Dr. Shiva Singh Shekhawat

Breast cancer is a medical condition that refers to the uncontrolled growth of cells in the breast. These cells can be like small tumours or lumps. The tumour can be malignant if it is found that the cells are growing into surrounding tissues or are spreading. It occurs mostly in women.

Breast cancers can originate from any part of the breast. Most of these cancerous growths start in the milk-carrying ducts. There are also cancerous growths in the glands that produce milk. These are known as lobular cancers. In rare cases, cancer may also start from the breast tissues. These are known as sarcomas and lymphomas.

Here are some of the ways to get prevented from the possibility of developing breast cancer:

1. Check your weight: It is important that you maintain a healthy weight. You don’t need do follow the hard and fast dieting charts or starve. But eat a balanced diet and exercise a bit to maintain a stable and healthy weight throughout. Being obese or overweight increases the chance of developing breast cancer.
2. Be Active: A sedentary lifestyle devoid of activities is something that invites diseases. It has been found that women who are physically active and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day are at a low risk of developing breast cancer.
3. Don’t avoid fruits and vegetables: It is important for you to have a balanced diet. Include lots of leafy vegetables and fruits in your diet to avoid the possibility of developing any form of cancer. Don’t drink excessive alcohol on regular basis. Remember a healthy diet is a key to a healthy life.
4. Don’t Smoke: Smoking increases the chance of developing heart diseases, stroke and 15 types of cancers. It also increases the risk for breast cancer.
5. Breastfeed your baby: It is mandatory for good health that you breastfeed your baby. Exclusive breastfeeding is best for the health of your baby as well as yours. It lowers the chances of developing breast cancer.
6. Avoid Birth Control Pills: These pills have side-effects. They increase the risk of developing breast cancer. It also increases the chances of developing heart diseases and ovarian cancer.
7. Avoid Post-Menopausal Hormones: Post-menopausal hormones have an adverse effect on the health. They increase the risk of some diseases while lowering the effects of other ones. It should be taken for a shorter period and its prolonged use must be avoided.

Amenorrhea is the medical condition wherein a woman misses the menstrual periods. Girls aged 15 or more who have not yet started menstruating are at the maximum risk of this condition. The most common cause of amenorrhea is pregnancy. Other causes of amenorrhea include problems concerning the reproductive organs or glands that help to regulate hormone levels. Treatment of the underlying conditions often resolves amenorrhea.

Some of the main causes and solutions of amenorrhea are:

1. Dieting: In some women, dieting may cause amenorrhea. This is reversible, simply by eating a balanced diet.
2. Anorexia: Women who suffer from anorexia nervosa are highly likely to suffer from amenorrhea. In this case too, the only solution is to eat a healthy balanced diet.
3. Obesity: In some women, being overweight can cause amenorrhea. They should restrict the amount of fat consumed and should exercise daily to maintain an ideal body weight.
4. Vigourous Exercise: However, extreme exercise is also a cause of amenorrhea. More than 8 hours of vigorous workout, in a week, for a prolonged period of time, can cause amenorrhea. Try to strike a balance between the right kind of exercises and the time devoted to them.
5. Emotional stress: Excessive stress can often cause normal menstrual cycles to be disrupted. This can be cured by simply dealing with the cause of stress. Once stress levels come down to normal, so will menstruation.
6. Addiction: Excessive consumption of alcohol or smoking of cigarettes can also cause amenorrhea. Maintaining a safe distance from all such intoxicants is advised.

Once the cause of amenorrhea is determined, treatment is directed at correcting the underlying disease, which should restore normal menstruation. In case of any anatomical abnormalities of the genital tract, surgery may be advised. Treatment with medications such as dopamine agonists, Glucophage or oral contraceptives is also helpful. Hormone replacement therapies are used in those cases wherein a lack of estrogen is the cause behind it.

A word of caution
While many individuals and companies have marketed herbal therapies as a successful treatment for amenorrhea, none of these have been conclusively proven to be of help. In fact, some of these have been associated with serious and even fatal side effects, though in rare cases. Some preparations have been found to contain high levels of toxins. Before deciding to take a natural or an alternative remedy for amenorrhea, it is best to seek the advice of a healthcare practitioner.

Amenorrhea is very easily avoidable by eating healthy and balanced diets, exercising moderately, maintaining ideal body weight and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.

The moment a woman is known to be pregnant, there is a whole list she needs to follow in terms of food what is good vs what is bad, what to eat vs what to avoid, how much to eat and so on. Almost every member in the family and friend circle would have suggestions to provide, and the woman is left completely confused. Read on to get some of this clarified.

Myth #1: Eat for two people during pregnancy: While it is definitely true that a person needs to eat more during pregnancy, it is not essential to eat for two people. The growing baby does not need a full meal. What it needs are important nutrients to develop fully including iron, calcium, folic acid, etc. The mother needs to increase her food consumption, but only by about 250 to 300 calories. There is absolutely no need to eat for two people.

Myth #2: Eating papaya can lead to miscarriage: The green or raw papaya does have latex, which has properties similar to the miscarriage-inducing drugs. They increase the amount of oxytocin and prostaglandin, which induces miscarriage. However, a fully ripe papaya eases heartburn and constipation, which are common during pregnancy.

Myth #3: Consuming saffron throughout pregnancy makes the developing baby fair-skinned: This is another myth that is deep-rooted, and the obsession with fair skin is even more deep-rooted. Most mothers would be gifted small boxes of saffron and told to add it to milk and consume, so that the baby grows up fair. This is a complete myth with no truth to it at all. The baby’s skin colour is completely determined by genetics and is not influenced by the food consumed during pregnancy.

Myth #4: Ghee during pregnancy helps in normal delivery: Ghee is believed to bring about a lot of miracles during pregnancy. Some vouch for the fact that consuming ghee aids in normal delivery and passage of the baby through the uterus. Consuming ghee also is believed to improve uterine healing post-delivery. The truth is that ghee is loaded with saturated fats and may lead to unnecessary weight gain and hence is best avoided. A small amount is definitely advisable, but it will not help in either delivery or post-partum.

Myth #5: Eating fish during pregnancy is harmful: The only reason for avoiding fish is the increased level of mercury in some of them. While fish with higher levels of mercury are to be avoided, fish with low mercury levels are okay and are in fact useful for the baby’s brain and eye development. Since this differentiation requires knowledge about fish, they are usually avoided. Talk to your nutritionist to identify what is safe and what is not.

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