African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic ... - Blackherbals.com

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009I NSIDE T HIS I SSUEMELANIN & SKINHappy New YouWhat is the African TraditionalHerbal Research Clinic?We can make you healthy and wiseFrom “Maintaining Our Temples”By QaraandinThis is the time of year when most of us promise tomake all of the changes we need to make to be "perfect."We promise to: lose weight, stop smoking, startexercising, spend more time outdoors, eat more freshraw foods, and drink more water. In short, we promise todo all the things we need to do to maintain our temples.At first, we are proud of ourselves because we are able todo exactly what we said we would do. We take walksevery day during our lunch breaks. We stop snacking onchips and beer while we are watching television.After a couple of weeks, we begin to feel a little better.We even think we look better! Then, because it takes awhile to completely replace an old habit with a new one,when something comes up we fall back into our oldprogram without thinking.How do we react to our slip? Most of us give all of ourattention to the single mistake and stop our program thenand there. Because of one small mistake, we think thatwe have "failed."We completely overlook the month or six weeks that weContinued on page 21 Happy New You2 The Mass Poisoning of America3 Afrikan Spirituality – Ancestor Veneration in Africa4 Feature- Skin Healing6 Feature- Got Melanin?8 Feature-The Virtues of Vitamin D11 Dy(e)ing to be Noticed12 Pregnant Women Warned off Makeup13 Indigo Plant May Treat Chronic Disease14 Beauty Creams with Nanoarticles that Poison the Body15 Feature – Melanin & Bio/Nanotechnology20 Feature – Skin Bleaching Thrives22 Skin Bleaching/Lightening and its Dangers27 New Botox Rival May Cost Less, Work Faster28 Nanotechnology Sparks Fears for the Future29 Skin Cancer Breakthrough31 Don’t Pucker Up: Lead in Lipstick35 What is Vitiligo?/ Why Isn’t My Skin Brown?38 Herb of the Month – Kigelia Africanus & More-1-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009Nakato LewisBlackherbals at the Source of the Nile, UG Ltd.The African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic locatedin Bukoto, Uganda is a modern clinic facility created toestablish a model space whereby indigenous herbalpractitioners and healers can upgrade and update theirskills through training and certification and respond tocommon diseases using African healing methods andtraditions in a modern clinical environment.Traditional healers are the major health labor resourcein Africa as a whole. In Uganda, indigenous traditionalhealers are the only source of health services for themajority of the population. An estimated 80% of thepopulation receives its health education and health carefrom practitioners of traditional medicine. They areknowledgeable of the culture, the local languages andlocal traditions. Our purpose is to raise publicawareness and understanding on the value of Africantraditional herbal medicine and other healing practicesin today’s world.The Clinic is open and operational. Some of theservices we offer are African herbal medicine,reflexology, acupressure, hot and cold hydrotherapy,body massage, herbal tonics, patient counseling, bloodpressure checks, urine testing (sugar), and nutritionalprofiles. We believe in spirit, mind, and body. Spiritualcounseling upon request.Visit us also at www.Blackherbals.comHours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday10 am to 4:00 pm Saturday - Sundays – Closed

Continued from page 1- Happy New Youfaithfully followed our new program. We ignore the tenpounds we have lost, the extra energy we have, howmuch better we feel when we get up each morning.We focus on that one slice of cake we just ate, the threedays we didn’t take our walk, the one cigarette wesmoked without thinking. And we give up!If we had stopped trying to walk the first time we felldown as babies, we would all still be crawling around!We have been programmed to behave as if one mistakemakes us a "failure." Yet, not one "successful" personwill say he or she got everything perfect on the first try!When we were babies we didn’t think of ourselves as"failures" because we fell down. We picked ourselves upand tried again. And again. And again. As many times asit took us to learn to walk without falling down.When we decide to make the changes we need to make tomaintain our temples, we will have days that we don’t doall of the things we want or need to do. We don’t have tobeat ourselves up over what we didn’t do. Instead, let’sbe happy about what we did do and plan to do better thenext day.At least we are trying. How many people do you knowwho know what they need to do but won’t even try? Aslong as we have life, we can make the changes that willlead toward our best health. Making the first step, nomatter how small it may seem, is, in itself, success.Sistah Qaraandin is the author of "Maintaining OurTemples" and the publisher and editor ofwww.whattheproblemis.com and "Sistah Qaraandin’sM.O.T. Healthzine.“The healing power of a person lies withinthe person, not within the doctor, a pill, or aknife. The healing power of a community lieswithin the community, not within a ballot box,an executive order, or a referendum.”☻☻☻☻☻☻The Mass Poisoning OfHumanityAn Exploration of Human StupidityBy Mike AdamsNewsTarget.comNovember 27, 2005The mass poisoning of humanity: an exploration ofhuman stupidity. As human beings, we're the only speciesstupid enough to actually poison ourselves. As part ofmodern living, we create a wide variety of chemical toxinsthat go into the ecosystem through rivers and streams, theair, the soil and so on. Not only that, we actually synthesizetoxic chemicals and then inject them directly into the foodsupply -- knowing full well that they are poisonous and aremajor contributors to the epidemic rates of chronic diseasewe are experiencing today.What are these chemicals I'm talking about? Well, you'reabout to get a whirlwind tour of humanity's toxicchemicals. And if you look at toxic chemicals, you have tostart in the realm of dentistry, because in no otherprofession (save medicine) will you find the use of so manytoxic chemicals that are deliberately prescribed to patientsor injected into their bodies. We're talking about, of course,mercury fillings and fluoride dripped into the public watersupplies.Dr. Poison Mercury, DDSWhen we talk about mercury fillings, you have to keep inmind that mercury is simply one of the most toxicsubstances you can put into the human body, aside fromradioactive substances. Right now, today, dentists all acrossthe country and around the world are taking this highlytoxic metal and literally putting it into the teeth of humanbeings. Those teeth are then used to chew food, and as aperson chews; they effectively grind away the surfaces ofthese mercury fillings. These fillings release gas mercuryvapor and mercury particles, which people then breathe intotheir lungs, or digest in their stomachs.Now, I can understand that maybe 50 years ago, the dentalindustry was too ignorant to realize that it was advocatingthis toxic metal and putting it into patients' mouths. Theindustrial revolution is full of examples of companies thatused lots of toxic substances and therapies, thinking theywere good for you. Recall the X-rays and radiation of thefirst half of the twentieth century; people thought thatradiation was great for you. Manufacturers were equatingradiation with energy and thinking that if you consumedradiation pills, you would be more energetic. These wereactually sold and sponsored by physicians and doctors; itwas a mainstay of the medical industry in those days.Later, we had the lead issue with industrial companies likeDuPont, which has an interesting history in the manufactureand distribution of lead. People were convinced lead wasgreat for everything. They put it into the gasoline, andleaded gasoline was born. We later found out that leadcauses nervous system disorders and that it's very unhealthyto have lead emissions in the air. We ended up getting ridof lead paint, and banning the use of lead in foods andcosmetics.But for some reason, today dentists still think mercury isperfectly good for you. It's like they're living in the DarkContinued on page 7-2-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009

AFRIKAN SPIRITUALITYANCESTOR VENERATIONIN AFRICAB Y C HARLES N YAMITI1. IntroductionIn many African societies ancestral veneration is one of thecentral and basic traditional and even contemporary forms ofcult. As is indicated by the title, this essay intends to exposebriefly the main features of that type of veneration in blackAfrica, South of the Sahara.2. Ancestral cult in Black AfricaAfrican ancestral cult is deeply rooted in the Africantraditional worldview so much so that a proper and adequateunderstanding of that cult cannot be achieved withoutexamining it in its intimate link with such worldview. Hence,before exposing the main features of ancestral veneration, itis useful to give first a brief survey of the African traditionalworldview, in the light of which the former will and shouldbe envisaged.2.1 Brief Survey of African Traditional WorldviewAs can be gathered from anthropological and ethnologicaldata most of the elements found in the African worldview canbe reduced to four main headings:2.1.1 Dynamism and vitalism, comprising an existential,concrete and affective way of approach. Reality is seen andjudged especially from its dynamic aspects closely related tolife. The farther a being is from these elements, the moreunreal and valueless it is conceived to be, hence the emphasison fecundity and life, and the identification between beingand power or vital force. Indeed, the ideal of the Africanculture is coexistence with and the strengthening of vitalforce or vital relationship in the world and universe. Aboveall forces is God, who gives existence and increase of powerto all others. Next comes the dead of the tribe who, thanks totheir transition into the other world, are endowed with specialpowers. The living forms a hierarchy according to theirpower. The different manners of being are distinguished bytheir mode and degree of participation in the Supreme Force(God) and in superior forces of other "spiritual" beings.The craving for power, safety, protection and life is thedriving force in the African religion. This craving originatesnot so much from logical reflection, but from a feeling ofincapacity and an obstinate desire to overcome it. Manyindividual needs are believed to be satisfied by dynamism andspiritism. Amulets and talisman are vehicles of vital energy._____________________Managing Editor: Nakato LewisPUBLISHER: KIWANUKA LEWISPublished monthly and freely by BHSN for the African TraditionalHerbal Research Clinic-3-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009The traditional shrine as a symbol of our cultural historyThis ethic is based on the belief that every act and customwhich strikes at the vital force or at the growth andhierarchy of man is bad. What is ontologically andmorally and juridically just is that which maintains andincreases the vital energy received from the life-Giver, theCreator of force and the Force from which all forces flowand are under His control.Force, soul, life and word are closely connected with oneanother. The word is the principle of life, vital force parexcellence (hence the force of the name, ritual, word andmyth). In a certain sense all is participation, because it isthe same force which animates the whole universe; and itis normal that everything acts upon everything. Hencepan-vitalism or cosmo-biology characterises the Africantraditional worldview.The classification of being is based on forces according to(a) the principle of proximity of origin (the begetter isalways "stronger" than the begotten), or of existentialaffinity (correspondence between the visible and theinvisible, the profane and the sacred, the jungle and thevillage); (b) distinction of sexes.2.1.2 Solidarity (relationally), totality andparticipation. The universe is conceived as a sort oforganic whole composed of suprasensible or mysticalcorrelations or participations. The African does not onlyrepresent in his mind the object of his knowledge, but heparticipates in it only in a representative fashion, butsimultaneously in the physical and mystical sense of theworld, as can be observed especially in rituals. Theconnection between cause (supernatural) and effect isimmediate; secondary causes are either not admitted orconsidered negligible. God is, in the final analysis, behindall the vents in the world. He is the Fountain of life andpower in which all participate and, as such, He is theFoundation of human and cosmic solidarity, totality, andparticipation. This totalising vision manifests itself by theassimilation of the individual in the group, and by theabsence of clear-cut differentiation between the varioussocial functions (economic, juridical, political, religious).The social order is conceived as a replica of the order ofContinued on page 32

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009FEATURED ARTICLESSkin HealingBy Tariq Sawardi"What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your body"Over the last ten years, I have frequently consultedAfrican Americans on a number of skin relatedproblems such as sensitive skin, excessive oiliness,acne, spotting and tonal unevenness, ashiness, eczema,psoriasis, dermatitis, boils and athlete's foot. Somepeople just wanted a "quick fix". Others, still having tosee themselves in the mirror each morning, were nothappy about what they saw.Skin eruptions of any kind are nature's way of gettingour attention when we're off wandering in thewilderness. According to African holistic principles,most skin eruptions are caused by eating poor foodcombinations, animal meat, denatured foods, bleachedflours, dairy, white sugar and from chemicalscontained in commercial cosmetics, to name a few. Allof these things create congestion and toxins in thebody.The skin is not just a covering to hold bones andmuscles together. The skin is actually the largestelimination system that the body has and itcommunicates to us. Almost everything that we seehappening to us, on the surface level, is reflective of acondition going on inside.Through holistic health science, we know that each cellin the body has intelligence and memory. If we stopputting the poisons in the body that are causing theproblems and nutritionally-support the weakenedsystem while it repairs itself, then most of the time wecan reverse the damage that we've done. The sameprinciple must be applied to the skin.You have probably heard the age-old saying, "you arewhat you eat." But we are also what we wear, what webreathe, and what we think. The thoughts we think,etch themselves on our face because they affectour water soluble vitamins and many of our mineralsvery quickly. It's hard to think or feel negativeemotions without affecting your B vitamins and yourpotassium levels. When potassium and sodium levelsare out of balance, deep lines start to appear on the ears,cheeks and forehead.There are basically two general types of skin diseasesaccording to Yorubic medicine: Oshun imbalance andOgun imbalance. Oshun imbalance is the result of aoverload of the eliminative systems especially thoseaffecting the kidneys, colon, and liver networksthroughout the Orisha modes. This theory is also inagreement with the principles of Traditional ChineseMedicine utilizing Yin and Yang polarities in thebody. If we consume too much animal protein, therewill be a buildup of urea and other toxic wastes, whichdoes not allow the kidneys to satisfactorily dischargethe toxins. If white sugar is added to the diet, it willprecipitate a too active discharge resulting in skineruptions.Melanin and Skin HealthWithout a doubt, melanin, the substance responsiblefor producing dark skin pigment in people of color isone of the important aspects when considering skincare. Melanin is a gift from the Creator which servesto protect the body and makes communication with theenvironment possible. Melanin is responsible formanufacturing and sustaining life and it keeps theblack human in constant contact with the naturalenergies of the universe. (Refer to Diagram 1.)Dr Carol Barnes in his book, Melanin: The ChemicalKey to Black Greatness indicates that melanin is abiopolymer of undetermined size. A polymer is alinkage of small units which forms a chemical chain ora large, complex molecule.Therefore, melanin is a very large, complicated andcomplex living molecule. It has a very high molecularweight, meaning that one molecule of melanin iscomposed of a three-dimensional configuration of over200 individual atoms. It is a living molecule, a lifechemical, and it is charged like a battery. In fact, itoperates like a battery or super-conductor, yet it is heatresistant and is characterized by a nice, sweetfragrance. Continued on page 5-4-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009

Continued from page 4 –Skin HealingDiagram 1.Biochemistry of Black SkinMelanin is found not only in the skin, hair and eyes,but it is also contained in many other vital parts of thebody as well. It is in the nervous system, the glands,the brain, the genes, the muscles, intestines, heart andliver. It is through these melanized organs, or networksthat the skin receives its healthy vibrations. So, it isimportant that we understand the significance ofmelanin in our efforts to maintain and enhance ourskin complexion.You and your skin is a product of what you eat, thinkand drink, and your body responds to all three. Dr.Jewel Pookrum states in her book, Melanin - TheBasics, that there is also a relationship between theimmune system and melanin, especially in blackpeople. Dr. Pookrum describes in detail the chemistrybehind melanin and how it becomes toxic when thebody is exposed to various substances, such aschemicals, cosmetics, drugs food. When some of thesesubstances enter the body, they bind with melanin andconfuses the body and its skin, so it cannot maintainthe life functions the way pure melanin is suppose to.Melanin when toxic loses its ability to functionproperly and this results in physical and spiritualdiseases, and "skin disorientations".Quite often I have treated black women who had skinproblems around the mouth, or eye areas. Those are theweakest areas on the face, so toxins will erupt in thoseareas first. In most cases, these women were using makeupwhich contained artificial colors. Most womenexperience rashes, marks, and pimples. This is the body'sway of communicating that it is under toxic load. Theartificial colors in the eye make-up are basically the laststraw. In most of the cases I have diagnosed, I found thatthose same ladies also consumed quite a bit of sugar.Because sugar is assimilated in the mouth, it willimmediately weaken the immune system so there isnothing left to fight against the attack of artificial colors.The invading chemicals alter the chemical structure ofmelanin, alter its electrical charge and damage itselectronic configuration. All commercially madecosmetics have a toxic effect on melanin.The use of colors to make-up the face and body wasderived from the ancient Egyptians. Europeans, however,misinterpreted this ancient African science, and distortedthe original purpose of color science and called it make-upwhich is primarily used to cover and decorate the skin. Inancient Africa, colors were rubbed on the face to excitehealing of disease. Colors were extracted from medicinalplants and metals. The ancient Egyptians discovered thatcolors derived from plants have a wholistic healing effecton the body and its organs.When some of these substances enter the body, they bindwith melanin and confuses the body and its skin, so itcannot maintain the life functions the way pure melanin issuppose to. Melanin when toxic loses its ability to functionproperly and this result in physical and spiritual diseases,and "skin disorientations". Refer to Color ChartAs a result of their beneficial effects on organs in thepractice of medicine, the colors in flowers, shrubs andeven in minerals were believed to possess therapeuticvirtues according to their colors and these were dulyclassified by Egyptian priests. Colors have their ownvibratory radiations which may affect the skin, causinghealth or allergic reactions. Pimples, bruises, rashes,blackheads and acne indicate a disease state of a particularorgan related to a specific area on the face. Furthermore,discoloration, or vitiligo (small patches of white skinsurrounded by normal pigmented skin) indicates adysfunction of the organ related to that facial area. (Facechart 2.)Egyptian physicians depended heavily upon plants,minerals and metals in the compounding of remedies fordifferent skin diseases. In each case, the color factor wascarefully noted and influenced the selection of medicinalmaterials. Continued on page 10-5-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009FEATURED ARTICLESMelanin Anyone?Unblind AfricanusIt is a sad and unfortunate fact that many people ofAfrikan descent need to be reminded of black historymonth, once a year, in order for them to grasp at a fewstraws of self-awareness. The minds of these victimsare too busy trying to emulate European behavior and“civilization” to initiate a serious exploration and“inploration” into their true essence. This goes to manyextremes and is something that affects our situationnegatively as well as “niggatively". I am oftendismayed but no longer surprised at the amount of mybrothers and sisters who lack knowledge of self to theextent that, they are not aware of what melanin is. Thisfundamental determinant which makes us who we areas a people has not been taught to them and they havenot taken the initiative to find out about it.To start at the beginning: Melanin is a Greek name(from melanos) which denotes the color black. It is truehowever that before the Greeks appropriated Afrikancivilization and science, in KMT or Egypt (which is aGreek misguided name) the ancient black Egyptian(Metu Nefer) word that had the blackest connotationwas KMT and they named themselves by it (kamau).On a psychological level, the study of melanin is a keyto unlock mental slavery of black people. Melanin isthe fundamental unit of the universe and can exist infour forms including Cosmic Melanin, PlanetaryMelanin, Plant Kingdom Melanin (chlorophyll) andAnimal Kingdom melanin (black pigmentation). Thelatter is the appropriate field of study for Afrikans.In humans, tyrosine, an amino acid, is the mainnutrient. Tyrosine is a precursor of melanin and lays thefoundation for melanin to be produced. The body mustcontain an enzyme known as tyrosinase and copper tobe able to use tyrosine to create melanin. In humansthere are three types of melanin. The first beingEumelanin which has a high electric charge, highmolecular weight and density and gives rise to colorsfrom dark brown to blue black. A less dense form ofmelanin with lower molecular weight is known aspheo-melanin or pseudo-melanin. It has beenestablished that those with no melanin have quite a fewmore cancers and genetic disorders than those withpheo-melanin. It is also true that people with pheomelaninhave also quite a few more cancerousdevelopments than those with Eumelanin.The organ of the human body with the largest surfacearea is, of course, the skin. Many people are aware thatthe deep concentration of melanin in African peoplesskin makes them black and enables them to use the raysof the sun more effectively than our less “melanated”counterparts, but what few know is that melanin is notonly present in our skin but it permeates our wholephysical being. It is contained in a small battery cellcalled a Melanosome. The degree of blackness invarious organs in Afrikan people depends on the type ofmelanin contained and its weight.Melanin is present in each organ and regulates theworkings of our brain. Within the human brain stem are12 centers of black melanin. On the earth, only humanshave deep pigmentation of all twelve-brain centers. Thebrain center with the deepest pigmentation is the LocusCoeruleus or Black Dot. The Locus Coeruleus suppliesthe pineal gland with norepinephrine. The pineal glandcontrols the flow of melatonin during the night hours toactivate R.E.M sleep which allows us to communicatewith internal memory pools or other dimensions of lifein nature. Melanin also causes seratonin to flow moreeffectively in the waking state so to “inspirience” morespirituality. This also helps to keep spiritual intunementat an apex. The less melanin in an individual, the morecalcified the pineal gland and less access the individualhas to the spiritual world.Melanin exists also as biopigment for vision in the eyesof humans and all vertebrates. Color vision is producedin the retina by melanin through photopigments. Theseallow deeper melanin concentrations, offer protectionfrom the sun as well as a fuller vision of the colorspectrum. The melanin content in the inner ear also is ofgreat importance. Through this ear pigmentation, it wasfound that increased melanin increases hearingfrequencies.Continued on page 7-6-Traditional African Clinic – January 2009

Continued from page 6 – Melanin Anyone?Melanin is also used to make the Black Dot more intouch with the universe. This Black Dot (Third Eye) wasseen by our Kemetic ancestors as the access point to innerwisdom and divinity. This was the invisible door to thepyramid which when activated would decipher themysteries.Melanin in its most concentrated form is black. It is blackbecause its chemical structure will not allow any energyto escape once that energy has come in contact with it.This gives us an insight and shows that melanin dominantpeople do not require the same amount of minerals andnutrients in their diet as people with less melanin.Melanin absorbs light rays and stores them so that theycan be used as energy later on. This is why Melanindominant people are able to use sunlight moreeffectively. A perfect example of melanin’s use is relatedto Vitamin D. Vitamin D can be found in the skin ofmelanin dominant individuals after sun exposure,whereas less “melanated” people require the intake ofdairy products to secrete vitamin D. It is important forpeople with high melanin content not to indulge in dairyproducts because after the age of 5, 80% of highlymelanated people are lactose intolerant. For our people,eating diary leads to blockage diseases in the body. Soinstead of asking your brothers and sisters if they “Gotmilk?” you need to ask them the question, “GotMelanin?” This is just one example and also a brief lookat the pervasive manifestations of melanin and its uses. Itis a fact that we have ceased to know about our melaninand ceased to use it accordingly. The key to our liberationis the reactivation of our melanin faculties.The author of this article intends for everyone who readsit to research melanin and hence research their true self. Itis important for us to know some basic fundamentals onthe energy governing our life. For further research, twohighly recommended books upon which this article wasfed are: Melanin: A Key to Freedom by Richard KingM.D and Vitamins and Minerals: from A to Z by JewelPookrum. The author is a poet of the spoken word inToronto, Canada.☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 2 – The Mass Poisoning ofHumanityAges. Gee, why don't they have you swallow radiationpills at the same time they're putting mercury fillings inyour mouth? That way you can be energized and havefillings, too!-7- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Some of the greatest quackery in the world right now theproblems associated with mercury toxicity and mercuryfillings. Of course, I don't mean all dentists; some dentistsare slowly coming around to this issue. In fact, theseselected dentists are leading the change; they arepioneering dentists, just as those in the world of medicinethat are trying to change conventional medicine.These few dentists that are trying to make changes andget mercury fillings banned deserve tremendous credit fortaking the lead and standing up and fighting against thedogma of their own industry to protect their patients.There's no doubt in my mind that within a few years,mercury fillings will be banned and they will join theranks of lead paint, asbestos insulation, leaded gasolineand radiation pills. They will go into the historical annalsof bad medicine, and some day future generations willthink we were absolutely crazy to be putting mercury inpeople's mouths.More Poison From Dentists - FluorideThat's not the end of the toxicity in the world of dentistry,we also have dentists pushing for, get this, the dripping ofa highly toxic chemical waste product into the watersupply... a substance that's scraped off the smokestacks ofindustrial polluters. They want every person in thecommunity to actually drink this substance.This material is a toxic waste that's regulated by the EPA.It would be illegal to drip it into a river or a stream, butfor some reason, it is perfectly legal to drip it into thepublic water supply and let people drink it. It's a bizarrecycle of rationalization that can only be called medicallunacy. They no longer consider this toxic substancetoxic if it passes through the bodies of human beings first.What substance am I talking about? Fluorosilicic acid,otherwise known by its short name, fluoride.Across the country and around the world, dentists areinsisting that we drip fluoride into the public watersupply. For what purpose? To protect the teeth? Can yoube serious? People are swallowing this liquid. They're notrinsing it in their mouth and spitting it out, they'reingesting it. Now as a result we have fluorosis, and bonedisorders that are related to the over-consumption offluoride.For some reason, dentists have decided that they nowhave medical degrees, and that they want to medicate theentire population with a drug, a biologically active drug,without first diagnosing any individual in thatcommunity. In other words, they want to medicateeveryone across the board with the exact same dosage,regardless of that person's individual health needs, andregardless of how much other fluoride they may beexposed to on a regular basis. This is the insanity of theContinued on page 18

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009FEATURED ARTICLESThe Virtues of Vitamin D: It’s Time We Saw the LightThere's no such thing as a cure-all, but Vitamin D comes pretty close. Jeremy Lauranceexplains how a little sunshine could help you live a lot longer18 September 2007It may not be the first supplement to be called a"wonder vitamin", but it is one of the few to havelived up to the name. Last week, the biggest reviewof the role of vitamin D in health found that peoplewho took supplements of the vitamin for six yearsOverall mortalityIt was the proof that researchers had been waiting for.Earlier studies had suggested that vitamin D played akey role in protecting against cancer, heart diseaseand diabetes – conditions that account for 60 to 70per cent of all deaths in the West. The new study, byscientists from the International Agency for Researchon Cancer in Lyon and the European Institute ofOncology in Milan and published in Archives ofInternal Medicine, shows that it does. The review of18 trials involving 57,000 people found that thosewho took the supplements had an 7 per cent lowerrisk of death overall during the six-year period of thestudy.Edward Giovannucci, a professor of nutrition at theHarvard School of Public Health, said that theresearch added "a new chapter in the accumulatingevidence for the beneficial role of vitamin D onhealth". He called for a debate on the merits of"moderate sun exposure, food fortification withvitamin D and higher dose supplements for adults".Vitamin D is important because we are often short ofit. Most healthy individuals get all the vitamins andminerals they need from eating a balanced diet, butvitamin D is the exception. It is made by the action ofsunlight on the skin, which accounts for 90 per centof the body's supply. Very little comes from food.But the increasing use of sunscreens and thedecreasing amount of time spent outdoors, especiallyby children, has contributed to what many scientistsbelieve is an increasing problem of vitamin Ddeficiency. In the winter, the sun in Britain is barelystrong enough to make the vitamin, and by spring,say scientists, 60 per cent of the population isdeficient (defined as a blood level below 30ng permillilitre).Colds and fluThe traditional advice for avoiding these winter ailmentshas been to swallow large quantities of vitamin C. But wemay have been turning to the wrong vitamin. Researchersfrom Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NewYork, found that giving supplements of vitamin D to agroup of volunteers reduced episodes of infection withcolds and flu by 70 per cent over three years. All theparticipants were Afro-Caribbean women whose darkskin means that they make less vitamin D. Theresearchers said that the vitamin stimulated "innateimmunity" to viruses and bacteria. The decline in vitaminD levels between November and March could be the"seasonal stimulus" that accounts for the peak in coldsand flu in the winter. "Since there is an epidemic ofvitamin D insufficiency in the US, the public healthimplications of this observation could be great," theresearchers wrote.Heart diseaseHigh rates of heart disease in Scotland have been blamedon the north's weak sunlight and short summers.Differences in sunlight may also explain the higher ratesof heart disease in England compared with southernEurope. Some experts believe that the health benefits oflife in the Mediterranean may have as much to do withthe sun there as with the regional food.A study of almost 10,000 women over 65 by theUniversity of California found that those who tookvitamin D supplements had a 31 per cent lower risk ofdying of heart disease; researchers at the University ofBonn found lower levels of vitamin D in patients withchronic heart failure.Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which isone of the major factors in heart disease. It is also used bythe thyroid gland, which secretes a hormone thatregulates the body's levels of calcium, which in turnshelps regulate blood pressure. Continued on page9-8- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 9 – The Virtues of Vitamin DCancerA 40-year review of research found that a daily dose ofvitamin D could halve the risk of breast and bowelcancer, two of the biggest cancer killers. Scientistsfrom the University of San Diego reviewed 63scientific papers published since the 1960s andconcluded that there was a need for "public healthaction" to boost vitamin D levels. They said that adaily dose of 1,000 international units (25 micrograms)was needed; the recommended level in the US iscurrently only 400 units. Vitamin D deficiency "mayaccount for several thousand premature deaths fromcolon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually,"they wrote in the American Journal of Public Health.The research showed that African Americans withdarker skins and people living in the north-eastern US,where it is less sunny, were more likely to be deficientin vitamin D, and had higher cancer rates. This couldexplain why black Americans die sooner that whitesfrom cancer, even after allowing for differences inincome and access to health care.In June, the Canadian Cancer Society recommendedthat adults start taking vitamin D supplements toreduce their risk of cancer.RicketsThis is the disease traditionally linked with vitamin Ddeficiency. A century ago, the typical bow-legged gaitof children whose bones had softened and deformed inthe absence of the vitamin was a common sight. Codliver oil, which contains vitamin D, was introduced asa welfare food in 1942 and virtually eliminated thecondition. Now, rickets is reappearing. Last June,doctors in Dundee reported five cases in ethnicallyAsian children; dark skin produces vitamin D moreslowly than lighter skin.Vitamin D is crucial for the absorption of calcium,which is the building material for new bones. As wellas leading to rickets, deficiencies can contribute topoor tooth formation, stunted growth and general illhealth.The National Institute for Clinical Excellence isconsulting on a proposal to recommend supplementsfor certain pregnant women at risk: vegans and womenwho cover their skin for religious reasons.Supplements are already recommended for infants atrisk, and are available free to families on incomesupport and jobseeker's allowance.DiabetesVitamin D supplements given to babies born inFinland reduced their risk of Type 1 diabetes by 80 percent. Researchers followed 12,000 children born in 1966until 1997 and found that those who developed rickets,indicating vitamin D deficiency, were three times morelikely to become diabetic. Vitamin D is believed to act asan immunosuppressive agent, which may prevent anoverly aggressive response from the immune system fromdestroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.In Oxford, the number of five-year-olds with diabetes hasincreased fivefold, and the number of 15-year-olds with ithas doubled. Doctors say that this increase is too steep tobe caused by genetic factors, and must be due to changesin the environment. "Our research shows that analarmingly high number of people in the UK do not getenough vitamin D," said Elina Hypoponen, from theInstitute of Child Health in London, who led the Finlandstudy. "In winter, nine out of 10 adults have sub-optimallevels."Multiple sclerosisThe idea that sunlight might protect against MS arosebecause the condition is more common in countriesfurther from the equator: gloomy Chicago has a higherrate than sunny Florida, for example. Cloudy Scotlandhas the highest rate of MS in the world. Scots born inMay, after the long, dark winter, have an above-averagerisk, while those born in November, after the summerholidays, have the lowest risk.Sir Donald Acheson, former UK Chief Medical Officer,published a study in 2004 suggesting that people whospent more time in the sun had a lower risk than thosewho stayed out of it. Published in the Journal ofEpidemiology and Community Health, it concluded that acertain level of exposure to the sun might be necessarythroughout the year.AutismCould vitamin D deficiency be behind the explosion inautism? John Cannell, a psychiatrist and vitamin Dadvocate, thinks so. The evidence is circumstantial, butCannell says that medical advice to avoid the sun andcover up since the 1980s has paralleled the rise in autism.Flagging levels of vitamin D could be the decisive factor.Dr Richard Mills, research director at the NationalAutistic Society, said: "There has been speculation aboutautism being more common in high-latitude countriesthat get less sunlight, and a tie-up with rickets has beensuggested – observations which support the theory."How to get it – and how much you should take* 90 per cent of the body's supply of vitamin D isgenerated by the action of sunlight on the skin.* Vitamin D lasts for around 60 days in the body, so itneeds regular topping up.Continued on page 11-9- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 5 –Skin HealingORANGE: lungs,pancreasBLUE: glands,kidneysRED: bloodcleansersYELLOW:digestion,purificationCOLOR CHARTPURPLE: nerves,circulationGREEN: liver,heartINDIGO: bones,skinBLACK: melaninThe use of color in healing is unique in that the pureenergies of light are applied therapeutically in a variety offorms. The essence prepared from the color treatment canbe given orally or externally to treat a variety of skindisorders. This unique art was applied in ancient Egyptin the healing temples.Face Chart 2. Reflexology Face ChartIn African medicine, rashes, acne, bruises, and marks thatoccur on the face are caused by the imbalances of various-10- Traditional African Clinic January 2009organs in the human associated with them. To helpdischarge waste from the kidneys, colon, liver, it isrecommended that one apply color treatments over reflexpoints on the face.Remedies and Healing Your SkinI know it may seem strange that the things we put on ourskin can cause our bodies distress, but ask people who areallergic to poison ivy, wool or strawberries. What we put onour skin is just as important as what we put into our bodies.When our bodies are healthy and our immune system isstrong, we show a healthy luster on our faces.However, if we abuse our bodies by eating un-natural foods(especially animal products), foods we overcook, frozen orprocessed foods, synthetics or from taking certainmedically prescribed drugs, our bodies will accumulatetoxins. As we start to build up toxins in our bodies and thesystem gets weaker, the effects will start to manifestthemselves on our skin to warn us.The following is some helpful advice for clearing the skinand treating skin troubles:Drink Plenty of Water. Water truly is the 'Fountain ofYouth" and it makes sense that if our body is made up of98 percent liquid, water should be an importantconsideration. PURE water. Not sodas, teas or juices.Water keeps things moving and helps flush out the organsso that there is less chance of toxins building up. Water isan important aid to all elimination.Wash the skin with natural soap such as BLACK SOAP(herbal/mineral) and CLAY SOAP. These are natural formelanated skin. Avoid using commercial cosmetics,lotions, shampoos or creams. Also supplement the bodywith vitamins A, C and B complexes.Herbs that are helpful in clearing the skin are: chickweed,dandelion, ginger, red clover, yellow dock root,sarsaparilla, burdock and sassafras.Recommended ReadingAfrican Holistic Health, Lliaila O. AfrikaAfrican Medicine, Tariq M. SawandiHerbs for Clearing the Skin, S. BeckettSelf Treatment for Skin Troubles, H. ClementsMelanin: The Chemical Key to Black Greatness, Dr.Carol BarnesMelanin: The Basics, Dr. Jewel PookrumHow to Select and Combine Fruits, Vegetables andTubers through their Color-Powers, Dr. IgnatiusTariq Sawandi is a Master herbalist, nutritionist, andconsultant on holistic and consultant on holistic health.www.blackherbals.com/skin_healing.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻

Continued from page 9 – The Virtues of Vitamin D* Twenty minutes twice a week in the sun with exposedhands, arms and face is adequate to maintain reserves.* There is no recommended supplementary dose in theUK.* In the US, the recommended supplementary dose is 400international units a day.* Some scientists say that 1,000 international units ofvitamin D a day may be necessary to prevent disease.* Vitamin D supplements cost around 5p a day.http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2974479.ece☻☻☻☻☻☻Dy(e)ing To Be NoticedBy QaraandinShaquille O’Neill wore them because his mother said itsokay, as long as they don’t show when he’s wearingbusiness attire. Allen Iverson wears them for inspiration.Whatever the reasons are that folk are wearing them,tattoos are helping to destroy the health of manymembers of our community.There are four eliminating organs in the body: the colon,the kidneys, the lungs, and the skin. The skin is thebody’s largest eliminating organ. The four eliminatingorgans work together to keep the body clean and healthy.When any one of the four is not able to do its job, theother three must work harder.As an eliminating organ, the skin excretes about a pint ofpoisons through the pores every 24 hours. The skin also:• Breathes and absorbs air, light, and water• Reacts to external stimuli and against pain• Evaporates heat for the body as the body maintains aconstant temperature• Acts as a storehouse for fats and water• Secretes oil, called sebum, which keeps the skinflexibleTattoos kill the skin. The skin cells, that are under thetattoos no longer function. The more tattoos covering thebody, the fewer skin cells left alive to work as the body’seliminators. The colon, kidneys, and lungs must workharder to remove the waste that would ordinarily havebeen removed through that part of the skin.Tattoos are made by injecting colored pigment into smalldeep holes made in the skin. As with most trauma, painand bleeding are part of the process. Immediately afterthe tattooing process and during the healing process thereis an acute inflammatory response which usually includeslocal swelling, redness, scab formation, and bleeding. Sincea tattoo is an open wound until it heals, infection of thewound is always a potential problem.Problems can appear after the tattoo has healed. Theseinclude: lichenoids (small bumps of reactive tissue);granulomas (firm balls of reactive tissue that form aroundthe material that the body perceives as foreign, in this casethe tattoo ink); lymphocytoma cutis (a skin reaction thatmimics lymphoma of the skin and has been associated withinsect bites, some drugs, and allergy shots, as well astattoos); scaling, itching, swelling, sores, and keloids.Some people find that they have problems resulting from areaction between the sun and the tattoo dye. These reactionsinclude swelling, itching, scaling, redness, and sunburn.There can be a reaction to the tattoo dye long time, evenyears, after receiving the tattoo. The reaction may involveitching, swelling, redness, and/or scaling.Tattooing may result in the accidental inoculation ofinfectious matter into the skin. Some dis-eases that areknown to have been spread through tattooing include:hepatitis B & C; tuberculosis and other mycobacteria,syphilis, malaria, and leprosy. There have been no reportedcases of HIV being spread through tattooing.Most tattoo dyes contain metal although non-metallicpigment options are available. The metals used in the dyesare:Red: mercury, cadmium sulfideViolet: manganeseBlack: carbonYellow: cadmium sulfideBlue: cobalt salt (cobaltous aluminate)Green: chromiumPurple: manganeseBrown: lead (ferric oxide), cadmium saltsWhite: titanium, zinc oxide, lead carbonateThe inks also contain resin, acrylic, glycol, or all three.Some of the colors used are industrial grade which aresuitable for printer’s ink or automobile paint.Autopsies reveal that ink from tattoos wind up in the lymphnode closest to the tattoo. This weakens the immunesystem.We spend all day, everyday trying to avoid chemicals,hormones, preservatives, drugs, and other substances thatwe know harm the body. We read labels on the foods weContinued on page 12-11- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 11 – Dye(ing) to be Noticedeat and the beverages we drink. We are careful of theproducts we use to clean our bodies, our clothes, andour homes. We exercise, get plenty of rest, bathe in thesun’s healing rays, and drink plenty of water. Whyundo all of that by weakening our immune systemswith tattoo dyes? In his book, "The ReBirth of Gods,"Dr. Paul Goss reminds us:"You have to go to the store and buy beauty onlywhen you do not understand yourself. True beauty isa healthy colon, healthy kidneys, a healthy liver, ahealthy heart, a healthy appendix, healthy tonsils, ahealthy spleen, a healthy gallbladder, etc. Beautycomes from perfect health."When you allow others to be your understandingthey can control how you perceive yourself. They willthen use your insecurity against you and encourageyou to destroy yourself. What you have beenprogrammed to accept as beauty aids destroy yourgenes and organs."Yes, our ancestors were the first to do tattooing. Theoldest tattoo found was on a man named Otzi who livedin about 5,000 BC. However, it is time for us to admitthat not everything our ancestors did was good forthem. It certainly is not in our best interest toreintroduce habits that we clearly understand are notgood for us.Our goal is to maintain our temples. We cannot do thatby blindly following trends and fashions. No matterwho starts them.“The healing power of a person lies withinthe person, not within the doctor, a pill, or aknife. The healing power of a community lieswithin the community, not within a ballot box,an executive order, or a referendum.”from: Maintaining Our TemplesBy Qaraandinwww.blackherbals.com/dy(e)ing_to_be_noticed.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Pregnant Women Warned offMake-upStudy links birth defects to mothers' use of cosmeticsBy Rachel Shields30 November 2008Spare a thought for the mum-to-be: no booze; no fags;no pâté; no fancy cheese; no eggs; and, probably, awild craving for coal. Now pregnant woman have been toldthey have to make do without beauty products.Growing concerns over the exposure of pregnant women tochemicals that may lead to birth defects have promptedcalls for a new EU-wide cosmetics labelling system whichwould mark out some products as off-limits to mothers-tobe.The move follows the publication of a study which foundthat women exposed to high levels of hairspray duringpregnancy were twice as likely to have babies born withhypospadias, a condition in which the urinary tract growson the underside of the penis. The Imperial College Londonstudy suggested that the birth defects were linked tochemicals in hairspray shown to disrupt the hormonalsystems in the body and affect reproductive development.Fears over the effects of chemicals such as parabens,commonly used in cosmetics as a preservative, andphthalates, used in hairspray, have led to calls for closermonitoring of cosmetics. High levels of phthalates, alsoused to soften plastics such as PVC, have been found toaffect hormone levels, while parabens have been the subjectof concern since 2004, when a study claimed to havedetected parabens from deodorants in cancerous breasttissue.The French health minister Roselyne Bachelot sparkeddebate last week by announcing that the French healthauthorities were considering a labeling system forcosmetics that would indicate whether or not products weresafe for pregnant women. But the UK government said thatthe EU should address the issue as a whole, adding it to arange of changes currently being made to the EuropeanCosmetics Directive.A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Enterprise& Regulatory Reform (BERR) said: "BERR does not thinkthis is something which is suitable for individual countriesto take forward unilaterally and hope that the French raisethis during the current negotiations on the revision of thecosmetics directive, where a discussion can take placeamong experts on cosmetic products".A 2007 study claimed British women absorb an average of5lb of cosmetics a year through their skin and mouths.Scientists last night backed a labelling scheme. "Labelsenable people to make informed choices. In the vulnerableperiod of pregnancy, it makes sense for people to reducetheir exposure to harmful chemicals," said Professor PaulElliott, who led the Imperial College study. "It is part of abroader discussion about minimising chemical exposure inearly pregnancy."The Royal College of General Practitioners is advisingwomen to consider which products they use. "WomenContinued on page 13n-12- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page12 – Pregnant Women Warnedwho are planning to conceive or who are in the firstthree months of pregnancy should look at what they areusing," said Professor Steve Field, chairman of theRCGP. "The cosmetics industry needs to look at thisand clearly label their products. Anything like thisraises concerns," he added, "but I don't think peopleshould panic."http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-andwellbeing/health-news/pregnant-women-warned-offmakeup-1041649.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Doctors Warn of Skin Rashfrom Cell PhonesNickel surface of phones can cause dermatitis if youuse them too muchReutersOctober 16, 2008LONDON - Doctors baffled by an unexplained rash onpeople's ears or cheeks should be on alert for a skinallergy caused by too much mobile phone use, theBritish Association of Dermatologists said onThursday.Citing published studies, the group said a red or itchyrash, known as "mobile phone dermatitis," affectspeople who develop an allergic reaction to the nickelsurface on mobile phones after spending long periodsof time on the devices."It is worth doctors bearing this condition in mind ifthey see a patient with a rash on the cheek or ear thatcannot otherwise be explained," it said.The British group said many doctors were unawaremobile phones could cause the condition.Safety concerns over mobile phones have grown asmore people rely on them for everyday communication,although the evidence to date has given the technologya clean bill of health when it comes to seriousconditions like brain cancer."In mobile phone dermatitis, the rash would typicallyoccur on the cheek or ear, depending on where themetal part of the phone comes into contact with theskin," the group said in a statement."In theory it could even occur on the fingers if youspend a lot of time texting on metal menu buttons."Nickel is a metal found in products, ranging frommobile phones to jewelry to belt buckles and is one ofthe most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis,according to the Mayo Clinic in the United States.Earlier this year Lionel Bercovitch of Brown Universityin Providence, Rhode Island and colleagues tested 22popular handsets from eight different manufacturers andfound nickel in 10 of the devices.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27214249/☻☻☻☻☻☻Indigo Plant may treatChronic Skin DiseaseOintment helped ease psoriasis with fewer sideeffects, small study foundReutersNovember 18, 2008HONG KONG - Indigo naturalis, a dark blue plant usedin traditional Chinese medicine, appears to be effectivein treating psoriasis, a study in Taiwan has found.Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease for which no cure isknown, though some therapies bring about a remission.It causes red scaly patches, or plaques, which take on asilvery-white appearance and often occur on the arms,elbows, knees and legs.A study of the findings of a clinical trial involving 42patients who had had the condition for at least two yearswas published in the latest issue of Archives ofDermatology.The researchers found that indigo naturalis in the form ofan ointment was safe and effective in treating psoriasis."Current steroid-based medication may cause side effectslike thinning of the skin, but this (indigo naturalis) hasmuch less side effects," lead researcher Yin-Ku Lin ofChang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang GungUniversity in Taoyuan, Taiwan, told Reuters bytelephone.None of the patients in the trial had serious adverseeffects, though some experienced a mild skin allergy.They applied indigo naturalis ointment on one side oftheir bodies and a placebo, or non-medicated, ointmenton the other.Doctors checked on their condition at the start of thetreatment and after two, four, six, eight, 10 and 12weeks."The indigo naturalis ointment-treated lesions showed an81 percent improvement, the (non-medicated) ointmenttreatedlesions showed a 26 percent improvement," theauthors wrote.Continued on page 14-13- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 13 – Indigo Plant May Treat ChronicSkin DiseasesFor 25 of the patients, plaques that were treated withthe indigo were completely or nearly completelycleared.Indigo naturalis has long been used, externally oringested, to treat various infections and inflammatorydiseases in China and Taiwan, such as mumps,pharyngitis and eczema.Long-term systemic use has been linked to irritation ofthe gastrointestinal tract and liver problems, theresearchers said. They called for more studies on waysof improving absorption of the ointment.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27783645/☻☻☻☻☻☻The Beauty Creams withNanoparticles that couldPoison your BodyDaily MailNovember 5, 2008Are beauty products containing nanoparticles safe?Tiny particles that may be toxic are being used inbeauty creams without proper safety testing, aconsumer group has warned.Nanoparticles, which are 80 times thinner than a humanhair, are used by firms including Boots, The BodyShop, Avon, Nivea and Unilever.Some manufacturers believe the technology can deliverthe benefits of products in a more effective way.But critics say the size of the particles may allow themto permeate protective barriers in the body, such asthose surrounding the brain or a developing baby in thewomb.Their scale also changes the way they interact withother cells, which might lead to unforeseen toxiceffects.Following a report which raised concerns that somefirms are not declaring their use of nanoparticles,Which? has called for the so-called 'grey goo'technology to be banned unless it is proved to be safe.Its concerns have been backed by Professor Dame AnnDowling, of the Royal Society, the UK's independentscience academy.She has condemned the beauty industry for failing toprovide information on safety testing and use of thecontroversial ingredients.Research by Which? found that 87 per cent of customers areunaware that the technology is in use.The consumer group wrote to 67 cosmetics companies askingthem about their use of nanotechnology, the benefits theythought it brought and how they ensured product safety.Only 17 responded - and only eight were willing to provideinformation about their use of nanotechnology or particles.Meanwhile, scientists surveyed by the consumer groupexpressed concerns about the use of carbon fullerenes, whichappear in a number of anti-ageing creams.Nanoparticles are also used to make sunscreens transparenton the skin. But although firms say they offer greaterprotection against the sun, EU experts have asked for moresafety tests to investigate their effect on sunburnt skin.Which? said: 'Our experts raised particular concerns aboutpotential toxicity of fullerenes if they were able to penetratethe skin. They were also concerned about the widespread useof nano titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in sunscreens, whenfurther research still needs to be done on their safety in nanoform.'Some beauty firms are also using nano silver, which has antibacterialproperties, in products such as toothpaste. ButWhich? says there are fears it may be toxic.Sue Davies, of Which?, said: 'The cosmetics industry needs tostop burying its head in the sand and come clean about how itis using nanotechnology.'The Government must introduce a compulsory reportingscheme for manufactured nanomaterials so we are all aware -and only those that are independently assessed as safe shouldbe allowed to be used in cosmetics.'-14- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Continued on page 18

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009FEATURED ARTICLES“Melanin and Bio/NanotechnologyNakato LewisBlackherbals at the Source of the Nile, UG Ltd.Mumia, a powder derived from dried Egyptianmummies, was one of the most valued commodities onthe apothecaries' shelves. Believed to contain powerful,mystical cures for many diseases, the demand formumia in 17th-century Europe was so great that it wasimpossible to supply it. As a result, medical charlatansgrew wealthy selling fake mumia, made from theremains of recently executed prisoners. In addition, theoils and resins used in embalming the body were sopotent, that the mummies sold to doctors in Europedistilled the dressings for use in their medicines.Embalming was one of the principal uses ofaromatherapy, preserving the tissue of the bodies forthousands of years - Empirics, Quacks, andAlternative Medical PracticesNanotechnology is the science of manipulating matter,such as black materials, sometimes smaller than 100nanometers and taking advantages of the properties,such as electrical conductivity, that is present only atthat level. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, orabout one-millionth the size of a pin head. The prefixcomes from "nanos," the Greek word for dwarf.Nanotechnology has been around for several decades,but only now is its potential starting to be realized.Medicine is expected to be only one of the fields tobenefit most from the technology.One of the first things we learn in science class is thatthere are three states of matter, gas, liquid and solid. Allblack materials belong to the solid state and follow itslaws. Black materials are present in the entire universeand are of great interest for the evolution of our planetand living systems. They are present in the lithosphereas minerals, graphite, black shale, fullerenes; in thehydrosphere as black particles in seas, lakes and rivers;in the atmosphere as soot and smoke; in cosmos asfullerenes and cosmids; and in the universe as blackholes. In the biosphere, black matter is better known asthe melanin (black pigment) molecule, in all its forms.The chemical element carbon is the basis of most lifeon this planet and is also black in colour. Melaninconstitutes a class of pigments, which are widespread inhumans, animals and vegetables. While the namemelanin in Greek means black, not all melanin aspigments are black but may vary from brown to yellow.It belongs to a family of unique and very stable blacksubstances that is present throughout nature and theuniverse.Physical Characteristics of Black Materials andMelaninBut even before we learn about the different states ofmatter, we learn that matter cannot be created ordestroyed, only rearranged. One of the physicalcharacteristics of black materials is the ability torearrange its chemical structure to absorb all energyacross the radiant energy spectrum. Reflected energy iswhite light, i.e. from the sun, in the visible rangewhereas absorbed energy is black in colour. Melaninabsorbs light energy, sound energy and electromagneticenergy. Melanin has many other interesting propertiestoo, such as ultraviolet absorption, where it is currentlybeing utilized in the preparation of UV-absorbingoptical lenses and in cosmetic creams.-15- Traditional African Clinic January 2009The colours of melanin are those of a puresemiconductor. As with other black materials, such asgraphite and fullerenes, this state is subject to changesby doping with other materials. All black materials,including melanin, show a remarkable affinity formetals and exhibit the ability to form charge-transfercomplexes, which can carry either a positive or anegative charge. Melanin can conduct electricitywithout offering resistance to the flow of electricity.This means that melanin has super-conductingcapabilities. It also behaves like an insulator in that itwill not allow electrical current to pass through itsstructure, similar to rubber and plastic insulators. Theadded ability of melanin to undergo polymerization isof great interest in Industry for its nano-technologicaluse in bio-plastics and biopolymers. Continued on page 17

Continued from page 16 – Melanin & Bio/NanotechnologyMelanin also displays what is called threshold switching(an on/off switch), which means it can function as a biomechanicalregulator of biological functions. Of evengreater interest to the scientific community is its use inthe genetic engineering of pharmaceutical drugs forspecific diseases and other microbial applications usingnanotechnology. For example, two research laboratoriesat the Savannah River Site in the US are undertaking astudy to better understand how scientists can encouragecertain bacteria to produce more of a type of melanin, apigment similar to the one that makes humans’ skindarker, which could be use to clean up metals andradionuclides (radiation particles) in the environment.This is called bioremediation, the use of living things,such as microbes or plants to clean up environmentalcontamination. Melanin has been shown to accelerate therate at which microbes transform metals andradionuclides in the soil. Researchers hope to stimulatethe bacteria to produce more melanin by providing themcertain nutrients, which in turn, could speed up the rate atwhich metals and radionuclides currently in theenvironment are detoxified or immobilized.In another example, experiments on mice have shownpromise for the future of nanotechnology in treatingcancer. The technology being tested involves a nanoparticleof a hydrogen and carbon polymer with bits ofdrug bound up in its fabric and attached to a substancethat hones in on cancer cells. By successfully treatingprostate cancer tumour in mice, this research bringsdoctors one step closer to being able to inject patientswith nanoparticles that bore inside tumours and releasepowerful doses of cancer-killing drugs while leaving therest of the body untouched. However, one major problemscientists were having in perfecting the blood injection isthat the nanoparticles are ending up in the liver andspleen - an unwanted side effect because once theydissolve in those organs, they release toxic levels ofchemotherapy to healthy tissue.Melanin in Human PhysiologyAfrican physiology is based on the melanin biochemicalmolecule. Melanin is a unique life chemical found in highconcentration in people African descent. In addition toproviding pigmentation to hair, skin and eyes, melanin isincorporated into all major systems and vital organs inthe body, bringing control of all bodily systems under thecentral nervous of system, the body’s informationnetwork. It is in the nervous system, the spinal cord, theglands, the brain, the DNA, the muscles, intestines, theheart, blood and the liver. Its presence can be foundthroughout nature and is also found in many of ourfoods.As a free radical scavenger or oxygen scavenger, melaninhas additional anti-toxin characteristics and as such, canserve as a terminator of free radical chain reactions. As afree radical scavenger, melanin plays an important role inpreserving cells from the toxic effects of oxygen(antioxidant effect) and is generally present at the site oftissue repair, regeneration of cuts and wounds, andinfectious diseases. Melanin also increases the speed ofnerve and brain messages which are transmitted betweenthe left and right hemispheres of the brainand all signalstransmitted throughout the bodily nerve network.Melanin can bind and release many of the knownelements that are essential for proper body metabolism. Itreadily crosses the blood-brain barrier, and is thereforeuseful as a carrier for other therapeutic agents that mustreach brain tissue to produce their therapeutic responses.A variety of drugs, such as chloroquine, cocaine, heroin,amphetamines, etc., were designed to have a high affinityfor melanin.In the past, western medicine considered melanin a wasteproduct of human metabolism, serving no useful functionin the body. Modern science has since discovered that themelanin molecule, like other black materials to which it isrelated, is very old, very refined, complex,multifunctional, biochemical polymer having a widevariety of important functions within the human body andthroughout nature. Earlier scientific studies elucidatinghuman biochemical structures never took into account theimportance of melanin in the human body. Therefore,early medical and pharmaceutical determinations basedthe physical, neurological and metabolic responses ofanimals, in the treatment of disease, only on white oralbino animals as a means of extrapolating the meanresponse of humans to laboratory-produced drugs,chemicals and pesticides. Consequently, thephysiological, metabolic and neurological differences inthe biological makeup of black people were not includedin those studies. This is one of the reasons why westernmedicine does not work adequately in melanated peopleand the reason why we suffer so many side-effects fromthese substances. Race-based medicine, now beingdeveloped by the pharmaceutical industry, is based onsynthetic and genetically-engineered drugs, chemicals,food and now, melanin.Naturally-occurring melanins include eumelanins,phaeomelanins, neuromelanins and allomelanins (plantbased).Colours in humans are determined chiefly by twotypes of melanin, eumelanins and phaeomelanin.Eumelanins are derived from the precursor, tyrosine,generally insoluble and black or brown in colour.Phaeomelanins have tyrosine and cysteine as theirprecursors, are generally alkali-soluble and much lighterContinued on page 18-16- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 17– Melanin & Bio/Nanotechnologyin colour. Under the microscope melanin is brown, nonrefractileand finely granular with individual granules,having a diameter of less than 800 nanometers.Melanins are polymers produced by polymerization ofreactive intermediates. The reactive intermediates areproduced chemically or enzymatically from precursorsconsisting of smaller chemical species in varyingamounts, such as tyrosine, tryptophan, glutamate,phenylalanine, serotonin, melantonin, dopamine,norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine(adrenaline). The term melanin includes naturallyoccurringmelanins, which are usually high molecularweight polymers (generally, molecular weights in themillions).Naturally-occurring melanin is formed through naturalbiochemical pathways. One is diet, involving the aminoacids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Phenylalanine is adietary chemical that comes from red meat and soya. It isa melanin precursor, which can raise blood pressure.Another pathway for natural melanin production involvesthe use of the neurotransmitters, epinephrine andnorepinephrine. Melanin production is intimatelyinvolved with the neural system (neuromelanin) becausetyrosine and phenylalanine are also precursors for theneurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinphrine anddopamine.The metabolic pathway, for the production of melaninfrom amino acid building blocks, finds maximal presencein those cells that have a high demand for those products,the brain. Brain cells have high levels of tyrosinasebecause there is a high demand for dopamine. Theenzyme, tyrosinase plays a key role in the syntheses ofmelanins and its derivatives. The substantia nigra, theregion of the brain where the concentration of melanin isvery high, is noted for cells with high levels of tyrosinase.Insufficient amounts of this enzyme causes melanindeficiencies in some humans. The gene for humantyrosinase has been isolated, genetically sequenced andcloned.Currently, melanin is being produced synthetically orisolated from natural sources. Natural sources includebeef eyes, squid, hair, bacteria such as Streptococcusantibioticus and E. coli, and the human brain, amongothers.Benefits and RisksWith the use of genetic engineering and nano-technology,melanins, its precursors and its derivatives are beingsynthetically produced and patented with predictablemolecular weights, particle sizes, and compositions.Consequently, melanins can now be attached to anti-bodies and thus targeted for specific cells (e.g. livercells).Melanin has a number of properties, which can beexploited to alter both cellular metabolisms and/orremove or introduce intra- and intercellular toxins. Suchproperties include oxygen and free radical scavenging,metal binding, binding of organic cationic species,catalysis of coupled reduction-oxidation reactions. Theseproperties are not interdependent, and melanin can beselectively altered and optimized. Drugs can becovalently bound to melanin or just adsorbed on itssurface. They can be attached in such a manner thatinduces cellular metabolism at the target cell and causerelease of the therapeutic agent.Other therapeutic uses of bio-synthetic melanin are: 1) totreat melanin deficiencies; 2) to preventneurodegenerative diseases of the nervous system causedby exposure to toxic agents; and 3) to assist in therecovery of neurons, injured as a result of direct injury ordisease. In fact, the therapeutics uses of melanin and itsderivatives stated above have already been patented in theU.S. In fact, there are a number of patents on the processof genetically-engineered melanin production usinggenetically-engineered microorganisms. In addition,nanoparticles of melanin can enter human cells as well asthe soil, can trigger chemical reactions and can interferewith normal biological and ecological processes.Synthetic nanoparticles can readily cross the skin-bloodbrainbarrier, which should be of major concern to peopleof colour. This technology is suitable for bioterrorism andthis is just the tip of the iceberg. A recent analysis ofhuman genome data in public databases reveals thathundreds, possibly thousands of markers for ethnicspecificweapons do exist. In Black people there are some15,000 possible biochemical markers that exist as futurebioweapons.The world is truly becoming a very dangerous place. Thegenetic modification of the common foods we eat in theproduction of vaccines, herbicides and pesticides and therearrangement of plant and animal cells inbio/nanotechnology to produce so-called desired physicaland biochemical characteristics across species is arrogantand foolish. The melanated God that created the universeand us along with it, cannot be outdone. Is westernscience trying to demonstrate that God is not perfectbecause some of his creations require fixing? Theillnesses and diseases with which we are confronted arenot from God. Although we have no control over the typeof genes we receive at birth, the majority of the diseasesthat we acquire in our lifetime are from our own doing. Itis humans that are polluting the earth and in polluting theearth, we pollute ourselves and our environment.Continued on page 19-17- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 18 – Melanin & Bio/NanotechnologyThrough genetic engineering and nanotechnology, theyhave opened up Pandora's box and we may not be able toclose it. It has already gone too far.The United States is the world leader in nanotechnologybut is not paying enough attention to the environmental,health and safety risks posed by nanoscale products, saysa report released by the independent National ResearchCouncil. At least 50 harmful effects can be attributed togenetically modified and engineered entities. About 300consumer products on the shelves already containnanoscale ingredients, including several foods and manycosmetics, with little or no research to document theirsafety. The industry is expected to be worth about $2trillion by 2014. So as you can see, the quacks are at itagain.http://www.blackherbals.com/melanin_and_bio_nanotechnology.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 14 – Beauty Creams withNano-particlesAdvocates of nanotechnology say the particles couldherald many benefits, for instance, delivering medicinesand vitamins more effectively.Professor Dowling said: 'Nanoparticles of a chemical canhave different properties to the same chemical in itslarger form. And this is why nanoparticles are soexciting.'However, when cosmetics companies are seeking toexploit these novel qualities in their products they mustensure that their safety testing methods take account ofthese qualities.'http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-2174-0-6-6--.html☻☻☻☻☻☻-18- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Continued from page 7 – The Mass Poisoning of Humanitymodern dentistry community. Remember, these are thesame people that want to put mercury in your mouth, so itonly makes sense that they also want to poison yourentire body by putting fluorosilicic acid into the watersupply.They don't call it fluorosilicic acid of course, because thatmight scare people. They call it fluoride -- and in factthey will even deceive the public and call it "naturallyoccurringfluoride." There's nothing natural aboutfluorosilicic acid.If you go to any community water supply where they aredripping so called "fluoride" into the water system, youwill find out where they actually get the fluoride -- askthem, "Hey, do you dig this out of the ground in naturalfluoride deposits?," and they will tell you "No, we buy itfrom an industrial waste processing company because it'scheaper than fluoride out of the ground." I've asked thisquestion myself of people who are in charge of drippingfluoride into the public water supply, and that's exactlywhat they have told me. You can verify this yourself andfind out just how your local community is poisoning youand your family with this highly toxic waste chemical.How to Poison the Entire PopulationAgain, we are the only species stupid enough to actuallypoison ourselves. And we do it in highly efficient ways.If you want to poison a population, there's no easier waythan to drip a substance into the water supply. And if youreally want to make sure everyone is poisoned, youwould pass laws that mandate the dripping of this poisoninto the water supply (i.e. fluoridation laws). That wouldensure that everybody gets some, whether it's an infant,an adult or a senior citizen. This is increasingly what ishappening across the United States and around the world.There's absolutely no good science behind any of thefluoride arguments. Even if they were using genuinenatural fluoride, there are no studies that show theingestion of fluoride decreases the incidence of dentalcaries in modern society. Yet this myth persists in thedental community, and the American Dental Associationstands firmly behind this national poisoning agenda. Theywill call anybody who disagrees with it a "nut," and theywill say that every population must be fluoridated -- fortheir own good, of course. That's the only way to ensurethey have healthy teeth, the logic goes.Put More Chemicals In Our Food, PleaseIf you wanted to poison the entire population, but youwere worried that not everyone drinks from the watersupply, there is another way: just poison the food supply.This, too, is happening today, with food manufacturingpractices and the FDA looking the other way on toxicfood ingredients. Continued in page 19

Continued from page 19 – The Mass Poisoning of HumanityOur population is being poisoned with artificial chemicalsweeteners. Let's take a look at these. Aspartame is asweetener that was never proven safe; in fact, the originalsafety recommendation panel at the FDA recommendedthat aspartame be denied approval as a safe foodingredient. It was none other than Donald Rumsfeld at thetime who helped push aspartame through the FDA to getit legalized as a food additive.Today, we now see the vast majority of complaints offood side effects sent to the FDA being caused byaspartame. Aspartame is an excitotoxin, that is, aneurotoxic chemical, and it breaks down in your bodyinto both formic acid and formaldehyde. Now, would youlike to go out and drink some formaldehyde? Well, youmight do that if you were a biological specimen thatneeded to be preserved for dissection, but if you're anormal, healthy, sane human being, you'd never drinkformaldehyde. Unless, of course, they put it in anartificial sweetener compound and added it to cans ofyour favorite carbonated soft drink, in which caseAmericans will gladly drink formaldehyde in can aftercan, poisoning their nervous systems, going half blind,experiencing epilepsy and increasing the onset ofneurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.Again, we're the only species stupid enough to actuallypoison ourselves with these chemicals. And yet we haveentire groups, food lobbies and public apologizers whorun around saying that these ingredients are perfectlygood for you. There's nothing wrong with drinkingformaldehyde and formic acid. You'll be fine! Drinkmore! Here, in fact here's a 50 percent more coupon, soyou can buy even more!Want Some Chlorine In Your Food Today?Some say, "Well, aspartame is on the way out -- the bigsweetener now is Sucralose or Splenda." This is theartificial sweetener that claims to be made from sugar.Well, I suppose you can claim that it starts out as sugar,but it's made by removing some of the atoms from sugarand replacing them with atoms of chlorine, which is ofcourse one of the chemical elements used during theatrocities of World War II to create poison gas, the sameelement used in chlorine to disinfect pools and publicwater supplies.When it's put that way, you might start thinking, "Well,gee, maybe there's something wrong with this sugar,maybe I shouldn't be putting chlorine atoms into mybody." Would you go out and drink chlorine? If youknow anybody who works on pools, or who has a poolmaintenance business, they will tell you that chlorine gaswill kill you. In fact, just to handle chlorine, they have towear protective rubber gloves and protective respiration-19- Traditional African Clinic January 2009devices, because if they get chlorine powder wet andtouch it or inhale it, they are in for a world of hurt.Chlorine gas can cause serious injury or even death. Infact, if you just take household ingredients like chlorinebleach and mix it with ammonia, you will create a highlytoxic gas that will literally kill you, which is why theseproducts often contain warnings that they should not bemixed.And yet, in our food supply, we take chlorine atoms andwe attach them to molecules that used to be sugar, and wecall that a safe sweetener. And now we're putting it intoall kinds of foods, whether it's soft drinks, muffins,pancake mixes and pretty much everything in the lowcarbarena. I'm not sure people realize that they areactually ingesting chlorine atoms. Maybe they're toodazed from the fluoride.Okay, so far we have dentists putting mercury fillings inyour mouth that give off mercury vapor and causeneurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.We have the same insane dentists mandating the drippingof EPA-regulated environmental pollutants into thepublic water supply, making sure that human beings inthe United States have to drink toxic waste product...after which it enters into the rivers and streams as part ofhuman waste, even though if such chemicals weredripped directly into the rivers and streams in this countryit would be a violation of federal law. We have food andbeverage companies using artificial chemical sweetenersto replace sugar and claiming that their products arehealthier than sugar products. And yet, these artificialchemical sweeteners break down into dangerous chemicalcomponents such as formaldehyde and formic acid, orthey are made with chlorine atoms that simply do notbelong in the human body. These chemicals do notappear anywhere in nature attached to a sugar molecule.Yummy Poison: Hydrogenated OilsSo, what else can the money-hungry corporations think ofto put into the food or the water to poison America? Theyare quite creative and they have a lot of poisons at theirdisposal. The next terrible poison on the list ishydrogenated oils. They're called brain poisons, andthey're present in perhaps half of all the foods found atevery grocery store. It's listed right on the label -- you cansee it as hydrogenated oil" or "partially-hydrogenatedvegetable oil".This artificial fat directly causes cardiovascular heartdisease, it destroys normal cardiovascular health, itdestroys the healthy functioning of the nervous system, itcauses brain disorders, it causes heart attacks -- it is oneof the most prominent and yet toxic ingredients put intothe food supply. It also causes birth defects and essentialfatty acid deficiencies in both the mother and her fetus.Continued on page 23

