Q: I am a 34 years old male. I started getting palpitations last year so I consulted a cardiologist who said that my heart was perfectly fine. He prescribed Betaloc 25mg once a day and serta 50mg. He told me to continue the same for 3 months, as it was a panic disorder. One of my friends also is a doctor who had my ECG done with all blood reports showing normal, suggested to discontinue. He told me that my BP was 140/90 and was quite normal. I have started acupuncture treatment for the same. Is acupuncture really good? Also what shall I do to stop acidity? I have a very bad habit of checking my BP every time and that makes me tense. How many times can I check my BP in a day?

A:I am not sure what work up your cardiologist performed. An ECG alone is inadequate. You may need a Holter monitor study or an Event monitor study done depending on the frequency of your palpitations. If you truly do have a panic disorder then you should be treated for this condition with the appropriate medications. Other conditions to consider are phaeochromocytoma and thyroid disease. Your blood pressure is 140/90. This is not normal. Measuring your BP once or twice is adequate. You should take your BP recordings to your physician so that he/she can decide whether you need treatment. I have no data to tell you one way or the other if acupuncture is useful. Regarding the acid reflux, I am assuming you have heartburn. For this diet and life style modifications (decrease in the spicy foods, losing weight, smoking cessation, sleeping with the head-end of your bed elevated to name a few) and Proton pump inhibitors can be used. Again your physician should decide if you do in fact have acid reflux.