I exercise regularly. Of late, I have noticed that my muscles suddenly develop a catching type of pain. This does not necessarily happen after exercise.

It might be because you are dehydrated. You need to drink 150ml (half cup) of fluid every 15 minutes while exercising. You can hydrate with expensive rehydrating sports drinks or homemade lime juice with sugar and salt. Also, eat a banana before exercise. It will provide much-needed magnesium and potassium. If the pain persists, check your Vitamin D3, calcium and phosphorous levels and consult a physician.

Period pain

I have terrible pain during the first two days of my period. I am unable to do anything except lie in bed and cry.

Consult a gynaecologist and get an ultrasound of the pelvis to rule out disease processes such as adenomyosis, endometriosis or fibroids. In many women, there is no disease causing the pain. It is due to the uterus itself secreting extra amounts of a pain-causing chemical called prostaglandin. If that is the case, pain killers like mefenamic acid and a hot water bottle will relieve the pain. Regular aerobic exercise also gradually reduces period pain.

Belly fat

I have fat around my stomach. Can you tell me some exercises to lose it?

There is no way to reduce fat just around your belly. You need to come down to your ideal body weight by eating less and exercising more. You need to do an hour of aerobic activity, core strengthening exercises and yoga. The belly will eventually go.

Sunlight love

I want to expose my children to sunlight so that they don’t get rickets. How do I go about this?

Apply coconut oil all over their body below the neck and let them stand in the early morning sunlight outside for 15 minutes a day. Sunlight that comes in through glass window panes and in heavily polluted cities is not effective. The essential ultraviolet rays are cut off by glass and smog.

Sudden tingle

I am 32 years old and an IT professional. I have developed shooting tingling pains down my left arm.

Nerves to the arm emerge from the spaces between the neck vertebrae. If you are working at a desktop or laptop for long stretches of time, you might be “pinching” one or two of the nerves, leading to this sensation. Try doing neck exercises and stretches. That might help. Also check your Vitamin D3, B12, calcium and phosphorous levels, haemoglobin, blood sugars and lipid profile. Take an X-ray of the neck, front and side views to see if there is any problem.

Smell lost

I was tested for Covid-19 because my neighbour was positive. I was found to be positive but I did not develop fever or cough. I was asked to self-isolate at home. A week later, I found I had lost my sense of smell. It has been a month now and I still can’t smell anything.

Mild cases of Covid-19 (especially in younger people) can cause a loss of the sense of smell and no other symptoms. It may take up to six months to return to normal.

Sick all the time

My wife is two months pregnant. She vomits all the time. Her blood, urine tests and scan are normal.

Vomiting during pregnancy is common and occurs to some degree in almost 80 per cent of women. The good news is that it usually subsides by the 13th to 14th week. To control the vomiting naturally, ask her to eat small quantities of food that she likes all through the day. She should avoid strong odours. Acupressure may also help. She should not take anti-nausea or anti-vomiting medicine without checking with her doctor. Some of these medicines can cause birth defects and adversely affect the unborn child.

The writer is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore and the author of Staying Healthy in Modern India. If you have any questions on health issues please write to yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in