chatwithketch

Q: Please, what do you think can be making baby’s tummy to be making sounds and what can be done to prevent this?

A: Your baby’s tummy makes noise normally…grumbling noises, murmuring noises, gurgling noises etc 😀 all through the day. And they are normal. You would probably notice them more just before your baby eats or soon after. Those are the sounds of our very hard working intestines as they contract and push air around…swallowed air and air produced as a result of digestion.

Want to know more about what your new baby is up to? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It.

This book also makes an excellent gift for baby showers, bridal showers, new parents, people who wish to lose weight and to everyone who desires to embrace healthy living in all aspects.

You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

As we approach the festive season and the time when people cook a lot to celebrate, I reproduce a post I had made before. I have received a lot of questions on cancer since the post I made on it and I have also been asked this question on re-using oil, frequently. So, here goes!

Q: Should we re-use oils that have been used for frying?

A: This is a very important question. How do we tell the woman who has used a whole lot of oil to fry akara (bean cakes) to pour all that oil away afterwards? In these economic times? The truth is, even if she wanted to do that for her health, the economic imperatives make it impossible! Do you know how much that oil cost? 😀
Okay, so what can we do? Re-using oil can be done safely. First, the focus is on oils that have a high smoking point. Smoking point, simply put, is the heat point at which the oil begins to smoke 😀 (Elementary, my dear Watson!). And so, oil that has smoked, is not good for use any more. In fact, you can consider smoking point to be that point at which oil goes from good to bad! At that point, the oil breaks down and forms free radicals that can cause cancer. Oils like peanut (groundnut) and Soya oils have high smoking points and do not break down easily.

So, you can re-use the oil provided it didn’t get to smoking point, it didn’t foam, change colour or develop a funny smell . To store the oil, let it cool, strain out all the food debris and then put in jars (glass, preferably) and refrigerate or freeze and use within one month. If food debris is left in the oil, it forms a rich culture medium for micro-organisms that can cause food poisoning to grow.

Finally, as much as practicable, try not to add salt to the food you wish to fry as salt lowers the smoking point of oils. And by the way, what’s with all the frying??? Grill, bake or roast 😉

Q: Good day Dr Ketch. While I was bathing, water got stuck in my ear and when I went to the hospital the doctor, he said I had ear infection. He prescribed some medications. Then he asked me to be doing Valsalva Maneuver. I have done everything and the pain has reduced but I still feel the ear is blocked because air doesn’t pass through when I exercise and when I clean the ear, the discharge has a funny smell. I went back to the doctor and he still prescribed the same medications. It’s been over 3 months now and I still feel the same way. Please, what do I do?

A: Water that remains in your ear for a while can create the sort of moist and warm environment that germs require to grow and multiply. This is very common in people with allergies, swimmers, people who stick their fingers into their ears (yes you! 😀 Don’t look back), use cotton buds (cotton tips) and other objects (tooth picks, pens etc) to clean their ears. The skin of the outer ear canal is very delicate such that sticking things in it to clean it or scratch an itch can lead to bruising making it easy for germs to take over. Young people who use ear phones a lot are at risk of this (for obvious reasons) and also children because of their narrow ear canals. I almost banned y second daughter from swimming because of this. She always got water in her ear while swimming and would be in pain for a while.

Usual symptoms are ear pain, itching, discharge of clear fluid, pain on pulling the outer ear. This may progress to more intense itching, discharge of pus, some degree of temporary hearing loss and may progress to complete blockage of ear canal. This is usually not very serious and resolves with treatment but if complicated may even lead to infections that spread to other parts of the body and could lead to perforated ear drums.
If this infection remains for more than three months, it is then called chronic otitis externa. This can be due to infections caused by a combination of bacteria and fungi, an allergy, a rare strain of bacteria etc

Treatment is usually with ear drops that reduce the swelling in the ear canal, help fight the bacteria or fungi (depending on the infection present) and other medications to fight pain. To help the ear drops make travel to the desired location, trying lying down with the affected ear up.

