These days the problem of Kidney stones is occurring very frequently. May be our dietary habits and life style is one of the reasons behind this.
A kidney stone is a hard mineral and crystalline material formed within the kidney or urinary tract out of substances in the urine. It is expected that one in every 20 people develops a kidney stone at some point in their life.
Kidney stones are formed when the salts or minerals in the urine start crystallizing and form the nidus of a kidney stone. These stones are very tiny when they form, smaller than a grain of sand, but gradually they can grow to a quarter inch or larger.
Depending upon their composition there are four types of stones:
1) Calcium stones- most common type. The calcium that is not used by muscles and bones goes to the kidneys and is flushed out of the body. But in some instances this calcium may bind up with other waste products of the urine like oxalates to form stones.
2) Uric acid stones- occur when there is too much uric acid content in the urine that occurs due to consumption of too much of meat. So its patient needs to cut down the meat intake.
3) Struvite stones (infection stones) - composed of magnesium and ammonia. Called as infection stones as these stones are formed when the level of ammonia increases in the body and it usually occurs in urinary tract infections.
4) Cystine stones- very rare form. Cystine is a protein that is used as building block in muscles, nerves and other parts of the body. Its level is generally increased in hereditary disorder Cystinuria.
Causes: the exact reason of kidney stones formation is not known. Some of the proposed possible reasons are:
1) Lack of fluid intake: in persons who have less daily consumption of water the urine is concentrated so increasing the possibilities of kidney stones.
2) Family or personal history: if any one in your family is having stones you are prone to have this problem. Moreover if you have a prior history of stones you can develop stones in future.
3) Diet: consumption of a high-protein/ high-sodium/ low-calcium diet may lead to stone formation.
4) Limited activity: in a bed ridden person there are chances of formation of kidney stones as the bones release more of calcium.
5) Obesity: in obese person there are more chances of kidney stones.
6) High blood pressure: high blood pressure doubles the risk of kidney stones formation.
7) Gastric bypass surgery, inflammatory bowel disease or chronic diarrhea: Changes in the digestive process affect the absorption of calcium and thus increase the levels of stone-forming substances in urine.
8) Geographical location: There are regional "stone belts" having an increased risk. This is likely because of the hot climate, since these people can get dehydrated, and their urine becomes more concentrated thus leading to kidney stones.
9) Taking certain medicines such as diuretics (water tablets), antacids and thyroid medications: these medications increases the calcium content with in the body thus leading to stone formation.
10) As a side effect of certain other health problems like in gout (where there is increase in uric acid content so can lead to uric acid stones), hypercalcinuria (increase in calcium content so calcium stones can occur), hyperparathyroidism (increase in calcium level), cystinuria(increase in cystine content so cystine stones can occur), hyperoxaluria (increase in oxalate content which then binds up with calcium to form calcium oxalate stones) etc.
Symptoms: the various symptoms of kidney stones include:
1) Severe pain or aching in the back on one or both sides.
2) Sudden onset of excruciating, cramping pain in their low back and/or side, groin, or abdomen. Changes in body position do not relieve this pain. The pain typically waxes and wanes in severity, characteristic of colicky pain (the pain is sometimes referred to as renal colic). It may be so severe that it is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting
3) Bloody, cloudy or smelly urine.
4) A frequent urge to urinate, or a burning sensation during urination.
5) Fever and chills that occurs due to associated kidney infections.
Diagnosis: along with taking in to consideration the various symptoms associated with the problem, the following tests can help in diagnosing the condition.
1) Urine Analysis: to look for signs of infection and to check for the levels of protein, magnesium, calcium etc. in the urine.
a) Microscopic study of urine, which may show proteins, red blood cells, pus cells, bacteria, cellular casts and crystals.
b) Examination of the culture of urine sample to detect urine infection.
c) 24 hour urine collection to measure total daily urinary volume, magnesium, sodium, uric acid, calcium, citrate, oxalate and phosphate etc.
2) Blood tests: Full blood count for the presence of a raised white cell count (Neutrophilia) suggestive of infection, a check of renal function and to look for abnormally high blood calcium blood levels (hypercalcaemia).
3) X-ray of the abdomen - stones that contain calcium usually show up white on X-ray images.
