HIV/AIDS and traditional healers: a blessing in disguise.
Traditional healers contribute significantly to the level of health-care systems in Africa. They could play an important role in the prevention and care of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the community. The traditional healing system deals with psychosocial stress associated with HIV/AIDS as well as herbal medications. Sometimes, herbal medicine causes serious life-threatening complications. Two case reports are presented in this article. The first is a 48-year-old woman with HIV who was made to drink a large volume of a herbal decoction to stimulate vomiting in the belief that cleansing the bowel would rid the system of the disease. The second is a 25-year-old young man who had a herbal enema, which resulted in gangrene of the large bowel. The case histories, mechanism of action and causes of death are discussed.
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, P/bag X1, Mthatha 5117, South Africa. bmeel@wsu.ac.za
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D000328:Adult; D003681:Dehydration / Q000209:etiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced; D004733:Enema / Q000009:adverse effects; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005734:Gangrene / Q000139:chemically induced; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007420:Intestine, Large / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013019:South Africa; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced