chatwithketch

Q: Please ma’am, a pregnant woman that her breast is swollen up and she is complaining that her breast is paining her…which drug can she take to reduce the pain?

A: Thanks for writing in, dear. Breast pain/tenderness during pregnancy is to be expected and one of the signs of pregnancy. This is due to the hormones, Estrogen and progesterone, increase in blood flow and fat deposits in the breast…all in preparation for the job of breastfeeding the soon-to-be-born baby. To help out during this period, she should invest in a good bra that provides the right support and sleep with bra tops or sports bras when sleeping to give her more support if she’s uncomfortable while sleeping. Her partner should also understand this peculiar situation and refrain from touching her breasts during this painful period. The good news is that, this too, shall pass. Usually, by the end of…

Q: Good morning, Dr Ketch. Thank you for helping us out health wise. I’ll like to ask…as a Nigerian, do you know of any food that is healthy for a recovering stroke and hypertensive patient apart from Semovita and wheat? Thank you, ma’am

A: Stroke as the name implies refers to an incident that happens suddenly…without warning. It usually occurs when the brain is deprived of some of its blood supply and consequently oxygen supply. This can happen when there is a blood clot in a vessel in the brain or due to a burst blood vessel leaking blood onto the substance of the brain or around the brain. This blood leakage can lead to undesired pressure on the brain.

There is really no such thing as a partial stroke. Oftentimes, people refer to a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), as a partial stroke. This condition occurs when a blood vessel…

Q: Hello Doctor, what could be the cause of ear pus? This girl of 4yrs has been treated with several medications with no relief. It smells a lot. Please help

A: Thanks for writing in. Ear infections can happen as a result of a cold (upper respiratory tract infection). Other times, it may not even be related to this. With infections, there is fluid build up in the middle ear. These fluids, as in other cases where fluids collect, form a rich culture medium for germs to grow. Pus then forms as the body tries to fight off this infection. The combined pressure of the fluid and pus can cause enough pressure in the middle ear and the ear drum to cause significant pain and difficulty hearing. There is also accompanying fever. The pressure can even ‘burst’ the ear drum with resultant drainage of pus.
The baby with this…

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…