4) Intravenous urogram (IVU) - this involves an injection of a special dye that shows up the whole urinary system on X-ray images, revealing stones that can't usually be seen.
5) Ultrasound scan - this uses high frequency sound waves to produce an image of the internal organs and thus can give an overview of shape, size and location of the stone.
6) Non- contrast helical computerized tomography - this produces pictures from a series of X-ray images taken at different angles - it is sometimes used to diagnose kidney stones, and is thought to be the most accurate diagnostic test.
Treatment:
1) Dietary precautions: first try to rule out the type of kidney stones with the help of various lab tests. When you got to know about the type of kidney stone (calcium stone/ struvite stone/ cystine stone/ uric acid stone) then limit that food ingredient which is causing the stones. It is discussed in details as follows:
a) In case of calcium oxalate stones- if oxalate level is high then limit the supply of oxalates. High oxalate foods are: spinach, beets, okra, chocolates, tea, sweet potatoes, etc. take calcium rich diet it will bind up with the excess of oxalates and will reduce their level in blood and so in urine.
But if urinary calcium level is high then calcium rich diet may increase the incidence of stone formation. Other food ingredients that increase the level of urinary calcium should also be limited like sugars; proteins and sodium are believed to increase the urinary calcium levels. Fiber rich foods decrease the absorption of calcium from blood so decreases the levels of urinary calcium so they are recommended in kidney stones. Potassium also reduces the urinary calcium excretion so potassium rich foods like bananas, citrus fruits (except grapefruit), potatoes etc. are also recommended in this case.
b) In case of Cystine stones- limit the protein intake. Protein rich foods are fish, meat, poultry, dairy products etc.
c) In uric acid stones- patients need to limit the animal protein intake like meat.
d) In struvite stones- as these stones are associated with kidney infection so first line of prevention is keep the urine free of bacteria. Certain antibiotics recommended by some physician can be used in this case.
2) Fluid intake: the best and the safest way to prevent kidney stones, is to use as much of liquids (mainly plain water) as you can so that the urine is no longer concentrated. This will prevent the crystallization of the various urinary wastes.
3) Avoid use of soft drinks as these contain substances that can affect calcium metabolism and thus may lead to stone formation.
4) Certain medications can be used to reduce the level of urinary calcium, uric acid, proteins etc or to reduce the associated pain but these drugs should be used only after consulting the doctors.
Most stones pass out of the body by themselves without any external intervention but if the stones are not removed with in 4- 8 weeks then other methods should be tried out like use of shock waves as in lithotripsy or by surgical removal because if the stones will remain for long they may develop infections.
Complications
If a stone stays inside one of your kidneys, it usually doesn't cause a problem unless it becomes so large it blocks the flow of urine. This can cause pressure and pain, along with the risk of kidney damage, bleeding and infection. Smaller stones may partially block the thin tubes that connect each kidney to your bladder or the outlet from the bladder itself. These stones may cause ongoing urinary tract infections or kidney damage if left untreated.
Since most patients have two kidneys, a temporary obstruction of one is not of great significance. For those patients with only one kidney, an obstructing stone can be a true emergency, and the need to relieve the obstruction becomes greater. A kidney that remains completely obstructed for a prolonged period of time may stop working.
Infection associated with an obstructing stone is another emergent situation. When urine is infected and cannot drain, it acts like an abscess and can spread the infection throughout the body (sepsis). Fever is a major sign of this complication, but urinalysis may show an infection and cause the urologist to act to place a stent or remove the stone.
Follow up
Even if the stones are removed one needs to be careful in future as there are chances of recurrences. So the safest way is to consume as much of water as you can thus decreasing the risk of kidney stones.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Side Effects of Yoga
We all are well aware of benefits of yoga. But here I am talking about the side effects caused by Yoga. Actually whether yoga causes any bad effects on our body or not it’s a topic of debate. Some purely believes that Yoga has no side effects. According to them when we start yoga practices our body can have certain disabilities while eliminating the waste/ morbid products out of the body. They call these as Healing Crisis. According to them these effects diminishes gradually after some time.
