Q Is any side effect of masturbatiion?

Masturbation is the self-stimulation of the genitals to achieve sexual arousal and pleasure. It is a natural and harmless expression of sexuality for both men and women. It does not cause any physical injury or harm to the body, and can be performed in moderation throughout a persons lifetime as a part of normal sexual behavior. Masturbation is only considered a problem when it inhibits sexual activity with a partner, is done in public, or if it is done compulsively and/or interferes with daily life and activities. Hence, it is advisable to indulge in masturbation only when you are sexually excited and not as a daily habit.

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 What causes a rash on babies elbow?

While most rashes are not serious, a few need close attention as blisters can indicate a serious infection, like a bacterial infection or herpes. Small red or purplish dots can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection. In the first few months of a babys life, any rash associated with other symptoms (such as fever, poor feeding, lethargy, or cough) needs to be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible. Acne or pink pimples can be caused due to blocked pores on babies elbow. The moisture on elbow creates fungal infections as candidiasis. Dry, sensitive skin, and sometimes allergies may create red, itchy patches as in eczema. Other rashes like erythema toxicum-red blotches on skin, salmon patches-nest of blood vessels, mongolian spots-melanin deficiency are commonly seen in children and most of the times needs no treatment and get cured by the age.

Q How can I tell when Im ovulating?

Ovulation usually occurs 12-15 days before your period starts. So if your periods are regular, you can easily determine your ovulation period by subtracting 14 days from the expected date of the next menstrual cycle. One in 5 women experience mild abdominal cramps when they are ovulating. You can also use a basal body thermometer to check your basal body temperature which shows the lowest reading followed by a sudden rise when you ovulate. During ovulation, your cervix becomes softer and gives out more discharge (mucus) than normal. You can also buy ovulation kit available in chemist to determine your ovulation.

Q What are low-glycemic index foods?

Foods that are very slowly absorbed are said to have low glycemic index. These don~t affect blood sugar levels much.

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 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 My lips are very dry and occasionally bleeds what to do?

Lips have a thin coating of oil which prevents them from drying. However in some people this moisture is lost resulting in excessive drying. The main reasons behind this is defective hydration, excessive licking habit, in winters due to dry winds, side effect of medications. In most cases self care measures helps to resolve the issue. Self care measures include: Improving daily water intake because it is important to remain well hydrated to prevent drying of lips. Use a lip balm whenever you are outdoors. Rubbing a slice of cucumber or a milk cream on lips at night. Keep it for few minutes and then wash it of with plain water. This will help in healing of cracked lips. However a condition called as chelitis which is cracked skin at corner of lips needs medical care, as the cause is infection. In that case consultation with dermatologist is required.

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 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.