Q How old are you when you have wet dreams?

Wet dreams also called as noctural emission are common during adolesence or early young adult years but they may start anytime after puberty. In males puberty is complete by the age of 15-17.

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 Should my child drink alcohol?

Absolutely not. No person under the age of 18 should be allowed to drink alcohol.

Q I am 43 year old man and my wife 41 year we have 4 year and 6 month daughter. We are very confused whether to go for second child as my only daughter feels very lonely. Can you advice?

First, determine whether you and your wife are physically, mentally and financially ready to have a second child. It is definitely possible to conceive at this age; however there are many factors that you should take into account before arriving at a decision. A womans fertility decreases drastically in her forties so there is a major possibility that your wife may have to use donor eggs to achieve pregnancy. The risk of complications during pregnancy such as diabetes and high blood pressure increases. Moreover, there are higher chances of premature and still births. You may need to use assisted reproductive techniques thus escalating costs. I am not trying to discourage you, but giving you the facts. On the other hand, some women do get pregnant well into their 40s, and many of them have complication-free pregnancies and healthy babies. Both of you should make an informed decision after knowing all the pros and cons. For any further clarification, visit a gynaecologist who will brief you about all available options. Do consider the possibility of adoption too.

Q Is vitiligo curable with herbs?

No it is not curable by herbs. Vtiligo is auto immune or genetic disorder. There are a number of treatments for Vitiligo. Treatment options generally fall into several categories: natural and artificial light therapy, cover ups, and supplements; so consult skin specialist and do needful.

Q Why do some people have no compassion?

Compassion is the understanding or empathy for others. Compassion is the emotion that we feel in response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help. Different people may be moved by different things. For e.g. a person may have no compassion for beggars but plenty of compassion for street animals. As long as one is able to feel compassion towards a few things, it is considered absolutely normal. However you may find that some people have absolutely no compassion for anything or anyone. This can be due to 2 reasons: genetics or upbringing. Some people may genetically have little or no compassion even though they have had a happy childhood. Whereas some people turn off their emotional response due to bitter experiences in the past. Lack of love and emotional support in childhood can also cause lack of empathy.

Q is epilepsy treatable?

Rather to say curable, epilepsy is very well treatable with medication (anti-epileptic drugs). Epilepsy is the disorder of the brain and central nervous system where abnormal electrical impulse leads to uncontrolled, involuntary movement of the body. The balance between the factors that begin electrical activity and factors that restrict it is lost, resulting in the body jerking. Several reasons are cited for the cause of the disease like neurocysticercosis (worms from intestine reach brain), tuberculosis of brain, brain tumour, brain stroke and even genetic. In most of the cases, the cause of the fits remains unknown. Neurologist would be able to select the best medication depending on the type of epilepsy and also age and sex of patient. The medicines are required to be taken for long-term without any discontinuation. Avoid driving, swimming and hazardous activities, as occurrence of seizures during these activities can be dangerous. With all above simple management you can live normal life with Epilepsy.

Q Body too thin...some diet tips

Weight gain depends upon your diet and exercise pattern. Include calorie and protein rich foods in your diet such as eggs, chicken, fish, milk and milk products, nuts, pulses etc. Every morning have a glass of milk with honey and 2 bananas. Consume handful of mixed nuts everyday. Weight gain should be healthy and hence you should limit your intake of junk food. Instead of 3 large meals have 5-7 small meals. Join a gym and practice weight training under supervision.

Q My 10 year old daughter continues to wet the bed. Not every night, but i thought it would stop as she grows but still hasnt. I wonder if there is something medically wrong.

If you daughter has nocturnal enuresis sometimes, it may need further evaluation, as this is not so common in teenagers. There are some factors that may affect urine control in teens. These include excessive intake of caffeine drinks like tea or coffee, deep sleep pattern which can be a normal for growing teen, excessive emotional stress or fear of something, inconsistent sleep timings etc. These things can be corrected in order to fix the problem. Other things to give consideration are certain medications, diabetes of other medical diseases, family history of parents having the same problem, urinary tract infection, etc. If she is having this problem since her childhood, then this can be considered as primary nocturnal enuresis and she can be out of 2% of girls who continues with this till they reach their teen. This thing can be improved with proper counselling to her. Making her to use bathroom before going to bed. Limiting her fluid intake before going to bed. She can be effectively treated with moisture alarms while asleep. It will be less likely that she will need medications for this. Proper counselling and educating her may motivate her to take initiation to cure herself. You may take her to physician to rule out underlying disease if any.

Q Do men suffer from menopause like women?

The phase of life similar to menopause is called as andropause in men. It is marked by lethargy, sadness, weariness, lack of drive, irritability, poor concentration and sometimes loss of sexual desire in middle-aged men. This leads to boredom, lack of fitness, heavy drinking and lack of self-esteem.n Though, male menopause is controversial, as there isn~t any calculable fall in the levels of male hormones in middle age like females have fall in sex hormones drastically, yet it is advised that men experiencing the symptoms should exercise regularly and eat healthy, nurture a hobby, and have a peaceful mind and renew interest in life.