One of the more severe illnesses included in the larger group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease is typically a long-lasting, chronic condition. The intestine or bowel, most commonly the colon and the lower part of the small intestine, are either marked by sores or get inflamed and ulcerated. It is a common occurrence in adolescents and in young adults.

Crohn's disease is subdivided into five types, each having its own set of symptoms:
1. Ileocolitis: The most common type, it affects the colon and the ileum and results in considerable weight loss as well as diarrhea and cramps.
2. Gastroduodenal Crohn's disease: People who suffer from this type of disease have their stomach and duodenum affected and many experience symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite and weight loss.
3. Crohn's colitis: This involves only the stomach, and can cause joint pains, rectal bleeding, skin lesions and diarrheas,
4. Ileitis: This type affects the ileum and the symptoms are identical to those of ileocolitis.
5. Jejunoileitis: In this type, the jejunum gets affected and general symptoms include the formation of fistulas, diarrhea, intensive back pain as well as areas of inflammation.

Causes
Despite the uncertainty as to the nature of the specific causes of Crohn's disease, there have been a few possible causes which have been identified. These include:
1. Immune system problems
2. Genetic disorders
3. Environmental factors
a) Certain edibles
b) Viruses or harmful bacteria
c) Smoke

Symptoms
The primary symptoms of Crohn's disease include the following:
1. Diarrhea: This can occur for about 10 to 20 times a day in more severe cases.
2. In rare cases, there may be blood in your stool.
3. In more intense cases, you may even develop a fever.
4. Cramping and intermittent belly pain.
5. Anemia, due to a reduction in iron levels caused by bloody stools.
6. Weight loss.
7. Erratic appearance of small tears in the anus, called anal fissures.

Causes, Types and Symptoms of Crohn's disease

Many of us thrive on the diet rich in processed fast foods as we hardly get time to cook a wholesome meal for ourselves in this fast-paced schedule. Moreover, junk foods hardly have anything to contribute to our body while the baked goods strip off all the essential nutrients. These are some of the prime reasons behind vitamin deficiency. Even though that doesn t mean that it will leave your body impaired or lead to any disease, but it can prevent some organs from functioning properly.

This is because vitamins & supplements are regarded as co-contributors for all the essential biochemical reactions within the body. Fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss and irregular heartbeats are some of the well-known signs of vitamin deficiency, but you should be aware of the unusual vitamin-deficiency signs as well.

White and red acne on the arms, thighs, and cheeks: Dietitians say this means that your body is not just deficient in Vitamins A and D, but some essential fatty acids as well. If you spend long hours in air-conditioned spaces and live in a region high in pollution, you are more likely to suffer from these deficiencies. You should eat a lot of fishes, eggs and green leafy vegetables in this case. You should consume dairy products since they contain healthy fats along with all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can think of.
Tingling sensation followed by numbness in the hands and feet: This indicates that your body is deficient in B vitamins such as B12, B6, and folate or B9. It is a health issue directly connected with the peripheral nerves and their ending on the skin. These symptoms may be accompanied by depression, anemia, fatigue and even hormone imbalances. Foods like eggs, mutton, chicken, nuts, wheat germ, brown rice, grains, and sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin B.
Cracks at the corner of the mouth: This is a common symptom indicating a deficiency of B vitamins along with iron and zinc. This problem is mostly seen among vegetarians since they do not eat enough iron, zinc and Vitamin B12. It could also mean that you are cutting down on some proteins required for your immunity building owing to excessive dieting. You should include more poultry products, tomatoes, lentils, and peanuts. Make sure that you eat dairy products such as paneer, yogurt, and ghee or clarified butter.
Muscle cramps along with throbbing pain in calves, arches of feet and back portion of the legs: If this is the case with you, then you are not just deficient in vitamin but calcium, magnesium and potassium as well. This may also happen if you are training hard since you are likely to lose more minerals through heavy sweating. Have a lot of fresh fruits, dry fruits and vegetables to fix these issues.
The key to avoiding such problems is to have a balanced meal every day. 

Vitamin Deficiency - 4 Signs Your Body Is Giving You!

Leading a life with peripheral neuropathy is quite similar to riding a roller coaster. Managing the pain can be frustrating at one time and overwhelming on the other as patients can experience alternating symptoms with debilitating pain. So you should learn about the various treatment options as they can help you go a long way in managing the pain.

