chatwithketch

Q: Hello Doc, I wore a pad for almost 6 hours. After I removed it, I developed itchy rashes. I scratched for days. I’ve now discovered sores and I don’t know which drugs to take. I even started suspecting my hubby of giving me STDs. Doc, it all happened fast. Please, help me Doc

A: Hallos! I love your narrative…the precise way you traced the story from where you believe it all started 😀

Wearing a sanitary towel for up to 6 hours is really going up to the very maximum limit of normal! Try to aim for every 3 to 4 hours. Indeed, if your flow is more than usual, you’ll probably need to change more often. When you wear your sanitary towel for a long time, the wetness provides a rich culture medium for bacteria and other organisms to breed. This situation is made worse by the fact that menstrual cycle can also distort the normal balance in the vagina causing fungi to overgrow. This results in infection and vaginal itching.

This itching can lead to sores on the vulva which can also get infected. The sanitary towel that’s also been worn for a long time can rub against the things and cause chaffing/bruises. Antifungal pessaries and cream are usually sufficient to deal with the fungal infection. Read more here:

Daily Health Tips: Why Do I Have Candidiasis Around The Time Of My Menstrual Period?

Now, I suggest you see your doctor to give you the once-over and take a sample of the vaginal discharge. This will ensure that we’ve got the right diagnosis and then proper treatment can be given.

Have a good night y’all 😀

The month of May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Are you a teenager? Are you able to have honest and open conversations with your parents, guardians or mentors about issues concerning sex or contraception? Do you feel comfortable telling them your thoughts on these matters? Would they be your first place to go if you were confused about something you heard your friends or peers discuss? Who do you ask when you’re confused about anything that concerns sexual and reproductive health? And this is a broad subject that includes sex, unplanned pregnancy, STDs, HIV/AIDS, Female Genital Mutilation etc.

Parents and/or guardians, would you even consider having a discussion about sex with your teenagers? Scratch that…let’s start with when your children were younger. Did you even tell them the proper names of their private body parts? Did you tell them the full implication of coming of age as happens in puberty? Did you indulge in those half-baked stories we heard a while ago about how girls would get pregnant if a boy so much as touched their hands…provided they had started menstruating? Do you think the teenager you were talking to believed you?

As the mother of teen and tween (that twilight zone before the real teens) 😀 daughters, I absolutely confess that it wasn’t as easy to have that chat with my first daughter as it was to give it to other teenagers. It got easier though and with my second daughter, and now we can all discuss all aspects of reproductive health without cringing, mentally or physically 😀 My son is still struggles…but we’re getting there 😀

The US Department of Health and Human Services points out that the following groups of teenagers are less likely to get pregnant or get someone else pregnant:

• Those who have supportive parents that they can freely communicate with
• Those who have healthy family and peer relationships
• Those who have proper understanding of sexual and reproductive health
• Those who have knowledge of contraception and the importance of abstinence.
Teenagers more at risk of getting pregnant include
• Those that live in unstable homes (financially or emotionally)
• Those who were born to teenage mothers
• Those who use drugs of addiction. Remember that using these messes with good judgement
• Those who have sex at a young age
• Those with low self esteem.

Now, remember that risk factors are just as the name implies…factors that increase your risk 😀 It does not follow that people who live in homes with conflict must have teenage pregnancies. No! It just means they need to be aware of their increased risk (loaded gun) and be sure not to pull the trigger…and get pregnant.

So, if you’re a teenager, who taught you about sexual health? Is this discussed in your school and can you ask your parents questions?

If you’re a parent, are you providing adequate information and a safe home environment where your children can thrive in all ways? Are you comfortable discussing these issues with your children? Are you aware that if you’re not providing this education yourself, you’re probably allowing your teenager to learn from his friends and/or the internet…where he/she may very well be learning all the wrong things!

I trust I have provided a lot of food for thought. Write in and let me know what you think.

For related posts, please click on these:

Daily Health Tips: Depression, Masturbation and Over-Protective Parenting

Daily Health Tips: Should I Teach My Daughter The Proper Name For Private Parts?

Daily Health Tips: When Should My Husband Stop Bathing Our Daughter?

Have a great night y’all 😀

Q: My kid of 2 years has a craving for soil. How can I stop her?

A: As children grow and discover their hands and their ability to pick up things, they also decide on a favourite destination….the mouth! 😀 And so, things like sand, dirty socks etc may end up in baby’s mouth (I hope not!!!). That’s not what this post is about. If that’s what’s happening with your baby, please be more careful about what’s in baby’s direct path and things she can easily access to put in his mouth. Otherwise, she’ll be fine and as she grows older, she realizes that sand doesn’t quite taste nice 😀

What this post is about is the constant and repetitive eating of items that have no nutritional value like soil, ice shavings etc is called pica. The list of non-food items eaten include paint chips, hair, glue, soap, tooth paste, chalk, hair and the list goes on!

