Q What are the symptoms of HIV and when do they appear?

Most people who are infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like illness that occurs two to six weeks after infection. After this, HIV often causes no symptoms for several years. Its seen that most of people who are infected with HIV experience this illness. The most common symptoms are fever (raised temperature), sore throat, body rash. Other symptoms can include tiredness, joint pain, muscle pain, swollen glands (nodes).

Q Sir, I am tested HIV positive, for almost 3 years i was in a relationship with a boy, but now we broke up and hes getting married to someoneelse. He wants to be sure that hes not HIV positive.... I have asked him to do the CDcount, but is there any other test which can give accurate result... Pls advice.... Also is it possible that after being in relationship with an HIV person one can still result as Negative???

Sexual relationship between HIV positive and HIV negative partners is called as "mixed status" relationship. For mixed-status couples, the possibility of HIV infection is a constant reality. There is always a risk, but it can be minimized. Antiretroviral therapy can lower the viral load and may decrease chance of HIV positive partner transmitting it to the HIV negative partner, but does not prevent it. Safe sex practices and use of condom may lower the risk of transmission. Do not share syringes, water, drug preparation equipment with others. In your case, the boy needs to do HIV test ( it is diagnosed by presence of antibodies to the HIV virus in blood) and also visit a good HIV consultant to get investigated and counseled thoroughly. HIV testing is carried out on voluntary basis with appropriate pre-test and post-test counseling.

Q Symptoms of high cholesterol

High cholesterol levels usually remain silent and produce no symptoms for several years. They can only be detected by routine blood tests such as lipid profile or when when they cause complications such as heart disease and stroke.

Q Any side effects from lip reduction

Any kind of surgical procedure will have some side effects. Common side effects related to lip reduction are difficulty in chewing and speech, swelling, development of scar or lumps, etc.

Q What are the key statistics about thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer are not the deadliest cancers. Thyroid cancer has a 5 year survival rate of about 97%. It is estimated that by the end of year 2015 there will be 62,450 new cases of thyroid cancer.

Q I fell on a out stretched hand and my pinkie and wrist hurts badly and the x-ray came up normal. Could I have TFCC?

The TFCC is an abbreviation for triangular fibrocartilage complex. The function of TFCC is to provide stability and smooth movement of the wrist. Injury either due to a fall or while playing a sport can cause pain the TFCC region. However without a physical examination it is difficult to say whether you have develop TFCC or it is a simple strain. So to get correct diagnosis and treatment consult orthopedic physician.

Q What can i do if my child is overweight?

Overweight children are more likely to grow up into overweight adults, so your concern for raised weight of child is appropriate. It is usually better that the child maintains their current weight while they continue to grow in height. Making changes to your family~s lifestyle can make a real difference to your child~s weight. Eat regular meals, together as a first step towards a healthier diet. Use homemade food rather than relying on ready-made meals to help you to lower the fat and sugar content in your meals. Avoid the diet like snacks and meals that are high in fat or sugar, such as chocolate, biscuits, sweets and fizzy drinks, and aim to replace these with healthier alternatives such as fruits. Exercise is helpful to burn extra calories in your child. Kindly focus on light exercises done by your child like standing up, moving around, walking at a slow pace and less energetic play. Also active play (such as hide and seek and stuck in the mud), fast walking, riding a bike, dancing, swimming, climbing, skipping rope, gymnastics are helpful depending upon the age.

Q Whats the benefit of using condoms when we know that they are not 100 % safe ?

Unless a condom breaks or slips it is 100% effective to prevent pregnancy as well as STD. Failure of condom is generally due to its improper use, or vigorous sexual intercourse or poorly manufactured condoms. If a good brand is used with proper caution, there is very minimal chance of its failure. Also as it is said " It is better to be safe than sorry".

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 What is natural family planning?

Natural Family Planning ( NFP) is the term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a womans menstrual cycle. Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the womans cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.