Q How to care for newly erupting teeth in babies?

Unlike the belief that teeth should be cared for after the first birthday, dental care for kids begins much before the eruption of first tooth. Wipe babys gums daily gently using a damp clean cloth to keep it clean and germ-free.n Try brushing your kids teeth as they erupt using plain water. For kids about 2 years of age, brush the teeth using very tiny amount of tooth paste. Teach the kid to spit.n Don~t be shocked to learn that babies do develop tooth decay in absence of good feeding habits. Do not put baby to sleep with a bottle. Milk left for prolonged time on teeth eats away the enamel leading to discolouration and pitting of front teeth and even cavities. Some babies have neonatal tooth. Consult the dentist if you see one.

Q How to treat an oat allergy?

In an acute episode use of over the counter antihistamines are beneficial. As far as prevention is considered the best way is to avoid eating oats. Cereals, cereal bars, cookies and other similar foods are main sources of oats and hence should be avoided. Rice, potatoes, fruits contain many of the same health benefits as oats and can be substituted for oats.

Q Is vitamin C a stimulant?

No vitamin C is not a stimulant. It is a water soluble vitamin and an antioxidant. Functions of vitamin C is to boost immunity, increase absorption of iron, helps in collagen formation and fight free radical attack.

Q Are condoms 100% effective?

No condom can be effective in preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) 100% of the times.n Condoms fail to provide protection sometimes from infections spreading from sores on the skin uncovered by a condom, for eg. at the base of the penis or scrotum. But a properly used condom can protect against STDs better than anything else. Some factors to consider in order to ensure the efficacy of condom are: check date of expiry, use latex, keep them away from heat, use water-based condoms, open carefully to avoid tearing, remove holding at the base of penis, choose condom with reservoir tip to hold semen after ejaculation. Consult a doctor if the condom breaks or slips off. Although not 100 % perfect, condoms are the best way of protection if one is going to have sex.

Q Stool test report. Color - brown, Consistency - soft, Reaction - acidic, Pus celss - 1-2/ hpf. Kindly advice as soon as possible. I have pain and lubricant stuff without stool

Presence of pus cells and acidic nature of the stool is an abnormal finding. The most probable cause for this is poor absorption of foods. Kindly consult with your doctor to co-relate the report clinically.

Q Can stress cause weigh gain? How is stress related to weight gain? How to prevent it?

Yes stress is the major cause for weight gain! People turn to food for comfort whenever they feel stressed and tend to overeat. To make it worse, often we choose junk food. So, one, we eat unnecessarily without being hungry and two, junk food means much more added calories than needed.n Over a period, the caloric imbalance leads to weight gain and eventually elevates risk of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.n Now that you know, choose healthy alternatives like an apple or roasted almonds next time you feel stressed and are tempted to eat!n Moreover, try alternate ways like going for a walk or dancing to the tunes of some soothing music. This will not only relieve stress but will give bonus benefit by burning excess calories.

Q I am having chest pains every day multiple times. Should I be worried? I am 17 years old. They hurt a lot and last from 20 to 45 seconds. I cant move or do anything or it ll hurt.

Having chest pain multiple times may be something you should take it seriously, whatever is the cause. It is advised to consult the physician as early as you can, to rule out the cause. Some of the causes for repeated chest pain include- muscular pain, any injury or trauma, heart burn etc. It is less common to have any underlying heart disease at this age but, the probability is there.

Q What about soy and thyroid health?

The available research suggests that soy may not affect thyroid function, especially in those who have a normal thyroid. Those who have an existing thyroid problem and take medications for their thyroid must avoid it or consume after an interval. The reason being, soy may affects the absorption rate of the medicine is the GI tract.

Q What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a person acts, thinks, and sees the world. People with schizophrenia have an altered perception of reality, often a significant loss of contact with reality. They may see or hear things that dont exist, speak in strange or confusing ways, believe that others are trying to harm them, or feel like theyre being constantly watched. With such a blurred line between the real and the imaginary, schizophrenia makes it difficult even frightening to negotiate the activities of daily life. In response, people with schizophrenia may withdraw from the outside world or act out in confusion and fear.

Q What is histrionic disorder?

Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of attention seeking behavior and extreme emotionality. Someone with histrionic personality disorder wants to be the center of attention in any group of people, and feel uncomfortable when they are not. While often lively, interesting and sometimes dramatic, they have difficulty when people arent focused exclusively on them. People with this disorder may be perceived as being shallow, and may engage in sexually seductive or provocative behavior to draw attention to themselves.