chatwithketch

Q: Good evening Doctor, I am 30 weeks pregnant and unfortunately my house help left for school about 3 week ago. Now all the house chores such as sweeping, washing, mopping etc. are on me now. Please, will this have any negative effect on the baby? I am very worried.

A: Hi dear. Thanks for writing in and congratulations on your pregnancy. I assume that it’s your first from your question 

So, pregnancy is not a death sentence or an illness, really. It is a natural condition and so, potentially, you can do a lot of things without any problem. Now there are caveats…if you have threatened abortion (miscarriage), your doctor will advise you to be on strict bed rest and not to lift a finger, literally  There are a few other conditions that may limit what you can do, but your doctor will definitely be the one to issue those orders. In any case, whenever in doubt, please consult your doctor.

Having said that, bending to sweep or mop is okay in pregnancy but it has to be done the proper way…bending at the knees and not twisting your body while at it  I suggest that you use the long-handled brushes/mops for sweeping/mopping as opposed to the local/native brooms/scrubbing brushes that require bending…in probably uncomfortable ways.

Pregnant women get lots of advice: from friends, mothers, mothers-in-law, colleagues, husbands etc. Sometimes it’s confusing to know what’s true and what’s not.

Here’s our take on some of them:

Advice

The first breast milk, colostrum, should be discarded as it is dirty and causes rashes in children

Fiction (False)

Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mother and is loaded with antibodies and nutrients needed by the baby. Babies should not be deprived of this milk.

Advice

Women should not take the prenatal vitamins (antenatal drugs) given at the hospitals because it makes babies grow unnecessarily big.

Fiction:

The iron tablets are important to prevent anaemia (blood shortage) in pregnant women and the folic acid ensures that baby’s spine develops well with no defects. In fact, it is advised that women who wish to get pregnant should start taking folic acid about 3 months before they conceive.

What other pregnancy myths do you know?

Thursday 29th October was World Stroke Day. In honor of that day, I repeat the post below:

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 is partially blocked. This would usually be resolved within 15 minutes and is a sign that a major event (a stroke, proper) may not be far off. This is a warning that should be taken seriously.It is important to know the signs of a stroke because if action is taken immediately, it can prevent permanent damage from being done. If the brain is deprived of its blood supply for about 4 minutes, irreversible changes begin to occur in the brain. If this deprivation continues beyond this time, permanent changes would have occurred that may affect different facets of the individual’s functions.

The signs of stroke to look out for are known by the acronym FAST.

• F stands for drooping of a side of the face. Ask the patient to smile and you will observe that the smile looks lopsided.

• A stands for weakness of one side of the body. Ask patient to lift both arms and it will be seen that one side is being ‘dragged’ or lagging

• S stands for speech difficulty like slurring. Patient cannot enunciate words properly again

• T stands for time. Once these symptoms are notices, it’s time to call for help. In climes where there are emergency numbers like 911 or 999, please call these. Otherwise, efforts should be made to take the person involved to the hospital immediately.

Patients may also complain of sudden inability to move legs, feel confused, have blurred vision etc

There are risk factors for stroke and they include:

• Age: The older you are the more prone to stroke. People from age 55 years are more likely to have a stroke, though this can also happen in children eg those born with heart defects and those with Sickle Cell Anaemia etc

• Race: Africans and Asians are more at risk

• Sex: Females are more at risk…as if we don’t have enough problems

• Family history of stroke: The presence of this increases risk

• Previous history of a stroke

Other risk factors:• Hypertension

• Diabetes Mellitus

• Overweight

• Sedentary lifestyles

• Not eating healthy

• Smoking

• Drinking Alcohol

The rate at which one recovers from stroke and indeed the degree of symptoms experienced, depends on the area of the brain affected, how serious the damage to the brain is etc and so recovery will be different for different people.
Patience is key. Speech therapists may be needed to help the person re-learn the art of speaking. Physiotherapists will help improve motion on the affected side and indeed, mobility. Other therapists may help with eating…if swallowing is a problem, relearning the art of reading and reasoning etc

Usually, people who visit find it difficult to understand their speech during recovery and this can put even more pressure on the patients. Speak slowly and listen carefully so you can understand what they are saying.

