Q Do walker and jumper help toddlers to learn walking quicker?

Though walker and baby-buggy are in fashion today, studies say that babies using walker learn to walk late! Walker facilitates babies to move around even before they are ready for it physically. This can lead to unusual patterns of movements and delayed muscle control. Walker and jumper restrict babys movements and do not allow the baby to move around and explore the things surrounding. Baby learns to move quickly when baby is on the floor on his belly, than when he is placed on high chair, walker or baby-buggy.

Q What can you tell me about Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a Mental Health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems. When you have borderline personality disorder, you often have an insecure sense of who you are. Your self-image, self-identity or sense of self often rapidly changes. You may view yourself as evil or bad, and sometimes you may feel as if you dont exist at all. An unstable self-image often leads to frequent changes in jobs, friendships, goals and values. This is because people with borderline personality disorder often have difficulty accepting gray areas; things seem to be either black or white. The common symptom of borderline personality disorder are overwhelming feelings of distress, anxiety, worthlessness or anger, difficulty managing such feelings without self-harming, for example by abusing drugs and alcohol or taking overdoses, difficulty maintaining stable and close relationships, sometimes, periods of loss of contact with reality, in some cases, threats of harm to others. Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals.

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 Biotin and vitamin e for hair?

Both the biotin and vit E are helpful for the growth of hair.

Q can inhale not exhale,cough only during night feeling lack of energy

The symptom you have descrirbed may be due to pathologies related with respiratory system and the organ involved is trachea, lung or diaphragm. It may be due to an infection with bacteria or virus and it may acute or chronic. You require physical examination by a consultant to rule out the cause. A diet lacking certain nutrients can also contribute to a chronic cough. If your body has deficiency of iron, swelling and irritation in the back of your throat could be a symptom, which can lead to coughing at night. The condition is also associated with weakness many times. An iron supplement may be all you need in this case.

Q Split ends in my hair !! Any treatment?

Splint ends are caused due to dryness and damage to hairs. Factors that can cause dryness and damage to hair are over exposure to sun rays, poor nutrition, excessive use of chemical based hair products, use of hair dryers, etc. Here we are also listing some general tips to improve your hair health: Warm oil massage, regular trimming of hair, minimizing use of hair dryers or styling products, following a balanced and nutritious diet, covering your hair properly while going out in sun and avoid combing hair when they are wet.

Q I have been suffering from hyper-acidity as a result of antibiotics. Please advice.

Hyper-acidity is a common side effect of most antibiotics. Most physicians will prescribe an antacid or a H2 blocker along with antibiotics to circumvent this side-effect. If your physician hasnt done so, please visit him and ask him to prescribe the same. If you are on long term antibiotics, a multivitamin will help. As a home measure, include plenty of cold milk and yogurt in your diet to counteract hyper-acidity.

Q How to remove skin tan problem

Follow these simple measures : Cover your face when ever you go out in sun. Apply a sun screen block before going out and reapply after 2 hours if you are still out. You can apply a face pack made up of milk, turmeric and lemon juice mix together in equal quantity. Keep it till it gets dry and then wash it of with cold water. You can also apply a face scrub made up of walnut powder, milk and lemon juice. Give ice fomentation on your face it will lessen the effect of tan. Keep yourself well hydrated. Consume well balanced and nutritious diet. You can also consult a cosmetologist to know about different procedures to reduce skin tan.

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 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.