Black Men & Prostate Health (natural Urology Perspective From Africa)

It is only an expert and the best in the field, who can reduce to simple terms all the complex technicalities and jargons of that field to the complete understanding of the ordinary man, and here Prof Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is counted among such.

Medical journals, books and literature are mostly saturated with very unfamiliar words which will put at sea, anyone who is a complete illiterate in the medical field.

It is not the case with this book, Black Men & Prostate Health (Natural Urology Perspective From Africa). Prof. Obu has brought it down to the level of the ordinary man, to the extent that after thorough reading one could be fully educated on the subject and speak on its issues as if he or she graduated from that class.

The author has been so generous enough to choose the style of writing, to make it easy to read and understood by all, for the topic under discussion is so important to the lives of both men and women. Prostate we are told is the most important and useful aspect of man’s reproductive life.

The myth behind cancer was simplified by Prof Obu who educates us on the fact every living cell in our body has the ability to be cancerous when its genes cannot regulate the growth of that cell, and it multiplies out of control and never dies. And against popular perception, we are told that cancer is not entirely genetic.

We are also told that enlargement of the prostate which is called Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is not cancerous, and an inflammation of the prostate gland is a condition called Prostatitis.

We are also told that not everyone recovers fully from prostate cancer and that a larger percentage get the disease again after all the treatments and surgeries are done. Mortality rate from prostate cancer in Ghana tops all cancer disease with only 17.7% of those diagnosed surviving annually.

Another factor which could be the cause of this high mortality rate is psychological. When told that he has prostate cancer, the word cancer is like a death sentence and psychologically the patient signs himself to die.

Prof. Obu takes the reader to the need for eating well and living in a clean environment so that the cancerous nature of the cells does trigger into action. For food and drinks, we are referred to the Word of God, Sacred Scriptures, and the Quran where the faithful are advised to eat good food and to eat well.

The reader is reminded that the perception held by some Christians that alcohol is not good for the body is not true. It was firstly revealed to the reader that the human body produces alcohol on its own for the benefit of the system.

Also the Word of God is never against the intake of alcohol for as in the case of gluttony or over-eating, the Sacred Scriptures is only against drunkenness, over-drinking. Moderation is the keyword here.

The reader is taken through the need to consume more fruits and vegetables, especially, dark leafy greens. To further cut down on cancerous activity in the cells, we are told to cut out refined sugar and processed food in our diets; we are to do at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical exercise every day and have stress management in our daily life.

Prof. Obu goes on to mention some plants and plant products that have got lots of health benefits and these include garlic, guava, pawpaw and even marijuana. Oil made from cannabis has proven to shrink prostate cancer. Garcinia kola or bitter kola or michi-goro and wild potato are among plant products recommended for prostate health. The dangers of genetically modified foods (GMOs) and other diets to avoid have also been highlighted in the book.

Sex, we are told is good for the prostate because it moves fluids and reduces toxins that can build up in the prostate gland.

Generally, we are advised to watch our urination pattern and if we notice something out of the ordinary we must seek medical help from the urologist.

To end this review, it must be told and sadly so that prostate health awareness in Ghana is not strongly emphasised upon as breast cancer awareness is. Many men are dying from prostate diseases which should not be the case if only they are made aware of prostate health.

And even attempts made to form some awareness was nipped in the bud due to self-interest and greed. This should never be the case. This wonderfully written and easy to read medical book, Black men and Prostate Health (Natural Urology Perspective From Africa) by Prof Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a MUST READ. Anyone who lays hands on a copy must spread the contents around to make the awareness of Prostate Health among the community, society and the nation, grow.

Anyone who lays hand on a copy will agree with me, that the author took pains to reduce all the strange medical terms and expression into simple language. This is not the case of saying someone is suffering from polyphagia, Prof Obu will say it the way everyone will understand and it is that the person is extremely hungry.

And to conclude, is it by design or coincidence that the author is called Raphael? In the Catholic faith which I belong to, Archangel Raphael is an angel who God uses to heal the sick. And here we have a Raphael among us who is doing all and what he can to use what God has freely given us in Ghana to be healthy and cure ourselves.

Thanks to Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu and his Nyarkotey College of Holistic medicine. May God enrich you with wisdom and knowledge to achieve His purpose here on earth.

The book is out now.. call 0541234556