What is the best time to sleep?
This is one of those questions which bother many and sundry. Considering the different sleep schedules which different people might develop as a result of their work or other reasons, the correct answer is roughly around 10 p. M. It is good to follow a proper sleeping schedule so that you go to bed and wake up at the same time almost every single day. The body's internal clock or the circadian rhythm is linked to the cycle of the sun. Technically, it is better to wake up with the sun as it has a number of benefits for the human body.

The quality of sleep is known to be influenced by how late you retire for the night. The quality of rem (rapid eye movement) sleep tends to decrease if you go to sleep late. There is another type of sleep which is known as non rem sleep; this is a deeper state of sleep. The non rem sleep helps in revitalizing the body and leaves you energized once you wake up. Sleeping late at night is linked to higher levels of rem sleep, which might not be very beneficial for your physical or mental health.

If you go to bed late at night, you will experience more of the lighter rem sleep. This may lead to fatigue and restlessness the following day. It is also been shown that going to bed late and sleeping less than the usual eight hours is linked with problems in blood sugar levels and decline in cognitive function. It also raises your risks of high blood pressure.

Exposure to radiation from your cellphones or the glare from your computer screen before going to sleep may also affect the quantity and quality of your sleep. Make sure you eat a light dinner consisting of salads. Eating a heavy dinner before going to bed may cause digestive problems, thus impairing your sleep. Also make sure to exercise on a regular basis as it releases various hormones in the body that help in improving your overall wellbeing.

Just What Is the Best Time to Go to Sleep?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a group of progressive lung diseases. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common lung diseases. Emphysema gradually ruins the air sacs in your lungs, which are interfered with exhalation. The inflammation and swelling of airways in the lungs is called bronchitis, which further allows production of mucus, which leads to increased difficulty in breathing.

COPD is a case which makes it harder to breathe. The symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath are light at first. With passage of time, these symptoms worsen and make it increasingly difficult for the patient to breathe.

The patient may experience wheezing and feel heavy on the chest. Some patients suffering from COPD experience flare-ups of severe symptoms or exacerbations.
The main cause of COPD is cigarette smoking and therefore, people who are used to smoking for a longer time may suffer from this diesease. It is a disease that takes time to build up inside one s body. COPD can further cause heart problems and worsen respiratory diseases.

Severe symptoms of COPD include:

Occasional shortness of breath
Mild and reoccurring cough with mucus
Constant need to clear your throat
Noisy breathing
Frequent cold and cough
Loss of energy or feeling fatigued
Swelling of ankles, legs or feet
Sudden weight loss
Treatment of COPD
The treatment of COPD can ease its symptoms and avoid further complications. To treat COPD, one needs a skillful and experienced pulmonologist and respiratory therapist.

The medications which are preferred by the doctor are bronchodilators, which soothe the muscles of bronchial tubes, making it easier for the patient to breathe. This medicine is basically taken from inhalers. To reduce the inflammation, Glucocortico steroids are added.
Oxygen therapy is undertaken to provide oxygen to the patient through an oxygen mask or nasal prongs to ease the breathing process of the patient. A portable unit is advised, if the patient is cured at home.
Surgery is an option for severe COPD patients, which is undertaken if and only all other medications have already failed to control COPD, which can be the case in emphysema. Bullectomy is a kind of surgery in which the doctors eliminate the large bullae (air sacs) from the lungs. Volume reduction surgery is the last option for the doctor to cure a COPD patient. In this process, the damaged lung tissue is removed. The doctors go for a lung transplant in some rare cases of COPD.
The treatment for many diseases is a healthy and disciplined lifestyle. One should quit smoking and get the nutrition that their body needs. People should consult a dietician and get a healthy diet plan, and ask a doctor about the extent of exercise they should perform daily.

COPD - Can Oxygen Therapy Help Treat It?

Tennis toe is also known as runner s toe since athletes are mostly runners; skiers and tennis players also get this injury often. Due to its ugly appearance, tennis toe is also known as a black toenail. This injury causes bleeding under the toe along with moderate to heavy pain. Although it is not considered to be type 1 serious injury, it can still force an athlete to abstain from participating in any events. The blood from the toenail might take its own sweet time to get out of the way. As a result, the recovery time for this injury can last for weeks together. This, unfortunately, is also an ideal condition for infection to set in.

How does it happen?
This condition may arise because of the friction between the toenail and the running shoes or constant downward pressure on the toe. In case if the shoe is tighter than normal, it can damage the toenail. If on the other hand, the shoe is very loose, it can result in similar condition due to heavy pressure on the nail. Tennis toe can also arise in a situation, if the toe constantly bangs the shoe from inside. Extreme hot weather may also result in toe swelling. Finally, one may encounter tennis toe if a blow is faced on the toe. Irrespective of the cause, the blood clots inside the nail resulting in swelling and pain. Too much damage might result in falling off of the toenail altogether.

Treatment plan:
1. If the tennis toe is minor, the injury resolves all by itself
2. The toenail should be clipped together to ensure that it does not result in any friction with the shoe.
3. During the injury, it is advised that a person wears bigger size shoes with wider toe space so that it does not result in any further irritation.
4. If the toenail is torn, make sure to tap it up so that adequate protection is there from outside forces.
5. In case the injury is serious a doctor might have to intervene and drain the blood with a surgical instrument.
6. Another medical solution is to remove the toenail surgically, drain the blood and tape it up for a good one week until new nail formation takes place.

Precautionary measure:
1. Running shoes should be at least half a size bigger than the normal size.
2. Toenails should be regularly trimmed in order to avoid any injury.
3. If a person has a tendency of sweating too much, it makes sense to wear a pair of socks at all times.
4. While running, shoe laces should be tightened to avoid sudden friction between the toe and the shoe resulting into tennis toe.

Tennis Toe - How it Should be Treated?

It is a slowly and gradually progressing disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, hence preventing the liver from proper functioning. The developed scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins. It also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver. Cirrhosis is a complication of liver disease which involves loss of liver cells and irreversible scarring of the liver. In other words, Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver does not function properly due to long-term damage. Typically, the disease comes over months or years.

Although there are many other causes for cirrhosis, the commonest is excessive use of alcohol, viral hepatitis B and C infections and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Thus the scarring is most often caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections.

According to the National Institutes of Health, it is the 12th leading cause of death. Men are more prone to develop cirrhosis than women. Globally approximately 57% of cirrhosis is attributable to either hepatitis B (30%) or hepatitis C (27%).Alcohol consumption accounting for about 20% of cirrhosis.

Persons most commonly affected: Adults of both sexes.

Unani approach to Cirrhosis of Liver (Talayyuf-e- Kabid)-

In Unani literature Cirrhosis of the liver is known as  Talayyuf-e- kabid ,  Sighr-al- kabid  or  Jigarki laghari . It is of two types.

1. AcuteType of Cirrhosis of Liver (Talayyuf-e- Kabid Hadd)-

It is rare but very dangerous. It is also called Yarqaan-e- khabees or Huzaal-e- asfar. Mainly occurs due to inflammation in hepatic cells, in which hepatic cells squeeze in few days resulting in improper functioning of liver. It is a disease in which cells throughout the liver are destroyed. Although they are replaced by areas containing normal new cells but also by much scar tissue, which alters the structure of the liver.

Causes and risk factors: Excessive use of alcohol/ chronic alcoholism, poor nutrition, highly toxic condition of the body system, viral infections caused by chronic viral hepatitis (types A, B and C), metabolic diseases such as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, galactosemia and glycogen storage disorders,inherited diseases such as Wilson's disease and hemochromatosis, biliary cirrhosis, toxic hepatitis due to severe reactions to prescription drugs or prolonged exposure to environmental toxins and repeated bouts of heart failure with liver congestion etc.

Signs and Symptoms: The main signs and symptoms of this type are jaundice, pain at the site of liver, vomiting, headache, dizziness, increased body temperature, increased pulse rate, brownish coloured and dry tongue, increased thirst, initially whitish coloured diarrhoea, later on, colour becomes blackish due to contamination of blood, urine passes in less quantity and reddish in colour due to contamination of yellow bile in it,  haemorrhage from nose, stomach, intestine and uterus even abortion in women are seen. The size of the liver feels small on palpation.

2. Chronic type of Cirrhosis of Liver (Talayyuf-e- KabidMuzmin)

This type of the disease occurs due to the improper blood supply to the hepatic cells resulting in the size of liver very small in appearance but liver cells stay normal.