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 1 NEWSLETTER January 2009FEATURED ARTICLESSkin Bleaching Thrives Despite Ugandan GovernmentBan on Dangerous CosmeticsHalima Abdallah Kisule, UgandaAugust 12, 2008Scores of Ugandans continue to bleach their skindespite a government ban on the sale of several lotions,creams, gels and soaps which are largely used towhiten, even and tone the skin.pills and creams, these products contain melanininhibitingingredients along with sunscreen. Thesetreatments also contain amounts of hydroquinone, ormercury.However, other cosmetics companies use naturalingredients to make melanin-inhibiting products.Extracted from plant leaves, like the berry family,shrubs and pears, their naturally occurring arbutin leadsto bleaching.• In extreme cases of skin bleaching, the skin can becomemulti-colored and marred with inflammation or scarring.Photograph courtesy of Halimah Abdallah Kisule. •Due to ineffective enforcement of the ban, thesedangerous cosmetics are easily accessible anywhere inUganda; whether sold over the counter, along theroadside or by hawkers, vendors move the skinlighteners easily due to high demand. Such is thepopularity that skin-whitening products have gainedtoday in Uganda.Medically, skin whitening (or bleaching) products areused for treating pigmentation disorders like freckles,pregnancy marks, blotchy uneven skin tone, patches ofbrown to gray skin and age spots. Skin pigmentationoccurs because the body either produces too much ortoo little melanin, the pigment responsible for creatingthe color of our eyes, skin and hair. It also providescrucial protection against the sun’s rays by absorbingultra-violet light. Doctors say that those with darkerskin are less susceptible to sunburn and the overalleffects of sun damage.According to dermatologists, skin bleaching can beachieved through a combination of treatments thatreduce or block some amount of the body’s melaninproduction. Usually in the form of topical lotions, gels,•A young woman who has been bleaching, gets her hair plaited- her face and chest are a different color than her arms, handsand legs. Photograph courtesy of Halimah Abdallah Kisule. •In Uganda, the practice of skin bleaching is commonamong adults with dark skin, especially women, butmen also do it with little regard for the dangers posed totheir bodies. Some people even use the products foranal bleaching to reduce naturally darker pigmentationof the genital and perineal area.Consumers of bleaching cosmetics claim that they wantContinued on page 21-20- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 20 – Skin Bleaching Thrivesto enhance their beauty. One woman who declined to benamed, explains, “One has to look good, by having fair,lighter skin.”Unfortunately, her skin is now multi-colored frombleaching. She has red skin on her face, yellow on herarms and dark skin on her back. The skin on her knees,toes and finger joints failed to lighten and remain black.For this woman, the condition of her skin has onlybrought her shame; she now tries to cover most parts ofher body in an attempt to conceal the damage done by theproducts she thought would enhance her beauty.Those in the medical profession explain that thiscondition occurs from allergic dermatitis or irritantdermatitis (abnormal, extensive and often localinflammation of the skin), both of which are commonamong people who have not previously used thebleaching cosmetics.“I have cases where people get severe skin burns. Ithappens when people change to something new whichcauses allergic dermatitis and irritant dermatitis,” says DrMisaki Wayengera of Makerere University MedicalSchool.He explains that the skin of the people using thesebleaching products get inflamed, turns red, enlarges andbegins to loose function as the cells fail to producemelanin.Wayengera says that bleaching can be achievedmedically using low dosage hydroquinone, recommendedat 2%. He advises that it should be used only in the areasof the skin that need to be lightened. He also advisedconsumers to always read the contents of cosmeticsbecause those that bleach cause health problems like skincancer, leukemia, thyroid disorders and delay or preventthe ability to diagnose leprosy. Mercury is the most toxicof these ingredients and leads to liver problems.Though the East African Custom Management Act of2006 banned the import of all soaps containing mercury,products like Mekako soaps are readily available in thecountry having been smuggled in before being reexportedto neighboring Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.“They are smuggled in jerricans disguised as water whileothers come in through ordinary containers but aredeclared as cosmetics, when [in reality] they are drugsthat fall under the NDA mandate,” says Gyavira Musoke,Head of Imports Inspection at Uganda’s National Bureauof Standards (UNBS).UNBS says that Kenya is blaming Uganda for failing tostop the importation of this toxic cosmetic despite theexistence of the law. This is just one of the 400 prohibited-21- Traditional African Clinic January 2009cosmetic ingredients (that are defined as drugs underthe Uganda National Drug Authority (NDA)regulations) that are on the open market. Productscontaining hydroquinone are still for sale after tradersasked the Ministry of Tourism to give them some timeto sell off their stock.Ready markets for these highly valued cosmeticssuggest that smuggling won’t stop any time soon, butdemand alone does not explain why one wouldcontinue to use these dangerous products.“Such a person lacks self-esteem, has low self-efficacyand a perception that she or he looks ugly,” says MrRobert Wandera, Coordinator of the PsychologyDepartment at Makerere University. “It is commonamong women who are not educated,” he adds.Wandera’s colleague, Mr Calistas, says that it is verydangerous to have low self-esteem because severe casescan lead to suicide.He urges, “Do something positive to counter [your lowself-esteem]. Take advantage of the good parts of yourbody or talents.”Prolonged use of bleaching cosmetics can indeed bedisastrous both psychologically and physically. Onelady who I encountered on the street declined to benamed nor talk about her skin. Her dry, pale faceshowed no happiness. She had wrinkles too - not fromold age, but from the effects of starting and thenstopping the use of these cosmetics. I could easily readthe disappointment in her face when I asked her to talkabout her skin. Her response is a clear testimony to thenegative effects of bleaching cosmetics and hint at thelengths some will go to for beauty. Her unhappiness isthe other side of beauty that we rarely see, but one thatcan easily be avoided.About the AuthorHalimah Abdallah Kisule is a journalist in northernUganda who, for the last seven years, has coveredhuman rights, health, diplomacy, politics and educationfor numerous news outlets. She holds a diploma inJournalism and Media Studies and will soon receive herBA in Education from Makerere University inKampala.Previously she worked for the independent newspapers,The Daily Monitor and The Weekly Observer, coveringlaw and human rights issues, providing both withextensive investigative journalism.Halimah endeavors to use her writing skills to bringawareness to the human struggle and find solutions tosociety's problems. She is married with two children.http://allafrica.com/stories/200806070128.html☻☻☻☻☻☻

Skin Bleaching/ Lightening &its DangersDangers of Skin LighteningSeptember 26 2005Would you use a cream or soap that may have thefollowing long term side effects…skin cancer, liver damage, kidney damage or poisoning?In the modern appearance conscious society in which welive there is a myth that lighter paler complexions portraybeauty, riches and success.This misguided belief has resulted in a huge market in theUK of skin lightening products. Some people use themsecretly knowing what the side effects are, others usingpoorly labelled under the counter products not knowingwhat dangers they are letting themselves in for.Manufacturers may not be fully versed with the sideeffects or labelling may be misleading or economicalwith the truth.Why do we have colour in our skin?There are three reasons for the colour of our skin:1. The cells contained within the dermis and epidermisprovide a natural yellow, white colour2. Superficial blood vessels provide a blue or red tintdetermined by oxygen content3. Melanin produced by melanocytes scattered within thebasal layer of the skin.It is this third point which determines how dark aperson’s skin is; more melanin production results indarker skin. Melanin has another key function - it plays amajor protective role. It is the skins own naturalprotection from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun.Without it the skin is extremely vulnerable and we wouldhave to cover exposed skins with sun screen or risk agreater chance of developing skin cancer.How skin lightening products workThere are two chemicals found in skin lighteningproducts, Hydroquinone or Mercury.1. Hydroquinone (C6H6O2) is a severely toxic and verypowerful chemical used in photo processing, themanufacture of rubber and is an active agent in hair dyes.2. Mercury in the form of Mercury Chloride &Ammoniated Mercury is carcinogenic. They appear onthe list of toxic substances that can only be purchased viapharmacies with prescribed labels of toxicity.Both products perform a similar process. In the shortterm they will initially cause the skin to lighten byinhibiting the production of melanin. Without melaninformation in the basal layer no brown pigmentation willbe visible.The long term effects, however, are those that must beaddressed.The long term effects of using skin lightening productsHydroquinone or Mercury applied to the skin will reactwith ultra violet rays and re-oxidise, leading to morepigmentation and premature ageing. More product isthen applied in an attempt to correct the darker blotchyappearance.These are the beginnings of a vicious cycle. By alteringthe skins natural structure and inhibiting the productionof Melanin, its natural protection, the skin is moresusceptible to skin cancer.Prolonged use of Hydroquinone will thicken collagenfibres damaging the connective tissues. The result isrough blotchy skin leaving it with a spotty cavierappearance.Mercury will slowly accumulate within the skin cellsstriping the skin of its natural pigment leaving behindthe tell tale signs of gray/ blue pigmentation in the foldsof the skin. In the long term, the chemical will damagevital organs and lead to liver and kidney failure andmercury poisoning.Are these products legal?Products containing up to 2 percent Hydroquinone werelegally available in the UK until 2001 when theDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued thedraft 24th Commission Directive. This banspreparations with Hydroquinone due to the long termeffects as it accumulates in the tissues. The UKCosmetic Product Regulations 1978 prohibits the use ofMercury compounds.However, the demand for theses products is so highthat there are illegal imports via small operators fromAsia and Africa of creams, lotions and soaps of up to 6percent which are sold under the counter in the UK.Graham McPherson from Trading Standards said ‘weregularly find consignments varying from a couple ofhundred items to a couple of thousand items on amonthly basis.’Second generation of skin lightening productsSujata Kashap, a skin care specialist, has beeninvestigating a new highly toxic chemical that isalready hitting the shops. Sujata said ‘even if hydroquinoneand mercury products are successfully banned. Continued on page 24-22- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 19 – Mass Poisoning of HumanityAnd it's put in foods on purpose, for the convenience ofthe food manufacturers. Hydrogenated oils don't go bad,which means they save money for the foodmanufacturing companies, because their foods don't gobad on the shelves. And how do you make hydrogenatedoils? Well, you don't find them anywhere in nature -- youhave to have a chemical processing facility to makehydrogenated oils. And you do it by bubbling hydrogengas through liquid soybean oil or other types of oils,using a catalyst (in most cases the catalyst is nickel). Sowith this nickel and the bubbling of hydrogen gas, youget extra hydrogen atoms attached to the molecules in oil,which makes them solid at room temperature. Since theyare solid at room temperature, they can be more easilyused to make margarine products, or used in crackers andcookies. And all of this, again, is for the convenience ofthe food manufacturing companies.Food manufactures don't care what happens to yourhealth, their job is just to sell food products. If you have ahealth problem as a result, that's your problem, not theirs.You won't find food companies offering to pay for yourmedical bills if you have a heart attack from eatinghydrogenated oils. They are basically passing the buckand demanding that you pay for the health consequencescaused by their foods. In fact, they're working hard topass legislation that would outlaw lawsuits against foodcompanies!Pepperoni-Shaped PoisonNot to be outdone, the meat processing companies in thiscountry also want to make sure they get lots of poisoninto your food products. It's not enough to just sell youred meat, which is by itself an extremely unhealthy foodingredient that promotes colon cancer, heart disease,obesity and many other disorders, they also have to putcancer-causing chemicals in various meat products.This makes sure that you get colon cancer from theadditives, if not from the red meat itself. This additive iscalled sodium nitrite, and you'll find it in virtually everypackaged meat product found at the grocery store,whether it's pepperoni, breakfast sausage, or bacon. Youcan buy sliced ham, sliced chicken, deli slices, lunchmeat, packaged ham, pepperoni, the meat that goes intosoups, the meat that goes into those little lunch trays ...pretty much any form of packaged meat at the grocerystore has this toxic ingredient in it. That's why the dailyconsumption of processed meats has now been clinicallyshown to produce a 6,700% increase in the risk ofpancreatic cancer!Guinea Pig PeopleAnd what is this ingredient again? Sodium nitrite! Whenyou ingest sodium nitrite, it mixes with the digestivejuices of your stomach and creates a class of chemicalcompounds called nitrosamines. These nitrosamines arepotent cancer-causing chemicals. In fact, as I'vementioned before, they are so potent that labresearchers actually inject mice with nitrosamines whenthey want to give those mice breast cancer or otherform of cancer they can study. And yet, as humans, weput sodium nitrite right into the food supply. It's almostas if we were treating the entire population as lab rats --and in fact that's not far from the truth.Drugs are frequently released in this country on anexperimental basis, using the population as guinea pigsto find out how many people might die from that drugin order to get more safety data. Let's face it, when theFDA approves drugs for public use, they are not at allproven safe. The American public is routinely treatedas a collection of guinea pigs in order to promoteprescription drugs, foods, artificial sweeteners or otherelements.Toxic Personal Care ProductsSo now we've got toxic chemicals in our mouths, inour public water supplies, and in our foods andbeverages. Where else can money hungry corporationsput toxic chemicals into our immediate environmentand get them into our bodies? Well, think hard and youmight come up with some other ideas. Let's look at thepersonal care products industry, because practicallyevery brand name shampoo, cologne, perfume,deodorant, antiperspirant or other personal care producton the market is made with toxic fragrance chemicals.These can contain solvents, carcinogens andcompounds that are registered in government databasesas having strong liver toxicity.The reason these ingredients are allowed in theseproducts are because the FDA has mistakenly assumedfor many, many years that whatever you put on yourbody doesn't get absorbed into your body. They think,for example, that you could just coat your body withtoxic chemicals and you would be fine, because yourskin is a barrier. I've even heard pharmacists tell methat the skin is a great barrier, so whatever you put onyour skin won't go into your body.That's utterly ridiculous! As pharmacists, haven't thesepeople ever sold nicotine patches? How do you thinkthose work? They work by releasing nicotine that getsabsorbed directly through your skin into yourbloodstream. If your skin didn't absorb nicotine, thenicotine patches wouldn't deliver a dosage. You have tobe half-crazy to think that the skin is some kind ofpermanent barrier that keeps out everything you put onit.Continued on page 24-23- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 23 – The Mass Poisoning of HumanityIn fact, the skin is very porous -- the skin breathes. Yes, itkeeps out bacteria, but it sure doesn't keep out chemicalsolvents, and it doesn't keep out molecules as big asnicotine. Nicotine molecules are not very small, by theway. There are many things that go right through yourskin, and those include fragrance chemicals, solvents, anda lot of other toxic ingredients that are found in personalcare products. One such ingredient called MIT wasrecently discovered in most brand-name shampoos, andthis MIT ingredient is known to cause brain cancer.Voluntary Chemical SuicideSo now we are really stupid as a species, because we'vepoisoned our mouths, our water supply, our food, ourbeverages and even our shampoos and personal careproducts. And if you use dryer sheets, then you've gotyour clothes poisoned as well, they're coated in a layer oftoxic chemicals found in dryer sheet products. So whatelse could we use to poison the population? There are stillmany other options.One way would be to sell a toxic chemical that peoplevoluntarily put into their mouths because another personin a position of authority told them to do so. This isdescribing the prescription drug industry, where peopleare poisoning themselves each and every day with toxicpainkiller drugs like COX-2 inhibitors or toxic anticholesteroldrugs like statin drugs. People are poisoningtheir minds with antidepressant drugs that promoteviolent behavior and suicides. They're poisoning theircardiovascular system with beta-blockers and otherdrugs. And of course they're poisoning their livers.And yet people volunteer to do this -- each and every daythey will put these toxic chemicals into their bodiessimply because someone with a degree from a school ofdisease (also known as medical school) told them to doso. And, not only that, they will actually pay for theprivilege of poisoning their own bodies.They'll pay good money too, not just a few hundreddollars a month, but several thousand dollars a month.Some people will spend six figures a year poisoning theirbodies because their doctor told them to do so. And, thenwhen something goes wrong and they have a small tumorshow up on a mammogram, or some other blood testcomes back positive that indicates they may have somesort of cancer tumor, they will gladly pay another$100,000 or more in order to destroy their entire immunesystem with a treatment known as chemotherapy.They will literally sit there and let other doctors injecthighly toxic poisons directly into the bloodstream andallow them to circulate through their body. How toxic isthis stuff? Well, gee, think about it, your hair falls out,you get sick and you vomit -- are these signs that maybethis stuff doesn't belong in your body? I don't know aboutyou, but I think that's a very strange way to healsomeone.If I were a medical professional and I were healingsomeone, and I had them do something which made theirhair fall out and they started vomiting and it looked likethey were going to melt away right before my very eyes, Iwould think that, hey, maybe this isn't good for them.But that's not what conventional oncologists think. Theythink, oh, this is great stuff. Look, we're going to destroythe cancer tumor and, if we're lucky, there may even be apatient left by the time we're done. And if not -- that'salright, as long as they pay the bill.Official, Government-Approved Drug DealersWe as a species actually have a class of professionals,highly-paid professionals, who we give the right topoison us with toxic chemicals. These people are calleddoctors. I call them drug dealers. Just like illegal drugs,their drugs kill people. The main difference is that these"legal" drugs enrich politically influential corporations,whereas illegal drugs enrich drug lords. Our national"War on Drugs" is quite selective in its targets, don't youthink? Industrial hemp is outlawed, but doping upmillions of children on powerful narcotics is perfectlylegal: it's called Ritalin.So, remember, we're the only species stupid enough toactually poison ourselves. And if we don't do it in justone or two ways, we do it in half a dozen different ways!Then we regulate that poisoning, we make it federal law!And we have lobbyists and groups out there defendingthis use of poison in the food supply, and defending theuse of it in cosmetic products and personal care products.We have defenders of the drug industry, people who say,"Yeah, well there was a study five years ago that showeda 1200 percent heart attack increase, but we thought thatreally wasn't relevant to this drug and we decided to goahead and market that drug anyway." That's what wehave today. And the real details of this gruesome storyhave only begun to be uncovered. Wait until the rest ofthe story comes out...We're #1!Is it any wonder, with all of the poisoning going on at allthe different levels in our bodies, that we are now themost chronically diseased population that has ever beenrecorded in the history of civilization? It's true -- there isno population that has suffered from diseases like we doin America today. You would have to be clinically insaneto not think that there's a correlation between the poisonwe are putting into our bodies and the diseases we aregetting as a result.Continued on page 25-24- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 24 – The Mass Poisoning of HumanityPlus, as recent studies have shown, we're the #1 nation inthe world in terms of mental disorders as well! Let's see: #1in obesity, #1 in diabetes, #1 in cancer, #1 mental disorders,and we have the HIGHEST health care costs in the world,too. We have the most expensive drugs in the world. Wehave more doctors and health care professionals per capitathan any country in the world. And, frighteningly, we're thecountry with the most nukes. Great idea, huh? Put thenuclear weapons under control of the most mentallydisturbed population in the world... now if only our leaderswere at least sane...But no, wait a minute -- the doctors are right, all diseasesare just genetic. None of these poisons matter, it's just yourgenes. They say the gene pool of the human race wasperfectly fine 100 years ago when people didn't have allthese diseases, but it has somehow mutated to a gene poolthat gives you heart disease and cancer and osteoporosisand diabetes, and, by the way, there's nothing you can doabout it. That's what they want you to believe, because thenthey take away your power. Then you have no ability tomake changes.Actually, We're Pretty Darned Clever, Aren't We?Not only are we the most stupid species on the planet,because we're poisoning ourselves, we are simultaneouslythe cleverest species, because we find ways to justify allthat poisoning. We find scientific gobbledygook to claimthat, yes, NutraSweet is good for you! Or that thesechlorine atoms attached to sugar are great for you, or thatmercury in your mouth somehow doesn't have a toxic effecton your body. Or that hydrogenated oils are perfectly finefor your heart health.We stupidly say if you take those and you drink this weightloss shake made with sugar, you'll be healthy. And if youhave this barbaric surgical procedure called gastric bypasssurgery, you'll no longer be obese. And if you're nothealthy, don't worry; we have magic bullet prescriptiondrugs that will make you even healthier. So we're a cleverpopulation at the same time that we're incredibly stupid. Doyou know what that's called? That's called being apopulation of great technicians and lousy healers. Andthat's exactly what we are today.Having used the word "stupid" throughout this editorial, Iuse it deliberately. I don't mean it in the way that a teenagermight say, "My stupid little brother flipped me off." I meanit in a more precise way, in the way defined byDictionary.com:Stupid:1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse. 2. Tending to makepoor decisions or careless mistakes. 3. Marked by a lack ofintelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake. 4.Dazed, stunned, or stupefied.Can you think of a better word to describe the peoplearound here?As Einstein once said, "Only two things are infinite, theuniverse and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about theformer."http://www.newstarget.com/008511.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 22 –Skin Bleaching/Lighteningin the UK there is be a second generation of productscontaining Kajoic Acid that also work by inhibitingmelanin production. Which means that in 5 years time wewill be back in the same situation.’We need to stop this ‘disease’ from spreadingFor many years beauty has been associated with being fair.Models are as white as possible and people are commendedon the fairness of their skin. We feel that we must bowdown to the social pressures or we suffer from thepsychological effects which cause us to use products whichmay permanently disfigure or cause horrific side effects.Banning products containing Hydroquinone and Mercurywill not stop the products from entering the UK and beingsold under the counter. The only way we can make apositive impact on preventing this ‘disease’ from spreadingis through continuous campaigns raising awareness via themedia and the government.http://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Health/skin_bleaching/_lightening_its_dangers_37431.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Nigeria: Bleaching AndColoured WomenBunmi Fasehun7 June 2008LeadershipWhat is being black to you? Is your black colour so darkthat whenever you see a black woman on TV who is lightskinned, you ever wish you had the same colour as her?As an African, or to be politically correct a "black person",why do you feel the need to bleach your skin to looklighter? Do you believe that by bleaching your skin, youmight be more sought after by men? In our culture,especially in Nigeria, it is a well known piece ofinformation that light skinned women are more favouredthan their dark skinned sisters. Some consider identifiesbeing light skinned to be synonymous with beauty.Evidently, when a very dark skinned or a light skinnedContinued on page 26-25- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 25 – Nigeria: Bleaching and ColouredWomenwoman enter a room, the one to get the attention wouldprobably be the light skinned woman. When your skin islighter; it automatically calls attention to you.When I was in Nigeria, to bleach one's skin was verymuch in fashion. There was a time in Nigeria, whenalmost all the women bleaching their skin or rather,toning their skin to give them a lighter complexion,although, then, it never occurred to me, why womenbleach their skin, I considered it normal. Until I grew upand began to understand the dangers of bleaching one'sskin. The beauty of a woman is mostly her skin, you cantell a lot about a woman, just by looking at her skin andhow healthy it is. During my time of adolescence, mythinking was that, it was a natural thing for women tolighten their skin in order to be beautiful, but as timewent by, I saw it differently. The women I knew whilstgrowing up, were reacting badly towards the creams theyare used to bleach. After prolonged bleaching, the skindeteriorates into a different shade, which looks dirty andwrinkled. For older African women who reside in Africa,the side effects of bleaching are never to their favour, asthe Weather and of course, nature deal with their skin in away that would make one puke. It was mostly a horridsight, seeing rubbery, burnt skin on a person's face.So why do African women bleach their skin? Thisquestion has been asked numerous times by academiciansand of course the man on the street. Simply put, Africanwomen bleach their skin to look beautiful and in a way,to look more like their Western sisters, who are muchfairer. During the colonial times in Africa, it was said thatif you were a black woman and light skinned, life wasmuch easier, as being light was almost like to beingwhite. It is not hidden that Africans prefer black womenwho are light in complexion.As a female who grew up in a female dominatedhousehold, I witnessed Aunties mixing different types ofbleaching creams, to fade away their natural skin tone, inorder to be accepted by society and of course, date richmen. The lighter you are in Nigeria, the better yourchances of success, said one of my aunties. My aunty,whom I call Aunty A, is not your conventional beauty,but she was one who made the best of what God gave herby enhancing her skin tone so she could get the right jobor man. When I was about twelve years old, I sat downone afternoon with Aunty A in the kitchen. She wasabout to mix her bleaching cream and I asked her whyshe felt the need to bleach. Head bowed, mixing hercreams, she smiled and said it helps in the society that welive in. She said I should take a look at her. At her age(then 31), she had no boyfriend, she had no job. Shecould not understand why she could not get a job in-26- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Nigeria, even though she had the right qualificationsand to make it worse, neither did she have a boyfriend.She said she'd noticed that all the women that werefavoured in Nigeria were mostly light skinned women,and as soon as she'd realised that, she knew she had aprivate war on her hands. She got some money togetherand bought bleaching creams so she could get a job andat least get a man that would marry her, and true to herwords, after she began to bleach, she went for aboutfive job interviews and finally got a job. However, shecould still not get the man of her dreams. Once hersalary was paid to her, most of it was spent onbleaching her skin, to enable her to attract the man ofher dreams. I asked her what sort of man she thoughtbleaching her skin would attract and with a glow on herface, she gave a wide smile and said, "Of course, richmen." I had never laughed so much in my life. Attwelve, I didn't know much, but I knew that myknowledge surpassed my Aunty A's, as she had no clue.She actually thought by bleaching her skin, she wouldattract a rich guy. My reply to her was that she shouldstop bleaching, as I doubted that any sensible manwould want to marry a 31-year old with bleached skin.She gave me a knock on the head! True to testimony,she did stop bleaching her skin and got a man. She isnow happily married.To be fair to African women, especially the ones in thediaspora, it is very hard to be a success in this world, asyou will find so many hindrances would be placed onyour feet; It is not easy for African women in thediasporas, it can be problematic being very darkskinned. In the Western culture, you are mostly judgedby your appearance, how you speak and how youpresent yourself. Being black is almost a curse in theworld we live in today. No matter how educated andenlightened you are, once your skin colour is black, theboundaries are set for you. You are invisibly setinvisible limit on how high you can go in the Westernworld. One must also point out that the issue of womenbleaching their skin does not only lie in the Westernworld, it is in every part of Africa. Wherever there areblack people, you will always come across black menand women who bleach their skin in order to look thepart.http://allafrica.com/stories/200806070128.html☻☻☻☻☻☻

