Daily Health Tips: Still On Health…

Posted on April 8, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Hello y ‘all, thanks to all of you that wrote about what health means to you. It made for great reading 😀

And guess what, y’all were right. Health is all that and more!

A couple of years back, medics focused on looking at health in a negative way. And so, someone was considered healthy if they weren’t ill/sick. But that’s not all true, right? One could run a complete medical check and nothing is found wrong, but this person is in a really toxic relationship which breaks his/her heart over and over again. That person is not really healthy and it shows. Same goes for someone who works in an environment that has a whole lot drama: people scheming to move ahead and throwing people under the bus in order to achieve that. What about the guy whose opinion counts for nothing…he’s never asked to give an opinion and when he ventures to speak, he’s shut down. Or the lady who smiles at everyone, but deep down inside is so angry with the world for all manner of missed opportunities…the education she never pursued, because she got married, the job she could never aspire for because her husband assured her she wasn’t good enough, the business she could never keep going because the children made amazing demands on her time etc.

Some of you defined, health as a ‘state of physical, mental and social well being and not just the absence of disease’, taking the words right out of the World Health Organization’s mouth 😀 This essentially means that health involves all areas of our lives: physical (the type that can show up on the lab work), social (our feeling of inclusion in any group eg family, workplace etc), emotional (knowing that we love and are loved in return), mental (feeling that we have something to contribute and that our opinions count), occupational (how we react to the pace of work in our work places or how the work environment is structured), environmental (things in our surroundings that can potentially harm us eg malaria-causing mosquitoes breeding in a dirty environment with stopped-up drainage gutters) or even spiritual ( our sense of being at peace with the world). So, if you’re not healthy in any aspect of these, you’re really not healthy as we can’t compartmentalise our lives…no matter how much we try 😀

So, the new focus is encouraging the good stuff: health promotion. And really that’s what the whole concept of wellness addresses. It focuses on providing the tool kit that keeps you in that state of wellness which is what this page, our blog and our show were set up to do. I hope we have contributed to your sense of wellness in the last one year through our tips on eating, hygiene, exercise, disease risk factors and indeed all aspects of health 😀

Let’s keep at it people 😀  There’s a whole lot more where all that came from. 

Here’s to wellness…Make sure you’re sipping from a glass of water 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Daily Health Tips: What Is Health?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a great day! Mine was exhausting 😀

Now, today is World Health Day and while thinking of the post for today, it just struck me that perhaps we should turn the tables 😉 Yep, turn the tables! You wonder how?

World Health Organization had cause to change their own definition of health a couple of years ago…because you can’t just box health into a corner and describe it as just ‘one thing’ or ‘the other’ right? 🙂

So, what does health mean to you? I will be waiting to read from all of you. I can’t wait to hear what y’all think 😀

Have a great evening, peeps 🙂

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on April 6, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Doctor, please I don’t take alcohol. Both my parents have big tummies. I am of average built but my tummy gives me concern, After watching you a while ago, I wanted to write you so that you tell me what to do.

A: It’s great that you are concerned about this, especially knowing that there is a family history, because genetics can be a factor in the issue of belly fat (central obesity). However, other major factors are really what we eat, how much of it and how much exercise we get.

If you ensure that your plate always has all food groups in it, you’ll be fine. First, focus on portion control. The first practical step in doing this is reduce the size of plate that you ordinarily eat with. Then, ensure that half of this plate is filled with vegetables, a quarter of it with protein and the last quarter with the carbs to be eaten. For carbohydrates, focus on the complex carbohydrates like brown rice, local rice (Abakaliki rice or Ofada rice), sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, millet etc. For instance, you can have a half a plate filled with vegetables (remember to go extra easy on the oil during preparation), quarter of the plate filled with whole wheat meal and then your protein of choice, preferably fish or poultry. It is important to have more of the vegetables, because these fill you up, absorb loads of fluid and keep you feeling fuller for longer! 😀

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

Daily Health Tips: Are 3 Square Meals Sufficient?

Daily Health Tip: Weight loss (facts and fiction)

You’re also allowed 2-3 snacks daily. Remember to focus on healthy foods e.g. nuts, fruits etc. For more on this, please click on the link below.