However many people mention certain bad effects while practicing yoga. Most of these effects are seen in the initial phase when the individual has just started the yoga practices. Where some effects got corrected with the advancing time others got worsen. So here we need to be bit careful while starting the yoga practices.
First of all always start doing yoga under the supervision of a person who has mastered in it. If you are suffering from certain health problems like blood pressure instability, asthma, cancers etc. always consult your doctors before. They are there to help you. So take full advantage from them. Moreover in certain health problems if you start doing yoga without consulting your physician in stead of being benefited from it your condition may get worsen.
For example in case of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia certain caution is indicated while doing any kind of exercises.
Here my special mention is about the pregnant ladies. Yoga is considered very well during pregnancy but do it in the supervision of some good teacher. Never try it yourself; it can become harmful to you instead.
One thing you also need take care is about your dieting habits. Never do yoga when your stomach is full. You will feel discomfort. There should be a gap of 4- 6 hrs in between. Don’t drink too much water while doing yoga exercises. Never drink or eat immediately after the yoga session, have a break in between. Also take care of the food you are taking.
Gastric disturbances are very common side effects associated with yoga. Some persons may feel flatulence, changes in stool content, passing out of more gases, feeling acidic while practicing yoga etc. In yoga experts’ view these symptoms will occur in the initial stage of the exercises and will diminish with time and moreover these are good signs for your digestion process. Like when you are passing out more gases or your stool content is increased that means your gastric system was problematic and now the yoga exercises are fixing the problems. Feeling acidic while doing Yoga means that yoga has activated your digestion process and so the food which was not being digested before is now in the digesting phase while doing the exercises. We all are well aware that while food digestion with in the body the food is mixed with gastric juices which are acidic in nature.
In the initial phase of yogic exercises one may feel muscle cramps which is due to accumulation of lactic acid as the fats got converted to lactic acid. And with time these effects will be corrected. It occurs in all kind of physical exercises. However if the pain is sharp that means that you may have ruptured some tissue and need to see some physician. So the beginners should start with easy forms and then gradually shift to difficult ones and that too in the supervision of some yoga teacher. Moreover gradually increase the time limit of your exercises.
So we all can enjoy the healing effects of yoga but we need to use certain precautions while practicing the yoga practices.
However many people mention certain bad effects while practicing yoga. Most of these effects are seen in the initial phase when the individual has just started the yoga practices. Where some effects got corrected with the advancing time others got worsen. So here we need to be bit careful while starting the yoga practices.
First of all always start doing yoga under the supervision of a person who has mastered in it. If you are suffering from certain health problems like blood pressure instability, asthma, cancers etc. always consult your doctors before. They are there to help you. So take full advantage from them. Moreover in certain health problems if you start doing yoga without consulting your physician in stead of being benefited from it your condition may get worsen.
For example in case of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia certain caution is indicated while doing any kind of exercises.
Here my special mention is about the pregnant ladies. Yoga is considered very well during pregnancy but do it in the supervision of some good teacher. Never try it yourself; it can become harmful to you instead.
One thing you also need take care is about your dieting habits. Never do yoga when your stomach is full. You will feel discomfort. There should be a gap of 4- 6 hrs in between. Don’t drink too much water while doing yoga exercises. Never drink or eat immediately after the yoga session, have a break in between. Also take care of the food you are taking.
Gastric disturbances are very common side effects associated with yoga. Some persons may feel flatulence, changes in stool content, passing out of more gases, feeling acidic while practicing yoga etc. In yoga experts’ view these symptoms will occur in the initial stage of the exercises and will diminish with time and moreover these are good signs for your digestion process. Like when you are passing out more gases or your stool content is increased that means your gastric system was problematic and now the yoga exercises are fixing the problems. Feeling acidic while doing Yoga means that yoga has activated your digestion process and so the food which was not being digested before is now in the digesting phase while doing the exercises. We all are well aware that while food digestion with in the body the food is mixed with gastric juices which are acidic in nature.
In the initial phase of yogic exercises one may feel muscle cramps which is due to accumulation of lactic acid as the fats got converted to lactic acid. And with time these effects will be corrected. It occurs in all kind of physical exercises. However if the pain is sharp that means that you may have ruptured some tissue and need to see some physician. So the beginners should start with easy forms and then gradually shift to difficult ones and that too in the supervision of some yoga teacher. Moreover gradually increase the time limit of your exercises.
