Lower back pain can be one of the most physically debilitating things that can affect you and limit your mobility. Even if the pain isn t that acute, it could still signal something deteriorating in your lower back. While oral medications, topical creams or sprays can help in reducing pain, there are other effective remedies you can try on your own. These will be handy when you have no medications at hand. One of these is the hot and cold therapy.

Heat therapy for lower back pain

Heat works well with lower back pain as it can dilate blood vessels and improve circulation within the tissue. This will help in circulation and also result in lowering the pain. Heat therapy will also loosen up other muscles in the area and help soothe sore areas which have been taking the burden along with the lower back muscles. Some of the techniques that can be applied are:

1. All day heat wraps: These are specially manufactured belts or wraps which wrap around your abdomen and keep tightness and pressure on your lower back as well as supplying heat.

2. Electric heating pads: These are mechanized heating pads which generate heat with electricity. You can place them under you back and then either sit or sleep with it positioned behind you. However, ensure that you don t keep these for too long as they could burn your skin.

3. Hot Compress with towels or hot water bags: Use a clean towel and heat it over a conductive surface and apply it on your lower back. You can also use hot water bags for the same purpose.

Cold therapy for lower back pain

Cold therapy uses the principle of constriction of blood vessels as well as slowing circulation. This will help numb the area and thus help relieve the pain. Some of the ways these can be administered are mentioned below.

1. Ice towel: In this method, soak a towel in ice cold water, wring it to dry it and then apply on your lower back. This will numb the pain without transferring the sting of the cold or damaging your skin.

2. Ice packs: Put about half a kg of ice in a plastic Ziploc bag and pour water over the ice to just about cover it. Push out the air out of the bag and then lock it. Use this ice pack with a towel to ensure that you back doesn't get wet.

3. Ice gel packs: These are ready made packs, which can be bought from medical stores and kept frozen to be used whenever you need it in order to relieve lower back pain.

Treating Lower Back Pain Using Hot and Cold Therapy

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

Coronary artery disease or CAD is the name given to the heart condition in which the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients, also called coronary arteries, get blocked, damaged or diseased.

Blockages usually happen when cholesterol-containing deposits called plaque deposit in your arteries. Plaque narrows the lumen of your coronary artery which means your heart gets lesser and lesser oxygen and nutrients to function properly.
Inflammation is also to blame for coronary artery disease.
Common symptoms of CAD include

Angina or pain in the chest
Shortness of breath
If the blockage is complete, you can get a heart attack.
Common Diagnostic tests
When you go to a heart specialist, she will ask questions about your medical history and follow it up with a physical exam and order routine blood and diagnostic tests to confirm CAD like:

Electrocardiogram (ECG): An ECG records electrical signals as they travel through your heart revealing evidence of a previous heart attack or one that s happening. Holter monitoring is a type of ECG where you wear a portable monitor for 24 hours as you go about your normal daily activities. Abnormalities in the results suggest reduced blood flow to the heart signaling CAD.
Echocardiogram: This test uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. It helps your doctor determine whether all parts of your heart wall are contributing to your heart's pumping activity. If certain parts are moving weakly it can mean damage to muscle due to a heart attack or because of receiving too little oxygen- again signaling CAD.
Exercise Stress test: This test is done by making you do exercises like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike during an ECG. Sometimes, medication to stimulate your heart may be used instead of exercise.
This again detects areas in your heart that receive less blood flow.

Cardiac catheterization or angiogram. A special dye is injected into your coronary arteries to observe blood flow through your heart in a test known as an angiogram.
The dye is sometimes also injected into the arteries through a long, thin, flexible tube called catheter that is threaded through an artery in your leg to the arteries in your heart. This procedure is called cardiac catheterization. This test is very good in diagnosing CAD as the dye outlines narrow spots and blockages on the X-ray images of your heart.
Heart scans. Computerized tomography or CT can help your doctor actually see calcium deposits in your arteries that can be narrowing your arteries. If a substantial amount of calcium deposits are found, coronary artery disease could be the reason.
MRI scans are also done to diagnose CAD.

Common Tests For Coronary Artery Disease!

Can scratching your head lead to hair loss? (and how to banish that nagging itch without scratching)

Yes! scratching your head actually leads to hair loss so you should avoid doing it.

Scratching your head with your fingernails for as little as 90 minutes is enough to remove all your cuticular scale. A cuticular scale is a protective covering on every individual strand of hair. The loss of this covering leaves your hair shaft weak and damaged and hence leaves your hair susceptible to easy breakage and hair loss.

There are several ways you can deal with itchiness in your scalp that does not include scratching your head. These alternative ways will help ensure you don't suffer from any hair loss.

These include

1. Instead of scratching, pat or rub the sensitive area with the flat of your fingers.

2. Having a dry scalp can also increase itchiness. It would bee a good idea to use natural oil on your hair before you wash it if that's the reason behind your itch.

