‘I’ve rashes all over’

uyuI have the following problem. Could you please suggest remedial measures?

I get rashes all over the body. They itch terribly. The rashes appear in red patches and are warm to touch. A local doctor prescribed Allegra and Allreid. But I did not get any relief by using that. I guess this is called urticaria in medical terms. Why is this happening? What are the remedial measures to be taken?

— Hema Chandra Babu D.

QIt appears to be urticaria. If it is less than six weeks old, it is called acute and if it is more than six weeks old, it is called chronic urticaria. It may be due to foods, drugs, exposure to pollen or chemicals, stress or it may be a systemic disease. In some cases, we cannot pinpoint the cause. Stool and blood tests will be needed to decide the exact reason.

A– Dr J. Chendrayudu, Consultant Dermatologist

Mediciti Hospitals I am 20 years old and I am 5'3" to 5'4" feet tall. How can I increase my height? Can I grow tall now by taking healthy food or some medicine? My parents are tall.

QA– Vikas Joshi The height of a person increases steadily during childhood at the rate of about 5-6 cm every year and later at puberty there is a rapid spurt in height. The gain is almost 12-13 cm per year in females and 10-11 cm per year in males. After puberty there is fusion of the epiphyses under the influence of the estrogen in females and testosterone in males. This generally occurs at the age of 12-13 years in females and 16-17 years in males. Any medication used to increase height has to be used before this age. Although using medication for increasing height is generally not recommended. At 20, increase in height is not possible with any medication or exercise. Hence, you should stop worrying about increasing your height but rather focus on maintaining ideal weight.

—Dr Rahul Agarwal, Senior consultant physi

cian, Prime Hospitals