Ask the doctor

Dear Doctor, I’ve gone back to the gym and I weight train. I’m suffering severe pain. What should I do to ease the pain and prevent it in future?

Hi there, Severe pain is not good. You might be overdoing it too early. Ease yourself back into gym. Also, make sure you warm up and stretch before you start lifting.

Five minutes of running on the treadmill helps in making sure you stretch all key muscles adequately.

Start with lighter weights and increase number of reps. Then increase the amount of weights weekly. The higher the weight, the less the reps you must do.

If you have access to a biokinetist at your gym, it might help to sign up with one for a month or two.

Dear Doctor, What is the best way to make sure that my fouryear-old son, who refuses to eat, remains healthy? Every time he needs to eat he says his stomach is sore. Are there multivitamins I need to give him or add anything to his diet?

Hi there, How does he respond to fish, chicken? Is the problem only with red meat?

Meat is a great source of Vitamin B12 (read the article alongside) and protein, but there are other sources like eggs, grains, dairy products, and foods fortified with B12.

I am not too keen on putting a child on supplements. If he is not allergic to meat, it might be an option to cook it differently. Maybe mince it with a lot of vegetables in it. Also, visit a dietician.

Dear Doctor, As a man, how often should I get my prostate checked for cancer and anything else that I’m not aware of ?

Hi sir, How old are you? Check your prostate initially around age 45, earlier if there is positive family history of cancer or you have symptoms like burning or difficulty passing urine.

Then you can do it annually after that as part of your yearly check up. Other important things to check are blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, colorectal cancer.