Ask the doctor: Can I drink alcohol while taking birth control pills?

I take birth control pills but at the same time I smoke and drink alcohol. Will these make the pills ineffective? Janet
Dear Janet
Neither alcohol nor smoking are known to reduce combined pill efficiency (efficacy). However, the combination of nicotine in tobacco and the pills may increase the likelihood of one suffering from certain side effects, including heart attacks, blood clots and strokes.
While taking the pill, a woman should avoid excessive consumption of alcohol, which might cause one to forget taking the pill. Therefore, smoking or drinking alcohol should be avoided when taking contraceptive pills.
In fact, many women who usually gain weight while taking the combined pill should in most cases blame the weight gain on practices such as overindulgence in food and alcohol. Hormonal contraceptive pills rarely cause weight gain but they may cause water retention, which in many people may be thought to be due to growth of fat tissue and getting fat whereas not.

Is diarrhoea a symptom of milk allergy?
I am a breastfeeding mother who suffers from diarrhoea every time I take milk. I have been advised to stop taking it but how will I get enough breast milk to feed my baby? Annet
Dear Annet,
Diarrhoea is defined as passing loose, watery stools more than three times a day. Anyone can suffer from diarrhoea once in a while related to viral, bacterial or parasitic infections, especially in the gastro intestinal tract (GIT). Other causes include poor food digestion or absorption, disease conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, or coeliac disease and drug side effects, among many others.
Those suffering from lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest lactose, the sugar in milk. As a result, they suffer from diarrhoea, too much abdominal gas and bloating after eating or drinking anything containing dairy.
This so-called lactose intolerance is caused by the intestines producing none or little amounts of lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose sugar which is found in diary products. 
The lactose then will not be absorbed into the body but will go down to the big intestines where the small organisms will break it up into gases and diarrhea-causing substances leading to the said symptoms.
Much as the intolerance may not lead to death, it can make it uncomfortable to take diary or its products requiring to avoid diary and dairy products in food or drink.
Ugandans believe that a breastfeeding mother requires taking a lot of milk and porridge to be able to produce enough breastmilk for the baby. However, these eating habits in most cases will just lead to weight gain and obesity.
The best galactagogue (anything that aids the production of enough breast milk) is a well-hydrated body in a stress-free mind. Also, starting to breastfeed the baby immediately (within the first hour after birth), frequently and properly can help a woman produce enough breastmilk.
Therefore, avoiding dairy and dairy products to deal with lactose intolerance is necessary and will not cause drying up of breast milk.