chatwithketch

People who are married tend to be in better overall health than people who are not, but the reasons for this are not clear.

Source: The health advantages of marriage

It is December! The end of the year is upon us! 😀 Usually, this period brings with it many resolutions for the new year. In keeping with this:

‘Mention one ‘nutrition resolution’ you plan for 2017. In other words, mention one specific way, you plan to change/adjust your feeding/nutrition habits to eat healthier next year. If you have more than one nutrition resolution, feel free to share :D’

Terms and conditions:

The first 3 persons to answer correctly will win our prizes.

Participants must be followers of our blog and/or facebook page.

Only one answer per participant will be accepted.

If a participant provides more than one answer, the first answer will be used.

Edited answers will be disqualified.

Editor’s decision is final.

This challenge lapses by 11.59 pm on Friday, the 9th of December, 2016

So, what are you waiting for?! Best of luck, guys!

Congratulations to our winners for the 26th November quiz! I was spoilt for choice! So many interesting answers! And so, we have 4 winners!

• Uju Jennifer Anyahuru (fromcom)
• Rachel Ben Okoye (from facebook.com)

• Raif Ascension (from facebook.com)

• Monope Mutheiwana (from facebook.com)

Congratulations, guys!

Please send an email to healthylivingwithdrketch@gmail.com for instructions on how to pick up your gifts.

Q: Hi Dr. Please ma’am, I was told a woman with retroverted uterus cannot conceive. Please ma’am, how true is it?

A: Normally, a uterus tilts forwards at the cervix towards the stomach. In some women, however, the uterus tilts backwards inside the pelvis towards the spine. This is called a retroverted or tilted uterus. Many women with this condition are born with it but some women may develop it after birth as a result of:

• Pregnancy: During pregnancy, the ligaments holding the uterus in place become weak and so after pregnancy, some women now find their uteri tilted.

• Prior surgery, infections and disease conditions like endometriosis may lead to a tilted uterus. In these cases, conception may be difficult but not impossible. Patients here may benefit from seeing a fertility doctor.

For more on endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease, please click on these links:

Daily Health Tips: Can PID Block My Fallopian Tubes?

Daily Health Tips: What’s An Ovarian Cyst?

• Menopause: Estrogen deficiency in menopause also leads to weakened ligaments such that the uterus now becomes tilted.

A retroverted uterus is usually an incidental finding as most women experience no symptoms. The women with symptoms usually complain of pain during menstruation and pain during sexual intercourse. Other symptoms include lower back pain, incontinence, difficulty with passing stool or urine.

Treatment for this include:

Kegel exercises: The exercise mimics the movements we make when we want to stop the flow of urine. Try holding this for about 10 seconds and then doing about 10 repetitions per set. Try about 4 to 6 sets per day and increase this as you feel ready.

Knee to chest exercise: Lie flat on your back and place both feet on the floor with both knees bent. With your left foot still flat on the floor, bring your right knee to your chest. Hold this position for about 15 to 30 seconds and then return your leg to the floor. Do about 10 reps of this exercise on each leg 3 times a day. This can help return a tilted uterus to a forward position.

Vaginal pessaries (plastic devices) which help to hold the uterus in position.

Surgery can also help to shorten (tighten) the weakened ligaments and thus return the uterus to its rightful position.

Now, does a retroverted uterus stop one from getting pregnant? No. The sperm can swim just as easily here as they do in other uteri/wombs. However, given that some of the causes of retroverted uterus like endometriosis are associated with difficulty to conceive, then retroverted uterus may be associated with infertility even though it doesn’t cause it.

I hope this helps you. If you have more questions, please seek out a good gynaecologist and let him/her help you.

Have a good night, everyone 😀

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Hello everyone! It’s December 1! Oh my! How the year has flown by! Filled with laughter and tears, ups and downs, sadness and happiness….but most of all, life! Yes! As the bible says, only the living can praise God. So, people, let’s praise God today….for the gift of life, for the gift of passing through it all and yet, still standing! Amazing!

For the last month, call those things that be not, as if they are! Don’t give up. There are still 30 more days of amazing grace left in the year. Don’t miss them by giving up too soon!

I smell Christmas in the air!

Today is World AIDS Day, a day set aside to create awareness or this diseases caused by the virus, HIV. This day has been set aside for AIDS since 1988. This year, the theme is Hands Up For HIV Prevention. This puts the emphasis on preventive strategies. Late last month, World Health Organization launched new guidelines for HIV self-testing to encourage countries to promote self-testing and empower individuals to self-test.
So, do you know your HIV status? Do you assume that because it appears the media is not continuously awash with news of the HIV/AIDS anymore that perhaps, it no longer exists?

