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 My 22 months old boy still has anterior fontanelle open. Is it a concern

In most cases anterior fontanelle closes between the age of 7-19 months. Delay in closure can be due to causes like premature birth, intrauterine growth retardation, downs syndrome, etc. I would suggest that you get your child examined by a pediatrician to rule any abnormality.

Q I am allergic to condom what is an alternative ?

If you are allergic to latex condom you can use polyurethane condom. Other options that you can consider is use of spermicidal gel and withdrawal method. For some the spermicidal gel that are used with condom can cause allergic reaction, hence it necessary to rule out that. If you married than you can ask your wife to start oral contraceptive pills.rnrn 

Q What is erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is a medical disorder in which male has difficulty either in getting an erection or maintaining an erection till the completion of sexual act. It can be caused due to excessive smoking or alcohol consumption, excessive physical or mental stress, diabetes, high blood pressure, ageing, side effects of certain drugs, post surgery. Treatment will depend upon the cause and include oral medication, penis pump, surgery, implants.

Q Can local honey cure seasonal allergies?

Honey contains powerful antioxidants, antiseptic and antibacterial propertise. It is said to cure some allergies particularly localised honey to that area can cure seasonal allergy as the bees feed on pollens of that area which finally form honey. At the same time there are studies showing that its effect is nothing more than a placebo.

Q Why do babies spit up?

Spitting up tends to peak at age 4 months, and most babies stop spitting up by age 12 months.nThe reason for it is babies have esophageal valve still in developing phase that means its immature yet so it results in backward flow of food. Until this valve take time to mature, spitting up may be an issue — especially if your baby eats too much or too quickly. Having food too much or hurriedly cause air to get inside babys stomach along with food. While sucking milk from breast or bottle nipple, babies engulf much amount of air too. This is then come out along with some liquid in the form of spitting. Try these tips to help your baby keep his food down: 1. Hold your baby in a fairly upright position when you feed him. 2. Try smaller, more frequent feedings. 3. Frequent burps during and after each feeding can keep air from building up in your babys stomach. 4. Try to avoid distractions or noises while feeding him, which will reduce his air intake.

Q can inhale not exhale,cough only during night feeling lack of energy

The symptom you have descrirbed may be due to pathologies related with respiratory system and the organ involved is trachea, lung or diaphragm. It may be due to an infection with bacteria or virus and it may acute or chronic. You require physical examination by a consultant to rule out the cause. A diet lacking certain nutrients can also contribute to a chronic cough. If your body has deficiency of iron, swelling and irritation in the back of your throat could be a symptom, which can lead to coughing at night. The condition is also associated with weakness many times. An iron supplement may be all you need in this case.

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 What can you tell me about Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a Mental Health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems. When you have borderline personality disorder, you often have an insecure sense of who you are. Your self-image, self-identity or sense of self often rapidly changes. You may view yourself as evil or bad, and sometimes you may feel as if you dont exist at all. An unstable self-image often leads to frequent changes in jobs, friendships, goals and values. This is because people with borderline personality disorder often have difficulty accepting gray areas; things seem to be either black or white. The common symptom of borderline personality disorder are overwhelming feelings of distress, anxiety, worthlessness or anger, difficulty managing such feelings without self-harming, for example by abusing drugs and alcohol or taking overdoses, difficulty maintaining stable and close relationships, sometimes, periods of loss of contact with reality, in some cases, threats of harm to others. Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals.

Q 22 year girl have white discharge continuously. How we can prevent it? In last 3 months, she has lost more than 10 kg weight.

Some amount of vaginal discharge is normal and is seen in most females. It is the response of body to maintain internal hygiene. However if the discharge is constant, foul smelling, causes itching, is blood stained then it is a matter to worry. Bacterial, fungal and parasitic infection of the vaginal area are common causes. It is necessary that you get yourself examined by a gynecologist. Try and maintain hygiene in the genital area. Wear loose cotton under garments. Stay well hydrated. Avoid douching and using deodorant pads and tampons.