chatwithketch

Do you have corns? Wonder what they are? Those hardened areas of skin found on the foot in people who wear tight shoes. Do you want to know what to do about them…apart from staying away from tight shoes? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/finding-relief-from-calluses-and-corns

Q: Dr, please what causes dryness of vagina and what will I do to get wet again??

A: Vaginal dryness can occur due to variety of reasons and at any age. Usually the vagina has a thin film of fluid that coats it. This fluid helps lubrication during sexual intercourse, maintains the normal environment of the vagina preventing the overgrowth of organisms like fungi, flushing out dead cells and menstrual blood. The level of this fluid/moisture varies with the level of estrogen released in the body. During sexual intercourse, there is increased blood flow to the vaginal area leading to an increase in the volume of moisture. During menopause, however, the level of estrogen is very low leading to vaginal dryness, loss of elasticity and thinning.

The main consequence of vaginal dryness is the fact that it affects sex life such that these women experience significant pain and sometimes, bleeding…

Q: Please, Dr my penis is small what can l do?

A: This is an age-old question that has bothered man…and woman 😀 To answer this question, I reproduce a post I had made on this subject

Q: Please, doctor is it only on children health that you give advice?
A friend was complaining that his penis use to be small like that of a child. He was also afraid of being impotent. So he asked me and I said I don’t know why it is so. I now told him that I will ask you. What is the cause and the remedy to it. Thanks

A: Thanks for writing in and yes, it does appear that I ‘minister’ to only children because I appear to have a lot of mothers on this page who ask questions…way to go, mums! But hey, your question is equally important.

The issue of…

Q: Good day doctor, please how does one take care of piles in a 5yrs old girl? That is the external one, in which the inner part comes out.

A; Piles known as haemorrhoids in children is not very common. Indeed, my first suggestion would be to get your baby checked out by a paediatrician to confirm that this is not due to problems like Crohns Disease (a problem-inflammation of the bowel) or even portal hypertension in which there is backwards pressure in the vein (blood vessel) that carries blood from the digestive tract to the liver.

Once these have been ruled out, we can focus on the more common cause of haemorrhoids in children which is constipation. The causes of constipation in children could be dehydration or even a lack of fibre in their diet. So, if you’re fond of feeding your baby highly processed foods without including fruits…

If you’re a parent, how do you give your child his/her medication? With a table spoon? Teaspoon? The dosing cup that comes with the medication? Do you oftentimes wonder whether you are giving the right does? You should read this!

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/2-simple-ways-to-ensure-you-give-your-kids-the-right-dose-of-medicine-lots-of-parents-dont-2016091310350

Q: Please ma’am, a pregnant woman that her breast is swollen up and she is complaining that her breast is paining her…which drug can she take to reduce the pain?

A: Thanks for writing in, dear. Breast pain/tenderness during pregnancy is to be expected and one of the signs of pregnancy. This is due to the hormones, Estrogen and progesterone, increase in blood flow and fat deposits in the breast…all in preparation for the job of breastfeeding the soon-to-be-born baby. To help out during this period, she should invest in a good bra that provides the right support and sleep with bra tops or sports bras when sleeping to give her more support if she’s uncomfortable while sleeping. Her partner should also understand this peculiar situation and refrain from touching her breasts during this painful period. The good news is that, this too, shall pass. Usually, by the end of…

Q: Good morning, Dr Ketch. Thank you for helping us out health wise. I’ll like to ask…as a Nigerian, do you know of any food that is healthy for a recovering stroke and hypertensive patient apart from Semovita and wheat? Thank you, ma’am

A: Stroke as the name implies refers to an incident that happens suddenly…without warning. It usually occurs when the brain is deprived of some of its blood supply and consequently oxygen supply. This can happen when there is a blood clot in a vessel in the brain or due to a burst blood vessel leaking blood onto the substance of the brain or around the brain. This blood leakage can lead to undesired pressure on the brain.

There is really no such thing as a partial stroke. Oftentimes, people refer to a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), as a partial stroke. This condition occurs when a blood vessel…

Q: Hello Doctor, what could be the cause of ear pus? This girl of 4yrs has been treated with several medications with no relief. It smells a lot. Please help

A: Thanks for writing in. Ear infections can happen as a result of a cold (upper respiratory tract infection). Other times, it may not even be related to this. With infections, there is fluid build up in the middle ear. These fluids, as in other cases where fluids collect, form a rich culture medium for germs to grow. Pus then forms as the body tries to fight off this infection. The combined pressure of the fluid and pus can cause enough pressure in the middle ear and the ear drum to cause significant pain and difficulty hearing. There is also accompanying fever. The pressure can even ‘burst’ the ear drum with resultant drainage of pus.
The baby with this…

Q: Please ma’am, what makes the heart beat faster without being hypertensive? What can I use to reduce cholesterol?

A: Palpitations (feeling that your heart is beating too fast or too hard) occur when you get the sense that you can feel your heart beat. Ordinarily, your heart goes about its business of keeping you alive and well by beating inside your chest without you being aware, right? Some conditions, however, may make your heart beats obvious and you probably have experienced some: anxiety, panic attacks, stress, after some exercise, when you have a fever, after taking some coffee or any caffeine-containing food/fluid and also after taking in nicotine as in cigarette smoke, cigar or even chewing tobacco. Conditions like pregnancy and taking drugs eg cough medicines that contain stimulants may also cause palpitations.

Usually these palpitations would disappear after a brief appearance, but if they appear frequently and are…

Q: How can a bad smell of arm pit or other part of the body be reduced?

Q: Hi Doc, my daughter is 7 years old and she now has smelly armpits. I have tried baby powder. What else can I do?

A: Thanks for writing in, both of you.

The tips for dealing with body odour works for both young and old.

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 her some hygiene lessons that will be helpful forever 😀

She 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 her skin.

Most people don’t know but sweat on its own…