2025 World Stroke Day… 2025 World Diabetes Day

Every year, stakeholders in one health challenge or another choose one day, one week or one month to remind themselves of their circumstances, occupations and to seek to expand the frontiers of knowledge and practice. Thus, on 29 October 2025, talk of stroke filled the air and on 14 November 2025, it was all about DIABETES. This column is owing two health communities a debt in this regard. One grapples with UTERINE FIBROIDS, the other with BRAIN DAMAGE. I did not forget about them. In due course, memories of their conversations would be let out of the copy bank.

Many stroke challenged persons did not see it coming. So do dementia sufferers. How many persons would believe that such serious conditions in which some cells of the brain wither or die, paralysing nerves and muscles or producing blank memories, may develop, like a growing plant, from such seemingly innocuous experiences as forgetting where a house or car key was kept or the birth dates of their children. I have heard of women who went to shop for grocery in the open market but forgot to pick up what they went to purchase, remembering their folly only when they arrived home and wanted to cook. Years ago, a woman who came from Ibadan to shop in Lagos for her daughter’s wedding almost went into depression at a motor park in Agege. She bought almost everything she came for but forgot to pick them up from the boot of a bus after she alighted from it. I will ever remember the story of a newspaper man in Lagos. He worked with a start up newspaper on a shoe string budget. For about two weeks, he worked non stop, day and night. One day, his bosses noticed he could become unbalanced anytime, and forced him to take a break. That was when the morning shift resumed work. They were all shocked several hours later to learn from some workers arriving for the night shift that he was sighted perambulating in the motor park more than six hours after he should have boarded a bus home. Apparently, he did not know where he was or what he was doing there. So, a car had to be sent to the park to take him to hospital. I had a cousin one year older than I am. He passed last year. His story began from memory loss to dementia. One day, he went to hospital in Abeokuta, where he lived, unaccompanied. After the doctors were through with him, he boarded not a taxi to return home but a bus from the motor garage for Ado-Ekiti, hundreds of kilometers away. Good Samaritans over there contacted his family back home. This was one of the reasons I did not permit a visit to me last week by an octogenarian acquaintance of mine unless he was accompanied. Unlike him, he had not called me in two weeks and he failed to take my calls. When, finally in curiosity I decided I was going to send someone to him at home, he called to say he had been in hospital for dementia. An otherwise healthy man, he came to see me this week, accompanied and looking fine and mentally vibrant as ever. His experience encouraged me to think of DEMENTIA as I contemplated STROKE, although both are not seen as directly causing the other but intertwined. That is to say that vascular dementia can issue from blood vessel problems related to strokes, major or small, and that dementia, especially in early stages such as in Alzheimer’s disease, is a testimonial of stroke risk factors such as vascular (blood vessel) deformities, hypertension, diabetes, high blood cholesterol level etc. Thus, whether for stroke or dementia prevention or management, it may not be right to categorise memory loss as an insignificant process of the brain’s biochemistry or pass it off simply as an inescapable effect of the aging process.

Stroke, dementia and allied ailments

On 29 October 2025, world stroke day, doctors and medical staff, like the media, did their best to warn the public about possible causes of a stroke. In medicine, strokes are called cerebrovascular (CVAs) accidents. They are distinguished from those of the heart which are called cardiovascular accidents, that is problems of the heart and its blood vessels. To understand these challenges in lay man’s terms, we may visit two simple medical books. One, THE WONDERFUL WORLD WITHIN, was written by Roger J Williams Ph.D, a biochemist who discovered pantothenic acid which we now call Vitamin B5. The other, NINETY DAYS TO A BETTER HEART, was written by Dr John M. Mc Carty, a cardiologist. It informs us of the possible transformation of dying hearts into robust and healthy hearts within 90 days of dietary and lifestyle changes. Till this day, I remain grateful to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), bookshop which afforded me the opportunity to know of these books and purchase them in the mid 1970s. Beyond the knowledge they afforded at that time, for which their authors deserve our grateful thanks, we now know a lot more about the wonderful world within us.

Dr Mc Carty said in a subsection of his book that “ you are as old as your arteries”. To that statement, we can say today that “you are as healthy as your arteries”, because the origins of heart attacks and strokes often lie in the arteries. From modern knowledge, we now know that if the vascular system, including the arteries in the body of an average human body which forms a substantial portion of them, are stretched out end to end, they could measure 100,000km or 62,000 miles. It is the condition of this blood vessel architecture that will determine if a heart attack or a stroke will occur. This condition is formed by what are known as RISK FACTORS. For example, a person who in his blood stream has much more Calcium, an important mineral, than magnesium, another important mineral, is likely to suffer from arteriosclerosis. This is a condition in which the excess calcium will settle on the blood vessels and harden them, as they do in bone joints (arthritis), eye lens(cataracts), spinal column(spondylitis), making them become like stone, inflexible and not dialating when blood is flowing through them. This condition can raise the blood pressure. If the blood pressure is higher than a weak or normal blood vessel in the brain can stand, such an impacted vessel can burst and spill blood over surrounding brain cells. We can imagine this to be like crude oil spillage. The blood spillage on brain cells paralyses them and makes them unable to effectively and efficiently control muscles and nerves in the respective parts of the body they minister over. Beyond that, the spillage may not permit enough blood to be delivered downstream. It is like the bursting of an underground water pipe which causes dry taps downstream. In the brain, cells that do not receive enough blood and oxygen may begin to wither and to die, causing minor or major health challenges, including memory loss.

