chatwithketch

Q: Hello doc, please my friend is seriously ill and the doctor said that it’s enlargement of the heart. Is it reversible? I’m very confused

Q: Please Dr., what could be the cause of heart enlargement?

A: Thanks both, for writing in.

Cardiomegaly is the medical term used to refer to an enlarged heart. This is the sign of a disease condition and could be permanent or temporary. A good example of a reversible cardiomegaly is the enlargement associated with pregnancy.

The causes of heart enlargement include:

High blood pressure….the usual suspect! This condition causes the heart muscle to work harder to pump blood thus enlarging the muscle.

Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy): This causes stretching, thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle.

Heart valve disease: Damage to the heart valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction, can lead to heart enlargement.

Anaemia: Insufficient quantity of red blood cells…

Q: Good evening ma’am. Please, I have a question for you…after giving birth I didn’t really take ‘udah’ n ‘aju Mbaise’ because the udah was giving me seriously tummy bite so I stopped taking it and I did exclusive breastfeeding just for 1month. I met with a doctor and I told her about this and she screamed and told me that it’s only those things that can contract the womb after child birth. I am really scared. Please, Doc does this mean my womb is still open? I will really love to have more kids. Thanks

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in. If you’d like to have more kids…then more kids you’ll have! Provided that there is no other issue except the ‘herbs/spices’ you didn’t take 😀 I believe these are spices used to make Nigeria’s speciality pepper soup for women who just delivered. I understand the spices are…

Q: Good afternoon Doc. I am really frustrated because of my stature. I am notfat but rather losing weight, talking about my age and how I look is not helping at all. I look like a teenager who is 16 but I will be 29 next month. Doc, I always feel bad getting near my friends because there is a big difference between us when in their midst, please any help from you because I really need to gain weight. Thanks

A: 😀 Different strokes for different folks!

Before you start figuring out how to add weight, check your Body Mass Index (BMI). If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are in the underweight category. Even at that, you still will need to talk to your doctor to find out if your weight is a symptom of a medical problem.

Generally, though, to add weight in a healthy way:

Nobody wants to die young and heart diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide. Eating healthy is a task that may appear daunting especially in a place like Nigeria, as we really do not have a culture of reading food labels in these parts. So here are some quick tips to help ensure you are getting enough of the good fats:
• Cook with healthier oils. Generally oils that are liquid at room temperature are good for you. If the oil is solid at room temperature, give it a miss.
• Snack on nuts. You can also add them to salads for an extra crunch. I also like them in my yoghurt. Remember to go easy on portions and serve by the handful
• Avocados are a good source of mono-unsaturated fats which help protect your heart and prevent stroke. You can eat it on its own, use it…

Happy Good Friday everyone! That almost sounds wrong using happy and good right after each other in one sentence J Anyways, trust y’all had a reflective day focusing on the significance of this day. Years ago, the ultimate price was paid today for you and for me. That sure brings a smile to my face!

Now to our question for the day….

Q: Good evening ma’am, I really want to slim down and a doctor recommended a choice of two slimming pills to me. Please ma’am are they good drugs? Thanks. And Also I have registered in a gym.

A: I get a lot of questions about slimming pills, green tea and those wonder drugs that make you shed weight in ‘seconds’ and instruct you never to eat of specific classes of foods. Let’s use green tea as an example. Green tea is great and studies have shown that it…

Q: Please Doc, my 8year old boy has started having this odour especially when he sweats. Please, what can I do to stop this or is it normal because when I checked his armpit I found some hair coming out? Please I need answers ASAP. Thanks

A: Thanks for writing in. Is this normal? Well, from around the age of 8 to 10 years, children begin to sweat a little more and of course with the sweat comes the possibility of body odour. So, this is the time to teach him some hygiene lessons that will be helpful forever 

He needs to take a shower twice a day or failing that, at least once a day. This helps wash away sweat as well as reduce the number of bacteria on his skin.

Most people don’t know but sweat on its own is virtually odourless. But when bacteria that live naturally…

Q: Good day Doctor, may God continue to bless you for the words of encouragement and the tips you are giving to us. Thank you, Doctor . I am having problems with my ear and it’s over 2 weeks now. My ear is making noise. I met an ENT doctor last week about it and she washed my right ear and the noise now stopped; but I started hearing the noise again in my left ear. It is during the night when everywhere is cool that I notice it and it’s giving me sleepless nights. I am taking the drugs she gave me when I went back to complain about the second ear. Doctor what do I do? Please help me. God bless you and your family .

A: Thanks for writing in and for your prayers. Amen to every one of them.

Noisy ears as you have described is…

Q: What causes protein in the urine
or in the body? Does it mean eating too much protein can be dangerous sometimes?

A: Thanks for writing in.

First point…even if a food is considered healthy, it doesn’t mean you
should eat as much of it as you want. For instance, beans 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!!

Protein molecules in blood are typically too large
to be filtered into urine so that normally, very trace (very little/low) amount
is present in the urine as healthy kidneys do a great job of filtration. Therefore,
when protein is found in urine, it is abnormal and usually suggestive of the
fact that the kidneys may be malfunctioning. This condition is known as
proteinuria and the most common relevant protein suggestive of kidney disease

Hey! Thought to share this again.

Q: Hello Doctor, thanks for being a source of medical education to most of us. Please, I would like to know if it is normal for a baby’s navel to get bigger. My boy is 7 weeks old and his Navel is getting bigger than it was after the normal birth treatment. My daughter presses it in my absence. Could it be the reason for it to get bigger almost by day? Again he stretches a lot…could that also be the reason? I’m just curious ma’am. Thanks for being there to lean on.

A: It does sound like your baby has an umbilical hernia. Don’t go shouting and screaming just yet! It’s probably not as horrible as it sounds. It looks all dramatic any time the baby cries and does appear to ‘swell up’ causing parents to panic. But, it usually closes up on…