Causes of non-food cravings include:
• Pregnancy: it is thought, though, that women with pica in pregnancy probably had this before pregnancy or have a positive family history of it.
• Deficiency of some nutrients like iron and zinc. Talking about iron, do you know that one out of every two women of reproductive age in Nigeria is likely to have anaemia (shortage of red blood cells)? Out of this number, half of them are likely to have iron deficiency anaemia. Question is, are you likely to be one of these women? Do you eat enough green leafy veggies? Do you use iron fortified seasonings or foods? Discussion for another day!
• Poverty can also lead to this as children and adults alike look for ‘things’ to fill their tummies. In the same way, people on fad diets, look for non-food items with little or no calories to fill their tummies and take the edge off their hunger
• It has also been found that some developmental problems like autism may be responsible.
The exact cause of pica has to be found out as it puts the child at risk of:
• Lead poisoning from eating paint
• Bacterial and parasitic infection from eating sand
• Constipation by eating things like hair or even obstruction of the intestines!

If pica is due to learned behavior, a therapist will work with child to ‘unlearn’ this and restrict access to these non-food items. The doctor will also look out for nutrient deficiencies etc. Usually, this would last for a couple of months…except where compounded by a mental or developmental problem.

So, first steps: restrict access to these items and take her in to see her paediatrician as soon as possible.

All the best…hugs

Have a great night y’all 🙂

Q: Hello Dr Ketch, My eleven-year old daughter is having pains under her armpit with tiny swellings in one spot. Please help me. What is this and what do I do? Thanks.

A: Hallos 😀

Pain and swelling in the underarm can be very uncomfortable. There are a couple of things that can trigger these:

• Deodorants: These can cause skin irritation which can lead to boils. The delicate and sensitive skin of the underarms and the sweat that can accumulate there making it a rich culture medium for germs are factors that have been implicated. Solution: You may have to try another one…find one without fragrance or perhaps, formulated for sensitive skin. Reading the labels will provide this information 🙂

• Shaving: A lot of people can identify with this…bumps in the underarm after shaving. This can happen if you do not shave properly. Try shaving after taking a bath when the hair is moist and the skin hydrated. If this does not suffice, you may have to find alternative means of removing underarm hair eg depilatory cream.

• Infection of the hair follicles from cuts or injuries to the underarm, or from friction caused by wearing tight clothing. So, be careful while shaving and try to wear clothes that are more loose fitting (especially under the arms) and/or focus on fabrics that can ‘breathe’ like cotton

• Dirt or debris from excessive sweating can clog up hair follicles leading to painful lumps. Personal hygiene is key. Don’t be miserly with bathing and be sure to ‘take care’ of the underarms and other areas like the groin that tend to accumulate sweat and raise a stink 😀

• Infections due to viruses or bacteria.

• Cancer of the breast may also present like this.

I hope this helps. If none of these solutions help, please take her in to see her doctor. Fingers crossed, it’s nothing more serious 🙂

For related posts, please click on

Daily Health Tips: How Can I Prevent Rashes After A Shave?

Daily Health Tips: How Do I Get Rid Of Excessive Facial Hair?

Daily Health Tip: Dark under arms

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Just had a baby and wondering how to lose all of that baby weight? Well, read my story 😀

I remember those years before I had my first baby! I see some of those pictures and I gaze in awe. Those must have been the days when my mum would jokingly say I made skirts out of half a yard of fabric! I had my first baby and once she was six weeks old, I was back on the beat doing my exercises to get back to my BC (before child) status. My Yoruba aunt-in-law could not understand this and my utter lack of disregard for the plates of amala et al she attempted to serve up for my eating pleasure. I was determined to get back to my BC status and the earlier that happened, the better. This worked pretty well in this instance and before long, I was exactly how I wanted to be.

Then came along baby number 2…and suddenly, it wasn’t so easy to get back to my pre-pregnancy state. I managed it at the end of the day though…but it was with tightly gritted teeth, loads of sweat and oodles of perseverance. I realized at this time that my days of eating like a horse and burning it all off were gone. Oh, I used to be able to wolf down calories that even the fast food joints would shudder at, and not show a bit of spare flesh. What happened to that fantastic metabolic rate? It up and died on me because, it now appeared that even when I smelt food, I added weight ! 😀 Honestly…I could almost swear!

Then came baby number 3 and my metabolism finally gave up. Every food I ate was duly converted to calories and stored in embarrassing areas of my body like my lower belly and my hips. I’m one of those lucky ones whose arms and wrists don’t really ‘swell’ up whenever they add weight…but consider that I was unlucky in every other way as I added weight in every other place 😀 Again, I worked at it, even harder this time and I was motivated by the fact that I’d been bought a couple of clothes to wear post pregnancy, and so they provided sufficient motivation to get with the crunches and sit-ups. And finally, the clothes fit!

