How to improve your vaginal health?

There is very little awareness or action to ensure vaginal health for women. There aren't many public discussions to be witnessed and women basically survive on whatever little they know and experience. 

Here are a few things you can do to improve your vaginal health, naturally:

1. Drink lots of water - our body is 70% water. And water alone is the cure to a lot of our basic health problems. To have a healthy vagina too, you should drink a lot of water. The science behind this is that mucous vaginal membranes need a lot of water.

2. Go nuts - almonds, flaxseeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and such nuts should be eaten in plenty. The essential minerals in them regulate your monthly cycle and also ensure that you do not face dryness, itchiness, etc.

3. Have garlic - we all know that garlic has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. Eating them raw helps cure infections. Wrapping a clove of fresh garlic into gauze and making a sort of a tampon, inserting it into your vagina and leaving it overnight would actually cure itchiness, dryness and infections.

4. Try cranberry juice - cranberries (the pure form, and not the bottled ones) are known to be beneficial for the bladder. They also acidify the urine and balance the ph in your vagina.

5. Less sugar is good - sugars, wheat and alcohols should be avoided when trying to heal an infection. It is advisable to consume these products as less as possible. The sweetness from all these foods disbalance the ph level of the vagina. If you want your vagina to be healthy, avoid rich, processed and sugary foods, and eat a balanced diet with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.

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5 Foods That Care For Your Vagina

6 handy tips to manage repeated vaginal infections

Vaginal infections occur when the walls of the vagina get inflamed. This can be caused by several factors such as bacteria, viruses, yeast, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), chemicals and clothing. The standard medical term for it is vaginitis and it bothers most women at some point in their lives.

Maintaining vaginal and overall genital health is very important in preventing and dealing with infections that affect the affect the area, especially those which are persistent or recurrent.

Some tips to manage repeated vaginal infections are as follows:

1. Maintaining personal hygiene. The most important aspect of maintaining vaginal health is keeping the pubic region cleansed and hydrated. Poor hygiene and dryness make it more prone to recurring infection.

2. Using the right products. Harsh chemical soaps and sprays may cause irritation to the vagina and make it susceptible to inflammation due to infection.

3. Wearing skin-friendly clothing. Certain types and materials of clothing have a harmful impact on the delicate skin of the genital area which puts the vagina at the risk of contracting infections. These include nylon underwear, tight jeans and trousers, pantyhose with no cotton lining, etc. Wearing soft cotton underwear and linen bottoms are the best ways to prevent vaginal infection and inflammation.

4. Using protection during sex. Protected sexual intercourse prevents the spread of STDs which cause vaginal infection. Hence, it is always advisable to use a condom while having sex.

5. Urinating after sex. Always urinating after sex reduces the chances of catching a vaginal infection.

6. Getting regular health checkups. The most efficient way of managing vaginal infections is by getting the vagina checked up by your gynaecologist as regularly as possible so as to prevent further complications and ensure early detection of infections or diseases.

These are some of the simple and effective ways of handling vaginal infections. Most cases are not very serious and can be easily treated and managed.




6 Ways to Stop Repeated Vaginal Infections

The testes are an important part of the human reproductive system and are susceptible to injuries as well as internal problems. One such problem which is known to afflict younger men mostly from the age of 12 to 16 is testicular torsion. It can affect older men, but is commonly seen in the aforementioned age group. It is a painful condition that will require medical attention and if left untreated might even result in removal of the organ in rare cases.

What is testicular torsion?
There are many intricate functions performed by multiple blood vessels within the scrotum that supply the testes with blood. However, one of the testicles might rotate and thus end up twisting the spermatic cord. This cord brings blood to the testicles and if twisted, will reduce the flow of blood significantly. Thus the scrotum may swell up and also become quite painful.

