Doctor's Column: After how long does Injectaplan take to work?

Originally, it was said that stress causes a lot of stomach acid leading to peptic ulcers but this is no longer held true though in cases of severe burns, one may get curling’s stress ulcer due to physiological stress. However, missing meals, or taking spicy foods can make ulcers more painful, but are not a cause of ulcers.

Treatment of ulcers includes lifestyle changes like stopping smoking and taking too much alcohol, stopping use of the said painkillers and eradication of h pylori .

Milk provides brief relief of ulcer pain because it coats the stomach lining, mixes and dilutes stomach acid. Milk in some people may stimulate the stomach to produce more acid and digestive juices, which can aggravate ulcers. The milk-alkali syndrome whereby the body has too much calcium, disturbed acidity of blood and kidney problems was coined as an association of consumption of too much milk and sodium bicarbonate to treat ulcers.

Dear doctor, I am a 31-year-old man, who started masturbating after I lost the woman I thought was my future wife to a sugar daddy. I do not trust women. I get difficulty in swallowing and I am afraid I have a big problem. What can I do?
James Bond, Balaga, Kamuli

Dear James Bond, it can be very stressing to separate with a woman whom you had hope of marrying. Your lack of trust in women and masturbation is a sign of stress. Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response.

One may experience stress from the environment, the body and thoughts. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger.

Stress becomes negative when it continues for too long without relief leading to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and mental problems like depression and anxiety. Existing medical problems like skin conditions, asthma, and arthritis may also worsen. Feeling a lump in the throat (globus pharyngeus) may also appear as a symptom of stress.

You need to visit a counsellor otherwise you are likely to get worse.

Dear doctor, I am four months pregnant. Is it safe for me to tattoo my body? I want to do this to please my man.
Salma, Kitezi

Dear Salma, I suppose you are talking about a usual cosmetic tattoo, which is a permanent ink design inserted into the skin, usually with a needle.

Since it is done for cosmetic reasons, depending on where you put it, stretch marks of pregnancy, may distort it making it look ugly instead. Also, the outcome may change after delivery given the skin changes that take place in pregnancy.

Unfortunately, tatoos are permanent or even difficult to remove, making one regret putting them on their bodies.

There are several concerns about tattoos, though it is not known how used dyes or inks may affect a developing baby, so it is probably best to wait until after delivery to get one.

Many pregnant women are overly sensitive probably as a way of protecting the unborn child from introduced substances that may harm its health.

This is why some pregnant women commonly get a stuffy and runny nose. Tattoo dyes, especially red, green, yellow and blue can cause allergic skin reactions, which may persist or occur even years after getting a tattoo.