Q: I am now in the age group of 25 to 30 y and am prone to suffer from colds. The symptoms are - sneezing throughout the day accompanied by a sore-throat, running nose which is later followed by a cold. It usually takes a week to recover. When I am in a cold place my nose gets blocked (every winter). I was born and brought up in Chennai and remember as a child being recommended tablet Hostacycline 500 mg. The doctor whom I visit gives me only antibiotic tablets and nothing else. I am otherwise normal and am able to do all kinds of activities. For the past ten days (as suggested by friends), I stopped taking milk and its products (curd, buttermilk). Would that be useful for my problem?

A:Yes, you do seem to be suffering from allergic rhinitis going onto sinusitis. You need to try anti-allergic tablets along with local steroid nasal sprays for a few weeks, after being seen by an ENT surgeon. If there is no significant improvement, then a CT scan of the sinuses would be warranted, with a view towards endoscopic sinus surgery.