Causes and risk factors: The main causes of this type are the application of permanent pressure at the site of the liver such as ascites, alcohol abuse, hepatitis C virus infection, cardiomegaly, poor nutrition, highly toxic condition of the body system, peritoneal inflammation, improper diet in old age and starvation etc. Other causes which develop this disease are, obstruction of the external bile duct by stone, scar, inborn defect or tumour, use of certain medications, syphilis and passive liver congestion. Obesity has recently been recognized as a risk factor in non-alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Signs and Symptoms: It is a slowly progressing disease. In early-stage symptoms, of indigestion like flatulence, constipation and diarrhoea may be present. General weakness, the feeling of being unwell, loss of appetite, loss of weight, and a loss of interest in sex may also be there. There may be a dull abdominal ache, nausea and vomiting. Eventually, the patient dies due to anaemia or ascites. The feeling of dullness is the peculiar sign of the disease. Other symptoms and signs include low-grade fever, bad breath, jaundiced skin and bloated and swollen abdomen.

Complications and Risks associated with Cirrhosis of Liver (Talayyuf-e-Kabid)-

Ascites (retention of fluid in the abdominal cavity) is the most common complication of cirrhosis and is associated with a poor quality of life, increased risk of infection and a poor long-term outcome. Other potentially life-threatening complications are hepatic encephalopathy (confusion and coma) and bleeding from oesophageal varices. Cirrhosis is generally irreversible, and treatment usually focuses on preventing progression and complications. In advanced stages of cirrhosis, the only option is a liver transplant.

Preventive measures for cirrhotic patients (Talayyuf-e- Kabid ke Mareezon ke liye Ehtiyaati Tadaabir):

Cirrhotic patients must completely avoid alcohol. Alcohol accelerates liver failure and hastens death in cirrhotic patients.
Avoid liver toxins. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), should be avoided because they can be toxic in cirrhotic patients.
Juice therapy helps the liver to detoxify toxins from the body. Cirrhotic patients should mix one part of pure juice with one part of water before drinking.
Cirrhotic patients are strongly advised to eat smaller meals. To avoid overworking the liver, five or six smaller, lighter meals per day are recommended.
Avoid fatty foods and processed foods, especially foods prepared with animal fats or hydrogenated oils. These types of foods put additional load on the liver.
Cirrhotic patients are also advised to eat only lean proteins (containing no fats) and in limited amounts.
Vegetable proteins are very beneficial in Cirrhotic patients. High protein intake causes increases of ammonia levels in the blood, possibly resulting in mental confusion, and in severe cases, coma. However, do not severely limit protein intake, as this may cause protein deficiency and impair the healing process.
Routinely increase consumption of fruits and steamed vegetables as fruits and vegetables are easy to digest, thus less work for the liver. In addition, they are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help the liver detoxify and heal.
Cirrhotic patients are advised to practice intermittent fasting.
They are also advised to protect against hepatitis B, C and E.
Fundamentals of Management in Unani Medicine-

Identify the cause of the disease and treat it accordingly
Correct the digestive processes
Use hot dresses
Use mild and early digestible diet
In case of ascites treat it
Management/ Treatment-

In Unani medicine, very effective treatment is available for the Cirrhosis of Liver by strengthening the Liver cells and restoring normal size and functions of the Liver. In Unani medicine, there is a number of hepatoprotective drugs that protect the Liver either acute or chronic type.

SootshekharRas Swarna yukta 125 Mg twice a day
PittariAvleh 10 gm twice a Day
Duration of the treatment: 3 to 6 months or it depends upon the condition of the patients. If the patients with cirrhosis have diabetes, then the treatment may take long time for curing the disease. Diet plays a key role along with Unani Medicines. Hence, it is strictly advised to follow a proper diet plan.

Talayyuf - E - Kabid Or Cirrhosis Of The Liver - Know More About It!

Cervical spondylosis is fast becoming the bane of modern life. An age-related wear and tear problem affecting the spinal discs in your neck, cervical spondylosis is increasingly affecting the young because of the use of cell phones, laptops and the like.

Cervical spondylosis is a general term used to define shrinkage of discs in between vertebrae in the neck region. Along with disc degeneration, bony projections also form in the area and are called bone spurs.
Other causes of cervical spondylosis are dehydrated discs. Discs are thick, pad-like cushions in between vertebrae that act as shock absorbers. They are made of a gel- like material that can dry over time. This causes the spinal vertebrae to rub together causing pain. The discs also crack which allows the internal gel-like material to spill out and impinge on spinal nerves causing symptoms.

