Using kerosene and unapproved feminine products cause cancer – Public Health Specialist
Health consultants have cautioned women to desist from inserting unapproved products, including kerosene and salt, in their vaginas.
The experts have concluded that some women are culpable of applying such products as well as unaccredited herbs to make their vagina firmer.
These habits, according to them, are unhealthy and form part of the causal factors of cervical cancer.
Public Health Consultant and Founder of Healthier Life Foundation, Dr. Dominic Gadeka said this at an event to commemorate world cancer day here in Accra.
“What we have observed is that a lot of our young ladies are claiming they are tightening their vagina and so they are using a lot of things. Some are using herbs. Some of them don’t wash it before they insert it into their private parts. Some pound it and put it in their private parts.
“Some use a lot of salt and put it in their private part claiming that they want to tighten their vagina. And some even go the extra mile using kerosene. When this happens, it means you are compromising the acidic content, so you compromise your immune system. So any other thing can manifest.”
Dr. Gadeka added that usage of make-up products and unprescribed intake of contraceptives are additional cancer-causing factors in women.
He advised individuals to consult health practitioners for safer family planning measures.
“Our ladies like make-up a lot and so industries are taking advantage of it. Some of them the contents are not being checked. Some are cancer-causing. Through osmosis, it passes through the skin into the body. What happens is the liver will try to detoxify these things but when this is too much to detoxify then it can manifest in any form; skin, breast.
“And irrational usage of contraceptive pills, so if you continuously use emergency pills for 5 years, you are at the risk of developing breast cancer, liver cancer, cervical and other things. So we have to be mindful of the way we use contraceptive pills. If you want to use family planning kindly see your clinician and then the necessary family method will be discussed with you.”
Data from experts suggest breast cancer is the most dominant cancer amongst women whereas men are also at risk of developing it.
In Ghana, cervical cancer is the first leading cause of female cancer deaths.
Every year, close to 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and close to 2000 die from it, constituting a mortality rate of 67 percent.
Source: Ghana News