So we all can enjoy the healing effects of yoga but we need to use certain precautions while practicing the yoga practices.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Fighting With Body Odor
In hilly areas summers are really pleasant. But for people in places where temperature reaches the extreme levels, summers are very annoying. In such areas summer means excessive sweating and stinking body so who can enjoy the summer in such areas.
The interesting fact is that sweat itself is odorless. The main culprit is the bacteria growing on the body who multiply rapidly in the presence of sweat and break it down. The process releases chemicals that results in body odor. So by reducing the sweating we can control the body odor to some extent and thus reducing the stinking effect. However there are certain diseases which can lead to excessive sweating like thyroid problems. Some medicines like antidepressants also lead to excessive sweating. Here we are discussing about certain points which can help us to fight body odor to some extent.
Some important methods to control body odor:
Excessive sweating or Hyperhidrosis
Generally men sweat more than women. Moreover our diet also influences the process of sweating. Sweating is more in persons consuming very hot drinks and spicy foods. In persons suffering from thyroid disease or carcinomas there is excessive sweating. Some drugs also lead to hyperhidrosis like antidepressants.
In case of hyperhidrosis usual methods mentioned above alone may not help. In such cases they need to consult the doctor. In such cases surgical treatment involving the surgical removal of triangular area in the armpits or by destroying the nerves that control sweating is done. Recently non surgical treatments are also used as an alternative to surgeries in which botulinum toxin is injected in the armpit area.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Swami Ramdev- The person Who Popularized Yoga
Swami Ramdev is the great name connected to Yoga and Ayurved. This person made yoga popular not only in India but also abroad. His yoga practices especially the pranayamas like Kapal Bhati and Anulom Vilom are world famous.
Yoga is well connected to the history of India. By studying Indian history we came to know that in ancient India people were very much involved in the yoga practices. Their life style and work habits were all health promoting- a healthy and pure food to eat and more of physical work which kept them healthy.
But with due course of time our life got totally changed. We started to use our brain more. With the help of all electronic gazettes and the advanced technology our physical labour decreased. Moreover our food habits are also not very healthy as pizza, burgers etc. got available.
At this time swami Ramdev did a tremendous job. He not only popularized yoga by introducing simple yoga practices but also talked about healthy food habits. He is basically from Haryana. He has studied Sanskrit and yoga through gurukul (a yogic monastery). He has also visited Himalayas several times. Then he finally settled in Haridwar.
In 1995 he established Divya Yog Mandir Trust along with Acharya Karamveer. Swami Shankerdevji Maharaj trained him to be a swami. He also has Patanjali Yogpeeth in Bhahadrabad, 20 kms from Haridwar. It is a big complex with OPD of approx. 5000 patients and has a yoga university, a naturopathy department, a hall, a residential complex for patients, a research centre, hostels, a library and a herbal garden etc.
The characteristic feature about Swami Ramdev is that he simplified yoga in such a way that it becomes possible for even an illiterate person to do it. Earlier it was thought that yoga can be done by the advanced practitioners only and that too under the supervision of some experienced teacher. But today Kapal Bhati and Anulom Vilom are being done in every 2nd Indian house.
Through his medicines and Yoga this person has cured a large number of persons. The basic mode of action of his treatment plan is to regulate the metabolism of the body. Today Swami ji has a huge fan following. His popularity can be judged from this fact that after listening to Ramdev ji people stopped the use of soft drinks as it was said that these drinks had pesticides. This affected the companies so badly that they made the film stars to do campaign for their products and to clear that their soft drinks didn’t have any pesticides.
Swami Ramdev was also accused of using the bones of animals and humans in his medicines. Then all his followers including many politicians like Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Ambika Soni came out in his support.
Today he is so popular that his camps are being held not only in India but also abroad.
Yoga is well connected to the history of India. By studying Indian history we came to know that in ancient India people were very much involved in the yoga practices. Their life style and work habits were all health promoting- a healthy and pure food to eat and more of physical work which kept them healthy.
But with due course of time our life got totally changed. We started to use our brain more. With the help of all electronic gazettes and the advanced technology our physical labour decreased. Moreover our food habits are also not very healthy as pizza, burgers etc. got available.