The peripheral nerves are considered the longest in the body which extend from the hands to feet. When these nerves are damaged, you may feel some sort of pain, tingling in the hands and feet and even numbness, and these symptoms can even get worse and you may experience stabbing pain with increasing weakness. 

There are many things that you should know about peripheral neuropathy as they would help you to manage the condition much more effectively.

Diabetes is the leading cause of neuropathy: More than 70% of diabetics develop symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. So you should keep your blood sugar within optimum levels as a means of reversing diabetic neuropathy.
A melange of causes behind neuropathy: Though diabetes is the number 1 cause of peripheral neuropathy, other causes include deficiency of vitamin B12, alcoholism, traumatic injury, chemotherapy and exposure to toxic substances. Physicians may find it difficult to pin-point the cause and when this happens. This is often termed as  idiopathic neuropathy .
Medications causing neuropathy: If you are suffering from diabetes and being treated with the drug named metformin, you may develop peripheral neuropathy.
Preventing neuropathy is the most recommended way: While it is the fact that some nerves may potentially get damaged from certain surgeries or injury, peripheral neuropathy can be potentially prevented or sometimes stopped from spreading. As diabetes is a major cause of diabetes, being watchful about your diet and exercising regularly can help you go a long way to prevent diabetes as well as neuropathy.
Pain is not simply confined to a tingling sensation: Though pain and a tingling sensation is the commonest and easiest way of recognising the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, each of your sensory, motor and autonomic nerves can show different set of symptoms that you should be watchful of.
A diet may make the symptoms even worse: You can either help or hurt your nerves with your choice of foods. For improving symptoms, you should avoid food with excessive sugar, refined grains and artificial sweeteners as they may strain your nerves and irritate them further.
Whether you are recently diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy or living with it for many years, understanding a few conditions would help you make informed decisions about your well-being.

Peripheral Neuropathy - 6 Things You Should Know!

The backbone (spine) has smooth movement with smooth intervertebral disks. However, this fluid movement can be limited due to arthritis, which can happen due to many reasons   genetic to age to injury to infection to tumors. The lower back has two sets of spinal disks   sacral and iliac. This sacroiliac region has an elastic vertebral tissue. This could be gradually replaced with hard bone, which can cause fusion between the disks. Such a condition is known as ankylosing spondylitis (fusing disk spaces), which is a type of arthritis.

The typical symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are morning pain and stiffness in the low back and upper buttocks, which gradually decrease as the day goes by. The symptoms usually start and continue to gradually worsen over a period of 3 to 6 months. In severe cases, there could be spinal fractures, but in most cases, pain, stiffness and reduced movement are the main complaints.

Why homeopathy for AS (Ankylosing spondylitis)?

Major benefits of homeopathy could be summarized as under:

It addresses altered immune system, treating the roots of this autoimmune disease.

It helps in pain control without side effects.

It aims at disease control.

It is absolutely safe even if used for a long time.

Homeopathic medicines are prescribed on the basis of individual case evaluation by taking into account patient s genetic, immunological and psychological parameters. It is safe and effective as a long-term therapy. It reduces pain, improves mobility and most importantly, controls the disease. It has no adverse effects.

Homeopathy helps AS patients by acting on the immune system, which is usually overactive in these people. Depending on the presenting symptoms, the doctor will prescribe a customized regimen for the patient.

Rhus Tox: This is the first medicine of choice when the patient experiences sacral/lumbar area pain that is worse at rest, with sitting, or after a period of inactivity. The pain radiates down the legs to the foot. Walking or any other activity/motion provides relief from the pain.

Aesculus: This is indicated in patients who have extremely painful and stiff low back and hips. The pain is a constant ache and there is discomfort with trying to rise from a seat, stooping, and walking, where greater effort is required. There is a feeling that the legs would give way, adding to resistance while walking.

Kalmia: This is used in patients where the back pain and stiffness are accompanied by a warm, numb, and prickly sensation. Low back pain and neck pain is associated with a burning sensation. The pain appears in sudden bursts in the early parts of the night and travels down the arm or up into the scapula.

Kali Carb: This is indicated where there is extreme weakness along with AS symptoms of pain and stiffness in the lumbosacral back area. The patient feels like he is going through a paralytic attack and must lie down to rest. This is a feeling similar to a broken back, and can extend up into the neck or down to the legs. The symptoms are more severe in the early morning hours. Changing positions in the bed worsens the pain.

If you or someone else is suffering from AS symptoms, give homeopathy a try.