New Botox Rival May CostLess, Work FasterNew wrinkle in skin injectables may work faster, lastlonger and cost lessBy Mike CelizicJanuary 8, 2009There’s a new player joining the war on wrinkles, and it’slooking to take on Botox in a run for your money.Within the next few months, the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) is expected to approve Reloxin asan injectable treatment for wrinkles. Made from the sameneurotoxin as Botox, Reloxin is said to act more quicklyand may last longer than Botox, according to a reportfiled on Thursday for TODAY by Michelle Kosinski ofNBC News.The bottom line for consumers, according to Dr. NancySnyderman, NBC’s chief medical editor, is that Reloxinwill probably be priced lower than Botox.Battle with Botox“I think you’re going to see a marketing battle,”Snyderman told TODAY’s Ann Curry in New York. “Ithink this is going to come in cheaper. Right now, Botoxcosts $350 to $500. Watch for a price war. It’s going tobe a price war for women who want this stuff.”Botox has been used in medical applications to treatmuscle spasms and other conditions for nearly threedecades, Snyderman said. In 2002, it was approved by theFDA for cosmetic use. It is made from botulinum toxin,the same bacteria that cause botulism food poisoning.Reloxin, which has been marketed for several years inEurope and South America under the brand nameDysport, is made from the same neurotoxin as Botox. Itwas originally developed to treat muscular disorders. Thedifference, according to Kosinski’s report, is that Reloxinwill act in one to two days instead of the three to fivedays Botox needs to kick in. Clinical trials suggestinjections may be effective for up to five or six months,as opposed to about three months for Botox.“They work the same way. They paralyze the muscle,”Snyderman said. In cosmetic use, the substance is used toimmobilize the muscles that cause facial wrinkles.Reloxin, she said, “is a new take on it. It is the first kid onthe block to give Botox some real competition.”She said the main difference between Botox and Reloxinis that Reloxin “will start earlier. I think there’s still somecontroversy as to how long it will last. Some people say itlasts about three months, and then you have to go back to-27- Traditional African Clinic January 2009the doctor. Other people say that once you start using itregularly, you may get up to six months.“So, if Reloxin really lasts longer than Botox — that Ihave to wait to see. But, no doubt, it starts acting sooner.”Recession-proof?The new competitor to Botox arrives at a time whencosmetic surgeons are seeing a downturn in big-ticketsurgeries like breast enhancement, nose jobs and facelifts,but little reduction in the demand for rejuvenatingprocedures like Botox injections, dermal fillers andchemical skin peels.A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reported thatwith the economy in recession, people see maintaining ayouthful appearance as being vital in keeping existingjobs or looking for new ones. In 2007, Allergan reportedBotox sales of $1.2 billion, but said that demand for thedrug was “subdued” late last year.Allergan has responded to the coming hype for Reloxinby emphasizing its established track record. “Physiciansshould not assume that they can use another product suchas Reloxin and get the same precise and predictableresults, with the same safety profile, as they do withBotox,” Allergan said in a statement released to NBCNews.The consumer’s biggest fear about any wrinkle-erasinginjections is that their face will be permanently paralyzedinto a mask, or suffer other disfigurement. ButSnyderman said such fears are unfounded.“The most important thing to remember is it’stemporary,” Snyderman told Curry. “It will wear off; itdoesn’t paralyze anything forever, and, boy, is this stuffsafe. It really has been run through the wringer. It’s beenaround for 25 years.”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28558128/☻☻☻☻☻☻FDA Receives 930 Reports ofWrinkle-Filler IssuesSome suffer facial palsy, disfigurement and otherproblems after injectionsReutersNovember 14, 2008WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators have received reportsof serious and unexpected problems in people treatedwith wrinkle-fighting injections known as dermal fillers,Food and Drug Administration staff said in a reportreleased on Friday.The problems included facial palsy, disfigurement andContinued on page 27

Continued from page 26 – FDA Receives 930 Reports ofWrinkle-Filler Issues"rare but life-threatening events such as severe allergicreactions and anaphylactic shock," the FDA staff said.The agency said it received a total of 930 reports ofhealth problems over the past six years. Many includedknown complications such as minor swelling. The FDAdid not identify which products had reports of moreserious problems.The FDA staff said the reports had several limitationssuch as failing to say when the problems started.Dermal fillers include Allergan Inc's Juvederm, Restylaneand Perlane from Medicis, and Bioform Medical'sRadiesse.The FDA will ask a panel of outside experts that meetson Tuesday if labels for the products should be changed,agency staff said.Medicis Chief Executive Jonah Shacknai, in an interviewwith Reuters, said, "We do not see any adverse eventsthat are unexpected or unnoted on our product label."We haven't seen anything that is life-threatening," headded.Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said noserious problems were seen in clinical trials of Juvederm,and the most common complaint since its approval wasswelling in 0.4 percent of patients."Juvederm has a highly favorable safety profile based onlong-term use and volume," she said.An official at Bioform Medical could not immediately bereached for comment.The report was posted on the FDA Web site.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27720360/☻☻☻☻☻☻Nanotechnology Sparks Fearsfor the FutureTimes OnlineNovember 12, 2008Lewis SmithNanomaterials are likely to kill people in the future justas asbestos did unless extensive safety checks are put inplace, a Royal Commission report has said.The team of experts assessing the likely impacts of theemerging technology are worried that whennanomaterials escape into the environment they willdamage people and wildlife but that it will be yearsbefore the effects are seen.-28- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Past generations have brought into general usage materialssuch as asbestos, leaded petrol, CFCs and cigarettes withoutadequately considering the potential damage and thecommission fears nanomaterials will prove similarlydangerous.Royal Society report on nanomaterialsOnly by introducing rigorous safety systems, includingwidespread monitoring and intensive research, can threatsposed by nanomaterials be identified and countered, theRoyal Commission on Environmental Pollution concluded.Nanomaterials are already used in a variety of products onthe market including a range of clothes in Japan that havedispensed with dye because refracting nanomaterialsprovide the colours.A nanomaterial placed on the surface of the glass in theroof at St Pancras Station has been designed to keep itclean. It reacts with sunlight to break down dirt without theneed for window cleaners to clamber up on the roof.Many sun creams contain titanium dioxide particles, ananomaterial which has been in use for years. There areabout 600 different products using nanomaterials aroundthe world and around 1,500 have been patented.Professor Sir John Lawton, chairman of the commission,accepted that no evidence has yet been found to showdamage has been caused to human health or theenvironment by nanomaterials.But he said that while the technology had the potential tooffer many benefits to society there is also the possibility itwill cause harm.“The rate of innovation in this sector far outstrips ourcapacity to respond to the risks,” he said. “There is anurgent need for more research and testing ofnanomaterials.”So little is understood about nanomaterials in theenvironment, that scientists have yet even to work out waysof finding them.Nanomaterials manufactured for use in products wereconsidered by the Commission to be those that measure oneto 100 nanometres long. A grain of sand is about a millionnanometres wide.Professor Susan Owens, of the University of Cambridge,said: “If we don’t do anything and we leave it, then thingsContinued on page 28

