MEDICAL HEALTH

My husband is quite fat and though I have started to serve him nutritious food since the past four months, he still feels out of breath any time he climbs stairs or carries heavy loads. We also go for evening walks daily. My brother-in-law recently suffered from a minor heart attack and I am worried my husband will face the same situation. What else can I do to ensure that he eats healthy and has a healthy life?
–Anu Lama

Dear Anu, like most wives, you seem to be pretty conscious about your husband's health. Having a family history of premature heart attack is a major risk factor and your husband should take care of preventable risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels. I hope he is not smoking!

He should see a dietician and try to reduce weight. It's a good idea to see a physician and have some basic cardiac tests done like ECG, echo and a stress test. If all these tests are normal, he should rule out a chest problem by doing a chest x-ray and a lung test. As per the physician's advice, he should also do adequate exercises.

Remember, gross obesity itself can produce the symptoms which you are describing. So he should try to achieve an optimal weight which is approximately 100 less than height in cm (in kilos). Loosing weight needs a lot of determination and strong family support. Also make him avoid all sweets and fatty food. He should completely avoid alcohol and dinners outside. Serve him homemade healthy soup and salads.


Dr Neil Pande, Dental Surgeon at Healthy Smiles, will answer all your teeth queries.
Send your queries to him at neil@smilenepal.com

Q&A TEETH
with Dr Neil Pande

My 17-year-old grandson often complains about his gums bleeding. He says that though the bleeding is light, it happens about four times a week and often his gums are lightly swollen. He has not visited a dentist yet. What do you think is the problem?–Kapil Basnet


Gingivitis, inflammation of the gums, or Periodontitis, an advanced form may be the problem he is suffering from. The cause of this could be many and need to be ruled out by a dentist one by one. Juvenile Periodontitis could be one such form and could be aggressive in its progression causing lot of bone loss. He must visit the dentist at once and if required, need to be seen by a Periodontist, a gum specialist.



Dr Bharat Rawat, Executive Director and Consultant Cardiologist at the Norvic International Hospital, will answer all your heart queries.
Send your queries to him at drrawat@norvic.wlink.com.np

Q&A HOMOEOPATHY
with Dr Ruchi Saxena Dhakal

I want to get rid of my skin marks and freckles. Does homeopathy have any remedy?
–Minna Manadhar

Some skins are sensitive and every injury heals with a mark. Thus, to treat the marks, overall health of the skin also needs to be treated to prevent recurrence of these marks. There are some good homoeopathic remedies such as Berberis Aquafolia to treat the marks left after pimples. Freckles, on the other hand, are often genetic and often warn one to watch out for occurrence of skin cancers. Wearing a sunscreen should be compulsory when out in the sun. Also wearing a hat or walking under an umbrella can help.

There are some very good remedies, but cannot be prescribed randomly. An overall assessment of the nature of the spots and the health of the skin along with your physical and mental constitution are required to prevent freckles from forming and also treating skin for tendencies towards diseases of sun sensitivity.