CONTROL BP WITH DIET AND EXERCISE TOO

QI am a 44-year-old male, suffering from fluctuation in blood pressure. All my other reports are normal. Would you suggest that I start off on BP medicines or that I stabilise it in some other way?

— Amit Trivedi

My advice to you would be not to rely only on medicines. Maintain a proper diet, get on an exercise plan and make modifications in lifestyle based on your earlier history, like smoking and drinking habits. If you want to start with medicines, please consult your doctor. This may require a clinical examination by your local physician.

— Dr Anuj Kapadia, Senior consultant cardiologist

Q I am a 48-year-old male suffering from knee pain. I am unable to go for walks; climbing stairs hurts me too. Kindly suggest some simple exercises I can perform at work. Please suggest ways by which I can manage my knee pain? — VR Raju

It appears to me that you suffer from a condition known as Patellofemoral pain syndrome, in which the pain increases on deep knee bends and upon going upstairs and downstairs. The best way to handle the pain is by doing some basic exercises of the knee, such as hamstring stretch, sidelying leg lift, quadriceps isometric exercises, quadriceps stretch, straight leg raise, resisted knee extension and knee stabilisation exercises. If you do not know how to perform these exercises, I would suggest you visit a good physiotherapist near your residence and learn those exercises. You can then continue doing them at home.

— Dr G Manoj, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon