I have a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Psychology from Northwestern University. I finished medical school and completed my M.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. I am currently in my residency for surgery- hopefully to be specializing in neurosurgery.
I want to answer questions on medical type questions. I'm a big fan of Dr. Drew Pinsky on Love Line and would like to help younger people from the mistakes I see a lot of young people do when they come into my ER.
Gender: Male
Location: I'm from all over.
Occupation: Physician- Surgeon
Age: 29
AIM: ArunKSherma
Member Since: January 23, 2005
Answers: 188
Last Update: January 2, 2009
Visitors: 18495
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Melanie4981
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so at cheer today i did something to my neck, i have no clue what.
all i was doing were log rolls, backing for them.
my parents are tight on money, and i don't want to go to the chiropractor.
is there any way to fix it.
it's on the back left side, and it hurts when i turn my head.
any way to help! (link)
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is it pain just in the neck or does the pain/numbness/tingling go down your arm/shoulder? I'm not sure what log rolls are, but I do know about neck pains. Most neck pains are just a strained muscle- which all you would need is an anti-inflammatory (Advil 400-600mg by mouth every 6-8 hours as needed), heating pads, and make sure you're not straining your neck when you sleep and to rest.
However, it can be more if you have a shooting pain or numbness or weakness in your arm starting from you neck. This could mean that you pulled a disc (very rare in young people), but it can be.
See how it feels over the next several days and y ou should be much better.
Oh- and I have to say this- NEVER go to a chiropractor- I have operated on way too many people's spines b/c they were "manipulated" by chiropractors- no one should be doing that to your spine.
Best of luck,
AK
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im REALLY tiny, only 5'1 and 120 lbs. i have HUGE boobs, and they keep getting bigger. im a size 34 DD, and i cant even buy a shaped cup bra cause they dont even fit. my bra rides up my back from my boobs pulling down on it. theyre so big that i have to wear two bras just to keep them up. i dont even know where i can find a bra that will work for me, because the cups kinda cut thru my boobs and give me "bubble boob." im a size 5, and i had to buy a size 12 formal dress just to fit my boobs, and it was WAY too big. my boobs pop open the buttons on button up shirts. SERIOUSLY i know this is a dumb question but what the hell can i do? (link)
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It does sound a little suspect about the growth of your breast tissue. The first questions that I would have to ask is if your mom or other female family members also have large breasts. There is a huge genetic factor that could be the cause of it. Also, depending on your age, there may be a hormonal imbalance that is causing you an over-acceleration of breast tissue. Before going to a plastic surgeon for a breast reduction- i would see your physician about getting some hormone levels measured. There might be something else going on. And if there isn't then breast reduction is a viable option however most plastic surgeons won't do that until you've "stopped" growing.
Best of luck,
Arun
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i have a really small butt are they are any excersises that can make it bigger? I know of hte one where u lay down like you're doing a situp and just lift up..does this work?
--thanks (link)
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It has a lot to do with genetics, however, you could eat more to help with that. However, to exercise the gluteal (butt) muscles, the best exercise is the reverse leg kick.
You star on your hands and knees, then you kick your foot back- raising your foot to the sky behind you. You can do this with some ankle weights to really help.
Also don't forget hte surrounding muscles- you slim these down (your back, legs) and your butt will look slightly larger.
Best of luck,
Arun
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how do i get better balance and posture?! are there any exercises?! (link)
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The best exercises to get balance is what they call core exercises. These are the types that you do with the big rubber balls. They force you to use all the muscles in your trunk (back, chest, abs, etc.) so that they learn to balance and get strong on themselves.
Also, for better posture, you should sit in hard back chairs or no back at all. This forces you to keep your back straight. Soft chairs are horrible b/c you're more likely to slouch. Make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and that your knees are at a 90 degree angle. This should help you.
Best of luck,
Arun
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I noticed that in your column you foudn out a girl's BMI well I Would liek to fidn mine out but have no clue how... I am 5 foot 7 and 130 pounds. If you could find out for me or tell me how it'd be realli helpful. Thanks! (link)
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No problem. The site that I use for under 18 year olds is http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/bmicalculator.html
Your BMI would be: 20.4, which is normal weight.
Yours,
Arun
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ok i am 12 years old, 5 foot 2 and 113 pounds. i sometimes feel overweight but i dont know! what is the appropriete weight for my age?!
please help me!! (link)
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There is a lot of controversy when it comes to what is the appropriate weight for someone. It has a lot of variables to consider like age, body type, and sex. Doctors use something called the body mass index to calculate normal weight, obesity etc. It changes every couple of years but I ran the numbers for you.
The numbers are as followed:
BMI of 18.5 or less= underweight.
BMI between 18.5 - 24.9= normal weight
BMI between 25- 29.9= overweight.
BMI over 30= obese
you have a body mass index of 20.7, which means you are a normal weight.
Realize though you are or about to go through another growth spurt so your weight and height will increase, which is normal.
Any other questions, feel free to ask.
Yours,
Arun
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I don't know. My friend is super skinny and everytime I see her I get jelous. People tell me that i am skinny as well, but when i see people skinnyer than me i feel bac and sometimes i stop eating. Please any advise? 5'7 122 lbs (link)
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You're probably sick of people telling you that you're already skinny, but I think that it is an interesting question that you asked.
Everyone does have a different body type, that's why a lot of the "healthy weight charts" have body types. You may be of a different body type.
Also, why do you think that you need to be skinnier? I know a lot of people who had eating disorders and they always think about stuff like that. Also remember you may have more muscle than your friend- muscle weighs more than fat. If you want to be more lean then exercise is the best way to go, but make sure you eat healthy (protein etc.) so that your body can properly change that fat into muscle. Drink plenty of water etc.
I'm sure you're a lovely person the way that you are and if you want to be healthier that's noble, but do it for yourself and do not compare youself to others. We're all different.
Any other questions- let me know.
Good luck,
Arun
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Hi, I need some advice. See, I want to gain weight and get on a healthier diet and stuff. Right now I weigh about 104 and I'm 5'3. I'd like to gain some more weight but not in my stomach, more so everywhere else(legs, arms, butt, etc) So, I was wondering, how do I gain more weight without the weight without it all going to my stomach and still staying healthy? Also, I'd like to be able to have more energy to do activities and stuff but sugary stuff just brings my energy up and then when it goes away, I'm really tired. Is there anything that will make me more naturally energetic? Does anyone have any tips on how I can..
-Gain weight without it going to my stomach but still going everywhere else
-Have more energy without eating sugary products
Thanks so much (link)
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The best thing you can do is get on a regiment of weight training and diet. Proteins (esp when consumed after a workout) will help you build muscle. However, don't forget to eat complex carbs for energy (brown rice, wheat bread, granola), which also is generally good for you. Stay away from the processed carbs (white bread) and sugars. Fat is okay to have but make sure that it's unsaturated fats which is necessary for skin, nails and other body processes. Omega-3 fats which are in a lot of your "fattier" fish are great for you and are good for your heart too.
If you want to gain weight you want to figure out your basal metabolic rate and then increase your intake by 500 calories a day so then you add about 1 lb a week, which is a good amount. http://www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml (website where you can calculate your basal metabolic rate)
Remember if you do start lifting to only lift every other day so that your body has time to rest and heal. Drink plenty of water (muscle in large part is water).
good luck,
AK
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i sweat(spelling?) ALOT and i cant seem to find a deoderent that works. any suggestions (link)
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I can't tell you what deodorant that will work really well however if you really think that it's out of control you can get medical treatment for it.
You may have a hyperactive sweat glands and believe it or not but botox injections are now being used to relieve this problem.
Hope you find something that works for you.
-Arun
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how often a week should u do cardio and for how long at a time? (link)
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The best answer for this is 3 times a week for at least a half hour, making sure your heart rate is about 125% of your resting rate. Depending on your fitness goal- say fat burning, you'd want to up that for about 45 minutes (the body doesn't start burning fat until your store of glycogen is used up which can be up to a half hour then it converts into burning fat). And make sure to drink a lot of water before, during and after.
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I usually do cardio workouts (bike, eliptical or treadmill type cardio) 3, 4, or 5 days a week, depending on how much time I have. Weights (I go to Gold's Gym---so by weights I mean those machines they have that you can do arm press type things and things for your legs and butt) I do about twice a week. And then everyday I try to do situps, lunges, squats, stuff like that. I'm wondering...do I really need to do the weights twice a week? Is doing cardio 3 or more times a week with the situps, lunges, etc 7 days a week good enough? Feedback please! I mean...what really IS a good workout plan? (link)
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It all depends on your fitness goals. If you're just trying to lose weight and slim down then what you're doing is great and you don't need to do the weights as much.
If you want to add muscle bulk then you may want to cut down on the cardio a bit (20 minutes or so before you lift weights) and then concentrate on one group of muscles every other day when you lift.
Example
Day 1: Arms + Shoulders
Day 2: Rest/Cardio
Day 3: Legs + Butt
Day 4: Rest/ Cardio
Day 5: Chest + Back + Abs
Day 6: Rest/Cardio
Day 7: Rest/ Cardio
Your body needs that rest day to heal your muscles. You don't necessarily make new muscle, but rather it hypertrophies (breaks down and builds up- hence why muscles hurt after a long workout). Oh and plenty of water + like a high protein bar after you lift weights to help the muscle building process.
Any other questions- don't hesitate to ask.
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i KNOW everyone always asks about weight loos plans and everything...so now its my turn to ask..hehehe. anyways im 15/f, 5'8 and a half and weigh 155, i want to get to 140. any advice?
thanks so much (link)
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There are a lot of fad diets out there (most popular these days being the Atkins and South Beach Diet), but they just don't work and they're very unhealthy (for example- Atkins makes a person go into what diabetics know as ketoacidosis- which can damage your kidneys and not to mention gives you horrible breath).
I'm in medical school so they pound into us the best way to lose weight is a healthy loss of 1 lb per week. This way you don't starve yourself and on top of that it's manageable.
1. Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the amount of calories your body uses to function (http://www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml). I calculated yours to be 1795 calories per day.
2. Reduce your caloric intake each day by 500 calories (3500 calories a week= one pound).
3. Eat fruits and veggies but not the ones full of sugar (beets, oranges, apples etc. high in sugar).
4. Reduce sugar intake (increased sugar causes increase in insulin, which causes an increase into fat cells).
5. Make sure to get plenty of protein (b/c if you starve your body breaks down muscle b/c your brain can't live on energy converted from fat).
6. Eat plenty of small meals (every 3-4 hours small portions)- b/c you want a steady blood glucose level b/c starving will cause your body to go to extremes and will actually store more fat (b/c it knows that this is the only meal it is going to get- so it's less willing to burn it).
7. Exercise (the body no matter what your weight can learn to minimize burning calories (up to only 800 calories a day)- but if you exercise it's forced to turn fat into energy. )
8. Don't over do it. After a workout the body needs time to rest and recoop. Drink plenty of water (carry a water bottle around with you- used as part of the mech of converting fat into energy).
Any other questions- don't hesitate to ask.
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