Dr. Padma S

A woman is an extraordinary and beautiful creation of nature, and it is natural that she would want to see herself as perfect and complete. And, staying sexually attractive is one of the major factors that motivate a woman to seek the benefits of Cosmetic Gynaecology. Cosmetic Gynaecology or Intimate Aesthetic Surgery covers procedures which alter the appearance of female external genitalia and make it seem more natural and youthful. These methods, aid in correcting congenital defects, enhances the self*confidence of a woman, and positively affects the intimacy she shares with her partner.

With age and life events like childbirth, the vagina and labia often change in appearance and structure, which not only hampers the feeling of self-worth in a woman, but also prevents her from enjoying sexual activities completely and Cosmetic Gynaecology emerges as the savior in such situations.
Here are some procedures, which are here to help the fairer sex rediscover the beauty of their body:

* Vaginal Rejuvenation: With the help of laser technique, this process helps in tightening the internal diameter of the vagina, when it gets stretched during birth or owing to genetic factors.

* Labiaplasty: Through this method, the contours of the labia majora or labia minora are changed. It may cover reconstruction, augmentation or reduction.

* Hymenoplasty: It is done to create a pseudo hymenal membrane from hymenal tissue, which already exists or non*hymenal soft tissue. The intention is to cause bleeding when the membrane tears during intercourse.

* Clitoroplasty: This procedure deals with the surgical transformation of the clitoris, which caters to conditions involving increased tissue volume. It can also aid in creating clitoris in transgender women.

* Clitoral Hood Reduction: The method is focused on the loose skin around the clitoris, and can be conducted during labiaplasty or as a separate procedure.

* Monsplasty: The contours of the Mons pubis can be changed through this process. It involves liposuction for the reduction of excess fat, subcutaneous fat, as well as skin. Often, techniques like laser and ultrasound are used during monsplasty.

* Perineoplasty: Repairing and restoration of the loose, ageing or injured perineum is taken care of through this method. Perineum is the area between the vagina opening and the rectum. And this procedure is usually helpful for women who don't heal efficiently after a vaginal delivery or experience scars.

So if you are worried about the structure or appearance of your intimate area, don't fret. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.

Cantaloupe

Fresh, juicy cantaloupe with slices ready to eat

The cantaloupe is a melon that belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin and gourd, and like many of its relatives, it grows on the ground on a trailing vine. It is round or oval in shape and usually has a ribless rind. Having a distinctive netted skin, it is also referred to as netted melon. Many of the cantaloupes available today are hybrids of muskmelons and true cantaloupes and have qualities that reflect both.

Cantaloupes range in color from orange-yellow to salmon and have a soft and juicy texture with a sweet, musky aroma that emanates through the melon when it is ripe. Cantaloupes feature a hollow cavity that contains their seeds encased in a web of netting.

Health Benefits of Cantaloupe

• Cantaloupe is very helpful in improving lung health for smokers.
• Cantaloupe is a Superfood for skin because just one serving (1/4 medium melon) is an excellent source of vitamins A and vitamin C. These vitamins encourages the skin cell turnover and supports the formation of collagen the connective tissues that give your skin its elasticity and youthful fullness.
• It is good for complexion and digestion.
• Cantaloupe has potassium. It helps in rebalancing the heartbeat and sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body's water balance.
• It has high content of folate (folic acid), which prevents neural tube defects in infants.

Beneficial in the Following Illnesses

• Fever
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Rheumatism
• Arthritis
• Disorders of the kidneys and bladder
• Constipation
• Abdominal and stomach gas
• Skin diseases
• Blood deficiencies
• May help prevent cancer in organs and glands with epithelial tissue due to its high Vitamin A content.

Male fertility surgery

Microsurgery

Male microsurgery also involves specialised operative techniques for the repair of very small structures, such as the tubes that carry sperm (the vas deferens). It is commonly used where there is a low sperm count, or no sperm at all.

Microsurgery can be used to:

• reverse a Vasectomy
• bypass a blockage in the epididymis,
• cure a Varicocele (swelling of the veins about the testis), which allows the testis to produce better sperm,
• In the case of azoospermia (absence of sperm in the testes), microsurgery is also used to perform surgical sperm retrieval so it can be used for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). The genetic make up of the sperm is tested first, before fertility treatment.

