Health Expert Speaks on "Alarming" Cases of Adenoids in Children, Shares Recommendations
- Rising adenoid issues in children in Africa and elsewhere lead to increased surgeries and health complications
- Health expert Priscilla Canice-Obi shared vital dietary recommendations to naturally boost children's immune systems
- Balanced hygiene practices and cautious antibiotic use are essential for preventing adenoid-related health challenges
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience reporting on health and science across Africa.
FCT, Abuja - An Abuja-based health coach, Priscilla Canice-Obi, has raised concerns over what she described as the “alarming” rise in cases of adenoids among children.
Adenoids are small glands that are active during early childhood and gradually shrink as a child grows older. Their primary function is to trap bacteria and viruses that attempt to enter a child’s body through the mouth and nose.
Source: Facebook
For many parents, however, adenoids remain somewhat mysterious because they are not commonly discussed. Yet, many families are facing difficult experiences as their children increasingly require surgery to address adenoid-related complications.
But if adenoids help the body fight infections, why are they now becoming a major health concern, leading so many children to surgery? Priscilla offered an explanation.
“When the adenoids do their work of trapping bacteria and viruses, they become enlarged. As they trap more and more germs, they continue to grow bigger. Imagine adding more and more clothes into a laundry bag. It swells.
“The adenoids become so enlarged from trapping germs that they eventually begin to block the airway. At that point, the adenoids have become overwhelmed,” she told Legit.ng in an interview.
The wellness expert explained that affected children often struggle with breathing difficulties, stuffy noses, frequent catarrh, and recurring ear infections. Since the ear, nose, and throat are interconnected, a problem affecting one area often impacts the others as well.
According to her, many children continue to snore even after undergoing treatment.
“This condition can become life-threatening because of constant obstructive breathing,” she warned.
Priscilla, the founder of Nature First Global Resources Limited, noted that while some parents opt for adenoidectomy (surgical removal of the adenoids), nasal sprays, or nebulisers, these methods do not always provide a permanent solution. In some cases, the surgery may even need to be repeated.
Expert makes 8 recommendations for adenoids
Highlighting eight recommendations for effectively addressing health challenges associated with adenoids, Priscilla advised parents to prioritise nutrient-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, grass-fed beef, and local chicken eggs, which are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
She also recommended extended breastfeeding and the inclusion of natural immune boosters such as scent leaves, lemongrass, and bitterleaf in children’s diets.
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Adenoid treatment for children
The health expert’s eight tips, shared with Legit.ng, are presented in full below:
1. The moment you conceive a baby in the womb. Building that baby's immune system has kickstarted. And it is important you do so naturally. Eat natural foods that are rich in vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants. Oranges, Carrots, leafy green vegetables, grass-fed beef, liver, local chicken eggs,
2. Stop idolising imported 'prenatal medication'. You have no idea what's in them. Eat healthy, take the good old cheap folic acid. For your information, the same people who manufacture those 'fancy' prenatal medications are the same people who manufacture meds for Adenoids, ADHD, Autism and the rest. Use your tongue to count your teeth.
3. Breastfeed your baby. From the very first breastmilk colostrum to the entire breastfeeding period, the breastmilk is loaded with antibodies that build up the defence mechanism of young children. Go to the local communities where children are breastfed for long, they hardly deal with these issues. It is always children in cities.
4. Introduce herbs to your children from an early age to boost their immune system. You can start by using ginger, onions and garlic to cook meals they eat at home. Add scent leaves, lemongrass, bitterleaf to your soups, porridges and rice meals. These are natural immune boosters. You can also give them ginger shots and black seed oil to help strengthen their immune system. These are completely natural solutions. Train their taste buds early to enjoy herbs.
5. Limit their intake of sugary foods. Sweets, soda drinks, chocolate, packaged juices, biscuits, wafers, cakes and many more junks. Artificial Sugars destroy the immune system. If the list above looks like what your children consume every day, then there's problem, and you must wake up to fix it.
6. Children are not animals to be caged or chained. Allow young children to play outside. With sand, with dirt, with mud, with grass. They should interact with bacteria in the natural world. That way, you help train their immune system to rise up and fight. What we see today in the cities are children raised with an obsessive over-cleanliness. They can't place bare feet on the ground. They wash their hands a million times with antiseptics, hand sanitisers, wipes and more! These are the same children dealing with infections and allergies. Cleanliness is a very good thing, but there has to be a balance.
7. Minimise the use of synthetic antibiotics. This makes me want to weep. Some children are given antibiotics almost every month for one infection or the other. This is very pitiable because so many children are becoming resistant to different antibiotics from overuse. And this is a risky position to be in. If you build up their body defence system with the above points, they won't have to deal with this.
8. Don't allow your children to be a dumping ground for all kinds of vaccinations. Make sure you question things. Do not be ignorant. Our children depend on us to protect them, and we must not let them down through ignorance and carelessly.
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