Daily Health Tips : Healthy Snacking

Then exercise. I am always asked if people can lost weight without exercise and the answer is yes. I mean, if you went on a starvation diet, you’d lose weight, right? 😀 But it’s not sustainable. First it’s really water weight, you’re getting rid of and you’re not really imbibing the principles of a healthy lifestyle that will help you not only lose weight but keep it off. Current recommendation is for 150 minutes of exercise weekly. This should be broken down into 30 minutes on 5 days of the week or 1 hour for three days. Space these minutes out and ensure that you don’t try to get all of it done in 2 days like some weekend warriors I know 😀 Seriously though, the heart may not be able to withstand that much pressure all at once having been sedentary too long. So, please be guided! 😉

Ageing also plays a role. However, if you start early enough in life to eat right, it may not be too much of a problem later.

If you read my post on ‘The Trio Of Diet, Exercise And Stress’, remember that visceral fat, the type involved in central obesity may not be helped much by abdominal exercises, crunches et al. The right lifestyle is critical. Remember that central obesity pre-disposes one heart diseases, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus etc So, you don’t want to be here if you can do something about it!

Have a great week ahead, fabulous people 😀 XXX

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Daily Health Tips: Should I Stop Taking Folic Acid Because I Have Fibroids In Pregnancy?

Posted on April 5, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good Day…..Please I am pregnant and my first scan showed that I have fibroid (8.5cm) I want to know if I should stop taking Folic Acid as I heard that it may make the fibroid become bigger. Please advise me.
Thank you.

A: Fibroids do not feed on folic acid…they feed on hormones which is the reason why they may become bigger in pregnancy and tend to shrink during menopause. Please ensure that you take your folic acid so as to ensure your baby has no neural tube (‘spinal cord’) defects and be sure that your pregnancy is being supervised by an obstetrician.

Have a great night, people 😀

Here’s to a healthier you!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Daily Health Tips: Can I Serve My 7 Month Old Baby Cocoa Beverages?

Posted on April 4, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hello Dr, thanks for all your advice. God bless you. Please ma’am, can I give my 7 month old baby, cocoa beverages to drink? 

A: The answer is a resounding no…for two reasons. 

First, these beverages often times contain traces of nuts and other ingredients that your child may be allergic to. So, it’s not a great idea to ‘challenge’ these allergies until your baby is at least a year old and even then, watch out for any allergic reactions.

Secondly, these drinks also contain some quantity of caffeine, which is a stimulant. You don’t want to be feeding your baby caffeine at this age…especially given that the side effects are more likely to be extremely pronounced in a baby. For a reminder class on the effects of caffeine, please click on the link below.

chatwithdrketch.com/2014/01/17/daily-health-tips-coffee-energy-drinks-et-al/

Have a great weekend, y ‘ all.

Here’s to a healthier you!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Daily Health Tips: How Do I Cleanse My Kidneys?

Posted on April 3, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Please I want to know,what should one who has been on antibiotics for long take for cleansing the kidney?
Thank you in anticipated response.

A: Okay, I’m not really sure why you have been on long term antibiotics. Were these prescribed by your doctor or are you just taking these on your own advice? If the latter is the case, please stop. As in my post of yesterday, taking antibiotics unnecessarily may lead to a situation called super-infection where the ‘good’ bacteria are eliminated and then the bad bacteria and other organisms take over and cause infections that may otherwise not have been problems in the body.

If you need more tips on how to keep your kidneys healthy, please click on this link and read more
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/13/daily-health-tips-how-do-i-keep-my-kidneys-healthy/

Now as to cleansing your kidneys, please be careful. When I was in medical school, there was a story of a ‘doctor’ who offered people kidney cleanses. So what did he do? He would admit these people, put in a urinary catheter (a flexible tube that drains urine from the bladder) and give them diuretics (drugs that made people produce a lot of urine). These people would see loads of urine being produced and were assured by this ‘doctor’ that all the impurities in their kidneys were being flushed out in that process. Throughout this period, they were on intravenous fluids…probably to ensure they did not die on admission from dehydration 😐 I believe this fake doctor was eventually caught and tried.