Homeopathy Treatment For Ankylosing Spondylitis

Migraine is a very common form of a headache which strikes nearly 15 % of the population. Females are more prone to migraines. Science has not been able to find the real cause behind migraine attacks and the way it treats these massive headaches is also patchy at best. A migraine occurs for a definite period of time, usually, comes with a warning and paralysing pain.

Ayurvedic view
According to Ayurveda, migraine is a tri-dosha disorder. It occurs when vata or the wind element goes out of sync. Vata controls the nervous system and brain activity. Vata imbalances are linked to many diseases like joint problems, dizziness and it happens because of faulty metabolism, poor elimination, sleeplessness, etc. Pitta the fire element also has a role to play in migraines. It causes dilation of the blood vessels, which brings on a migraine attack.

Ayurvedic physicians can identify which dosha is causing a migraine. If the patient is constipated, has acute pain and has dry skin, his Vata is out of whack. If a patient has nosebleeds, is hypersensitive to light, has burning eyes and is irritable, pitta is out of balance. And if a patient has fatigue, is depressed and has a dull throbbing in the head, he is suffering a Kapha imbalance.

Ayurvedic therapies

Shirolepa: Application of herbal pastes to pacify pitta like sandalwood, camphor, Jatamansi.
Shiro Dhara: Medicated oils are poured on the scalp.
Taila dhara: Oils like ksheerabala taila, chandanadi taila are poured on scalp for calming higher vata imbalances. 
Ksheera dhara: Here cow milk is poured on the scalp to pacify pitta.
Takra dhara:  Also known as buttermilk is poured when there is obstruction to passage of vata.
Kavala graha: Oil pulling done with oils like chandanadi taila and mahanarayana taila.
Shirovasti: Medicated oils are retained on the scalp by wearing a leather cap.
Sneha nasya: Oils like Anu tailam are poured into nostrils.
Apart from there therapies herbs like Kumari or Aloe vera, Amalaki or amala and Bala or Sida cardifolia are very useful as migraine cures. Several Ayurvedic medicines are also very useful in migraine-like-

Pathyadi khada: It is used in the treatment of headaches, earaches, and migraine etc.
Shirashooladi vajra rasa: It is used in the treatment of headache, migraine, tension headache, vascular headache etc.
Bhoonimbadi khada: Used as a cure for fever, cold, sinusitis, headache.
Kamadugha rasa: Used to cure all high pitta conditions.
Godanti Bhasma: 250 mg of this medicine is also given twice a day for immediate relief from migraines.
Patients should also eat warm, nutritive foods like sesame, sweet fruits, cumin, garlic, jaggery and rice for balancing Vata. For balancing pitta, they should stay away from smoking and drinking at the very least.

Migraine - 8 Ayurvedic Remedies For Treating It!

Most may not be aware of the fact that the human body requires cholesterol for normal functioning. Though normal levels of cholesterol are essential for proper functioning, any fluctuations in these levels can lead to disorders like hyperlipidemia and hypolipidemia.

Cholesterol, a soft, fat-like substance helps in building new cells and secreting hormones. While 80% of the cholesterol is produced by the liver, 20% is obtained from the food you eat. The cholesterol sticks to a protein called the lipoprotein and along with it travels through the bloodstream. Among these lipoproteins, HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) is good for the body, and the other four namely LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein), VLDL (Very Low-Density Lipoprotein), and Triglycerides are bad for your body.

Complications
While high blood cholesterol can lead to complications such as heart attack or stroke, low blood cholesterol would indicate the presence of an underlying condition and in either case, proper treatment and management are essential.

Managing high cholesterol

Diet and exercise: The first line of treatment begins with an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Choosing healthier fats, avoiding trans fats, limiting dietary cholesterol, including whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and limiting alcohol consumption along with adequate exercise should reduce the levels without medication.
Medication: If the cholesterol levels do not reduce despite m lifestyle changes, the physician will prescribe a combination of medications, considering several factors such as the individual s age, present health condition, and the side effects of the medication. The common drugs used to reduce high cholesterol are statins, bile-acid-binding resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and injectable medications.
Managing low cholesterol: In the case of being diagnosed with low cholesterol, the treatment focus would be handling the underlying condition. 
Irrespective of the type of cholesterol disorder, it is essential to follow the doctor s advice in both cases to avoid the risk associated and lead a healthy life.

Dealing with Cholesterol Disorders

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