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HEALTHCARE Ask Dr Max I am in my early thirties and have a desk job. I suspect I'm marginally overweight. I weigh 75 kgs but the bulk doesn't show on my 5'9'' frame. I don't exercise much and have 2-3 cocktails at least twice a week. Do I fall in the high-risk category in terms of susceptibility to a heart attack? P.S: I don't smoke. Considering your body mass index-taking into account your weight according to your height-you are not in a high-risk group. However, people leading sedentary lifestyle should ensure that they do some form of physical activity every day. For example, going for morning walks for at least four kilometres will help reduce your weight. Apart from this you should get your lipid profile and blood sugar tests done. Also you should go in for preventive health checkups once a year. You are advised to take not more than two pegs of alcohol (60ml) in your cocktail and avoid fatty food with drinks. I work for a consulting company and I travel for 20 days a month. Although I stay at the best hotels, my digestive system has gone worse and my stomach can't seem to get through a typical workday without a hefty supplement of antacids and enzyme tablets. What should I do? Lifestyle associated with frequent travel, irregular eating habits, and eating outside is often stressful for our gastrointestinal system. Some people seem to have underlying trouble related to abnormal movements of the intestine, which physicians often refer to as ''irritable bowel syndrome'' (IBS). There is no cure for this particular condition, but lifestyle modification, such as, avoidance of smoking, cutting on intake of alcohol, tea, coffee and spicy food helps to keep your stomach healthy. Your diet should be rich in fibre and include green leafy vegetables, salad, porridge etc that are rich in minerals and low in fat. Schedule your meals at regular intervals and drink plenty of water. If hyperacidity is a problem, avoid frequent use of antacids tablets or liquid as their effect lasts for a very short time. It may actually worsen the problem by causing rebound acidity. If needed, take something that is more potent and gives you a long-term relief, such as Ranitidine (150 mg) or Famotidine (20 mg) twice a day before meals. These are available as over-the-counter medicines. There are also other prescription drugs to control hyperacidity, but you should see a doctor before you start those medicines. Eating outside often exposes you to infections such as Giardiasis. If indigestion and gas is a regular problem get your stool tested for parasites. A thumb rule is that if you have persistent complaint, associated with weight loss or abdominal pain, you should get yourself checked by a doctor. My job requires me to work on a computer seven to eight hours a day. Is there something I can do to prevent my eyesight from deteriorating? Sitting in front of the computer for hours is a visually demanding task. It requires constant eye movements, continuous focussing and aligning, which causes great strain to the eyes. Moreover, the glare caused by the monitor leads to a decrease in the rate of blinking by half, thereby causing tear evaporation. This eventually leads to dry eyes and eye fatigue. Complex eye-vision problem or Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a common complaint reported by an increasing number of professionals these days. Some of the key symptoms of CVS are blurred vision, eye fatigue and irritation, diplopia (double vision), dry eyes, sensitivity to light, difficulty in focussing from source document to monitor and back and forth, headaches, sore neck, and backache. Some simple solutions:
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