chatwithketch

Q: Please ma’am, what makes the heart beat faster without being hypertensive? What can I use to reduce cholesterol?

A: Palpitations (feeling that your heart is beating too fast or too hard) occur when you get the sense that you can feel your heart beat. Ordinarily, your heart goes about its business of keeping you alive and well by beating inside your chest without you being aware, right? Some conditions, however, may make your heart beats obvious and you probably have experienced some: anxiety, panic attacks, stress, after some exercise, when you have a fever, after taking some coffee or any caffeine-containing food/fluid and also after taking in nicotine as in cigarette smoke, cigar or even chewing tobacco. Conditions like pregnancy and taking drugs eg cough medicines that contain stimulants may also cause palpitations.

Usually these palpitations would disappear after a brief appearance, but if they appear frequently and are…

Q: How can a bad smell of arm pit or other part of the body be reduced?

Q: Hi Doc, my daughter is 7 years old and she now has smelly armpits. I have tried baby powder. What else can I do?

A: Thanks for writing in, both of you.

The tips for dealing with body odour works for both young and old.

From around the age of 8 to 10 years, children begin to sweat a little more and of course with the sweat comes the possibility of body odour. So, this is the time to teach her some hygiene lessons that will be helpful forever 😀

She needs to take a shower twice a day or failing that, at least once a day. This helps wash away sweat as well as reduce the number of bacteria on her skin.

Most people don’t know but sweat on its own…

Q: Hello my great doc! I know that beans is good for the body but I’m scared eating of beans because anytime I eat beans my belly troubles me for 3 days. I do go to toilet just to gas air & I cannot eat anything to my fill. What is d cause & what can I do or take? Thanks a lot

A: Hi dear, thanks for writing in. Feeling gassy or bloated after eating beans is a problem that some people have to deal with. Bloating essentially is due to specific foods eaten and how they were taken.

I reproduce below, a post I had made on this subject:

Have you ever been embarrassed by a growling stomach, a burp that came from nowhere or just that feeling of ‘gasiness’ (I’m not even sure this is a real word!). Well, you’re not alone. Millions, the world over have…

Q: Good morning Doc. Please, what will I do? Anytime I finish giving my child breast milk and keep him on his bed, he will vomit all the milk. After a little while, he will begin to search for another feed, but he is healthy. Please, tell me what to do because he stresses me.

A: Thanks for writing in.

Please don’t be stressed 😀 The post below written in response to a mum like yours, should answer your question. Enjoy….

Q: Good afternoon Dr Ketch. I have a 3-week old son who vomits sometimes after breastfeeding. Please I will like to know what causes it and what I can do to remedy it. I intend to do 6months exclusive breastfeeding. Thank you and remain blessed

A: Hi dear, congratulations on your new baby. This baby will do super-amazing awesome things…Amen!

Now, is your baby ‘vomiting’ or spitting up the…

Q: Good evening, Doctor! I have been having severe sweating all over my body. The most disgusting one is that most of the time I sweat uncontrollably on my leg even on a cold day! Please what’s wrong with me because it’s bringing a lot of shame to me!!

A: Sweating is normal during strenuous physical activity and in warm weather. In fact, as we sweat and it evaporates, we actually feel cooler. Unfortunately, for some people sweating is an issue as they ‘appear’ to pour the stuff by the buckets or would start the day with patches of sweat on their under-arms etc. This inevitably leads to body odour.

However, there may be other medical causes for your sweats. Symptoms that may suggest medical causes include night sweats, generalized sweating all over the body, worsening sweats etc

Medical causes of excessive sweating include Diabetes Mellitus, Stress, thyroid problems, pregnancy…

Q: I want to stop sugar because I’m addicted. What can I do doctor?

A: Thanks for writing in. Don’t we all struggle with this???
I’ll reproduce here a post I had made on healthier alternatives/substitutes to foods we generally love which may not be so healthy. This includes sugary foods and those loaded with bad fats. Enjoy…

First, commit to reading labels in supermarkets. For all the foods that you will buy from shops, read the labels and be sure that they contain wholesome nutrients. Look out especially for trans fats, sugars, salt and lack of fiber. Avoid foods that have them…as much as you can!

Try these substitutions:
Substitute white rice with local rice like Ofada, Abakaliki rice or brown rice etc

While shopping for pasta (eg spaghetti, macaroni or the like), look out for whole grain pasta. It will be written on the pack.

Instead of buying…

Q: Good morning Doctor, My name us Doris. I have a 16 months old son and a 6 weeks old baby girl. My son has this skin problem that started like fungi infection on the face then gradually, it’s all over his body . I later took him to a dermatologist who said its eczema. My daughter also has it as I have seen some skin rash and discoloration on her face. I have used all sort of creams and ointments prescribed by the hospital but still no improvement. Now I have been advised to use the Yoruba, ‘Agbo’ to cure it. Please what do you advise?

A: I have seen people who swear by Agbo and claim not to have been to the hospital for ‘gazillion’ 😀 years as a result of the fact that they take this. This cuts across different social strata as I have met people in…

Hello y’all 😀

How has your day been? I have had an absolutely fabulous day…lying down on my bed! 😀

By popular demand, I reproduce the recipe for yoghurt here. I have had a lot of people asking about it in recent times.

Remember that yoghurt is full of healthy bacteria that may help fight vaginal infections, prevent brittle bones (osteoporosis) in old age because of the calcium content and help digestion amongst other uses. And now for my home made brew…without fancy machines and stuff…

• Get your measuring cups, warm water, a clean dish towel,, some already made (store bought yoghurt with pro-biotics, an airtight container and milk. This recipe uses powdered milk
• Mix one cup of milk with 4 cups of warm water. Whisk it all up.
• Scoop out one cup of the mixture and add a quarter cup of your already made yoghurt with…

Q: Good morning Dr Ketch. Please, I have an anal fissure that has refused to go. I’ve changed my diet by taking foods high in fibre. Please, what do I do?

A: Constipation occurs when faeces passes too slowly down the digestive tract causing the stool to become hard and brittle. It leads to a situation where a person has less than 3 bowel movements per week. The classic symptoms are straining to pass stool, having the feeling of incomplete emptying after a poo and sometimes having to press down on your abdomen to help emptying. Sometimes, constipated people also insert a finger into their rectum to help the process along. Constipation becomes chronic when it persists for weeks on end.

Constipation may be due to blockages in the rectum, diseases like Diabetes Mellitus etc. However, they could be due to lifestyle issues like not drinking enough water, not eating…

Q: Hey doctor, thanks so much for helping us young mothers. May God richly bless you..
What can be given to a new born baby like 30mins old baby crying and the mother’s breast milk has not started coming out????

A: Okay, I’m absolutely impressed that 30minutes after having your baby, you’re awake and energetic enough to think of feeding him! 😀 That’s really awesome and that establishes a bond with the baby immediately…

Feeding should, ideally, start within one hour of having your baby. So, you’re on to a great start. Your breast already has a stock of breast milk but it does take your baby sucking to make the breast milk ‘come out.’ So, the earlier you put the baby to the breast, the sooner proper breastfeeding can be established. Your baby will probably sleep away the first 24 hours or so, so it may be a…