At this time swami Ramdev did a tremendous job. He not only popularized yoga by introducing simple yoga practices but also talked about healthy food habits. He is basically from Haryana. He has studied Sanskrit and yoga through gurukul (a yogic monastery). He has also visited Himalayas several times. Then he finally settled in Haridwar.
In 1995 he established Divya Yog Mandir Trust along with Acharya Karamveer. Swami Shankerdevji Maharaj trained him to be a swami. He also has Patanjali Yogpeeth in Bhahadrabad, 20 kms from Haridwar. It is a big complex with OPD of approx. 5000 patients and has a yoga university, a naturopathy department, a hall, a residential complex for patients, a research centre, hostels, a library and a herbal garden etc.
The characteristic feature about Swami Ramdev is that he simplified yoga in such a way that it becomes possible for even an illiterate person to do it. Earlier it was thought that yoga can be done by the advanced practitioners only and that too under the supervision of some experienced teacher. But today Kapal Bhati and Anulom Vilom are being done in every 2nd Indian house.
Through his medicines and Yoga this person has cured a large number of persons. The basic mode of action of his treatment plan is to regulate the metabolism of the body. Today Swami ji has a huge fan following. His popularity can be judged from this fact that after listening to Ramdev ji people stopped the use of soft drinks as it was said that these drinks had pesticides. This affected the companies so badly that they made the film stars to do campaign for their products and to clear that their soft drinks didn’t have any pesticides.
Swami Ramdev was also accused of using the bones of animals and humans in his medicines. Then all his followers including many politicians like Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Ambika Soni came out in his support.
Today he is so popular that his camps are being held not only in India but also abroad.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Yoga- The Real Boon
Due to the enormous healing effects Yoga has become an integral part of our lives. There are a lot of us who got benefited by yoga.
The term Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word- “yuj” which means “to unite”. Some call it the union of mind with the body whereas others call it the union of oneself with the God. It is basically a science of personal advancement.
Yoga practices vary from simple breathing exercises to different asanas. Pranayama is the basic breathing practice in yoga. With only pranayama a large number of diseases can be cured. It’s great in case of stress management.
Benefits of Yoga:
In curing chronic conditions like various heart problems, endocrinal problems, arthritis, asthma etc. yoga play a very important role. Some problems got completely cured while we got benefited in others if not completely relieved.
The basic mode of action of yoga practices is to make a proper balance between the catabolic (to destroy) and anabolic (to build up) processes of the body that means yoga regulates the metabolism (combination of catabolism and anabolism) of the body.
Yoga practices increase the oxygen supply to the deeper tissues and increases the blood circulation of the body. They put a pressure effect on our glands and thus stimulate them to secrete the hormones in proper ratio.
In certain problems like high blood pressure, thyroid problems, arthritis, diabetes, cancer etc. yoga has proved to be very beneficial.
Along with its healing effects yoga also reduces the stress level in our body due to increased oxygen supply to the deeper tissues and blood circulation in the body.
Moreover yoga helps us in reducing or gaining weight, there is a glow on our face, it reduces the dark circles around the eyes, it reduces wrinkles.
It also improves our sleep quality. Studies show that the persons who practice yoga daily have better and deep sleep.
The term Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word- “yuj” which means “to unite”. Some call it the union of mind with the body whereas others call it the union of oneself with the God. It is basically a science of personal advancement.
Yoga practices vary from simple breathing exercises to different asanas. Pranayama is the basic breathing practice in yoga. With only pranayama a large number of diseases can be cured. It’s great in case of stress management.
Benefits of Yoga:
In curing chronic conditions like various heart problems, endocrinal problems, arthritis, asthma etc. yoga play a very important role. Some problems got completely cured while we got benefited in others if not completely relieved.
The basic mode of action of yoga practices is to make a proper balance between the catabolic (to destroy) and anabolic (to build up) processes of the body that means yoga regulates the metabolism (combination of catabolism and anabolism) of the body.
Yoga practices increase the oxygen supply to the deeper tissues and increases the blood circulation of the body. They put a pressure effect on our glands and thus stimulate them to secrete the hormones in proper ratio.
