There are some things that are really not just worth your time…and yet you spend so much time on them! 😀 This post suggests how to apportion your time and efforts and ranges from A effort (100% effort) for things really important to you to F effort (0%) for things that are just time wasters! You figure out what activities fall into these groups and those in between! 😀 Read!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/trying-to-be-perfect-can-cause-anxiety
To round off the post of yesterday, I share a related post…
Q: Thanks Dr Ketch for all your advice. Please, at what age should my hubby stop bathing my daughter? She is 6yrs old now. During the week, we leave home early and so we help each other because we don’t want to have a house help and most times he helps with bathing the children.
A: Hmmm! Very valid question! You guys are getting into interesting territories! Important territories, too 😀
This issue actually goes both ways and indeed, the question should also be asked about when mothers should stop bathing their sons.
Children need their privacy and sooner than later may feel the need to voice out their need for this. I’m sure the husband in this case does not fall into this category but stories of parents sexually abusing their children also exist. We need to also be mindful of this…sad but true.
By the time a child…
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Q: Good morning, Doctor and God bless you much for always being there. I’m the lady that told you about my baby’s Mumps. She’s very fine now. Thank you so much
Doc I was wondering,..what should I teach her to call her Vagina? I don’t know if it’s proper and polite to use the real words as Vagina or Penis especially in public places. She’s my first child and I’m pregnant with my second child now.
Please help me out. Thanks a lot.
A: Hey you. Thanks for writing in. I’m glad your daughter is better.
Interesting question and I’m sure lots of parents will have lots of different views about what makes sense and what doesn’t.
Before I weigh in, I’ll tell you a story that I heard when in medical school. One of our professors was trying to explain why it was very important to ensure that in teaching couples about contraception, there should be no ambiguity. Say exactly what you mean and show it clearly with models or call precise names. So, the story was told of a medical doctor who was trying to explain to a couple how to use condoms. He didn’t have a model to use and show, had no pictures and probably figured that it didn’t make sense to ask the man to strip So, he told them to assume that his (the doctor’s) thumb was the patient’s penis. And he then proceeded to show the couple how to insert the condom over the thumb. It appeared communication had taken place. Everyone was happy, hands were shaken and everyone departed.
A few months later, a visibly upset and confused couple returned to the clinic to see the same doctor. In summary, despite following the doctor’s advice and doing exactly what he’d told them, his wife still got pregnant. The worried looking doctor mentally tried to review what he’d told them while scanning through the pages of the couple’s folder. He asks the man how exactly he used the condom. The man thrusts out his thumb and tells the doctor that he put the condom on his thumb in exactly the same way the doctor did it during their hospital visit! The rest as they say is history!
What am I saying? It is important to be very clear about what each body part is called and what can happen when inappropriate contact happens there. In these days where uncles, aunties and even parents have turned child molesters and pedophiles, it is important that children can adequately communicate what, if any inappropriate contact has taken place. It also helps the children to be comfortable in their skin and not feel that there is anything wrong with those parts of their bodies. They are private parts and should not be indiscriminately touched by anyone, even parents especially after a certain age, but they are also normal parts of the body.
Teaching the right name helps make the children comfortable with their bodies. Be matter of fact and remember that this is just a prelude to the even more cringe-inducing conversation that you are going to have in a few years about sex education So start your practice with this and try not to look embarrassed.
I know that the greatest fear is the embarrassment that one would feel if one’s child got up in public to scream ‘mum, my vagina hurts!’. I know. I would literally want to die too And why is that? It’s because we’ve literally made these words sound like bad words. They are not. They are names of body parts like nose, ankle etc. And if we all felt comfortable about it, there would probably be no shame.
When I give health talks in some places and the conversation veers towards reproductive organs, grown men and women start giggling. I find it really fascinating! Really? What’s so cute about the names? Nothing! They are just not used to hearing it and this is most likely a hang-up from early childhood.
Finally, if you don’t teach your child the right name, she will probably learn it from the internet as soon as she’s able to use a computer. And from then, all the other information you pass on may also become suspect 😀
That’s my take. What’s yours?
Have a good night, y’all 😀
Q: Hi Dr. Ketch, I really need your help so bad because I have a huge problem every time I go to sleep. Every time I sleep, I always experience “SLEEP TALKING”. How can I prevent that illness? Doc please help me! Thank you!
A: Thanks for writing in!
Sleep talking refers to talking during sleep without being aware of it. This is medically referred to as somniloquy. Sleep talking may be spontaneous or triggered by conversation with the ‘sleep talker.’ The sleep talkers may mumble simple sounds/gibberish or long speeches; they may talk for a few seconds per episode or several times during the night; they may whisper or shout; they may appear to be talking to themselves or other people; voice and language may be similar to or different from normal etc. The list goes on…
Sleep talking is common in children and appears to run in families although it could also be brought on by fever, stress, sleep deprivation, certain medications, substance abuse, alcohol, depression etc. It is not typically considered a medical problem especially when it occurs by itself but it could also be the sign of a more serious medical disorder. This condition could occur with other sleep disorders like sleepwalking, sleep apnea, nightmares etc.
What can you do on your own to reduce this? No treatment is usually required but if this is severe or goes on for a long time, then an intervention is needed. A good place to start would be a review of the listed causes above to understand which of them could be responsible for this problem in your own case. For instance, if you’re not getting enough sleep, are stressed, are abusing drugs or alcohol, work on those. Review your medications (including the times you take them) with your doctor and seek help for depression. If none of these appear to help, then a consultation with a sleep specialist is in order. If you do not know one, your doctor will be able to refer you to one.
In the meantime, ensure that you let your partner know that you are working on getting help for this condition. A stop-gap measure that could help them get more sleep (if your sleep talking is depriving them of much needed sleep) is to get ear plugs and also use ‘white noise’ like the sound of a fan to drown out the noise of your sleep talks.
All the best! J
Family history, age and lifestyle (food you eat, exercise or lack of it, alcohol intake and smoking) are some of the factors that affect our predisposition to cancer. So watch out y’all!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/factors-that-increase-your-risk-for-a-secondary-cancer
Happy New Year! It is 2019! Wow! My prayer for you this year is to dream big, commit your actions to God and your plans will succeed! 😀
And now, as we all get busy in the kitchens serving up mouth-watering meals, a timely reminder to prevent food poisoning and accusations thrown at ‘village pipu’ 😀
Wash your hands before and after handling food
Use separate chopping boards. 1 for Fruits and fresh vegetable for salads, 1 for poultry, seafood and meats and another for all other produce. This prevents cross-contamination of foods.
Wash your knives, boards and other utensils before using on a different set of produce. Again, this prevents cross-contamination of foods.
Freeze/refrigerate meats you are not going to use immediately.Constantly bringing out your meats, thawing them and then freezing them back again, provides an opportunity for bacteria to thrive. So, if you buy a lot of meat, put them in small packs according to how much you use every time. This way, you ensure that you’re going to use everything in a pack you bring out.
Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetable before cutting and serving. You can use salt and/or vinegar water to wash vegetables
Be sure to wash your kitchen napkins and dish towels in hot water often. I wash mine at the end of the day and next morning they are nice and fresh!
Remember that hygiene is two-thirds of health! So, don’t be caught napping 😀
Q: Hi Dr. Ketch…I really need your help on this. I have suffered from haemorroids for almost 9 months. They come and disappear after sometimes. So recently, I have been having excess gas and farts of more than 20 times a day and it’s even worse during the night. It’s so embarrassing for me especially when I am sharing a bed with someone who doesn’t really understand my condition. Some people can even term it as lack of manners or control. How can I reduce the flatulence and live a normal life again? I am looking forward to your response. Thanks in advance. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
A: Thanks for writing in and I trust you had a merry Christmas too J Here’s wishing you and the rest of my ‘Healthy Living with Dr. Ketch’ family a happy new year in advance. There are still a couple of hours left of 2018. Make them count even while you’re already making plans for 2019 😀
‘Excess gas’ is produced in the body when we swallow it or when our body produces it as a result of what we have eaten. This is usually caused by the twin factors of what you have eaten and how you chose to eat it.
For what you have eaten, easy culprits are rich, fatty foods,
beans, dairy (especially in lactose intolerant people), high fibre foods (if
lots of water is not taken afterwards) etc.
How can the way you eat cause you a problem?
If you tend to over-eat or rush your food (eat it very fast or like a friend of mine would say, ‘inhale’ it :D), then you are a target for bloating (that feeling of being swollen with gas). The reason is that you eat so fast that you don’t give enough time for signals to travel to your brain from the stomach confirming that you are full. By the time that signal arrives, you are all stuffed up and bloated to boot! Note that it may take up to 20 minutes for those signals that confirm fullness to get to the brain…sounds like a long journey 😀
Other causes of bloating are swallowed air (which can happen when we eat too fast or drink too fast) and smoking.
Prevention?
This is really simple: Reduce portion sizes, limit your intake of fats, eat
slowly, quit smoking and limit your intake of foods that cause this, if all
else fails.
If your bloating is caused by swallowed air, avoid carbonated drinks (most soft drinks fall into this category), don’t drink with straws (at least on a regular basis) avoid chewing chord…oh, sorry! 😀 I meant to say, avoid chewing gum and stay off your candies that you suck so hard and suck in quite a bit of air too!
Remember that if this ‘gassiness’ continues ‘regularly, you should see your doctor to be sure this is not the symptom of something else.