The Valsalva maneuver is a means of equalizing pressure in the ears by exhaling against a closed mouth and nose. You can try this out when you have ‘airplane ear’. This happens on flights as the planes starts to ascend or begins its descent. Close your mouth, pinch your nose and then try to blow out air against your closed mouth. It works like magic.

I suggest you go see an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist who will evaluate you. He may take swabs from your ear too to get an idea of what infection is there before proceeding to treat. In instances where treatment has not responded to ear drops, oral antibiotics may be prescribed.

All the best.

Have a good night everyone 😀

Q: Hello Dr. I am very proud of you for the great job you have been doing. My problem is that anytime I make love to my wife, she will be having stomach ache. Why? Please help me Dr.

A: Thanks for your kind words.
There are a couple of reasons why a woman could feel pain during sexual intercourse.

The pain could be felt in the vagina or the pelvic region (lower abdomen)
• The causes of pain in the vagina could be

• Lack of adequate foreplay/lack of arousal

• Vaginal irritation from soaps or even the latex of condoms

• Vaginismus, a condition in which the muscles around the vagina shut tightly making sexual intercourse painful or impossible.

• Other causes include infections (STIs), menopause etc

Pelvic pain during sex could be due to
• Fibroids. For information on fibroids, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/05/29/daily-health-tips-are-there-other-treatment-methods-for-fibroids-other-than-surgery/

• Constipation. For information on constipation, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/01/31/daily-health-tips-why-am-i-always-constipated/

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). For information on PID, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/22/daily-health-tips-what-is-pid/

• Endometriosis (in which the lining of the womb is found outside of the womb). For information on endometriosis, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/02/01/daily-health-tips-severe-cramps-during-menstrual-period/

So, please take your wife to see a gynaecologist. He will take a proper history, examine her and perhaps run a scan amongst other investigations.
In the meantime, loads of patience and finding other ways of sharing intimacy are great ways to show love and support to your wife at this time.

Hopefully, this too shall pass 😀

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Hi Doc, please will like to know what take care of tongue thrush with blisters that is caused by antibiotics….thanks your good works

A: Believe it or not, our bodies are filled with different micro-organisms, all of which are searching for relevance and dominance 😀 These good and bad micro-organisms usually maintain a delicate balance until something happens (like when one takes some medications like steroids, uses antibiotics, has a depressed immune system as occurs in extremes of age: very young and very old and also if one is infected with HIV, has cancer or Diabetes Mellitus) to disturb this delicate balance. When this happens, fungal organisms which were minding their own business before, have an opportunity to overgrow in the mouth and cause problems.  This condition can also happen in the vagina causing vaginal thrush or even in infants causing diaper rash.

What does this look like? It looks like creamy white patches on the tongue (which is why you referred to it as tongue thrush), on the inside of the cheeks, gums, tonsils, back of throat etc. They look like you can just scrape them off but any attempt to do that would usually lead to bleeding. People with this condition may also experience pain when swallowing or eating. Children with this condition are usually irritable and fussy.

Treatment of this condition is with the use of anti-fungal drugs which would usually have to be taken for about 10 to 14 days. For nursing mothers, there may be a need for antifungal cream applied on the breasts as the baby and the mother may pass the infection back and forth to each other. Talk about joy in sharing 😀

To prevent this:

• practice good oral hygiene: brush your teeth twice a day being sure to spend time brushing the surface of the tongue

• Rinse out your mouth after every meal, if you can’t brush, especially if you have just taken a lot of sugary foods.

• Limit your intake of sugary foods

• If you use dentures, take them off before you go to bed

• If you smoke, don’t reduce the number of sticks you smoke. Just quit! 😀
• Have a great night, people 😀

Q: Please my doctor, my baby of 8 months old is teething and having fever. We have been in and out of hospital for the last 2 weeks. Now, she is having fever. Please what can I do?

A: It is thought that the inflammation of the gum around the area where the tooth will erupt from may cause low grade fever which is why the babies may experience some fever.

Another significant symptom believed to be associated with teething is diarrhoea. There’s no conclusive research that has shown any link between the process of erupting a tooth and diarrhoea. If anything, we’ve found out that this is the same period when children start picking up things and of course the natural ‘tourist’ destination for anything they pick up, is their mouths! 😀 What happens? When they pick up dirty stuff and suck on it, it would ultimately lead to diarrhoea.

