A woman builds up her muscles (above) and a man wipes off sweat

Gaining weight

Q: I am a 21-year-old girl and skinny. I am very particular about my diet and eat only healthy and nutritious food. I also make it a point not to consume any junk food or aerated drink. I do not have any other complications and feel healthy. But what should I do to gain weight? Are there any exercises that can help me? Please advise.

A: First of all, I would like to tell you that body size is no longer measured as skinny or fat. You need to accurately measure your Body Mass Index (BMI). This is calculated as your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres. An ideal BMI should be around 25. Just trying to gain weight is not advisable because the fat may be unevenly deposited in areas like the abdomen, leaving you with scrawny arms and a paunch. To increase your weight you need to consume more calories. You should keep a written record of the food you eat and the calorie intake for a few weeks. You should then try to increase your daily calorie intake by 300 to 500 grams. You should continue this regimen until you start gaining weight.

The number of calories needed to gain weight varies from person to person depending on individual metabolism and activity level. You can also consult a dietician who can make an individual diet chart for you. Basically if you aren’t gaining weight, you aren’t probably eating enough. Eat five to six meals a day instead of the traditional three.

You could also try out biceps and triceps curls to build up muscles on your arms using a baby dumbbell (1-2 kg). You need to repeat these exercises 20 times with each arm. Please remember that you always need to balance weight-bearing exercises with stretches.

No sweating

Q: My brother is 23 years old and suffers from the peculiar problem of not sweating at all for the past four years. He did not suffer from this problem during childhood. During April, May and June, his body temperature goes up to 101?C to 102?C, even if he stays indoors. He also complains of feeling tired during this period. He maintains a healthy diet and goes for a morning walk every day. Initially, he was under medication, but it had no effect in bringing down his body temperature. The temperature becomes normal only when the weather cools down. He underwent a whole lot of medical tests prescribed by the doctors, but nothing abnormal was found. The doctors advised him to stay indoors, and to keep the body cool by having frequent baths with cold water, even twice or thrice daily. But it is not possible to stay indoors for three months because he also has to attend office. I am really very concerned about my brother. Please suggest a remedy to his problem.

A: Sweat is produced by the sweat glands present all over the body. As the sweat evaporates, it cools the body and reduces temperature. This is normal. Your brother is suffering from anhidrosis, which is the inability to sweat in response to heat. It is dangerous and can even be life threatening, especially in areas where the weather is dry and hot, as the inability to sweat causes the internal body temperature to rise.

Some common causes of anhidrosis are:

• neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome

• diabetes

• congenital disorders like ectodermaldysplasia

• certain drugs and medications

Successful treatment involves establishing a correct diagnosis and tackling the cause. Until the diagnosis is made, it’s important to take steps to prevent heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration. He should continue taking frequent baths, stay preferably in an air-conditioned room and wear light cotton clothes.

Short height

Q: I am 22 years old and my problem is that I am too short. My height is only 4’2’’ and my weight is 50 kg. I am the shortest person in my family. Everyone pokes fun at me because of my height and I am now unable to face people. I have heard about Yoko height growth. I have also heard that there are no side effects. Will this help me to increase my height? Considering my age, are there any exercises that can still help me to gain height? Please give some suggestions.

A: You should not go for any medication just by looking at advertisements. Sometimes dangerous medications and hormones are dispensed unregulated via advertisements and the Internet. These medications make exaggerated claims about successful outcomes like height gain or weight loss. These spurious cures and their manufacturers are only too happy to target anxious people with genuine problems. Therefore, you should be very careful before taking these medications.

You should consult an endocrinologist before trying these medications. Your height problem may be related to some hormonal dysfunction. It’s always advisable to spend some time and effort to arrive at a diagnosis rather than going for random treatment.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in