Is olive oil best consumed cooked or uncooked?Dear Doctor;What is the best way to have olive oil - cooked or uncooked? Is it beneficial? Margie.Dear Margie, Olive oil is a very healthy cooking medium because of its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It reduces risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Prevalence of depression is much less in individuals taking olive oil. Resistance and stamina of the body is increased with use of olive oil due to its antioxidant properties.

It is also known to retard or stop development of Alzheimer’s disease. Raw olive oil used over salads has all these properties. But even when used for deep frying, olive oil is better than other oils. Unless overheated for long time it does not get altered and  generate  toxic products  like other oils.Can I use glasses along with contact lens despite eye defects?Dear Doctor;I am a 29-year-old male suffering from myopia. My vision is stable for the past 10 years. I want to change over to a thinner lens. The problem is that I don’t want to avoid using glasses completely. So I was thinking about using contact lens and correct the remaining error in vision using glasses. Is there any harm in doing this? I don’t want to correct the whole error with lens because when I used lens last time with full correction, I was having difficulty in reading near things. Francois, Kigali.Dear Francois, There is no harm in wearing contact lenses with slight under correction with which you can manage near as well as distance vision without glasses. In the past, your contact lenses must have been over corrected to cause difficulty in near vision as you are not over 40 years yet when you start to have near vision problem. You can also wear contact lenses and glasses combination to give you required vision.Why do I urinate so frequently?Dear Doctor;I am having problem of frequent urination. If I focus on some work then I do not have this problem but when I am not doing anything I get frequent urination. I got my blood and urine tested. Both are normal. Sometimes I feel burning sensation in my hands and foot and whenever I am nervous I get frequent urination. Collin, 25, Remera-Kabeza.Dear Collin, Frequent urination could be due to several reasons. It could be a problem with the bladder or the prostate. In someone your age, an inflammation of the prostate called prostatitis can present this way. You would need a prostate exam to confirm this diagnosis.

Since your problems are exacerbated by loneliness and anxiety, I think it could be psychological as well. You could practice meditation and yoga when you are alone and see if things improve. I am unsure about the burning sensation in the hands and feet. It may or may not be related to the frequent urination. You could consult with a neurologist if the problem persists or gets worse.Why am I having persistent redness in the eyes?Dear Doctor;I am suffering from redness in my eyes with little pain and blurred vision for the last three years. It stays for two to three days and recurred within 15 days or a month. The doctor gave me two eye drops - Winolap and Tearplus. After using prescribed eye drops, I got relief but it recurred within a month. Working on computer, watching TV makes the problem worse. I consulted another doctor who recommended Lotepred eye drop and Lacryl eye gel. Why am I suffering from persistent redness in the eyes? Marion.Dear Marion, You may be suffering from mild dry eye and allergy, for which lubricants and anti-allergics give relief. However, treatment must continue as the disease is often related to environmental exposure to allergens.Is my chronic headache linked to a sinus disease?Dear Doctor;I am asthmatic and using an inhaler when required, wear a pacemaker for four years and. My headache starts from the right eye and runs over the head to the middle and disappears. I also had tooth ache and three root canals were treated.

The headache becomes severe when I cough and disappears after a while. My lungs are weak and are not creating enough pressure to throw the phlegm out. Once the phlegm is out the pain recedes. How to improve my lung performance? James, 49.Dear James, It appears you have a history of asthma, diabetes, chronic sinus disease and local headache from coughing. The symptoms you describe suggest that you have continued sinus disease or involvement of the local nerves in the area of the pain. Sometimes a previous viral herpes infection in that area can predispose to chronic pain.

Also, local continued sinus disease in the frontal sinus may cause local pain. You should discuss with your ear, nose and throat specialist and also consult with a headache specialist (sometimes a neurologist) to evaluate this further. Diabetes can cause localised neuropathy (nerve involvement) also.

The other aspect of your condition is the cough from postnasal drip–you should discuss with your ENT doctor about this also. Saline nasal rinse is sometimes helpful to decrease the sinus mucus build-up.

Always avoid smoke and dust and if you have air conditioning make sure the filters are cleaned regularly. Pollution as you correctly state will make your lungs more inflammedinflamed–try and avoid it.

Low oxygen supplementation needs to be specifically tested for before being prescribed and a lung specialist who treats asthma and other diseases like chronic bronchitis can evaluate you for this.Additional questions and responses from doctor.ndtv.com