Q What tips do you have for someone with Social Anxiety?

At first, being social when youre feeling anxious is challenging. As difficult or painful as it may seem initially, dont avoid situations that trigger your symptoms. By regularly facing these kinds of situations, youll continue to build and reinforce your coping skills. The following techniques can help you begin to face situations that make you nervous: Prepare for conversation. For instance, read the newspaper to identify an interesting story you can talk about. 1. Focus on personal qualities you like about yourself. 2. Practice relaxation exercises. 3. Adopt stress management techniques. 4. Set realistic goals. 5. Pay attention to how often the embarrassing situations youre afraid of actually take place. You may notice that the scenarios you fear usually dont come to pass. 6. When embarrassing situations do happen, remind yourself that your feelings will pass, and you can handle them until they do. 7. Develop coping skills- Hang out with people whom with you feel comfortable, Joining a group that offers opportunities to improve communication and public speaking skills, remind yourself that you can get through anxious moments, that your anxiety is short-lived. 8. Take good sleep and healthy diet. Psychiatric counselling and medicine helps to deal with anxiety. Finally positive thinking and building self-confidence is the key to fight against your anxiety. Be confident. All the best.

Q How fast are calories absorbed?

The calories absorption depends on the physical and mental well being of the person. It also depends on the age, sex, occupation, environmental factors etc. It varies from person to person. Some one doing heavy physical work spend the calories early than other one who does relax work in the office.

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 My underarms have become dark. I wax regularly and don~t use any hair removal creams. Can you please suggest something?

Excessive sweating is the main cause of dark underarms. Make sure not to keep the underarm hair too long. Wax your underarms every 15 days. Tight clothes may cause excess sweating and affect the area. Friction can darken the underarm skin too. So, avoid wearing tight clothes as far as possible.n Gently exfoliate the underarm skin every week to remove the top layer of dead skin cells, which can cause darkening. To reduce darkening, scrub underarms daily with pumice stone while taking shower. Waxing removes hair from the roots and dead cells from armpits. Thus usually it does not darken underarms.

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 How to care for newly erupting teeth in babies?

Unlike the belief that teeth should be cared for after the first birthday, dental care for kids begins much before the eruption of first tooth. Wipe babys gums daily gently using a damp clean cloth to keep it clean and germ-free.n Try brushing your kids teeth as they erupt using plain water. For kids about 2 years of age, brush the teeth using very tiny amount of tooth paste. Teach the kid to spit.n Don~t be shocked to learn that babies do develop tooth decay in absence of good feeding habits. Do not put baby to sleep with a bottle. Milk left for prolonged time on teeth eats away the enamel leading to discolouration and pitting of front teeth and even cavities. Some babies have neonatal tooth. Consult the dentist if you see one.

Q Who should I consult to help my child if I am concerned about their mental, behavioral, or emotional symptoms?

You should consult a pediatric psychologist or child counselor to solve problems related to your childs mental, behavioral and emotional symptoms.

Q Whats causing my palpitations and how can I get rid of them?

The causes for palpitations are - strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, or stress; palpitations often occur during panic attacks; caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal street drugs such as cocaine; some medical conditions, including thyroid disease, a low blood sugar level, anemia, low blood pressure, fever, and dehydration; hormone changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy or menopause etc. In most cases, palpitations are found to be harmless and often go away on their own. Treatment depends on the cause of your palpitations. Some lifestyle changes like exercise and yoga and quitting smoking and alcohol help a lot.

Q How old are you when you have wet dreams?

Wet dreams also called as noctural emission are common during adolesence or early young adult years but they may start anytime after puberty. In males puberty is complete by the age of 15-17.

Q When do most girls start shaving their underarms?

It is completely a matter of personal choice and clothing preferences. You may start as soon as you notice a lot of hair growth. Most girls start doing around the onset of their first menstrual period.