Adeyemi spoke on Wednesday at the official opening ceremony of her newly established Khasmal Holistic Naturopathic Health Centre in Lagos.

The chief physician at the health centre stressed that natural medicine focuses on root causes rather than just symptoms, making it effective for chronic conditions like diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and even cancer.

Adeyemi said she was not dismissing conventional medicine, but added that “we need each other. That’s why we are now advocating for integrative medicine”.

“Traditional medicine works. But the thing is, you have to be sure that you are speaking to the right people. So, when people talk about natural medicine, they believe it’s only herbs. It’s not just herbs. It’s more than herbs. We have different aspects of natural medicine, just like I told you,” she said.

“So, that’s why I prefer natural medicine because natural medicine deals with the root causes of ailments, whereas the other conventional medicine deals with symptoms.

“So, I’m not like saying conventional is bad. We need each other. That’s why we are now advocating for integrative medicine.

“I have patients who have cancer, and they say they want to take chemo. I don’t discourage them. Because I was going to say, if we’re looking at chronic diseases like cancer and all that.

“Natural medicine cures cancer. Some people say they want chemo. So, I’ll tell them chemo is okay if you are sure you can cope. So, I’ll tell them the side effects.

“But sadly, most hospitals in Nigeria today don’t tell them the side effects. They just start giving them. They don’t tell them what to expect. But in the UK, before they give you, they’ll tell you these are the likely side effects.”

The health expert revealed that her passion for naturopathic medicine stemmed from her health struggles.

She said years ago, she suffered severe back pain that conventional treatments failed to resolve until she discovered (Hijama), an ancient Islamic healing practice.

The 49-year-old health practitioner said, despite initially intending to run a cupping clinic, she realised patients needed more comprehensive care, prompting her to train as a naturopathic doctor — a field that combines multiple natural healing modalities.

“It is a story that started from my own personal experience. Some years ago, I had some back issues. It was really bad. And all the conventional therapies and treatments that I tried failed. They didn’t work,” she said.

“Until I had what you call the waist cupping therapy. It’s a modality in the prophetic medicine, Islamic medicine. So it involves making small incisions, like cuts on your back, and then removing the deoxygenated blood.

“So I had a session, and I felt instant relief. And I was like, wow, so something works, you know, like this. And then I became curious. And then, actually, before that, I had heard about hijama. But I didn’t know what it was. I was like, okay, so what’s this Hijama? Where do I get the equipment? How is it done?

“So, fast forward to 2017, I met a couple who were into it. And then I decided, okay, let me just try it. So they did it. And then I was like, okay, so this is good. Let me just try and learn it.

“And then that was it. So from my own personal experience, I was like, okay, let me see what it is. And if it’s what I can offer people. So I became curious. And I had always been passionate about health and wellness, actually. So I thought maybe that was the time.

“So I just started. I enrolled for a certificate course in the United Kingdom. I did that for six months. Certificate in Hijama cupping therapy.

“I did that for six months. I wasn’t satisfied. I was like, okay, there’s still more to this. So I am now enrolled for higher diploma certificates in the same therapy. So that now exposed me more to natural medicine.

“Because at the school, the school is in Birmingham. So we had practical sessions that saw me going to the U.K., like once every three months. It was in the school that they now told us that, if you want to do Hijama therapy, you can’t do only that.

“That you need other natural therapies to combine. You need acupuncture. So it was my search for acupuncture that now led me to proper complementary and alternative medicine.

“That’s natural medicine. And then it’s been a journey. So I started the journey in 2018. After the Hijama, I enrolled for a master’s degree in complementary and alternative medicine.

“And then it was then I decided to go into naturopathy. So, alternative natural medicine has different modalities. So we have herbal, we have acupuncture, we have homeopathy, we have nutrition.

“You decide which one you want to do. But for naturopathy, it combines all of this. So as a naturopathic doctor, you can use homeopathy, you can use herbal medicine, you can use nutrition.

“What naturopathy does is a branch of natural medicine that enables, that is based on the theory that the body can heal itself when positioned properly.”

Adeyemi disclosed that transitioning from a journalism career to medicine was no easy feat. She said she went back to school to study anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, subjects she described as “tough but necessary”.

The medical expert revealed that she rewrote the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and trained across multiple institutions.

“I studied English at the university. I was a journalist. It was after I did the certificate in cupping therapy, and I met with Professor Bade, who was here,” she said.

“I went and I did WAEC. Outside of the first degree. Yes. I’m now 49. So that was 2018. I got a chemistry teacher. She’s my sister-in-law.

“But when I now got into this complementary and alternative medicine and the natural parts, you do anatomy and physiology.

“It was tough. Like the regular orthodox medicine. But we are not surgeons. Our physiology and anatomy are not as deep as theirs because they are surgeons.

“From 2016, it’s been one course or the other. I started with the LBS one and then went to do this. And then it’s been on and on and on and on.

“Okay, I didn’t set out to practice naturopathy. I wanted to have a cupping clinic where we’ll be doing just Hijama.

“So after the training, I looked for a clinic, got this place set up as a cupping clinic. And then I now started, you know, a lot, you know, it’s just started, it now occurred to me that, okay, so I can’t do only this. And then people need more.

“Cupping alone cannot do what is on the ground. People have chronic health issues. So, when you say chronic health issues, like? Diabetes, non-fatty alcoholic liver disease. People have cancer. People have neurological disorders. People have gastrointestinal disorders. People have lots of issues. People bring different issues to me. And then women have hormonal imbalances.

“Today, if you have like 10 or 20 women, I can tell you that 15 out of them have hormonal imbalances. Because we engage in lots of practices that disrupt our hormones.”

According to her, most diseases are caused by nutritional deficiencies, and addressing these deficiencies can help prevent and reverse chronic conditions.

“We do holistic naturopathic treatment modalities. We use herbs. We use nutrition. Nutrition. Okay. Most times, ailments and diseases are caused by nutritional deficiencies,” she said.

“Can you explain that? Okay. So, we have vitamins and minerals, which are what our bodies are based on. We have 90 essentials. Some we get from food. Some we get from supplements.

“So, by the time the major ones are deficient, there’ll be an issue. For example, someone who is low in selenium or magnesium, or iodine will have thyroid issues.

“So, that’s how we fix it. So, you look at what the person is having, and then you address the nutritional deficiencies. So, does it mean you produce your drugs?

“So, if I have cancer patients now, and I tell you, so, this is what you need. They are expensive, but you need to get so, so, so, and so. So, I order a lot. Because when it comes to cancer, it’s not a matter of only herbs. It depends on the severity.

“So, but you also have like everyday supplements. You know how women take multivitamins? Yes. So, for multivitamins, it’s not what I really feel one should take because you are not getting the required daily amount when you are taking multivitamins.

“So, you need those vitamins in separate forms. Okay. So, if you are taking magnesium. Magnesium. If you are having vitamin C, this is vitamin C. If you are having selenium.”

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