Dr. Krishnaveni

Natural remedies for general weakness:

1. Soak 8-10 almonds and 1 teaspoon rice overnight. Remove the outer skin of almonds and make a fine paste. Mix in some milk and a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi). Boil in water and drink this with sugar candy (mishri) or ordinary sugar to taste.
2. Take mango slices. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon honey, a pinch of saffron (kesar), cardamom (chhoti illaichi) and rose water (gulab jal) on it. Take twice daily.
3. Do 10-15 minutes of warm up and stretching exercises in the morning before leaving for work. This will help to keep you fresh and prevent tiredness.
4. Never skip your morning breakfast.
5. Take a break from your daily routine. Set some goals in the day to perform. Learn to delegate work as too many things together can be a cause for fatigue and tiredness.
6. A warm shower after work or before going to bed is also helpful.
7. Avoid cigarette smoking, alcohol and tobacco as far as possible.
8. Avoid burning the candle from both the ends by sleeping late and getting up early in the morning. Have a sound sleep for at least 7-8 hours daily.

The harmful effects of drinking water in plastic bottles:

1. Harmful substances: apart from harmful chemicals in plastic, water when get stored in plastic bottles also produces harmful substances like fluoride, arsenic and aluminium which can be poison for human body. So, drinking water from plastic bottles would mean drinking slow poison that will slowly and steadily deteriorate your health.

2. Dioxin production: plastic does melt in hot environment. And we, often store water in plastic bottles while driving and so many times leave it in the car where it is in the direct exposure of sun. Such heating releases a toxin called dioxin which when consumed can accelerate breast cancer.

3. Bpa generation: biphenyl a is an estrogen-mimicking chemical which can lead to lot of health problems like diabetes, obesity, fertility problems, behavioural problems and early puberty in girls. It’s better not to store and drink water from a plastic bottle.

4. Liver cancer and reduced sperm count: because of presence of a chemical called phthalates in plastic, drinking water from plastic bottles can also lead to liver cancer and reduction in sperm count.

5. Vitamin based bottled water: nowadays, we get water mostly in plastic bottles and to increase its health content, manufacturers make it vitamin-enriched to attract buyers. But this is even more harmful as it carries health-harming additives like food dyes and high fructose corn syrup.

6. Impact on immune system: our immune system is immensely affected when we drink water in plastic bottles according to nutritionist in mumbai. The chemicals from plastic bottles are ingested and tend to disturb our body’s immune system.

Impact of sexually transmitted infections on women health:

Stis are sexually transmitted infections that are globally becoming more common. Every year millions of stis are passed from person to person primarily through sexual contact. This is undoubtedly because more and more people are having sex, often with different partners, and aren't taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

There are so many different types of diseases that can be spread by touching, oral sex, penetrative sex, sharing needles or even through child birth, so you need to be so careful when having sex that you avoid ever contracting this type of disease. Most stis are curable with medication; however some, like hiv, can never be cured. Additionally, not all stis carry noticeable symptoms so you could have a sexually transmitted infection and not even know you've got it. This is why it's so crucial to get yourself checked out at a sexual health clinic if you are sexually active, to make sure that you don't have any nasty infections.

Transmission

The organisms that cause the diseases usually enter the body through open membranes, such as the vagina, anus or mouth. Stis can be caught through intimate contact with someone, especially through anal, vaginal or oral sex, however some are also transmitted without sexual activity.

Common stis

Chlamydia: an extremely common and fast spreading sexually transmitted infection. Unfortunately, many people (especially females) have no symptoms at all, so it's often difficult to detect. Men often experience more symptoms than women, however this is not always the case. Chlamydia is particularly dangerous if left untreated as it can cause infertility in women, so it's so important to get yourself checked even if you haven't experience any symptoms.

Gonorrhoea: gonorrhoea is caused by a bacterium that grows and multiplies very quickly in moist areas of the body  such as the cervix, urethra, mouth or rectum. For women, the cervix is the most common site of infection. The disease can also spread to the fallopian tubes in a woman and other genital organs, which can cause conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease that may also lead to infertility. It is most commonly spread through genital contact, however it can also be passed through oral sex and if a mother is infected she can easily pass it to her new-born infant during delivery.

Genital herpes: genital herpes is a highly contagious condition caused by the herpes virus. It infects the skin and membranes around the genitals, but it can also appear around the mouth, especially on the lips. It is transmitted generally through physical or sexual contact. Often you can have the virus, but not show symptoms. Symptoms usually include spots around your genitals or mouth.

Hiv and aids: aids is a potentially lethal disease that is caused by the hiv virus. Hiv invades and destroys the immune system, which protects the body from infection. This means that a person who carries the hiv virus is easily prone to catch many different illnesses, and may die from diseases that are harmless to healthy people, such as a cold or a cough. Hiv can be transmitted not only through sexual activity, but also by sharing needles or having blood contact with someone who has the disease.

