The disruption of the normal female cycles of menstruation and ovulation after the age of 45 and the loss of her ability to conceive naturally is known as menopause. The associated symptoms of menopause are heat flushes, insomnia, weight gain, depression, nausea and fatigue. While hormone replacement therapy is the most common procedure to provide relief from menopausal symptoms, natural homeopathic remedies can also be used for the same. These remedies are completely safe as opposed to hormone replacement therapy which has a number of side effects. The following homeopathic medicines and remedies can be used to treat menopause:

1. A balanced diet which provides you with optimal nutrition can be helpful in treating menopausal symptoms. When you get enough vitamins and minerals, the physical discomfort caused by the symptoms can be reduced greatly.

2. Phosphorus can help with migraines, extreme sweating, numb hands, fast pulse, memory problems and dry and itchy skin. Foods high in phosphorus content are meat, fish, cheese, nuts and seeds of pumpkins, sunflowers etc.

3.  Excessive deposition of fat can interfere with the hormonal cycles and cause imbalances in the level of estrogen and progesterone. So, regular yoga and exercise can be helpful.

4.  Amylenum nitrosum can provide relief from profuse sweating, shortness of breath and palpitations.

5. Phytoestrogen or dietary estrogen is a compound found in foods such as soybeans, oats, barley, carrots, fenugreek, rice etc. Phytoestrogen can provide natural relief from menopausal symptoms.

6. Aurum metallicum is used to get the tissues and organs to function normally again and control feelings of anxiety and claustrophobia.

7. Aconitum napellus (wolf's bane) is a flowering plant and its extracts can reduce panic attacks, heat flushes, over excitability and depressive symptoms.

8. Argentum nitricum is a nitrate compound of silver which is used to control excessive bleeding in the pre-menstrual stages.

9. Belladonna (deadly nightshade) is beneficial for a large number of symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, insomnia, frequent urination, osteoporosis, abnormal weight gain and other nervous disorders.

10. Bryonia alba, a flowering plant, is used as a remedy for vaginal infections, rashes and vaginal dryness that are common during menopause.

11. Natrum muriaticum, in small amounts, helps to reduce stress. Stress can cause problems in thyroid function, cognitive functioning, digestive system functioning and it can elevate blood pressure levels rapidly.

12. Nux vomica (strychnine) is a common homeopathic medicine for nausea, vomiting and indigestion. These problems are seen frequently in menopausal women, especially after meals at night.

Menopause and Homeopathy

How to Prevent Your Child from Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that prevents the body from processing sugar or glucose. The disorder causes insufficient production of the hormone Insulin (responsible for regulating sugar into the different parts of your body); or the body's failure to respond to the hormone produced. Although no cure is available for T2DM, there are several ways in which you can help prevent Type 2 diabetes in your child. These are:

1. Get your child to indulge in some physical activity

Spending about 60 minutes of the day on physical activity can help your child to ward off Type 2 diabetes. In terms of screen time, it shouldn't be over 2 hours a day. By doing so, he or she ends up building his or her muscles as well as gets rid of extra fat from the body. An active life would also help your child to maintain an optimal body weight with obesity being a cause of this form of diabetes. Whether it's a sport like swimming, cricket or basketball, or even walking and dancing, physical activity in any form can help in preventing your child from developing Type 2 diabetes.

2. Plan a well-balanced diet for your child

Encouraging your child to have healthy foods and making right food choices can also lower his or her chances of getting this metabolic disorder. Foods high in fiber like whole grain cereals and bread, lentils, fruits, and vegetables should be consumed. Similarly, foods low in trans and saturated fats like lean meat, chicken, yogurt and cheese should be included in your child's diet. Processed foods, as well as sugary drinks, should be no-no when it comes to your child's diet.

3. Adopting proper eating habits

It is not only making the right food choices that are important but eating right as well is vital for preventing the onset of diabetes. Having meals with fix portion sizes is a habit that you need to develop in your child. Ideally, half the plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits; a quarter with lean protein like chicken; and the remaining with whole grain. To accompany the meal, make your child have one cup of no-fat or low-fat milk. Desserts like ice cream and cookies should be allowed only once or twice a week.



