Contrary to popular belief, sex itself is not a major cause of heart failure but this is what usually kill “men in action”
Men are more predisposed to the risky life styles and problems of life that leads one to have a heart failure, a medical expert, Dr Akin Oyejoko has revealed.
Oyejoko who is a Health Policy analyst, and Group Medical Director, Solomon Jayden Medical Centre, Iju, Nigeria made this known at the weekly e-Discourse organised by Platforms Africa.
Platforms Africa, an e-Community of intellectuals, Policy moulders and opinion leaders in Africa, is led by multiple award-winning African journalist, Adeola Yusuf.
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According to Oyejoko, this tension-soaked life style, coupled with abuse of sex enhancing drugs, is a part of reasons more men die during sex than women. Contrary to popular belief, sex itself is not a major cause of heart failure.
He maintained that a lot of Nigerians do not know the status of their hearts due to lack of diagnosis, misdiagnosis or maldiagnosis.
“The commonest cause of heart failure is overworking the heart. This means stressing the body and the heart beyond their limit and breaking point. My practice has seen more men with heart failure mostly from acquired causes. These acquired cause could be primary ( from the heart itself) or secondary ( as a result of the problem with another organ in the body)
“You have heart failure when the heart is working too fast or too slow. Or when the rhythm of the heart is distorted. Usually, sex is not a very common cause of heart failure but when people take drugs to enhance their sexual performance, the heart may be forced to work pass its limits and that may cause a sudden heart attack.”
Speaking further, he said due to the lack of attention it has received, traditional African medicine may do more harm than good.
“Heart failure happens when the problem is not diagnosed or it is unmanaged. African traditional medicine are effective but it has not received enough attention and is mostly not well researched enough to accurately diagnose and specify diseases . As a result, due to misdiagnosis/’maldiagnosis ‘, they tend to do more harm than good. To properly treat a disease, we have to properly diagnosed and specify the disease.”
He therefore urged the practice of a lifestyle that incorporates moderation and caution in everything.
“It is a life style that focuses more on preventive rather than curative policies and principles. It involves eating right, sleeping right, resting right, working right and in the right environment, living in the right place.”
