Daily Health Tips: My Baby Hates Fruits!

Posted on April 16, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good afternoon, Dr. Can you please, help me with my children’s daily time table for eating because my five years old boy is looking very smallish in stature and he hates eating fruits.

A: I’m sure this resonates with a lot of people! But guess what? Your son is not the boss. You are! And your job is to ensure that he eats nourishing foods as opposed to all the sweets that he would love to.

Try blending the fruits and feeding him. If you’ve got a smoothie maker, use that. It’s fruit juice…only this time without the refined sugars. That’s one way of encouraging him to take fruits. You can cut up or mash bananas and add to his cereal for breakfast and milk, of course. Focus on complex carbohydrates like Ofada/brown/local rice, sweet potatoes, oats, whole wheat meals, beans etc. Make your beans delicious and if you’re not a specialist at this, you can cook it white and then serve it with fish or egg stew. You can boil sweet potatoes and on top of the pot, put a stainless steel plate with one egg, some tomatoes and a drop of oil. When the potatoes are nice and soft, mash all together and season with salt and then serve. Always include veggies. This is the right time to start. In fact, when he starts taking the blended fruits, sneak in some veggies into it like carrots, spinach, pumpkin leaves (ugu) etc. Remember to try one at a time and then build from there.

All foods served should have some colour…that’s one quick and easy way of being sure it’s balanced 😀

For more information, please click on the link below: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/02/01/daily-health-tips-should-my-children-be-on-a-diet/

Daily Health Tips: I Think My Daughter Is Small For Her Age!

Cheers 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Giving The Gift of Life!

Posted on April 15, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Hello everyone. I hope you’re all. Having having a great day.

For everyone in NIgeria, especially those in Abuja affected by the bomb blast of yesterday and indeed all other parts of Nigeria where bombing has become a regular way of life, my heart goes out to you. Our prayers are with you all. For those who lost their lives, may their souls rest in peace. Such a senseless loss of lives! 😦

The injured people who are in the hospitals need blood. Please if you’re in Abuja and can do so, please go over to any of the centers where the victims are and help save a life: General Hospital Nyanya, National Hospital and General Hospital Maitama.

Remember that the life you save by donating blood, may very well be yours or that of someone close to you or just someone you know. Let’s help out.

For more on blood donation, please click on the link below for my blog post on it: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/07/15/can-you-give-the-gift-of-life/

Be safe, people 😦

Dr Ketch

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Behind the scenes of Healthy Living with Dr Ketch…More pictures!

Posted on April 14, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Behind the scenes of Healthy Living with Dr Ketch...More pictures!

Sound check. Are we good to go? 😀

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Behind the scenes of Tips for Healthy Living With Dr Ketch (Season 2)

Posted on April 14, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Behind the scenes of Tips for Healthy Living With Dr Ketch (Season)

The hardworking crew!

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Daily Health Tips: When Do I Ovulate?

Posted on April 14, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hello Doc, please I don’t know how to calculate my free periods and ovulation. I need some education on it and my period lasts for three days.

Another variation of this question that I’ve been asked is:

Q: How do I calculate my ovulation cycle so that I can conceive a male child?

A: It is believed in some circles,that having sexual intercourse on the day of ovulation is almost a sure-fire way of ensuring you have a baby boy 😀 Unfortunately, this is a case of no fire as there’s no way choosing sex…well except for some couples who go for in-vitro fertlization and are given the option of sex selection. Before you start thinking about this, trust me, this is not offered indiscriminately! So, there!

Using the rhythm method, if you have a regular 28 day cycle (a cycle is the first day of your menstrual period to the first day of the next menstrual period), then you ovulate on the 14th day and that day is your best bet for having a baby boy. However, if your periods vary, then you’ll have to keep track of your menstrual cycles for 6 months to a year. Then subtract 18 from your shortest cycle. The number you get is the first fertile day you have. Eg, if your shortest cycle is 25, taking away 18 gives 7. So, day 7 is the first day of your fertile period. Then, subtract 11 from your longest cycle to get your last fertile day for each cycle. If 35 days is your longest cycle, then your last fertile day in each cycle is 35-11=24. Day 24 is your last fertile day. So, having sexual intercourse during this period ensures pregnancy. And of course, avoiding it on these days, may prevent pregnancy. Other methods that will rightly predict ovulation day include checking the Basal Body temperature and cervical mucous.

Visiting your closest family planning clinic may be helpful to provide specific guidance.

Remember though, that these are theoretical guides, at best. If it were this easy, all the women who want specific sexes would not be constantly trying. Nothing is cast in stone! Enjoy the wonderful babies, awesome gifts of God, which you have been given. Male or female, bring them up with the right values and they will do awesome things.

And, by the way, periods can range from 3 days to 7 days. So there’s nothing strange in that 🙂

Cheers 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Premature Ejaculation

Posted on April 13, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hello doctor a friend is suffering from premature ejaculation. He has taken many drugs but no difference. Doctor what can he do again?

A: Well, part of the problem with premature ejaculation is the pressure to perform. So, first option is to abstain from sexual intercourse for a while to take off this pressure.

Then, when he does resume, if he feels he’s about to ejaculate, he should get his partner to apply pressure between the glans (tip) and shaft (body) of his manhood. This should stop the urge. Sexual activity can be resumed after a few minutes.

