DENTAL
Dr. Hufrish Suraliwala BDS Consultant Dental Surgeon answers
the following query.
Q. A reader (19 yrs) brushes her teeth regularly and takes
care of her teeth more than anything else but still has problems
like cavities, bleeding gums. She wants to know what should
she do?
Ans. You need to maintain scrupulous oral hygiene to prevent
cavities & bleeding gums. Brush your teeth at least twice
a day with fluoridated toothpaste & use a fluoridated
mouthwash. Floss your teeth daily. You need to visit your
dentist once in 6 months for a regular check-up. For your
bleeding gums you may require to get your teeth cleaned by
a dentist. In the meantime you can aslo use PEPSODENT G toothpaste,
which shows excellent results for bleeding gums. Also mix
20-volume hydrogen peroxide in equal quantity of warm water
& rinse your mouth with it
NUTIRTION
Dr. Hemraj B Chandalia, MD,
FACP Director, Diabetes Endocrine Nutrition Management and
Research Centre Mumbai, answers the following query.
Q Kavita 23years old has very small breasts. Can you please
suggest a permanent remedy, rather than operation, or silicon
bag implant, as they are too expensive and not affordable?
Ans:
Kavita, 23 years old thinks she has small breasts. She
is reluctant to undergo silicone implantation, which I think
is a wise approach. If you are undernourished, the fat around
the breast is reduced, thus making them appear small. In that
case a 4-5 kg weight gain will help you. It will be good to
take extra exercise of pectoral muscles (muscles underlying
the breasts), which would increase prominence of breasts.
These exercise are simple and can be done with the help of
chest expander (springs or tubes) or Ladies Bullworker. If
your periods are normal, you are not likely to have any estrogen
deficiency. If not, estrogen supplements will augment the
breast size. However, this should only be done if really necessary
and under endocrinologist's supervision.
Q Abhishek-(5ft 4in tall boy of 20yrs) want to know whether
I can increase my height. I would like to know about the drugs
or any other orthopaedic treatment that is currently available
in the medical field.
Ans:
Boys generally experience a growth spurt at the onset of puberty
(around 13-15 years). They continue to grow for another 3-4
years. Growth ceases once sexual maturity is achieved. Most
males are expected to have completed their growth by 18 years.
No medical therapy is available to increase the height thereafter.
Orthopaedic surgeons carry out a bone lengthening procedure
in children with bony deformities. However, I doubt anyone
would do this procedure for a 20 year old to increase his
height
CHILD CARE
Dr. Mukesh Sanklecha M.D. [Pediatrics]
D.C.H.D.N.B. [Pediatrics] answers the following query.
Q. A two and a half-year-old kid is suffering from regular
cold. Doctor has said that he has an allergy to chocolates.
How should the parents avoid giving him chocolates and stop
his tantrums?
Ans.
This could be either an allergy to the chocolate itself or to
some other substance in the chocolate. It could be due to the
colouring agent used in coating the chocolate as in gems and
smarties or it could be an allergy to the nuts in the bar. Try
and use plain milk chocolates. Avoid flavours such as mint chocolates.
We have blood tests now available to pinpoint the exact nature
of the allergy. Keeping children off chocolates is a losing
battle for the parents. The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.
So do not openly deny it to your child. Make it subtle. Reduce
the availability and the visibility of the bar at home and in
the refrigerator. Discourage guests from bringing chocolates
as gifts. Never offer a chocolate as a bribe or as a reward.
Show him friends who have needed painful dental treatment. Also
ensure that he brushes his teeth or at least gargles after his
'chocolate sessions'. It is also better for the teeth to eat
all the chocolate in one go rather than spread it through the
day. Most children outgrow the chocolate habit sooner or later
STAMMERING
Dr. Rajesh Patadia Audiologist &
Speech Therapist P.D. Hinduja National Hospital & Medical
Research Centre answers the following query.
Q. Sanjeev Kumar wants to know if is there any medical treatment
and a permanent solution for stammering.
Ans.
Stammering can be permanently cured by Speech Therapy. The primary
cause of Stammering is a rhythm disorder with other associated
factors, which are situational fear, word fear, anxiety, etc.
Speech therapy trains a person in communicating fluently. By
speech therapy a patient is counseled and exercises are given
to improve rate and rhythm of speech.
SKIN & HAIR
Leading dermatologist and consultant
to Jaslok Hospital, Dr Malvika Kohli answers the following queries.
Q. Puneet, 19 yrs, has some post-pimple marks and have
used many creams but to no effect. He also has some dark pouches
under his eyes and wrinkles too. Please suggest some quick
reliever.
Ans.
Puneet, marks left on the skin due to acne can be of various
types such as discolouration of the skin, superficial pits
and deep pits. There is a wide range of treatments available
for marks. The therapy depends on the type of marks and can
be used alone or in combination - chemical peels, microdermabrasion
and laser application of Tretinoic acid alone may not be sufficient
and needs to be applied for a long period of time to show
results. Dark pouches and wrinkles in the under eye are usually
genetically inherited. They become more prominent if the skin
in the under eye area is very thin and dry. Repeated rubbing
of the eyes, eye fatigue due to excessive use of computer
or watching too much TV, lack of sleep, all leads to aggravation
of peri-orbital puffiness & darkening, therefore avoid
the above. Moisturize the under-eye area with something natural
as aloe-vera gel and drink enough fluids during the day, which
also helps to keep the area naturally supple.
