The Clinic with Doc. Izu

We have all told someone this, dude when last did you have a bathe? Or know that person, that makes us cringe whenever they come close because of the way they smell.

Body odour is an often overlooked condition , medically known as bromhidrosis ,it is seen in post pubertal individuals ,its a chronic condition where excessive unpleasant odour emanates from the skin. It becomes pathologic if it becomes overpowering or affects the individuals daily activities.

Body odour is related the sweating and proliferation of bacteria present on the skin , the skin contains many sweat glands and these are spread all over the body especially the scalp,ears, armpits,breasts,genitals,anus and the feet. Two main glands the eccrine glands and apocrine glands are responsible for production of sweat and pheromones which is subtly responsible for the level of attractiveness we find in a person. Excessive sweating becomes malodorous when bacteria on the skin breaks down sweat to ammonia and butyric acids ,with their strong odours ,this is the main cause of bromhidrosis {that person whose smell drives you far might be innocent }

 

Causes of bromhidrosis include:

1. excessive sweating

2. obesity

3. alcohol intake

4. intake of spicy foods {garlic,onions,curry etc }

5. medical conditions {diabetes, skin infections ,hair shaft infections, hyperthyroidism etc 

6.lack of proper personal hygiene

7.smoking

8.wearing wrong clothing{ unbreatheable fabrics}

9.sex {males are known to have a stronger odour due to testosterone production}

10. Genetics{ if your mother has B.O do not be surprised if you find yourself battling with this.

Africans and caucasians whose body features are adapted to the warm climate sweat more unlike the asians who are adapted to the cold climate and are more predisposed to having body odour.

 For those experiencing this condition the following are recommended:

1. Shaving the armpits and keeping body hair trim

2. Wearing natural made fabrics {breathe able fabrics like cotton,silk and cotton}

3. Shower at least once daily and more on hot days 

4. Use of anti-perspirants containing aluminium chloride I recommend rexonna

5. Use of anti-bacterial soaps especially for the armpits 

6. Abstinence from alcohol,cigarette, spicy foods,caffeine 

7. Exercise regularly

8. Regular check up with your doctor for underlying illnesses{ certain illnesses come with specific smells eg fruity smell in diabetics and bleach smell in liver disease patients}

9. Use of botulinium toxin { see your doctor about this}

 

Surgical interventions available for people who sweat excessively include Laser hair removal and waxing .

I hope this helps someone out there , please feel free to add your own tips in the comment section .

YOURS TRULY

DR Izu

The Clinic......Meet Doc. Izu

Does my vagina smell healthy? 

Before we proceed, let's get one thing straight.. YOUR VAGINA HAS A SCENT.,  if it's a healthy scent or unusual odor is left for you and your partner to decide.
Ignore what the beauty companies, your friends who try to sell you one cosmetic or family members tell you, you don't need all those scented soaps, vaginal sprays and all sorts...
A healthy vagina emits different scents throughout the month varying with different parts of the menstrual cycle from a strong musky scent to subtle hardly noticeable scents,  also women who sweat alot or have unprotected sex tend to have stronger scents than others,  moreover every woman has her own unique scent ( have you ever heard a woman say I smelt another woman on him,  ehen you get my drift now abi).
A healthy lady's "love city", is slightly acidic and this acidic pH is maintained by normal flora of the vagina ( yes your vagina has some bacteria) lacto Bacilli help produce acid that help kill disease causing germs,  also the vagina contains glands that secrete mucus that help flush out foreign bodies or substances that enter the love tunnel,  all these work together to give her a musky smell
that drives men crazy.
Alteration in this normal ecosystem leads to a loss of this defense mechanism and reduction in acidity which leads to proliferation of microbes down there usual culprits in this crime include:

1. Sexually transmitted infections ( yeast  infections, bacterial vaginosis, trichonomiasis,  etc)
2.douching (YES)
3.underlying medical conditions ( diabetes, Hiv, cervical cancer etc)
4.poor personal hygiene
5.end of the menstrual cycle
6.lost / forgotten tampons

Every woman should be aware of her peculiar scents especially if she is sexually active,  no one wants to be embarrassed when everything is going well till the gates of the city is opened.
                        

  HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VAGINA.
If you engage in unprotected coitus, you should take extra care, ensure to rinse the vagina with regular toilet soap,  (baby soap is recommended )  except you are planning on getting pregnant.
If at anytime u notice a foul smelling discharge, vaginal itching or anything unwholesome around the vagina, do well to visit your gynecologist,  a swab would be taken and sent for analysis,  medications
( don't ask me the names , you have to pay for consultation, #smiles) for a few days or weeks would be prescribed, a vaginal cream or pessary might be prescribed depending on the findings..