Genital warts- warts are caused by the hpv virus, and are often not detected straight after you have transmitted the disease. Many months can pass from the time of infection to the actual development of warts, so it may be very difficult to determine whom you got them from. They can easily be treated by cream from the doctor.

Syphilis: if left untreated, syphilis is a dangerous and life-threatening disease. It is passed on through intercourse and almost all other forms of sexual interaction, including anal sex. The first symptom often appears between 9-90 days after exposure to the germ that causes it, and a small lump develops at the site of infection that soon breaks down to form an ulcer; usually painless. There is a secondary stage (characterised by fever, rashes and throat ulcers) and a tertiary stage, in which the germ may attack the brain and other organs and may cause death.

In order to avoid catching a sexually transmitted disease, there are a few things to bear in mind:

    The fewer sexual partners you have, the lower your risk of infection;
    Most sexually transmitted diseases can be avoided by practicing safe sex (using condoms);
    You should avoid from having casual sex, as this increases your risk of coming into contact with an sti;

Both you and your partner should always get tested at a sexual health clinic before engaging in condom-free sex (using the pill is only a preventative against pregnancies); there is nothing wrong with getting tested at a sexual health clinic, as it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Dysmenorrhoea is the term used to describe painful periods. Normal ovulatory menstruation can be painful, but when it affects one’s routine for example absence in school or office or unable to do day-to-day activities, it has to be investigated and treated. Women of any age can experience painful periods. Some women find periods are no longer painful after pregnancy and childbirth

Symptoms of dysmenorrhoea

• Pain low in the abdomen that can spread to the lower back and legs

• Pain that is gripping or experienced as a constant ache, or a combination of both.

• The pain starts when the period starts, or earlier

• The first 24 hours is the most painful

• Clots are passed in the menstrual blood mostly pain is relieved after the passage of clots.

Dysmenorrhoea can be associated with:

• Nausea and vomiting

• Headache

• Digestive problems

• Fainting

• Premenstrual symptoms, such as tender breasts

Types of Dysmenorrhoea:

• Primary
• Secondary

Causes of Primary dysmenorrhea

Normal menstruation that happens to be painful is known as primary dysmenorrhea. In primary dysmenorrhoea, it is thought that the muscles of the uterus contract harder than normal to excrete the thickened lining (endometrium). These contractions may also reduce blood flow to the uterus which makes the pain worse. The hormone-like compounds that prompt these contractions are prostaglandins. The reason for the increased prostaglandins is not known. This type of dysmenorrhea diminishes with age. It is mostly seen in the adolescent period due to low pain threshold, tension and anxiety.

Causes of secondary dysmenorrhoea

• Endometriosis
• Adenomyosis
• Pelvic inflammatory diseases
• Ovarian cysts
• Fibroids of uterus

Ayurvedic view

According to Ayurveda, there is no pain without vata. Apan vayu is the subtype of vata dosha which is responsible for excretion of waste, cell division and any movement in the body. When there is vitiation of vata, instead of proper direction, apan vayu works in opposite direction. As reproductive organs are under influence of apan vayu, there is colicky pain and the discharge is thrown out with difficulty and becomes frothy. When the position of the uterus is distorted due to faulty positions and excessive coitus, the mouth of the uterus becomes curved and uterus falls back which is responsible for painful intercourse and painful menses. When along with vata, pitta is also vitiated then there are symptoms like chronic backache, painful menses, painful intercourse and periods with excessive bleeding; which can be corelated with PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease).

Treatment: Correction of Apana Vata vitiation is the main objective of the treatment. The site of Apana Vata is last part of the intestines. Etiological factors which lead to Apana Vata provocation need to be strictly avoided.

SNEHANA

• Generally, snehana or oleation is done with medicated oil or ghee.
• It may be administered orally (shatavari ghrit) or externally (sesame oil).
• Local massage with sesame oil and hot water bag fomentation or nadi sweda are
• helpful in painful condition.
• Oleation help in pacifying vitiated Apana Vatha.

Virechana-Medicated purgation

• Purgatives or laxatives are useful here for, example gandharva haritaki.

Basti

• As basti is the primary treatment of vitiated apan vata, it is of prime importance during painful episodes as well as to prevent dysmenorrhea.
• Enema with medicated oils is used to pacify Apana Vata.
• Uttarbasti with bala taila, Dashamool ksheer basti and decoction basti, sahchar oil matrabasti are helpful.

Diet:

• Take Fresh fruits and vegetables

• Avoid salty spicy fried junk food

• Take Asafoetida in diet

• Milk medicated with Ashwagandha

• Add Cow ghee in diet

Some useful Medicines:

• Yograj guggul, maharasnadi Kashaya, dashmool kashay, shankhavati, ashokarishta, lodhra, jatamansi, shatavari, ashwagandha, shunthi, hingu, black sesame, haritaki etc.
• Yoga, Pranayama and meditation and exercise
• Stress is the main factor contributing to this disease and hence pranayama and meditative techniques are proved to be effective in relieving the condition and prevent further recurrence.
• Regular exercise is inevitable and part of your lifestyle.

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