Dr.Ambrose Igwe Daniel

Dr.Ambrose Igwe Daniel Health Education.
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20/08/2026

IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA.

Iron deficiency is the commonest nutritional deficiency globally. It simply refers to low levels of iron in your blood.
Iron in your blood is an important element for blood cell production and maintainance, and oxygen transport.

Research estimates that 24.8% of the global population have Anemia. Of this number, 42% are pregnant women, 30% are menstruating, and 47% are children under 5years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 50% of the 1.62billion cases of anemia result from iron deficiency.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS.
Signs of Iron Deficiency Anemia include:
Fatigue, light-headedness, shortness of breath, unusually cold hands and feet, fast heart beat, pale skin (visible on the palms in dark skinned people), hair loss, brittle nails, cravings for sand, ice or other non-food items.

DIAGNOSIS
Doctors usually check ferritin and transferrin (a protein that transports iron to all cells of the body) levels to rule out Iron deficiency as cause of anemia.

CAUSES & PEOPLE AT RISK.
Some of the causes and risk factors for Iron deficiency Anemia include:

📍Any condition that casues Blood loss, e.g in menstruating women, especially during heavy periods (a significant amount of iron is lost during heavy bleeds), bleeding from severe injuries like in an accident, people who have bleeding hemorrhoids or any disease that leads to stooling of blood.

📍Conditions that reduce the absorption of iron, e.g People with gastrointestinal conditions like celiac disease, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or who have had any gastric surgeries.

📍Infants and young children, especially those born preterm or low birthweight. Their growth is rapid, so demand for iron is higher.

📍Pregnant women. Maternal blood cell production increases due to demand from the growing baby.

📍People who frequently donate blood. Usually the interval shouldn't be less than 8weeks.

📍Individuals with Heart Failure. Mostly due to poor nutrition and poor absorption.

📍Vegetarians and Vegans: People who do not eat any animal based foods.

📍People with Advanced kidney failure: The kidneys produce a hormone called ERYTHROPOIETIN which initiates the process for making new red blood cells.

However, in chronic kidney disease, the kidneys cannot make sufficient amounts of this hormone. Hence, red blood cell production significantly declines.

Also some blood is lost during haemodialysis sessions.

📍In athletes, especially Endurance athletes, red blood cells breakdown faster than they should, a condition known as "foot strike" hemolysis.

📍People who have Cancer.

📍Medications that inhibit stomach acid like proton pump inhibitors (e.g omeprazole), can reduce the absorption of iron in the gut.

🔸️Iron can reduce the absorption of Levodopa( a medication for parkinson's disease and restless leg syndrome). So take your iron supplements hours before or after levodopa.

TREATMENT.
🔹️Treatment is with iron supplements.
🔹️In severe cases an intravenous infusion of iron may be beneficial.
🔹️Your doctor may do some physical examinations and request for some tests to find the underlying cause, and treat it.

Very little iron is passed out in urine and stool. Most of it is either utilised or stored.

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20/08/2026

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION.

The symptoms of depression are generally determined by the type and severity.

📍In mild cases you may experence:

▪️Excessive worry,

▪️Lethargy, low energy, fatigue,

▪️Loss of interest in activities you used to be excited about,

▪️Loss of appetite, or eating too much,

▪️Low motivation. Lack of willingness to do anything.

📍In severe cases, there may be:

▪️Persistent and intense Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, weariness, and excessive crying for no reason.

▪️Easily irritated, or frustrated,

▪️Low Libido, or loss of desire for s*x, manifesting as Sexual dysfunction.

▪️Insomnia (not being able to sleep), or hypersomnia (sleeping too much).

▪️Difficulty focusing on your daily tasks,
Forgetfulness.

▪️Thoughts of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or attempts at su***de.

If you're having any of these symptoms do not hesitate to seek help.

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ASTHMA IN PREGNANCY.Asthma is a respiratory condition that results from hypersensitivity of your respiratory organ (your...
20/08/2026

ASTHMA IN PREGNANCY.

Asthma is a respiratory condition that results from hypersensitivity of your respiratory organ (your lungs and airways) to normal stimuli from your environment.

The normal stimuli could be a cold weather, dust, smoke, certain medications, the fur of your pets e.g cats, dogs, etc. It really could be anything.

