q I feel very sleepy in the afternoon. I try to fight this by drinking coffee, but it does not work.

To jolt yourself awake, coffee and tea don’t work because caffeine takes about an hour to become effective. Drink the coffee, but for immediate effect try spot jogging for 5 minutes, running up and down the stairs or doing 10 jumping jacks. If you are still drowsy, stand on one leg at your desk.

No pain, no gain q I want to lose weight without dieting or exercising.

That is a difficult proposition, though not impossible. You are more likely to be healthy if you try a combination of diet and exercise to reach your ideal body weight. You could:

The probablity of cancer occuring in the other breast is less than 0.6 per cent. Follow up the initial surgery with radiation and chemotherapy as advised. Ensure you go for all regular check-ups religiously. If the surgeon advises your mother to have the other breast removed, by all means, do so.

Sleepless at dawn q I wake up at night and cannot go back to sleep. I don’t want to take medication.

A natural way to sleep is to exercise aerobically, either in the morning or early afternoon, for 40 minutes. Heavy exercise in the evening tends to elevate your heart rate, keep you awake and interfere with sleep quality.

Also, no matter how tired and sleepy you feel, do not nap for more than 30 minutes during the day.

Morning best q Is it better to exercise in the morning or evening?

Morning exercise appears to have a more positive effect on appetite reduction, calorie intake and weight loss. This is probably because it boosts metabolism and kick-starts your day.

Brekkie or break q I skip breakfast regularly as I can’t make time for it.

Skipping breakfast reduces your food intake by about 400 calories. On the negative side, it may lead to snacking on high-calorie junk food as hunger pangs set in before lunchtime.

Water weight q I want to lose weight quickly. My friend told me to take diuretics. Are they safe?

Diuretics are used when there is water retention. Taking them will only make you lose fluid. As soon as you drink water, the weight will return. In addition, electrolytes like sodium and potassium are lost with diuretics, leading to imbalances. This can result in muscle cramps, weakness and cardiac arrhythmias.

Vexing wax q My ear wax is hard and dark brown. Every so often, it gets stuck in the ear, causing pain.

The colour, composition and quantity of ear wax are genetic. You can soften it by putting in a drop or two of mineral oil (liquid paraffin, baby oil), provided you do not have a perforation. Earbuds and other objects used to remove wax can actually push wax further into the ear. Impacted ear wax can cause pain and dizziness. Consult an ENT surgeon to remove the wax.

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