http://www.selar.com/m/Knattherapy

K-Nat EvoHealthcare Network, Gombe (2026)

02/09/2026

WHEN MEDICINES CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD

Modern medicine has produced remarkable medicines that have saved countless lives.

But history has also shown us that some medicines can later be found to carry serious risks that were not fully understood when they were first introduced.

1. PFIZER — TROVAN, KANO, NIGERIA

During the 1996 meningitis epidemic in Kano, Pfizer tested the experimental antibiotic Trovan (trovafloxacin) on seriously ill children.

Nigerian authorities alleged that the trial resulted in the deaths of 11 children and serious disabilities among others, including reports of blindness, deafness, brain damage and paralysis.

In 2009, Pfizer and Kano State reached a $75 million settlement:

• Up to $35 million for eligible trial participants
• $30 million for healthcare initiatives in Kano
• $10 million for Kano's legal costs

Pfizer denied wrongdoing and liability and maintained that meningitis, rather than Trovan, caused the deaths and injuries.

2. MERCK — VIOXX

Vioxx (rofecoxib) became a widely used painkiller and arthritis medicine.

In 2004, Merck withdrew Vioxx after evidence showed an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.

In 2007, Merck agreed to a $4.85 billion settlement program for qualifying U.S. claims involving heart attacks and ischemic strokes.

3. SANOFI — DEPAKINE

Depakine (sodium valproate) is an anti-epileptic medicine associated with serious risks when taken during pregnancy, including congenital birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in exposed children.

France established a compensation mechanism for affected families. By March 2024, victims had received compensation offers totaling approximately €85 million, with about €61 million accepted.

In 2024, a French court also ordered Sanofi to pay nearly €285,000 to a mother and her two children in a case involving birth defects associated with exposure during pregnancy.

4. GRÜNENTHAL — THALIDOMIDE

Thalidomide, marketed in Germany as Contergan, was widely used in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including by pregnant women.

It caused devastating congenital abnormalities, particularly severe limb deformities, as well as damage to other organs.

Historical estimates suggest that up to 20,000 children worldwide were affected.

In 1970, Grünenthal agreed to pay 100 million German marks, while the German government contributed another 100 million marks toward compensation.

Grünenthal later contributed additional funds, including €50 million in 2009, to support victims.

THE LESSON

Millions of people have taken medicines believing they were safe.

Doctors are often working with the best scientific evidence available at the time. But sometimes serious risks only become clearer after a medicine has been used by large numbers of people for several years.

This means taking medicine should not be about blind trust or blind rejection.

Every medicine involves a balance between potential benefits and potential risks.

Before taking a medicine, ask:

What is the expected benefit?

What are the common side effects?

What are the serious risks?

How long should I take it?

Are there alternatives?

What happens if I don't take it?

USE MEDICINES RESPONSIBLY.

Do not reject necessary medical treatment simply because medicines can have side effects.

But neither should medicines be taken casually, unnecessarily or indefinitely.

Use medicines when medically indicated and as directed.

Know both the benefits and the risks.

Your health deserves informed decisions—not blind trust.

22/08/2026

When Treatment Becomes Part Of The Problem

If the dangers to our health came only from germs, poor nutrition, and unhealthy lifestyles, we could at least hope that the solution would be straightforward.

But the history of medicine reminds us that some treatments themselves can cause devastating harm.

The list of drugs associated with serious, sometimes life-threatening consequences is extensive:

☑️ Thalidomide
Once prescribed as a sedative, including for pregnant women, it caused thousands of birth defects and deaths, leaving families with unimaginable suffering. Thalidomide is still used today for specific medical conditions under strict controls.

☑️ Depakine (valproate)
An effective medicine for certain conditions, but exposure during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects and developmental problems in unborn children.

☑️ Vioxx (rofecoxib)
Once widely prescribed for pain and arthritis, it was withdrawn after evidence linked it to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

And there are many more.

The lesson is not that all medicines are dangerous, nor that people should abandon medical treatment.

The lesson is that when a treatment itself can become harmful, we must never assume that every intervention is automatically safe.

When treatment becomes pathogenic, distinguishing the disease from the harm caused by its treatment can become incredibly difficult.

That is why informed decisions, proper monitoring, prevention, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and careful evaluation of every treatment matter.

Millions of people depend on healthcare interventions every day. The responsibility to make those interventions as safe as possible is enormous.

09/08/2026

🥛 MILK: “IT DOES THE BODY GOOD”?

