The new epidemic that has taken the world by storm is obesity. The proportion of obese people is increasing and the age of onset of obesity is decreasing gradually.

There is an optimal weight for a given height of a person. Obesity is when a person's weight is 20% more than the optimal weight. It brings with it a host of other health conditions, as it impairs the body s overall functioning.

Diabetes 2: In a normal person, food gets broken down into glucose to provide the required energy for the body using insulin. The body s inability to produce sufficient insulin to convert the excessive amount of sugar in the body leads to diabetes. Growing to be a leading cause of early death, diabetes brings with it a host of complications affecting almost all systems and parts of the body including stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and death. Diabetes and obesity have a direct correlation and can be prevented and managed by eating a balanced diet, losing weight, exercising, and having a healthy lifestyle.

Heart problems: An increased BMI also ups the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), where the blood vessels are narrowed due to constant accumulation of fat in their inner walls. This gradually reduces the blood flow through these and may when complete cut-off happens, it could result in heart attack or stroke, affecting the heart or the brain. There could also be cases where the heart fails to pump sufficient blood to the rest of the body, affecting their effective functioning. Obese people also have a higher blood pressure than people who maintain a good BMI.

Breathing problems: One of the main causes of labored breathing is excessive weight. The condition called sleep apnea which is sudden bouts of absence of breathing during sleep is very high in obesity. It can cause snoring, daytime sleepiness, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. In people with sleep apnea, weight loss is one of the first and most recommended therapies. Asthma and general breathing disorders are also higher in obese people.

Abnormal body cholesterol: Obese people also tend to have abnormally higher levels of body fat, especially the bad cholesterol, which again leads to coronary disease. It is a vicious cycle with one leading to the other and aggravating the other.

Osteoarthritis: Added weight leads to pressure on the hips, knees and lower back. There is added wear and tear and pain, which further limits movement.

Cancer: Some cancers, of the colon, endometrium, kidney, pancreas, gallbladder, breast and esophagus are more prevalent in obese people.

These are just some, there are more. The best way to avoid all these is to watch your weight.

Obesity - How It Increases Your Risk of Different Diseases?

If you are facing difficulties in breathing, especially in the process of exhaling, you are suffering from emphysema. Emphysema is a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness. It occurs as a result of several triggers, smoking being the most common one. Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with this condition struggle to exhale, which implies that there is some obstruction in the air flow. This disease has no permanent cure but by quitting smoking, you can stop it from getting worse.

Stages
The progression and severity of emphysema occurs with the staging systems. The staging of the condition can help in developing a prognosis.

The Gold emphysema staging system
Gold is a major emphysema staging system created by a group known as the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. The amount of air a patient can exhale forcefully in one second is determined during this stage. It is also referred to as the forced expiratory volume or FEV1.

The staging is as follows:

Stage 1: Mild emphysema (FEV1 greater than 80% of normal)
Stage 2: Moderate emphysema (FEV less than 80%, but more than 50% normal)
Stage 3: Severe emphysema (FEV lesser than 50%, but more than 30% normal)
Stage 4: Extremely severe emphysema. (FEV lesser than 30% of normal or lesser than 50% normal, with low levels of oxygen in the blood.
The BODE emphysema staging system
The condition affects several abilities. The BODE index, an acronym for BMI (body mass index), obstruction, dyspnea (breathlessness), exercise capacity (health index) is another staging system for emphysema in which the emphysema s impact on several areas of life are measured. They include the following:

Body mass index (B)
Airflow limitation or obstruction (O), which is measured by pulmonary function tests
Breathless or dyspnea (D), which is assessed thoroughly via a questionnaire
Exercise capacity (E), which is measured to check how long a person with emphysema can walk in a span of six minutes
Life expectancy
The prognosis of emphysema is impossible to be determined in any person individually. The staging system helps to identify the severity of the condition, but the future cannot be predicted. Not many studies have been undertaken for the determination of the effects of emphysema on life expectancy. The best research that has been carried out included around 100 people, which is very less. The condition varies largely among people, even if they are in the same stage.

The statistics available on emphysema are not reliable enough for individuals who wish to know their life expectancy. It is considered that if a patient falls in a higher stage, his/her long-term life expectancy is less.

Emphysema - Know The Life Expectancy and Stages!

Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. Low blood pressure can be characterized by extreme fatigue, constant recurrence of headache and drowsiness throughout the day. It can also cause severe vertigo, nausea and even fainting. Low blood pressure can be caused due to dehydration, anaemia, hypothyroidism, lack of essential nutrients in diet, extreme stress or heart conditions. Homeopathy is a safe, natural method of treating low blood pressure. It is an effective remedy without causing detrimental consequences or adverse side effects.

Homeopathic medicines start by providing  symptomatic  relief. It eases vertigo, nausea, fatigue and provides relief so that the patient can carry on with daily activities without hindrance. The next step is to normalise the blood circulation in the body, which also includes an improvement in the pulse rate and heart functions. This is done to maintain the normal blood pressure range. The third step involves treating the cause of low blood pressure. This includes a detailed study and analysis of the medical history of the patient. There are different causes of low blood pressure and different age groups are affected. Therefore, medicines are prescribed accordingly. 

Some highly recommended Homeopathic medicines for low blood pressure:

Gelsemiun and Viscum Album are effective homeopathic medicines mostly prescribed for patients with low blood pressure, which is accompanied by extreme vertigo and nausea. Sometimes the patients also suffer from a constant dull aching head and feelings of stress. The pulse is usually slow and weak, causing persistent fatigue.
Glonoine and Natrum Mur help to maintain the blood pressure when it unexpectedly falls due to prolonged sun exposure. Heavy headedness, vertigo, nausea, fainting spells are common in such cases.
Carbo veg and China are highly potent medicines in case of an abnormal fall in blood pressure caused by severe diarrhoea and dehydration. The body has marked signs of exhaustion and the pulse is so weak that it is often imperceptible.
China and Ferrum Met are prescribed when the blood pressure falls due to heavy blood loss. Irregular, feeble purse, anaemia, exhaustion are common symptoms occurring from blood loss due to haemorrhage.
It is important to include nutrients, dairy products and increase intake of iron-containing food along with the homeopathic medicines prescribed to speed up the health improvement process.

Homeopathic Remedies For Low Blood Pressure!

Shortness of breath, medically known as dyspnea, is the sensation of tightening of chest accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. Most of us would have experienced this while doing intensive exercise, while in extreme temperature or high altitude to a certain extent. But when the breathlessness is severe, it is due to a lung or heart ailment. The lungs and the heart play the most important role in transporting oxygen to our tissues and removes carbon dioxide. And so, any kind of problem in either of the organs can affect our breathing.

Causes:
Numerous underlying conditions can lead to a shortness of breath. An insight into the most common causes are enumerated below.

Asthma: One of the common reason for shortness of breath is asthma. It is a serious condition in which the passage of air becomes narrow and swells up and produces extra mucus. This can result in shortness of breath, triggers wheezing, coughing and also makes breathing difficult. It cannot be cured but the symptoms can be controlled, and it is also necessary to consult with the doctor to track the symptoms and adjust the treatment.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: Another leading cause of shortness of breath is carbon monoxide poisoning. It is caused when carbon monoxide builds up in our blood stream. When there is excessive carbon monoxide in the surrounding air, our body replaces the oxygen in our red blood cells or RBCs with the carbon monoxide in the air. Appliances that are improperly ventilated and engines, especially in a sealed or tightly enclosed space might allow carbon monoxide to accumulate in our blood stream to a dangerous level.
A hiatal hernia: This is caused when part of our stomach pushes upward through your diaphragm. Our diaphragm usually has a small opening through which our esophagus or food pipe passes and connects the stomach. The stomach pushes up through this opening in case of a hiatal hernia and results in shortness of breath. In most of the cases it can be cured by medications, but in some situations, surgery is required.
Pulmonary embolism: It is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. In 95% of the cases of pulmonary embolism, it is caused due to blood clots that travel to the lungs from the legs or some other parts of the body. As the clot blocks the flow of blood to the lungs, it can also be life threatening besides causing a shortage of breath.
Apart from these conditions, others such as bronchitis, pneumonia, lung cancer, COPD, arrhythmia, hypertension, and many other lung and heart ailments can result in shortness of breath and can lead to dire consequences in certain cases. Thus, it becomes paramount to consult a pulmonologist when you frequently experience such breathing difficulty.

Shortness Of Breath - 4 Most Common Reasons Of It!

Bradycardia is a condition which in basic terms means slow beating of the heart. In most cases, the typical rate is 60 to 100 beats in a minute when the person is at rest. In case your heart beats less than 60 times in a minute, then it is slower than normal. But a slow heart rate is not always a health concern even though sometimes it could indicate issues with of the heart.

