Coughing is a common problem of the respiratory tract and often indicates a deeper problem. It can be very irritating and can affect eating habits and socialization. A cough which persists for more than 4 weeks is believed to be chronic in nature. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of chronic cough in India. TB is an airborne bacterial infection caused by the organism - 'Mycobacterium tuberculosis', that primarily affects the lungs, although other organs and tissues may be involved. Cardinal features are: 

Chronic cough with or without sputum.
Fever more in the night time. 
Poor appetite. 
Unintentional weight loss. 
Read on to know about other common causes of chronic cough and how to manage them.

Allergies: People with allergies usually have a chronic cough, which gets aggravated when exposed to the allergens such as pollen or environmental dust. Staying away from allergen provides relief. Antihistamines are also useful, which most people detected with allergies keep in handy. Inhalers might be required, if there is associated congestion or shortness of breath.
Asthma: This is a very common chronic condition, caused by inflammation and swelling of the lungs, in addition to wheezing and shortness of breath. Asthma patients often suffer from a chronic cough. An asthma attack usually happens during the night or early morning, and is triggered by colds, cigarette smoke, air pollutants or allergens, which can even include certain foods. Most asthmatics usually carry their steroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators, as the onset of attack can be unpredictable.
Bronchitis: This condition of inflammation of the bronchial region is very common among smokers and among the elderly. There is excessive mucus accumulation, which the body tries to clear via coughing. The lungs are weakened and therefore, the coughing is painful.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This is a problem of the digestive system, but regurgitation of food into the airway induces cough. GERD is a chronic issue and so most people also end up with a chronic cough. It is worse with sitting up than with sitting down. Treatment includes H2 blockers to suppress acid production and dietary changes including small, frequent meals and avoiding spicy food items.
Upper airway cough syndrome: There could be multiple problems in the upper airway, which leads to a constant postnasal drip. Here, there is constant dripping of the sputum into the air passage, which can lead to a chronic cough whenever there is impaired air flow. This can be caused by various forms of chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. People diagnosed with this condition usually resort to antihistamines and decongestants for relief.
Other causes: There are a number of other causes as noted below. Smoking, tuberculosis, congestive heart failure, pertussis or whooping cough, foreign body in the airway, cancer in the airway passage, chronic aspiration of foods, etc. can all lead to chronic cough.
The key is to identify the reason that is causing the chronic cough. Most people who are diagnosed are educated to handle it and carry the required medications including steroids, bronchodilators, and inhalers.

Suffering from Chronic Cough - How to Manage it?

Most families refer to their newborn baby as their 'bundle of joy'. The news of a child being born brings immense joy to the entire family. However, due to various reasons, a child could be born with some medical abnormalities, which would be known as congenital abnormalities. There are several different types of heart defects that can be congenital. These usually manifest themselves either immediately after birth or in the early years of life. In some cases, the abnormality could be detected on prenatal ultrasounds. In others, it may not be and the family could be caught off guard about the condition. This causes a lot of stress, both for the child, who does not receive regular postnatal care and for the parents immediately after the delivery process.

If the baby has the following symptoms within the first few hours of life, there could be a serious underlying condition, which requires medical attention. The presence and severity of the symptoms would depend on the actual abnormality.

The skin is pale gray or blue in color due to excessive venous flow in the system
Excessive sweating
The child is exerting to breathe regularly
Rapid breathing causes added load on the heart accompanied by a grunting noise
Flared nostrils i.e. the baby attempts to take in more oxygen with each breath causes flared nostrils
Swollen legs, eyes, and abdomen: Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen is quite common, and this could be characteristic of newborns with congenital heart disease
Shortness of breath, even during feeding
Clubbed fingernails
Lethargy and low energy, even with feeding, therefore very poor feeding pattern
Chest pain, which may cause the newborn to cry incessantly
Low weight gain, as they feed less
In some children, symptoms manifest only during the teenage years or early adulthood. These conditions are not very severe and the symptoms include:

Swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles due to fluid accumulation
Lowered energy levels, leading to easy fatigue
Shortness of breath with even minimal physical activity
Inability to exercise
Developmental delays and changes in growth milestones
Recurrent respiratory tract infections including sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia
Endocarditis
Pulmonary hypertension
Heart failure, where the heart is not able to effectively function and pump blood to all parts of the body.
Some or more of these symptoms should trigger a warning to get the child tested for congenital heart disease. While some would just require a monitoring until severe symptoms develop, severe conditions like holes, abnormal valves, narrowed arteries, and blood vessel abnormalities might require immediate intervention.

Congenital Heart Disease - Signs Your Kid is Suffering from It!