There is a narrowing of the space required by the spinal cord and nerves that emanate in the upper spine to go to various parts of the body. Pinching of these nerves can cause alarming symptoms like

Numbness and weakness in your arms, hands, legs and feet
Lack of coordination and difficulty in walking
Loss of bladder or bowel movement
Stiffness and pain in neck
Treatment and management
Usually, cervical spondylosis doesn t cause any symptoms. But when you start experiencing pain, stiffness and weakness of muscles, it s best to go to a doctor who will diagnose the problem and then treat it.
Treatment for cervical spondylosis depends on the severity of your symptoms. Its goal is to get rid of pain, allow you to carry on your daily activities and prevent any permanent damage to your spinal cord and nerves.

Medicines

Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation. Example Ibuprofen.
Corticosteroids are oral medications to get rid of the severe pain. If these don t work, your doctor can suggest steroid injections.
Muscle relaxants medicines relax the muscles in the upper part of the spine and help in curing neck pain and stiffness
Anti-seizure medications are also prescribed to dull the pain of damaged nerves in the spine. These include epilepsy medications, such as gabapentin and pregabalin.
Physiotherapy

Non surgical treatments are usually very effective in treating cervical spondylosis and surgery is usually not required. Physiotherapy is a bulwark for patients as it helps manage the condition very well.
Neck exercises that help stretch and strengthen muscles in your neck and shoulders can help manage debilitating symptoms of cervical spondylosis.
Few patients also benefit from traction, which can help provide more space for nerve roots within the spine.
Surgery

Surgery is the last resort for treating cervical spondylosis.
It is suggested when non-surgical treatments fail and the pain and neurological signs such as weakness in your arms or legs get worse.
It is done to create more room for your spinal cord and nerve roots.
Cervical spondylosis surgery typically involves removing:

Herniated disk
Bone spurs
Part of a vertebra

Cervical Spondylosis - How to Treat It?

Spondylitis, or cervical spondylitis, is a common condition that affects a large section of the adult population. This most common disorder of the cervical spine is a degenerative condition. There are soft disks between the vertebral bones which shrink with age and gets stiff. This leads to formation of small bone spurs. This reduces the space available for the disk to move, causing nerve pinching.

Causes:

Ageing is the most common cause for spondylitis. Injury, incorrect sleeping posture, and heavy weight-lifting can also cause spondylitis. While earlier it was common in people who were 60-plus, with more people spending more time at their computers and workstations, the onset happens much earlier in 30s and sometimes even in 20s.

Symptoms:

Most symptoms related to spondylitis are centered on the neck and shoulder regions. There is pain and stiffness in the neck that can extend to the shoulders, nape of the neck, arms, and sometimes even the fingers. In rare cases, the pain can extend into the forehead and back of the head too. Associated symptoms include numbness, weakness, and a pricking sensation in the hands, arms, and sometimes fingers.

Homeopathy in cervical spondylitis:

Homeopathy treats the root of the issue after taking into account all symptoms. Listed below are some common homeopathic remedies for spondylitis.

Conium: there is neck pain along with vertigo when lying down or turning in bed. There is constant mild pain in the back of the head and a tight sensation in the forehead region.
Rhus tox: when the neck pain is worse in the morning and with rest, rhus is a good option. Moving the neck helps relieve this pain, which is often as a result of some injury.
Kalmia latifolia: when there is pain extending from the neck to the arm and hand and fingers, kalmia works wonders. There may also be pain from the nape of the neck to the shoulder blades. The pain is increased with leaning forwards or looking down. The patient may also have nausea with the pain.
Gelsemium: when there is pain extending from the neck to the back of the head, centering in the occipital region. The patient also feels weak, dull, and dizzy. The pain is triggered by emotional excitement.
Silicea: when there is pain extending from the neck to the eyes and forehead, silicea provides good relief. The patient will have intolerance to cold and feels chilly. The pain is improved by heat pads and lying down.
Calcarea phos: if the radiographs show bony changes in the cervical spine with the spondylitis, this is very useful. The bony spurs that form can be painful and cause nerve pinching leading to vertigo.

Spondylitis - Causes and Symptoms

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