Dear Doctor;I had gained a lot of weight over the last one year and decided to start hitting the gym. I recently got myself full membership to a gym and then I became an addict. I work out almost every day and loving the results so far. But a medic friend recently told me that it also isn’t healthy to work out every day. Could it be true? How much work-out is too much? Martin, 35.Dear Martin, No. Actually it is best to practice regularly or daily for short intervals of 30-45 minutes.Compulsive exercise is more than a desire to get in the ultimate shape or manage one’s weight. Sufferers of exercise bulimia use excessive exercise to purge or compensate for binges or simply regular eating, often working out multiple times per day or for three or four hours at a time. Deep down, this disorder has more to do with control than it does the desire to fit into a smaller size of jeans. The scary thing about an addiction to exercise is that it creeps up gradually, usually among everyday people who start exercising, feel good afterward, revel in the calories they’re burning, have a desire to get healthier or lose weight, and therefore start believing that more is better. Oftentimes, people who develop an exercise compulsion don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with what they do. They think that what they’re doing is healthy, and can’t understand how others don’t see it that way.– Additional info from sparkpeople.comCan vinegar cause me weight loss?Dear Doctor;I always have food with a mixture of vinegar because I find the taste mouth-watering. However, I recently heard that vinegar leads to weight loss. I am very comfortable with my weight and wouldn’t want to lose even a pound. Should I discontinue use of vinegar? Maxime 32.Dear Maxime, No. Do not discontinue its usage but minimise the quantity. It will not reduce your weight. The most common weight lowering mechanism is to reduce calorie intake or engage in physical exercise to burn out more calories than you take in. However, vinegar has concentrated citric acid and can cause irritations to some parts of the body like the upper gastro-intestinal tract system. How can I have a baby without miscarriage when I suffer from blood pressure?Dear Doctor;I am 26 and, so far, I have had two miscarriages due to pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure, which usually comes during my pregnancies. I am afraid I might never have children because of this. What should I do to have babies yet I suffer from pre-eclampsia? Janine. Dear Janine,Pre-eclampsia is linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy. It is a very common problem during pregnancy and therefore a variety of solutions are available to ensure delivery of a healthy baby from a mother with pre-eclampsia. It can originate from auto-immune disease or genetic disorders in the family and here you have to be in close touch with your physician to control blood pressure and possible immediate complications. People with no genetic disorders should monitor their calcium and magnesium levels regularly as deficiency of these mineral irons aggravates the problem. Excessive fats and proteins in your body are not good for this condition. You need to have plenty of anti-oxidants that is to say feeding on fresh fruits rich in vitamin C. Pre-eclempsia is a risk to inborn baby and regular antenatal visits are recommended for people with family or medical history of this health disorder.
