THE EFFECTS OF OVER-DEPENDENCY ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ON ADULT

HEALTH IN WESTERN NIGERIA

PROPOSAL BY:

[ Name ]

12TH JUNE, 2022

Introduction......................................................................................................................................2

Background of study........................................................................................................................2

Literature Review............................................................................................................................3

Research Aim...................................................................................................................................5

Research Objectives.........................................................................................................................5

Research questions...........................................................................................................................5

Methodology....................................................................................................................................6

Research Time Schedule..................................................................................................................7

Health, Safety, and Ethics statement...............................................................................................7

References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction

According to Lamberty and Imhoff (2018), alternative Medication is a holistic process that

includes a wide range of medicinal products and practices that have influential healing

properties. The practices remain the most over-reliant for curing various diseases. Two-thirds of

the global population is approximated to prefer substitute health care and services to modern

medicine (Zeru et al., 2020). Recent statistics show that Alternative Medication is used by 50

percent of the global total population, such as in the United States with 42 percent, Australia with

48 percent, Canada with 70 percent, and France with 49 percent (Raman et al., 2020). Despite

continued advances in medical technology, it has been realized that the use of Alternative

Medication is mainly focused on the diagnosis of fatal pandemic illnesses.

Ernst and Dixon (2019), asserted that despite the fact that there is no assurance that alternative

medicines is secure, efficient, or biologically credible, there is still debate about which technique

can be demonstrated to be helpful and ensure security. Old records promote various approaches,

whilst large clinical trials promote traditional means based on modern strategies. Many doctors

presently, however, appreciate the significance of all medical practices, integrating effective

complementary and contemporary strategies to patients, symptoms, and conditions (Rudebeck,

2019).

Background of the study

Due to disparities in patient-to-healthcare-professional proportions, increased volume of work

for the latter, multiple side effects of modern treatments, lack of full remission from chronic

illnesses, rising costs of new medicines, and the rise of new ailments, complementary therapies

has lately reignited interests of the public. As a consequence, people have become increasingly

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dependent on traditional system of medicine prescribers' treatment technologies derived from

alternative medicine or medicinal herbs. Alternative medicine has evolved tremendously and

now includes millennia-old therapeutic mechanisms (Lemonnier et al., 2017). Mind-body

therapeutic approaches, body manipulation, and biological system-based therapies are all key

areas of alternative medicine.

A biological method of treatment based on natural products is perhaps the most widespread, as

nature has supplied us with an enormous amount of effective pharmaceutically active

phytoconstituents. These phytoconstituents chemicals have anti-diabetic, anticancer, anti-

infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic properties (Saini et al., 2022).

Moreover, conventional medicine is readily available, low-cost, and non-invasive, and it offers

favorable advantages during the end phase of some illnesses. Nevertheless, due to a lack of well-

designed clinical studies, the safety and efficacy of many alternative medicines/therapies remain

unclear. As a result, the purpose of this research paper is to investigate the effects of over-

reliance on alternative therapies on the health of adults in Nigeria's Western Region.

Literature Review

Polypharmacy is defined as the use of many medicines on a consistent basis, and is common in

older adults which increases the risk of adverse medical outcomes (Pana et al., 2022). According

to international research, polypharmacy is common in older adults, with nursing home residents

taking the most drugs. Almost half of all older people take one or more medications that are not

medically necessary. The majority of people use Alternative medicine for the treatment of

musculoskeletal conditions and chronic or recurring pain, particularly backache, joint stiffness,

and rheumatism. Baby Boomers have complex and chronic pain management issues, and this

segment of the aging population is becoming increasingly important. People in the aging

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population are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, which affects approximately 25-50

percent of community-dwelling seniors and impairs their ability to function normally (Guralnik

et al., 2022).

The use of alternative therapies is continually growing, as shown in a joint survey done by the

American Association of Retired People and the National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine, with prevalence estimates of 53 percent among those aged 50 and above.

People in aging populations are more vulnerable to chronic health conditions due to natural

biopsychosocial processes (Andrade and Chen, 2022). Many older adults and their caregivers are

interested in alternative medications because they often offer gentler and safer approaches to

addressing common health conditions suffered by the elderly. A survey of community-dwelling

older adults in Minnesota found that 62.7 percent had used at least one alternative medicine

modality, and an analysis of the Health and Retirement Study found that 88 percent of older

Americans used alternative medicine (Alqahtani et al., 2021).

With the aging of the Baby Boomers and increased life expectancy, the use of alternative

medications among the elderly is expected to rise. James et al (2018), defined alternative

medicine as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are

not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine." Alternative medications include

herbal or dietary products, as well as a variety of "Eastern Medicine" techniques and alternative

approaches to healing.

According to Aixalá et al (2020), the most natural state of being is, or should be, health. The

origins of the word are linked with those of wholeness and healing, and true health is that

complete sense of harmony, of being in tune physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

This is where complementary and alternative medicine approaches to health, wellness, and

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healing come into play. The goal of alternative or natural-based healing is to take a holistic

approach to disease control rather than the invasive and pharmaceutically managed disease

control that is commonly used in Western medicine-only approaches. Eastern Medicine

approaches are often energetic in nature and can be used in tandem to heal the body, mind, and

spirit (Zörgő et al., 2020). Integrative Medicine is the practice of combining Western and Eastern

methods.

