chatwithketch

Daily low-dose aspirin offers potential health benefits for many people ages 51 to 79, not just those at high risk for heart disease.

Source: Is aspirin a wonder drug?

Food intolerance and food sensitivities become more common as people age. Simple steps can help you identify the problem and relieve digestive distress.

Source: Don’t tolerate food intolerance

New research links feeling younger later in life with living longer.

Source: Feeling young at heart may help you live longer

There is some disagreement among experts on what is the “right” blood level of vitamin D, which makes it hard to define vitamin D deficiency.

Source: Vitamin D: What’s the “right” level?

Q: Please ma’am, is it possible to be pregnant and still menstruate? Thanks. I anticipate your reply

A: Bleeding during pregnancy can be worrying whether it’s a little or a lot. But, it may not necessarily be the sign of a problem.

Bleeding can occur in early pregnancy, close to or about the same time as the menstruation would and thus be mistaken for a period. This bleeding could be due to implantation as the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterus (womb). Other causes of bleeding in early pregnancy include ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage and infections.

For more information on ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage please click on these links:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/08/07/daily-health-tips-what-are-my-options-after-ectopic-pregnancy-and-failed-ivf/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/12/14/daily-health-tips-miscarriage-and-infertility-re-visited/

Bleeding in pregnancy may not necessarily be an emergency but because there are other causes of these episodes of bleeding, which are potentially life threatening like ectopic pregnancy, bleeding in pregnancy should always be checked out in the hospital. Better safe than sorry 😀

I hope this helps J

Q: Good evening. Merry Christmas and happy New Year in advance. Please if someone has black blood menstruation, can it cause delay to get pregnant and if the menstruation is not heavy flow again, can it cause delay to get pregnant? Thanks

A: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For menstrual period, there are usually differences from one woman to the other and even from period to period in the same person.

The uterus (womb) usually prepares to receive a fertilized egg every month and when that fails, the thickened lining of the uterus which had prepared to receive a baby is shed. Usually, this blood does not contain clots as anti-coagulants (substances that prevent clotting of blood) in blood ensure that this doesn’t happen.

However, if the blood is flowing faster than the anticoagulants can work, then clots appear. This would usually happen on the heaviest day of the flow as appears to be the case here. So, clots do not necessarily suggest a problem.

But, if this appears to be the case on all or most days of the period, or you find that you’re using a sanitary towel per hour for several hours, please see your gynaecologist. Conditions that may lead to excessive bleeding and therefore, clots in blood during a menstrual period include a miscarriage (of a pregnancy), fibroids, dramatic recent weight loss, thyroid problems, large uterus etc If this is further accompanied by feeling of faintness, tiredness and paleness, you should head to the hospital immediately.

Towards the end of a period, the blood usually becomes dark due to older blood not being expelled fast enough from the body. It is not usually a cause for concern and should not prevent pregnancy. If, however, the clots are present all through the menstrual period, please see your doctor. Better safe than sorry.

Issues that can cause a decrease in flow include pregnancy (the supposed period may be an implantation bleed), crash dieting (when you want to lose all the weight you added in 5 years in one week :D), intense physical activity, Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD), imbalance of hormones and use of contraceptives. Previous instrumentation like Dilatation and Curettage (D and C), where the procedure was too ‘vigorously’ done can result in a condition called Asherman’s syndrome which manifests as reduction in menstrual flow. In the same way that stress can delay a menstrual period, it can also cause a reduction in flow.

You must work with your gynaecologist in order to manage this. If the cause is PCOD, focus will be on the treatment; if due to intense exercise, reducing intensity will be helpful; if due to crash dieting, focus on eating a proper balanced diet will help etc. Your gynaecologist will carry out a detailed examination and investigation to arrive at the cause and advice on treatment.

All the best

I hope this helps.

Q: Good morning Dr. My husband told me about this page that I could share with you what I am experiencing. I got married Nov 19 this year and I missed my period this month so I went for test showing that I am pregnant. Lately I have been having morning sickness: vomiting, constipation, cramps and feeling dizzy sometimes. I have been unable to eat after cooking myself as I have nobody around helping out and whenever I eat I vomit. I am looking lean because I have not been eating well and I am not comfortable. The only thing I feed on comfortably without vomiting is pap. What can I do? And lastly I have not been sleeping well recently. It’s my first time. Please help me. I am very far from my relatives who can help
A: Pregnancy is a very interesting condition, I can tell you…being a veteran with 3 beautiful children to show for it 😀 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. Generally, the symptoms of pregnancy include:
Breast tenderness
Discharge: A thin milky discharge is normal during pregnancy
Heart burn and Constipation
Frequency of urination
Tiredness
Food cravings and aversions
Morning sickness/nausea
Morning sickness during pregnancy can be really trying! I know…I suffered through it! Oh boy! Thank God I’m over all of that now…I’m a grandmother in waiting 😀
Now, for the rest of you who still have to go through this, I’ll share some tips.
The standard teaching is to try eating some bland foods like Crackers biscuits or dry toast. That personally didn’t work for me. I preferred tart things…which some may want to avoid. I loved lemons during my pregnancies. They were the one thing guaranteed to ‘wake up’ my mouth and chase nausea far away. I also had a particular brand of very tart bubble gum, I indulged in These were key for me because, though I didn’t have the real bad case of morning sickness that sent you to the hospital, brushing my teeth in the morning always sent me into a bout of retching/vomiting. So, I always had a ready supply of the gum or lemon/lime to pop into my mouth once I was done brushing/retching! Not a very pleasant memory ;D
So, if lemons work for you to prevent nausea, go for it. Remember that moderation is key. A few drops (one or two) in a glass of water are enough to provide that tart kick that sends nausea far away. There is a catch here though…remember the heart burn associated with pregnancy. The acid content of lemon might make the heart burn and any pre-existing gastro-esophageal (stomach and esophagus/gullet) problems worse. So, this is all the more reason to be very moderate or stop if it exacerbates an already bad case of heart burn. Wherever and whenever in doubt, please be sure to see your doctor.
Other tips:
• Eat little amounts of food frequently as an empty tummy increases the likelihood of throwing up. Remember this is not an excuse to binge and over eat
• Avoid fatty and greasy foods.
• Avoid smells that trigger nausea
• Cold foods may be preferable to hot as the former does not give off smells that may cause you to feel queasy.
• Get loads of fresh air and rest
• And drink sufficient fluids daily
I trust your hubby is showing you more love and support than ever. If you can’t stand cooking now, because of this, he should be supportive, help out or ensure you have help. Having him on your side will most certainly help you cope with this.
All the best, dear 😀