Most microsurgery is done as a day surgery procedure, and you will need up to a week to recover after the procedure. Occasionally we can cure obstruction to sperm passage in the urinary tract.

PSYCHOSOMATIC PROBLEMS

Psychosomatic illness
Psychosomatic disorder, now more commonly referred to as psychophysiologic illness, is an illness whose symptoms are caused by mental processes of the sufferer rather than immediate physiological causes. If a medical examination can find no physical or organic cause, or if an illness appears to result from emotional conditions such as anger, anxiety, depression or guilt, then it might be classified as psychosomatic.
However, the term "psychosomatic" has developed a negative connotation in recent years, as many people mistakenly believe it to mean that the patient is "making up" his or her symptoms such as pain, has "mental problems," or is otherwise malingering. This is not its true meaning, as psychosomatic pain, for example, is very real pain, and is caused by unconscious rather than conscious sources, and is perfectly normal and not under conscious control.
Psychosomatic symptoms show that a human body can create physical symptoms that compensate for relationship deficiencies. (For example, hypnosis-induced allergic reactions indicate that a person's immune response can dramatically change during an intense mind-body relationship).
Very often, psychosomatic illness is influenced by external factors or players. Severe stress caused by factors in work, relationship, and family are known to cause bowel illness and accompanying dehydration, stomach or headaches, nausea, incontinence, or loss of hair.
Somatopsychic illness is an illness where the mental and psychological processes of the sufferer are affected by physiological causes. Emotional conditions similar to psychosomatic illness are experienced as well as decreased mental functioning. Physiological factors involved include, but are not limited to, cases of persons diagnosed with chronic pain and/or a physical disorder, cases where the person experiences frequent episodes of pain over a long period of time, and cases where a person has exacerbated levels of physical pain over a prolonged period of time..

Solutions
Although psychosomatic disease might improve or disappear following suggestion by a recognized authority, both the psycho and somatic aspects of psychosomatic symptoms may vanish if people improve the relationship of mind to body. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, for example, are usually considered to be psychosomatic illnesses. Like many eating disorders, they respond well to relationship coaching and various forms of psychotherapy.
It is often very difficult to distinguish if a disease has a psychological root, however, it is suggested that 70% of all diseases are the result of anxiety and stress and hence, have a "psychological" root in this sense, even though stress and anxiety themselves involve many biochemical, hormonal and genetic aspects.
Emotional conditions such as anger, anxiety, depression and guilt can be treated using Hypnotherapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, among other therapies, although these two particular treatments are considered controversial by many.
Cognitive behavior therapy is a widely-used treatment for anxiety, depression and related disorders.

History
Many identifiable illnesses have previously been labelled as 'hysterical' or 'psychosomatic', for example asthma, allergies, and migraines. Some illnesses are under debate, including multiple chemical sensitivity, Gulf War Syndrome, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Some people suggest that stigmatics suffer a psychosomatic illness based on identifying with the biblical crucified Jesus.

Illness as Metaphor
Hypochondria
Munchausen syndrome
Tension myositis syndrome
Theory of Deadly Initials
Nocebo
Placebo
Placebo (origins of technical term)
Fibromyalgia

If you're trying to get pregnant, it's helpful to know exactly when you ovulate so you can time sex accordingly. Many women have had success using ovulation predictor kits, which are handy because they tip you off before you ovulate. Others prefer to track their ovulation cycle by charting their basal body temperature (BBT) and monitoring their cervical mucus (CM).

What is basal body temperature ?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period. To get an accurate reading, you must take your temperature when you first wake up in the morning, before you even sit up in bed. And you'll need to use a basal thermometer, which is sensitive enough to measure minute changes in body temperature. Try to wake up and take a reading at about the same time each morning.

Before ovulation, your BBT probably ranges from 97.2 to about 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit. But two or three days after you ovulate, hormonal changes cause a rise of 0.4 to 1.0 degree in your BBT, which lasts at least until your next period. If you become pregnant, your temperature will stay elevated throughout your pregnancy.

What is cervical mucus?

There are many different types of vaginal discharge, one of which is cervical mucus. Over the course of your menstrual cycle, the amount, color, and texture of your cervical mucus will change, thanks to fluctuating hormone levels. Checking your cervical mucus and keeping track of these changes can help you figure out when you're ovulating.