How to Prevent Your Child from Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

7 causes of heavy menstrual bleeding you must know about

Heavy menstrual bleeding, also known as Menorrhagia, refers to the state of abnormally heavy bleeding during periods. It's common for women at the premenopausal stage of their life to experience heavy bleeding during periods; but if you are not among them, heavy menstrual bleeding is a matter of severe concern.

If you normally lose a lot of blood during your periods or experience severe cramps that prevent you from leading your normal lifestyle, you must first identify the cause of it.

Here are some of the most common conditions that are responsible for causing Menorrhagia.

Disturbed hormonal balance: Menstruation involves the shedding of the lining of the uterus (endometrium), whose build-up is generally controlled by the balance between oestrogen and progesterone, the two significant hormones of your body. It sometimes happens that there is excess endometrium generation due to disturbed hormonal balance, which results in heavy menstrual bleeding.

Polyps: Sometimes heavy menstrual bleeding occurs due to the occurrence of uterine polyps, which are tiny growths appearing on the uterus lining. This condition is mostly prevalent among women of child-bearing age caused due to raised levels of hormones.

Intrauterine device (IUD): People who use birth control methods like intrauterine device or IUD are likely to experience certain side effects which include heavy menstrual bleeding. If the cause behind your menorrhagia is an IUD, you might need to remove it to get relief from the condition.

Pregnancy complications: If you experience your period later than usual and it is associated with excessive bleeding, it may be caused by a miscarriage. Moreover, you might also experience menorrhagia incase of an ectopic pregnancy, a condition when the fertilized egg is implanted within the fallopian tube in place of the uterus.

Uterine fibroids: Women of reproductive age may develop noncancerous (benign) tumours in the uterus known as uterine fibroids. These fibroids can be responsible for giving you periods lasting longer than usual accompanied with excessive bleeding.

Cancer: Though it is a rare case, sometimes the reason behind heavy menstrual bleeding may be uterine cancer, cervical cancer or ovarian cancer.

Medications: consumption of certain prescription drugs such as anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory medicines may lead to prolonged or excessive menstrual bleeding.





7 Causes of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding You Must Know About

As we all know that IVF stands for In vitro fertilisation. It is a method of stimulating the ovaries in a female body, to release an ovum (egg), which is taken out of the body and fertilised artificially in the laboratory with the help of a sperm. After this, the embryo is transferred back to the uterus where it grows and develops naturally.

Understanding the Procedure

The doctor attempts to have complete control over your menstrual and ovulation cycles, so as to know the correct time of the month when you ovulate. This includes, charting basal body temperatures, hormonal therapy drugs etc.
Frequent blood tests, ultrasound will be required to map the progress of ovulation.
Injections, drugs will be prescribed in required dosage to stimulate the ovaries.
During this time, the doctors will monitor the growth of oocytes (eggs).
After a suitable growth of the oocytes follicles, the eggs are retrieved for artificial insemination. (Fertilisation with the use of sperm cells in the laboratory).
After the successful fertilisation, the embryo is transferred back to the uterus.
Can IVF have side effects?

As a side effect it has a major chance of multiple pregnancies. People intending to have just one child, may not be mentally or economically prepared to take the responsibility of more than one child.
The drugs and medicines used throughout the IVF procedure may create hormonal complications in the long run. It bears a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, if the mother has to go through the cycle multiple times.
But it offers a number of benefits too...

IVF increases the chance of pregnancy by a large percentage. It is one of the most successful methods of boosting fertility and pregnancy.
Couples, who have repeatedly failed to bear children naturally, can opt for this treatment to produce their own offspring.
In case the couples are completely infertile, donor eggs or sperms may be used in the process. However, in that case, the offspring will not bear the DNA of both parents.
IVF can greatly reduce the chance of surgery on the fallopian tubes.
IVF also provides an opportunity to choose the healthiest embryos before implanting it back in the uterus. A procedure, known as the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, determines the presence of any abnormal genes or other chromosomal absurdity.
The procedure of IVF has a very high success rate and with technological advancements in the field of medicine, it has also become much safer.
IVF allows women, who go into premature menopause, to be able to bear a child. This treatment is mostly for women who decide to experience motherhood at a slightly older age.
IVF allows same sex partners and single women to bear an offspring.
It is extremely helpful for women who have their fallopian tubes damaged, blocked or surgically removed.

IVF - 9 Benefits You Must Know!

