How much can I drink?
Q: I like my drink in the evening and I don’t think it does any harm to me or anyone else. However, I do not want to wind up an alcoholic. What are the safe limits? Some guidelines say one drink, some two. The exact quantity (small or large pegs) is [...]
The French dine on baguettes, cheese, pate and pastries, all washed down with plenty of wine — so why don’t they seem to get fat?
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This so-called “French paradox redux†that allows French people to eat all the “forbidden†foods and stay thin while Americans get fatter has been demystified by a new Cornell study.
Researchers found [...]
The medicines don’t seem to work :-
Q: My father has become old and forgetful. His neurologist has started him on some very expensive tablets, but there hasn’t been much improvement. We are in a quandary as to whether the treatment is worth continuing.
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It is important to remember that medications for neurological diseases in old [...]
Answers from Dr Amit De, consultant gynaecologist and obstretician, Bhagirathi Neotia Women & Child Care Centre:
Cysts in Ovaries:-
I am a 28-year-old woman married for three years. I have been trying to conceive but without success. My doctor has told me that I have polycystic ovaries. Are they cancerous? Will it be impossible [...]
Q: I am a 21-year-old girl and am very skinny even though I eat healthy and nutritious food. I do not eat junk food nor do I go in for aerated drinks. I do feel healthy, but how do I shed this scrawny look? What kind of exercises should I do?
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A BMI of around [...]
Q: I have a paunch. How can I reduce it?
A: Spot reduction of a paunch alone is not possible. You have to attempt all-round weight reduction and toning exercises. This can be done with a judicious combination of diet and exercise. Either alone will work only in the short term.
Men tend to accumulate weight [...]
Q: I am 61 years old and have a fine tremor in both my hands. The doctor says it is not Parkinson’s disease. I drink 16-20 cups of tea a day and smoke 20 cigarettes.
A: The caffeine in tea can aggravate an underlying tremor as can the nicotine in cigarettes. Try to stop both. If [...]
Trisomy, ugly nails and sedation:-
Self medication can be harmful, consult a doctor when your child is sick.
Q: My son has been diagnosed as suffering from trisomy 18. In a recent article, you said Down’s Syndrome was trisomy 21. Are the two different?
A: Chromosome 18, like chromosome 21, is prone to deletions, breakages and trisomy [...]
