chatwithketch

Good day doc, please kindly respond to my question this time. What does it mean when one’s temperature is below 37C? What is the normal human body temperature? For up to a month now, my temperature has been 34C or less and it’s beginning to get me really worried. Please I eagerly await your response and God bless you as you do so.

A: Amen and apologies if it took a while to get to you 😀

Good question! Ever since Ebola hit these shores, body temperature has been on the front burner. Vendors of infra-red thermometers have done brisk business; business premises are manned by security personnel wielding the temperature guns, as I like to call them. I have engaged some of them in Q and A sessions 😀 asking them what temperatures they were looking out for. One told me that a temperature of 40 degrees Centigrade was a red flag and the others generally agreed that above 37 degrees was the red flag. Now the first guy is not wrong…only that by the time the temperature is that high, the situation is indeed critical and a very serious cause for concern! At this time, we are talking heat stroke (hyperthermia)! So, looking out for temperatures of 3rd and above is a good reference point.

Body temperature is usually a range from 36.1 to 37.2C and the read temperature depends on the area of the body where the temperature was checked (underarm temperature is about 0.5C less than the core temperature eg one taken under the tongue), the time of the day (usually lower in the mornings as your day starts), age (older people have lower temperatures) and the activities they’ve been involved in prior to checking the temperature.

Temperatures lower than 35C are usually seen as low (hypothermia). Exposure to cold temperatures can trigger this. Extremes of age (the very young and the very old), homeless people, people who abuse alcohol and people who spend a long period of time in cold weather are prone to this condition. So have you recently travelled to a cold region? Have you changed offices and moved to an office where the Air Conditioner temperature is very low? Are you dressing warmly enough for your environment? Are you getting soaked with water (rain, perhaps) often and not drying off properly?

If none of the above applies to you, then you may need to see your doctor to explore other possibilities like Diabetes, Hypothyroidism or even your use of some medications.

Prevention depends on which of the causes above applies to you. If you’re constantly exposed to cold air, dress in layers, eg wear a camisole, then a tank top, then a top, then a sweat shirt etc That way, you can take off the outer layers if you feel the weather getting warmer. If you get drenched in water, dry off as soon as possible, increase the temperature of the Air Conditioner so that it’s not too cold or use a heater in winter etc.

Have a good night, y’all 😀

Q: Good afternoon Ma’am. My fiancee is fat and I’m not comfortable with it. Also, our traditional marriage is due this December. Can you prescribe a diet or drug for him to slim down? I will surely appreciate it if you respond to my message. And also I watched your programme on Silverbird yesterday about proteins. Ma’am instead of wheat and egusi soup can one eat ground oats and egusi…which one is better?

A: Now, this certainly sounds like a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to say so 😀 So, fiancee dear, you’d better watch out and do something about that weight fast! 😀

Okay, more seriously…have you shared your concerns with him? Did he recently start adding weight or has he been like that al along? I’m not asking to pass judgement really….because there’s no law against changing your mind about what you like or don’t like 🙂 But perhaps, if you shared your concern with him, he would want to do something about this. He needs to understand that this is something very important to you and your future life together

To practical solutions, there’s no magic wand tablet that makes it all go away. Hmmm, that’s not really true, so I’ll re – phrase. There are a number of take-a-tablet-daily-for-10-days-and-you’ll-lose-all-that-weight-in-the-same-period tablets and fad diets, but what these tablets and diets do is that they make you lose a lot a lot of water weight, which makes you feel like you’re losing weight and then once you go off the tabs or fad diet, you pile it all on again. So, the only solution I proffer is plain hard work.

Now, this is where you come in. You can get your fiancee to live healthier in a fun way. You can register both of you for a dance class. It’s a fun way of bonding with him while losing oodles of calories. You can also take evening walks daily when he comes visiting and when you’re not together, encourage him to do same. Visit his house and make things a bit more inaccessible to encourage him to move eg maybe move the water dispenser to a farther point (so he has to walk further to get water) etc. Make him understand the importance of activity, at least, 30 minutes everyday.