For tips on what to do about haemorrhoids, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/12/daily-health-tips-help-please-i-have-chronic-piles-haemorrhoids/
Have a great day! 😀
Q: Good day Doc. Thanks for the medical lectures you have been giving to us. Please I want to know if treating malaria during first trimester is harmful to the baby
A: Pregnancy can affect different women differently. For some women, they hardly feel a thing and others spend the whole nine months (…and then some :D) in bed. And so, you may very well feel you have malaria when the only issue you’re dealing with is the new life growing in you! I felt like that for a long while before I discovered I was pregnant 😀
Fansidar is a specific brand of the drug Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) is used for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy. Its use for this is referred to as Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in pregnancy (IPTp-SP).
Is it safe in pregnancy? Yes and no. In the first trimester, it is not recommended for use but from the second trimester, it is considered appropriate and indeed is recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) for administration to pregnant women. If you live in a malaria endemic area like Nigeria, your doctor will ensure that you get your Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) courses for malaria (sulphadoxine-pyrimethmine) during your pregnancy, as your doctor has already done. The assumed rule before was for pregnant women to receive 2 doses of this drug (full dose of 3 tablets) but WHO has since clarified that the appropriate regimen is for women to receive the full dose of Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine from week 13 of pregnancy. She should get a full dose at every antenatal visit provided the last dose was taken at least one month before. There is evidence that women who received 3 or more doses of IPTp had children with higher average birth weights than those who got 2 doses.
Your doctor will ensure that the Folic Acid dose you’re getting in your prenatal drugs is not more than 0.4mg. Doses of Folic Acid higher than or equal to 5mg affects the efficacy of the anti-malarial, SP. So, be sure to check with your doctor before you start buying other non-prescribed prenatal vitamins.
If you do have malaria Quinine, Clindamycin, Proguanil are considered safe by the WHO treatment guideline in the first trimester. However, don’t be quick to go take any of them without prescription. Remember that every drug is a potential toxin and your doctor is really in the best place to weigh potential risks of taking any drug against the potential benefits. To put this in perspective, a recent study appears to now suggest that acetaminophen (the main ingredient in paracetamol) may lead to Attention Deficit Disorder in children! And yet, we refer to it as ‘ordinary’ paracetamol. There is nothing ordinary about any drug, my friends
Doing all of the above will be meaningless if you do not pay any attention to the environment.
Those anopheles mosquitoes that are associated with malaria need a place to lay eggs so they can muster the right army to wreak havoc. So deprive them of a breeding camp. Who would know the conditions necessary for a terrorist camp to be set up and make their homes or environment, the right one for that? Nobody…in their right minds at least 😀
If you have to go out in the evenings, depending on whether you will be out in mosquito infested areas, wear protective clothing that cover arms and legs, preferably in light colours. Mosquitoes love dark colours and the dark….no wonder their deeds are evil. Insect repellent creams used on exposed areas are also not a bad idea.
So, my advice is to see your doctor to confirm what is wrong with you…if anything at all, beyond pregnancy 😀
Have a good day and a great weekend, y’all 😀
Q: Good day Doc. Thanks so much for your medical lectures on Facebook. God will continue to strengthen you. I am a first time mother I had my daughter last December. During the 1st trimester I was bleeding heavy but later stopped after medical consultation but I noticed my daughter is using only her left hand and holding the right hand so tight but if I force to open it and move it I found out nothing is wrong with it. My question is how can I help her to use the right hand too. Thanks ma’am as I await your response. God bless
A: It does sound like you assume the bleeding affected your daughter’s preference of what hand to use? If you think so, you’re wrong. No link.
Now, please be sure that there is really nothing wrong with your baby’s right hand. The way you describe her clenching it is a bit curious. If she appears to be in pain, please get it checked out in the hospital. If there’s nothing wrong and this is just an issue of being right handed versus being left handed, then leave well alone.
This issue of converting left-handed children to right handed orientation has come up again and again. Our culture, in Nigeria and perhaps other places in Africa, suggests that doing things with the left hand is wrong, rude and simply abnormal. But just take a moment and think about it? Why is it wrong? Or rude? Where is it written? When was it decided? Were you at the meeting?
Perhaps an understanding of how people become right or left handed is important here. The brain is cross wired such that the right side of the brain controls movement of the left hand side of the body and the left side of the brain controls movement of the right hand side. Most people are right handed and that’s because the left side of their brain which controls writing, language, logic, scientific skills etc is dominant. The left side of the brain controls emotional expression, imagination, creativity etc.
There are several reports of children who have been changed from left to right hand suffering unneeded hardship mentally, emotionally and socially as a result of this. Some articles have reported bedwetting, stuttering, being withdrawn, poor concentration and memory etc as fall outs of this change from left to right. It would appear that the brain is confused as it tries to re-define which area of the body it controls.
The way I put it is, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ So, leave your child well alone. Right handed, left handed ambidextrous (one who has use of both hands), please love these children the way they are and encourage them. Ever seen the most powerful man on earth (president of the United States, Barrack Obama) sign a document? Well, if you do, take a close look. He’s left handed and that doesn’t appear to have hurt him much!
Let me know what you think.
I hope y’all had a great day