A quick reminder class on HIV…

HIV-Human Immunodeficiency virus is a virus quite different from other viruses in its structure and how it attacks the cells of the body .It affects the CD4 cells in the body. These CD4 cells serve as the soldiers of the body, fighting and defending it from disease organisms. When HIV infects these cells the body loses its ability to defend itself so all kinds of diseases which ordinarily would have been taken care of now have the opportunity to affect the multiple systems of the body.

The initial symptoms of HIV are symptoms that can be seen also in other diseases, that means you can have similar symptoms in any other disease.

These include fever, flu like symptoms (cold, catarrh, cough), sweat, fatigue, diarrhea, aches and pains in the joints, headache, rashes and occasionally bleeding from the nose.

Other symptoms like oral thrush (whitish discoloration of the tongue), weight loss, chronic cough (cough lasting more than one month) and chronic diarrhea (passage of watery stools more than a month) come later in the course of the disease.

To prevent this, don’t forget the ABCs of safe sex: Abstaining from sex, if not married; Being faithful to one partner and using a condom, if engaging in risky sex (totally understanding that even this is not 100% safe).

For more on HIV/AIDS, please click on these links:

Daily Health Tips: Is It Risky To Marry My HIV Positive Fiancee When I’m HIV Negative?

Daily Health Tips: Can My HIV Positive Pregnant Friend Have A Baby Without Problems?

Daily Health Tips: How Can I Prevent My Unborn Baby From Becoming Infected With HIV?

Daily Health Tips: Can I Get HIV From Oral Sex?

Daily Health Tips: World AIDS Day, 2014

Daily Health Tips: Should I Marry My Boyfriend Who I Just Realized Is HIV Positive?

Daily Health Tip: HIV/AIDS…your role in the fight.

Have a good night, everyone 😀

Q: Hello, good morning Doc. I have a lump on my breast. When I went to hospital, doctor said we can’t operate it because it is too small and it might go on its own. But I’m very scared and I don’t know if it will affect me when I want to get pregnant….I’m 26yrs old. Please ma’am, advise me on what to do.

A: Thanks for writing in.

The good news is that not every breast lump is cause for concern. However, all breast lumps should be checked out at the hospital.

A breast lump refers to a growth within breast tissue and can be felt/seen as a thickening, lump, hard area (different from other areas), a breast larger than the other etc

There are different causes of breast lumps and not all may apply to you. Common causes include:

Fibroadenoma: These are common in adolescents and young women before the age of 30 years and are non-cancerous. They usually appear as solid masses of varying shapes and painless. The exact cause of fibroadeomas is not known but they appear to be linked to reproductive hormones, occur more during reproductive age, increases in size during pregnancy and regresses during menopause.

Breast cancer: For more on breast cancer, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/10/31/daily-health-tips-breast-cancer-awareness-month/

Breast cysts: These are fluid-filled lumps

Breast abscess: This is a collection of pus under the skin often due to bacterial infection

Blocked milk ducts: Painful lumps in the breasts of breastfeeding mums may be blocked milk ducts. Usually the milk ducts block if one is making milk faster than expressing it and indeed there should be some relief every time breastfeeding is done from that breast…so stopping breastfeeding may just be making a bad matter already worse

Mastitis: If blocked milk ducts are not handled immediately, it could lead to an infection of that duct (mastitis) such that the skin over that area feels hot to touch, reddens, mum feels feverish, ill and aches all over. This infection is usually treated with a course of antibiotics, which will be prescribed by your doctor.

Lipoma: a fatty mass that is usually harmless.

So, I suggest you see another doctor for a second opinion. Hopefully, it is nothing. You and indeed all ladies should also become more breast aware any looking out for changes in breast. Do a self-breast exam every day…it’s not too much. There are multiple online materials that teach you exactly how to do this. If you feel a lump, nodule, swelling…anything you’re uncomfortable about, see your doctor. Better safe than sorry. Look at yourself in the mirror, naked. You know what your breasts normally look like; if they change shape, colour, contour or your nipples start to look different or give strange discharges, see a doctor…today and not tomorrow. Once you hit 40, get a mammogram done once every two years (some authorities say from age 50. Ask your doctor what works for you based on your risk profile). And if you can afford it, get gene tested for breast cancer.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night, everyone 😀

Q: Good day doctor and thanks for a job well done. Please I have a question ma’am. Should a woman be scared of a change in cycle after delivery? Basically I have been having my period twice in a month since I started seeing it again and it has been happening for 4 months now. This also comes with serious headache and leg pains which were not happening before pregnancy. And also Dr, which after pill is safe for a breastfeeding mother after sex? Thanks ma’am

A: Hello and Congratulations on your new baby!

