Q: I put on weight after delivery and now my underarms smell very pungent. Even I cannot bear it. What do I do?

A: Weight gain causes increased sweating. Also, because of the new born baby, you may not be turning on the fan or you may be keeping the room closed. This will increase the smell. To reduce it, you need to remove all the hair from your underarms. Also, bathe twice a day using a scrubber. Apply deodorant or body spray to the armpits after your bath.

Costly smoke

Q: I have a lot of stress in my work and I end up smoking 20-30 cigarettes a day. I smoke only the really expensive filter cigarettes, I never use the cheap brands people on the roads smoke. My two children have been pestering me to quit. Do expensive filtered cigarettes have the same bad effects as the cheaper ones?

A: The answer is a resounding yes. They have the same cancer-causing chemicals. You are in danger of not only cancer, but of becoming breathless as a result of chronic obstructive airways disease, developing hypertension and blocked arteries. Your teeth will also rot and your breath smell bad. Even worse, your children are in danger as they are exposed to second hand smoke.

Losing weight

Q: I am 17 years old and have been steadily losing weight over the last year. My BMI used to be 25 and now it is 17. I look like a bag of bones. I am hungry all the time. I also get very angry with everyone. My hands shake frequently. Do I need a tonic?

A: Before you take a “tonic” or try to fatten yourself up, you need to see a physician to determine if you have diabetes or a hyper functioning thyroid. Both can produce the symptoms you have described. If either problem is diagnosed, correcting the problem will make you automatically gain weight.

Painful feet

Q: I have pain on the sole of my foot when I place it on the ground. I got an an X-ray done and the doctor told me I had extra calcifications on the sole of my foot. He wants to do a surgery but I am afraid.

A: It looks like you have a calcaneal “spur”, an extra calcified growth, on the sole of the foot. You could try soaking the foot in hot salted water morning and evening for 10 minutes. Never put your bare foot on the ground. Wear soft soled slippers inside and outside the house. Opt for physiotherapy. Sometimes, after a week or 10 days of treatment the pain goes away. Try to lose weight if your BMI is above 23. If none of this works, a local injection or surgery is your only option.

Diabetes fast

Q: I have diabetes but unlike others, whose sugars are always high, mine varies from 302 to 60. When it drops I feel giddy and faint. I don’t understand it as I fast two days a week.

A: If you have diabetes, you cannot fast. You need to eat the same quantity of food at the same time every day. Your exercise should also be constant. The doctor fixes the dose of insulin or the tablets based on your intake, exercise and blood sugar values. If you fast one day, do not exercise the next and continue to take the same dose of medication, your sugar level can fluctuate dangerously.

Mango woes

Q: I recently saw a hawker selling some ripe yellow mangoes. He told me it was an “unseasonal hybrid.” I believed him and bought some. I ate two and then vomited more than six times.

A: Fruits can be artificially ripened using calcium carbide. The fruit appears appealing and yellow, but it is less sweet than naturally ripened fruits and more acidic. Side effects are vomiting and diarrhoea. You should recover in 24 hours. Stay on a diet of khichdi for that time and eat it in small quantities frequently, say two tablespoons every hour.

Too thin

Q: My wife is 65 years old, 155cm tall and weighs only 45kg. She does not have diabetes, hypertension or thyroid problems. I am worried about her weight

A: Her expected weight is 58 kg so she does appear to be small made. Her bones and joints are used to carrying around this body weight. If you increase it she may develop problems. Thin and small made people are in danger of developing osteoporosis as they grow older. Encourage her to take calcium supplements and walk regularly.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in