🔻 The COMMONEST SYMPTOMS of Asthma are:
~ Shortness of breath,
~ Cough,
~ Chest Pain,
~ Inability to finish your sentences due to difficulty keeping up with your breath.

These symptoms occur because your airways overreact to normal stimuli and begin to contract in an attempt to close the airway and stop the dust, smoke or whatever trigger from entering further into your lungs.

This is supposed to be a protective mechanism. But it causes hurt because it also reduces oxygen flow to your lungs and your body tissues.

In pregnancy this can be dangerous, because everytime you have an asthma attack, oxygen supply to your baby is reduced.

Your baby will not do well with frequent shortages in oxygen supply.

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19/08/2026

IRON

The Blood element.
Iron is probably the most important structure in the blood cell. It is the major constituent of a protein in each red blood cell called HEMOGLOBIN.

Hemoglobin is the specific structure in red blood cells that traps Oxygen from the lungs and delivers it to every single cell in your body.

Without iron, the red blood cell will not exist, let alone carry out its function. It means without iron, all the cells in your body will suffocate.

Iron is also an important component of Myoglobin (a protein that delivers oxygen to the muscles).

Most of the iron in your body are in hemoglobin, in your red blood cells. The rest are stored either as ferritin or hemosiderin in your liver, spleen, bone marrow, or are bound to myoglobin in your muscles.

Iron is also significant in the development, and proper functioning of the brain and nerves, especially in children. It is vital for effective cellular growth and activity, and the production of certain hormones.

There are two forms of iron in foods:
=Heme iron- (found only in animal flesh, like red meat 🍖, poultry, and seafood.)

=Non- Heme iron- (found mostly in plant foods like dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans 🫘, Nuts and seeds).

Heme iron is far more easily absorbed in the body than non-heme iron. It is therefore generally recommended that you get your dietary iron supplies from animal flesh.

Vitamin C significantly increases the absorption of iron in the gut. You should therefore consider adding vitamin C to your meals, especially if you're eating mostly non-heme iron foods.

For instance, if you want to eat beans 🫘 (a good source of non- heme iron), you can combine it with Spinach, or pumpkin leaves 🍃- ugu, or some fresh tomatoes 🍅, or a glass of orange 🍊 squeeze. This way, your body gets most of the iron from the beans.

The richest sources of iron are -Red meat 🍖, Beef Liver, other organ meats, Clams, Oysters, poultry,

White beans🫘, lentils, Spinach, Ugu ( fluted pumpkin leaf), brown rice, whole wheat, also contain iron.

The Recommended daily allowances for iron are: 7mg for children 1-3yrs. 10mg for 4-8years.

Male: 8mg for 9-13years. 11mg for 14-18 years. 8mg for 19years and above.

Female: 8mg for 9-13years. 15mg for 14-18years. 18mg for 19-50years. 27mg for pregnant women. 9mg for breastfeeding women. 8mg for 51years.

The maximum daily amount considered safe is 45mg for persons above 14years. 40mg for persons below 14years.

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19/08/2026

TYPES OF DEPRESSION.

According to the fifth Edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association, the types or classes of depression include:

🔹️Clinical Depression, also called Major Depressive Disorder.
This is associated with a feeling of sadness or worhtlessness that has lasted for two weeks or more, with Insomnia (poor sleep), loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed, an increase or decrease in your appetite.

This type of depression is the most common, and the most severe.

🔹️Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD).
This is considered mild-moderate depression that lasts for 2 years, and its symptoms are generally less severe compared to clinical depression above.

🔹️Disruptive Mood Disregulation Disorder (DMDD).
DMDD is a common manifestation of depression in children. Usually starts around age 10 years. It runs a chronic course, and is associated with intense irritability and frequent outbursts of anger.

🔹️Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Commonly called Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).
It is a form of depression in some menstruating women. Symptoms include mood swings, extreme irritability, and anxiety or depression.
Symptoms are usually severe enough to disrupt your normal daily activities or work. However, they get better as your period progresses.

🔹️Depressive Disorder due to another Medical Condition.
This means that your depression is on account of another disease that you have.
Some diseases that cause depression include: Hypothyroidism, Heart diseases, Parkinson's disease, or cancer.

The symptoms of depression usually improve when the underlying disease is addressed.

🔹️Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Also called seasonal depression. It often starts during the fall and winter seasons, but regresses as spring and summer seasons set in.

