chatwithketch

Q: Hello Dr, my job is waste collection. I work with ministry of environment. What can I take to prevent infections from the constant inhaling of the waste I am exposed to?

A: Thanks for writing in. This is a very important question given that you are exposed to these conditions on a daily basis. This also important for the rest of us as we go about cleaning our environment especially over the weekends.

To start off, ensure that you are dressed appropriately with the right long sleeved overalls. These overalls are usually reflective and if they are not be sure to ask for a reflective vest. This makes you visible to other drivers and even the driver of your own garbage truck. Accidents have been known to occur where a person collecting waste is run over by their own duty truck! Ensure that you also wear gloves and heavy…

Q: Please doctor, I have vaginal discharge and I do notice that when I wear panties in the morning, before 10 seconds I already have discharge on my panties. After that, I start perceiving the odour from my body. Please, what drug can I take to stop this?

A: Vaginal discharge is quite common in females especially in sexually active females, though it can also occur in people who are not sexually active. It can be rather disturbing if associated with symptoms like itching, sores in the genital area and bad odor.

There are different causes of discharge and many organisms responsible for vaginal discharge (bacterial, fungal and protozoan), and the offending organism/cause will determine the treatment.

Some causes include poor hygienic practices, use of harsh chemicals to wash the genital area, use of tampons and pads for long periods without change, insertion of herbs or other objects into the…

Q: Hello Dr, how are you doing, thanks for all the educative advice. Please I want to know if HAIR REMOVAL CREAM is advisable for removing hair on my chest.?

A: Hair removal cream also known as depilatory creams contain chemicals like thioglycolic acid (responsible for that strong and pungent odour associated with these creams) that break down the protein (Keratin) in hair. This leads to weakening and dissolution of the hair making it easy to be scraped away from the skin’s surface.

This product is usually used with great caution as keratin is also found in the top layer of the skin and if the cream is left on for too long, the chemical in it starts working on the skin leading to chemical burns and blisters. So be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, strictly and test the cream on a small patch of skin on the arm…

Q: Good evening doctor I have a friend that snores badly and this is about causing a serious problem in her relationship could there be away out for her?

A: When we sleep, our muscles relax. This includes the tissues in the airways (throat). Snoring occurs as air passes through the airways that are partially obstructed by relaxed tissues. As the air flows, these tissues vibrate and we hear the sound described as snoring.

Occasional snorers are mainly problematic to their partners (who may or may not put up with it) but habitual snorers impede sleep for their partners and the quality of their own sleep is markedly reduced. As a result, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and not feeling quite rested after sleeping may be normal symptoms for both parties.

Causes of snoring include alcohol consumption (due to relaxation of throat muscles), being overweight (due to narrowing of the airways…

Q: Please Dr, can I still take any drugs that will expire in two months’ time (Blood tablet)?

A: Thanks for writing in.

Very good question! This is something we all take for granted. But what does the expiry date mean? If this is referred to in another way, does it mean the same thing?

There are a couple of controversies about whether medications are completely bad when they are expired or whether they can still be taken with no problems. We will not delve into these controversies and will focus on what you should do.

The expiry date refers to a particular date beyond which the medications may not be safe to use anymore and when they may be only partially or not at all effective. These dates are usually seen on the packaging or label of the medication, usually put there by the manufacturer of the medication and…

Q: Hello Dr Ketch. I appreciate your efforts to see that people stay healthy. My question: is there anything that one can do to make ones brown teeth to be white again?

A: Thanks for writing in. Brown teeth can be embarrassing. Smoking, drinking coffee, wine, tea etc can cause this. Generally brightly coloured foods like some candies, berries and sauces also have the potential to stain teeth if they are left on the surface long enough.

To prevent these stains, try the following tips:
Avoid or significantly reduce the amount of these fluids or foods in your typical diet.

If you can’t avoid them, then reduce the amount of time the foods or fluids have contact with your teeth by chewing and swallowing promptly. Yes, I know I’ve said you should chew intentionally so that your tummy has the chance to receive signals from the brain which tell it…

Q: Good evening Dr. I am an 18 year-old girl and I have been having this problem for two years now, in my abdominal part off my stomach. I usually feel something moving. This happens during the course of the month and when I am about to menstruate, it becomes so painful and the movements get worse. I have never been pregnant and I have been to doctors but at first I was put on medication for urinary infections. After the course, the movements and the pain was still the same. The second time, I was told to go for a scan, which led to the doctors thinking I was pregnant but all the pregnancy tests came out negative. I am tired of this movements and extreme pain. Please I need your help.

A: Hi dear, sorry to hear about the pain you are going through. The first suggestion I…

Q: Good evening ma’am. Please ma’am, for someone that was given an episiotomy how long is she supposed to sit on warm water? If she undergoes stitching of an episiotomy twice due to opening of the 1st stitch, what can be applied on the surface or taken for quick recovery?

A: Sitz bath is a warm water bath that helps cleanse the perineum. Just in case you wondered, the perineum is that space between the rectum and the genitals. The right temperature is the one that you can handle without sustaining burns. Putting a few drops of this water on the inner surface of your wrist can help confirm this.
Plain warm water is sufficient but some people add salt to the water which is soothing. Your doctor may also suggest other things he/she may want you to add to the water.

To prepare this, you can either use the…

Q: Hello doctor, I’d like to ask: could something be wrong with me? I eat a lot of ice cubes and I can’t go a day without eating one, even at night before I go to bed.

A: Could something be wrong with you? Maybe…or maybe not. If you live in a very hot place with frequent power cuts and taking some ice cubes makes you feel cool (literally and figuratively :D), then that makes sense. If you’ve just taken a mouthful of very spicy food or perhaps have a dry mouth and need an instant ‘cool me down’ solution, then ice cubes may not be a bad call. This could develop into a habit or something you do when bored.

However, constantly eating ice cubes (pagophagia) or other non-food items like chalk, hair, glue, sand, clay etc, generally called pica, could be associated with some disease conditions like iron…