So, the lesson in this is that your kidneys do not really need any fancy work to keep them nice and healthy. Eat healthy, exercise, drink sufficient amounts of water daily, do not abuse drugs and you should be fine. Read the post on keeping your kidneys healthy for more tips.

There is also a lot of talk about detoxification diets which focus on fruit fasts for various periods of time. Now, I love my 3-day detox therapies but note that these are not sustainable ways of losing weight or keeping kidneys cleansed. They make you feel great…probably because you stayed off processed junk for that period of time 😀 but ultimately, your body needs a whole lot more than this to survive. You need a balanced meal of all food groups in the right proportions, otherwise, you can do these fad diets for a while but then when the fall comes, it is catastrophic! 😀 For more on diet:

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/12/01/daily-health-tip-the-trio-of-diet-exercise-and-stress/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/11/17/daily-health-tips-foods-to-avoid/

So, visit your doctor. He may want to check out your kidney function and confirm that it’s A-okay. The results will determine what further actions are needed.

Have yourselves an awesome day 😀

Here’s to a healthier you!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Daily Health Tips: Should I Wash My ‘Intimates’ With Disinfectant?

Posted on April 2, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good evening ma’am, how is the family and work generally? God bless u for a continuous good work. Please ma, I have a question regarding cleaning the female private part. I don’t know if it’s okay to wipe with water that has been disinfected , because I feel better when I do, than without a disinfectant. Please advise me ma’am.

A: Hmm, this is a question I’ve been asked often and it does make sense to ask 🙂 You would want to wash your vagina with disinfectant or perhaps antiseptic soap to make sure that you kill off all the germs, right? Wrong!

There are some bacteria that are actually useful in the body. Those found in the vagina, mainly lactobacillus, fall into this group. They produce substances that help to fight the growth of fungi (candida) and other unwanted organisms. So, when you wash with antibacterial soap or disinfected water, you mess with that natural balance in your intimate parts leading to overgrowth of unwanted organisms like candida.

Another similar activity is douching. Vaginal douches usually contain water and vinegar. Others have antiseptics and fragrances in addition. These douches are usually sprayed upwards into the vagina to ‘clean’ it up. Apart from destroying the hard-working bacteria which ‘protect’ the ‘intimates’, it can also lead to irritation of the very delicate vaginal skin.

Other activities that can cause over-growth of the vagina by unwanted organisms are abuse of antibiotics, a weak immune system from disease or stress and the hormonal imbalance that can occur in pregnancy.

So, the feeling better is really all in the psyche. No real work is being done. Truth is, if there is actually an infection, the douche and disinfectant et al are unlikely to be able to deal with them! So, there 😀

So ladies, all you need is…clean hands, soap that is not perfumed (if you can tolerate it) and water; c’est finis!

Have a great evening!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Daily Health Tips : Healthy Snacking

Posted on March 31, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Do you feel like. even when you want to do right and eat right, you just seem to be surrounded by the wrong things to eat? Here are some tips to help you out.

Here’s to a healthier you!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Daily Health Tips: Do I Require Treatment For Hepatitis B Infection?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hi Doctor, I was made to understand that am infected with hepatitis B after subjecting my blood on screening for blood donation. Ever since I was informed, I met one doctor in Nigeria about it and told me that there is no cure for the disease yet. On the contrary, I search about the treatment of the disease online and found that the hepatitis B infection does not usually require treatment because most adults clear the infection spontaneously (in wikipedia). Doctor, please I need your advice.

A: Hepatitis B infection is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and it can cause very serious symptoms in people or it could very well pass unnoticed and be discovered by chance as in this question. The infections that occur in adults are usually acute and the body is able to clear the infection within 6 months. However, in a small proportion of adults and in a lot of infections occurring in children, the infection remains the body for a long time (chronic) leading to complications like liver failure and cirrhosis of the liver.

The symptoms include yellowness of the skin and eyes, dark urine, fatigue, body and joint aches etc. These symptoms vary in severity and appear about 3 months after infection.

