Q After what age children can drink coffee?

Children under 12 are generally recommended to avoid caffeine or to limit its intake. Because, Caffeine is absorbed very quickly into the body and then passes into the central nervous system. In low doses caffeine can affect the body causing decreased appetite, increased urination, hyperactive behaviour and difficulty sleeping. The harmful effects may occur when a child consumes more than 4.5 mg of caffeine per pound of body weight.

Q Can dark circles be treated completely with laser?

There are very effective modern laser and light treatments that can permanently remove the dark circles under your eyes.However, these dark circle treatments must be directed at the underlying medical cause of the dark circles for removal to be effective. Always consult a good doctor and ensure that he knows what he is doing. Since the skin under the eyes is delicate, a wrong laser treatment may cause serious damage to the eyes. You may also consult a dermatologist to recover from dark circles.

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 What are the kidneys?

Kidneys are bean shaped organ located at the back of abdominal cavity on either side of the spine. They receive their blood supply form the renal arteries and drain the blood into the renal veins. The urine form kidneys is excreted into the ureter on each side and is carried to the urinary bladder. The function of kidney is homoeostasis. It is achieved by elimination of waste products formed due to metabolism like urea, ammonia; maintenance of electrolyte balance, maintenance of acid-base balance, regulation of blood pressure, production of hormone like calcitrol, erythropoetin and enzyme renin, reabsorbtion of water, glucose and amino acids.

Q My first marriage broke up because of my snoring, Im in another relationship now and I dont want it to happen again.please guide me for treatment of my snoring habit

It must be quite frustrating when your snoring affect your relationship. But the good news is, snoring can be controlled or eliminated by various devices and lifestyle changes. Snoring sound occur when there is any problem in smooth passage of air through airway. This can happen due to several reasons like more throat and nasal tissue, being fatty or overweight causing more fat at throat, tongue blocking airway while asleep, wrongly adapted sleeping posture, etc. You can seek help of any snoring device that will minimize the sound or your snoring. It will be bit difficult and time consuming to find the best suitable for you as many of such devices in the market are not well proven. You can take help of your physician to find the best one and to find the cause behind your snoring. Also rule out any underlying medical problem making you snore, with your doctors help. We are suggesting here some general guidelines about how you can reduce your problem: 1. Loose those extra pounds if your are overweight. Loosing even little fat can prove helpful in great way to reduce snoring. 2. Exercise regularly. Specially working for abs, arms and legs muscles will increase the tome of muscles in throat and neck, reducing snoring. 3. Quit smoking if you smoke. It will further narrow your air passage making your problem worse. 4. Established well planned sleeping schedule. 5. Elevating your head few inches while sleeping can help keeping airways intact. You can use specially designed pillow that help to prevent snoring. 6. Avoid sleeping on your back. Prefer side way position. 7. You can do several throat exercises to strengthen your throat muscles. 8. If these things does not prove helpful, think of medical treatments like CPAP, oral or dental devices, surgery to clear the airway etc.

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 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 How to avoid dandfuff?

There are many reasons for dandruff - Stress, nutritional deficiencies, excessive dryness of the scalp, fungal infection, vitamin C deficiency, pregnancy, long illness, thyroid imbalance, as well as hair damage caused by procedures like hair coloring/dyeing, bleaching, straightening, perming, etc. You can do following things to prevent hair loss: Getting proper nutrition is essential for healthy hair. Water, protein, biotin (part of the vitamin B complex), vitamins A, B6, B12, C, copper, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, calcium, folic acid, and magnesium all play a part in maintaining a healthy scalp, skin, and hair. Using your fingertips to massage your scalp will increase circulation in your scalp which is important for hair growth. Take 10-12 jaswand (hibiscus) flower +200gm methi (fig) seeds soaked in coconut oil for 7 days then boil it sleeve it and use it daily for head massage it prevent hair loss, promote new hair growth and hairs become thick and restrict dandruff formation. In a week massage your scalp with yoghurt(curd) or aloe-Vera pulp or neem leaves paste which has antibacterial properties which help to clear dandruff formation. Instead of using chemical shampoo, use rita to wash the hairs; take 7-8 rita soaked for whole night boil in the morning in water gently massage and wash the hairs with this mixture.Gentle combing or brushing of your hair will help break up hardened oils that clog your pores. It is recommended that you comb or brush 100-200 strokes in the morning and at night. Avoid excessive wind, sun, and heat (such as from hair dryers, hot showers, and curling irons) on your hair. Tight fitting caps and hats will cause poor circulation in your scalp and will also cause buildup of sweat and grime. Take plenty of water keep yourself hydrated. Take care.

Q Why is one pupil bigger than the other in a 2 month old baby boy?

1 in 5 babies can born with different sized pupils without any underlying disorder. If other family members also have similar pupils, then the pupil size difference is possibly genetic and nothing to worry about. However, certain underlying conditions such as Homers disease, aneurysm, tumor, increased intracranial pressure, meningitis can cause a difference in pupillary size. If your baby does not have any other sign and symptom and he is healthy otherwise, then there is nothing to worry about. But our advise will be to get him examined once to rule out any underlying disease.

Q Will doing swimming during winter days harm kids? and what about clorinated water exposure?

During winter, due to cold environment, children may get flu, cold and cough etc. Children are more sensitive and their immunity is also weak as compared to adults. So, it is advised not to go for swimming during winter. And remember, some children are allergic to chlorinated water. You must keep an eye on your childs health, to identify any symptoms if they do appear.