Q whar is the meaning of ESR

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), also called a sedimentation rate or Westergren ESR, is the rate at which red blood cells sediment in a period of one hour. The ESR is increased by any cause or focus of inflammation. The ESR is increased in pregnancy, inflammation, anemia or rheumatoid arthritis, and decreased in polycythemia, sickle cell anemia, hereditary spherocytosis, and congestive heart failure.

Q Is it normal for a 12-year-old boy to play and fondle with his penis?

Its normal for kids of of all age groups to play with genitals out of curiosity about their growing body. This is seen in both boys and girls. Younger kids do it because they feel good about the way it feels. It is not harmful or abnormal in anyway. Do not get angry or reprimand your child. Try and educate them that it might lead to infection sometimes. Some kids even do it to seek attention but this is rare.

Q Having complaint of recurrent stye, occasionally painful what to do?

Bacterial infection of the eye lid causes stye. It is very common for stye to recur. Poor hygiene, blepharitis and acne rosacea increases your risk of developing stye. To prevent recurrence maintain adequate personal hygiene, take adequate treatment for underlying disorders like blepharitis or acne rosacea, if you use contact lenses make sure they are clean.

Q Hi, I only have left ovary, can I have a chance to get pregnant?

As long as your other ovary is normal and intact with its fallopian tube, you can become pregnant.

Q How soon can I use tampons after giving birth?

You should not be using tampons for at least 6 weeks after childbirth. The uterus sheds lochia during this period for which you must stick to a sanitary napkin. Tampons can easily introduce infection since the tissues of the vagina have not yet healed completely. Once the discharge of lochia has stopped and your vaginal musculature has returned back to normal, you can start using tampons.

Q I am 14 and I get chest pains whats wrong with me ?

To evaluate whats wrong with you, we need further details about nature of your pain, your gender and lifestyle. Some of the common causes of chest pain at your age could be due to acidity, stress, anxiety, prolonged cough, trauma to the chest region, etc. Chest pain due to heart disease is less likely at your age. If it is recurrent and very sever, get yourself examined.

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 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 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 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.