In certain problems like high blood pressure, thyroid problems, arthritis, diabetes, cancer etc. yoga has proved to be very beneficial.
Along with its healing effects yoga also reduces the stress level in our body due to increased oxygen supply to the deeper tissues and blood circulation in the body.
Moreover yoga helps us in reducing or gaining weight, there is a glow on our face, it reduces the dark circles around the eyes, it reduces wrinkles.
It also improves our sleep quality. Studies show that the persons who practice yoga daily have better and deep sleep.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Insomnia- An Outcome Of Our Present Day Life Style
Insomnia or trouble falling asleep or staying asleep is a common problem these days. And this problem is affecting women more in comparison to men.
Sound sleep is necessary for charging our body and regaining the strength. But a disturbed sleep fails our all plans of the next day as we feel sleepy, fatigued, feel irritated and it becomes difficult for us to concentrate.
Insomnia may be due to a number of reasons, the important ones are:
1) Disturbances in the circadian rhythm: e.g. shift works and jet lags can cause disturbance in sleeping pattern. Jet lag is seen in people who travel multiple time zones so their internal body does not adapt to the external environment. This type of insomnia is transient and is auto corrected once the body got adapted.
2) Stress: one of the main causative factors. Emotional or mental tensions, work problems, financial problems, anxiety, too much work load- all these factors affect our sleep adversely.
3) Hormonal disturbances: e.g. in pre-menopause phase, hyperthyroidism etc.
4) Mental disorders: like depression, bipolar disorder etc.
5) Psychoactive drugs: use of psychoactive drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, ephedrine etc may also result in insomnia.
6) Gastroesophageal reflux or heart burn: it is the back up of the stomach contents in to the oesophagus and results in the pain or tightening in the mid chest area. During day time as we are in upright position so by swallowing the irritating material got cleared up from the oesopgagus but while sleeping we are in lying down posture and our swallowing mechanism is also slowed down so it can cause coughing and choking resulting in our disturbed sleep.
7) Use of alcohol: alcohol may help in sleeping quickly but may result in interrupted sleep.
8) Too much use of caffeine: too much use of coffee, tea or using them during bed time may also disturb our sleep.
9) Smoking: studies show that smokers take longer to fall asleep than non-smokers.
10) Moreover too much noise and light in the bedroom may disturb our sleep.
Some Methods That Can Help:
1) Be involved in some physical activities like exercise, yoga or some sports or go for a daily walk. These activities will reduce the stress count of your body and thus help in regulating your sleep cycle.
2) Avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco (in any form).
3) Also limit the use of tea, coffee. Instead use some healthy drinks like fruit juices.
4) Try to go to bed at the same time daily including the weekends and also wake up at the same fixed time daily so that a routine is developed.
5) Have light dinner. Your dinner should be at least 2-3 hrs before you go to the bed.
6) Your bedroom should be well ventilated, quite and dark. You can use some aroma candles, fresh flowers or play some light music in the bedroom to make the atmosphere more relaxing.
7) There are drugs also to help you get some sleep. But avoid them as much as you can as they had a lot of side effects. And never try them without consulting your doctor.
Sound sleep is necessary for charging our body and regaining the strength. But a disturbed sleep fails our all plans of the next day as we feel sleepy, fatigued, feel irritated and it becomes difficult for us to concentrate.
Insomnia may be due to a number of reasons, the important ones are:
1) Disturbances in the circadian rhythm: e.g. shift works and jet lags can cause disturbance in sleeping pattern. Jet lag is seen in people who travel multiple time zones so their internal body does not adapt to the external environment. This type of insomnia is transient and is auto corrected once the body got adapted.
2) Stress: one of the main causative factors. Emotional or mental tensions, work problems, financial problems, anxiety, too much work load- all these factors affect our sleep adversely.
3) Hormonal disturbances: e.g. in pre-menopause phase, hyperthyroidism etc.
4) Mental disorders: like depression, bipolar disorder etc.
5) Psychoactive drugs: use of psychoactive drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, ephedrine etc may also result in insomnia.