In between, I tried some magic berry pills that were supposed to speed up your metabolism so fast it made your head spin! Mark you, I’m a doctor so I wasn’t looking for anything that had any side effects that could affect my health. Nope, I wanted to do it naturally, but hey, if a pill helps, why not?! Yes? Well, I can tell you for a fact that my head spun, not from how fast my metabolism was converting fat to muscle but by how I could have ever considered there was an easier way…than sweating and grunting through it!

Did it get better afterwards? Nope, it became a constant battle to get the weight off and make it stay that way. I have this friend who wolves down everything in sight and yet, nothing happens. But not me! I finally made my peace with this new me…Ketch AC (After Children :D) a couple of years ago and realized that this is my new reality…I add weight when I smell food 😀 So I can either stay down and whine about it or get up and do something about it.

Want to know what I did? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. 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

Have a great day, people 😀

Ever heard of the baby bottle tooth decay?

The baby bottle tooth decay is a condition that occurs when babies’ teeth are exposed to prolonged contact with sugary liquids or substances. In children, this would occur by allowing children to go to sleep while feeding at the breast on a bottle or giving them pacifiers that have been coated with honey or other sugary substances. During sleep, saliva production reduces; thus these sugary substances which lead to the production of acids stay on the teeth for prolonged periods leading to erosion of the enamel and subsequent tooth decay.

How can you prevent this?

• Mothers are advised to practice exclusive breastfeeding but if for any reason bottles have to be used for any period, this should be carefully monitored. Ensure that baby never falls asleep with a bottle containing milk (be it expressed breast milk or formula), fruit juice (fresh or packaged) or any other sweetened fluids. This also goes for children who are breast fed. Please don’t let them fall asleep on the breast. This ensures that the baby’s teeth is not in contact with sugary fluids for prolonged periods of time. This prevents tooth decay.

• Clean baby’s mouth and gums at least once a day, gently massaging the gingivial tissues and gum. This can be done using a piece of moistened cotton gauze wrapped around a finger. This helps to clean baby’s mouth, establish the development of healthy teeth and also aid teething.

• As soon as the first tooth erupts, plaque removal should commence. Ensure that babies’ teeth are brushed at least twice a day. Before the child can spit out, please use a non-fluoride containing tooth paste. We don’t want the child swallowing fluoride and coming down with some ailments. However, as soon as the child can spit, please introduce fluorinated toothpaste.

• Wean the baby from the bottle as soon as possible and use a cup for liquids. During the weaning period, dilute the bottle feeds as much as possible to the point where only water is taken with the bottle.

• If your baby uses a pacifier, please use for only short periods of time and be sure not to coat with honey or any other sugary substance to ensure that his teeth is not in prolonged contact with substances that will lead to tooth decay.

I trust y’all are having a great weekend!

As a follow up to the post of yesterday, I’ll make some comments and I’ll take on some on the questions raised.

Full cream milk is advised for children from 1 year when they can start taking regular milk till 2 years. The fat in the full cream milk is needed for proper brain development.  After the child turns 2 years,  please switch to skimmed milk or 1 or 2% milk if you can get that. Thus, from age 2, people should be getting skimmed milk at the recommended portions we noted yesterday.

Should people with gastritis get full cream milk? Well, skimmed milk is better. Full cream milk stimulates more acid production in the stomach, making a bad matter worse.

What if one cannot tolerate milk? I suppose you’re referring to lactose intolerance. This can very well happen and in some people, e means that they cannot enjoy dairy products at all. In  some others,  taking milk ay still be possible. For details of lactose intolerance,  please click on this https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/02/17/daily-health-tips-lactose-intolerance/

It’s been a great day and an awesome week for me. I was at an even where we discussed iron deficiency anaemia. Do you know what this means? Do you know rich sourcesof iron and people who are most at risk of this anaemia? Food for thought! I’ll take this subject on next week.

How was your week?

Q: Thank you Dr Ketch for the wellness information you share.  It’s really helpful. Please what’s the right portion of milk to take per day?

A: Thanks for writing in. Milk is full of protein, calcium and other nutrients needed for proper development. It’s needed, not just by our children as a lot of people tend to think, but also by adults who need to build up a good stock of calcium to ensure they don’t end up with brittle bones (osteoporosis).

Here’s how much milk everyone needs from birth till old age:

Breast milk is the best milk and should be the only food for your baby until he is 6 months old, given at 2-3 hours’ interval.

From 6 months to 1 year, continue breastfeeding and then add other meals like cereals etc.

Continue breast milk till 2 years. However, if this is not feasible, cow milk can only be introduced from the age of 1 year…not a moment earlier.

From 1 year to 2 years, the child should get at least 2 cups of full cream milk. The fat is particularly important to ensure proper brain development

From 2 years to 8 years, your child should get at least 2 1/2 – 3 cups of milk or other dairy products daily

From 9 years till adulthood, you should get at least 3 – 4 cups of milk or dairy daily.

Adults who don’t take this much milk should ensure they get supplements. Speak to your doctor for this.

Have a great night, y’all 🙂