Continued from page 27 – Nanotechnology Sparks Fears forFuturemanifest themselves in 10 to 15 years’ time. By then thetechnology is so embedded in society it’s very difficult todeal with it.”Backing calls for research and monitoring she said thatproblems caused by CFCs, asbestos and other products,were only detected when they started damaging humanhealth and the environment.Experts on the Commission estimated Britain and the restof the world has about a decade to carry out research onthe safety of nanotechnology before the use ofnanomaterials, ranging from the diameter of a DNAstrand to that of a virus, become too widely-used for anydamage to be halted.The commission’s report, Novel Materials in theEnvironment: the case of nanotechnology, rejected anoutright ban on the technology because of the hugepotential benefits.A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “As the Commissionstates, it has found no evidence of harm to health or theenvironment from nanomaterials, but the Governmentremains committed to researching their health andenvironmental impact.“In particular, ministers are pushing in Europe to ensurethat effective regulation is in place. EU and UK reviewsof existing legislation have concluded that the existingregulatory framework can be changed to extend tonanomaterials.”http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/gm_biofuel/article5134227.ece.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Skin Cancer VaccineBreakthroughBy Clair WeaverDaily TelegraphNovember 16, 2008THE pioneering Australian scientist who discovered thecure for cervical cancer is on the verge of creating theworld's first vaccine for skin cancer.Professor Ian Frazer, former Australian of the Year, hasrevealed the vaccine could be ready within the next fiveto 10 years.As with the jab now given to millions of young girls eachyear to prevent cervical cancer, children aged between 10and 12 would be given the vaccine to prevent skin cancerlater in life, Professor Frazer envisages.Testing on animals has shown the vaccine to besuccessful and human trials will start next year.Australia has the world's highest rate of skin cancer withmore than 380,000 people diagnosed with the disease and1600 dying from it each year.Professor Frazer will reveal this ground-breaking skinwork at the Australian Health and Medical ResearchCongress to be held in Brisbane tomorrow.He said it would be rewarding to develop a vaccine for acancer that was so prevalent in Australia with its hotclimate.It's an important challenge with a very major healthbenefit if it works,'' Professor Frazer told The SundayTelegraph."If we get encouraging results we will try and push it onas fast as we can. It's really a given that we try to focuson health problems which are significant ones."When you're looking at treatments, your focus needs tobe on diseases that are most common.''The new skin-cancer vaccine works by targetingpapillomavirus, a common skin infection that affectsmost people and can linger in the body, turning abnormalcells into cancer.Prof Frazer and his team from the Diamantina Institute atthe University of Queensland are focusing on preventingsquamous-cell skin cancer, which is strongly linked topapillomavirus.Squamous cell is the second most common skin cancer,affecting 137,600 people in Australia this year and killing400.It's not yet known if melanomas, which are the mostdeadly form of skin cancer, are also caused bypapillomavirus."My entire career has been focused on understanding theinteraction between papillomavirus and the cancers theyaffect,'' Prof Frazer said."We know it causes at least five per cent of all cancersglobally so one in 20 of the cancers that people get iscaused by papillomavirus. It's a huge issue.''The new vaccine is part of a two-pronged approach totackle skin cancer.The other approach involves "switching off'' one of theContinued on page 29-29- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued on page 29 – Skin Cancer Vaccineskin's controls to allow killer cells to destroy potentiallycancerous cells."Getting the vaccine is the easy part,'' Prof Frazer"We need to introduce this other component to changethe setting in the local environment."The skin has a number of defences against the body'sown immune system."What we're learning is the nature of those controls andhow to turn them off."We can turn them off in animals and if we turn them off,the vaccine does its job.''The next stage of trials will involve treating thosepatients with chronic disease and pre-cancerous lesions.The new vaccine is not the same as Gardasil - usedagainst cervical cancer - and contains differentingredients, although both work in a similar way."It's a conventional vaccine that contains a viral protein,''Prof Fraser said."It was specifically developed for this trial.''Professor Frazer told Thursday's St George Hospital 2008symposium in south-east Sydney that more than 20 percent of the world's cancers were triggered by infectionand they could therefore be prevented by immunisation.But he acknowledged that the full extent of the role ofpapillomavirus in skin cancer had not yet beenestablished."I don't know how many skin cancers are caused by it,''he said. ``On pessimistic days I say one per cent, but onother days I think maybe all of them are.''And despite his hopes, Prof Frazer stressed it would notmean vaccinated people could abandon measures toprotect themselves from the sun."There's always a danger of complacency,'' he said."A vaccine is not a replacement for prevention.''"We need to introduce this other component to changethe setting in the local environment."The skin has a number of defences against thebody's own immune system."What we're learning is the nature of those controlsand how to turn them off."We can turn them off in animals and if we turn themoff, the vaccine does its job.''The next stage of trials will involve treating thosepatients with chronic disease and pre-cancerous lesions.The new vaccine is not the same as Gardasil - usedagainst cervical cancer - and contains differentingredients, although both work in a similar way."It's a conventional vaccine that contains a viral protein,''Prof Fraser said."It was specifically developed for this trial.''Professor Frazer told Thursday's St George Hospital 2008symposium in south-east Sydney that more than 20 percent of the world's cancers were triggered by infectionand they could therefore be prevented by immunisation.But he acknowledged that the full extent of the role ofpapillomavirus in skin cancer had not yet beenestablished."I don't know how many skin cancers are caused by it,''he said. ``On pessimistic days I say one per cent, but onother days I think maybe all of them are.''And despite his hopes, Prof Frazer stressed it would notmean vaccinated people could abandon measures toprotect themselves from the sun."There's always a danger of complacency,'' he said. "Avaccine is not a replacement for prevention.''http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24657172-5006010,00.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Don't Pucker Up: Lead inLipstickFrom the Department Store to the Drugstore: Lead onYour LipsOctober 12, 2007You might want to think twice before touching up yourlipstick. According to a new report, some lipsticks arecontaminated with lead, from drugstore brands todesigner labels.The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics randomly purchasedmore than 30 lipsticks in four cities and sent them to a labfor lead testing. More than half came back with levels oflead."It's unconscionable that women should have to worryabout lead in lipstick," said Stacy Malkan of theCampaign for Safe Cosmetics.The coalition's report found that 20 of the 33 lipsticks itsent to be tested contained lead. Higher levels were foundin products made by L'Oreal, Cover Girl and ChristianDior. Continued on page 31-30- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 31 – Don’t Pucker up: Lead inLipstickBecause there is no federal standard for lead incosmetics, the advocacy group used the Food and DrugAdministration's limits for lead in candy as a yardstick."We want the companies to immediately reformulatetheir products to get the lead out and … ultimately,really we need to change the laws and force thesecompanies to be accountable to women's health,"Malkan said.But the trade group representing the cosmetics industrysaid the report is nothing new and, not surprisingly, thefindings are not cause for worry."I think the levels are actually quite low — trace levels— really not something that would present a cause forconcern," said John Bailey of the Cosmetic, Toiletry,and Fragrance Association.Experts say pregnant women should be extra awarewhen it comes to lead-tainted products. "Lead is aproven neurotoxin. It can cause learning disabilities. It'salso linked to miscarriage and infertility," Malkan said.Bailey advises that all pregnant women consult theirphysician before choosing their cosmetics.L'Oreal told ABC News that all its products are incompliance with FDA regulations and that it upholdsthe highest standards of safety for its customers.Proctor and Gamble, maker of Cover Girl, said that itstands behind the safety of its products and that all itsproducts go through rigorous testing procedures.LVMH, the company that makes Dior products, said itdoes not use lead products in its cosmetics. Traceamounts of lead exist in natural pigments, but thecompany considers those levels harmless.http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3722013☻☻☻☻☻☻FDA Approves Treatment toBoost EyelashesGlaucoma drug can be used to increase thickness,fullness of lashesAssociated PressDecember, 26, 2008YORK - Cosmetic drugmaker Allergan Inc. said Fridayits eyelash treatment Latisse received Food and DrugAdministration approval.The drug treats the condition hypotrichosis of theeyelashes and is applied once-daily to increase thickness and fullness, the company said. The treatment has-31- Traditional African Clinic January 2009full results within 16 weeks, it said."Latisse fulfills a significant and previously unmet needin the medical aesthetic marketplace with a productapproved by the FDA that increases the growth ofeyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker,"said Dr. Scott Whitcup, Allergan's executive vicepresident of research and development, in a statement.The drug's active ingredient, bimatoprost, was firstapproved in 2001 as a treatment to lower intraocularpressure in people with a type of glaucoma orhypertension within the eye.Allergan expects to launch Latisse in the first quarterand forecasts peak annual sales exceeding $500million.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28391085/☻☻☻☻☻☻WHY THE USGOVERNMENT REQUIRESWARNING LABELS ONTOOTHPASTEWARNINGKeep out of the reach of children under 6 years ofage. If you accidentally swallow more than used forbushing, seek professional assistance or contact aPoison Control Center immediately. As with othertoothpaste, if irritation occurs discontinue use.DIRECTIONS: Adults and children 2 years andolder. Apply toothpaste onto a soft bristletoothbrush. Brush thoroughly after meals or at leasttwice a day or as directed by a dentist or physician.Children under 6 years: To minimize swallowing,use a pea sized amount supervise brushing untilgood habits are established. Children under 2years: Ask a dentist or physician.The above guidelines are the typical warning labels anddirections for toothpaste. Let’s examine the ingredientsfound in most toothpaste’s to find out why the FDArequires warning labels. The following are commoningredients found in toothpaste: hydrated silica,sorbitol, sodium saccharin, titanium dioxide, glycerin,sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, and sodium fluoride.Hydrated silica is made from a crystallized compoundfound in quartz, sand, and flint and is primarily used asan abrasive in toothpaste.Continued on page 32

Continued from page 31 – Why the US Government RequiresWarning Labels on ToothasteSorbitol and sodium saccharin are both sweetenersand used as carriers and sweeteners in toothpaste.Titanium dioxide is a pigment used for providingbrightness and whiteness to such products as paint,plastics, paper, inks, fibers, food, and cosmetics; and isused as a stain remover/whitener in toothpaste.Glycerin is a syrupy, sweet, colorless or yellowish liquidobtained from fats and oils and used as a solvent,antifreeze, plasticizer, and sweetener in the manufactureof dynamite, cosmetics, liquid soaps, inks, and lubricants.Glycerin prevents toothpaste from drying out and helpsmaintain product consistency.Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a powerful surfactant(wetting agents) and detergent. It has industrial andcosmetic uses and is used around the world in clinicallystudies as a skin irritant. The molecule is small enough topenetrate the skin and can enter the blood stream beingcarried to every organ of the body. SLS is used intoothpaste as a foaming and cleansing agent.Sodium fluoride is a colorless crystalline salt used influoridation of water, in treatment of tooth decay, and asan insecticide and disinfectant. Sodium fluoride is used intoothpaste to harden the enamel of the teeth to preventtooth decay.You are probably as shocked as we were to discoverwhat’s in toothpaste, and what we are exposing ourselvesand our children to everyday. Although there areproponents that warn against the use of all of the aboveingredients, sodium fluoride is the one ingredient thattriggered the FDA to require warning labels ontoothpaste. Here are some facts about fluoride.The FDA lists fluoride as an “unapproved new drug”and the EPA lists fluoride as a “contaminant”. Fluoridehas never received “FDA Approval” and is considered tobe a toxic waste product from the fertilizer industry.A July 1998 report for The American Academy ofPediatric Dentistry states that at least 22% of allAmerican children now have dental fluorosis as a resultof ingesting too much fluoride. Fluorosis is light spotsand discoloration forming on developing teeth ofchildren. In advanced cases pitting of teeth can occur.Fluoride has been linked to many harmful health effectsincluding: Alzheimer’s, kidney damage, gastrointestinalproblems, cancer, genetic damage, neurologicalimpairment, bone and tooth decay, arthritis, andosteoporosis. Check the Internet for government andscientific reports validating this seehttp://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Fluoride.htm.-32- Traditional African Clinic January 2009Battelle released the results of its study of fluorides andrats in April 1989. The study showed a dose-dependentrelationship between the incidence of oral canceroustumors and fluorides. After learning this, the NationalCancer Institute did a study and found that as exposureto fluoridation increases, so does the incidence of oralcancer; sometimes by as much as 50%.In 1990 forty US dentist brought a case against theAmerican Dental Association contending that theAssociation purposefully shielded the public from datathat links fluoride to genetic defects, cancer and otherhealth problems (Columbus Dispatch, Oct 21, 1990).Since 1990 over 45 US cities have rejected fluoridation.Ninety eight percent of Europe’s drinking water is nowfluoride free.In 1986-1987, a study involving 39,207 children aged5-17 showed no statistical difference in decay of teethfrom using non-fluoridated or fluoridated water (Dr J.Yiamouyiannus Water Fluoridation & Tooth DecayStudy, Fluoride 23:pp55-67, 1990.).The FDA has determined toothpaste containing sodiumfluoride enough of a risk to require warning labels.Historically, when the FDA requires warning labelsthere is a good reason for it. Look at the progression ofcigarette warning labels: 1970 - Caution: Smoking maybe hazardous to your health; 2000 – Surgeon GeneralsWarning: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease,emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.Although there is a growing movement against the useof fluoride, there are also some big companies withdeep pockets and strong lobbyist in Washington DCthat want to continue selling fluoride. We suggest youfind a use a safe, alternative to fluoridated toothpaste.http://www.oramd.com/toothpastewarning.htm?kbid=1110☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued on page 3 - Ancestor Venerationthe cosmos (adultery provokes dryness), and publicfunction is at the same time religious and cosmological(i.e. symbolises somehow the cosmos). The power oftradition is connected with cyclic duration, ritualrepetition, gerontocracy (government by old men), cult(of ancestors, initiation rites whereby man is plungedinto the mythical time of the ancestors to participate inthe sacred events of that time of origins). The solidarityand totality of the socio-cosmical universe determineall private initiative.Things are conceived as symbols of each other.Symbols, on their part, not only unify the objects theysymbolise, but are also believed to participate somehowin the reality which they express. The African is notContinued on page 33

