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 Body too thin...some diet tips

Weight gain depends upon your diet and exercise pattern. Include calorie and protein rich foods in your diet such as eggs, chicken, fish, milk and milk products, nuts, pulses etc. Every morning have a glass of milk with honey and 2 bananas. Consume handful of mixed nuts everyday. Weight gain should be healthy and hence you should limit your intake of junk food. Instead of 3 large meals have 5-7 small meals. Join a gym and practice weight training under supervision.

Q I get angry very often. How can I control my anger?

Getting angry is normal. One needs to concentrate not on "not feeling angry" or "controlling anger" but on how to manage that anger correctly. First of all try to identify the things, people, or situations that trigger anger. You can even keep a dairy. Note the ways in which you react to these situations. Then look for alternative ways of responding to the same situations. Practice this alternative adaptive response till it becomes a part of your nature. Recognizing anger and triggers, practicing alternatives and doing this persistently with positive attitude is the key.

Q Is non-vegetarian food safe during pregnancy?

There is no harm in consuming non-vegetarian food during pregnancy. Infact eggs, chicken, fish etc are packed with nutrients which are beneficial for you as well as your baby. But care should be taken to maintain the highest standards of hygiene because non-vegetarian food is liable to become contaminated easily. Make sure you eat only well cooked non-veg food. Avoid anything that is raw or under cooked. Avoid fish which are high in mercury such as mackerel, swordfish, tuna, etc. As long as you follow these guidelines, you can safely consume non-vegetarian food.

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 My 1 year old baby is passing greenish stool after every 2 hours. I am afraid, what exactly I should do?

Your baby is suffering from enteritis which is causing diarrhea. This is quite common during the teething phase. Dehydration can cause many complications especially in an infant. So make sure that you keep giving him fluids in the form of ORS solutions available at all chemists. Since the child is passing stools so frequently, it would be prudent to visit a physician as soon as possible.

Q What are the kidneys?

Kidneys are bean shaped organ located at the back of abdominal cavity on either side of the spine. They receive their blood supply form the renal arteries and drain the blood into the renal veins. The urine form kidneys is excreted into the ureter on each side and is carried to the urinary bladder. The function of kidney is homoeostasis. It is achieved by elimination of waste products formed due to metabolism like urea, ammonia; maintenance of electrolyte balance, maintenance of acid-base balance, regulation of blood pressure, production of hormone like calcitrol, erythropoetin and enzyme renin, reabsorbtion of water, glucose and amino acids.

Q What is the true cause of trichotillomania aslo known as severe obsessive compulsive hair pulling?

The cause of trichotillomania is unclear. But like many complex disorders, trichotillomania probably results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Also, abnormalities in the natural brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine may play a role in trichotillomania. While the underlying biology is not clearly understood at this time, we do know that people with trichotillomania generally have a neurologically based predisposition to pull their hair as a self-soothing mechanism. The pulling behavior serves as a coping mechanism for anxiety and other difficult emotions. It does not hurt and they are not trying to damage themselves. While the average age of onset is 11, trich can be found in children as young as one year old. Onset of trich can be triggered by simple sensory events, such as itchy eyelashes, or by stressful life events, and it can occur quite suddenly. For example, it may be a tingling feeling that can only be relieved by pulling. ny relief that comes with hair pulling usually only lasts for a moment. The urge almost always returns. Thats because when the mind becomes used to giving in to the powerful urges that go with compulsive behaviors, the behavior is reinforced, and then becomes a habit. The mind gets trapped in a cycle of expecting to have the urge satisfied. The longer this goes on, the harder it can become to resist the urge.

Q Can people get infections from animals?

Yes. Diseases passed from animals to man are called zoonoses or zoonotic illnesses. The animals can pass some bacterial, viral and fungal infection either by direct contact or by the contamination of the food and water. They may also lead to allergic reaction in some cases. Infections from animals can be particularly dangerous to babies and young kids, pregnant women, elderly people, and people whose immune systems have been weakened by illness or disease

Q I m having a problem of white discharge. It produces skin burns on my thighs please help me

Leucorrhoea is a term used in explaining the white discharge in females. Leucorrhoea in many is normal. The burns that you have is beacuse the white discharge is acrid in nature. Probably you have an infection in your genital area which is causing you this. You should consult a gyanecologist to prescribe you medicine for the same. Along with medication see to it that you wear loose clothes, use cotton undergarments, keep the area clean and dry.