That was the famous message of dairy advertising.

But should we take a closer look at what milk actually contains?

Milk is naturally produced by dairy cows during lactation, and like other mammalian milk, it contains naturally occurring hormones, including estrogen and progesterone.

Men also naturally produce estrogen—but the question is whether the amounts consumed through dairy can meaningfully affect human health.

Some research has raised concerns about dairy consumption and hormone-sensitive biological pathways, including testosterone, reproductive health, and prostate health. Milk also contains IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), a hormone involved in growth and development. IGF-1 has been studied extensively because of its relationship with cell growth and certain cancers.

But this is where we need to be careful:

Association does not automatically mean causation.

The evidence linking milk and dairy consumption to cancer is mixed and varies according to the type and amount of dairy consumed. Prostate cancer, in particular, has been investigated in relation to high dairy and calcium intake, but the evidence is not strong enough to conclude that drinking milk directly causes prostate cancer.

So, is milk safe?

For most people, moderate consumption can be part of a healthy diet. Milk provides valuable nutrients such as:

☑️ Calcium
☑️ Protein
☑️ Potassium
☑️ Vitamin B12
☑️ Other micronutrients

However, milk is not the only source of these nutrients.

Other foods—including beans, leafy vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds, and fortified alternatives—can also contribute significantly to calcium, protein, potassium, and other nutrients.

There are also genuine concerns for some people, including:

🔹 Lactose intolerance
🔹 Milk allergy
🔹 Acne in susceptible individuals
🔹 Possible associations between high dairy intake and certain health outcomes
🔹 Ongoing research into dairy consumption, IGF-1 and cancer risk

The relationship between cow's milk and type 1 diabetes is also an area of research, particularly regarding early-life exposure, but current evidence does not justify saying that drinking milk simply causes type 1 diabetes.

SO, SHOULD YOU DRINK MILK?

The better question isn't simply:

“Is milk good or bad?”

It is:

“How much do I consume, what type do I consume, and how does it fit into my overall diet and lifestyle?”

Health is rarely determined by one food alone.

Quantity matters.
Quality matters.
Your overall dietary pattern matters.

Don't blindly accept “It does the body good.”

Ask questions. Examine the evidence. Understand your body. Then make informed choices.

03/08/2026

THE SCURVY NIGHTMARE: HOW A SIMPLE FRUIT SAVED SAILORS

In the 1500s–1700s, scurvy was one of the greatest killers of sailors on long voyages.

During Commodore George Anson’s circumnavigation in 1740–1744, roughly 1,300 of his nearly 2,000 men died, with scurvy accounting for the overwhelming majority of the deaths.

In fact, during the age of long-distance sailing, more sailors could die from scurvy than from battles and storms combined.

Why?

On long voyages, sailors commonly survived on foods such as:

Salted meat

Dried peas

Hard biscuits

Beer and other preserved provisions

These foods could provide calories, but they lacked an essential nutrient that the body needed to maintain healthy connective tissue and blood vessels: vitamin C.

At the time, however, scientists and physicians did not understand vitamins or nutritional deficiencies. Many searched for infectious causes, including bacteria and other germs, but they were looking in the wrong direction.

Then came an important experiment.

In 1747, Scottish physician James Lind conducted one of the earliest controlled clinical trials involving sailors suffering from scurvy. He divided them into treatment groups and gave them different remedies, including nutmeg, elixir of vitriol, garlic, cider, vinegar, and citrus fruits.

The sailors receiving oranges and lemons showed dramatic improvement.

It was a powerful clue that scurvy was not simply an infectious disease—it could be prevented and treated by providing something missing from the diet.

Yet remarkably, it took decades before the British Navy consistently adopted citrus juice as part of sailors' provisions.

Once citrus became standard, deaths from scurvy fell dramatically.

More than a century later, in 1912, Polish biochemist Casimir Funk proposed the term vitamine for a class of essential substances in food. This helped establish the scientific framework for what we now call vitamins.

The story of scurvy teaches us an important lesson:

Sometimes the answer to a disease is not another drug—but discovering what the body is missing.

For centuries, sailors suffered and died because medicine was searching for the wrong cause.

Then something as ordinary as a citrus fruit changed everything.

Citrus did not merely nourish sailors. It helped end one of the great nutritional nightmares of the age of exploration.

30/07/2026

For a strong pillar, you need straight, healthy trees from a deep forest.

Likewise, for a healthier body, you need foods that nourish and sustain life.