3. Sensitivity to a new product may be causing a sudden itchiness in your scalp. So, if you have switched to a new shampoo, mousse or anything else, do try abstaining from applying it for a few days to see if the itchiness subsides.

4. When your scalp feels itchy, try and distract yourself. The more you think about how itchy your scalp is, the more it will itch.

While scratching your hair does lead to hair loss, the good news is your hair will grow back because the damage is not permanent. However, it is not advisable to keep scratching your head because you'll just lose more hair.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: Should You Oil Hair When You Have Dandruff Problem?

Can scratching your head lead to hair loss? (And how to banish that nagging itch without scratching)

The Movie 'PadMan' is making waves much across India and is now attracting the attention of the international media as well, to a problem most women and girls have been facing in India. The movie is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganatham, the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad the manufacturing machine. He fought social stigma and faced social ostracization for trying to understand the fears and discomfort of women. He worked hard to come up with a low-cost sanitary pad that could be afforded by the poor women all across India.

Taboo:

The taboos, misgivings, and fears surrounding the menstruating women are not new, it is deeply rooted in our culture and its teachings. Such reservations exist in all the cultures whether it is Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity or Buddhism. There are several kinds of rules imposed on women like the prohibition of visiting a temple, physical intimacy, cooking and many more.

Present Condition:

India is a land of contrasts and while there are working women who do not think twice about pulling an 'all-nighter' at work, you also have women who have probably never stepped into a well-constructed or a clean bathroom in all their lives. What any woman of this generation would consider basic menstrual hygiene is probably grossly missing in the latter s case.

Apart from having minimum water to clean themselves, they use sanitary cloths (really old and discarded cloth) which are washed and reused for every period. They have very less water to wash these sanitary cloths and they are forced to dry them out in a dark and dingy corner of their house lest anyone sees it. In fact, there are several reports of women in rural India using straw, ashes, and sand instead of sanitary pads.

Complications:

Majority of such women in the rural areas report reproductive tract infections.

Lack of awareness amongst men about menstruation makes them ill-informed. As a result, they follow the mindless rituals and beliefs which make the problem much larger than it already is.

Lack of awareness about menstrual hygiene management has resulted in several young girls picking up infections thanks to the usage of hay, straw, and sand as a replacement for sanitary pads.

But, Bollywood's latest blockbuster 'PadMan' has broken the silence and stigma by starting out the conversation openly about sanitary pads. Having said that, below given are some of the basic hygiene tips that should be encouraged in every single woman.

Some Basic Hygiene tips

There are several small things women can do to prevent issues and problems. This can be done by following some simple changes in your routine:

Make sure you change pads frequently to avoid infections.

Soaps and Vaginal washes should be avoided as these can wash the  good bacteria  away.

Avoid wearing jeans and tight-fitting clothes as this can cause excessive sweating.

Make sure you dispose of the used pads correctly and wash your hands with warm water and soap to prevent bacterial infections.

While such awareness about menstrual hygiene is in its nascent stages, there is hope and that is thanks to men like Arunachalam Muruganantham. So, take a step forward and play your part in spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and its effect on a female s overall health.

The PadMan Effect - Why Menstrual Hygiene is Such a Big Deal In India!

Impact of drinking water in plastic bottles

We store water in all sorts of plastic bottles, jugs or containers. It can be low grade or high grade, but plastic is plastic! This is a very harmful daily practice as plastic containers carry lot of chemicals and bacteria. 

Let s see the harmful effects of drinking water in plastic bottles:

1. Harmful substances: Apart from harmful chemicals in plastic, water when get stored in plastic bottles also produces harmful substances like fluoride, arsenic and aluminium which can be poison for human body. So, drinking water from plastic bottles would mean drinking slow poison that will slowly and steadily deteriorate your health.

2. Dioxin production: Plastic does melt in hot environment. And we, often store water in plastic bottles while driving and so many times leave it in the car where it is in the direct exposure of sun. Such heating releases a toxin called Dioxin which when consumed can accelerate breast cancer.

3. BPA generation: Biphenyl A is an estrogen-mimicking chemical which can lead to lot of health problems like diabetes, obesity, fertility problems, behavioural problems and early puberty in girls. It s better not to store and drink water from a plastic bottle.

4. Liver cancer and reduced sperm count: Because of presence of a chemical called phthalates in plastic, drinking water from plastic bottles can also lead to liver cancer and reduction in sperm count.

5. Vitamin based bottled water: Nowadays, we get water mostly in plastic bottles and to increase its health content, manufacturers make it vitamin-enriched to attract buyers. But this is even more harmful as it carries health-harming additives like food dyes and high fructose corn syrup.

6. Impact on immune system: Our immune system is immensely affected when we drink water in plastic bottles. The chemicals from plastic bottles are ingested and tend to  disturb our body s immune system.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Nothing s more dangerous than drinking water in plastic bottles!

Don't wait any longer, manage your Kayachikitsa Specialist online with a Lybrate doctor today

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