Q. Hasib (26yrs) has a problem of falling of hair strands
in large numbers especially during taking a bath, oiling and
combing. This has been happening since past one year. The
hairline is not receding but the density of hair has substantially
reduced. Kindly advice.
Ans:
Hair goes through natural cycles of growth and fall known
anagen and telogen phase. Sometimes, the telogen phase gets
prolonged known as effluvium, which can be due to physical
stress or illness such as typhoid, malaria. Post-pregnancy
or intense emotional stress. Deficiency of dietary essentials
such as proteins, iron and vitamins also effect hair. Therefore,
consume sufficient amount of protein - (dals, egg, fish, chicken,
milk, paneer) salads, fruits, green vegetables etc. in your
diet. Avoid excessive colouring [heena and dye] or blow-drying
of hair as it can lead to dry, brittle hair, which break on
handling. Other causes can be hormonal imbalance and some
medicines can also cause hairfall. Take a good supplement
of iron, folic acid and multivitamin and apply 5% minoxidil
lotion 1ml twice daily for at least 3 months.
Q. Neelesh, 22 years old, is having hair-loss with dandruff
over a long period of time. He would like to know if hair
recovery is possible.
Ans.
Hair loss can be associated with excessive dandruff. However
superficial loss of hair over 10 days is acute hair loss.
The scalp should also be examined carefully to rule out any
fungal infection and treated if present. If the dandruff is
very severe, scaly and adherent to the scalp it may be a form
of Seborrheic Dermatitis, which needs to be treated as well.
The treatment should be aimed at the cause and recovery of
hair does occur once the original condition is under control.
For faster growth of hair 1ml of 2% or 5% Minoxidil lotion
can be applied twice daily. A multivitamin and iron supplement
along with a diet rich in proteins aids the recovery.
Q. Nita has problem in wearing imitation jewellery even
for few hours as she gets rashes on her skin. Please suggest
some treatment, or should she get her ears pierced again.
Ans.
Nita has a very common problem known as Allergic Contact Dermatitis.
It is a form of allergy in which contact of certain metals
on the skin elicits a reaction in the form of itching, redness
or a rash. Once you are sensitized problem may appear within
30mins to a few hours.
It is usually Nickel present in imitation jewelry, which causes
the reaction. However, on an already irritated skin any metal
including gold and silver can behave as sensitizers. To avoid
this irritation, jewellery should be worn for a very short
period of time and over a barrier cream. A barrier cream containing
Dimethicone should be applied on the skin as it provides cover
to the skin, thus avoiding direct contact of the metal. If
the area is red and irritated avoid wearing any jewellery
till the skin heals. Getting the ears pierced at a different
place will not be of any use, as the same tendency will persist
Q Abhishek, 18yrs., has a very dark complexion and his problem
is that he sweats constantly. Even after taking a bath he starts
sweating profusely within 5 mins. He wants to know the reason
and remedy for the same.
Ans
Abhishek, dark complexion could be inherited or excessive tanning
could make the complexion appear darker than it is. A sunscreen
with a SPF of atleast 25 should be applied 20 mins before expected
exposure to sun especially between 9am and 4pm. This will protect
the skin from further tanning. If it is genetic there is little
that can be done. If the skin was fair to begin with and now
turning darker in unexpected areas as well such as chest and
back then one must get a full examination done to rule out any
hormonal imbalance.
Excessive sweating also known as Hyperhidioxis is usually constitutional.
It tends to be more severe on the palms and soles. Remedial
measures are aimed at decreasing sweating would be using a deodorant,
wearing loose cotton clothes which help in better absorption
and evaporation of the sweat respectively. Thyroid disorder
may sometimes cause excessive sweating which should be ruled
out by a doctor. There are other more severe methods such as
excision of the sweat glands but are seldom done and even if
done are not very successful with a high rate of relapse.
GENERAL
Dr Hemant Thacker - leading consulting
physician and cardiologist at Jaslok, Breach Candy and Bhatia
hospital answers the following query.
Q. Mayur, 22 yrs old. Has some serious doubts regarding
the consumption of supplement which body builders use (eg:
imported product) whey protein, creatine, cuts II etc. He
has heard that these supplements have adverse effects in long
run like liver failure, kidney failure, etc. He wants a d
etailed information regarding the effects & side effects
of consumption of supplements.
Ans:
At the outset one needs to ascertain the specific contents
of the different preparations that are available. The intake
of steroids especially the anabolic variety may produce express
muscle development but are extremely harmful in the long run
since they affect the endocrine physiology. But the same token
the protein constituents of each supplement vary and an overload
of amino acids can be toxic to the kidney. It is impossible
to enlist the pro and cons of different supplements. Each
composition has to be seen in it's individual merits. Of course
the medical and exercise profile of the winnable body builder
is equally important because the decision to indulge or not
and if yes, in which supplement, is very personalized.
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