Extra care for the vagina would include:

1. Stop douching,  it kills the normal flora and allows the bad guys to flourish.
2. shave regularly, I can't over emphasize this except your mate likes a forest
3. wear cotton undies,  I don't know who started this nylon thight trend,  how do you get fresh air up there.
4.Dont wear tampons longer than necessary.
5. Shower regularly,  especially if you perspirate alot.
6. Use non antiseptic soap, to wash the vagina, ( cussons baby soap is recommended)
7.eat lots of fruits especially water melons and pineapples,  you are what you eat,  and every cunnilugian loves a fruity honey pot
8.exercise the vagina,  do lots of kegel exercises,  it helps tone the vaginal walls and helps keep it healthy
I hope these little tips go a long way to keep the city center clean and healthy..

Yours truly
Dr izu (drop your own tips, or ask questions, you don't know who might 

read this)‎.

Cancer Day 2016 "We Can. I Can"

Each year on 4 February, WHO and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) supports Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It can affect almost any part of the body. The growths often invade surrounding tissue and can metastasize to distant sites.

Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding exposure to common risk factors, such as tobacco smoke. In addition, a significant proportion of cancers can be cured, by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected early.

Taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, World Cancer Day 2016-2018 will explore how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer.

*Go for regular check up.‎

How to manage stress

Stress management is all about taking charge: of your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. No matter how stressful your life seems, there are steps you can take to relieve the pressure and regain control.

What is stress management?

We all respond to stress differently so, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to managing stress. But if you feel like the stress in your life is out of control, it’s time to take action. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress, help you reduce its harmful effects, and prevent stress from spiraling out of control again in the future.

No matter how powerless you may feel in the face of stress, you still have control over your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. The first step is to recognize the true sources of stress in your life.

Managing stress is key to your health and it should be the easiest thing to do. No matter how busy your schedule is, it's better to work on yourself to avoid breakdown.

Eat right

Try exercises like Yoga

You can use music to work on it, (soft music)

‎

A lil health tip

I hope this gets to you well, I am aware a lot of people especially ladies, starve themselves all in the name of shedding some fat. A little talk with a doctor should assist you. Never settle for a drastic weight loss. Exercising should be part of your daily routine.

THE LASSA FEVER...what you need to know!

Facts about Lassa Fever:

• Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 1-4 weeks duration that occurs in West Africa.
• The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.
• Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in hospitals lacking adequate infection prevent and control measures.
• Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin (where it was diagnosed for the first time in November 2014), Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and parts of Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.
• The overall case-fatality rate is 1%. Observed case-fatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of Lassa fever is 15%.
• Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival.

Symptoms of Lassa fever

The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 6-21 days. The onset of the disease, when it is symptomatic, is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow. In severe cases facial swelling, fluid in the lung cavity, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop. Protein may be noted in the urine. Shock, seizures, tremor, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the later stages. Deafness occurs in 25% of patients who survive the disease. In half of these cases, hearing returns partially after 1-3 months. Transient hair loss and gait disturbance may occur during recovery.

Death usually occurs within 14 days of onset in fatal cases. The disease is especially severe late in pregnancy, with maternal death and/or fetal loss occurring in greater than 80% of cases during the third trimester.

Transmission

Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus from exposure to urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. Lassa virus may also be spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of a person infected with Lassa fever. There is no epidemiological evidence supporting airborne spread between humans. Person-to-person transmission occurs in both community and health-care settings, where the virus may be spread by contaminated medical equipment, such as re-used needles. Sexual transmission of Lassa virus has been reported.

Lassa fever occurs in all age groups and both sexes. Persons at greatest risk are those living in rural areas where Mastomys are usually found, especially in communities with poor sanitation or crowded living conditions. Health workers are at risk if caring for Lassa fever patients in the absence of proper barrier nursing and infection control practices.

Diagnosis

Because the symptoms of Lassa fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from other viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola virus disease; and many other diseases that cause fever, including malaria, shigellosis, typhoid fever and yellow fever.

Definitive diagnosis requires testing that is available only in specialized laboratories. Laboratory specimens may be hazardous and must be handled with extreme care. Lassa virus infections can only be diagnosed definitively in the laboratory using the following tests:

• antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• antigen detection tests
• reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• virus isolation by cell culture.

Treatment and vaccines

The antiviral drug ribavirin seems to be an effective treatment for Lassa fever if given early on in the course of clinical illness. There is no evidence to support the role of ribavirin as post-exposure prophylactic treatment for Lassa fever.

There is currently no vaccine that protects against Lassa fever.

Prevention and control

Prevention of Lassa fever relies on promoting good “community hygiene” to discourage rodents from entering homes. Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats. Because Mastomys are so abundant in endemic areas, it is not possible to completely eliminate them from the environment. Family members should always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons.

In health-care settings, staff should always apply standard infection prevention and control precautions when caring for patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (to block splashes or other contact with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

Health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Lassa fever should apply extra infection control measures to prevent contact with the patient’s blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and bedding. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with Lassa fever, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).

Laboratory workers are also at risk. Samples taken from humans and animals for investigation of Lassa virus infection should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.‎

Water is good for the Kidney

Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen‎, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine, explains Guest. "Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate," he says.

When you're getting enough fluids, urine flows freely, is light in colour and free of odour. When your body is not getting enough fluids, urine concentration, colour, and odour increases because the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions.‎