A gynaecologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Nathaniel Adewole, has advised Nigerian women to apply appropriate medication for the treatment of vaginal infections.

Mr Adewole said on Sunday that the best way to treat infection was to run a laboratory test before embarking on any form of treatment.

He said that using local herbal concoctions, either for drinking or steaming was not the best way to treat vaginal infections.

According to him, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) for instance occurs naturally like a boil and can spread within days or weeks depending on the cause and the nature of the infection.

He added that bladder stones could also cause UTI and that retaining urine for too long could cause vaginal infection.

“Who knows the active ingredients in those combinations, 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?

“We do not know the right dosage and which toxic substance will cause harm in the body.

“The steaming is even more dangerous,” he said.

Mr 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.

Mr Adewole advised people not to use things they know nothing about or just because someone else had used it.

However, a trader, Fatima Musa, said she uses 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,” Ms Fatima said. 

Also on her part, 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.

Mrs Gold added that anytime she felt an itch in her vaginal, the first thing she does is to boil ginger and garlic cloves and sit on the hot water for about 30 minutes.

(NAN)