6) Gastroesophageal reflux or heart burn: it is the back up of the stomach contents in to the oesophagus and results in the pain or tightening in the mid chest area. During day time as we are in upright position so by swallowing the irritating material got cleared up from the oesopgagus but while sleeping we are in lying down posture and our swallowing mechanism is also slowed down so it can cause coughing and choking resulting in our disturbed sleep.
7) Use of alcohol: alcohol may help in sleeping quickly but may result in interrupted sleep.
8) Too much use of caffeine: too much use of coffee, tea or using them during bed time may also disturb our sleep.
9) Smoking: studies show that smokers take longer to fall asleep than non-smokers.
10) Moreover too much noise and light in the bedroom may disturb our sleep.
Some Methods That Can Help:
1) Be involved in some physical activities like exercise, yoga or some sports or go for a daily walk. These activities will reduce the stress count of your body and thus help in regulating your sleep cycle.
2) Avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco (in any form).
3) Also limit the use of tea, coffee. Instead use some healthy drinks like fruit juices.
4) Try to go to bed at the same time daily including the weekends and also wake up at the same fixed time daily so that a routine is developed.
5) Have light dinner. Your dinner should be at least 2-3 hrs before you go to the bed.
6) Your bedroom should be well ventilated, quite and dark. You can use some aroma candles, fresh flowers or play some light music in the bedroom to make the atmosphere more relaxing.
7) There are drugs also to help you get some sleep. But avoid them as much as you can as they had a lot of side effects. And never try them without consulting your doctor.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Hair Fall- Need Of Extra Attention
Hairs add a lot to our personality. So we got worried when we have excessive hair fall or our hairs got thinned out. Hair problems are very common these days. Some where our present day life style is also responsible for this.
With advancing age hair loss problem is common. About 25% men begin to bald when they are 30 years and about two thirds are either bald or have balding patterns when they are 60 years old. Advancing age has adverse effects on females too. Their hairs became thinner with age. In this case we can’t do much. But with good nutrition and hair care we can limit the damage. Though there are hair restoration surgeries available but they are costly treatments, so not afforded by all. Moreover these treatments have their own side effects.
But when we have excessive hair loss at an early age then we need to find out the exact reason.
There may be a lot of reasons for this excessive hair loss. Some of these are:
1) Due to some illness like abnormal hormonal counts, high fever, severe infection etc.
2) As a result of some adverse effect of some drugs.
3) Due to radiation or chemotherapy in cancer patients.
4) Due to fungal infection of the scalp.
5) Due to poor nutrition.
6) Due to disruption of the normal hair growth cycle like after having a baby, after surgery etc.
7) Use of excessive chemicals like shampoos, colours and air drying.
8) Due to some physical or emotional stress.
9) In autoimmune conditions like in Alopecia Areata etc.
10) Moreover some persons have some nervous habits of continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing that may also result in hair loss.
Precautions taken to avoid the hair loss:
1) When hair loss is due to some underlying illness then it will recover once the condition is cured.
2) Take proper nutrition. There should be proper proteins, minerals, vitamins in the diet.
3) Try to avoid stress as this may adversely affect our health including our hairs.
4) Use mild shampoos. Don’t use shampoo more than once a day. During shampooing lather the shampoo gently by massaging on the scalp and then properly rinse the hairs.
5) Try to avoid frequent use of hair colors, bleaching.
6) Limit the use of blow dryers and if using set them on low heat.
7) Along with the conditioners available in the market some natural conditioning agents can also be used, the best example is henna.
With advancing age hair loss problem is common. About 25% men begin to bald when they are 30 years and about two thirds are either bald or have balding patterns when they are 60 years old. Advancing age has adverse effects on females too. Their hairs became thinner with age. In this case we can’t do much. But with good nutrition and hair care we can limit the damage. Though there are hair restoration surgeries available but they are costly treatments, so not afforded by all. Moreover these treatments have their own side effects.
But when we have excessive hair loss at an early age then we need to find out the exact reason.
There may be a lot of reasons for this excessive hair loss. Some of these are:
1) Due to some illness like abnormal hormonal counts, high fever, severe infection etc.
2) As a result of some adverse effect of some drugs.
3) Due to radiation or chemotherapy in cancer patients.
4) Due to fungal infection of the scalp.
5) Due to poor nutrition.
