Daily Health Tips: Sexual Headaches?

Posted on November 20, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good evening, Doctor… Please what is the cause of headache in the middle of the night especially after sexual intercourse?

A: This sounds like a condition known as sexual headache. It’s also known as sex headache, post-coital headache, orgasmic headache etc. It could occur during sexual intercourse, during orgasm or after sexual intercourse. And it can also occur at any time of the day and during any type of sexual activity.

It is felt at the back of the skull just above the neck and is usually described as throbbing. Or it could build up gradually during sexual intercourse and intensifies as the sexual excitement before an orgasm increases. They can last anything from a few minutes to a few hours; may never recur or may happen a couple more times before gradually fading away.

It is thought to be due to the release of adrenaline and rapid rise in blood pressure which occurs as one approaches orgasm. And so in these cases, the headaches may not be a cause for concern. However, it is also a possibility that these headaches are a sign of a more serious condition like bleeding onto the surface of the brain.
People who usually have migraines, who use recreational drugs like marijuana, use birth control pills etc are more likely to have sex headaches.

Should you swear off sex? Yes, if you’re unmarried 😀 And no, if you’re married;) If you have just experienced this, try lying quietly for about an hour or two after taking an analgesic (like paracetamol) to handle the pain. However, it is very important to see your doctor as soon as possible to let him/her know what happened. This is important because, while there may very well not be any underlying issue, you want to be sure to rule out any serious medical condition causing these headaches. Your doctor will also prescribe some drugs on a regular or intermittent basis to deal with your symptoms.

Have a great night y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Why Do I Have Running Nose All Year Round?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Please mummy, you have to help me out. I sneeze mercilessly up to 2 hours every morning and evening, and then I’ll also have runny nose with colorless and watery fluid, plus itchy eyes. It disturbs me so much.

A: Well, it does sound like some allergy and is known as allergic rhinitis (pronounced Rine-Ai-Tis). This condition, also known as hay fever, occurs when your immune system over-reacts to certain substances in the air (allergens), marking them out as intruders. The resulting symptoms are due to some chemicals released in the body like histamine. These substances cause sneezing especially when you wake up in the morning, runny nose, watery itchy eyes and itchy ears, nose and throat, which could occur seasonally or be present all year round. In fact, the symptoms written above are as good as a text book description of this condition 😀 Oftentimes, in people with this condition, there is a positive history of a family member with asthma or other allergies.
The first step towards dealing with this is finding out what the triggers (allergens) are. It could be dust mites, wood dust, smoke, pollen, grasses, cockroaches etc Your doctor will ask helpful questions to help you identify the culprit. He/she, in the meantime, will prescribe some drugs, the commonest of which is an anti-histamine to help control your symptoms. Other treatment options include taking allergy shots and going for a nasal irrigation (essentially rinsing out the mucous from your nose).

Prevention is focused on identifying and reducing contact with allergens. This would include eradicating cockroaches from your house, using a mask when working outdoors, closing doors and windows when there are lots of pollen in the environment, not hanging laundry outside to prevent pollen sticking to them and causing problems later etc. Reducing dust mites by using oiled duster or damp cloth to clean, using allergen proof covers on mattresses etc will be helpful. For more on dust mites, what they are and how to reduce their population, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tip: Asthma

Daily Health Tips: What Has Dust Mite Got To Do With Asthma?

Daily Health Tips: All About Asthma.


So, get a doctor to prescribe drugs to tide you over (you should be able to pick up the prescription over the counter thereafter) and work with you to identify allergens and then you have to avoid them.

All the best 🙂

Have a good night, people 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Could My Child Have Contacted Mumps From My Neighbour’s Son?

Posted on November 18, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good day Doc. How are you and your family? Please, my 17 months old daughter has mumps. I just saw it this morning. She’s been going for her immunizations. The next one is when she’s 18 month old, that’s by December. My neighbor’s son had it about 3 weeks back, so I’m wondering if that’s where she caught it from him because they are friends and always play together. Please what do I do??? Thanks.

A: Mumps is a viral disease caused by the mumps virus and is contagious. It is most contagious two days before the onset of symptoms and 6 days after the symptoms disappear. It can be spread through droplets like when an infected person sneezes, coughs or even through sharing cups etc.
The infection manifests as swelling of the parotid (salivary) gland on one or both sides of the face (between the jaw and the ear), pain when swallowing, chewing, talking or taking acidic drinks like orange juice, fever, headache etc

In adolescent males, this infection may lead to inflammation of the testicles. Other organs that may be involved include pancreas, ovaries, brain and breasts. Children would usually recover from this infection in about 10 to 12 days. Don’t be tempted to give antibiotics. It’s not a bacterial infection…it’s viral and so, antibiotics won’t work.