Unfortunately, our understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet has been shaped by decades of conflicting messages, leaving millions battling chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cancer, osteoarthritis, ulcers, and many other conditions.

It is difficult to say we are "eating right" when the burden of chronic disease continues to rise year after year.

The Conventional Narrative

For decades, we have been told:

Protein is essential, and animal foods such as meat, dairy, eggs, and fish are among the richest sources.

Calcium builds strong bones, and dairy products are one of the best ways to obtain it.

Higher protein intake promotes strength and better health.

Yet many countries with the highest consumption of animal products continue to experience high rates of osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers.

This has led many researchers to ask an important question:

Could some commonly promoted dietary patterns be contributing to the very diseases they were expected to prevent?

The food industry has largely maintained its position, often introducing modified products such as low-fat or reduced-fat dairy. However, some researchers argue that these changes do not fully address the underlying dietary concerns.

The Foundation of Food as Medicine

More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, often called the Father of Medicine, famously said:

"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."

Centuries later, inventor Thomas Edison was widely credited with saying:

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Today, many physicians and nutrition researchers incorporate dietary interventions alongside conventional medical care. Examples include Neal Barnard, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and co-author of The China Study.

For years, we too have encouraged healthier dietary and lifestyle practices as part of a holistic approach to wellness.

Research That Sparked Debate

1. Casein and Liver Cancer Experiments

Indian researchers studying rats exposed to aflatoxin found that those fed diets containing 20% casein (the main protein in cow's milk) developed significantly more liver tumor growth than rats fed 5% casein.

Professor T. Colin Campbell later repeated similar experiments and reported comparable findings, leading him to propose that higher casein intake promoted tumor growth in this experimental model. These findings remain debated and should not be interpreted as proof that dairy causes cancer in humans.

2. Observations in the Philippines

During his research in the Philippines, Campbell observed that liver cancer was occurring in unusually young children in certain families. He hypothesized that aflatoxin exposure combined with higher intake of animal protein may have contributed to increased risk. This observation became one of the reasons he pursued decades of nutrition research.

3. The China Project (China–Cornell–Oxford Study)

In the 1980s, Professor T. Colin Campbell, Junshi Chen, and colleagues collaborated on one of the most comprehensive nutrition studies ever conducted.

The study examined dietary patterns and health outcomes across 65 rural counties in China, involving approximately 6,500 adults.

The researchers reported that populations consuming predominantly whole plant foods generally had lower blood cholesterol levels and lower rates of several chronic diseases than populations consuming larger amounts of animal-based foods. While the study identified associations rather than proving cause and effect, it has had a lasting influence on nutrition research.

A Practical Takeaway

If you are living with a chronic illness, consider discussing healthier dietary changes with your healthcare provider while continuing your prescribed treatment.

Improving your diet may help support your body's natural repair processes and overall well-being. Even small positive changes made consistently can make a meaningful difference over time.

Transition to Health starts with the choices you make today.

For enquiries and guidance on beginning your wellness journey through healthier dietary practices, contact us:

WhatsApp/Calls: 09078384582
Email: [email protected]

K-Nat EvoHealthcare Network

Transition to Health.

13/07/2026

More than 1 in 4 cancer patients report using most or all of their savings to pay for treatment.

This growing burden is known as financial toxicity. For many families, illness doesn't just threaten health—it can wipe out a lifetime of savings.

Why are some specialty medicines so expensive?

Under the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, pharmaceutical patents give companies exclusive rights to manufacture and sell many new medicines for a limited period. While intended to reward innovation, these patents can also keep prices high until generic competition becomes possible.

A well-known example is Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), developed by Gilead Sciences. When it launched in the U.S. in 2013, it cost about US$1,000 per pill, or US$84,000 for a standard 12-week treatment.

In 2001, 39 pharmaceutical companies sued South Africa over legislation aimed at improving access to more affordable HIV medicines. After global public pressure, the case was withdrawn.

Malaria continues to claim lives, especially in Africa, while drug resistance remains an ongoing challenge that requires newer treatments and continued research.

Medicines save millions of lives and are essential. But many diseases are also influenced by diet, physical activity, to***co use, alcohol, environmental exposures, and other lifestyle factors.

Taking care of your health today may reduce your risk of preventable disease tomorrow.

Prevention and treatment should work together—not compete with each other.

K-Nat EvoHealthcare Network

02/09/2026

22/08/2026

09/08/2026

03/08/2026

30/07/2026

13/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request