Healthy-Pink

Yesterday we started our Nutrition series, with Nutrition for babies and talked about breastfeeding being the best, most nutritious food that can be given to babies. We also acknowledged that there may be some challenges with breastfeeding and that not everyone can breastfeed or choose to for whatever reason. So today, we'll just go through some of the challenges associated with breastfeeding and how to overcome them as well as other nutritious options to breastfeeding if the choice is made not to breastfeed. A major challenge associated with exclusive breast feeding that women complain about is the time demand of breastfeeding. Some women have to work and can't be with their babies 24 hours so what do they do? Easy! You express milk to keep for when you're not around. You can use a breast-pump or some women manually express. Just make sure to keep the milk well refrigerated, in a clean container.  Well stored, refrigerated milk can be kept and used for up to 8 days and c...

Having a baby is the most amazing and life changing event ever. It is many things to many people depending on unique life circumstances. To a couple who have been trying for years to concieve, its a miracle. To a teenager who is pregnant out of wedlock, its a burden; but one thing is common to all, it is a huge responsibility and we owe it to our babies to give them the best that we can afford to. And this brings me to the subject of this post -How to nourish babies. Most health care professionals will advice you to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months. This is the recommendation from the World health Organisation (WHO). Why? Breast milk is the most nutritious, healthy and safe food you can give to your baby. It is nutritionally complete, containing all the nutrients the baby needs in the right amount and concentration. It is at the right temperature always so you don't have to worry about heating up or cooling so as to be just right for baby. It contains substances that help figh...

I attended the GT bank food and drink fair today and it was a market-place. There was a huge mob of people and a lot of exhibitors showcasing variety of food and drinks. It was indeed a generous display of the flavours, tastes and aroma of Nigerian food. Being the foodie that I am,  I sampled a lot of food and drink and I must say it was an interesting feast. I was particularly impressed by the variety of  fruit juices, vegetable juices and smoothies that were not only healthy but tasted really good. There is a lot of innovation in the preparation and presentation of Nigerian food. I actually think Nigerian food does not get enough attention and acclaim on the global scene. We actually have a wide variety of delicious food with different modes of preparation. For example, with rice you can have rice and stew, jollof-rice, fried-rice, coconut-rice, banga-rice, ofada rice. With beans you can have normal boiled beans which can be eaten with stew or made into a porridge, steamed...

April 25th was World Malaria day and though that was five days ago, the good news about malaria is still trending so I thought it would be nice to blog about it. Finally a Malaria vaccine has been approved to be tested in 3 african countries and there's no one in the world happier about it than me. I can just imagine the impact an effective malaria vaccine would have on the quality of life of children, pregnant women and the whole Nigerian population. Malaria is still the commonest diagnosis made in Nigerian hospitals. Well, I think so,  as 70% of the patients I see on an out-patient basis have malaria, be it adults or children. And this is right now, when reports say that the rate of new malaria cases in sub-sahara africa including Nigeria have reduced by 21% and deaths due to malaria have reduced by 31%. So just imagine how bad it must have been about 10 years ago. Even right now,  according to the WHO, a child  still dies every 2 minutes from malaria. We are gratefu...

So, I went to a supermarket the other day to get some groceries and this shop attendant, quite a pretty lady offered to help me carry my basket. She also directed me to the different sections where I could get stuff I needed. Even though she was pleasant looking and helpful, what stands out about the encounter was the really bad body odour she had. I mean, it was really bad making me wonder how a young, pretty girl like that could smell that bad and be oblivious to it. I could'nt tell her of course, but it definitely inspired this post. Body odour is an unpleasant smell from the skin or body of a person. It can emanate from different parts of the body : -The mouth medically known as halitosis. -The underarms, skin or genitals medically known as bromhidrosis. -The feet, known as bromodosis. Body odour usually results when bacteria on the skin break down the acids in sweat. It is usually more common after puberty because that is when the apocrine and eccrine glands that produce ...

Many women complain of bleeding excessively during their menstrual periods. In medicine, this is called menorrhagia. Menorrhagia is usually diagnosed when a women is losing blood of more than 80 mls per period. However, though I don't expect you to start measuring your blood loss to see if it's up to 80mls, there are some symptoms that can be a pointer to menorrhagia. These include: -frequent change of pads or tampons due to it being full. -feeling weak or dizzy during or immediately after your period. -menstrual period affecting quality of life. Your menstrual period should not affect your quality of life. If you can't go to work or engage in your normal daily activities because you are on your period, there just may be a problem. What are the causes of Heavy menstrual bleeding? - No known cause : This is very common and even after investigations, no cause may be found. In medicine, this is called "dysfunctional uterine bleeding". -Fibroid: This is a very ...

Hello People, Welcome to my blog. This is my very first post and I am quite pleased to introduce myself, my blog and share my knowledge, thoughts and ideas with you. The idea for this blog came out of a desire to bridge the health education gap in Nigeria. As a practicing Doctor, I have noticed that though there is an increasing awareness in health issues in Nigeria, a lot of people are still largely ignorant on practices, choices and issues that affect their health. Lots of people still engage in cultural practices that are harmful to health. Not on purpose of course, they are not just aware that their practices could negatively affect their health or the health of people around them. Others, though very well-informed may just have health needs, concerns or questions that need quick answers without going physically to a hospital. Other people may just need reliable, up-to-date health information to guide decision making. And that is where I come in. I am a practicing Medical d...