupuncture got boosted when One Dr. Obaze, using acupuncture,
cured him of a lingering ailment.
“During
the period I was ill, I went to all the best hospitals in Lagos at that time
but orthodox medicine couldn’t cure me. It was when I met the late Dr. Godfrey
Obaze who used acupuncture on me for about a year that I was completely cured.
There and then, I told myself I was going to dedicate my life to the study of
acupuncture. Due to lack of understanding, some believe that acupuncture is
connected to spiritism. They ask, how could a mere insertion of needle into the
skin result in such spectacular cure of sickness? This thinking permeates even
the minds of educated medical men in Nigeria.
“Acupuncture,
naturopathy and reflexology have been my profession for the past 30 years.
Coupled with these, I prepare potent homeopathic remedy for my patients when
the need arises. I have been tested and selected by a reputable Chinese
company, and retained as of one of their international lecturers on
acupuncture. I am also a member of the National Complementary and Alternative
Medical Association in Nigeria and a consultant for Federal College of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (FEDCAM).
“Our
health centre has successfully brought relief to people having stroke,
diabetes, impotence, kidney, liver problem, sleeplessness, asthma lumbago,
hypertension, stresses and hormonal imbalance, which causes infertility in
women. Today, if you mention five acupuncturists in Nigeria, there is no way my
name will be left out.”
He said many prominent Nigerians have benefited from the use of acupuncture. “We are trying to create more awareness on the benefits of acupuncture so that people will kill the idea that it is for the rich. That is the purpose of writing this book, so that people will know more about acupuncture. We have embarked on free treatments for the indigent. We cannot do it alone. We want governments at all levels and well meaning bodies to assist us in getting a befitting centre where Nigerians can go and check themselves and also get treated. This will go a long way in saving us a lot of foreign exchange that we spend on treatments abroad. What modern medicine cannot treat, we can treat. We treat nearly every disease. Do you know that acupuncture can stop that headache in less than five minutes? Our problem as Nigerians is that we are never proud of what we have,” he said.
He said as a professional, he was taught not to put money first in matters of health.
“In Sri Lanka, people get free acupuncture treatments. The only thing paid for are needles. Who says we too can’t treat free? If only our government can help in putting money in the treatment of acupuncture, Nigeria will be a better place to live in health-wise,” he said.
To those who may not like to take alternative and complementary medicine, he said: “To such ones, I lovingly wish to extend to them a wealth of knowledge and experience in complementary medicine.”
Dr. Essien said acupuncture was invented in Egypt, Africa but was developed by the Chinese over the years, saying the latter have become masters at it. “They discovered certain points of the body which, if massaged, punctured, heated or burned, relieved pain or had a beneficial effect on certain disorders. They kept this secret to themselves until 1972 when American President Richard Nixon visited China and saw how acupuncture was used to carry out anaesthesia for open heart surgery. Then the knowledge of it spread to America. Today, about 50 per cent of Americans uses acupuncture,” he said.
He added: “There are organizations, government agencies, companies and entire industries that spend billions of dollars trying to hide these natural cures from you. Acupuncture and naturopathy work better and safer without side effects than drugs and surgery, which only suppresses the symptoms and add more toxins into your body system, causing more secondary sicknesses to develop over the weeks, months or years.”
Following his father’s footsteps, Dr. Essien Jr. is the only ozone therapy doctor in West Africa.
According to him, ozone is oxygen with an extra molecule, a triatomic form of oxygen that is highly unstable and highly reactive with higher energy. It is the most powerful oxidizer known to man, next to fluorine.
“Ozone in water will kill viruses 3,125 times faster than chlorine. Ozone is the most potent anti-viral substance known to man that is safe to use in controlled doses and is effective against viruses even in low concentrations. Ozone therapy is a simple naturopathic medical procedure that improves both circulation and utilization of oxygen by the tissues. Ozone is a super-powerful form of oxygen, with strong anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and detoxifying effects,” he informed
