Q Sir, My dad has HIV positive..What is the treatment for me? What are the precautions should be taken for family members to be free from HIV?

Just because your father is HIV positive, it doesnt mean that you too are. Yet, you must get tested once to confirm. The only precaution to be taken by you and your family members is to avoid sharing razors with him. The biggest risk is to your mother due to sexual intercourse. It can be prevented if they always use condoms. The rule of thumb is that there should be blood to blood contact with him. All other activities such as sharing food, hugging, kissing, sleeping or any other family activity with your father is absolutely safe.

Q Are growing pains real?

Growing pains are seen in children of the age group 5 to 12 years. Thses always concentrate in the muscles, rather than the joints. Most kids have pains in the front of their thighs, in the calves, or behind the knees. The children with growing pains can be helped by massaging the area, stretching or by placing a heating pad on the area.

Q Does stress affect lutenizing hormone?

Stress such as excessive physical or metabolic stress causes release of corticotropin releasing hormone. This hormone inhibits the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone. Suppression of gondotropin releasing hormone causes reduce levels of leutenizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone in women.

Q Are cigars less detrimental to health than cigarettes?

"No. Cigars arent less harmful than cigarettes in any way. Rather they contain more carcinogenic tars, which make them worse than cigarettes. Moreover, when one smokes stogy, excess nicotine and carcinogens are inhaled through the mouth, which could cause dental problems,lung diseases, and cancers.
The reason behind the false repute of cigar being less harmul might be that generally cigar smokers are "occasional" users, and while puffing, most of them don~t inhale the smoke into their lungs. Stay away from cigarettes, cigars, pipes etc if you want to live healthy."

Q Ear problem...heavy pain from right ear......blood is coming........dont know the reason..........problem is from childhood...

The commonest cause of pain and bleeding from the ear is a ruptured eardrum. The other probable causes are ear canal cancer or trauma to the head or ear. Please visit an ENT specialist at the earliest. Take care.

Q What causes fast heartbeat in infants?

In some physiological conditions like crying, exercising or any vigorous activity the heart beats faster in infants. But, if at rest, the heartbeats are fast, then the causes are pathological like- dehydration, any lung disease, heart disease etc. It is an emergency condition and you can notice by the sudden paleness or bluishness of the skin, fainting of the baby etc. In such a case, you must visit your paediatrician as early as possible to get the accurate curative and preventive measures.

Q hi, My husband underwent piles surgery on last tuesday and was there in hospital for 2 more days. He got discharged yesterday(thursday). but he is having great problem in passing the stools. He almost faints and become soo weak after going to bathroom. He is havings sitz bath, applying cream and taking tablets also. But still the problem exists. Please help and tell us how can he reduce pain while passing the stool.

He will have the pain and difficulty for more 3-4 days. You have to give him more liquid diet and water which will ease the stool formation and relieve the pain. Give him more fibre containing food to prevent the constipation. Take the medicines regularly as prescribed. Give him a glass of buttermilk or a small bowl of yogurt everyday proper digestion of the food. Let him do some exercise for about 30 min a day regularly like walking, cycling or swimming etc after the recovery. Avoid the alcohol and smoking. If the problem persists longer, then consult the surgeon.

Q I am 14 and I get chest pains whats wrong with me ?

To evaluate whats wrong with you, we need further details about nature of your pain, your gender and lifestyle. Some of the common causes of chest pain at your age could be due to acidity, stress, anxiety, prolonged cough, trauma to the chest region, etc. Chest pain due to heart disease is less likely at your age. If it is recurrent and very sever, get yourself examined.

Q How often should I have an eye test?

Adults and children are normally advised to have a sight test every two years. However, in some circumstances, your ophthalmic practitioner may recommend more frequent sight tests. Such conditions include- n1) If you are wearing glassesn2) If you have diabetesn3) If are aged 40 or over and have a family history of glaucoman4) If you are aged 70 or over

Q Why do babies spit up?

Spitting up tends to peak at age 4 months, and most babies stop spitting up by age 12 months.nThe reason for it is babies have esophageal valve still in developing phase that means its immature yet so it results in backward flow of food. Until this valve take time to mature, spitting up may be an issue — especially if your baby eats too much or too quickly. Having food too much or hurriedly cause air to get inside babys stomach along with food. While sucking milk from breast or bottle nipple, babies engulf much amount of air too. This is then come out along with some liquid in the form of spitting. Try these tips to help your baby keep his food down: 1. Hold your baby in a fairly upright position when you feed him. 2. Try smaller, more frequent feedings. 3. Frequent burps during and after each feeding can keep air from building up in your babys stomach. 4. Try to avoid distractions or noises while feeding him, which will reduce his air intake.