Causes of HBV infections include contact with infected sharps like needles, sexual contact with an infected person, having multiple seal partners, sharing needles used for intravenous drug use.

If one suspects exposure to HBV infection, an immunoglobulin injection  if taken within 24 hours can prevent the infection. Treatment depends on the type of HBV infection…whether acute or chronic. To confirm whether the infection is acute or chronic,  the doctor runs a couple of tests.

The Hepatitis B surface antigen. A positive test result confirms that an infection is present but does not tell us if it is acute or chronic.

The Hepatitis B surface antibody. A positive test confirms that an infection had occurred but the body had developed antibodies to fight off the infection. This person is no longer contagious.

The Hepatitis B core antibody. A positive result tells us that a past or present infection exists. This is mainly interpreted in conjunction with the other two tests.

If the core antibody is positive and the surface antibody is positive, it means that the body had encountered this infection and fought it off in the past. This is likely to be an acute infection.

If the core antibody is positive and the surface antigen positive, it is more likely to be a chronic infection.

Treatment for acute infections focus on alleviating the symptoms noted above. Treatment for chronic infections focus on use of antiviral drugs and other medications that improve liver function. If liver function Is badly affected, transplant  might be an option.

So, the first focus for you is to confirm if this is an acute or a chronic infection. That will determine the way forward. Remember that you can improve liver function by staying off alcohol, exercising, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and not self-prescribing.

To avoid this infection, reduce your risk factors: Know the Hepatitis status of partner and be faithful to that person, where necessary, use condoms, stop the use of illicit drugs, do not share needles and other sharps, be careful with tatooing et al.

Vaccines are available for this virus and is now listed on the National Program on Immunization schedule. All adults who also have risk factors as noted above should also take this vaccine.

 

Have a great day people 😀

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Daily Health Tips: Why Is My 2-Week Old Baby Running A High Fever?!

Posted on March 30, 2014 by chatwithdrketch

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the amazing women and mothers, the world over! You all rock! Imagine a world without mothers? A sad one 😀

Be sure to reach out to your mothers today or people who stand in the gap for you as your mother(s) and your wives! Put a smile on a mother’s face 😀 Sometimes, it’s the inexpensive gifts that touch the heart the most…maybe a visit, a smile etc. My daughter just gave me a beautiful card (it’s a sheet of paper torn out of a book. She made patterns on it with her scissors and wrote stuff that tug at a mother’s heart!). And, with that awesome ‘card’, my day is made! 😀 I am walking on airJ

Now, you can probably afford more than a ‘paper’ card! Need some ideas? Click on the link below:

It’s Mothers’ Day…so what?!

The question below is from a caring mother 😀

Q: Good evening Doctor. My baby is just 2 weeks of age and always has this high fever.

A: My baby sister just had a baby a week ago and she called me about three days afterwards to complain that the baby was running a fever. Now, I know my sis and how she likes to shroud her babies in layers and layers of warm clothes! You would almost think she lived somewhere in Antarctica as opposed to the hot tropics 😀 So, my first advice was to go remove all the unnecessary ‘chieftaincy’ caps et al that I was sure she had wrapped the baby up in. It was a busy day and I didn’t get around to calling her back later. When I called her the next day, she was very cheerful and said my advice worked like magic and once the baby was more lightly dressed, the fever disappeared! Magic, right? 😀 Maybe not! This is not a call to expose your baby to all manner of horrible weather, but really when it’s warm and you can clearly see the baby sweating, please do not make him/her wear a cardigan/jumper/sweater! 😀 I speak on behalf of all the poor can’t-talk neonates of Africa! 😀

Now, the above is a situation where there is really nothing wrong. However, fever in neonates can also be due to dehydration or infection. More importantly, your baby may look unwell. Be sure to use your thermometer to check the baby’s temperature.The average body temperature is about 37°C. If the baby’s temperature is higher than this, please take this baby to see his/her paediatrician to make a proper diagnosis and start treatment. Ensure that you tepid sponge the baby all the way up till the doctor is seen to prevent convulsions due to fever, especially if there is a family history.

Have a great day 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment