The kidneys make urine, which is a fluid through which wastes from the body including urea are eliminated from the body. There are two kidneys on the right and left side, which make urine, and pass it down to the bladder through tubes known as ureter. The bladder acts as a reservoir of the urine that is formed in the kidneys. It is stored temporarily there before being excreted out of the body through the urethra. The urinary bladder is a highly muscular organ and has a rich connective tissue. 

Interstitial cystitis (IC) or painful bladder syndrome (PBS) is a very common condition, which affects females more than males. While the exact etiology is not known, it could be age-related and also lifestyle related. People who are used to controlling the urge to pass urine are highly likely to develop this condition. The simple logic is that there is additional pressure on the bladder from the urine that is contained for longer period of time. As such, the muscular wall stretches and begins to feel stressed.

When this habit continues over a period of time, the bladder wall may become irritated or inflamed or even scarred in severe cases. There is no role of bacteria in this condition, and antibiotics are of no help in managing this condition (though the name cystitis usually indicates infection).

The following symptoms are seen as a result of this constant irritation and inflammation.

One may suffer from pain and pressure in the bladder as it continues to collect more and more urine.
This pressure in the bladder also puts pressure on the surrounding tissues in the abdomen including the pelvis, urethra, abdominal organs, uterus, etc.
Women may experience pain in the vaginal tract including vulva and behind the vagina.
Men may experience pain in the area of the scrotum, testicles, prostate, and penis.
There is an increased urge to urinate, which may be as much as 9 to 10 times a day. As the condition progresses, there could be more visits, as many as 40 to 50 visits a day.
This tendency and urge to urinate increases during nighttime.
For women, this urge to urinate and other symptoms including pain are worse during menstruation.
There could be pain during intercourse for both men and women.
There could be pain even otherwise, which can range from a mild dull ache to a piercing pain.
At a structural level, this constant pressure leads to pinpoint bleeding (glomerulations) and sometimes even ulcers in the bladder wall.
There is no definitive treatment for IC or PBS. However, bladder distention and instillation are proven methods of increasing bladder capacity, which therefore helps in relieving symptoms.

Painful Bladder Syndrome - Know The Signs!

It is important for you to know about degenerative disc disease (DDD) and spondylosis. Spondylosis is an umbrella term for spine pain, which occurs because of degenerative conditions. Spondylosis refers to several conditions. They include spinal stenosis, which is the abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal, leading to leg pain, degeneration due to DDD and degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis involving the spine. It may also include cervical osteoarthritis or neck arthritis.


About spondylosis
Spondylosis is a common condition, which is age related. The joints and discs present in the neck are specifically affected as a result of this condition. It commonly develops on account of the wear and tear of the cartilage and bones present in the neck. This condition, in spite of being common, worsens with age. In many patients, symptoms are not observed externally, but pain and muscle spasms are experienced. 


Many people with spondylosis do not undertake treatment in spite of suffering from the symptoms and pain. In case the symptoms are prevalent over a long time and tend to worsen, you have several modes of treatment to choose from. They may include medicines, corticosteroid injections, physical therapy and even surgery in some extreme cases. 


How does DDD or spondylosis occur? 
DDD is a spinal condition. It is caused due to the breakdown of the intervertebral discs. With ageing, the spine starts to show signs of wearing and tearing. This happens on account of the discs drying out and shrinking. All these age-related changes are responsible for arthritis, spinal stenosis and disc herniation. Because of these factors, pressure is likely to fall on your nerves and spinal cords, which may further cause back pain. DDD or spondylosis also develops on account of these factors.


Treatment for DDD and spondylosis
There are various modes of treatment, which are available for you to choose from in order to get relief from the symptoms and pain associated with DDD or spondylosis. You may be prescribed typical painkiller medications, such as non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, epidural injections, ultrasound and massage, oral steroids, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and many more. Every mode of treatment has got its own benefits, but has its limitations as well.


If you experience any symptoms of DDD or spondylosis, you must consult a doctor immediately. Your pain management physician or doctor will be able to diagnose your condition properly and will determine the mode of treatment which will suit you best.

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) and Spondylosis - How You Can Get it Treated?

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS includes a group of medical symptoms. These include abdominal pain and changes in the pattern of bowel movements. The symptoms mostly continue for a long period of time and are divided into four types depending on diarrhoea or constipation symptoms.

Irritable bowel syndrome causes several negative effects on our health and should be treated as soon as possible. IBS is caused because of various reasons and factors. They are as follows:

Digestive problems: Food is moved through the digestive system with the help of squeezing and relaxation movement of the intestinal muscles in a certain rhythm. In case of IBS, this process is altered and food moves through the digestive system very fast or very slow. When the food moves too fast, diarrhoea is caused as there is not enough time for absorption of water from food. In case of slow food movement, constipation occurs as a result of too much absorption of water. Disorders such as malabsorption of bile acid may also cause IBS in some cases.
Psychological factors: Psychological factors also play a vital role in IBS. When a person is overtly emotional or is suffering from intense stress or anxiety, then these emotions trigger chemical changes in the body which affect the proper functioning of the digestive system. This is not likely in all people who get IBS. People who did not have IBS before, may undergo changes in bowel movements because of immense stress and tension. Many people who have undergone a traumatic experience such as abuse, neglect or a childhood disease can get IBS. These traumatic events or experiences in the past made these people more sensitive to stress, which may result in IBS.
Several triggers of IBS: There are several food items and drinks, which may trigger the symptoms of IBS in a person. These triggers vary from person to person. The most common ones include alcohol, aerated drinks, chocolates, drinks which contain caffeine like coffee or cola, processed snacks such as crackers and biscuits and fried foods, which contain a lot of fat. You should maintain a food diary for identification of triggers that may lead to IBS in your everyday diet. Stress is also an important trigger which may lead to IBS. You should try to find ways to get rid of stress and must avoid over stressing.
Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS results due to several reasons which may be physical or psychological. If you experience symptoms of IBS, you must try to detect or diagnose the reason and then look for proper treatment while consulting with your physician.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Causes Behind it

What the leymen terms it as wheat allergy, he labels as something which restricts the patient of eating wheat for now and ever and supposes that the whole life is supposed to be without wheat but thanks, not so with homeopathy! Also called gluten-sensitive enteropathy and celiac sprue, celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disorder, wherein the consumption of gluten-based foods leads to damage to the tissues that line the small intestine. This hinders the ability of your body to absorb the essential nutrients from the foods you eat.

What happens inside -

Under normal conditions, the immune system of the body offers protection against external intruders.
When individuals diagnosed with celiac disease consume gluten-based foods, gluten resistant antibodies are formed by the immune system.
This causes them to attack the linings around the intestines, thus causing irritation in the digestive tract and harming the villi (hair-like structures on the covering of the small intestine which absorb nutrients from the food).
This impairs the nutrient absorbing capacity of the individual, thus increasing chances of malnourishment.
Causes:-

Though there are a lot of supposed causes for this disease, mainstream medicine has not been able to verify any of them as Sureshot one. Thereby, standing still in dark regards cause as well as the cure for it.

However, homeopathy, with the psychosomatic researches in recent decades, believes anger ruling the subconscious mind through the incidences faced in life or by mother during pregnancy to be a predisposing and causative reason for this disease. This becomes still more useful as the patients prescribed on such approach respond well to treatment and are able to digest and assimilate wheat in a couple of months of treatment.

Symptoms - 

The celiac sprue usually gets diagnosed in patients especially children from Not gaining weight/ height for age with anemia and easy fatigue
The consistent upsetting of bowels
Smelly stools and urgent stools after eating.
Other common symptoms may include digestive problems such as: 

Pain Gas
Abdominal Bloating
Diarrhoea
Weight loss
Pale stools
Aphthous ulcers which are basically sores occurring in the mouth
A severe skin rash
Musculoskeletal problems such as bone and joint pain as well as muscle cramps
Seizures
Tingling sensation in the legs which are caused by low calcium and nerve damage
Growth issues in children since they cannot absorb the required amount of nutrients
Irregular menstrual cycles
Other complications associated with celiac disease
Miscarriage or Infertility
Osteoporosis.
This is a disease which weakens the bones and causes fractures. It is caused because of a deficiency of Vitamin D and calcium.
Intestinal Cancer Other birth defects: Such as irregular spinal shape because of the deficiency of certain nutrients, especially folic acid.
Homeopathic Treatment For Celiac Disease -

The homeopathic approach of treating celiac disease is an individual form patient to patient. For a classical homeopath like us, no patient resembles the previous one. Each one has a different story and thus, has to be studied individually. However, the state of mind, anger and mental sensitivity of patient are the foremost for a homoeopath to prescribe successfully. Homeopathy identifies celiac disease to be a hypersensitive state due to immunological reactivity controlled by a genetic tendency and treats it accordingly.

The homeopathic medicines target at controlling the over-reaction of the body to gluten and also aimed at controlling the symptoms. Some of the commonly used medicines are Silica, Phosphorus, Kali carbonicum, Thuja occidentalis, Sulphur, Lycopodium clavatum, etc. but this list is never to be considered as exhausting.

Role Of Homeopathy In Treating Celiac Disesae!

Some foods punch well above their weight in helping to reduce cholesterol levels, we call them'cholesterol busters. Choosing a healthy diet, low in saturated fat is important in helping to keep your cholesterol low but you can reduce your cholesterol levels further by including these super six foods in your everyday diet.

Super food 1 - soya foods
Being naturally low in saturated fat, soya foods help lower cholesterol. The special proteins in soya also appear to influence how the body regulates cholesterol too. Studies show you can lower your cholesterol by around 6% by including as little as 15g soya protein per day.

Choose from: soya alternatives to milk and yogurt, soya desserts, soya meat alternatives, soya nuts, edamame beans and tofu.

Super food 2 - nuts
All nuts are rich in vegetable protein, fibre, heart healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin e, magnesium, potassium, natural plant sterols and a host of beneficial plant nutrients. 30-35g a day of nuts (a handful) has the potential to lower cholesterol by an average of 5%.

Super food 3 - oats and barley
Both oats and barley are rich in a form of soluble fibre called beta glucan. Once eaten beta glucan forms a gel which helps bind cholesterol in the intestines and prevent it from being absorbed. It is recommended that we eat about 3g of beta glucan per day. Foods which contain 1g or more of beta glucan can carry a cholesterol lowering claim.

Super food 4 -foods fortified with plant sterols and stanols
Plant sterols are structurally similar to cholesterol and can be divided into sterols and stanols. Their cholesterol lowering effects have been known for some time.

Plant sterols/stanols are naturally found in a wide range of foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. However, for most people, it is not possible to achieve the optimum intake from ordinary foods.

Super food 5 - fruits and vegetables
All fruits and vegetables are low in saturated fat so eating more helps to keep saturated fat intake low. Fruit and vegetables are also a valuable source of cholesterol lowering soluble fibres. Try to include at least one pulse (beans, peas, lentils) everyday. Other rich sources of soluble fibre include sweet potato, aubergene, okra (ladies finger), broccoli, apples, strawberry and prunes.

Super food 6 - foods rich in unsaturated fats
Keeping our daily saturated fat intake below 20g (women) and 30g (men) is vital for cholesterol lowering, but it is equally important to replace this saturated fat with modest amounts of unsaturated fats such as those found in olive, sunflower, corn, rapeseed and other vegetable, nut and seed oils. Other foods rich in unsaturated fats include vegetable spreads, avocado, oily fish and nuts. Avoid coconut and palm oil as, unlike other these vegetable oils, they are rich in saturated fats.

6 Super Foods That Actively Help Lower Cholesterol

Over the last few decades, the word cholesterol has assumed a different connotation. It has come to be known as a silent killer that spells doom for health. However, what we need to realize is that a certain amount of cholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the body. The liver produces about 85% of the cholesterol that is required by the body normally. The ever changing food habits have introduced a lot of processed foods that are loaded with saturated fats. Along with this, reduced physical activity has led to accumulation of cholesterol in the blood.

The types of cholesterol are based on the density and we have 2 types of density that is Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). LDL is more dangerous than HDL, called as bad and good cholesterol respectively. In addition, the triglycerides and lipoprotein are also critical indicators of overall cholesterol levels. Depending on a person's age, height and weight, normal levels are derived for each of these four.

Because of their density of the cholesterol molecules, as they are circulating in the blood stream, they tend to get sluggish and settle down along the walls of the blood vessels, referred to as plaque. This plaque attracts more and more cholesterol from the blood and the layer gets gradually thicker. This reduces the thickness of the blood vessels and in severe cases even completely blocks blood flow to important organs like the brain and heart, leading to severe conditions like stroke and heart attack respectively.

However, it is not always that all cholesterol is bad. It is one of the essential things for the proper body functions with the main functions listed below.

1. Each cell in the body requires it to form the cell membrane, the protective layer around the cells
2. Synthesis of vitamin D is done with the help of cholesterol, which is very essential for skin health
3. It also helps in hormone formation. In addition to steroids, other hormones like testosterone, estrogen, cortisol require cholesterol as a main ingredient
4. Formation of neurotransmitters and overall nerve function requires cholesterol. This ensures optimal neurological functioning.

So, as noted above, there are, both good and bad aspects to cholesterol. It is not all that dangerous a thing that it is made out to be. The trick is to maintain a good level of cholesterol so that the body's requirements are met, and at the same time, the harmful effects are kept at bay. Some important parameters to manage, include the percentage of bad cholesterol in the blood and the ratio of triglycerides to HDL in the blood. These are considered fair indicators of heart health and if need be, lifestyle changes and/or medications can be undertaken to manage overall health and reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

Cholesterol: Good and Bad of It

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