How to gain weight- They Healthy way

Dear Readers,

Are you underweight, too skinny and tired of it. There's a way out but first, you need to be sure that you are indeed underweight and that weight gain would be a healthy choice for you.

In order to determine that, you should check your Body Mass Index(BMI). This can be calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters twice. You can get this done at a pharmacy near you if they have the weight and height measures.

The chart below should help you determine what category you fall into.

10 tips to help you gain weight

1.    Eat more frequently. When you're underweight, you may feel full faster. So eating something every hour might be helpful

2.    Choose nutrient-rich foods. Choose foods high in calories and nutrients.

-Eat Eba and vegetable soup and don’t go easy on the oil. The definition of a Rich Nigerian meal. -Fried Yam, Plantain, Irish potatoes should be part of your diet

3.    Try smoothies and shakes

-       Smoothies and shakes made with Bananas and full cream milk

4.    Watch when you drink. If you drink when you haven’t had enough food you blood sugar is lowered and that can trigger weight loss

5.    Make every bite count- Eat ample quantities

6.    Have an occasional treat. ... Red Velvet cake, Ice cream (Coldstones Founders Favourite will definitely make gain weight

7.    Exercise- Yes! you should exercise. Weight bearing exercise help increase muscle mass so you do not just gain fat but a healthy and natural amount of muscle

8.    Sleep at least 8hrs a day

9.    Drink at least adequate amounts of water daily

1. Find an app to help you track your calories. You need to take in more calories than you’re using. The Fitbit is a good tool to help you with this.

Folic Acid in Pregnancy- How much is too much?

Dear Readers,

Folic acid is one of the routine supplements given to pregnant women at hospitals as part of their routine medications at antenatal clinics. But what if pregnant women take more than the recommended amounts? A new study published in the Journal of Endocrinology explored this question by conducting a rat study.

The animals were given 20 times their recommended daily amount of the vitamin throughout their mating, pregnancy, and lactation(breastfeeding) periods. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the babies of rat moms who received the excessive amount of folic acid developed into adults who were:

• Overweight and insulin resistant
• Deficient in a hormone called adiponectin, which protects against diabetes and obesity
• Exhibiting abnormal feeding behavior

My pack of folic acid

These symptoms were more striking in females than in males. In contrast, mother rats given the recommended amount of folic acid during mating, pregnancy, and lactation had babies that developed into healthy adults.

Although women around the world are urged to take folic acid, little research has been done to determine the safe upper limit. This is especially important since women may take supplements and also eat foods that are fortified with the vitamin, so the combination may boost their levels of folic acid into an unsafe category.

Usually, pregnant women get folic acid from the hospital as part of the antenatal clinic. The most popular brand of Folic Acid in Nigeria  is Dr. Meyers which contains 5mg, more than 10 times more than the WHO recommended amount. See photo.

As there are no studies or data to show what amount is safe, your best bet would be to stick with the WHO guidelines and speak your OB on your next antenatal visit or walk into a pharmacy near you to get the 0.4mg tablets.

Aunty Nurse Cares 

Do you have a health question?

Dear Readers,

I'm giving you an opportunity today to ask what you want to know and you'll get an answer.

Are you unsure about anything to do with your body?

Ask now and get a response today.

Please note that only questions asked in the comments section will get a response. DO NOT EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS
You may remain anonymous if you so choose.

Aunty Nurse: Skin Lightening

Aunty Nurse: Skin Lightening: Dear Readers, By popular demand, I'm doing a post on skin lightening. I have drawn out the following questions from previous posts...

Skin Lightening

Dear Readers,

By popular demand, I'm doing a post on skin lightening. I have drawn out the following questions from previous posts.

1. Can you do a post on bleaching? Now you have it!

2. I have heard skin lightening is dangerous, are there safe creams/products/procedures for this?

  Yes it could be dangerous if you use the wrong product or the right product wrongly.

    

Sometime ago, there was a buzz about Whitenicious a product by Dencia, and how its supposedly some magic skin lightening formula that better than all the rest and produces no side effects and would transform a Kanye West into a Scott Disick or a AY to his wife in a a matter of days.

So I did a little digging to see what the company and its owner are really saying about their product versus what people really think and what they're really doing with it.

Here's what I found on consumer health digest!

"Whitenicious claims to be a high-end cosmetic line produced by pop singer Dencia. The skin care products are meant for all skin types and they’re skin brighteners. Suitable for hyper pigmentation, dark spots, dark knees and knuckles, and acne, Whitenicious looks like a dream cream for women looking for a more luminous, even complexion. The never-ending marginalization of African women in the cosmetics marketplace was the key point that made Dencia start her own line of brighteners. To ensure the effectiveness of her products, she partnered with a renowned chemist, and thus she managed to sell all of her Whitenicious brighteners in less than 2 weeks.

Now, as far as the effectiveness of the line is concerned, there have been some rumours claiming Dencia’s skincare products might trigger cancer. Let’s analyse the facts a bit more in-depth."

I am not going to dwell on this product or the line at the end about cancer because I really do not know where they got that from.

The bottom line is, in all my googling and offline studying. I have not been able to find a product that can safely bleach your skin. If you find one, please let us know.

Photo Source:

According to Dencia her product is not intended for use as a total body bleaching product but she also cannot be bothered if you use it that way. She stated that her products are actually intended for dark spot (Hyperpigmentation) removal.

She also claims that she has always been light-skinned and the picture above is not a true reflection of her transition. She claims she has an artificial tan in the photo on the left and of course the photo on the right was edited to look that way.

I am therefore so sorry that I cannot offer you any information at this time on an absolutely safe magic whitening cream. 

If you want to avoid getting darker, using sunscreen and avoiding periods of long exposure to the sun might be helpful.

Feel free to share your own skin lightening solutions if you have found any.

Have a great week ahead!!

Herbal Viagra: Lamar Odom

Dear Readers,

For the past two days, it's been all over the news that Lamar Odom is fighting for his life and has been said to have overdosed on "Herbal Viagra". My heart goes out to his family in this difficult time. I honestly wish he recovers from the coma and can return to a full functional life.

Being a pharmacist, I was curious about the "Herbal Viagra" and googled it to try to figure out what it is. I did not find much. I found this photo online and was totally shocked to find that the medicine is actually labelled as "Herbal Viagra". (I wonder what Pfizer has done about this)

In Nigeria there are a lot of Herbal medications with claims to provide the same effect as Viagra or other prescription medications for erectile dysfunction. It is important to ensure that we avoid  medicines unless prescribed by a person licensed to give prescriptions or recommend medications.

Source: www.lakersnation.com

Here's a short word of advice from the Mayo Clinic."Be wary of any product that claims to be a natural form of Viagra. Herbal supplements aren't held to the same standards as prescription and over-the-counter medications — so it can be difficult to know which ones are safe or effective."

The above quote actually sums it all up. There really is no such thing as a Herbal Viagra. In fact, these dangerous supplement manufacturers have been said to some time mix a cocktail of the real drug with alcohol and some herbal supplements that mimic the effects the actual viagra.

Be safe and do not take medicines without first consulting your Pharmacist or Doctor.