Q What do you mean by Social Phobia? How it is expressed?

Social phobia is a strong fear of being judged by others, and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that person start worrying about the things he is going to do in front of others weeks before, or it may restrict him from going into public places/school/work etc. Person will have overwhelmed fear that others will judge him wrongly or make fun of him. He might be afraid of eating or drinking in front of others, using public restrooms, going in social functions, performing anything in front of a crowd etc. This may end up with staying away from such situations or completely avoiding them. For some, it is a problem only in few situations, but some may have this fear constantly. This fear can express itself in the form of difficulty in getting acknowledged with others, talking with other people, high level of self-consciousness when in public, worries excessively before weeks or days of any upcoming social function, difficulties in making friends and becoming friendly with others, physical symptoms of fear may appear like sweating, trembling, blushing, palpitations, nausea, etc.

Q What kind of diet is not advisable for when you have pain in neck and shoulder?

Unhealthy diet and lifestyle are on second rank when it come to pain in body like neck and shoulder pains. Modern food habits are actually producing harmful effect on body by promoting accumulation of toxins in body. These type of food include: chocolates, ice-creams, food containing caffeine, highly processed food, canned or preserved food specifically with MSG, junk food or fast food, food high in sodium and sugar, high fat dairy products, meat, cigarette, wine, beer or any other alcoholic drink etc. These type of food in diet put your body under constant metabolic stress and promote production and accumulation of unhealthy chemicals or toxins in your body. This combined stresses, irritate and spasms nerves and skeletal muscles resulting in pain. So, healthy way to avoid or reduce neck and shoulder pain is to eat healthy, well cooked, preferably home made and fresh food including lots of veges and fruits.

Q I am suffering from knee pain?wht to do?

Knee pain has many causes like any injury, trauma, arthritis, any muscle or ligament tear, age factor, obesity, calcium deficiency etc. To rule out the cause, it is advised to consult the physician, because it may require physical examination. If it is unbearable, then you must take some medicines prescribed by the physician. Along with it, some preventive measures to get relief are - Take complete rest and protect an injured or sore area. When resting, place a small pillow under your knee. You can apply the ice or cold pack for 10 to 20 minutes, 3 or more times a day. Wear the lowest heel possible, because it may give pressure on the knee during walk. Maintain a healthy weight; it is one of the best things you can do for your knees. If the pain is very severe, you may need an surgical intervention depending on the cause and symptoms.

Q Suffering from fibromyalgia since last 12 years fade up of that now please suggest solution

We can understand your despair about your condition. Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by generalised pain, hypersensitive and painful response to pressure, joint stiffness, chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances. Also it is commonly associated with psychological disorders like depression. As it is a complex syndrome and has no specific cause, it is one of medically not fully understood syndromes, as a result there is no universally accepted permenant cure for this condition. The aim in management of it is to alleviate the pain and other associated symptoms of this condition. This include various methods that collectively will give relief from symptoms. The methods include cognitive behaviopural therapy, prescribed medicines, exercise(specially aerobic). FM is not a fatal condition and is not prograssive. So, if you maintain healthy lifestyle including exercise, eat healthy and balanced diet, get an adequate sleep, and stay away from stress and depression, it can get better over a time. Trying complemetary or alternative therapies is definitely a thing to consider. You can choose any from a variety, like Ayurveda, Homoeopathic, Accupressure or accupuncture, massage therapies, physiotherapy, herbs etc. These are proved to be effective in many such patients.

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 Can you have a normal ECG but an abnormal chest X-ray ?

Yes. This can happen. As both the investigations serve different purposes. ECG is restricted to evaluate and diagnose heart conditions. It does not give an idea about other structures in your chest cavity. But a chest X-ray is more elaborated and preliminary examination to detect any problems inside thoracic cage. Most commonly chest X-ray is advised to see lung condition, but its scope does not limit there. A normally functioning heart with problems to other organs and spaces inside chest cavity can give normal ECG with an abnormal chest X-ray.

Q Is chlamydia only caught through sexual contact?

Chlamydia is sexually transmitted disease. And it can pass from one person to other through vaginal, anal and oral sex. However it can be transmitted to the children by their mothers at the time of birth. The disease can remain insignificant for many years in women having the infection in cervical area.

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 Whats the benefit of using condoms when we know that they are not 100 % safe ?

Unless a condom breaks or slips it is 100% effective to prevent pregnancy as well as STD. Failure of condom is generally due to its improper use, or vigorous sexual intercourse or poorly manufactured condoms. If a good brand is used with proper caution, there is very minimal chance of its failure. Also as it is said " It is better to be safe than sorry".

Q Can stress cause weigh gain? How is stress related to weight gain? How to prevent it?

Yes stress is the major cause for weight gain! People turn to food for comfort whenever they feel stressed and tend to overeat. To make it worse, often we choose junk food. So, one, we eat unnecessarily without being hungry and two, junk food means much more added calories than needed.n Over a period, the caloric imbalance leads to weight gain and eventually elevates risk of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.n Now that you know, choose healthy alternatives like an apple or roasted almonds next time you feel stressed and are tempted to eat!n Moreover, try alternate ways like going for a walk or dancing to the tunes of some soothing music. This will not only relieve stress but will give bonus benefit by burning excess calories.