🔹️Prenatal Depression/ Postpartum Depression.
Prenatal depression occurs during pregnancy, while postpartum depression develops within 6 weeks after delivering your baby. They're also called major depressive disorders with peripartum onset.

🔹️Atypical Depression.
This is a Major Depressive Disorder with atypical (unusual) features. They presented with small variations from typical depression. The main difference is Mood reactivity- it means a temporary improvement in mood in response to positive events.
There's also increased appetite and increased sensitivity to rejection.

🔹️Bipolar Disorder.
People with this condition experience only brief episodes of depression.

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HOW TO COPE WITH LABOR PAIN.Labor Pain does not go away.The only real solution to labor pain is a safe delivery.There ar...
19/08/2026

HOW TO COPE WITH LABOR PAIN.

Labor Pain does not go away.
The only real solution to labor pain is a safe delivery.

There are however, a few things you can do to ease the pain and facilitate labor and delivery.

🌟 Move around a lot, especially as you near delivery. Taking a walk, making movements, or changing positions helps to distract you from the pain, and quicken the labor.

🌟 Take Slow, Deep Breaths.
This has a calming effect as you go through the process of labor.

🌟 A Warm Bath.
Helps to relax your skeletal muscles.
Also provides some relaxing effects while you labor.

🌟 Start going to the Hospital immediately.

🌟 EPIDURAL INJECTION.
Your doctor, during labor may give you an epidural (an injection given directly into your spine as pain relief during labor), but it only reduces the pain, and makes your contractions feel more like pressure, than pain.

More on Common Symptoms in Pregnancy.
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WHAT LABOR FEELS LIKE.Generally, the experience of labor comes as a feeling of tightening around your lower abdomen or l...
14/08/2026

WHAT LABOR FEELS LIKE.

Generally, the experience of labor comes as a feeling of tightening around your lower abdomen or lower back. Sometimes, it may radiate to your thighs.

The feeling may change as your labor progresses from one stage to another.

AT ONSET OF LABOR.

~ The pain is mild, and may feel like dull aches in your lower back.
~ You'll experience a waxing and waning pain. It means the pain comes and goes.
~ You may feel some abdominal upset, like in indigestion or constipation.
~ You'll have regular contractions, but it'll be like one in 10-20 minutes.

ACTIVE LABOR.

As the labor progresses further, you may start to feel-

● More Intense pain in your abdomen and lower back. A more deep squeezing pain.

● The pain may feel like it is circling your waist and belly.

● Your baby bump will literally feel hard during each wave of contractions.

● The Pressure in your lower back will increase as your baby descends into your pelvis (the birth area).

DELIVERY MOMENT.

♤ At this point, the pain may be at its highest in your lower back.

♤ The pain here is now coming in quick successions, with very little breaks in between.

♤ Soon you'll start to feel like pooing. Now the baby is ready to come out.

♤ As the baby passes through your birth canal, you'll feel a stretching and sometimes, burning sensation. Then soon after you'll hear a cry, and loud congratulations.

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14/08/2026

CHLORIDE

Chloride is an essential macromineral.
Like sodium and potassium, it also belongs to the family of Electrolytes, because it carries a negative electric charge.

Naturally, it is abundant in seawater, and often found in combination with other mineral elements such as sodium (sodium Chloride, NaCl- our Table Salt), potassium (Potassium Chloride, KCl), calcium (Calcium Chloride, CaCl), etc.

It plays a significant role in conjunction with potassium and sodium, in the regulation of body fluid equilibrium. This way it contributes to blood pressure check.

Chloride also Controls the influx and outflow of nutrients in the cell. It ensures the efficient exchange between Oxygen and Carbon dioxide in the Lungs 🫁 and in all cells of the body.

Produces the stomach acid (hydrochloric acid, HCl) which is important for digestion.

Because, it is electrically charged, it is also useful for the transfer of impulses along nerves, and to the brain and back. This helps with contraction and relaxation of muscles.

The absorption of Chloride occurs in the small intestines, and it is excreted from the body in urine.

Our main dietary source of Chloride, is Table Salt, where it is in combination with Sodium, (NaCl).

Some foods contain small amounts of chloride, especially seafoods. However, they're not sufficient to meet our daily dietary needs.

