[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by anku94

I feel that his fears are baseless and steroids are just a class of drugs with a particular chemical structure, which is all what I could understand of googling.
Can you provide me some info that could help allay his fears ? Thanks.

I think your father's fears are not completely baseless and unfounded, because heavy and continuous use of corticosteroid drugs does have its side-effects, and can be life-threatening at times. A healthy respect of these drugs is required, but that does not mean they have to be totally avoided. How they are used, and for how long, determines the amount of side effects, though short-term use is far less detrimental than prolonged use in heavy doses (which would have been the case when treating pemphigus).

Talk to your doctor and ask him to brief you as to what side effcts can be expected, as well as how long and in what dosage he plans to use the steroids.

Originally Posted by SDP

Any suggestions on how to stop the craving for food in general and sweets in particular?

That's a really tough thing to ask! Remove sweets completely from your diet, and the craving for food in general will go down. Expect some withdrawal symptoms for the first few days.

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by SDP

Dear Docs,
After lunch or dinner there is a strong craving for something sweet.
Any suggestions on how to stop the craving for food in general and sweets in particular?

Thanks in advance

Get a complete health check up done ASAP or get Random Blood Sugar and Lipid Profile tests done.This will throw more light on the present situation.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

That's a really tough thing to ask! Remove sweets completely from your diet, and the craving for food in general will go down. Expect some withdrawal symptoms for the first few days.

Thank you SS-Traveller. Never thought that consuming sweets itself could be a cause for the cravings. Would definitely go on a no-sweets diet and report back after a month.

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

Get a complete health check up done ASAP or get Random Blood Sugar and Lipid Profile tests done.This will throw more light on the present situation.

I typically get my blood-sugar tested at least once a year (fasting and post). The results till a few months back have been unremarkable. But would get a fresh test done soon. Thanks Silverwood for the help.

[amitoj]

Experts, what is your opinion about saving cord blood during childbirth? Is it absolutely safe and is it worth the investment?
I've read that in India, the extent to which it can be used to cure diseases is very limited.
Also, there are some reports that the process of collecting the cord blood deprives the baby of some essential blood during birth. That is, that the process is not completely harmless for the baby.
Also, later on if the family is out of the country, how can they avail of the saved cord blood?

[anku94]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Talk to your doctor and ask him to brief you as to what side effcts can be expected, as well as how long and in what dosage he plans to use the steroids.

Will make him read this. Thanks a lot doc !

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Experts, what is your opinion about saving cord blood during childbirth? Is it absolutely safe and is it worth the investment?
I've read that in India, the extent to which it can be used to cure diseases is very limited.
Also, there are some reports that the process of collecting the cord blood deprives the baby of some essential blood during birth. That is, that the process is not completely harmless for the baby.
Also, later on if the family is out of the country, how can they avail of the saved cord blood?

Cord blood collection happens after the umbilical cord has been cut and is extracted from the fetal end of the cord, diverting up to 75 +/- 23 mL from the neonate. It is usually done within 10 minutes of giving birth.

Cord blood cells are currently used to treat blood and immune system related genetic diseases, cancers, and blood disorders.

In India,we do not have specific regulations pertaining to cord blood banking unlike US where FDA regulates cord blood under the category of “Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue Based-Products.”

I think one should invest in cord blood banking if one has a family history of Immunological related disorders.

[Eddy]

Amitoj: Most of the companies promise you a free worldwide delivery of the cord blood cells in case you need it (God forbid)

[Wolfheart]

Originally Posted by SDP

Dear Docs,
I am in my late 30s and I am worried that I am overeating. There has been a increase in weight (may be 3-4 KG) and waist size since last year or so. Initially it was more of self-pity when one meal is delayed that I used to overeat at the next opportunity. But nowadays, eating has become like a 'timepass'. Whenever I have nothing to do, I tend to search for something to eat. After lunch or dinner there is a strong craving for something sweet.
Any suggestions on how to stop the craving for food in general and sweets in particular?

Thanks in advance

If you want to lose weight keep snacking on healthy foods. Get rid of all the sweets from your fridge and stock it with fresh fruits. Nothing like a nice juicy apple when you crave something sweet. Keep munching on whole grain crackers, salad sticks or make yourself a glass of fresh fruit juice. You could also replace sugary aerated drings with fresh lime soda (use honey instead of sugar) or brew yourself some green tea with honey. It's a bit difficult initially but once you develop a habit for healthy foods just watch those inches disappear magically!!

[drsnt]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Experts, what is your opinion about saving cord blood during childbirth? Is it absolutely safe and is it worth the investment?
I've read that in India, the extent to which it can be used to cure diseases is very limited.
Also, there are some reports that the process of collecting the cord blood deprives the baby of some essential blood during birth. That is, that the process is not completely harmless for the baby.
Also, later on if the family is out of the country, how can they avail of the saved cord blood?

If you can afford you should invest in Cord blood cell preservation, your fears about the blood deprivation of the child are unfounded. You can go to various companies web site for details of disease which can be cured by this. there are 3 companies in India Life cell, reli cord and forgot the 3rd name.
Think of this as a investment against some disease for your child and many a times for your siblings also if blood match is there.
I know a case a child was saved by his brothers Cord Blood cells suffering from aplastic anemia else he would have gone for bone marrow transplantation and a very costly and painful procedure.

I have got it done for my kid and so if you can, get it done

[searchingheaven]

Hello all, i have a small query here. My father, 51 years of age is diabetic and has high BP. He is also overweight<100kg>. I want to ask if fig is good for his health or not. I have read reports ranging from fig being healthy to harmful on the net. But i am not satisfied and would like to ask the doctors here for a satisfying answer. Also i would like to know the correct diet for him considering the fact that he has BP, diabetes and extra weight. Lately he has been concerned too much about his weight and so is eating much less, which is taking a stress on him. So please advice a good diet for him{or atleast what to take and what will be harmful}.

[vsh]

hi
i have a problem which might be related to CLUTCH. i am experiencing some sort of inner pain in my left knee since 2-3 months. i dont know how to express it in words. it is some sort of inner pain. i dont feel any pain while driving, while pressing clutch but it surfaces simply when i walk that too only few times. i consulted my family doctor and he said it has got nothing to do with pressing the CLUTCH. he said there is lack of some*** which is required for some sort of oil bags in the knee. he has given me tablets named something like lubrijoint or so.
is it really really related to driving(pressing clutch)? i own a swift dzire vdi since 2 years and has completed 80000km. but only it is self driven around 25000km.
please guide me.

[amitoj]

Silverwood, Eddy, drsnt: Thanks for the replies. Sorry about the late reply.
We decided to go with Cryosave, since they were able to answer all our queries to our satisfaction.

[BoneCollector]

Hi everyone,
I'm an Orthopaedic surgeon. Feel free to contact me for any queries.
Regards

[carfreak]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Hi everyone,
I'm an Orthopaedic surgeon. Feel free to contact me for any queries.
Regards

Trained in Manipal?if sos which batch you joined pg?

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by carfreak

Trained in Manipal?if sos which batch you joined pg?

99 batch MBBS
2006 batch Ortho