What to do? First be sure that we are dealing with mumps. Let the paediatrician confirm a diagnosis. If that’s what it is, only supportive treatment is needed. This entails using drugs like Acetaminophen (Paractemol) to take care of the pain and the fever, avoiding acidic drinks like orange juice, serving meals that are soft and do not require a lot of chewing, using warm or cold compresses on the areas of swelling. Drinking lots of fluids, water especially is a great idea.

If fever increases, child develops stiff neck, convulses or develops abdominal pain, please get to the hospital immediately.

Prevention is by taking the vaccine (first does is given about 12 to 15 months and the second, around 4 to 6 years)and generally staying away from people who have the infection. By the way, the infection also confers lifelong immunity and so the person who has had mumps will not suffer from it again.

Have a good night, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Cyesis, Swollen Legs, Shark Teeth Et Al

Posted on November 17, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good day, ma’am. Please what is early cyesis in pregnancy?
A: Cyesis is medical lingo for pregnancy. So, early cyesis is Early Pregnancy 😀

Q: Dr please, what are the causes of swollen legs, prevention and what can one do if one notices it?
A: The causes of swollen legs are many and diverse ranging from liver and kidney diseases to pregnancy. Prevention is focused on the cause. For more on swollen legs, please click on this link:https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/13/daily-health-tips-foot-swelling/

Q: Please Dr, I need your help. My little daughter of about 5yrs just started bringing out another tooth from the front gum apart from the normal teeth. Please is there any drug I can administer to stop that tooth from coming out? Thank you.
Children start losing their baby teeth from 5 to 7 years, but some could start the process earlier and some later 😀 In some cases, as appears to be happening here, the baby teeth have not gone before the permanent teeth come out. Oftentimes, these permanent teeth would grow in behind the temporary teeth (shark teeth). What’s the solution? The temporary teeth may eventually fall out on their own (as happened in my son’s and daughter’s case) or may need to be extracted by the dentist if they ‘refuse’ to fall off. So, there are no drugs for this 😀 Indeed, you don’t want to stop that tooth from growing…it is one of the permanent teeth which your baby needs. Remember that your baby should visit the dentist at least twice a year…it is never too early to start 😀

Q: Good morning Doc, please I lost a pregnancy in July due to pre-eclampsia and now I’m pregnant again. What should be my dos and don’ts to avoid it from re-occuring?
A: Commiserations on the loss of your pregnancy. You’ll be fine 🙂 Hugs
Pre-eclampsia is a condition in which a pregnant woman is hypertensive with leakage of protein into the urine. There isn’t much evidence for a lot of the recommendations for pre-eclampsia prevention. So, be sure to start antenatal care on time and keep to your appointments religiously. For more on pre-eclampsia, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips: Salt Water Solution For Contraception In A Hypertensive etc

Q: Good morning ma’am, please what can somebody with big tummy eat in other to have a flat tummy?

Flat tummy is a combination of diet, exercise and stress control. For more on this topic, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tips: Can I Inherit A Big Tummy From My Parents?

Daily Health Tip: The trio of Diet, Exercise and Stress


Have a good night. Y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: When Should I Start Brushing My Baby’s Teeth And Potty Training?

Posted on November 16, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Well done Dr. May the good Lord reward you. Please, when can I start brushing my baby’s teeth? Please, tell me the right toothpaste to use. Secondly, when can I start potty training? Let me know when you post it. Thanks

A: Taking care of your baby’s mouth/teeth starts from birth. Yes…even before the teeth actually erupt. Be sure to clean your baby’s mouth with a clean, wet flannel wrapped around your finger at least twice a day. As soon as the first tooth erupts, teeth brushing starts in earnest. Brush your baby’s teeth (yes…even if they are only two) with a tiny amount of a tooth paste that does not have fluoride. The reason for this is that swallowing excessive amounts of fluoride can lead to disease conditions in children including the development of whitish patches on teeth. The use of non-fluoride tooth paste should continue until your baby learns how to spit out, at which time you can now switch to a fluoride paste.

For more on this, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tips: Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Daily Health Tips: Is It Bad To Let My 2-Year Old Son Swallow His Toothpaste?

When to start potty training? Well, usually between the ages of 18 and 30 months, a child shows some signs that he/she is ready for the next big step…potty training. Here are some of the signs to look out for:
• They can remove clothing, talk, climb etc
• They are usually aware of having soiled their diapers
• They have bowel movements at about the same everyday
• They no longer have bowel movements (poop) at night
• The gap between wet diapers is about 2 hours.
• They know when they are urinating
• They can tell you when they need to urinate

This process would usually take an average of 3 months. However, your child needs to feel ready, otherwise it will be a battle of wills…and trust me, you won’t win! Remember the one who has to clean up all the ‘accidents’? 😀 So, look out for the signs of readiness and remember that if a child is emotionally destabilized, he/she may relapse to pre-potty training ways. Patience is key. If you decide your baby is not ready yet and suspend temporarily, be sure to re-introduce as you observe the signs noted above.

