q) I am a senior citizen. Is it worthmy while to buy a gym membership to exercise?

Regular exercise requires a great deal of motivation. A paid membership might encourage you to exercise regularly. Also, in the gym, activity tends to be structured, and it will be ensured that you do both the aerobic and anaerobic components of exercise. There is usually an instructor to help and motivate you. Weight training is often neglected when you exercise at home. It becomes really important as you get older. It will help maintain muscle mass and prevent deterioration and weakness of muscle. Doing weights will help with balance and maintenance of bone density too. Also, you might meet like-minded people and make new friends so that you are not lonely as you grow older.

Summer woe

q) My urine is often dark-coloured, and it burns when I urinate.

Remember that it is summer, and you need to stay well-hydrated. You need to drink around three litres of water daily. Your consumption should be even more if you’re exercising or working in a hot area where you will likely lose a lot of fluid through sweat.

You may not feel thirsty, but you must consciously drink water to prevent the concentration of urine, infection and pain.

Standing pain

q) I have pain in the soles of my feet. It may be because I spend a lot of time standing.

If you are overweight and stand regularly for long periods of time, pressure may cause the ligaments and bones to press down painfully on your feet. One way to prevent this is to soak your feet in warm water, then stand on the ground and do exercises. Pick up a pencil several times with your toes. Rock backwards and forwards on your toes and heels. If you do this 10 times twice a day, the pain should be relieved. If this does not work, you may need further evaluation to see if there is a deficiency of Vitamin D3 or calcium or elevated uric acid levels. It is unlikely to be a fracture because both feet are affected.

Food stress

q) I feel that I have put on weight because I tend to eat when I’m stressed, depressed, can’t sleep or even when I am just looking at pictures of food. All this eating piles on the calories.

Remember, signals of hunger as well as of satiety take time to reach your brain. So when you feel hungry, drink a glass of water. If that doesn’t work, eat a small fruit or get up and go for a short walk. The problem is that once you start eating and find it difficult to stop, you may eat to the point of nausea, and by then, it is too late.

Skin tone

q) I am dark. I want to become fair, so I decided to use skin-lightening products. What side effects should I be aware of?

While many skin-lightening products are advertised on the market, only some of them are safe and licensed products. Their composition should be clearly listed on the packaging even when labelled as “natural”. This is often not the case. If you read the contents carefully, it may contain hydroxychloroquine, mercury or steroids. These compounds are dangerous and should not be used.

Skin lightening can be tried naturally by mixing multani mitti, powdered channa dal, curd and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply the paste on the skin for about five minutes before washing it off. Applying sesame oil 10 minutes before a bath also helps.

Prostate problem

q) I was diagnosed with non-cancerous prostatic hyperplasia and put on long-term medication. I am better now and want to stop the tablets.

As you have been told, you need to take the tablets long-term. If you stop them abruptly or without medical advice, the symptoms will return.

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