Continued from page 32 – Ancestor Venerationcontent merely with living in the world and experiencingits rhythm but desires also to interpret the symbolism ofcreated things, and to enter into sympathetic communionwith them. The world is, for the human being who hasdaily contact with it, an ensemble of signs and messagesto be interpreted. The initiated is the one who knows thesecret (symbols) of things. There is no clear-cutdistinction between the sign and the signified.What is also prominent in this "corporate way ofthinking" is a strong of community life, expressed byparticipation in the life of the community into which theindividual is introduced by various initiation rites. Thisaccounts for the deep sense of the family shown by theattachment to the family and the bond with the ancestors.Closely connected with the family and community atlarge is the great respect shown to the head of the familyand other members of the communal authority. In manycases members of a clan have special mysticalrelationship to a totem, with which the name of the clan isassociated.2.1.3 The sacred. There is a marked sense of the sacredunderstood as the "tremendum et fascinosum", and ischaracteristically manifested in initiation ritescomprising, among other things, return to the sacred timeof the ancestors, culture heroes, founders and archetypes.The present world is closely connected with the worldafter death, and one lives in close contact with one’sancestors and other spirits. As consequence, the Africantraditionalist is deeply characterised by magico-religiousbehaviour.Among the spirits, God is the highest. He is the ultimatecontroller of natural forces and human destiny. He dwellsfar away in the sky, or in some important places such asmountains. He is often approached throughintermediaries.Side by side with God is the Mother Earth - a goddesswho purifies or symbolises the fertility of the soil.Besides these are other spirits and those of the dead.2.1.4 Anthropocentrism. Society and religion arecentred on man whose welfare (well-being, security,protection) in this and the next world they are meant toprocure. Human dignity is highly respected, and man hasa privileged place in the universe; he interprets thecosmos in terms of human organisation. The world,inexhaustible source of life, is meant to reinforce thepower of man so as to make him more living. Interest inGod seems to be chiefly based on His readiness andcapacity to help man in his terrestrial interests. This fact,together with the desire to live fully the values andpowers of this world, may explain the absence ofmystical contemplative communities in Africantraditional societies.It should be added that in modern African societies —especially in urban circles and among the elite — theseelements are undergoing considerable changes and areat times even disappearing. But it remains true that theystill characterise the general African traditionalmentality.After this short description of some of the items in theAfrican traditional worldview, I shall now expose thevarious beliefs and practices concerning ancestralveneration in the majority of African traditionalsocieties.2.2 The Cult of AncestorsThere is no uniform system of beliefs and practices ofthis cult in black Africa. In fact, one finds differencesof detail even in the same ethnic group. Moreover, theancestral veneration which will be described here is notfound in each African traditional community.Nevertheless the cult belongs to the majority of thepeoples. Besides, notwithstanding the differencesreferred to above, there are many elements shared incommon by many ethnic societies. This fact justifiesthe assertion that there are common conceptions onancestors and their cult. It is on such common viewsthat the exposition which follows will be mainlycentred.Mention has already been made that ancestralveneration in Africa is intimately linked with thetraditional worldview. In this worldview life,understood as sacred power (vital force), is a centralelement. We have seen that the ideal of African cultureis coexistence and strengthening of vital force in thehuman community and the world at large. This ideal isone of the basic motivations of ancestral cult. That iswhy in many African societies ancestral status isclosely linked with procreative fecundity. In some (butby no means all) communities, a person withoutoffspring cannot become an ancestor.There are even cases where it is believed that thenaming of the descendant by the name of his ancestormakes it possible for the ancestor to continue to live inhis descendant. The belief is widespread that theancestor will continue to survive as ancestor only oncondition that he is not forgotten, i.e. if his descendantscommunicate with him. Hence, the African desires tohave many children who will remember him andritually communicate with him. An ancestor, on hispart, is believed to procure benefits for his living kinsuch as health, long life and the begetting of children.Continued on page 34-33- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Continued from page 33 – Ancestor VenerationAfrican ancestral relationship includes the idea ofkinship as an indispensable factor. No one can be anancestor of an individual who is not kinly related tohim. It is for this reason that rituals for the dead withoutany particular reference to kinship are generallyconsidered as not belonging to ancestral cult. Andalthough there are cases where ancestral relationship isnot founded on family ties (e.g. when such relationshipis grounded on common membership in a religious orsecret society), yet such relationship rarely — if ever— goes beyond tribal limits.Thanks to his death an ancestor is believed to enjoy asacred super-human status with special magicoreligiouspowers that can be beneficial or even harmfulto his earthly kin. Such super-human condition isexpressed in various ways. Thus, for instance, bothbodily and spiritual qualities are ascribed to theancestors: invisibility or visibility in human but unusualform, capacity to enter into and possess humanindividuals or brute animals, capacity to consume foodor drinks, special nearness to the Supreme Being,capacity to exist anywhere — although the ancestorsare believed to have localities of preference (e.g.shrines, particular trees or bushes, grave-yards, etc.). Attimes the ancestral spirits are presented with ambivalentfeatures: they can be benevolent to their earthly kin, butthey can also intervene at will to harm them. That iswhy they are also feared. When they are forgotten orneglected by their descendants, they are said tomanifest their anger by sending to their descendantsbodily or spiritual calamities. Their anger is usuallyappeased through prayer and ritual offerings oroblations. This is an indication of the belief thatancestors are entitled to regular sacred communicationwith their earthly relatives.In spite of the fear manifested at times towardsancestors, the living is naturally drawn to ritualcommunication with their deceased kin. Suchinclination stems from the natural love, piety andrespect towards their sacred relatives in the other world,as well as from the belief in the beneficial sacred vitalforces the ancestors are supposed to possess thanks totheir nearness to the Supreme Being. Indeed, the livingon earth expect special benefits from their ancestors,e.g. protection from sickness, death or othermisfortunes, and the acquisition of various benefits,such as long life, great wealth or many children. Anancestor is, therefore, expected to be faithful to hisBeing as a last resort. The ancestors, on their part, aresaid to desire frequent or regular contact with theirearthly relatives, and are even believed to visit themthrough mediums (e.g. snakes, hyenas and caterpillars)or to have direct union with them through possession. Infact, the living and their ancestors form a totality inwhich solidarity is lived and expressed through prayersand rituals, in which human and cosmic solidarity isengaged.From what has been said above, it is obvious that theAfrican manifests a sort of dialectical tension in hisattitude towards his ancestors, namely: fear, but alsoattraction towards them. As can be gathered from theabove description there are various reasons behind suchambivalent attitude. Among such reasons, the sense of thesacredness of the ancestors should also be included. Wehave already seen that the sacred is experienced both astremendum et fascinosum, tremendous and fascinating, atthe same time. Undoubtedly, belief in such experienceaccounts also for the African’s ambivalent behaviourcharacterised by fear and attraction towards his ancestors.Thanks to their superhuman condition and nearness to theCreator, the ancestors are often considered as mediatorsbetween the Supreme Being and their earthly kin.However, although mediation is ascribed to the dead inmany African societies, it is not an indispensable factorof ancestral status. It is indeed absent from the ancestralcult of some communities, and some anthropologistsbelieve that it is a later comer into that cult, probably dueto Christian influence. Besides, although the creationHimself is acknowledged as ancestor by some tribalgroups, no mediatory role is ascribed to him by suchcommunities. It is important to add, in this connectionthat, unlike the Supreme Being, human ancestors are notadored in African societies.No one can attain ancestral status without having led amorally good life, according to traditional African moralstandards. For an ancestor is regarded as a model orexemplar of conduct in the community, and as source oftribal tradition and its stability. In some tribes, properburial with appropriate funeral rites is another necessarycondition for the ancestral mode of existence. Thiscondition is, however, not universal. Thus it was nonexistentamong those societies in which the dead were notburied, but thrown into the bush.African ancestral cult exists as part of a larger religioussystem. As it is limited to the ethnic group, no attempt ismade to proselyte outsiders. Close observation revealsthat the cult is fundamentally anthropocentric. It iscentred on the human person, and is intended to procurehuman welfare in this world and in the world beyonddeath. And in those cases where the creator isacknowledged as ancestor, he is anthropomorphicallyconceived.http://afrikaworld.net/afrel/nyamiti.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻-34- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

What is VitiligoVitiligo affects the skin, eyes, and mucous membranesby destroying cells that produce the body's pigment.The most obvious results of this condition are whitesplotches in the areas where the skin isn't producingenough pigment. This is not a serious condition, butresearch physicians are still investigating methods forcorrect diagnosis, treatments, co-existent diseases, andpsychological side effects.Our hair, eyes, and skin are given color by a pigmentcalled melanin. This material is constantly beingbroken down and replaced, so it must be replenished bycells called melanocytes. Melanocytes manufacture anddistribute the correct amount of melanin, but for peoplewith vitiligo, this process gets disrupted.As scientists have found, vitiligo destroys melanocytesfor unknown reasons. They have categorized it as anauto-immune disorder because no external cause seemsto be responsible for it. In auto-immune disorders, yourbody mistakes itself for an enemy intruder and declareswar on those "enemy" cells. Your malfunctioningimmune system continues attacking your own cells; inthis case, melanocytes.The most common symptom of vitiligo is light or whitepatches of skin anywhere on your body. These arecommonly found on areas that receive a lot of sunlight,like your face, back of the neck, forearms, hands, andfeet. They can also affect other areas, such asunderneath your arms and genitals. For the most part,the symptoms are the most serious aspect of thiscondition, and doctors direct their treatment toward thisaspect.If you suspect you have vitiligo, make sure to go toyour physician for an official diagnosis andconsultation. You can expect a physical exam of yourskin from a dermatologist. At this stage in research,there are a number of different courses of treatment,ranging from light therapy to oral medication to strongsunscreen.Since vitiligo seems to affect young people more thanolder people, physicians cite the psychological effectsof the disease as a major issue. A person with a visibledifference in skin coloring, called depigmentation, maybe influenced to see their body as unhealthy, disabled,or unattractive. Doctors encourage young people to seea psychologist to help with this reaction.Vitiligo may point your physician to another coexistingcondition often seen with depigmentation. Anemia,lupus, and hyperthyroidism are often found in peoplewith vitiligo. Genetics are also probably responsible,-35- Traditional African Clinic January 2009since the condition seems to run in families.Unfortunately, vitiligo usually gets worse as time goeson. However, it is certainly not contagious.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-vitiligo.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Why Isn't My Skin Brown?Growing Up as a Black Girl with WhiteSkinby Monique YoungNovember 19, 2008I was born with blonde hair, porcelain colored skin andblue-ish grey eyes. Not many people see me for what Iam and that is a black woman in her late 20's. They see a"white girl"; that was especially the case when I was akid. I grew up on the south side of Chicago in an all blackneighborhood. All the kids in my school were black, theonly time you saw a white person they were adults andhad some type of authoritative position i.e. a teacher,doctor, store manager, delivery guy etc. As a child Inever realized there was a difference between me andeveryone else in my family. I guess when you are a kidyou ignore that kind of stuff. I didn't know I was differentuntil a girl in kindergarten class called me a "white girl",I defended myself by telling her I was not white, but to achild skin color is what determines your race. Little did Iknow this would follow me around for the rest of my life.I remember asking my mother that day, "Why isn't myskin brown?" Now that I am a parent, I can't imagine howto explain to your child why they are who they are. Mymother looked at me and told me "Black people come inall colors, from dark as night to light as day." She thengave examples of all the different complexions within ourfamily and that satisfied me, so I went to school the nextday with my armor ready to educate the other kids to mynewfound understanding of being black.Unfortunately for me however you explained it, my skinwas white so by default I must be a "white girl". Needlessto say, I grew up defending my 'blackness" to my peers.This in turn made being called a "white girl" infuriating. Ididn't understand why it mattered whether I was black ornot, and why other people were so angry with me forbeing "white". I didn't choose my skin color any morethan they chose their hair type. I went from being anormal happy outgoing little girl to a defensive, angryand unhappy pre-teen. I learned over the years whatalbinism is, but it didn't make it any easier to deal withpeople. It did make it easier to explain. Not that I feltobligated to but there were times when other kids wouldgenuinely want to know how I "ended up born like that".Continued on page 36

Continued from page 35 - Why Isn’t my Skin Brown?‘‘The older I got the more I understood about peopleand what triggers their thoughts. Most of the kids thatteased me didn't know why they had a problem with mycomplexion. I think they, like most children, got theirideas and beliefs about social and ethnic differencesfrom their parents. I reasoned that they probably hadnever even been around enough white people tounderstand why they didn't or shouldn't like them. Inoticed that when these same kids were around ourwhite teachers, they didn't care about them being white.Why did it bother them that my skin is white? If I werereally a white girl would I be angry about being called awhite girl? Would they make a point to refer to me aswhite girl, if they truly believed that's what I was? Iwent from defending my "blackness" as a youngerchild to proving it as an adolescent.I was outspoken, aggressive, and confrontational...thatwasn't necessarily what I thought made me black but itdid make those around me more accepting of that fact. Ican even recall my friend's older brother saying, "Youlook like a white girl, but as soon as you open yourmouth... we know you ain't." I had so many physicalfights and used the phrase "who you calling a whitegirl" so often, I should have bought the rights to it. It'sfunny how we spend a lot of our earlier years learningand defining who we are. I spent most of mine trying toprove something, that wasn't obvious, until I got tiredof it.I was lucky enough to have a family that encouragedme to be my own person and to lead and not follow. Istarted to feel like a follower by behaving how I wasjust to make other people happy. I realized that otherkids my age were going through the same type of thingas I was. We all wanted to be accepted whether thatwas by your friends, or those who you'd like to be yourfriend. I didn't like trying to "make" people like me. Ifinally realized that I didn't care anymore because ifthere wasn't my albinism there would be something elsethat someone wouldn't like about me and that shouldn'tbe my problem. I realized that if someone didn't likeme or think I looked black, so what... who cares. Iknow what I am and if they don't like it then theyweren't worth my energy. I began to think about what Iwanted out of life and stopped focusing on my color. Irealized that by getting mad or upset was giving awaymy right to be happy. I realized that there was no suchthing as "acting black", you are born what you are andthe way you act can't define your race.I had this conversation with other black people withalbinism and it's funny but we all had a different way ofdealing with it. One young lady felt like she had tochoose between being black or white.I became a happier person and instead of worrying aboutmy color, I was more concerned with what color my lipglosswas. I stopped going out of my way to pleasepeople and I ended up enjoying being a teenager. Ofcourse, the ignorance didn't' stop but my attention to itdid. I was popular in high school, I had my own group offriends and we did our own thing. I didn't "act black"anymore. I was Monique... outspoken, funny, eclectic andartistic. I can't imagine what kind of person I'd be if I hadcontinued through the rest of my life trying to pleasepeople.I still get ignorant reaction to my white skin like whenpeople meet my parents or when I am walking down thestreet with my sons. When my husband and I are togetherwith the kids there aren't too many stares. I guess that isdue to all the interracial dating. I had to take my oldest tothe emergency room not too long after he was born andone young black girl said "Aww, look at the little halfbreed, he is too cute!" I didn't even bother to correct her.She was wrong on so many levels and I felt likeregardless to what I said she wasn't going to walk awayany more informed than she already was. It made merealize how much I've grown and, like my mother, I toowould have to explain to my kids why my skin isn'tbrown.-36- Traditional African Clinic January 2009http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1210049/why_isnt_my_skin_brown_growing_up_as.html?page=3&cat=43☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 38 - Kigelia africanasores. Many dressings, topical treatments and infusionscontaining Kigelia africana are also used for theiranalgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The bark,stems, twigs, leaves and fruits are infused and takenorally, or applied locally, to relieve rheumatism, sprains,haematoma and bruising; a decoction of the fruit and barkis used to relieve toothache and headache.Extracts of the bark, wood, roots and fruits possessantibacterial and antifungal properties. These extractsexhibit significant inhibitory effects in vitro againstcommon Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, andthe yeast Candida albicans. Of the naphthoquinonesisolated in fruit and root extracts, kigelinone has shownnotable antimicrobial activity.Kigelia africana is renowned for anti-cancer properties.Fruit and bark extracts have shown moderate efficacyagainst melanotic cell lines and dried fruit elicited lowercytotoxic responses than those of fresh fruit, indicatingthat the active principles may be thermolabile. Thenaphthoquinones lapachol and isopinnatal in some.Naphthoquinones and sterols isolated in root extractssuggest anti-cancer potential, although in-vitro activity isnot confirmed. From Prota☻☻☻☻☻☻

MelaninImagine absolute darknessThrough which your eyes could only seeObscurityThe full light spectrumEvaporated into a sectionAs the pineal gland pushes manifestationsAnd absorbs all light, hence we darkShinning obscurityEnlightened divinityFrom progenator to progenyKemetically embeddedGenetically perpetuated philosophySo my nats contractedAnd no lye can substitute for my heritage connectedHeat conductedSun rays absorbedSo we ain’t hyphenatedBut “hyper-melanated”Multi-faceted metabolismsDjembes determine the hearts rhythmAll deficiencies are mel-anomaliesThe sounds of thoughts dissipate earthly tonalitiesEnriching monotonous trivialitiesCaught in the prism of our divining melaninSolutions lie in sinking beyond the skinDiggingInto multiple levels of interior liningReflected in the minds chemical combiningSo we vegetarian carnivoresUnnatural reservoirsFor those lacking divining melaninIn the frailness of un-thick skinLittle do they know that our thickness of completionLies without and withinCarbon bond to our melaninCarbon bonded to our melanin.By Unblind Africanus, Toronto, Canadainspired by “melanites”.-37- Traditional African Clinic January 2009

Mission StatementOur aim at The African Traditional HerbalResearch Clinic is to propagate and promote theawareness in Afrikan peoples at home and abroad oftheir health, biodiversity, history and culturalrichness. We gather pertinent information on theseissues and disseminate these freely to our people inUganda, the rest of the continent, and anywhere inthe Diaspora where Afrikans are located…. One ofthe main ingredients for increasing poverty, sickness,exploitation and domination is ignorance of one'sself, and the environment in which we live.Knowledge is power and the forces that control ourlives don't want to lose control, so they won't stop atanything to keep certain knowledge from the people.Therefore, we are expecting a fight and opposition toour mission. However, we will endeavor to carryforward this work in grace and perfect ways.“Where there is no god, there is no culture.Where there is no culture, there is noindigenous knowledge. Where there is noindigenous knowledge, there is no history.Where there is no history, there is no scienceor technology. The existing nature is madeby our past. Let us protect and conserve ourindigenous knowledge.”☻☻☻☻☻☻C ALENDAR OF E VENTSSPECIAL EVENT: CLINIC OPENINGPLACE: AFRIKAN TRADITIONAL HERBAL RESEARCH CLINICTIME:Herb of the MonthKigelia AfricanaSaugage Tree, Cucumber TreeKigelia africana occurs throughout tropical Africa,particularly in the drier regions and is widely usedthroughout Africa for a variety of purposes, particularly inlocal medicine, and more recently in commercialapplications to treat various skin complaints.The diversity of complaints against which the plant is usedincludes fainting, anaemia, sickle-cell anaemia, epilepsy,respiratory ailments, hepatic and cardiac disorders, andnutritional illnesses such as kwashiorkor, rickets, wastingand weakness. The leaves are sometimes used to prepare ageneral tonic for improved health and growth. The roots,bark, leaves, stems, twigs and fruits are used to treatdigestive disorders. Administration is typically by oralingestion or as an enema. The roots, bark and ripe or unripefruits are taken as a laxative or emetic, to treat chronic andacute digestive disorders and against gastric infections.Infections of the genito-urinary tract, particularly venerealdiseases, are treated both internally and externally withpreparations of the roots, bark, leaves, stems and twigs. Acommercial product containing Kigelia africana stem barkis used to treat Candida albicans infections. Sexualcomplaints such as infertility, poor libido, sexual astheniaand impotence are treated with medicines containing thefruits, roots or leaves.Commercially manufactured products are used forsymptomatic relief or cure of skin conditions including,among others, sunburn, chafing, psoriasis, itchy scalp andnappy rash. A broad-spectrum antimicrobial cream,reputedly effective against a number of common microbialinfections, is produced from the stem bark.Powders and infusions of the bark, leaves, stems, twigs orfruits are used to clean and dress flesh wounds and openContinued on page 36Afrikan Traditional Herbal Research Clinic1175A Mukalazi Road, P.O. Box 29974Bukoto, Kampala, Uganda East AfricaPhone: +256 (0) 782 917 902Email: clinic@blackherbals.comBULK RATEUS POSTAGEPAIDPERMIT00000NO.ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTEDMailing AddressStreet Number and NameCity, Country, etc.-38- Traditional African Clinic January 2009