chatwithketch

Q: Hi, Doctor. I want to know what causes the anus to itch and what can someone do to relieve the itching?

A: I watched a comedy skit once where a lady sat on the floor and shuffled forward in a rather embarrassing way because she had an itch on her bottom! That was funny to watch but in real life, would have been downright embarrassing for both the person with the problem and the person watching.

Anal itch is itching in and around the anus and could be due to:

• Infections: These could be bacterial (streptococcal or staphylococcal, fungal (the organism responsible for candidiasis), parasitic (due to worms like thread worms or even scabies), viral or due to sexually transmitted infections.
• Personal care products: Using products that irritate the skin eg perfumes, toilet paper etc
• Skin conditions like psoriasis
• Other medical conditions like haemorrhoids, long term diarrhea, long term…

Q: Good day Doc. God bless you really good, Please, I’ve been leaking fluid for 2 days now yet no pain. What do I do? I’m 39 weeks pregnant.

A: Thanks for writing in dear.

Amniotic fluid is the fluid that surrounds and cushions a baby while in the womb. The fluid is contained within a sac called the amniotic sac. Usually just before a woman goes into labour, this sac ruptures and the fluid is released…that’s what is referred to waters breaking. When I had my last baby, my waters broke right in the hospital reception! And so, there was I with water all over my legs and people in the reception area watching😀It wasn’t quite funny on that day! But I digress…

Sometimes, this sac of fluid bursts or it could start leaking very gradually before the pregnancy is 37 weeks. This is called Pre-term Pre-labour Rupture Of…

The month of May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Are you a teenager? Are you able to have honest and open conversations with your parents, guardians or mentors about issues concerning sex or contraception? Do you feel comfortable telling them your thoughts on these matters? Would they be your first place to go if you were confused about something you heard your friends or peers discuss? Who do you ask when you’re confused about anything that concerns sexual and reproductive health? And this is a broad subject that includes sex, unplanned pregnancy, STDs, HIV/AIDS, Female Genital Mutilation etc.

Parents and/or guardians, would you even consider having a discussion about sex with your teenagers? Scratch that…let’s start with when your children were younger. Did you even tell them the proper names of their private body parts? Did you tell them the full implication of coming of age as happens in puberty?…

Q:
Hello, Doctor. GOD bless you for the good work that you are doing to help us.
I am your follower from Zambia and really need
your help now.
I have two problems.
1. I got circumcised in 2012, and for the past
months I have been feeling pain inside my penis just before the head when the
penis erects. I have never had sex before, but I usually feel this pain when I
get an erection in the morning and when I am aroused. I am scared this could be
worse when engaging in sex with my wife when I get married Doctor.
2. My penis bends to the left when it erects,
could this cause me any problem to my sexual life when i get
married?
Doctor, I have never opened up to anybody of my conditions,
I need your help. Thank you, and GOD
bless you.

A:…

Hello everyone, for the next two weeks or so, I will be writing on ‘readers’ choice’ issues, that is, issues that fans of this page have written in to ask me to discuss. So, do you have a burning health issue? Send me a message and let’s talk about it.

The first in this series is a question on menstrual pain. How do we relieve menstrual pain?

Anticipate the pain before it actually arrives by taking some analgesics in the same class as ibuprofen called NSAIDs. These drugs have to be taken with food because they can cause peptic ulcer and so it is important NEVER to start using them without confirming from your doctor that this is fine for you.

Avoid foods that contain caffeine, salty foods, alcohol, smoking and sugary foods. You’ve probably heard the story about alcohol being a great idea during periods…I’m just not sure whether…

Hygiene during menstruation

Have you ever had that moment when you happen to catch a whiff of yourself during your period and almost throw up? You’re not alone. It is interesting though that the blood in menstrual flow actually doesn’t smell bad. It is the bacteria in the menstrual flow that actually raise the stench. So how do you deal with this? Here are five top tips to maintain personal hygiene and smell fresh during your period.

• Take a bath regularly. Twice a day would be great or failing that at least once a day. If your flow is heavier than normal, you just may have to increase the frequency. Remember that to wash your delicate inner self where you’re bleeding from, you usually do not require more than water and your hands.

• Change your sanitary towels often. As soon as you notice they are significantly stained, please…

Have you ever experienced the ‘rotten egg’ (Sulphur) burp? That
burp that smells worse than really bad smelly fart? If you haven’t, you’re in
luck! 😀 If you have, I’m about to tell you why it happens!

Most burps are due to swallowed air.
We are more likely to swallow air when we eat very fast, when we
chew gum, drink through a straw or suck on hard candies. ‘Excess gas’ can also
be produced as a result of what we have eaten. Sulfur-containing
vegetables and foods like avocado, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, nuts, green leafy
veggies, cabbage, onions, runner beans etc. typically cause smelly burps. Other
culprits include, proteins and beer (yes, beer!) Now these are mainly
healthy foods and so we are not about to ask you to stop eating them:D
Well, just the beer! You can stop that one! 😀

The rotten egg smell of Sulphur burps is…

Good morning Doctor. Please, I want to get some information and side effects of the following. Green tea and dry Moringa seed and peak milk on baby. Thanks so much.
Hmm, very interesting question. I wish you’d mentioned how old your baby is.
Green tea is thought to increase metabolism and thus aid weight loss. It’s also touted to have beneficial effects on blood pressure, blood sugar levels and Alzheimer’s disease. These health effects are thought to be due to the presence of the anti-oxidants that help fight cell damage as in cancer.
Moringa seed is believed to have beneficial effects on lots of diseases because of the large amount of phytochemicals (substances found in plants that may affect human health) that probably have beneficial health effects.
None of these stated effects of green tea and moringa seeds have been proven conclusively. Green tea, in addition, has caffeine which may…