Urinary Incontinence is the sudden urine loss that occurs involuntarily in women. Some of the factors which cause urinary incontinence are pregnancy, menopause and childbirth. It should be noted that urinary incontinence by itself is not a disease, but is a symptom of other underlying disorders such as diabetes, infections and other conditions.

Causes of temporary cases of urinary incontinence include:
1. Constipation
2. Urinary tract infections
3. Excess consumption of alcohol and caffeine
4. Consuming carbonated drinks
5. Use of artificial sweeteners
6. High doses of vitamin B and vitamin C
7. Being on sedatives, muscle relaxants, blood pressure and heart medications
8. Eatables which are too spicy, acidic or sugary

However, persistence of incontinence might be due to a more serious condition. Some of the causes are stated below:

Age: The bladder muscles tend to weaken with age. This affects the bladder s urine holding capacity.
Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and increase in weight during pregnancy can cause incontinence.
Menopause: Oestrogen is responsible for the healthy maintenance of the lining of the urethra and bladder. The onset of menopause causes the oestrogen hormone levels to drop. The gradual damage of the bladder tissues causes incontinence.
Childbirth: The bladder control muscles are weakened during normal vaginal delivery, thus leading to incontinence.
Obstruction: Occurrence of tumours in the urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine which can cause incontinence.
Hysterectomy: The same ligaments and muscles support both the bladder as well as the urethra. With removal of the uterus by hysterectomy, the pelvic floor muscles are deteriorated. This leads to urinary incontinence.
Neurological disorders: Conditions such as multiple sclerosis (autoimmune disorder in which the immune system destroys the protective sheath of the nerves), Parkinson s disease (disorder affecting motor functioning of the body), brain tumours, spinal injury or strokes are capable of causing incontinence.

Different forms of urinary incontinence are classified on the basis of their symptoms:

Urge incontinence: Urge or urgency incontinence occurs when there is a leak before the person reaches the toilet.
Stress incontinence: Small amounts of urine leak out during normal physical movements such as sneezing, coughing and exercising. This happens because of the minimum stress exerted on the body, and hence, the name.
Functional incontinence: Sudden leakage of urine occurs due to external deterrents or physical disabilities such as not being able to find a toilet.
Overactive Bladder: This is characterized by frequent and urgent urination.
Overflow incontinence: A full bladder, at times, leads to unexpected leakage.
Transient incontinence: If urine leakage occurs due to temporary situations such as infections, or new medications.

Did You Know - Constipation Can Also be a Sign of Urinary Incontinence

Most of us are affected by diseases, which spread through physical contact, but most of us do not consider it important to get them checked, due to which they turn into major ailments. Sexually transmitted diseases (stds) are infections, which are transmitted through any kind of sexual contact. The organism that causes the disease is transmitted from one person to the other during sex intercourse. Sometimes stds can be asymptomatic (no symptoms or signs)

Here are some stds that you should be informed about:

1. Gonorrhoea: genital infection caused by bacteria is called gonorrhoea, its symptoms include 

 Bloody vaginal discharge
 Painful urination
 Heavy period bleeding
 Anal itching

2. Chlamydia: bacterial infection in the genital tract is called chlamydia. Chlamydia is usually difficult to diagnose, its symptoms include

 Pain during urination
 Pain in lower abdomen
 Vaginal discharge
 Painful intercourse
 Bleeding between menstrual cycles

3. Syphilis: the bacterium treponema pallidum causes syphilis, its symptoms include

 Rashes
 Sores in the mouth, anus or vagina
 In later stages, it causes nerve and organ damage

4. Genital herpes: the herpes simplex virus (hsv) causes herpes. Signs and symptoms include-

 Small red bumps or ulcers in the anal, genital and other areas
 Itching or pain around the genital area, thighs and buttocks

5. Human papillomavirus (hpv) and genital warts: genital warts are caused by hpv. It infects the genital tract. Hpv has been linked to cervical cancer, its symptoms include

 Small swellings in the genital area
 Itching
 Bleeding during sex

6. Chancroid: chancroid is a bacterial infection. The bacterium haemophilus ducreyi causes chancroid, its symptoms include

 Development of red bumps on the skin folds covering the genitals
 Pain during urination
 Burning sensation during bowel movement

7. Ectoparasitic infections: ectoparasitic infections are caused by small parasitic bugs like mites or lice. The parasites usually affect the hair or skin. Scabies and crabs are common parasites that cause such infections. They both cause intense itching and visible rashes.

8. Human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids): the virus that causes aids is called hiv. It can spread through blood, vaginal fluids, semen and breast milk. Unprotected sex or sharing needles with an infected person is how the disease spreads. It includes symptoms, such as

 Slight fever
 Fatigue
 Muscle aches
 Weight loss.

