chatwithketch

Hello Doctor Ketch, please I need clarification on something. I want to know if adding fresh raw ugu leaf to my smoothie is okay. And doesn’t have any side effect. I am GTC. mum (going to conceive) let me know please. Thank you

A: I just got this question and I figured that the best way to answer it is with this post I had made before, using raw green veggies (ugu) in a smoothie. Green leafy veggies are full of folate (folic acid) and if you’re trying to conceive, you need to load up on that. So, here goes…..

Q: Hi doc please assist. My belly keeps on getting bigger and I’m not pregnant

A: Usually, there are five Fs associated with abdomens getting bigger 😀 Want to guess? I’ll tell you 😀

• Fat: It could very well be that your abdominal distension is due to fat: visceral fat which is located all around your organs. This places one at risk of heart diseases.
• Faeces: If one is constipated, then the abdomen could get distended. So, make a habit of ‘emptying’ out daily 😀 If you keep to my often-repeated advice of eating lots of fruits and veggies, you won’t need to make an effort. It will happen naturally 😀
• Flatus: If you feel very gassy, you will feel uncomfortable and your tummy may also be out there 😀
• Fetus: Pregnancy is the most common cause of abdominal distension in a woman of reproductive age. So, you might want to check this out.
• Fluid: Fluid in the abdominal cavity can cause abdominal distension. This can happen in heart failure, kidney failure or with liver problems.

So, please, go see your doctor asap. Let him/her examine you and make a proper diagnosis. That will determine the right course of management.

Have a good evening, y’all 😀

Q: Please I do feel some pain when I piss (urinate) and the piss (urine) is somehow yellow. What’s the cause please?

A: Generally, pain when urinating could be due to:

§  Injury: This could be a straddle injury (falling astride a pole, for example), car accidents etc

§  Infections of the urinary tract

§  Infections of the prostate (in males)

§  Sexually transmitted infections

§  Cancer etc

Treatment depends on the cause. If it’s due to infections, appropriate antibiotics will take care of the problem. Surgery may be used for cancer etc.

Urinary tract infections are quite common and occur anywhere in the urinary tract (Genius me, right? :D) and include infections of the kidneys, the ureters (the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder (the reservoir or store house for the urine) and the urethra (the tube that transports the urine from the bladder to the outside).

So, who is more likely to have an infection and why? Women are more likely to have infections and this is because they have short urethrae (those tubes that transport the urine outside) and because the opening of this tube is very close to the opening of the anus. And so, if a woman urinates and has not quite mastered the art of cleaning from the front to the back, she could transfer bacteria from her anus to her urethra and this in turn travels up and infects the bladder. Women who also use the birth control method, diaphragm appear to also be at risk as it may cause the bladder not to empty completely when they urinate. Indeed, not urinating immediately after sexual intercourse in women may also predispose to this as the urethra may have may have become irritated, making it easier for germs to move in. People with depressed immune systems, frequent constipation and some people born with some disorders of their uro-genital system are also prone to UTIs.

In men, narrowing of the urethra which may happen in men who have had straddle injuries (eg falling astride {with legs apart} on a pole…ouch!), history of STIs or prostrate problems may make a man open to UTIs. Recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections (UTI that keeps recurring) may be due to changes in hormone (estrogen) level as one gets to menopause, problems with the urinary tract in terms of function or shape, kidney or bladder stones, bacteria getting into the urinary tract during sexual intercourse etc What symptoms does a person with UTI have? They would complain of feeling they have to urgently urinate often and then when they do get to the toilet, they can only pass out very little urine, pain or burning sensation during urination, pain in the flank (just under the ribs at the back), the urine may be cloudy or reddish or coke coloured, fever with chills and rigours etc. UTIs have to be treated because these infections could keep back tracking from the urethra to the bladder to the ureters and then to the kidneys…we don’t want that do we?! 😀

Treatment is focused on eradicating the infection…of course 😀 Usually a urine sample is taken to the lab. Part of the lab work is a culture and sensitivity test to find out the organisms causing the infection and the specific antibiotic that is active against it. Your doctor may also order other tests as he sees fit eg checking out for congenital defects etc. Apart from the preventive tips above, be sure to drink lots of water which help dilute your urine and help flush out the bacteria. If your urine is light yellow, then you’re good. If it’s a darker hue, you’re probably dehydrated. So, your yellow urine may be pointing towards dehydration.