Calcium and magnesium unite properly in about 4:1 ratio. Dr Carolyn Dean is proving to Americans that many of them are grossly deficient in magnesium, because they no longer eat greens. In the 1990s, I wrote a newspaper column titled LET’S DRINK GREEN, THE EARTH IS NOT GREEN FOR THE FUN OF IT. That was when the first LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL plant medicine product arrived in Nigeria. Green leafy vegetables, like liquid chlorophyll or chlorophyll-2 powder, have a lot of magnesium in them. That is why, till today, if I do not swallow a magnesium pill with a meal, I add liquid chlorophyll to my drinking water or SPIRULINA powder, the blue green algae, to the meal. Lately, I have learned to eat rice or beans cooked with baobab leaf powder. Some of the fruits, nuts and herbs which are rich in magnesium are avocado, banana, kiwi, papaya, raspberry, blackberries, almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, basil (efinrin or scent leaf), coriander (cilantro or efo ebolo), oregano, parsely and sage.

The calcium and magnesium interplay is a simple question of THE LAW OF BALANCE which sustains equilibrium not only in the human body but in the entire universe, ensuring that the sun and the planets do not collide, that the sun does not suck up the earth or scorch it, and that the stars do not lose balance and come crashing down. In the brain, excess calcium can set up a Cascade of events which may promote occurrence of a stroke. It may even damage the BRAIN-BLOOD BARRIER (BBB). Calcium storms in the brain can break down structural proteins, generate free radicals and cause neuronal death( death of neurons), triggering a stroke.

Atheromatous plaque

Arteriosclerosis is the hardening from a substantial 100,000 kilometers long world of blood vessels within us. Atheromatous plaque describes blockages within these vessels. It does not make blood flow well, damages blood vessel lining and may cause hypertension, heart attack and stroke. The plaque may be seen as debris or garbage more suited for a dung hill. The plaque has an inner fatty core called ATHEROMA. The contents are often oxidised or damaged cholesterol and remnants of dead cells, which ate up some of the cholesterol to reduce its load and then died in the process. Outside this inner core may be smooth muscle cells, collagen fibers, calcium phosphate and remnants of dead cells . The atheromatous plaque is dangerous , whichever way you look at it. If it continually grows without bursting, it may reduce blood flow to the heart or to the brain. If it bursts, it may form clots, anyone of which may attack the heart’s arteries, causing angina pectoris (some chest pains on exertion), shortness of breath, arythmias (mummuring heart) or a heart attack. In the brain, the clot may cause blood and oxygen starvation to some cells. This may result in visual loss, speech loss, weakness and Ischemic stroke, depending on which parts of the brain are impacted.

How can an atheromatous plaque be safely dissolved , like the defusing of a bomb to prevent it from blasting using nutrition and herbs? Udo Erasmus offers useful suggestions in his fabolous book, FATS THAT HEAL and FATS THAT KILL. His recipes are too thought provoking to box in one or two lines here. Nevertheless, I take away from them OMEGA-3 fatty acids, especially from plants such as FLAX SEEDS. Fish oils are good in so far as they are not contaminated by poisnous industrial wastes dumped on the seas.

Foods from other sources that may help include, but are not limited to …leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, brocolli, cauliflower, because they are loaded with vitamin K2. This vitamin directs CALCIUM to the BONES, and not to the ARTERIES. They also come with SOLUBLE FIBER which binds CHOLESTEROL to the INTESTINE. Orange, Grapefruit, Lemons and other peels provide a flavonoid called HESPERIDIN which improves blood vessels function and may lower blood pressure. Apples and pears offer soluble PECTIN FIBER which takes cholesterol out of the bloodstream. Almonds, walnuts, tumeric, curcumin, garlic, Ginkgo, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds have vital roles to play as well.

On the proprietary medicine check list, I suggest REJUVENATING DRINK and the KYOLIC AGED GARLIC series. Each of them has a base of garlic aged for 20 months to make it 50 times more powerful than natural garlic, the clinical reports say. I interchange KYOLIC CHOLESTEROL, KYOLIC HEART SUPPORT and KYOLIC CIRCULATION for this purpose. KYOLIC CHOLESTEROL is a complex of Kyolic garlic, vitamin E and Omega 3 fish oils. KYOLIC HEART SUPPORT complexes kyolic garlic, B vitamins, folic acid and L-Arginine. KYOLIC CIRCULATION comes with kyolic EPA/DHA and vitamin E. These supportive agents are blessings for the health of the blood circulation system, according to their clinical histories.