Most Common STDs in Women

Interstitial lung disease includes a large group of disorders like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis and asbestosis. These cause progressive fibrosis or scarring of the tissues surrounding the air sacs in your lungs. The scarring causes your lungs to stiffen which makes it difficult for you to breath.

What are the symptoms to look out for?

  Dry cough
  Shortness of breath at rest or due to exertion
  Loss of weight
  Loss of appetite
  Weakness
  Chest discomfort

What are the causes?

Normally, your lungs will regenerate tissue to repair any damage. But in interstitial lung disease, the normal repair process does not occur due to injury to the lungs. The tissue around the air sacs gets scarred and thickened, causing difficulty in breathing.

Your lungs may get injured due to long-term exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants like  

  Asbestos
  Silica dust
  Coal dust
  Grain dust from framing
  Radiation
  Indoor hot tubs
  Bird and animal droppings
  Bird proteins from chicken or pigeon

Sometimes, certain drugs can cause chronic damage to your lungs, like-

  Chemotherapy drugs
  Heart medications
  Antibiotics
  Anti-inflammatory drugs

Lung disease can also be caused by autoimmune disorders like-

  Rheumatoid arthritis
  Sjogren s syndrome
  Scleroderma
  Dermatomyositis
  Polymyositis
  Mixed connective tissue disease

Why homeopathy?

Homeopathic remedies are customized according to the effects that the disease has on your body. It will relieve symptoms like sharp pain in the lungs, hemorrhaging in the capillaries and coughing with mucus. It will also slow down the progression of the disease. Homeopathy induces your immunity system to restore the damaged tissues and heal itself. There are no associated side effects of homeopathic remedies to your body. 

Homeopathic medication and therapy also help you to treat the damage from the side effects caused by conventional treatment.

If you visit a pulmonary specialist, he/she will prescribe medications like corticosteroids, medications that will slow down fibrosis and that reduce stomach acid or you might be given artificial oxygen to make breathing easier. The last option is surgery. All of these treatment options will not reverse the scarring in the lungs. In most cases, they do not stop the progression of the disease.

The life expectancy for someone with any of the types of interstitial lung diseases is 3 to 5 years. Homeopathy has proven to be a safe and effective treatment option with no side effects that can slow down the progression of your disease. It is important that you treat it early if you want to prevent severe health complications.

Interstitial Lung Disease - Why Should You Choose Homeopathy For Treating It?

A migraine often causes throbbing pain at one side of the head accompanied by sensitivity to sound and light, nausea and vomiting. The pain can last from a few hours to few days. Some warning signs of the pain take over include tingling of the leg or face, flashes of light and blind spots. Medication can help in avoiding the pain or manage it considerably.

Diagnosis:
Detection of a migraine is fairly easy for a medical professional. If a patient has a family history of a migraine, a doctor can prescribe the following to lock in on the diagnosis:

Blood tests: Through blood tests, a doctor tries to understand any possible problems in the blood vessels, spinal cord or presence of other toxins in the system
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Better known as MRI, this is a process of capturing the detailed image of the blood vessels and the brain. It readily detects any possible problems related to a migraine.
Computerized tomography: More commonly known as CT scan, this is a process of capturing an image through a line of x-rays to detect any possible problems related to a migraine.
Lumbar puncture: This test is prescribed in extreme cases when a doctor suspects that there is a possible chance of bleeding in the brain.
What are the treatment options available?
There are two kinds of medications available- preventive medication and pain relieving medication. The treatment strategy is decided based on the frequency of the headaches and other health factors.



Some pain reliever medication includes triptan, ergots, opioid, glucocorticoids, anti-nausea medications etc. These medicines constrict the blood vessels and block the pathways of the pain in the brain cells. While some medicines are required to be consumed immediately after the symptoms starts, some should be taken regularly to avoid the pain in the first place. These pain relievers have side effects and should be consumed after prior discussion with a doctor.



Preventive medication, on the other hand, is only suggested by a doctor when a patient suffers from a migraine twice or more in a month, the pain lasts for more than 12 hours and the pain relievers do not work. Some of the common group of medicines that are suggested for these set of patients include cardiovascular drugs, anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressants etc.

Alternative medicine approach:
Alternative medicines are often witnessed to fetch positive results for migraine patients:

Acupuncture: this form of treatment involves inserting thin needles into the skin at various points to give relief from pain
Cognitive behavioral therapy: This is a form of treatment which focuses on perceiving pain with behavioral changes.
Biofeedback: This is a relaxation technique that teaches to control physical responses such as pain, stress, muscle contraction etc.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Migraine - Treatment Options Available!

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