Q What is oppositional defiant disorder?

Oppositional defiant disorder is mental condition seen in children. It is characterized by non co-operative behavior, disobedience, anger and annoying behavior towards any one in authoritative position. A child with oppositional defiant disorder will get angry easily, show temper tantrums, will not obey rules, annoy people deliberately, argue with person in authority, etc.

Q My 11 years old girl used to get sick 5-6 times a year, most probably its flu or cold or sore throat with a high fever although she is a swimmer, she swims 2-3 kilos daily, shall I think about reducing her swimming or how can I improve immunity?

I would recommend that she should continue swimming because it will help her to build immunity. Ask her to avoid swimming on the days when she is ill. Apart from this make sure she has a well balanced diet, adequate hydration and regular sleep for 7-9 hours. Also if the incidence of her falling ill has started after she started to swim than you should consider changing the place where she swims and see if there is any difference in her frequency of falling ill.

Q I am 30 years old divorcee. My son is very disturbed after our divorce. He remains sad most of the time and gets angry very quickly. What should I do to help him?

Separation of parents is always tough to deal with for kids. Kids are very attached to both the parents and react to the divorce with either feeling anxious, insecure, angry, or sad. It may result in trouble coping at school, social withdrawal, aggression, and other social problems. Parents should help kids to deal with this separation by talking to them about their feelings. Reassurance plays an important role. Tell him that it will not affect the way you love him. Try to make him feel secured. Make sure not to display anger and resentment between you and your ex-partner in front of your kid. Let some time pass by. With time and support from parent, Kids adjust healthily to divorce. If your kid~s behavior remains same, then do seek professional help.

Q Does stress really cause heart disease?

Stress is a normal part of life. But if left unmanaged, stress can lead to psychological and physical complaints. Stress by itself does not cause heart disease but it increases the risk of developing heart disease. Stress is known causative factor for hypertension, high cholesterol levels, binge eating, alcohol abuse, excessive smoking. All these in turn can lead to heart disease.

Q I am 69 year old, my hands start trembling whenever I am writing any thing which medicine should I take? what is parkinsons disease?

Trembling or shaking of hands is called as tremors. There are variety of tremors found and so variety of causes are there for its occurance. If you are suufering from tremors only when you write something, then these can be: Intentional tremors that occur at the end of any purposeful movements, Cerebellar tremors represented as intetional tremors, postural tremor that occur in particular posture of hand or leg against gravity, benign essential tremors occuring at older age and are inherited from family, tremors due to increased thyroid functioning, tremors due to reduced blood sugar levels, tremors as a result of alohol withdrawal or due to alcohol consumption, it can be a side effect of certain medicines, or it can be a task specific tremors. To prescribe you any medicines, it is necessary to evaluate your symptoms in more detailed way including evaluation by physical examination, which will be best achieved if you see your physician or a neurologist. Perkinsons disease is a degenerative disorder of central nervous system, where brain cells and nervous tissue undergo degeneration, resulting in dopamine deficiency in a patient. If you are trying to link your tremors with parkinsons, then the main differentiating point is parkinsons tremors are observed at rest and not at the time of movements. Further evaluation is needed for proper management.

Q Will having sex during pregnancy harm my baby?

If you have an absolutely normal pregnancy, you can safely have sex between the 3rd to 8th month. However, if you have any risk factors or complications like spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy, abdominal pains or cramps, broken waters, a history of cervical weakness, a low-lying placenta ( placenta praevia), a history of miscarriage or a twin pregnancy, its best to avoid intercourse. Your gynaecologist is the right person to advise regarding the safety of intercourse keeping your pregnancy (whether normal or risky) in mind.

Q Do men suffer from menopause like women?

The phase of life similar to menopause is called as andropause in men. It is marked by lethargy, sadness, weariness, lack of drive, irritability, poor concentration and sometimes loss of sexual desire in middle-aged men. This leads to boredom, lack of fitness, heavy drinking and lack of self-esteem.n Though, male menopause is controversial, as there isn~t any calculable fall in the levels of male hormones in middle age like females have fall in sex hormones drastically, yet it is advised that men experiencing the symptoms should exercise regularly and eat healthy, nurture a hobby, and have a peaceful mind and renew interest in life.

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 What triggers hormonal migraines in women?

The hormonal migraines are also known as menstrual migraines in females. The cause of headache is due to sudden drop of estrogen levels. This may happen during menstrual period, in menopause, due to sudden stopping of oral contraceptive pills and in pregnancy during first few weeks.

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.