Today is World Kindness Day. I hope you showed kindness to someone…someone who completely was not expecting it? If you didn’t, you’ve got a whole week ahead to do just that!

Have a fabulous week, people 😀

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Saturdqy Challenge: Stand A Chance To Win N2000 Airtime.

Posted on November 15, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Saturday Challenge

This challenge is not about right or wrong. It’s about the most compelling answer ☺

For a chance to win N2000 airtime, please answer the question below:

What is the most important advice you would give a pregnant woman given what you know now of healthy living? Mention 3 and rank them in order of priority.

Terms and conditions
You have to be a fan of this page to qualify. If you’re not, you have to like this page to qualify.

The most compelling story wins this challenge

Edited answers will be disqualified.

This challenge ends on Tuesday, 18th November, 2014.

Winners from 2 weeks ago will be announced tomorrow.

Have a great night, y’all 🙂

So, go for it. Let’s hear your stories, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: It’s World Diabetes Day…Stay Lean And Stay Active!

Posted on November 14, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Today is World Diabetes Day.

The theme for this year’s activities is Diabetes: Protect Our Future.

The key messages for this year’s event are:
• Making healthy foods the easier choice
• Making the right choice in terms of healthy eating
• Eating breakfast everyday as a means of starting up the day right and ensuring healthy eating.

Starting from the beginning, what’s Diabetes Mellitus (DM)? Usually starchy foods we eat are converted to glucose. The body, in response to the presence of glucose in the blood, releases insulin from the pancreas. The insulin helps the glucose to move into the cells where it is needed. In Diabetes Mellitus, it is either insulin is no longer or barely being produced (Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus) or the insulin is being produced in insufficient amounts or the cells no longer responds to the insulin prod (stimulus. The latter is called Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

There is little or nothing that can be done to prevent Type 1 as it is not yet clear what causes the body to destroy the cells that produce insulin in the body. People with this type of DM will require insulin injections. However, people with Type 2 DM can control their DM using a combination of diet and exercise (staying lean and staying active). With time though, they may require oral drugs and/or insulin.
Now, how do we make exercise a part of our day? You need at least 30 minutes daily. The requirement per week is 150 minutes and so you could do 30 minutes on 5 days of the week or 1 hour on 3 days of the week. Just break it up and find ways of doing the things you love in a more active way. Activity/exercise ideas are pillow fights, arm wrestling, taking walks, dancing, joining a gym, jumping jacks during commercial breaks etc. At work, being more active speaks to getting up and walking on the spot whenever you get a phone call, walking to the printer to pick up documents and walking to colleagues’ desks to ask questions/confirm issues, walking over to the bank ATM instead of driving there, using the stairs and not the elevators, installing an exercise/activity reminder on your computer to remind you to get active if you forget to do any of the above 😀

How can we make healthy foods the easier choice? Surround yourself with the right foods. Fresh fruits, veggies, dried fruits (which can also be added t nuts), nuts, dairy like yoghurt etc

Then make the right choices. It’s one thing to buy up all the healthy things that have been suggested, it’s another to eat them and not reach for the doughnut that your colleague just brought into the office.

In our high powered, we-are-all-busy-racing-to-somewhere world, eating breakfast may sound like a luxury, few can afford, but guess what? Studies have shown that eating breakfast may reduce the risk of obesity and Diabetes. So, whether you’re skipping breakfast because you think you don’t have time or because you want to lose weight by kipping meals, it’s bad news. So, how can you ensure that you’re not only eating breakfast but eating the right foods? Here are our tips for eating a healthy breakfast on the run:

Oatmeal is always a great idea. Rich in fiber which reduce cholesterol and help protect your heart and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. If you’re not a huge fan of oatmeal, you could sprinkle some cinnamon on it and be sure to take with skimmed milk. Another idea for oatmeal I learnt from a chef is overnight oats. Soak your oats with milk and unsweetened yoghurt overnight (just enough to cover the oats). Cover and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bring out and sprinkle some cinnamon, add some apple or banana slices, a couple of nuts (optional)…and you’ve got a delicious bowl of healthy deliciousness in your hands! Some whole wheat/grain cereals (unsweetened) also not go amiss. Whole grain bread with peanut or almond butter (peanut butter is just ground up peanuts or groundnuts), an egg with a cup of fresh juice or some fruit slices also sounds good 😉

If you want to go for a smoothie, be sure to add some veggies (carrots, a handful of green leafy veggies etc) to ensure it is super healthy and not just another sugar rush 😀

Enjoy the rest of your day, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: What Is GERD?