Symptoms of testicular torsion
1. Significant swelling of the scrotum
2. Mild to extreme pain in the scrotum.
3. Abdominal pain, especially in the lower abdomen
4. Unusually positioned testicle such as one significantly higher, behind, or in front of the other one.
5. Fever
6. Feeling nauseated and may be accompanied by vomiting
7. Pain during urination
8. Inability to sleep or waking up in the middle of the night due to the constant pain

What causes testicular torsion?
In certain cases, testicular torsion may occur and then go away on its own when the testicle rotates, resulting in the untwisting of the spermatic cord (which is also known as de-torsion). However, it is still advisable to visit a doctor and ascertain what caused it so that the risk factor could be eliminated as torsion and de-torsion could keep happening frequently. Some of the common causes for testicular torsion are mentioned below.

Hereditary factors: If someone in your family has suffered from this condition, you could be susceptible to it.
Injuries: If you receive minor trauma such as the one during playing any kind of contact sports, outdoor activities or even while doing house work, it can be a reason of this condition as well.
Activities that put stress on the scrotum: Heavy exercising or running in an unbalanced or improper manner can cause torsion as well.
Improper sleeping positions: This can also cause torsion and is a common cause behind frequent torsion and de-torsion.
Other factors: These factors can include excessively cold temperatures wherein the scrotum contracts rapidly and prolonged contraction can cause torsion. Even the rapid growth of the scrotum during the adolescent years after puberty may cause this.

Torsion of Testes - 5 Common Causes Behind It

Herpes is known as Visarpa in Ayurveda. It is an infectious disease caused by Nita group (Herpes group) of viruses. It is an extreme form of the viral disease, which, if left untreated, can lead to the death of a person. 

Types of Herpesviruses

Herpes simplex
Herpes zoster
Varicella zoster
Cytomegalovirus 
Mode of transmission

Herpes spreads through the following routes:  

Via blood (raktha)  
Via skin (twacha) 
Through muscles (snayu) 
Through vaccination (lasika)
According to ayurveda, these viruses can enter the body by following modes:

Suppression of natural urges (emotions and physical symptoms) 
Due to wounds fractures
Crush injuries
Cutting of immature part 
All these factors speedily give rise to a sort of swelling and inflammation. This swelling can extend all over the body. 

Clinical features

Vatika Visarpa Fever, inflammation, twitching, pins and needles, tearing pain, giddiness, pricking pain, malaise, cramps, tremors, fever, bone and joint pain and their dislocation, shivering, anorexia, and indigestion
Paittika Visarpa Fever, malaise, red pustules, which are rapidly spreading and suppurating 
Kaphaja VisarpaNumbness, stiffness, heaviness, pain in the body, pustules with exudates, deep-seated ulcers over the pustules with a surrounded capillary network and covered with many skin scabs.
Sannipatika Visarpa
Granthi vispara
Glandular involvement along with all the symptoms of herpes

Agni Visarpa: Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, thirst, dizziness, splitting pain in regional glands, anorexia, pain all over the body, loss of consciousness, sleeplessness, dyspnoea, hiccough, mental confusion, and finally death
Kardama Visarpa: Red, yellow and pale yellow color eruptions with dull pain, edema, deep-seated suppuration, and eruptions that are free from exudations
Scope of Ayurveda

It is based on dosha dominance. Herpes from a single dosha involvement is curable. Involvement of double doshas can be alleviated by the habitual use of general therapeutic measures and involvement of triple doshas is incurable because it pervades all the tissue elements.

Management in ayurveda It includes:

Langhana therapy for improving immunity and to fight against the virus 
Herbs are used due to their antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activity, such as Musta, Bala, Guduchi, Yashti, Chandana, Usheera
Tikta dravya which pacifies the vitiation of rakta and pitta, which are the main causative factor for herpes 
An induction of controlled vomiting for infection arising due to pitta dosha
Compounds with a bitter taste (tikta rasa pradana) administration to increase the flow of gastric juice and for the virus destruction
Administration of herbs (Sneha pana) for purgation
Rakta mokshana should be administered if the route of transmission is blood
Kasisadi ghruta for external application

Role Of Ayurveda In The Management Of Genital Herpes!

Warts are small fleshy growths on human skin, which can happen anywhere over the body and are usually harmless, although they could be unsightly and if growing in certain areas, may be painful. Genital warts belong to that variety. Most warts are caused by hpv or the human papilloma virus and genital warts are no different.