The ravage of diabetes

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It is shocking, not surprising to many of Nigeria’s Alternative Medicine practitioners that anyone can speak today about diabetes as constituting a threat to life as it did about 30 years ago. About 30 years ago, President Olusegun Obasanjo was diabetic. I was privileged to know then because, from the presidential Villa in Abuja, he used to send errands to Otunba Olajuwon Okubena in Ikeja, Lagos, for jobelyn, at that time developed as a blood-building formula for the crises of sickle cell anaemia. Later, studies at various tertiary research facilities in Nigeria would confirm the blood formula also as Energizer, antioxidant , immune booster, a possible cancer fighter and a blood sugar burner. It was with joy of his product making waves in high quarters that Otunba Okubena often sent the President cartons of JOBELYN. Obasanjo discovered this product providentially. One of the President’s men quit his job to work with Otunba Okubena. The secret service tracked him to Ikeja and reported his new job to the president.

Besides JOBELYN, this column regularly reports several plant medicines either as single herbs or proprietary blends which cuts blood sugar. So, I would say not much about diabetes except to remind us all that many of these anti diabetic herbs grow all around us. In fact, according to psychic gardening hypothesis, all the herbs we need to nurse our bodies in health or disease states are fashioned all around us by nature beings from our radiations. Once they notice that certain organs are not glowing well in terms of their energy outputs, they cause to grow around us those plants which would supply the elements for a healing. Thus, I do not too quickly eliminate strange plants from the garden of my house, believing they are weeds. Nowadays, technology has come to our aid in respect of certain internet applications. One of them, as an example , is called PLANET. When you enable a hand phone with PLANET and point it at a plant, it tells you almost everything about that plant, including whether it is edible and the side effects, if it has any.

According to a research source, the following are 10 well known anti diabetic herbs and how they help to burn blood sugar or reduce the problems of diabetes. In Nigeria’s Alternative Medicine market, they thrive on the health food store shelves either as single herbs powders, capsules, tinctures or a combination of them in proprietary blend formulas..

CINNAMON… “Bioactive compounds (cinnamaldehyde, eugenol) improve insulin sensitivity and lower fasting glucose and HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes, even after several months of use “.¹ ²

GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE (Gurmar)…”Gymnemic acid reduces sugar absorption in the gut and enhances insulin action, leading to modest drops in fasting glucose and HbA1c in chronic‑diabetes trials .³

FENUGREEK (Methi) …”The seed’s 4‑hydroxyisoleucine boosts insulin secretion and improves glucose tolerance; regular supplementation has been shown to lower fasting glucose and HbA1c in long‑term studies .

ALOE VERA…”Polysaccharides and glycoproteins increase insulin sensitivity; clinical trials report reduced fasting glucose and HbA1c after 4–12 weeks of oral aloe products .⁵

GINGER…” Gingerols improve insulin signaling and reduce fasting blood sugar; an 8‑week study in type 2 patients showed a ≈10 % reduction in fasting glucose .

TURMERIC (Curcumin)…”Curcumin’s anti‑inflammatory action helps lower fasting glucose and HbA1c, with some trials showing benefits after 3 months of supplementation .

BITTER MELON(Momordica charantia)… “Contains charantin and polypeptides that mimic insulin; studies demonstrate lowered fasting glucose and fructosamine in chronic diabetes, though effects are generally less potent than standard drugs .

GARLIC…”Allicin improves insulin sensitivity and reduces fasting glucose; a 12‑week trial with 300 mg garlic twice daily alongside metformin gave better glycemic control than metformin alone .

HOLY BASIL (Tulsi…”Leaf extracts stimulate insulin release and improve glucose uptake; a short‑term study showed a significant reduction in post‑meal glucose when taken with standard therapy .

NEEM(dongoyaro)…” Nimbidin and quercetin enhance insulin secretion and peripheral glucose uptake; chronic use has been associated with lower fasting glucose and reduced diabetes‑related complications .

Effectiveness in chronic diabetes

Across these herbs, the most consistent findings are modest reductions in fasting glucose (typically 5‑15 % from baseline) and HbA1c (0.3‑0.8 % points) when used for at least 8‑12 weeks, especially when combined with conventional medication. Individual response varies, and herbs should be viewed as complementary to—not replacements for—prescribed antidiabetic therapy.

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Space does not permit one or two words on how elevated blood sugar and diabetes can cause dementia, stroke or heart attack apart from damaging the kidneys, the nerves and the eyes. One important herb I have not mentioned is CHANKA PIEDRA. The Yorubas call it ehinbisowo or ehin olube. I almost burnt my fingers with it during a COVID 19 therapy. My temperature was terribly high. Chanka addresses malaria and high fevers. It is diuretic, anti microbial, anti diabetic and anti hypertensive among other values. I soaked some chanka piedra in a bottle of aromatic schinapps and placed the bottle in sunlight to solarise the content, that is to infuse it with green energy from the sun because the bottle was green. In about one hour, all the green in the leaves entered the gin. Normally, boiling chanka produces golden colour extract. I was too happy with the green in the bottle. I dipped a tort measure. In about one hour, I thought I was going to die. My blood sugar must have crashed abysmally. I swayed on my feet and had to lie in a couch, desperately calling for food. Such can be the power of chanka PIEDRA in a collision with diabetes