Dr. Ajit Kumar Shetty

Reduction in natural vaginal lubrication is very common and also a pertinent intimate life deterrent. While the reasons may vary from hormonal imbalance, side effects of certain medication, pregnancy, stress or dehydration, this problem can be easily solved by opting for an external lubricant.

What are the various functions of a vaginal lubricant?

1. Lubes are readily available in supermarkets or drugstores nowadays and they help alleviate this embarrassing problem of not lubricating naturally.
2. While the problem of vaginal dryness is more common among older women, lubricants also enhance sexual pleasure. So it is gradually emerging as an item that an increasing number of younger women are opting for these days.
3. Besides restoring normalcy to sexual intercourse, it also eliminates unnecessary friction and pain in the vagina, re-stimulates blood flow to the vagina, and retains elasticity of vaginal walls.
4. Lubricants often act as cushion during harder thrusts.
5. Even if you lubricate well enough naturally, it may happen that you dry up after considerable time, during the session. A lubricant becomes a handy tool when you want to go on.

How should you choose amongst the various kinds of lubricants available in the market?
While people still use easily available lubricants like petroleum jelly, butter, lotions and baby oil, it is better to avoid these, given the amount of adulteration in such products today. Unsafe lubricants can lead to further unwanted and serious complications which are best avoided.
1. There are many kinds of lubricants water based, with or without glycerine, silicone, natural oil based, synthetic oil based, which are better that others.
2. While purchasing one for yourself, you must make sure you are comfortable with the viscosity and whether it is safe for internal administration.
3. Some of them are easier to use with latex condoms, like the water based lubricant. Some like the silicone lubricant lasts longer.

Any surgery that requires an incision will involve sutures or staples as the last step of the procedure. This helps close the incision and keep out infections. Taking care of your stitches can help limit scarring and discomfort and speed up the healing process. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Keep it clean and dry: For the first few days, use a washed wet cloth to clean the incision site. After a few days, you may start washing the area with soap and water unless advised else wise by your doctor. Ensure that you dry the skin thoroughly after washing it. Avoid baths that involve soaking the area in water. Also, avoid swimming. Do not use any powders, lotions, creams, deodorants etc on the wound site.
2. Look out for signs of infections: Avoid activities that may involve exposing your wound to dirty water, chemicals, dust etc. This increases your risk of infections. Also look out for signs f infections such as redness, swelling, pus or bleeding, fever or increased pain from the wound. In case you notice such signs, consult your doctor at the earliest.
3. Do not scratch: As it heals, your skin is likely to turn itchy. However, refrain from scratching so as to reduce chances of infections. Do not try and pull away from the scab but let it fall off on its own. This will also help limit scarring.
4. Limit contact: Avoid wearing tight clothes or anything that sticks to the skin while your wound is healing. Instead have plenty of loose, comfortable clothes easily accessible. Also, do not take part in close contact sports such as football etc until the stitches have healed completely.
5. Change your dressing regularly: A dressing should be changed as soon as it gets wet or soaked with blood or other body fluids. Wear clean medical gloves while changing a dressing. When putting on a new dressing do not touch the inside of the dressing or apply any creams on the stitches unless advised so by your doctor. In the case of removable stitches, the doctor will usually remove the stitches after a few days. DO not attempt to pull the stitches out on your own.
6. Avoid exposing the wound to sunlight: New skin that forms as the incision heals is very sensitive to sunlight and gets sunburnt very easily. Limiting your exposure to sunlight can help reduce the effects of scarring.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Shirodhara

Modern lifestyles lead to poor health in many ways. However, the use of simple and natural methods can significantly improve health and vitality. Purification therapy is a unique feature of Ayurveda involving the complete cleansing of body and thereby eliminating vitiated doshas. The technique effectively treats doshic balances in their advanced stages. Vitiated doshas causing blocked channels in a system, which needs purification, approach. Shirodhara is one of the great purification and rejuvenating therapy.

Shirodhara is an ancient ayurvedic healing practice performed in India for over 5, 000 years. The word Shirodhara breaks down into two ideas: Shiro, meaning head, and dhara which means flow. Together they form a concept that aims to bring physical and emotional balance by rejuvenating the spirit and preserving health. This is achieved through a relaxing technique in which warmed oil is poured over a client? s forehead for an extended period of time.

There are specialized forms of Shirodhara called tailadhara, ksheeradhara, takradhara and jaladhara.

Shirodhara works primarily on the mental sheath or 'manomaya kosha' as it is referred to in Ayurveda. Shirodhara is traditionally used to calm the nerves, harmonize vata constitutions, restore the nerves, release stored emotions, and purify the mind. In ayurvedic medicine, it is considered an important tool in the pursuit of higher states of consciousness. Shirodhara has been traditionally shown to help with fatigue, mental exhaustion, anxiety, insomnia, some mental disorders, headache, excessive thinking, nervousness, and many other conditions commonly affecting persons in today? s active lifestyle.

Benefits of Shirodhara:
Memory, nourishes hair and scalp, assists in providing sound sleep and calms the body and mind. Shirodhara is one of the most effective treatments for reducing stress and nervous tension.

Ultimate mental and emotional relaxation therapy beneficial for many diseases connected with the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose and throat beneficial for many diseases of the nervous system like nerve disorders, facial palsy, paralysis and ptosis (drooping) of the eyelids. Beneficial for curing long standing insomnia and schizophrenia beneficial for fits in epilepsy when used in conjunction with other medicines prevents hair lose, premature graying and cracking of hair relieves headache and burning sensation of the head nourishes and rejuvenates the body stimulates the nervous system giving sturdiness to the body improves digestion sharpens the sense organs improves the quality of voicegives strength to the neck and headimproves the health of the skincools the body and relieves pain. Invigorates the body and mind and stimulate cognitive memorieshelps relieve fatigue, tension, anxiety, anger, chronic headaches, rheumatism, hypertension, asthma, hair problems and stressdisperses negative electrical impulses that accumulate at the skull and hairline from stress. Renews the sweetness of liferejuvenates the entire face and softens worry linesopens the third eye of lord shiva by this therapeutic marma based head massageactivates the pituitary glandincreases spiritual awarenessregulates mood and depression disordersactivates the memory and stimulates the 6 and 7th charka which regulates our breathing patterns. Increases nutrition improves concentration, intelligence, confidence and self-esteem

Contraindications for Shirodhara therapy

Full stomach severe vatapeople with severe anxiety and combined control issues low blood pressurepregnancyrecent neck injuiryalcoholismbrain tumor abrasions or cuts on headrashes on forehead or scalpaversion to oil.