Different women report different changes with their menstrual periods after child birth. Some report longer periods. Others report shorter periods; some others report less pain and others observe absolutely no change at all 😀

Cramps usually occur as the uterus tries to get rid of the foreign body, in this case, blood within it. These cramps cab spread to the lower back, legs, inner thighs and hips. Headaches during menstrual periods are referred to as menstrual or hormonal migraines and are due to a drop in the level of estrogen, a hormone. After having a baby, the estrogen levels drop significantly and could be a factor in your case. If this is so, you may have found relief during pregnancy as the level of estrogen rose. For a headache to be classified as hormonal, it would happen anytime between about 2 days before a menstrual period to about 3 days after the first day of menstrual period.
It’s best to check with your doctor for appropriate pain relief as a breastfeeding mother should definitely not be taking any medication without speaking to her doctor. That’s for sure! 😀 This is because drugs that you take will also end up in breast milk. Most times, the concentration of these drugs in breast milk is so small that it hardly causes any problems in the baby but in some instances, the drug could get very concentrated in breast milk, putting the baby at risk. So, all drug choices, be they pain relief, contraceptives or otherwise, must pass through your doctor.

A very common question I get asked is if breastfeeding mums can get pregnant. The answer is yes. If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, feeding your baby on demand (every 4 hours), you’re within 6 months of your baby’s birth and your menstrual period has not returned after the birth of your baby, you stand a better chance of not getting pregnant during this period. However, this is not a reliable method.

Birth control pills can help prevent pregnancy at this time. Pills that contain estrogen can lead to reduction in breast milk supply (and yes, combination pills contain estrogen). So, it’s a good idea to avoid such pills at this time. Pills that contain only progestin (like the minipill) is a better idea as it does not affect breast milk supply. It’s usually taken at the same time daily. It’s best to start this discussion before you have your baby or immediately after so that your doctor can advise as to when you should start taking the pills.

Barrier contraceptives like condoms, diaphragms etc can also serve the purpose of preventing pregnancy at this time.

There are, of course, other methods of birth control available eg Intra Uterine Device (IUD), implants, patches etc also exist and you may want to discuss these other options with your doctor as you conclude breastfeeding.

So, check with your doctor, especially on the issue of menstruating twice a month. Better safe than sorry.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Eczema is an itchy rash that’s often hard to get rid of. Most people can’t help scratching it, which further irritates the skin. Eczema is often, but not always, related to allergies. A common cause is your skin overreacting to everyday irritants, such as dust, soaps and detergents, or even dry, cold air, which triggers an intensely itchy allergic reaction.

Want to know more? Please click on this link: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/get-relief-from-eczema

Friday, 25^th November marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. As Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary General, so aptly put it, “Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. It imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price.”

What qualifies as violence against women? Is it physical beating? Even if this happens, if he says he’s sorry, is it still violence? If he consistently abuses you, and occasionally hits out at you, does that qualify? If the occasional hitting does not occur, but there is the constant nagging at you about all the things you do wrong…does it count? Especially, when he comes home to you every night…I mean, he has all those other women who frolic around him and could very easily ‘steal’ him from you? What really counts?

Well, United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

So, that settles it…even the threat of this (and it doesn’t matter whether it happened in public or private life) is violence. So, ladies, be guided. No abusive relationship is worth anything…your children, your position in the society, ‘what they will say’ etc. You are better off alive! Only the living can praise God, raise children and even figure out if people are gossiping J

Enough said!

Below is a related post on this:

Q: Hello doctor. I went to greet one of my male friend yesterday and during the visit one thing led to another and he forced sex on me. When i got home and I used a mirror to take a closer look at my pp, i discovered a tear down there. I have never had sex before. I am afraid i don’t know what to do. The blood has reduced but the pain is still much especially if I want to urinate.