Q: Good evening Doc. Please, can you explain what causes early greying of the hair and what can be done to reverse it? Thanks
A: Happy New Year, y’all!
Thanks for writing in.
Hmmm, this is a question we all wish we had answers to! I noticed my first smattering of grey hair a couple of years ago and because I had just taken on a new role with loads of responsibilities, everyone believed it was due to stress. I think my hair dresser noticed it before I did  She wanted to pull it out (it was just a single strand at that time) but I was having none of it 😀 I wanted it right there. I felt it was my badge of honour; it spoke to things I had been through and conquered. And so, I kept it…and it has now become a smattering of about 50 grey hair right in front of my head! But that’s me…everyone else thinks this is strange 😉 But right from an early age I have always admired people with grey hair.
Now, enough about me and my weird fascination for grey hair! Back to the question….
Most people don’t like grey hair as they believe it makes them look old. It is a natural process of life and at some point, we would all have grey hair…some earlier than others. Hair usually has the colour it does because of pigment-producing cells at the root of the hair follicles. Over time the follicles produce less pigment causing the hair to go grey. In other instances, naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide can build up in the hair, bleaching it.
The major cause of grey hair is getting older. This would usually occur around mid 40s for black people, late 30s for Asians and mid 30s for Caucasians. Premature greying happens before these ages and can occur even in children as the hair pigments just stop making pigments. This may not necessarily be associated with any medical condition. Genes play a role here and it could just happen. However, in some situations premature greying can happen due to anaemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, a condition known as vitiligo, thyroid problems etc. So, you could get a doctor to check if you have any of these underlying conditions. Treatment of these conditions may help.
In other instances where a patch of hair just turns grey(poliosis), it could be due to the immune system accidently destroying pigment cells in a particular area of hair or due to genetic disorders. It could happen in children born without pigment cells in a particular area of their hair.
Is there a treatment? Not really. So you can work with a hair stylist colour your hair (permanently or semi-permanently), put in highlights or just style creatively.
You can go short and sport a nice trim hair cut that shows off your grey or ensure you have it looking nice and sleek….just like that woman I saw in church all those years ago! Sigh…she looked so distinguished! There I go, drooling again…
So, that’s it! No reversal…it’s just mask it or rock it 😀
Have a great day, y’all 😀

Q: Good morning Doctor, what is cause of jaundice in new born and how can I prevent it? Thanks

A: Jaundice is a condition in which there is yellowing of the eyes or the skin. It can happen in both children and adults. Usually, when old red blood cells are broken down, a yellow pigment, bilirubin is released as part of that process. The bilirubin is removed from the body through urine and stool. It is the bilirubin that gives rise to that yellow colour seen in jaundice.

Other symptoms of jaundice include deep yellow urine and pale stools.

In new born babies, there are two types of jaundice (neonatal jaundice) that can occur: Physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice.

Physiological jaundice occurs as a natural process of life. While in the uterus, the baby’s bilirubin is removed through the placenta. Once the baby is born, he/she has to handle this bilirubin business by himself/herself 😀 (talk about responsibility immediately after touching down in planet earth!) because his organs are unable to deal with all the bilirubin released from breakdown of red blood cells. As the bilirubin accumulates in blood, jaundice results. Typically, this jaundice appears about 24hours after birth, actually gets worse until the 3^rd or 4^th day. It would usually have disappeared by the end of one or two weeks.

Pathological jaundice is due to a disease condition like infection, mother and baby’s blood groups not being compatible etc. This is typically present before 24 hours of birth.  Indeed, this is the main difference between the two types of jaundice. The one that occurs naturally is seen after 24 hours while the one due to disease is seen before 24 hours…rule of thumb 😀

Jaundice may be mild, disappearing on its own, especially physiologic jaundice. However, sometimes, the yellowness deepens, the baby may develop a high-pitched cry and/or develop arched back. These are dangerous signs and this child should be in a hospital. Indeed, if you observe jaundice in your baby after you have left the hospital, please get it checked out in the hospital just to be sure.  Most babies are able to deal with this excess bilirubin on their own without needing treatment. However, some other babies may be put under special lights called phototherapy or in more serious conditions, an exchange blood transfusion may be done (literally, this involves practically exchanging the baby’s bilirubin-filled blood with ‘new’ blood).

The main focus in jaundice is to bring down the level of the bilirubin. If this is not done, it could cross the blood/brain barrier and stain the brain leading to brain damage, a condition called Kernicterus.  More frequent feeding is usually suggested as this helps the baby get rid of more bilirubin.

Have a good evening, everyone 😀