What could bradycardia mean?
Some people with slow heart rate or bradycardia tend to be very fit, and they have no underlying health issues. Athletes and healthy young adults often have a heart rate lower than 60. But in others, bradycardia indicates that the natural pacemaker of the heart is not working well, or the electrical pathways have been disrupted. In severe forms of the problem, the heart may beat so slowly that it fails to pump adequate blood for meeting the needs of the body. This may show some symptoms and could be fatally dangerous.

What are the causes of bradycardia?
There are various causes of bradycardia, and some of them include:

Alterations in the heart which results from aging
Health conditions that slow down the electrical impulse through the heart. This may include electrolyte imbalance, low thyroid levels, and others.
Diseases which may disrupt the electrical system of the heart including heart attack, coronary artery disease, and myocarditis.
Certain medications that are used for treating heart problems like high blood pressure or hypertension, arrhythmia, and beta-blockers, and digoxin.
What are the symptoms of bradycardia?
When a person has very slow heart rate, he or she may experience lightheadedness or dizziness, feeling short of breath, having difficulties in doing normal activities or exercising, having chest pain, feeling tired and fatigued. In some cases, it is seen that the person may have palpitations, feeling confused, trouble in concentrating and fainting.

What s worse, some people don t have any symptoms at all, or their symptoms are so negligible that they think they are caused just because of aging. The best way to understand whether you have this problem is to take the pulse, and in case, it is slow or uneven, you must talk to a doctor.

How is bradycardia diagnosed and treated?
Bradycardia tends to come and go from time to time, and therefore, a standard EKG is not always able to detect it. A standard ambulatory electrocardiogram is used for detecting the condition, and sometimes, blood tests are also necessary.

The treatment of bradycardia is entirely dependent on the cause of the problem and its symptoms. It is worthy of mention here that in case the problem is not causing any symptoms, then they would not be treated under usual circumstances.

An Effective Guide To Bradycardia!

SGLT2 (sodium-glucose-co-transporter 2) inhibitor is an oral tablet used in conjunction with exercise and diet to improve blood glucose control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

The medication works by targeting and helping prevent sodium-glucose transport proteins from allowing glucose that has been filtered by the kidneys to be reabsorbed into your bloodstream.

Who is SGLT2 Inhibitor suitable for?

This drug is not suitable for everyone. Selection of the right patients is crucial to understand the mechanism of the medication and see improvement in the condition.

SGLT2 Inhibitor is given to patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus as a second-line drug in case the first line of treatment, metformin, fails to keep high blood sugar levels in check.

If the patient has hyperglycemia i.e. high, uncontrolled blood sugar, and a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 due to the accumulation of fat in the abdominal region (central obesity), then SGLT2 Inhibitor could be a useful medication. The drug not only works to reduce high blood glucose but also helps with weight loss. However, in patients with normal BMI, the medication does not induce weight loss.

SGLT2 Inhibitor may not be suitable for patients with a history of urinary tract infection. Hence, it is advisable for all patients to undergo a urine test before starting with the dosage. If the test results are normal, then only you can discuss the dosage with your doctor/healthcare provider and start taking the prescribed medications immediately.

Benefits of Taking SGLT2 Inhibitor :

The benefits of using SGLT2 Inhibitor are as follows  

Helps reduce excess weight if the patient is obese. If taken in the correct dosage as prescribed, you can lose up to 5 Kgs in about three months.

Helps reduce Systolic blood pressure   if a diabetic is living with hypertension, SGLT2 Inhibitor can bring down systolic blood pressure.

As an anti-diabetic drug, SGLT2 Inhibitor works to control high blood glucose and improves glycemic control. Thus, with the help of the drug, Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients can keep their HbA1c levels at 7% or less.

Side Effects

One major side effect of SGLT2 Inhibitor is urinary tract infection. SGLT2 Inhibitor drug filters excess blood sugar from the body in the form of urine. Frequent urination or filtering of wastes through the urethra may lead to infections. Therefore, it is imperative that patients are informed about the mechanism of the drug and its probable side effects before taking the medication. One way to avoid urinary tract infections is to maintain good hygiene   wash and clean your private areas after urination.

SGLT2 Inhibitor can also cause dehydration in the patient, as a lot of fluid is drained out of the body. Patients are advised to have a glass or two of water more than what they usually drink.

SGLT2 Inhibitor is an effective oral medication for Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Speak with your doctor and get yourself thoroughly checked before you start taking the drug.

SGLT2 Inhibitor - Know Merits & Demerits Of It!

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