If placed on antibiotics, please take your prescription for the right period of time even if your symptoms disappear before you finish

I hope this helps.

Good night y’all 😀

Q: Hello doctor! Please my question is, is it normal for a pregnant woman to secrete milk from the breast when she is still five months pregnant? Thank you…

A:Hi dear. Thanks for writing in.

Yes, this is normal. Generally, the milk glands start the job of milk production early in pregnancy (1^st trimester). Some women may notice leakage of yellowish milk from their breasts as early as second trimester but some may not see anything until after baby has been delivered.

Remember that feeding should ideally, start within one hour of having your baby. Your breast already has a stock of breast milk but it does take your baby sucking to make the breast milk ‘come out.’ So, the earlier you put the baby to the breast, the sooner proper breastfeeding can be established. Your baby will probably sleep away the first 24 hours or so, so it may be a challenge to put the baby to the breast. Try the best you can and make sure that your baby’s mouth covers the areola which is the dark coloured area of the nipple.

Some women who had their babies through Caesarian Section may also experience delays in breast feeding just like some other women. There’s no specific reason for this and the same advice of putting the baby to the breast often suffices. The more often you put your baby to the breast, the better your milk supply will be.

Just in case you’re worried that your baby will starve before full breast feeding is established, don’t be. Your baby doesn’t need more than a few teaspoonfuls of colostrum (which your breast already has and baby gets as he suckles) in the first few days. They contain a lot of substances that help build your baby’s immunity. If, however, by 72 hours you’re still not making breast milk, be sure to discuss with your doctor so that he can confirm that your baby is getting enough to eat. Before this time, don’t get tempted to offer glucose water or formula feeds if you plan to breast feed.

Have you heard about pap with milk and how this helps breast milk come in faster? Well, if you want to take your pap, please indulge…in sizeable portions. If it helps your breast milk come in, that’s fine. I guess if the pap is watery enough, it will help hydration and you certainly need to be well hydrated for breast feeding to happen without stress 😀

I hope this helps.

Have a good night y’all 😀

This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The theme for this year is ‘seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before taking antibiotics’.

In honor of this day, I repeat a post I had made on this issue a while back, in response to a question.

Q: Good evening doctor. I am highly impressed with your assistance. Please doc, can one use double antibiotic at d same time?

A: The way you asked this question makes me suspect already that perhaps you are making this prescription by yourself or perhaps you approached ‘Dr Lagbaja’ who owns the chemist shop at the corner to mix some drugs for you. Both practices are dangerous. You should not be prescribing for yourself and Dr Lagbaja in the chemist shop is absolutely not a doctor and has no idea what he’s saying or prescribing for that matter!

So, back to the specific question, can 2 antibiotics be used at the same time. Yes. It depends on what’s being treated. I’ll give an example, in Peptic Ulcer Disease due to the organism Helicobacter pylori, the triple therapy is used in the treatment involving 2 antibiotics and another drug. Please be guided by your doctor in terms of what drugs (antibiotics or otherwise) to take, how much and for how long. Antibiotic resistance occurs because people buy and use antibiotics that are not capable of ‘killing’ the organisms causing a disease or even when they are capable, they are not taken in enough quantities or for a long enough time to make the desired impact. In either case, the organism develops the ability to resist the effect of that drug such that when this drug is taken again another time, it will no longer be effective.

For more on antibiotic use, please click n the link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/03/daily-health-tips-how-do-i-cleanse-my-kidneys/

Have a good evening, y’all and quit prescribing antibiotics or any other drug for that matter for yourself! J

Q: Hi Dr. Ketch, I have a question for you. How can one eat a balance diet daily? In other words, what can we be eating on a daily basis that should be regarded as a balance diet morning, afternoon and evening/night.. Thanks

A: Diet should focus on what we eat, how we eat it, how we cook it and the portions we eat.

What should we eat?
All food groups: Don’t fall all those ‘don’t eat fats’, ‘don’t eat carbs’ diets. Every food group is important. Just ensure that you take only the right portions.

• Proteins: focus on white meats (fish, chicken), plant proteins like melon seeds

• Carbohydrates: focus on complex carbohydrates like whole grain wheat bread, oat meal (made as porridge or used as swallow food to go with local soups), beans etc. White carbs as found in pastries cause your blood sugar to yo yo (go up and down) because soon after you’ve eaten them, you feel hungry wanting to eat even more. Clearly, this cannot help any weight loss program 😀

• Fats and oils: Use healthy oils like Olive oil, Canola oil etc and use sparingly. Generally oils that are solid at room temperature are full of unsaturated fats which are not healthy for you.

• Vitamins and minerals: Load up on fruits and veggies and make sure you have them with every meal. They are full of vitamins, anti-oxidants and other nutrients that help your body fight diseases.

Sea salt is touted to have a lot of minerals that are good for you, but make no mistake about it…sea salt contains as much sodium chloride as common salt or table salt. For anyone to get the benefits of the extra minerals they contain, they must be taking a whole lot more salt that what they need in a day. Remember that excessive consumption of salt leads to high blood pressure.

• Water: Drink sufficient amounts of water daily to keep your joints supple, encourage proper excretion, prevent dehydration etc

How should we eat it?
Slowly. Make a conscious effort to chew your food properly and take your time. Don’t wolf it down…or inhale it :D. Chew intentionally so as to give your brain sufficient time to process the signal from your brain which says that you are full. Have you observed that when you rush your food, you move from being very hungry to being completely stuffed! There’s no in-between, where you realize that you’re full before you get to the stuffed part. That’s because your brain didn’t have enough time to process that info before you became ‘over-full’.

Cooking of food should be done bearing healthy cooking methods in mind. Poach, grill, steam, boil etc.

Portions: Even if you do all the above but we take excessive amounts, then we will pile on the weight. What are the right portions? First, reduce plate size and then ensure that half the plate is filled with fruits and veggies, a quarter is filled with carbs and the last quarter with protein. Remember the tips we’ve given above and focus on picking the right foods from the mentioned classes.

Now don’t go piling your plate high while staying within your portions 😀 That’s an absolute no!!! Even if a food is considered healthy, it doesn’t mean you should eat as much of it as you want. For instance, beams is healthy on so many levels but it also high in calories and so you still need to stick to the portion described. Moderation in everything!!

Examples:
Breakfast: Remember to eat like a king’
• Wheat bread with peanut butter and a glass of fresh juice (or fruit slices)
• Or Oatmeal with fruit slices
• Or a slice of wheat bread with an egg and a glass of juice
• Or a smoothie
• Or A wrap of moi-moi with oats or pap and some fruits

Lunch: Eat like a prince
• Vegetable soup with fish and oatmeal (remember that the vegetable soup should be half the plate, the fish a quarter of the plate and the swallow should be normal height 😀
• Or local rice with stew (please no sign of floating oil should be seen :D), grilled chicken and veggies. Again I feel compelled to explain that the veggies should be half the plate, the rice and chicken should take up a quarter of the plate respectively
• Or Bean pottage with vegetables and fish. If you choose to have some plantain with it, just understand that the beans and plantains are struggling for a quarter of the plate which MUST NOT be crowded 😀
• Spaghetti (pasta) with sauce, salad and fish/chicken. Again, no mounds please!

Dinner: Eat like a pauper
• Boiled sweet potatoes with vegetable sauce and fish
• Or a (small) bowl of salad with a wheat bread roll

I have had cause to describe the ideal plate of food several times: Half the plate should be filled with vegetables, a quarter with complex carbohydrates like beans, local rice (like Ofada/Abakaliki/brown/wild rice), sweet potatoes, oatmeal etc and the last quarter with protein (fish, chicken etc). Remember that carbs are necessary to provide the energy needed for our daily activities. So, O do not ‘demonise’ (:D) them….however, not all carbs are created equal. Complex carbs are superior because they supply energy and fibre and some also supply minerals and vitamins.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night y’all 😀

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great day yesterday!

Today, we will talk about an issue that I receive a lot of mails and questions about. ‘How do I lose weight?’. The video on today’s post on my facebook page (www.facebook.com/healthylivingwithdrketch) illustrates a couple of things that I would like to highlight.

It is nice to want to lose weight to fit into a dress, be more attractive etc, but it is more important to do it for you. If you do it for any other person or any other purpose, you may not focus on healthy living long term. Remember that this is a journey and not a destination.

‘For decades, the body mass index (BMI) has been the gold standard for gauging obesity-related heart disease risk. But this handy tool doesn’t always tell the whole story.’ Now if that doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will! Read!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/overweight-vs-overfat-is-your-scale-lying-to-you?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WR20171110-WeighLess&utm_id=701695&dlv-ga-memberid=11052531&mid=11052531&ml=701695