So, more than ever, that’s a time to be watchful and ensure that the children are not stuff their mouths with rubbish and ensure their toys are cleaned.

Having said that, how can I help my baby through teething what with the itch and discomfort they feel around the ‘erupting tooth’ area? Even the drooling? Well, here are a few things you could do:

Rub over the teething area with your finger (thoroughly scrubbed and clean, of course :D) or use a finger covered with clean gauze or even the baby’s wash cloth. If this is cool to touch, this is even better. Massage the teething area with this…it helps to soothe the discomfort.

Teething rings are great ideas too and you could also refrigerate these to provide more comfort. Please do not freeze them.
Clean off the drooling saliva as this could cause irritation around the baby’s mouth, worsening his crankiness.

Over the counter analgesics like paracetamol could also be helpful provided it’s given in the appropriate dose for the baby’s age. This will also help with the fever. Please avoid Aspirin as it causes a disease called Reye’s syndrome.

Several studies have been conducted on the efficacy of gripe water though it is liberally used by parents and doctors alike, and it has not really been found to be particularly useful in teething. Older formulae contained alcohol which were thought to be perhaps, responsible for the soothing effect it had. Other components like the herbs etc may not go down well with all children.

If the fever continues, please take the baby to see the doctor to rule out other causes of fever.

So, there you go!

Have a good night y’all 😀

We talk about healthy oils: Olive oils, canola oils etc. But really, even these contain pure fat with about 120 calories in each tablespoonful of olive oil, be it light or extra light. To put this in context, consider how much time it takes to burn off 100 calories at the gym and the relative ease with which a tablespoon of oil goes onto our food. In the Johnny Walker chapter, we talk about walking 10,000 steps per day. If you do those 10,000 steps in a day, you burn between 300 to 400 calories per day and less if you walk mainly flat surfaces! And yet, with one spoon of oil, more than a quarter of all that ‘amazing hard work’ has gone down the drain! SO remember your screams of ‘oh no! 10,000!’ and compare that with the calories burnt and then how much you gained by just adding a drop more oil. If this doesn’t convince you to go easy on the oils, I don’t know what else will!

If you come from the Yoruba tribe (please be sure not to tell them I said this :|), then traditionally, cooking involves ladles and ladles of oils like palm oil (which has a high content of saturated fats associated with high cholesterol levels). I remember the first time I was exposed to stew from the Yoruba race, it had so much oil that I couldn’t see the tomatoes! Being a ‘kobo kobo’ girl who was born into a race where we live a diet of vegetables (in as raw a state as possible) and little oil, that was a culture shock and I never quite got used to it (Please don’t let my in-laws know that all that time I pretended to love those stews, I was actually just suffering through them ;)). It was almost as great a culture shock as learning to kneel down to greet. I developed waist pain the first time we travelled to the village what with all that kneeling which my ‘okoro ‘knees were not used to 🙂 Again I digress!

If you want to learn more of my diet prescriptions while picking up tips on pregnancy, immunizations, diapering, preventing childhood infections, feeding children right etc, get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It.

This book also makes an excellent gift for baby showers, bridal showers, new parents, people who wish to lose weight and to everyone who desires to embrace healthy living in all aspects.

You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Q: HI DOC! I’m a 23-year Old Man suffering from bleeding gums. What do you think may be the cause and how can I stop the bleeding?

A: Your brushing and flossing techniques could be the culprits. If you use very hard bristles, you could be causing significant damage  to your gum.

If you also floss by forcing the floss in between your teeth, then this could very well be the cause of the problem.

Where the problem is not caused by your wrong ‘hygiene’ techniques, it could be due to gum disease. Gum disease arises due to lack of good dental hygiene which causes plaque forming bacteria to accumulate in the mouth and lead to swollen and bleeding gums. If this happens and is noticed early, it can be reversed before it starts causing tooth loss and weakening of the gum and bone structure holding the teeth (periodontitis). Other culprits could be hormones (during pregnancy or menstruation) and chemotherapy.

