IS IT ‘MAGUN’ OR CARDIAC ARREST?

There were two stories recently published in the dailies which I followed passionately in order to educate the readers on the medical aspect and prevention of the condition.
The stories were about two men who died at different time, had different encounter in different hotels in Lagos. They were said to have stopped breathing with no sign of life during sexual intercourse. It was attributed to magun by the readers and some commentators.
The medical explanation is that such deaths are usually due to cardiac arrest or in some cases could lead to stroke, largely referred to as brain attack.
What is magun? Magun is a charm that originates from the Yoruba tribe, South-West Nigeria. It literally means “do not climb.” Magun has been used for centuries to catch a wife who has an extra-marital affair or to put a promiscuous woman in check. Some husbands or parents are known to put magun on their wives or daughters to discourage either extramarital affairs or premarital sex and ward off rapists. There are different sorts of magun. The three most famous ones are:
1) A woman and her lover stick like glue during the process of sex. The man cannot detach himself from the woman. This sometimes leads to death and in some cases a public humiliation of the stuck couple.
2) In another variation, when a man sleeps with a woman who has magun on her, he starts to crow like a rooster. It is said that the man would crow for three times and by the third time he would end up dead.
3) Another popular variation of magun is that of the man somersaulting three times. Just like the chicken magun, when the man somersaults the third time he ends up dead.
Though this postulations about magun don’t have medical or scientific explanations, one cannot totally ignored it in society since it could address moral issues like premarital sex, extramarital affairs and put fears in the mind of rapists. Medical experts found it to be a myth.
Most of these deaths are caused by cardiac arrests. Less than one per cent of cardiac arrests occurred during or immediately after sexual activity, a particular study showed those who had a sudden cardiac arrest during sex were likely to have a heart conditions or be on heart medications as those who had a sudden cardiac arrest at other times. Most of these men who were said to have died due to magun are in their middle age or elderly with one medical condition or the other. Most have uncontrolled or malignant hypertension, some have high cholesterols, some have had heart attacks in the past. Sex is relatively safe for patients with mild heart disease but anyone who has uncontrolled high blood pressure, chest pains, a weak heart, a history of heart attack, advanced heart failure, or an arrhythmia should get a doctor’s approval first.
How to prevent cardiac arrests
Sudden cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. The condition usually results from an electrical disturbance in the heart that disrupts its pumping action, stopping blood flow to your body.
Sudden cardiac arrest differs from a heart attack, when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked. However, a heart attack can sometimes trigger an electrical disturbance that leads to sudden cardiac arrest.
Risk factors
Because sudden cardiac arrest is often linked with coronary artery disease, the same factors that put one at the risk of coronary artery disease can also put one at the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
These include a family history of coronary artery disease, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle.
Medical advice
If not treated immediately, sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death. With fast, appropriate medical care, survival is possible. Giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using a defibrillator just giving compressions to the chest, this can improve the chances of survival until emergency workers arrive. Hotel staff should be taught how to do cardiac massage or CPR. All women should be taught CPR since cardiac arrest from intercourse also happens at home but underreported due to the stigma the woman may carry. People, whether men or women, whose partners have severe heart conditions should mandatorily learn CPR and do it if cardiac arrest occurs. The hotels and other public places should have leaflets, notices and other educational materials on CPR.
Men should avoid male sex enhancement herbs and supplements as some may alter the heart rate, blood pressure and flow. They are to avoid excessive alcohol as this can have an effect on the ability to achieve or maintain an erection. Alcohol can also increase tiredness and drowsiness. Also, they should avoid using illegal drugs and stimulants, such as cocaine, marijuana or amphetamines. Men with severe headaches should have their headaches treated before engaging in sexual intercourse because the sexual act could be disastrous to the man.
Those near the scene should call the emergency numbers for medical help while the CPR is going on.

-by Rotimi Adesanya