Perhaps, swallowing is an issue in the case mentioned above. Apart from that, if Diabetes is an issue, she needs to be on a strict diet and that will determine what she can or cannot eat. This will ultimately affect weight gain or loss. If this is a big concern, please discuss with her doctor. For specific foods to eat, reduce your intake of cholesterol and trans fat-rich foods. What foods can help reduce bad cholesterol in the body and increase the level of good cholesterol? Here are some examples:

Oats and other whole grains which form soluble fiber that reduce the absorption of cholesterol and in addition, give you a feeling of satiety for long. This prevents you feeling hungry more often and reaching for ‘unhealthy’ snacks Other foods in this group include okro, beans, apples, citrus fruits and garden egg (egg plants).
Soya beans, heart healthy oils like Olive oil and Canola oil, nuts (which should only be served in handfuls) and fatty fish like mackerel also reduce LDL.

Generally eating healthy with lots of fruits and vegetables, cutting out the white carbs (pastries etc), exercising (at least 150 minutes weekly), ensuring you are not overweight and quitting smoking help with reducing bad cholesterol and also preventing strokes.
You may need to walk with a stick as you re-learn the art of walking. Recovery may be long and tedious but you’ve got to keep at it.

All the very best.
Have a good night, people

Q: Hello Ma I’ve a pot belly and I want to trim it down. Please, advice on what to do. Thank you

A: I’ve been getting a lot of questions on pot bellies, big tummies after child birth or just big tummies…after nothing, full stop:D So, I’ll reproduce part of a post I’d written on this subject (the trio of diet, exercise and stress). Remember that you can always visit my bloghttp://www.chatwithdrketch.com and type in any subject you want to know about in the search box. You will be presented with all my posts on that subject. There’s a lot I’ve written on weight loss et al 

I hate to be the one to break it to you…but alcohol is not the only thing that gives you a pot belly!:D Pot belly is caused by consuming way too many calories and these can be from your chilled bottle of beer or from your huge bowl/basin of rice (especially polished white rice) or yam. It is important to know what to eat, how to eat it and how much of it to eat.

The bad thing about tummy fat, is that it is not on the outside. It is actually on the inside, around the organs. So, no amount of sit-ups can touch this fat…exercise can help tighten abdominal muscles (especially for those who just put to bed) but it won’t get to the fat around organs (visceral fat). This fat is associated with some disease conditions like Diabetes Mellitus etc.

A diet full of junk food (meat pies, doughnuts) is unhealthy on a lot of fronts. It contains empty calories which give you calories you don’t need and make you demand even more calories in a short while. They also cause your blood sugar to yo-yo (jumping up) jumping up and down in a way that doesn’t help blood sugar control. A diet that is also full of white carbs like white bread, polished rice etc is also not ideal for the same reason. So what should we eat? A balanced diet…a diet that contains all food groups in sufficient amounts for the body to use them efficiently.

I have had cause to describe the ideal plate of food several times: Half the plate should be filled with vegetables, a quarter with complex carbohydrates like beans, local rice (like Ofada/Abakaliki/brown/wild rice), sweet potatoes, oatmeal etc and the last quarter with protein (fish, chicken etc). Remember that carbs are necessary to provide the energy needed for our daily activities. So, do not ‘demonise’ (:D) them….however, not all carbs are created equal. Complex carbs are superior because they supply energy and fibre and some also supply minerals and vitamins.

Then remember portion control. Reduce the plate size you usually use, if you need to lose weight. This automatically reduces the quantity of food you can eat.

Remember also to make a conscious effort to chew your food properly and take your time. Don’t wolf it down…or inhale it  Chew intentionally so as to give your brain sufficient time to process the signal from your brain which says that you are full. Have you observed that when you rush your food, you move from being very hungry to being completely stuffed! There’s no in-between, where you realize that you’re full before you get to the stuffed part. That’s because your brain didn’t have enough time to process that info before you became ‘over-full’.

Note that, even if a food is considered healthy, it doesn’t mean you should eat as much of it as you want. For instance, beans is healthy on so many levels but it also high in calories and so you still need to stick to the portion described. Moderation in everything!!

