Do people with albinism have healing powers? No!

In this week’s health check we delve into health myths and look at a few facts about cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, albinism and mental health diseases. Unlike many people’s beliefs, cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the body and it is not contagious. It might run in your family or be related to activities that you do, like smoking, but it can’t be passed on in any other way. And as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned, nothing should be used as an excuse to sexually assault a person. Rape will only pass on the virus. The only way to treat HIV is through anti-retroviral therapy (ARVs). And epileptic seizures come from electrical activity in the brain cells. People suffering from this condition are not possessed. There are therapies for some forms of epilepsy, but doctors are still struggling to treat others. Do people with albinism have healing powers? The answer is no! Due to a lack of melanin, people with albinism look different. Because of this, they are stigmatized and are sometimes even hunted for their body parts. And finally mental illness can have all kinds of causes such as trauma, stress, a chemical imbalance, drug use, or genes.

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