HealthTalq with Dr Bolu

18/08/2026

Knowing Routine Medications Your Parents take can:

1. Help you respond better in emergencies:

Knowing their medications can help healthcare professionals make safer and faster decisions when your parent cannot provide the information themselves.

2. Help you spot medication problems:
You may notice missed doses, duplicate medications, side effects, or medicines being taken incorrectly.

3. Give you clues about your family health history
The medications your parents take can sometimes point to conditions that may also run in the family—such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol or heart disease.

4. Help you understand your own health risks
Knowing what runs in your family gives you an opportunity to discuss your personal risk factors and appropriate screening with your doctor.

5. Help you become a better health advocate:
You can help keep an updated medication list, prepare for appointments and ask important questions when something doesn't seem right.

Knowing your parents’ medications isn't about being intrusive. It's about being informed enough to help when it matters—and informed enough to understand your own family health history.

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You may need this information sooner than you think!

14/08/2026

If someone in your family has had colorectal cancer, here's what you should prioritize:

1) SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR EARLY,

Tell your doctor:
- Who had it — parent, sibling?
- What age they were diagnosed
- Whether more than one relative was affected
- Whether anyone had multiple polyps or other cancers
This information can influence your screening strategy.

2) KNOW WHEN TO START COLONOSCOPY

Colonoscopy is a test that allows a doctor look inside your large intestine and check for abnormal growths or cancer.

Research recommends everyone starts at age 45 and does it every 10 years.

However for people with a significant family history, screening may need to begin at age 40 or 10 years before the age at which the youngest affected relative was diagnosed — whichever comes first.

Multiple affected relatives or unusually young diagnoses, may also raise concern for an inherited colorectal cancer syndrome and may warrant genetic counselling/testing.

3) MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT: being obese increases the risk.

4) MAKE YOUR DIET MORE PLANT-RICH: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes.

5) AVOID PROCESSED MEATS: The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classifies processed meats (like hot dog, ham, bacon, sausages) as Group 1 carcinogens which means there is SUFFICIENT evidence that it causes colon cancer in humans.

6) STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

7) AVOID TO***CO AND ALCOHOL

8) DON'T IGNORE WARNING SIGNS: like persistent changes in bowel habits, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal pain, unexplained anaemia, seek medical evaluation immediately.

Family history raises the risk, but it doesn’t determine your future.

Know your history, Screen early, Reduce the risks in your control and Don’t ignore symptoms.

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10/08/2026

Here’s why:

Your skin is home to diverse beneficial microbes that help maintain a healthy skin barrier and protect against harmful organisms.

Antiseptics however can't tell the difference between the good and harmful ones.

So frequent use can disrupt the beneficial skin microbes, and also cause dryness and irritation.

Overtime, this can weaken the skin's protective barrier making it more prone to skin problems.

Antiseptics are best reserved for specific skin conditions or preparing the skin before medical procedures.

Everyday hygiene for a healthy skin doesnot need antiseptics.

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12/06/2026

Happy Democracy Day, Nigeria!

True freedom is more than a right.

It’s the ability to live, thrive, and enjoy good health.

As we celebrate our nation's journey, let today be a reminder to prioritize what matters most:

Your health, your well-being, and the people you love.

Take a moment to rest, recharge, and make choices that support a healthier tomorrow.

How are you spending your public holiday today?

Tell us in the comments. 👇

09/06/2026

Prediabetes is the warning zone.

It means your blood sugar is higher than normal and your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased.

But here is the part many people miss:

Prediabetes is also the point where action can make a real difference.

In some people, problems similar to diabetes may have already started quietly. And many people living with prediabetes do not even know they have it.

That is why checking your blood sugar matters.

The good news is that lifestyle changes can often help restore blood sugar toward a healthier range and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

Simple but powerful steps include:

Losing 5–7% of body weight if overweight or obese.
Reducing abdominal fat.
Walking and staying physically active.
Eating more fibre from vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains.
Cutting down ultra-processed foods.
Quitting smoking.
Managing stress.
Prioritising sleep.

And for some people already living with type 2 diabetes, sustained lifestyle changes can even support remission.

So if you have been told you are prediabetic or diabetic, hear this clearly:

It is not a life sentence.

It can be the beginning of a healthier chapter.

Follow Health Talq for clear, practical health education that helps you stay ahead of disease, not just react to it.

06/06/2026

What Type 2 Diabetes Does Inside the Body

Type 2 diabetes is more common than many people realize.

If you look around your family, workplace, or community, there is a chance you know someone already living with type 2 diabetes or one of its complications.

But many people still do not fully understand what it means.

Glucose is your body’s primary fuel.

Most of it comes from the food you eat.

Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps move glucose from the blood into your cells so the body can use it for energy.

But in type 2 diabetes, one of two things happens:

The body does not produce enough insulin.

Or the body produces insulin, but stops responding to it properly.

Either way, glucose stays in the blood instead of being used by the cells.

Over time, excess glucose in the blood can begin to damage important parts of the body, including the blood vessels, heart, nerves, kidneys, and eyes.

That is why diabetes is not just about “sugar.”

It is about what prolonged high blood sugar can quietly do to the body when it is not detected, monitored, or controlled early.

Knowing your numbers helps you catch the risk before complications begin.

Follow Health Talq for clear, practical health education that helps you stay ahead of disease, not just react to it.

30/05/2026

BMI is useful, but it has limitations.

It only looks at your height and weight, then estimates whether your weight is appropriate for your height.

But your body weight is not made up of fat alone.

It also includes muscle, bones, organs, and body water.

That means someone with more muscle mass, like an athlete or a person who does heavy manual work, may fall into the “overweight” BMI range even though they are healthy.

BMI also does not show where fat is stored in the body.

And that matters.

This is where waist circumference becomes important.

Waist circumference helps give a clearer picture of fat around the abdomen — including the fat surrounding vital organs.

When fat builds up around this area, it can increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic health problems.

For men, waist circumference should be less than 94 cm.
For women, it should be less than 80 cm.

The good thing is that you can check this at home with a simple tape measure.

Knowing your BMI is helpful.

But knowing your BMI and waist circumference gives you a better picture of your health risk.

📌 Watch the full video here:
👉 https://youtu.be/Xr9tsKxTdZQ

Follow Health Talq for clear, practical health education that helps you stay ahead of disease, not just react to it.

28/05/2026

22/05/2026

You hear it all the time:

Know your numbers.

But what numbers are we actually talking about?

One of the most important numbers to know is your blood pressure.

Blood pressure is the force your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries every time your heart pumps.

It has two numbers:

The top number is called systolic pressure.
This is the pressure when your heart beats.

The bottom number is called diastolic pressure.
This is the pressure when your heart rests.

Normal blood pressure is below **120/80 mmHg**.

Blood pressure is considered elevated when the systolic number is between **120 and 129**.

Stage 1 hypertension begins from 130–139 systolic or 80–89 diastolic.

Stage 2 hypertension begins from 140/90 mmHg and above.

A hypertensive crisis can happen at 180/120 mmHg and above and needs urgent medical attention.

Knowing your numbers is not just a phrase.

It is one of the simplest ways to catch silent health risks early.

If you are not checking your blood pressure, you are guessing it.

📌 Watch the full video here:
👉 https://youtu.be/Xr9tsKxTdZQ

Follow HealthTalq for clear, practical health education that helps you stay ahead of disease, not just react to it.