The Daily Adequate intake for Chloride is: 2300mg for people 14- 50years, 2000mg for people 51-70years, 1800mg for people above 71years.

A Teaspoonful of Salt contains all the Sodium and Chloride you need for a day.

Chloride deficiency is very uncommon.
However, conditions that lead to sodium deficiency can also cause a depletion of Chloride levels.

E.g protracted vomiting, Severe diarrhoea, excessive sweating, medications like diuretics, high blood sugar levels (when blood sugar is high, the kidneys remove alot of water, glucose, sodium and chloride form the body. That can lead to low levels of the elements).

HYPERCHLOREMIA, refers to when chloride levels are too high. This can occur in severe dehydration, conditions that make the blood too acidic, e.g kidney disease, an excessively high salt intake.

Symptoms associated with toxicity include:
Muscle weakness, High blood pressure, fatigue.

More on Your Minerals,
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14/08/2026

DEPRESSION

Depression generally refers to a persistent feeling of sadness, which eventually alters your sleeping, eating, and thinking patterns.

It is a mood disorder, and is associated with significant lifestyle changes which negatively imparts all areas of your life.

Depression is entirely different from the normal sadness or grief that people feel at the loss of a loved one, or a failed venture, or challenging situations.

You are depressed if your feeling of sadness persists everyday for 2 weeks or more, with associated symptoms like loss of interest in things you previously enjoyed, self isolation, suicidal ideations, etc.

Research has shown that depression is quite common globally.

An estimated 280 million people suffer from depression every year, at one point or another. Of this number, 23 million are children and adolescents.

The above figure represents about 5% of adults, globally.

These estimates are believed to be much lower than the actual figures, because most depressed people don't seek medical help when they have symptoms, and hence are never diagnosed.

The consequence of this is that su***de rates keep rising. When people don't seek help they're likely to get to su***de.

Depression is about 50% more common in women than in men. It affects all aspects of life, including your relationships, your career, your study, your finances, everything.

It is however comforting to know that treatments are available.

Over the coming days we shall look at all the various aspects of depression.

Pls Stay tuned...

13/08/2026

HYPERNATREMIA (Sodium toxicity.)

Hypernatremia or sodium toxicity refers to high concentrations of sodium in your blood.

The appropriate level of blood sodium is required for transmission of impulses through your nerves and brain, maintaining fluid balance in your body, and effective muscle function.

Too much of sodium in your blood can have adverse effects, even fatal in severe cases.

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS
◾️Hypernatremia is a common occurrence in elderly people who are mentally or physically impaired, like people who have dementia, gait and balance problems, or any problems with movement.

◾️It also frequently occurs in infants who are not adequately hydrated.

◾️These persons at risk are frequently dehydrated, because they do not eat or drink enough fluids.

◾️They also easily develop infections that cause high fevers and vomiting, which may lead to dehydration.
◾️Other conditions that can increase your risk of hypernatremia include: Moderate to severe dehydration from any cause, vomiting and diarrhoea, uncontrolled diabetes, kidney disease, fevers, delirium.

◾️Diuretics (blood pressure medicines) that deplete body fluids can cause high sodium concentrations in your blood.

If you take any medications that make you p*e more, be delibrate about drinking more.

SYMPTOMS
Usually when there's dehydration, the body takes water from inside the cells to dilute the blood. That can create a significant fluid imbalance with accumulation of fluid in the brain.

The build up of fluid in the Brian increases pressure in the brain, and that can cause confusion, seizures, coma, or even death.

In moderate hypernatremia, symptoms may include: weakness, fatigue, mood problems, muscle cramps or spasms, severe thirst, and vomiting.

Most people with mild hypernatremia have no symptoms.

DIAGNOSIS.
A diagnosis of hypernatremia is made by a simple blood test for sodium levels.

Sodium Levels higher than 145mmol/L are considered hypernatremia.
Your doctor may also request a urine test to confirm the diagnoses.

TREATMENT.
🔹️Treatment is often centered on correcting the fluid and sodium imbalance in your blood. Intravenous fluids may be required to achieve this in severe cases.

🔹️Your doctor may also ask you questions and send for tests to try to find any underlying conditions that may be the cause.

🔹️Controlling your diabetes is key to maintaining normal sodium levels.

🔹️Drink adequate amounts of water, daily.

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