Causes of genital warts

Genital warts are usually contracted during sexual intercourse. During intercourse, tearing of skin and contact with an infected individual will pass of the virus to another person. This is how hpv is transmitted, which may result in genital warts. Other than being unsightly, genital warts can be painful if they are in position when they have friction against clothing and they may also obstruct the flow of urine requiring them to be removed expediently.

Treatment of genital warts in ayurveda

Ayurveda has some great remedies to cure this problem. Let us have a look at a few of them:

1. The onion and salt mixture remedy: this natural remedy has primarily two elements, which are onion and salt. To make this mixture you slice two onions, and sprinkle them with salt before leaving them overnight. In the morning, mash the onions into a thick paste and then pass it through a filter or sieve to extract juice. Apply this juice on the warts periodically for a few weeks until they either shrivel or fall off.

2. The garlic paste remedy: this is another easy remedy which if applied consistently can bring great results fairly quickly. In this method you need to take a few cloves of garlic, crush them to a paste, apply this paste on the warts, cover the affected area with a bandage and leave it for an hour. After an hour remove the bandage and wash of the area. Repeat this for a few weeks and you should see the results.

3. The potato remedy: this remedy would require you to follow the steps multiple times a day. Take a potato and cut it into slices. Use these slices to rub the affected area. This has to be followed up multiple times a day, preferable at least 3 or more times. Doing this for 2 to 3 weeks will bring results where the warts will either shrink up or fall off.

Natural Ayurveda Treatment for Genital Warts

Peyronie's disease is a problem predominantly found in 3-9% of adult men, especially after 40 years of age. In the disease, a scar tissue is formed in the outer layer of the penis called tunica albuginea. Scar tissue is a just plaque inside the penis.

Peyronie's disease causes the penis to bend sideways or upwards and can make sex become difficult due to deformity and erection may be a painful process. It is usually associated with erectile dysfunctions, severe anxiety and reduced testosterone levels. It is worth noting that there are treatments for peyronie's disease, however, the pain often goes away on its own, generally, in 6-18 months of onset, but the deformity stays.

Here is everything you need to know about this disease:

Causes
It is not known exactly what causes peyronie's disease, however, there are some factors, which make it more likely than others. Here are those factors:

1. Trauma: this is the most common factor which causes peyronie's disease. It is believed that when someone suffers from tiny bleeding of the penis, which is very common in patients of diabetes, the plaque starts to build up. The injury or trauma, which causes the bleeding may go unnoticed as well.
2. Genes: genes are also a possible cause of peyronie's disease.

Symptoms
The symptoms of peyronie's disease vary, such as:
1. Pain on erection: there is usually pain in erection during the initial phase.
2. Bent penis: when the penis becomes hard before sex, it may bend downwards or sideways by more than 15 degree, so the vaginal entry becomes impossible or is painful for the partner.
3. Scars: tissue may form on other parts of the body, as well including the hand and feet. In fact, it has been said that men who have scarring in the hand, which affect the fingers are more likely to contract the disease as well.
One may see extensive scarring in hands in a disease called dupuytren's contracture. 

Treatment
1. Wait &amp; watch: it is worth noting the acute phase with pain is treated by wait and watch, controlling contributory factors like diabetes, low testosterone and psychogenic factors. Antioxidants are useful. Large number of cases are relieved of the pain in 1 to 1.5 years.
2. Intralesional injection: if the bend is significant enough to interfere in sexual functioning, it can be treated by injecting medicines in the plaque. The medicine, xiaflex is currently not available in india and other medicines given are not very effective.
3. Surgery: this is a last option when peyronie's disease has not gone on it's own and medicines are not helping either. The two most common procedures performed are removing the plaque and putting a tissue graft in its place and also removing the tissue opposite the plaque to counter the bending effect. The results are fairly good.

Going for a penile implant is the last option, which is a permanent solution and is commonly done in india. And, the success rate for penile implant is also very high.

Peyronie's Disease: About Bent Penis

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