When assessing health problems, the holistic approach considers a person's physical, mental,

emotional, and spiritual well-being. It recognizes that physical symptoms like headaches and

insomnia, as well as emotional ones like depression and mental strain, can combine to form

disease, or rather, dis-ease: a lack of harmony (Irvine et al., 2019). The author of this literature

review is trained in and has used a variety of alternative healing modalities for self-care, healing

from breast cancer, and overcoming other life challenges.

Many reasons have been given for the use of alternative medications, including the treatment or

prevention of diseases and the improvement of one's quality of life. It is used by people who

have lengthy conditions for which conventional treatment cannot provide effective relief, either

because treatment is ineffective or because it has negative side effects. According to a national

health survey on the use of herbal among US older adults, many uses herbal drugs since they are

viewed to be natural and have minimal side effects (Loya et al., 2009). The accessibility of these

stores and supermarkets, health food stores, and online has raised public awareness of their

safety. Individuals who use alternative treatments, as per findings, are striving to improve their

health and well-being or to alleviate symptoms linked to chronic, even terminal illnesses, or the

health consequences of western treatments. Another reason is to take a more holistic view and to

have more authority over one's own wellbeing. In Nigeria, for example, research on the

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predominance of alternative medicine use among cancer victims were performed. Out of 160

cancer patients interrogated about the use of alternative treatment, 65.0 percent reported using it.

Little has been done from the existing literature to determine the effects of over-dependence on

the use of alternative medication and why most adults prefer using it in most cases. It’s from this

instance that this research study seeks to explore the effects of over-reliance on alternative

medicine on adult health in the Western region of Nigeria.

Research Aim

The purpose of this study is to look into the effects of over-reliance on alternative medicine on

the health of adults in Nigeria's Western Region. The following research objectives and questions

will be derived from this goal.

Research Objectives

The following research objective will be used to achieve the aim of this study:

1. To explore the impact of excessive reliance on alternative medicine on the health of

adults in Nigeria's Western region.

2. To determine the alternative medications that Adults from Western Nigeria over-depend

on.

3. To explore the cause of over-dependence on alternative medicine among adults in

Western Nigeria

4. To determine the solutions to the effects of over-depending on alternative medicine

among adults in Nigeria.

Research questions

The following research questions will be developed in order to achieve the objectives of this

study:

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 1. What are the effects of over-depending on alternative medicine on the health of adults in

Western Nigeria?

2. Which are the alternative medicines that adults in Western Nigeria over-depend on?

3. What causes over-dependence on alternative medication among adults in Western

Nigeria?

4. How does the use of alternative medicine affect the society and the government of

Nigeria?

5. What are the solutions to the effects of over-dependence on alternative medicine among

adults in Western Nigeria?

Methodology

Research approach

The methods and approaches used to accomplish the research objectives are referred to as a

study approach. A study can be approached in two ways: the data analysis and the data collection

approach. There are two approaches to data analysis: deductive and inductive analysis of data.

Source: (Miklian and Hoelscher, 2018)

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The investigators will use an inductive research strategy for this study because it allows one to

use qualitative research methods of achieving the primary goals and objectives.

Research Design

A cross-sectional study is a type of study design in which data is collected from a large number

of people at one time (Wang and Cheng, 2020). The researcher observes parameters without

affecting them in the cross-sectional study. This design provides information for describing the

status of phenomena or the relationships between phenomena at a specific point in time. This

research study will use a cross-sectional descriptive survey to collect data on the effects of over-

depending on alternative medicine among adults in the Western Part of Nigeria

Data sources

The data source is the source of information used to validate the findings of the study. Primary

and secondary data sources are the two main data sources in the research, according to Sherif

(2018). Primary data are data sources that have not previously been used. Secondary data, on the

other hand, refers to previously collected information that may or may not have been used

previously. To investigate the effects of over-depending on alternative medicine among adults in

the Western Part of Nigeria, this research will use Primary data collected by the means of

interviews and survey questionnaires. Primary sources provide original data collected from first

hand thus providing accurate information.

Sample size and sampling criteria

The Yamane formula will be used to calculate a sample size of 100. This is a statistical method

for determining sample size for a defined population. A multistage sampling method will be used

to obtain a representative sample. Simple random sampling, stratified and systematic sampling

will be used in the multistage sampling

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Data collection

Each participant's data will be collected using a valid and reliable interviewer-administered

survey. The survey will be based on previous research on the use and effects of Alternative

medicines. It will collect socio-demographic information such as age, sex, family status,

education level, income, and religious doctrine. Data on the prevalence, types of Alternative

Medicine products consumed, method of administration, perceived benefits, and adverse

reactions associated with the use of Alternative Medication will also be collected. There will be

both open-ended and closed-ended questions. The questionnaire will be interpreted in the local

dialect for illiterate participants who are unable to understand English.

Data Analysis

The collected data will be descriptively evaluated. Furthermore, socio-demographic data will be

examined inferentially. The use of alternative medicine will be assessed by comparing socio-

demographic statistics of Alternative Medicines users with non-users employing chi-square at a

significance level of 0.05. Excel and SPSS will be used for all statistical analyses.

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Research Time Schedule

This Gantt chart provides the time schedule for this project.

Health, Safety, and Ethics statement

The study will receive approval from the Ministry of Health's ethical committee in Western

Nigeria. Following that, after the research has been described in English or the local language,

each study participant who approves to take part will sign a written informed consent. Each

respondent will be informed that their participation is completely voluntary and that any

information they provide will be kept confidential and anonymous. They will also be given the

option to withdraw from the research if they so desired. Data collection will be done in 2 weeks

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