chatwithketch

Q: Doc. I am 41 years of age and My hands and my head is shaking uncontrollably, what can I do to remedy the situation. I heard it’s called Tremor.

A: There are a few causes of shaking or tremors as they are called medically. Tremors may be familial i.e. runs in families, with the shaking noticed more when stretching out the hands or carrying out an activity; in this case, there are usually no other problems associated with it.

Tremors could also be a sign of some abnormalities in the body’s functioning – endocrine abnormality. In this case, there is shaking (especially in the hands), fast racing heartbeat, which the individual can hear/feel, sleeping problems, excessive sweating and possibly a neck swelling.

Other causes include:

• Certain drugs
• Liver, kidney or long standing lung diseases
• Alcohol intoxication
• Withdrawal from hard drugs
• Parkinson’s disease (a disorder of certain substances in the brain)
• Anxiety or panic attacks (fear of places, situations or circumstances, which exceeds that which can ordinarily be explained)

Remember when you had to write an exam, which was all important to you and your parents, or present something in front of the class or assembly for the first time…shaky, weren’t you?

I may not be able to identify the cause of your symptoms, but I would advise you take some time off. Stress, if you are undergoing any form of it, (physical, emotional, or psychological) could also be the source of this problem. It’s time to sit back, identify the likely causes and address them from within you to the outward.

For those things/issues you cannot resolve immediately, remember the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference

Exercise is also a good way to relax and relieve stress. But most importantly visit your doctor who would evaluate you, identify the possible cause of the shaking, and recommend appropriate treatment.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

***** This post was contributed by a doctor guest blogger.

Have a great week ahead, people 😀

Q: Good evening Dr I have been following your teachings please I need you to help me out, am confused. Parents are AS and AS and their son is AA, the son then married a wife who is AS please as husband and wife with AA and AS can the grandparents genotype make them have a child with SS?

A: Your question is quite interesting but the answer is really simple. Parents with AA and AS have a 50% chance of having children with AS and 50% chance of having children with AA genotypes. They cannot have a child with SS genotype, except one of them had  had a bone marrow transplant. So, something could be wrong with the testing, reading and/or reporting of the test results of the grandparents and/or the parents. Sometimes, the presence of the beta thalassemia gene could also be the reason for this confusion. 

So, I suggest that the parents visit go to a tertiary center like a specialist hospital or a Teaching Hospital or even a specialized sickle cell center. The services and specialties there, including genetic counseling, are more specialized and you should be able to get to the root of the real genotypes here. 

I strongly recommend this be done before typical accusations of extramarital affairs are bandied around 🙂

For related posts, please click on the links below: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/07/28/daily-health-tips-can-i-my-blood-group-change-from-time-to-time/

Daily Health Tips: My Fiancee And I Have AS genotype. Should We Get Married?

All the best!

Have a good night, everyone J

Q: I heard somewhere that it’s not safe to use powder on my baby. Is this true?

A: Great question! For most mothers with babies, some form of powder is a staple in the baby care pack. Powder is sprinkled all over the baby after they have been moisturized, used on the baby’s butt to prevent nappy rash, sprinkled on suspected rashes on the baby’s body etc. So, using powder on babies is pretty common due to the belief that it prevents friction and absorbs moisture

However, studies have shown that the cloud of powder ‘dust’ can be inhaled by babies and cause respiratory problems. Babies most at risk include premature babies, those born with heart disease, those with frequent respiratory problems etc.

Therefore, if you must use powder on your baby, here are a couple of tips:

Don’t shake the powder onto your baby. Move away from your baby, put some powder sparingly on your hands and then transfer to your baby’s body

Don’t allow the powder to build up on baby’s skin. Wash off residual powder on baby’s skin, especially folds, before applying another layer. If you’re trying to figure out what you can actually use to prevent nappy rashes, here are tips for you: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2019/05/09/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-did-her-diaper-cause-this/

Finally, please keep powder packs tightly closed and out of the reach of children to prevent them being accidentally knocked down and raising a cloud of powder dust.

All the best!

Tramadol has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. This is just an additional reason not to indulge.

Read! https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-tramadol-a-risky-pain-medication-2019061416844

Q: Hello, please I want you to tell me the exact food, which will lower blood sugar level in the body. thanks

A: If you are diabetic, the first thing to do is to ensure that you work out a meal plan you’re your nutritionist/dietician. Your doctor will, most likely, refer you to one.

Understanding the glycemic index of food will also be helpful. This index is a measure that ranks foods that contain carbohydrates on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the number, the faster the food is digested, causing fluctuations in the blood sugar level and the lower the number, the slower the food is digested causing less fluctuations in the blood sugar level. So the focus should be on foods with low glycemic index.

So here goes: principles of low glycemic eating:

Eat a lot of beans (any and every type), non-starchy veggies (garlic, onions, leeks, chives, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers etc) and fruits like apples, berries, peaches and pears.

Eat a lot of grains in their natural state like natural granola, brown or local rice and muesli cereal

Reduce your intake of concentrated sweets like fruit juices (no more than half a cup daily…if you must) and other sugar loaded or sweetened drinks. You should definitely be guided by your nutritionist here

Load up on healthy proteins like fish, skinless chicken and beans…again 

Reduce your intake of refined grain products like white bread and polished rice.

Reduce your intake of bad fats by avoiding fast foods and limiting your intake of animal products. Focus on healthy oils like Olive oil and nuts like almonds etc. However, even these should be taken in moderation as even healthy oils are full of calories!  It appears as if you just can’t win!

Be sure to take your breakfast and eat 3 meals with a snack or 2 (healthy options, of course)

Finally, remember to eat slowly to give enough time for your stomach tell your brain that you’re full…and then stop!

All the best!

‘Headaches are common in childhood. Most of the time, they are nothing to worry about and are caused by common minor illnesses, a mild bump to the head, lack of sleep, not getting enough food or drink, or stress. Migraines can also be seen in childhood, but with awareness and avoidance of triggers, they don’t usually cause problems.’

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/8-things-to-watch-for-when-your-child-has-a-headache-2017051611761