chatwithketch

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

Q: I am 41 years of age and my wife is 30 years old and we have been having unprotected sex for the passed 8 months now and up till this moment, she is yet to get pregnant and I have already had 3 kids from my previous marriage. What could be responsible?

A: In the medical world, we can only agree that perhaps there might be an issue after one full year of trying to have babies with no luck. This, however, implies that there is frequent and unprotected sexual intercourse. Frequency in this respect means that sexual intercourse should be at least 3 times in a week. Unprotected means that there should be no barrier protection like a condom. Don’t laugh…this has been known to happen. People use a condom and then expect to get pregnant J The ejaculate (semen) should also be of significant volume.

Therefore, if this has been established to have been happening for one year (and in your case, it hasn’t), the next thing is to run tests. The less ‘invasive’ tests are usually done first. This usually involves the husband who provides his semen for analysis. Other tests will now be run on the wife, which presumably has already happened in the case above.

Some causes of infertility in men include problems with the production of sperm, problems with the delivery of sperm, being exposed to environmental toxins (like sitting in hot tubs) and cancer. In a case where you have had children before, the causes also include erectile dysfunction, or new disease conditions in males.

Some causes of infertility in women include problems with ovulation, problems with the uterus and cervix, blockage or damage of the fallopian tube, thyroid problems, cancer etc. Fibroids may or may not cause inability to have a pregnancy. It depends on size and position. Big fibroids in the area of the womb where a baby is meant to implant may cause a miscarriage or indeed, failure of the fertilized embryo to implant. Your doctor will take a decision on what to do with the fibroids based on size, symptoms etc., if this is still a problem.

Other risk factors for both sexes include use of alcohol and tobacco, being overweight or even underweight and age (the older people get, the more difficult it is to get pregnant).
Where a problem is identified, this is taken care of through various options like the use of drugs or surgery.

Oftentimes, no reason can be found for infertility. In these instances, the couple may want to consider assisted reproduction. Your doctor will discuss the different options available in your area and if you can afford it, he will suggest other centers where better facilities exist.

Prevention of infertility is targeted at the risk factors. Quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, exercise moderately and keep your weight within normal limits.
Infertility is really nerve wracking, because nobody has an idea how long it’s going to last or what treatments are going to work best. Joining support groups and/or counseling sessions may be helpful during this period of waiting, patiently and prayerfully J

All the best!

Nobody wants to die young and heart diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide. Eating healthy is a task that may appear daunting especially in a place like Nigeria, as we really do not have a culture of reading food labels in these parts. So here are some quick tips to help ensure you are getting enough of the good fats:
• Cook with healthier oils. Generally oils that are liquid at room temperature are good for you. If the oil is solid at room temperature, give it a miss.
• Snack on nuts. You can also add them to salads for an extra crunch. I also like them in my yoghurt. Remember to go easy on portions and serve by the handful
• Avocados are a good source of mono-unsaturated fats which help protect your heart and prevent stroke. You can eat it on its own, use it in a wheat bread sandwich, throw it into a salad or even serve it up with some jollof rice
• Stock up on fatty fish like sardines and mackerel. They are good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids which is great for your heart
• Remember that even with healthy options, portion control is key. Always keep this in mind.
The weekend is almost here! Make Friday count! 😀