I want to lose weight with diet alone. I cannot go to a gym or take a walk.

Dieting is an excellent way to lose weight provided you don’t follow fad diets, which are non-sustainable. Some of them are imbalanced and you may wind up with mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Also, you will lose muscle that will decrease your strength and make your skin sag. If you cannot go out of the house, try spot jogging or walking in a figure of 8 for 30 minutes and then do yoga for 20 minutes.

Sleep difficulty

I am 75 years old and I find it difficult to sleep at night.

Older adults need around eight hours of sleep. They tend to fall asleep and wake up earlier. For better sleep, go for a 20 minute walk in the late afternoon or evening and do not nap for more than 20 minutes during the day. If you can’t fall sleep, do not lie in bed tossing and turning. Get up and do something else.

Unwanted hair

I am a 23-year-old woman, and I have a lot of unwanted hair on my face. It looks very ugly.

Unwanted hair can be removed at home by shaving or using hair removing creams. Before shaving, soften the hair with shaving cream. To wax, apply wax in the direction of the hair and then pull off the strips in the opposite direction. Parlours offer “threading” while dermatologists offer laser therapy or electrolysis. Both require several sittings and can be expensive. The rate of growth of facial hair can be slowed by certain medications, which can be prescribed by a dermatologist.

Feel blue

I feel very grumpy and depressed. Sometimes I feel that I just can’t do anything.

Many people are feeling down during the lockdown. It may be fear of the coronavirus, the stress of working from home or the lack of social interaction with peers and family. If you do not have serious depression, acute anxiety or other clinical issues, then you may beat the blues with a few simple steps. Clean up the clutter in the house, establish a regular routine, buy yourself something nice, exercise, read a book and watch a comedy movie.

How long?

How long do you think we will have to wear masks?

The spread of the coronavirus is reduced by wearing masks, especially if everyone wears them. Vaccines are being developed and herd immunity (when the majority of the population is immune) is hopefully also developing. Unfortunately, reports of a second wave of coronavirus infections are emerging. A conservative estimate is that masks need to be used for the next three to five years.

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