Who controls traditional healers on social media?

When the 32-year-old Kolapo found out that he had stage three hemorrhoids, he was very upset. He changed his life for two years leading up to his surgery—and even after it. But before he decided to do a hemorrhoidectomy, he had tried several herbal remedies, including a well-known brand associated with aphrodisiacs on Instagram.

“Nothing worked. Not even the herbal concoction I bought from this Instagram-famous brand. I spent ₦25,000 to buy the product and this was after I watched the famous newscasters skit promoting it as a complete cure for piles. The claims they made were, of course, exaggerated but I was fully convinced at the time that they were true. Why would these developers use their brand that they worked so hard to build if the product wasn’t real?” he told Pulse Nigeria.

While Kolapo’s experience may be similar to that of others who have been bombarded by the false claims of traditional healers in online marketing materials, the fact remains that herbal ingredients have been be a permanent health solution since ancient times in Africa.

“Traditional medicine works. I have used orthodox drugs in the past for other serious diseases but they did not work at all because I always had the same symptoms as before I started drugs even and which ones. I had to go to the market, buy herbs and leaves and cook them together in order to recover completely,” Kehinde, a 50-year-old mother of five shared with Pulse.

A writer and producer, Anita also said, “My sister ordered a drink from her friend in Enugu to treat infections, including malaria and typhoid. It cost ₦17,000 but it didn’t work at all. It did nothing. Zilch. Instead, it seemed to clear up his symptoms. Now you have to treat it with Western medicine.”

And the reason for this is not simple. These herbal combinations promise a complete cure in addition to being easy to find and affordable. “My sister who now sought Western medicine to treat malaria, typhoid, and infection (which she tried to cure with herbal drink but failed) was given a quote of ₦40,000 for injections and drugs in the hospital.,” Anita repeated.

Recently, government agencies such as the Department of Traditional, Complementary and Other Medicines of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board have also emerged. Similarly, doctors have joined to form trade unions such as the Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association of Nigeria and the Association of Integrative Medicine Practitioners.

However, these organizations have failed to meet the expectations regarding comprehensive and strict control policies for the evaluation of the quality of production and evaluation, and in particular, the verification of applications made by professionals using the Internet of the public to market their products.

Although they have reported a few physical limitations in terms of closures and fines, the problem remains that doctors have been allowed to do free-for-alls on social media for far too long. In a brief interview with Pulse, Dr Adebisi Olusegun of the Union of Allied Medicine Workers, disclosed that most of them do not have a license to do business. “I can tell you with confidence that most of the people who advertise unproven herbal remedies or traditional medicines on social media are not real – about 90% of them are not. Some of them do it deliberately because of money while others have inherited the business from their grandfathers.,” he said.

Thousands of people have bought and taken unproven herbal products from social media only to end up with deep disappointment due to their ineffectiveness or dangerous side effects. “I met a person who bought an aphrodisiac on social media. After using it, he had a long erection, which in medical terms is known as priapism. He was in pain for about a week before going to the doctor. You know, there are toxicological problems as well. Some of these products can have adverse effects on vital organs like the liver, the heart, and the kidneys.” Patrick Iwelunmor, Editor, Pharmanews and Gatefield Pro-health Journalism Fellow shared with Pulse.

“I know that the indiscriminate use of the internet by sellers of traditional medicine can be misleading and dangerous. This is because most of their claims have no evidence. Secondly, there is a problem of standards and management that could have been solved if they were registered by NAFDAC. Any traditional medicine that is not registered by NAFDAC is considered fake and inferior,” he added.

“They will not tell you the truth. They will give you the impression that even without changing your lifestyle, if you take their herbal medicine, it will solve your problem. And it’s not true. The whole idea of ​​going for surgery scares many people so they will keep trying different herbal remedies in the hope that it will work. And these herbalists know that their medicines will not cure these conditions, especially later. Maybe in the early stages of the disease, it can work. But when a person’s pile (haemorrhoids) has entered the third stage or a woman’s fibroid is so big that you can feel it, it will not work. The worst thing is that they will always suggest that there are no side effects and their product can cure it. But in reality, that is not true. Do you know what that is? It’s called false advertising,” Kolopa concluded.

The relevant bodies need to enforce comprehensive laws on false advertising by herbalists. They should not be allowed to make blanket claims, especially on social media. Harsh punishments should also be used.

“I am of the opinion that the social media space should be strictly regulated for those who market traditional medicine. Even in the traditional market for pharmaceutical products, you cannot advertise or sell your products without and obtaining approval from NAFDAC and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). The same approach should be adopted for the social media marketing of traditional medicine. Medicine is very much a science and yes deal with strong knowledge. Just because something worked for me doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Although orthodox medicine relies heavily on the scientific method, many traditional medicine vendors establish Their statements are theoretical. Therefore, the reason we have to be very careful,” Iwelunmor noticed.