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 Does smoking can lower sperm count?

Apart from the other major side effects of smoking, prolonged smoking can affect sperms. The effect is seen on the quantity as well as quality. Smoking can decrease the motitlity of the sperms. So if you are worried that your chance of being a father will be blown away with the puff then it is the right time either to reduce or quit smoking.

Q Are condoms 100% effective?

No condom can be effective in preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) 100% of the times.n Condoms fail to provide protection sometimes from infections spreading from sores on the skin uncovered by a condom, for eg. at the base of the penis or scrotum. But a properly used condom can protect against STDs better than anything else. Some factors to consider in order to ensure the efficacy of condom are: check date of expiry, use latex, keep them away from heat, use water-based condoms, open carefully to avoid tearing, remove holding at the base of penis, choose condom with reservoir tip to hold semen after ejaculation. Consult a doctor if the condom breaks or slips off. Although not 100 % perfect, condoms are the best way of protection if one is going to have sex.

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 am 43 year old man and my wife 41 year we have 4 year and 6 month daughter. We are very confused whether to go for second child as my only daughter feels very lonely. Can you advice?

First, determine whether you and your wife are physically, mentally and financially ready to have a second child. It is definitely possible to conceive at this age; however there are many factors that you should take into account before arriving at a decision. A womans fertility decreases drastically in her forties so there is a major possibility that your wife may have to use donor eggs to achieve pregnancy. The risk of complications during pregnancy such as diabetes and high blood pressure increases. Moreover, there are higher chances of premature and still births. You may need to use assisted reproductive techniques thus escalating costs. I am not trying to discourage you, but giving you the facts. On the other hand, some women do get pregnant well into their 40s, and many of them have complication-free pregnancies and healthy babies. Both of you should make an informed decision after knowing all the pros and cons. For any further clarification, visit a gynaecologist who will brief you about all available options. Do consider the possibility of adoption too.

Q What is juvenile diabetes?

Type-I diabetes in children is called as juvenile diabetes. Here pancrease fails to produce insulin needed for digesting sugar and thus insulin replacement is required.

Q What are low-glycemic index foods?

Foods that are very slowly absorbed are said to have low glycemic index. These don~t affect blood sugar levels much.

Q What is Bulimia? What are the causes of the same?

It is a type of eating disorder. A person with bulimia eats a lot of food in a short amount of time and then tries to prevent weight gain by getting rid of the food either by vomiting or with the help of laxatives. The causes for the disease include - family history, any mental illness or stress, cultural factor etc.

Q 10 months baby having hiccup 6 or 7 times per day

Some of the common causes of hiccup in baby are reflux disorder, cold temperature, breastfeeding. You need not worry unless the hiccups affects your babys sleep or feeding.rnrn 

Q Why do people lie pathologically?

There are many reasons people lie pathologically. It could be from family abuse (covering up or lying so they arent beaten.) It can be immaturity (afraid of the world in general) or it can simply be the person doesnt think they rank high on the ladder of life and make up stories to make themselves look better to others, or because they want sympathy or attention that they are not getting. There are just too many reasons.