Q Sir, what is severe eccentric mitral regurgitation which my wife has got in the recent echocardiogram...??

Human heart has four chambers. Between each chambers there are flaps which prevent back flow of blood. Mitral valve is one such flap that is present between left atrium and ventricle. Mitral regurgitation means that mitral valve is not functioning adequately and causing back flow or leakage of blood from left ventricle into the left atrium. Mitral valve prolapse is one the most common cause for this. You must get your wife examined by a cardiologist at the earliest.

Q What is pelvic floor muscle dysfunction?

Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction is a condition in which the muscles of the pelvic floor shows disability to work as they should be. Factors such as being over weight, pregnancy, menopause, disorder of the nerves in the pelvic region can lead to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Treatment will be determined by the underlying cause.

Q hi, My husband underwent piles surgery on last tuesday and was there in hospital for 2 more days. He got discharged yesterday(thursday). but he is having great problem in passing the stools. He almost faints and become soo weak after going to bathroom. He is havings sitz bath, applying cream and taking tablets also. But still the problem exists. Please help and tell us how can he reduce pain while passing the stool.

He will have the pain and difficulty for more 3-4 days. You have to give him more liquid diet and water which will ease the stool formation and relieve the pain. Give him more fibre containing food to prevent the constipation. Take the medicines regularly as prescribed. Give him a glass of buttermilk or a small bowl of yogurt everyday proper digestion of the food. Let him do some exercise for about 30 min a day regularly like walking, cycling or swimming etc after the recovery. Avoid the alcohol and smoking. If the problem persists longer, then consult the surgeon.

Q My child drank one full bottle of cough syrup. He has some reactions like swelling on body and face, please advise what to do .

Your child has had an overdose of medication. Rush to the hospital immediately along with the bottle. Any delay can compromise the health of the child.

Q When is herpes contagious? I have not had an outbreak of genital herpes in years but i do take valtrex if i feel an outbreak may be coming on. If i take valtrex as needed and i do not have an outbreak, am i still contagious?

Genital herpes is the most contagious when the lesions are active and a few days before that. However, an infected person can potentially be shedding the virus all his life. Since, the virus is spread by direct skin to skin contact, it is very easy to spread it through intercourse or oral sex. Thus, protect your partner by always using a condom.

Q Can stress and anxiety cause rash?

Yes. Corelation between the mind and the skin has long been established. Stress and anxiety can cause skin rashes (urticaria/hives) in some people. Additionally, stress can also worsen certain skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Q What kind of diet is not advisable for when you have pain in neck and shoulder?

Unhealthy diet and lifestyle are on second rank when it come to pain in body like neck and shoulder pains. Modern food habits are actually producing harmful effect on body by promoting accumulation of toxins in body. These type of food include: chocolates, ice-creams, food containing caffeine, highly processed food, canned or preserved food specifically with MSG, junk food or fast food, food high in sodium and sugar, high fat dairy products, meat, cigarette, wine, beer or any other alcoholic drink etc. These type of food in diet put your body under constant metabolic stress and promote production and accumulation of unhealthy chemicals or toxins in your body. This combined stresses, irritate and spasms nerves and skeletal muscles resulting in pain. So, healthy way to avoid or reduce neck and shoulder pain is to eat healthy, well cooked, preferably home made and fresh food including lots of veges and fruits.

Q Is it possible to raise your IQ?

Intelligence is mostly hereditary. Intellectual ability grows until about age 16, and after that changes very little. Practicing various skills which are tested on IQ tests will increase your IQ score some, but it is not likely to increase your intelligence. Intelligence is basically the abilities to learn, to reason, to remember, to think abstractly, to problem-solve, etc. These abilities are very difficult to improve once you are an adult, though you may improve specific skills. E.g. you can improve basic mathematical skills by practicing them often and learning certain mathematical shortcuts, or you can learn to read faster by pushing your reading speed and learning to scan for meaning. Generally, the best way to improve your performance in specific work tasks is to do those tasks a lot. When you do that, you gradually learn the best possible techniques to efficiently and accurately complete that work, in the minimum necessary amount of time.

Q Are cigars less detrimental to health than cigarettes?

"No. Cigars arent less harmful than cigarettes in any way. Rather they contain more carcinogenic tars, which make them worse than cigarettes. Moreover, when one smokes stogy, excess nicotine and carcinogens are inhaled through the mouth, which could cause dental problems,lung diseases, and cancers.
The reason behind the false repute of cigar being less harmul might be that generally cigar smokers are "occasional" users, and while puffing, most of them don~t inhale the smoke into their lungs. Stay away from cigarettes, cigars, pipes etc if you want to live healthy."

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.