6) Due to disruption of the normal hair growth cycle like after having a baby, after surgery etc.
7) Use of excessive chemicals like shampoos, colours and air drying.
8) Due to some physical or emotional stress.
9) In autoimmune conditions like in Alopecia Areata etc.
10) Moreover some persons have some nervous habits of continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing that may also result in hair loss.
Precautions taken to avoid the hair loss:
1) When hair loss is due to some underlying illness then it will recover once the condition is cured.
2) Take proper nutrition. There should be proper proteins, minerals, vitamins in the diet.
3) Try to avoid stress as this may adversely affect our health including our hairs.
4) Use mild shampoos. Don’t use shampoo more than once a day. During shampooing lather the shampoo gently by massaging on the scalp and then properly rinse the hairs.
5) Try to avoid frequent use of hair colors, bleaching.
6) Limit the use of blow dryers and if using set them on low heat.
7) Along with the conditioners available in the market some natural conditioning agents can also be used, the best example is henna.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Oral Malodor Affecting Our Social Life
“Oral Malodor” or “Breath Odor” or “Bad Breath” is a very common among dental problems. Technically it is called as “Halitosis”. It’s an unpleasant condition that also becomes a source of embarrassment for the sufferer. It is estimated to affect 50 to 65% of the population. The major drawback of this problem is that sometimes people with bad breath aren’t even aware there’s a problem. They got a clue from others reactions as People used to avoid or try to make a distance when the person with the problem speaks. So it has a significant effect on the sufferer both personally and socially.
Causes Of Oral Malodor:
Halitosis (Oral Malodor) occurs due to excessive volatile sulphur compounds (thiols) production. There may be a number of reasons behind this condition like
Treatment Options:
Causes Of Oral Malodor:
Halitosis (Oral Malodor) occurs due to excessive volatile sulphur compounds (thiols) production. There may be a number of reasons behind this condition like
- poor oral hygiene
- smoking
- food containing volatile sulphur compounds (onion, garlic etc)
- smoking
- due to dry mouth
- due to bacterial coating on the tongue
- due to some other illness like kidney problem etc o
- due to some dental problem.
Treatment Options:
- The main treatment of bad breath is to maintain proper oral hygiene.
- Regular brush your teeth twice daily.
- Use mouth washes containing chlorine dioxide which neutralize sulphur compounds.
- Cleanse your tongue.
- Drink a lot of water to avoid drying of mouth.
- Avoid tobacco.
- Regularly visit your dentist to rule out any dental problem as fresh breath can lead to more enjoyable interactions with others.
Different Causes Of Mouth Ulcers And Their Treatment Protocol
“Mouth ulcers” or “Oral Ulcers” are the open sores inside the mouth due to break in the continuity of the mucus membrane that lines the inside of the mouth. They are extremely common. They cause a lot of discomfort or pain. They occur either singly or in clusters.
Factors Causing Mouth Ulcers:
The best treatment for curing oral ulcers is to remove their cause. However the pain can be reduced by avoiding spicy foods, doing gargles with warm saline water, keeping the mouth clean. There are also sprays or ointments available to reduce the pain. They usually heal with in 7- 10 days if the problem still persists or the pain is unbearable then consult the dentist.
Factors Causing Mouth Ulcers:
- Accidental biting of the cheek
- Injury from a toothbrush (such as slipping while brushing)
- Constant rubbing against misaligned or sharp teeth or dentures or braces
- Due to very hot and spicy food
- Irritation from strong chemicals in toothpastes, mouth washes etc. For example Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), one of the main ingredients in most toothpastes, has been implicated in causing oral ulcers in certain people
- Due to viral, fungal or bacterial infections like in tuberculosis, chicken pox, syphilis, oral thrush etc.
- Due to allergy
- Dietary deficiency like deficiency of Vitamin B, C etc
- In immunodeficiency syndromes like AIDS, Diabetes Mellitus
- In oral cancers
The best treatment for curing oral ulcers is to remove their cause. However the pain can be reduced by avoiding spicy foods, doing gargles with warm saline water, keeping the mouth clean. There are also sprays or ointments available to reduce the pain. They usually heal with in 7- 10 days if the problem still persists or the pain is unbearable then consult the dentist.
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