(Continued from last week)
Alcohol: On the part of alcohol,  though it has been stated that consumption of alcohol in moderation (i.e. not more than one or two drinks per day) can have some beneficial effects on the heart, but alcohol, as a drug, has a tendency of being abused or dependent upon. There is virtually no organ system in the body that alcohol does not have negative effect upon. Some of these are:

Central Nervous system: The effect on this system is obvious to many people. It includes: Depression; Peripheral neuropathy; Mood disorders; Cognitive problem, which include impairment of both recent and remote memory, which can last for weeks to months after an alcoholic consumption; Cerebellar degeneration - it is this that manifests as the characteristic gait of the intoxicated individual; Vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin B1; Alcoholic blackout, which is a period of loss of memory (amnesia) for events, which occured during intoxication; alcohol tolerance and dependence, which can lead to Alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Gastro intestinal system: Upper Gti bleeding like Mallory-Weiss Syndrome - a condition of sudden heavy bleeding from oesophagus following violent vanitincy; Acute pancreatitis; Liver cirrhosis, which may lead to liver cancer; Alcohol - induced hepatitis.

Cancers: Breast cancer in women - In fact, it has been established that drinking as few as 1.5 drinks per day increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer 1.4 fold; Oral cancer in both sexes; Oesophageal cancers; Colorectal cancers

Haematopoietic systems: Increase in average red blood cell size; Decreased production of white blood cells, which leads to increased susceptibility to infections; Thrombocytopaemia - low level of platelets in the blood, which can lead to bleeding disorders.

Cardiovascular Systems
As stated earlier, drinking of one or two drinks daily is said to be cardio-protective but consumption of more than this amount, which is common accompaniment, is associated with severe morbidity and mortality on the system as well.

Hypertension, which is dose-dependant; Cardiamyopathy - heart muscle disease which can cause heart failure; Abnormality of heart rhythm

Genitourinary systems
Increased sexual drive and decrease erectile capacity in men; Testicular capacity which results in decrease in ejaculation volume and low sperm count.

In women, long term alcoholic consumption will result in; Amenorrhoe - lack of menstruation; infertility; Spontaneous abortion; Delivery of abnormal baby.

All the above are some of the consequences of abnormal or reckless eating or drinking habit of man. Allah (swt), the Creator and Knower of man has already known this. He, then, prescribed remedies for all these. He had already forbidden Muslims from consuming alcohol and other kinds of intoxicant in Qur’an 5 verses 90-91. He also indirectly, forbids man from causing his own destruction through his own action in Qur’an 2:195.

By engaging in alcoholic consumption, smoking and eating and drinking in excess, man is destroying himself gradually as evident from the above-mentioned consequences of obesity, alcoholism and smoking.

Specifically, Allah (swt) now prescribes a whole month, dawn to dusk fasting, for Muslim faithful, perhaps as a way of helping them, especially the weaker ones, who cannot discipline themselves, by abstaining from these “monsters” initially, but through a month - long fasting they can be helped. This may be difficult to achieve by orthodox medicine, through faith, it can be easily achieved since only faithful one will engage in a month-long fasting exercise sincerely.

If a man can abstain from smoking, if a chronic alcoholic can also do away from liquor and if a voracious eater can discipline himself by staying away from food for at least thirteen (13) active of his twenty-four (24) hours for a period of twenty nine (29) or thirty (30) consequtive days without ill effect, then it will not be an over-statement that this will eventually help him in overcoming these maladies permanently.

Apart from this, a fasting Muslim is expected to be performing other rituals which include: observance of five daily prayers, staying up at night in observance of superogatory prayers, which are also forms of physical exercise, which also help in preventing or ameliorating obesity.

Also he is expected to engage in Qur’anic recitation a lot during that month as well as meditation and reflection on Qur’anic verses. All these have been found to be curative for many diseases especially cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as Allah states in Qur’an 17 verse 82 and recently, proved by a group of medical researchers in Canada.

Lastly, a fasting Muslim, at the time of breaking his fast, is expected to break his fast with fruit which is very good for his body system. Perhaps, it is because of all these health benefits, apart from spiritual benefits, that the Holy Prophet (saw) recommended voluntary fast of at least three days and at most fifteen days, in a month, for excessive fasting itself is injurious to the body.

My dear people in Islam, if you have not been regular in your fasting  before now with what we have highlighted above as some of the medical benefits derivable from this exercise, you better start observing it regularly but in moderation.

Dr. Murtada Olajide is a medical practitioner with the Oyo State Hospital Management Board.