Beginning with your period, you'll, of course, have menstrual blood. When your period is over, you'll most likely be dry for several days. After that, you'll start to have cloudy mucus that's roughly the consistency of sticky rice. You're not very likely to conceive on any of these days.

A few days before ovulation, the mucus will become clear and slippery, very much like raw egg white, and you'll have more of it. This type of mucus means it's baby-making time as its clear, slippery quality makes it easier for the sperm to travel to the egg. The last day you see this egg-white consistency is the day that you're most fertile - usually the day before ovulation or the day of ovulation.

A good time to check your cervical mucus is when you first go to the bathroom in the morning.

Charting your basal body temperature and cervical mucus can help you look back on your cycle and see when ovulation happened.

Your most fertile period is during the three days leading up to ovulation. You can start a little earlier, too, if you want - some women have gotten pregnant from sex that happened six days before they ovulated.

You're fertile during this whole stretch because sperm can survive for five or six days in your body, and your ovum (the egg released at ovulation) can survive for one day. Most experts recommend having sex every day or every other day during your fertile period for the best chance of conceiving.

What is motion sickness?

Motion sickness (travel sickness, car sickness) is a general sense of not feeling well, nausea, vomiting, headache, and sweating that is caused by repeated motion. It develops when the inner ear, the eyes, and other areas of the body that detect motion send conflicting messages to the brain. Any type of transportation can cause motion sickness.

Children are more susceptible to motion sickness than adults. About half of children between the ages of 4 and 10 experience dizziness and nausea when travelling by car, airplane or boat. Girls tend to be more susceptible than boys.

What are the symptoms of motion sickness?

The most common signs and symptoms of motion sickness include:

1. Nausea
2. Increased salivation
3. Vomiting
4. Pale skin
5. Perspiration
6. Dizziness
7. Headache

Homeopathy for Motion Sickness

In most cases treatment with homoeopathic drugs is necessary and in some cases,  it is the only method of treatment as conventional treatment cannot offer a cure always. Merely treating Motion sickness on symptomatology basis has failed to give permanent relief. So a holistic approach considering the individualistic treatment to provide an improved understanding of the patient’s situation and to make it easier and possible to avoid recurrences in the future has to be kept in mind in treating such diseases.

In the context of travel, homoeopaths have some valid conclusions, regarding the holistic and individualistic approach to motion sickness. Homoeopathy takes the set of most distinct, individual symptoms into account, which are truly characteristic of the patient forming the basis of prescription which eventually leads to cure. It is hoped that useful information will be gained both on the entity of motion sickness, as well as the homoeopathic approach to its management.

Travel sickness is enough to ruin a perfect getaway, but thankfully homeopathic remedies prove to be very effective and are perfect to carry when travelling. Some of the common homeopathic remedies which can be used as companions when travelling are:

1. Aconite: This is used when one faces excessive restlessness and fear along with high heat and an urge to cool down with cold drinks.
2. Borax: Taken when symptoms arise due to a downward movement like during turbulence or sudden dipping of the plane. This sudden movement causes anxiety, fidgeting, distress and confusion. Also, helpful in people who are scared of the dip of the plane during landing.
3. Cocculus: This can be taken when a person experiences symptoms of nausea, salivation, dizziness and wants to lie down in order to prevent vomiting. If the sight and smell of food makes a person unwell they can also take this medicine.
4. Nux Vomica: This is used when a person feels nausea, syncope and a feeling of faintness along with being sensitive to even slight movements. In this the person is usually irritable. Other symptoms which are seen in this are constipation or indigestion and a splitting or severe headache.
5. Petroleum: Used when  person experiences nausea, headache, dizziness, cold sweat, vomiting, extreme hunger or eating disorder along with a feeling of being confused and angry. Usually this condition is worsened by nausea.
6. Tabacum: This is indicated when people experience extreme motion sickness, to the extent of being pale and a saliva filled mouth. These people might suffer from the severest form of palpitations and nausea. Closing the eyes and breathing fresh and cold air helps to relieve the symptoms.

These are just a few of the commonly used Homeopathic remedies and are mentioned only to create awareness about the effectiveness of Homeopathic medicines in motion sickness. It is not advisable to resort to self-medication for any disease.