Posted on November 13, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

A: When we eat, the food moves down from the mouth, to the esophagus and into the stomach. There is a sphincter or valve at the lower end of the esophagus just before the stomach. This valve usually allows food to move in one direction: from the esophagus to the stomach. However, in people with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), this valve called Lower Esophageal Sphincter allows food to also move back from the stomach to the esophagus. This food, which contains acid from the stomach, causes burning sensations in the esophagus described as heart burn. A condition called hiatal hernia increases the chances of GERD and is usually seen in obese people, pregnant women and during situations that increase the pressure in the abdomen like coughing, sneezing etc.
Lifestyle factors that play a role in GERD include certain foods like fatty, fried foods, alcohol, minty foods etc, smoking, eating huge meals, lying down immediately after a meal etc

To avoid these eat smaller meals and try not to lie down until about 3 hours after a meal, keep your weight within normal limits and give tight clothes a rest 😀 Avoid foods that act as triggers and stay off smoking. Elevate the feet of your bed by using blocks under the bed. Do not use pillows to achieve this as it just increases pressure in the stomach and worsens the problem.
Other treatment modalities include medications and surgery. Your doctor will advise as to what works best for you.

Good night, people 😀

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Daily Health Tips: How Do I Practice Exclusive Breastfeeding With A full Time Job?

Posted on November 12, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good day Doc. I love your articles on EBF (Exclusive Breast Feeding) thing. Am a serving Corper, my maternity leave will finish come 1st week of December and my baby will be 3months and 11days by then. I really want to practice EBF to 6months(to prove my mum wrong) but my baby sucks too much within the night that when I express in the morning I only get 50-70mls of BM (too small for a feed) Considering that I have to get to work before 8am and to be back by 3pm. I kill myself with fluid within the night to boost milk supply but d baby sucks all. Please help me; what should I do? Will formula milk be bad if I introduce it by then (not minding if my mum mocks me by den). Is it too early to put the baby in a creche. Should I burp my baby when he falls asleep during feed. Thank you. Thanks for writing in…and yes, it’s absolutely possible to prove your mum wrong. Sorry mum 😀
A: Breast milk is the best food for baby, generally speaking. The supply of breast milk is based on its demand. And so, if demand for it is high, supply will be high and vice versa. The more efficiently milk is removed from the breast, the more milk production is stimulated. And so, you need to make a conscious effort to get baby to suck more.
Now, in most places in Nigeria, nursing mothers, do not start work until about 9am or slightly later. You appear to be getting to work with everyone else. Those extra minutes/hours in the morning could be very helpful. Find out from your HR department what you’re entitled to.
Here are other tips that could help increase milk supply:

• Be sure that baby is attached properly and get him to suckle on the breast very often. Remember that breast milk production is a function of the breast milk let down reflex which is activated when baby sucks.
• If you can find a private space within your office where you can express milk, go for it.
• Increase the number of feeds per day. You could work with a timetable of a feed every 2 to 3 hours. In your case, as many times as is possible when you get back from the office.
• Switch breasts during a meal time. Let the first breast ‘empty’ before switching baby to the other breast. This can be repeated several times during a feed.
• Massage your breast and stroke towards the baby
• Perhaps over the weekend, room in with your baby and get him to feed as much as possible. The let down reflex will be greatly stimulated and so, you could even pump some for when you will be at work and freeze.

Personally, I found that using my hands to ‘milk’ my breasts produced sufficient amounts of breast milk for my always-hungry-can’t-seem-to-get-enough-food-baby. You may want to try that.
Have a good night, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Are Superfetation Babies Called Twins?

Posted on November 11, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Thank you ma’am. Follow-up question ma’am, if super- fetation occur,what will happen during child delivery? Can they be called twins?

Q: Good evening Dr. I am pregnant now and I don’t like having sex. I hope am not causing problem to myself and the baby. Secondly, is it true that having sex will help my vagina to be open during child birth for easy delivery? Thanks

A: And to round off our discussion on sexual intercourse during pregnancy and super-fetation, I will take on the last set of unresolved questions.

Are the children called twins if superfetation occurs? Yes. It’s just that when born, one may look slightly older than the other. Remember that the dates of conception are different and so the obstetrician has to take a decision as to the best time to deliver them so that both of them have equal chances of survival.

The issue of having sexual intercourse has been exhaustively treated. You’re not causing any harm to the baby but it’s possible that you may be creating a distance between yourself and your hubby if your decision or reason for it have not been well communicated to hubby. Communication is VERY important, not just in this issue but all other marriage issues 😀

Will having sex help your vagina stay open for easy delivery? No. With or without sex, a woman would deliver vaginally if she has no conditions that might make her more likely to have a C-section.

So, there you go. Have a good night y’all 😀

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