Prevention is targeted at the causes:

Brush your teeth at least twice a day using soft bristled tooth brushes. Brush in circular motions, gently removing the plaque and massaging the gums. Mentally divide your mouth into four sections and be sure to spend at least 30 seconds on each section of your teeth brushing all sides and chewing surfaces.

Floss daily, following the natural curve of your teeth. This activity does not take too long but spares you a lifetime of woes :D.

Eat a well balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies. This ensures that you have the right supply of minerals and vitamins which helps prevent gum disease.

Drink a lot of water which ensures that plaque forming bacteria are washed off teeth. Ensure that other fluids you take are neither too hot or too cold. Lukewarm food goes easier on your gums.

Finally, relax as the stress hormone cortisol can significantly contribute to swelling and bleeding of your gums by causing inflammation. Can you imagine…stressing out over Lagos traffic can actually cause my gums to bleed! 😉

Have a great night y’all 😀

Q: Hello Dr, I have question on why UTI sometimes seems to be more chronic? Also what causes itching after sexual intercourse and how can it be prevented.

A: Urinary Tract Infections 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. Please take your prescription for the right period of time even if your symptoms disappear before you finish. 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.

As for genital itching after sexual intercourse, you may have to see your doctor for a more detailed examination. However, people who have problems that interfere with their relaxation and lubrication during sexual intercourse may come down with genital itching due to thrush (candidiasis).

For more on this and prevention, please click on these links: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/10/21/daily-health-tips-itching-of-the-vulva/

Have a great day people 😀

Q: Dr Ketch well done and good job you’re doing. Please, my hair is pulling off on its own at both sides and in front. I am not on any drugs but a hair specialist told me it could be alopecia which is immune system working against the hair follicles. So please, what do I do to gain my hair back or boost my immune system?

A: Thanks for your kind words.

There are different types of hair loss (alopecia)

• The hair loss due to cancer treatment is well known and well documented. This is called anagen effluvium and hair would start to grow back a few months after chemotherapy stops.

• There is the male and female pattern baldness: This is more common in men starting as they age (around 50 years of age) and is thought to run in families. Male pattern baldness usually starts with thinning of the hair in front followed by thinning of the hair at the sides and the crown of the head.

This situation is less common in women but it could happen in women who have been through menopause.

• The hair follicles (the holes from which hair grows) could be destroyed due to disease conditions and the hair never grows back. This condition can occur in both men and women.

• Hair loss could also be due to a problem with the immune system which could very well be what your doctor has diagnosed. This would usually occur on the scalp but can occur anywhere in the body. They also occur at any age though they are more common in teenagers and young adults. Usually, after a few months, the hair grows back, oftentimes white and finer than it was before. It would then become thicker and go back to its natural colour after some time. Some people with this condition, however, go on to develop a condition in which they never recover their scalp hair or a condition in which they never recover the hair on both scalp and body. This condition can be treated with steroids or with a procedure called immunotherapy.

• Widespread thinning of the hair occurs in a condition known as Telogen effluvium. Triggers for this condition include pregnancy due to hormonal changes, periods of intense emotional stress and physical stress like child birth, crash dieting, long term illness like cancer and severe short term illness like severe infection, some medications etc The good news here is that most cases would stop and hair would start to grow back within 6 months.

As noted above, most causes of hair loss would reverse on their own. If your hair loss continues, does not reverse to itself and does not respond to therapy suggested, please see a dermatologist. Some treatment options available include medications, hair transplants and/or artificial hair implants. Wigs are also a stylish way to deal with this.

Hair loss may have emotional impact on people as it is part of our identity. Find people you can confide in and talk through your feelings.

To prevent this, especially for the ladies, avoid tight hair styles and pulling at your hair. Treat your hair gently eg combing with a wide toothed comb after washing your hair and try air drying instead of blow drying all the time. With the recent craze for going natural, this advice should not be too difficult to adhere to 😀

To read more about baldness, please click on this link https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/15/daily-health-tips-any-remedy-fortestosterone-dihydrotestosterone-baldness/

Have a good night, y’all 😀