For food, remember the architecture of a healthy plate? Half of It should be filled with fruits and veggies, a quarter with complex carbs like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, local rice etc and the last quarter filled with protein (preferably white protein like chicken and fish). Get him to buy healthier snacks to keep around the house for when he wants to snack, work with him on trying out healthier methods of cooking etc

More importantly, reassure him of your love and the fact that you want to grow old with him. You want him to live long enough to see your children (teach them to play soccer, walk them down the aisle when they are getting married etc), your grandchildren and indeed, great grandchildren:D

For more on weight loss, please click on the links below:

Daily Health Tips: What Drugs Can Help Me Burn Fat?

Daily Health Tip: Weight loss (facts and fiction)

Daily Health Tips: Can I Lose Weight By Taking Hot Drink And Lemon?

I’m sure it will all work out. Congratulations in advance 😀

And yes, you can have oatmeal and Egusi…awesome combination 🙂

Good night, y’all 😀

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Q: Good evening, Dr ketch. You are so wonderful. I enjoy your programme. My 2-year old boy swallows toothpaste when I am brushing his mouth. He always refuses to rinse his mouth too. Please what is the side effect of this?
A: Thanks for writing in about this very common mistake that a lot of mothers, unknowingly allow their children to make. So, you’re not alone 😀

The main reason why it’s not a good idea to swallow toothpaste is because of the fluoride in it. In small quantities, fluoride is great for teeth and prevents tooth decay by becoming part of the structure of developing teeth and by covering the surface of the teeth when it comes in contact with it. However, excessive amounts can lead to dental fluorosis, a situation in which there whitish splotches on the teeth and in really bad cases, black and brown staining of teeth with crumbling of the enamel. Other conditions associated with too much fluoride include, skin rashes and even fluoride poisoning which can show up as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting etc.

How do you stop this from happening?

First you have to make sure that you put only a small amount of paste on the toothbrush (pea-size…like the size of a corn seed). This reduces the amount of foam formed, and thus reduces the amount of fluoride the child can swallow.

Go for children’s tooth paste as they use smaller amounts of fluoride
Then be sure to supervise your child’s brushing from 2 years (when they able to spit) to 6 years to ensure that they brush well and that they spit out. You must also ensure that the mouth is rinsed, otherwise all that fluoride will be swallowed.

Remember that caring for your baby’s teeth starts even before the first tooth sprouts. At this time, a wet wash cloth wrapped round your finger does a great job of cleaning your baby’s mouth and gum.
As the teeth sprout, use a baby tooth brush and ‘barely-there’ (teensy-weensy amount of) toothpaste to clean baby’s teeth.

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Q: God bless you doc, even generations to come honour you already. Please, I hope you answer this because I’ve sent one you’ve not answered. I’ve had two caesarian sections now. And my tummy is very big because we were advised against tummy heating. Now I ask will it ever come down or what could I do? My first CS was 2010 and the other was April this year. And how early could I use “GIRDLE” God bless you, doc. Love you

A: Amen and Amen to all your prayers and I love you right back! 😀

Now as to tummy reduction after Caesarian Section, I wish it were as simple as a girdle 😀 As I always say, there’s no quick fix to these issues. You will have to go the good nutrition and exercise route (as soon as your doctor gives you the okay). There are some post natal binders or belts that are thought to be helpful but really, there’s no conclusive proof that they help your womb resume its normal position. In fact, used too early, it may rub against your incision site and interfere with healing.

So, the solution is a careful exercise and diet plan. For any kind of delivery, don’t start on any exercise regimen without checking with your doctor first. You can start off with pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel up to it especially if you’re leaking urine when you cough or laugh. To locate your pelvic floor muscles, try holding your urine when you feel pressed. If you are successful, then you have located the muscles you need. Then empty your bladder and lie on the floor. Contract those same muscles and hold the contraction for about 5 seconds and then relax it for about 5 seconds. Gradually build this up to holding the contraction for 10 seconds. Repeat this about 3 times a day. Once you no longer leak, you’re probably ready for your exercises. As soon as the doctor gives you the all clear, you can take gentle walks, do simple stretches etc. Start small and scale up 🙂

As for diet, fruits, veggies, complex carbs and proteins are the way to go. The first rule of diet is portion control, reduce your plate (or bowl) size 😀 Then fill half the plate with veggies, a quarter with complex carbs like whole grains, oatmeal, local rice etc and the last quarter with protein eg fish and poultry.

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

Daily Health Tip: my tummy after my baby

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

Have a good night, y’all 😀