Q what is fever? what are the signs and symptoms of fever?

Fever or pyrexia is an elevation of body temperature above the normal range of 36.5-37.5 °C (97.7-99.5 °F). Fever is a common symptom of many medical conditions. The signs and symptoms of fever are termed as sickness behaviour which include lethargy, depression, anorexia, sleepiness, hyperalgesia, and the inability to concentrate. Additionally, local symptoms arising due to the cause of fever are usually present.

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 I have diarrhea,headaches,nausea,upset stomach,and pain. since 4 days

The symptoms you are suffering from are indicating an gastrointestinal infection by the microorganisma like bacteria or parasites. You must take the light diet and take more water to control the dehadration cuased due to diarrhoea. It may be due to certain other pathologies like appendicitis, crohns disease, intussuseption etc. It is necessary to rule out the cause and treat the diarrhoea at the early stage because dehydration may lead to life threatning complications.

Q What are the common sources of irritant contact dermatitis?

Irritant contact dermatitis is common type of contact dermatitis. It occurs when your skin is damaged by an irritant. Common sources are: chemical solvents like alcohol, turpentine, neat oils, cosmetics or skin products, deodorants, harsh soaps, detergents, cement.

Q I am suffering from knee pain?wht to do?

Knee pain has many causes like any injury, trauma, arthritis, any muscle or ligament tear, age factor, obesity, calcium deficiency etc. To rule out the cause, it is advised to consult the physician, because it may require physical examination. If it is unbearable, then you must take some medicines prescribed by the physician. Along with it, some preventive measures to get relief are - Take complete rest and protect an injured or sore area. When resting, place a small pillow under your knee. You can apply the ice or cold pack for 10 to 20 minutes, 3 or more times a day. Wear the lowest heel possible, because it may give pressure on the knee during walk. Maintain a healthy weight; it is one of the best things you can do for your knees. If the pain is very severe, you may need an surgical intervention depending on the cause and symptoms.

Q Suffering from fibromyalgia since last 12 years fade up of that now please suggest solution

We can understand your despair about your condition. Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by generalised pain, hypersensitive and painful response to pressure, joint stiffness, chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances. Also it is commonly associated with psychological disorders like depression. As it is a complex syndrome and has no specific cause, it is one of medically not fully understood syndromes, as a result there is no universally accepted permenant cure for this condition. The aim in management of it is to alleviate the pain and other associated symptoms of this condition. This include various methods that collectively will give relief from symptoms. The methods include cognitive behaviopural therapy, prescribed medicines, exercise(specially aerobic). FM is not a fatal condition and is not prograssive. So, if you maintain healthy lifestyle including exercise, eat healthy and balanced diet, get an adequate sleep, and stay away from stress and depression, it can get better over a time. Trying complemetary or alternative therapies is definitely a thing to consider. You can choose any from a variety, like Ayurveda, Homoeopathic, Accupressure or accupuncture, massage therapies, physiotherapy, herbs etc. These are proved to be effective in many such patients.

Q Can exercise trigger headache?

Yes. Exercise being a universal pathway of well being can trigger one of the common health problem-headache. Sometimes the type of activity youre doing or the way youre doing it can lessen the healing effects of exercise. Vigorous exercise is seen to cause headaches usually. This is because in exercise the blood vessels in brain becomes inflamed, these stretches the nerves within and sends shock waves causing pain. Such headaches are known as primary exertional headaches. Exertional headaches usually result in pulsating pain that lasts from five minutes to 48 hours.

Q Ear problem...heavy pain from right ear......blood is coming........dont know the reason..........problem is from childhood...

The commonest cause of pain and bleeding from the ear is a ruptured eardrum. The other probable causes are ear canal cancer or trauma to the head or ear. Please visit an ENT specialist at the earliest. Take care.

Q How do drugs affect driving?

Driving requires skills, such as information processing and psychomotor skills, which may be impaired by the use of drugs. The effect of drugs vary according to the individual, drug type, dosage, the length of time the drugs stays in your body, or if the drug has been taken with other drugs or alcohol. Drugs affect your ability to drive in different ways like - poor concentration and coordination, blurred vision, nausea, hallucinations, decrease the reaction time etc. A driver who is impaired through any drug is at risk of having an accident which may be life threatening in rare cases. And note that, driving under the influence of a drug is illegal.

Q Pericarditis develops after what?

In most the cases the cause of pericarditis is unkown. In some cases it may develop due to viral infection or after a major heart attack. Other causes include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, trauma to heart region, side effect of medications such as blood thinning medicines, etc.