A: Hello dear, my heart goes out to you for what happened. There are two things you must do…report this ‘friend’ to the police and get yourself checked out in a hospital. Usually when people are raped, they experience a deep sense of shame making it difficult for them to seek help and indeed prosecution for the person accused. This should not be. Please seek help…for you to ensure that you do not end up with any STI, for emergency contraception, to get checked out by a doctor especially if you suspect you have a tear etc and to ensure that your predator is not emboldened to do this to another person, ever again! Going to law enforcement as soon as possible would help as the clothes may contain some forensic evidence. And yes, this rape can be man against woman or rarely, woman against man.
The bleeding that occurs after first intercourse is usually due to the breaking of the thin piece of skin that covers the vagina, called the hymen. Some women may, however, experience no bleeding and no pain. In those who experience this bleeding, it usually does not continue beyond the third day. The hymen can also break before first intercourse in females that ride horses and females that use tampons.

To help prevent this, practice personal safety and trust your instincts. If the situation looks or feels fishy, it probably is. Try to ensure you go with company if you must visit any friend of the opposite sex or better still, meet in a public place etc.

Project alert (http://www.projectalertnig.org/) and the Lagos Domestic Violence centers  (http://domesticviolence.com.ng/help-for-domestic-violence/) will also be able to provide some more practical support in terms of counselling and probably legal help, if required.

Stay safe, okay?!

Loads of love and hugs coming your way…

Have a great night, people

Nigeria is neck-deep in a recession. Groceries/food stuff are so expensive, it appears the prices increases by the day! What tips do you have for still eating healthy in the face of spiraling food prices?

Terms and conditions:
The first 3 persons to answer correctly will win our prizes.

Participants must be followers of our blog and/or facebook page.

Only one answer per participant will be accepted.

If a participant provides more than one answer, the first answer will be used.

Edited answers will be disqualified.

Editor’s decision is final.

This challenge lapses by 11.59 pm on Friday, the 3rd of December, 2016

So, what are you waiting for?! Best of luck, guys!

Congratulations to our winners for the 19^th November quiz! I could only pick two! Let’s dig deeper people…Complan has amazing gifts waiting for those creative answers!

Chukwunonso Onochie (from chatwithdrketch.com)

Onyii Anastesia Obi (from facebook)

Congratulations, guys!

Please send an email to healthylivingwithdrketch@gmail.com for instructions on how to pick up your gifts.

Q: Morn Doc, please help me clear out something. A new born baby that was given a first time injection (BCG).Is it a must that it must bring out pus. She is 3 weeks now. Again, is it normal she didn’t poo for some days now? Should I be worried?

A: The full meaning of BCG is Bacille Calmette-Guerin, named after scientists, Drs Calmette and Guerin who developed the vaccines. It was used for the first time in human beings in 1921. This is a freeze-dried live but weakened strain of Mycobacterium Bovis (very similar to the bacteria that cause tuberculosis), a bacterium found in cattle which can cause tuberculosis in man. This vaccine is part of the compulsory immunization schedule in countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis. It provides protection over a range of 10-20 years and so is not particularly useful in adults…sorry 😀

This vaccine usually causes a local reaction in most, but not all people. This local reaction gives rise to the ‘infamous’ scar 😀 but does not really act as a marker for protection against tuberculosis. So, if you don’t have a BCG scar, it does not mean that you did not respond to the vaccine and there’s certainly no need for you to take another dose of the vaccine. Sometimes, after the vaccine is administered, there is formation of an abscess. This could be due to wrong administration or it could occur as a common complication of this vaccine. It would usually heal on its own over a few weeks.

You didn’t note whether your baby is being exclusively breastfed or not. If your baby is exclusively breast fed (as he should be from birth to 6 months of age), the baby can sometimes go days without defaecation and is due to the fact that practically all the nutrients in breast milk are completely absorbed during each feed, such that there is little or nothing to excrete. However, it is expected that when baby does poop, the faeces should still be soft in consistency as opposed to hard, dry, pellet-like stool as occurs in constipation. If the stool is hard with exclusive breast feeding (?), please visit your baby’s paediatrician.

Formula fed babies, on the other hand, suffer from constipation because it is more difficult for a baby to digest formula than breast milk.

If your baby is dehydrated, perhaps from not taking enough fluids as may occur if she has a cold and is refusing feeds due to difficulty with breathing when feeding, ‘constipation’ may also occur. Other causes include food allergies and/or introduction of complementary fees as the body learns to handle these foods.

If your baby is on exclusive breast feeding, passing out dry, hard stools is unlikely. For formula feeds, try to give your baby more water and be sure that you are adding the right amount of formula to make the baby’s meals. If this continues, please see your baby’s doctor.

For more on this subject, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/20/daily-health-tips-can-my-diet-cause-my-baby-to-have-diarrhea-while-breastfeeding/

Have a great night, y’all 😀