Another option is the use of local anaesthetic creams which reduce the sensations felt, thus reducing the probability of a premature ejaculation.

Talk over this with your doctor who will provide the best advice based on your history.

Have a great week ahead 🙂

Here’s to a healthier you!

Dr Ketch

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Daily Health Tips: Foods to avoid when on your menstrual period

Posted on April 12, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Have you heard the old wives’ tale that alcohol is helpful when on your period? You should watch this!

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Daily Health Tips: Can My HIV Positive Pregnant Friend Have A Baby Without Problems?

Posted on April 11, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hello Dr. I have a friend who is pregnant after registering for ANC she find out that she is HIV positive. What can she do?

A: Being pregnant is an amazing experience, HIV or not. In fact, finding out early about the infection helps, so that the virus is not transmitted to the baby. If the mother is already on anti-retroviral drugs (drugs used to treat HIV), then she needs to let her doctor know which ones she’s taking as they may need to be changed or dosage adjusted. If she hasn’t been taking any, then she will be put on some. The whole aim of this is to reduce the load of the virus and also, because some of the drug passes through the placenta, the baby is safer.

The baby is most at risk during 3 points: pregnancy, delivery and breast feeding. Of all these, mother to child transmission poses the least risk. The greatest risk is during delivery as baby is exposed to mother’s blood and body fluids. The risk of this is significantly reduced with an elective (planned) Caesarian Section. Breast feeding is not advocated as the baby may be infected via this route. Formula feeds will have to suffice here.

The risk of mother to child transmission is increased when the mother has other co-existing sexually transmitted infections, vaginal delivery, pre-term birth, HIV infection occurring for the first time during pregnancy etc.

Please advise your friend to register for antenatal (pre-natal) care in a center that has the facility to look after and anticipate the needs of HIV positive pregnant women and their babies.

If she plans to get pregnant again, there are also options even if her husband is also HIV positive. Invitro fertilization, sperm washing to remove infected cells etc are examples of options that the doctor could proffer.

So, all hope is not lost!

Have a great weekend, people 😀

Here’s to a healthier you!

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Have you heard the news about the outbreak of Ebola virus? Whether you are in an area where it’s been reported or not, some knowledge of this, especially prevention, will not go amiss. Here goes!

Ebola virus is usually contacted through contact with infected animals (monkeys, chimpanzees, bats and in some instances, pigs) and subsequently from an infected person to other people through contact with infected body fluids (waste products or blood) and/or sharp objects. This virus causes severe bleeding, failure of organs, death and unfortunately has no known treatment or vaccine for prevention as at today.

Initial symptoms would appear between 5 to 10 days of infection and seem like any other infectious disease with fever, sore throat, headaches, weakness and chills. This eventually worsens to include a lot of symptoms including rashes, cough with chest pain, red eyes, stomach pain and bleeding from mouth, nose, eyes, ears, seizures, coma and eventual death for most people infected.

As noted before, no treatment exists as at now. So, prevention is key for everyone and especially people who are more at risk (people who travel to areas with outbreak, morticians who prepare people that have died from Ebola for burial, people conducting animal research and medical personnel). The focus of prevention is on personal hygiene: Wash your hands and often too, use hand sanitizers and make sure you’ve got handy packs that you carry around. Be sure to also provide same for your children and domestic staff. Avoid contact with infected people and if you’re a mortician, avoid handling the remains of people who have died from Ebola as they are still contagious. Finally, all bush meat lovers will have to leave well alone for now 😀

Keep healthy and keep safe, people 🙂

Have a fabulous day!

Here’s to a healthier you!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by chatwithdrketch | 2 Comments

Daily Health Tips: When Is A Good Time To Resume Sexual Intimacy After Childbirth?

Posted on April 9, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Please when is the right time for a woman to make love after child birth??

A: Good question 😀 The honest answer is, as soon as you and your spouse feel up to it. Usually, 6 weeks is advocated at which time the woman would have had a post-natal check.  However, there is really no scientific basis for this and the time a woman feels like intimacy could differ from woman to woman. Some women feel ready earlier and some much later. Bear in mind that there are new issues contending for attention here…namely the new baby who requires a lot of attention, the overwhelming emotion of being in charge of a new life especially for new mothers, the sheer exhaustion after looking after the baby’s needs and sleep deprivation, the pain of vaginal suturing, if the woman had a tear, the dryness of the vagina at this time etc. We could go on and on! So, with all these, it may be difficult to feel really sexy…trust me, I know 😀

So, what’s the way forward? New mums, get as much help as you can so that you don’t feel exhausted every night. Also, rest whenever the baby is taking a nap. Perhaps, timing for intimacy can also be re-scheduled to other times…maybe mornings while the baby is still sleeping etc. Then again, you don’t have to wait for full sexual intercourse to be intimate. You can start off with cuddling and then move on to more adventurous things. Lubrication may also be a great idea to help with vaginal dryness. To help restore muscular tone to the vagina, pelvic floor exercise (Kegel exercises) should be started as soon as possible. The exercise mimics the movements we make when we want to stop the flow of urine. Try holding this for about 10 seconds and then doing about 10 repetitions per set. Try about 4 to 6 sets per day and increase this as you feel ready.

Remember birth control even if you’re breastfeeding exclusively. You don’t want to get pregnant while nursing a baby, right? 😀

I hope this helps 😀

Have a great day!

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