Arihant Homoeo Clinic

The body and its functions depend to a great extent on the play of hormones, which can greatly affect how we function and the quality of life that we enjoy. Men and women have many different kinds of hormones. Testosterone is a male hormone that found mainly in the testicles of males and is responsible for the development of their sexual behavior and other typical male characteristics.

Why measure testosterone?

This hormone affects the physical, mental and emotional side of men to a great extent and an alteration can also cause health problems. For example, symptoms like sudden weight gain and mood swings are just a few that can point towards a low t score, which is a measure of testosterone. This is why it is important to measure the levels of this hormone.

There are many ways to measure the testosterone levels in men, as follows.

1. Sweat: one of the foremost ways to measure the testosterone levels is to get acquainted with the sweat and its smell, which is basically a function of the apocrine glands. The more you sweat, the more testosterone you have in your body.

2. Testicles: the size of the testicles also determines how much testosterone your body is producing. The smaller the size, the lower the level; while larger and firmer testicles will mean that your body is producing high levels of testosterone.

3. Erections: the erection that a male enjoys is driven basically by the level of testosterone being produced in the body. The size and frequency of the erection basically speak volumes of the t score. Infrequent and small erections can point at low levels of testosterone, low levels of nitric oxide, as well as malfunctioning; dopamine receptors.

4. Saliva and blood spot test: this home-based test kit or a blood test at the doctor's clinic can measure the level of testosterone that is being produced in the body, with the help of a vial that can ask for either saliva or blood in this method, you need to remember that the t score depends on the time of the day and is usually highest in the morning. Also, a blood test conducted by a doctor will have more accurate results.

5. Weight: the amount of weight and fat on the person's body is also an indication of the t score. When you have excess fat, the aromatase enzymes will convert testosterone into estrogen, which is basically a female hormone. This will give rise to low testosterone levels.

The testosterone level is an important indicator of male health and should not be ignored.

Many ayurvedic herbs can enhance testosterone naturally. Ashwagandha or Indian ginseng is the best know.

Individuals from all age groups have been affected by obesity and diabetes. Anxiety and depression are also on the rise. Other lifestyle disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Stroke, Arteriosclerosis, Hypertension, Hypothyroidism, Cancer (mostly skin and lung), Cardiac problems, Renal failure, Chronic Liver problems, cannot be neglected either.

Poor posture while sitting, standing, lying down or moving around is a major cause of back pain. Sitting and standing for long time put considerable pressure on the lower back, in fact, standing exerts up to five times more pressure than lying down, and sitting is even more strenuous.

Asthma, the long-term inflammatory disease, affects the airways of the lungs. A number of symptoms, including obstruction of air flow into the lungs which can cause breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, allergic reactions and swelling of the tubes, points to it.

Adenoids are tonsils located behind the nose which affect a fair percentage of the population, especially children. Despite a difference in location, adenoids are essentially like tonsils in their characteristic properties which cause a host of issues. These adenoids get reduced in size as a person ages though it is not abnormal for children to have enormous adenoids.

Problems Caused By Adenoids:
The greatest issue concerning adenoids is that the symptoms are often confused with that of allergies or sinusitis which makes it difficult to treat. Since adenoids cause a restriction in airflow in the nasal passage, it may lead to nasal obstruction, congestion, and even nasal sounding speech. A reduction in the normal mucus flow in the throat leads to rhinitis, snotty nose, and allergy-like symptoms. One may also suffer from ear pain and clog of the ear due to the physical blockage of the Eustachian tube in the ears. The location of the adenoids plays a vital role in determining the symptoms that one will be suffering from.

Treating adenoids with endoscopic adenoidectomy:
The issue can be treated efficiently with adenoidectomy, which is a surgical procedure. In endoscopic adenoidectomy, the adenoid tissue is located with the help of a nasal telescope called the endoscope. This offers better control over the situation and performing the surgery with utmost precision. And it is essential to bear in mind that several million adenoidectomies had been performed all across the globe for many years with satisfactory results.

In the recent times, a new tool known as the debrider is available. The combined benefits of the endoscope and the debrider can offer better results and a more comprehensive procedure. This invariably brings about a hike in the cost and those patients who can afford the costing of such an assisted surgery should go for it for better results. Most of the ENT surgeons have easy access to such instruments and can easily operate successful removal of the adenoid tissue.

The effectiveness of endoscopic adenoidectomy:
Nasal endoscopic adenoidectomy helps in easy assessment of the size of the adenoids and enhances the accuracy of the adenoidectomy. This treatment option is particularly useful for treating children who have small oral cavities. And typically, the assessment and the subsequent excision of the adenoids in the affected patients are often tough. With the help of the nasal endoscope, the curette can be precisely inserted at the superior border of the adenoid so that the main bulk of the adenoid tissue can be trans-orally removed.

According to the experts, nasal endoscopic-guided transoral adenoidectomy is a feasible alternative to the conventional adenoidectomy. Moreover, this technique offers the advantage of using commonly available ENT instruments. Hence, it might be recommended for the right candidates, and is known to offer satisfactory results.

Peripheral arterial disease or commonly known as PAD is a common cardiovascular disease. Despite having the power to cause painful symptoms and severe health risks, it is overlooked by many. This particular arterial disease may lead to life-threatening consequences if left untreated for long. Read on to know more about the condition.

What is PAD?
PAD refers to the situation where in the peripheral arteries to the arms, head, stomach, and legs become narrow. Often referred to as the peripheral vascular disease, here, the arteries start to grow narrower due to the slow but constant buildup of fatty deposits on the artery walls. Though it can affect all the arteries in a person’s body, except those that supply blood to the heart, in the majority of cases, it affects the arteries in the leg.

What are the threats it poses?
PAD is indeed a life-threatening disease, as the blockages, it creates in the peripheral arteries prevent normal blood circulation to the different organs, legs, and brain. And when the blood flow is restricted, or the vital organs of the body fail to receive necessary blood flow, then the legs, brain and all the vital organs suffer severe damage. And when PAD continues to harm the blood flow for a long time, then it leads to tissue infection or tissue death, which is known as gangrene.

Additional health issues it causes
PAD also creates various other health concerns, such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease of fatty materials’ build up. In the case of atherosclerosis, the entire blood circulatory system gets damaged, including the arteries leading to the heart. The risk of blood clot build ups and vascular inflammation are also common additional threats posed by the fatty deposits.

Smoking is a common cause for PAD. Also, leg pain initially worsens with walking then present even at rest.

Probable symptoms
Depending on the part of the body that is affected, the PAD symptoms vary from one to another. However, painful cramping in the muscles of one’s legs is the most common symptom of this condition. The pain, originating in the legs often goes up to the muscles in the thighs or hips too. Except this, weakness or numbness in the legs, ulcers or open sores on the feet or legs, skin color changing into bluish or pale are some of the other symptoms of PAD.

Possible treatments
The peripheral arterial disease can be diagnosed easily, painlessly and straightforwardly under proper medical attention. Both prescribed medications and a lifestyle change are considered to be the best treatment for controlling PAD. Including a healthy diet and adopting a healthy lifestyle have often been successful in preventing PAD in its early stage.

The moment any signs or symptoms of PAD is noticed one should not be late in seeking immediate medical attention.

Life is getting stressful day by day. Food habits are changing and so is the diet pattern. A balanced diet is becoming a highly debatable topic in these tough times. Dinner is the last meal of the day and surprisingly the most neglected one too. Though one may begin the day on a heavy note it is always advisable to end it with a light dinner. If this is not followed, your body may be seriously damaged in the process.

In fact, your body will always react to an over eaten meal, in numerous ways as listed below-

1. 7 times more tendency to put on weight: The human body much like the mind is the most active in the morning and by the time it is night, it tends to slow down. Therefore, eating a large meal for dinner is detrimental to your health as by then the metabolism slows down and the heavy meal eaten by you is not digested rather stored as extra fat.  

2. Acidity: People who eat a heavy dinner tend to complain a lot about gastritis and acidity related chest pain and passage of gas.  

3. Migraine: Overeating and fat accumulation has also shown to increase chance of migraine. People generally wake up with a congested mind and clouded thoughts which can later take the form of migraine.

4. Heart Rate Rises: One effect of overeating is the rapid rise in the heart rate. The body tries to grapple with the intake of large amount of food and as a result, the heart rate rises sharply and we tend to feel nauseated and uncomfortable.

5. Reduced Sleep: A heavy meal at night disturbs the sleeping pattern of an individual. The brain receives maximum nourishment during sleep. If you eat a heavy meal, the blood supply to the brain is reduced and it is channelized to the stomach for digestion. Hence when people wake up in the morning they feel stressed out and tired.

6. Depressed: It may sound incredible, but overeating at night according to doctors is not only a sign of depression, but also manifests the condition. Excess accumulation of fat leads to depression. This phenomenon is more common In women.

7. Increased Stress: The relation between food and stress has been well established, as people under stress tend to eat more. However, it is also true that overeating at night may trigger stress too. After a bout of overeating, your body tends to feel stressed that is converted into a feeling of sluggishness on the day after. It thus becomes a cycle and the person gets caught in it.