Changes in the colour of your urine can reveal important information about your health. If your urine takes on a hue beyond what's normal, it can be indicative of something wrong with your health. In general, the normal urine colour varies from pale yellow to deep yellowish-brown, which is a result of a chemical pigment in the urine called urochrome.

1. Red or Pink

- When your kidneys, urethra, bladder or any other urinary tract organ gets infected or inflamed, blood cells get leaked into the urine, giving it a red hue. The causes behind the presence of blood can be urinary tract infections, kidney cysts, kidney stones, enlarged prostate and even cancer. Taking blood thinners can also cause you to have blood in your urine.
- Certain foods like blackberries, rhubarb and beets can cause your urine to turn pink.
- The use of certain medications like a particular class of antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis can turn your urine red. Likewise, a drug used to numb discomfort in the urinary tract can cause a red/pink discoloration of your urine.

2. Blue or Green

- The consumption of coloured food dyes containing green or blue pigments can cause you to pass urine of such hues.
- Certain anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory medications can turn your urine green/blue.
- A very rare medical condition called familial benign hypercalcemia (fbh), characterised by high levels of calcium in thE blood and low levels of the mineral in the urine can cause your urine to turn blue.
- Green urine can also occur if your urinary tract gets infected by the pseudomonas bacteria.

3. Dark Brown

- Having large amounts of these foods - aloe, rhubarb (a type of leafy green) and broad beans can cause you to pass dark brown urine.
- Certain anti-malarial drugs, laxatives and muscle relaxants can darken the colour of your urine as well.
- Dark brown urine can also be caused by disorders of the kidney or liver as well as infections of the urinary tract.
Injury of the muscle as a result of excessive training can result in dark brown urine.

4. Orange

- Problems with the bile duct (the duct through which bile from the gall bladder and liver passes before entering the duodenum) or liver along with the passing of light coloured stools can result in orange urine.
- A cause of orange urine may also be dehydration as fluids bring about a decrease in the concentration of compounds present in the urine.

5. White

- The presence of calcium or phosphate sediments in the urine can give it a white hue.
- White urine can also be a result of funguria infection (a form of fungal urinary infection wherein the fungus produces white sediments) or a bacterial infection.



What the Colour of Your Urine Says About Your Health?

With changing times the nature and effects of virus and bacteria are also changing and due to this, one of the biggest risks of unprotected sex is catching a sexually transmitted disease or STD. An STD can be contacted by any form of intercourse including oral, vaginal and anal sex. STDs are serious diseases that should not be ignored and require treatment and medication. Some common STDs are:
1. Chlamydia
2. Hepatitis B
3. Genital Herpes
4. Syphilis and
5. Gonorrhea 

The only way to protect yourself from an STD is to abstain from unprotected sex and always use a condom. Sometimes STD infections have no symptoms and can remain dormant for years, hence it is essential to get yourself regularly treated for STDs if you have more than one sexual partner. On the other hand some STDs have visible symptoms such as:

Skin rash
A rash in the genital area is most often a sign of STDs. This can be in the form of bumps, sores or warts. It may or may not be accompanied by itchiness. A rash caused by a STD usually results in redness and inflammation. Herpes sores may subside within a week or so but just because the rash is gone does not mean the infection has been treated. Hence even if the rash disappears before your doctor's visit, ensure you mention it. 

Painful urination
A burning sensation or pain while urinating is a symptom for a number of STDs. There may also be a change in the colour of urine. Some STDs associated with painful urination as Chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. However, this may also be triggered by kidney stones or a urinary tract infection. 

Painful intercourse
Pain during intercourse is one of the most overlooked symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease. While a little pain may be normal, any sudden increase in pain or new type of pain should not be ignored. This should be kept in mind especially when having intercourse with a new partner or if there is a change in sexual habits. When it comes to men's sexual health, pain at the time of ejaculation can be a symptom of a STD.

Abnormal discharge
Abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis can be a symptom of a number of infections not all of which are STDs. Strangely coloured and odorous vaginal discharge can be a symptom of yeast infections or a Sexually transmitted disease like trichomoniasis or gonorrhea. Bleeding in between periods can also be a symptom of a STD.  Abnormal discharge from the penis can be a sign of Chlamydia, gonorrhea or trichomoniasis.

Learn the Signs and Symptoms of STDs

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