When folk medicine puts people's lives at risk

2023-09-03 15:53:00, Blog CNA

When London was hit with the bubonic plague in 1665, many people were desperate for a way to protect themselves and their loved ones from the dreaded disease. And a widely used method at that time was mixing 2 cloves of garlic in 1 liter of fresh milk.

People believed that drinking this cocktail early in the morning and on an empty stomach would prevent the dreaded disease. As at that time, there were not a few people who sought folk methods to avoid getting sick from Covid-19. Claims that garlic could cure or protect people from the coronavirus went viral on social media. So much so that the World Health Organization was forced to make official statements calling for caution.

Unfortunately, despite laboratory studies revealing that garlic does indeed have antimicrobial properties, the idea of ??consuming it as a means of preventing infection with any bacteria or virus is largely folklore. Folk remedies may seem good, but they can harm people.

So a 72-year-old woman ended up with a chemical burn on her tongue, due to the daily use of raw garlic, in an attempt to protect herself against the coronavirus. Folk medicine often has a certain level of seductive intuitiveness, and that generally stems from cultural beliefs as well as old traditions.

It may include herbal remedies, dietary recommendations, and advice on following specific behaviors. It is often passed down orally through the generations, and this may be one of the reasons why myths about the causes and cures of disease persist despite advances in medical science.

For example, the unshakable belief that many people believe that eating just before entering the water to swim is dangerous has no scientific basis. Although the logic seems convincing, it has been dismissed by researchers. Folk medicine is something complicated, because on the one hand it is classified under the category of misinformation. But on the other hand it doesn't quite fit into their usual class (such as fake news or misleading advertising).

If someone practices some folk advice, it is not necessarily a strong indication that they hold unscientific beliefs. However, the idea that folk medicine is mostly good may be the main reason why experts tend to pay less attention to it. For example, believing that drinking warm milk before bed helps you sleep will not harm you (even if this claim is not true). However, other recommendations of this type can be dangerous.

Such as the idea that eating certain foods can boost your immunity, which can lead people to think they don't need to get vaccinated against the flu or Covid-19. Folk medicine recipes, like other types of misinformation not backed by science, are often spread on social media. This means they can pose a threat to public health. For example in 2020, when the UK went into lockdown, the Burns Center at Birmingham Children's Hospital recorded a 30-fold increase in the number of burn injuries due to inhalation of steam through the nose and mouth.

This increase was caused by a folk medicine thesis spread on social media that misled parents into believing that vaping could prevent or treat respiratory tract symptoms. This was sad because studies published around the world since 1969 have highlighted the dangers of vapor inhalation. While some examples of folk medicine have a level of biological plausibility, others do not. For example, the belief that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," a folk medicine tip that first appeared around 1870, was probably based on the fact that apples are full of nutrients.

Është interesant fakti që shkencëtarët kanë zbuluar se ndonëse prania e vitaminave te molla mund të mos jetë e jashtëzakonshme, ky frut konsiderohet si një ushqim funksional për shkak të numrit të substancave bioaktive që përmban, dhe që duket se janë promovuese të shëndetit.

Mjekësia popullore nuk ka gjasa që të zhduket së shpejti. Pra, ne duhet të kuptojmë se çfarë i bën njerëzit të besojnë tek ajo, dhe në çfarë mase ajo e sfidon besimin te shkenca. Duket se ekziston një marrëdhënie komplekse midis besimit te mjekësia popullore, dhe asaj që njerëzit bëjnë në fakt për të mbrojtur shëndetin e tyre. Kuptimi i kësaj marrëdhënieje, mund të jetë çelësi për të parandaluar efektet e saj të dëmshme. Jetët e njerëzve mund të varen pikërisht nga kjo gjë. Nga Katrine K.Donois & Hassan Vally “The Conversation”/ Përshtatur nga CNA