Exercise is critical because it makes your heart strong, improves your body’s ability to break down food, resist diseases and generally provides a feel-good attitude. It also helps you lose weight. Mathematically, exercise helps to burn what you have eaten such that, if you do enough and watch your portions, at the end of the day, there will be a food balance between what you have burnt and what you have taken in. If you have not been engaged in any exercise for a long time, please see your doctor before you start any vigorous regimen. A minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week is essential for good health. Try to get this exercise anyway you can: walking, dancing, skipping, arm wrestling, pillow fights etc. All the activities count and help you keep you fit, trim and healthy. If you use the gym, that’s great. You can get the instructor to put you on a regimen that involves aerobics, strength training (training with weights) and then focus on troublesome spots like your tummy etc. (in that order) or suggest useful regimens that are helpful.

Finally, I will talk about stress because quite a number of us are stressed out. Stress causes the release of a hormone called Cortisol which, amongst other things, causes fat to be deposited around our tummy. So, reduce your stress consciously by figuring out how to better cope with your sources of stress or even eliminating the stresses that you have control over. It’s your life after all.

I suggest you also click on this link to read my post on low glycemic eatinghttps://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/02/16/daily-health-tips-low-glycemic-eating-whats-that/

Have a good night, y’all 

Q: Please doctor what is the cause of a watery vaginal discharge, no itching and it doesn’t smell. And the solution please?

A: Some level of vaginal discharge is normal on a daily basis as the vagina sheds cells and produces fluid needed to clean and provide protection for its delicate skin. You would have observed the difference in the consistency depending on your menstrual cycle.

If this discharge however develops a strange smell, becomes itchy with swelling and pain in the vagina or you notice blood stained discharge, then it is time to see a doctor. Abnormal discharges could be due to candidiasis, pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted infections or in the case of blood stained discharge, may be cancer etc

Usually, a sample of the discharge is sent for investigation and it will confirm what infection is there, if any, and what drug will be useful in treatment.

I hope this helps

October is almost over!!! Who would have thunk it! 😀 And just before y’all start judging me, that wasn’t an error. That’s my special brand of ‘thought’ 😀 😉

We can’t let the month of October pass by without celebrating the fact that the month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast cancer is abnormal growth of the cells of the breast. Though it is more common in women, it can also occur in men. It is important to examine your breast regularly and note if there are changes. Some changes that may signify cancer, to look out for include:

• A lump or thickening of breast tissue that feels different from surrounding breast tissue

• A lump in one or both armpits• Change in the skin of the breast eg giving the appearance of orange peel/skin of an orange

• Change in the shape, size or general appearance of the breast

• Nipple discharge (especially if it’s bloody) or recent inversion of the nipple

• Scaly skin around the nipple

Breast cancer may be inherited and so having a family history of breast cancer puts one at greater risk of having this. Other risk factors for breast cancer include

:• Being female• Starting period at an early age….earlier than 12 years• Starting menopause at a later age

• Hormone therapy during menopause

• Obesity• Having first baby at age older than 35 years

• Increasing age: The older one is, the more at risk of breast cancer one gets• Exposure to radiation like X-rays. That’s why people who work in environments where these tests are done have to wear protective clothing when running the tests.

• Drinking alcohol

If breast cancer is caught early, one has a greater chance of survival. Treatment of breast cancer depends on the stage of the disease, type of breast cancer, grade, size and how sensitive the cancers cells are to hormones. Treatment options include surgery (removal of lump or removal of whole breast or removal of lymph nodes), chemotherapy (medications that destroy cancer cells) and radiotherapy (using irradiation like X-rays to destroy cancer cells).

•

Prevention of breast cancer in people with average risks includes:

• Eating healthy• Keeping a healthy weight within the BMI• Exercising

• Stopping or limiting alcohol use• Speaking to your doctor about screening options open to you.

Mammograms used to advocated for women 40 years and over. The new recommendation from American Cancer Society earlier this month recommends annual mammogram for women at moderate risk of cancer from 45 to 54 years of age and then every two years from 55 years onwards. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mammogram guidelines recommend screening from 50 to 74 years.

So, be sure to discuss with your doctor so he can advice on your best options based on your personal history.

For related topics, please click on the links below:
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2015/04/05/daily-health-tips-breast-lump-in-a-man/
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/06/15/the-halfway-mark/
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/05/24/pinkie-swear/
Have a great evening.