Ulcerative colitis is a disorder that causes inflammations and ulcers inside your colon, affecting the entire digestive system. The disease grows over time and symptoms start to worsen over a prolonged period, rather than the problem showing up suddenly. Severe cases of ulcerative colitis may even be fatal if treatment does not resolve some of the complications arising from the condition.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis-
The exact cause for the inflammatory bowel disease is unknown. Improper diet and lifestyle can aggravate the symptoms, but do not cause the condition. Some possible causes for the disease include-

Improper functioning of the body s immune system causes it to recognize the colon as a foreign body.
Genetic factors and hereditary may also be held accountable in some instances.
Risk factors for the condition include old age and family history of the condition.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis-
Here are some common symptoms associated with the condition-

Bloody diarrhoea
Rectal pain
Weight loss
Pain in the abdominal region along with cramping
Fever
Urgency to defecate
Inadequate bowel movement despite the feeling of urgency
How can you prevent ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis cannot be prevented as the exact cause for the condition is unknown. However, there are simple steps that will help manage the symptoms.

Diet change- You need to stop eating certain foods, such as, dairy products, beans, broccoli, cabbage and anything spicy. Instead, fibre intake must be increased drastically.
Exercise- Mild exercise or activities have a profound impact on managing the condition.
Avoiding stress
Drinking plenty of fluids
Role of Homeopathy in Managing Ulcerative Colitis-
Homeopathy follows a natural and holistic approach to deal with the condition. It does not merely treat the symptoms, but looks to cure the underlying cause for those symptoms. Homeopathic remedies will greatly bolster the overall condition of the body s immune system. Furthermore, the bloody diarrhoea accompanying the disease will also stop with proper homeopathic treatment.

Ulcerative Colitis - Does Homeopathic Treatments Work?

When is your pain chronic?

Your pain is chronic if it last for more than a period of six months. Chronic pain is a long-term pain whose nature can vary from mild to excruciating, and it may trouble you either continuously or at short and regular intervals. Chronic pain is so dangerous that it does not only cause discomfort and inconvenience but also robs you entirely of your capacity to work for a long time.

Chronic pain can occur in a number of organs of the human body like head, joints, back, shoulders, neck etc. In fact, pain in any part of your body can turn into chronic pain. Here are a few symptoms that can help you identify if what you are going through is, in fact, chronic pain:

- persistent and severe body pain

- burning sensation accompanied by the body pain

- fatigue and sleeplessness

- weak immune system

- stiff and sore joints

The 4 types of chronic pain disorders that you should be aware of are:

1. Nociceptive pain

The pain that affects the soft tissues of the body such as the skin and the muscles or the organs that have sensory nerves present in them is called nociceptive pain. The sensory nerves, known as nociceptors can detect the stimuli of pain and send information to the brain and the spinal cord for interpretation. The pain could be either somatic (originating in the outer body) or visceral (originating in the internal organs).

2. Neuropathic pain

This pain is caused when the nerves stop functioning normally. It is caused due to nerve disturbances that result in pain stimuli being spontaneously transmitted to the brain and spinal cord. If you are suffering from this type of chronic pain disorder, you will feel a sharp, shooting and stabbing pain. Neuropathic pain can also be caused due to the formation of neuroma (abnormal growth of the nerve tissue).

3. Psychogenic pain

The pain that is caused by psychological disorders like depression and anxiety is known as psychogenic pain. Sometimes this pain can be accompanied by physical complications like fatigue, body pain and muscle weakness.

4. Idiopathic pain

The pain that exists even though there is no physical or psychological cause for it is known as idiopathic pain. This pain is more common in people who have suffered from a pre-existing painful disorder. Some common examples of idiopathic pain are fibromyalgia (intense pain all over the body) and tmj disorders (pain in the jaw area).

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Related Tip: Why does PAIN occur? Understand the Mechanism of Pain

Your Pain is Chronic if it Falls Under These 4 Types of Chronic Pain Disorders!

Come winter or even a slight change of season, and it is easy to catch a cold. With cold, it is quite normal and natural to develop a deep chest cough. However, it is to be noted that chest cough develops due to different reasons. Some are due to chest infections, while others are dry cough. Thus, for these different variations of cough, different homeopathic treatments are administered. Here is a list of some of the common types of treatments for curing deep chest cough-

Pulsatilla: Pulsatilla is administered to those who have a sore throat, constant irritation in the eyes and fever. When fever is accompanied with cough and cold, it is important to treat all three symptoms, lest it might usher in a more serious disease. Homeopathy is often described as a holistic form of treatment. Through the medicines, the personality of the patient can be determined. For instance, Pulsatilla is administered on those who are soft, gentle, mild and timid and who have a fear of being abandoned and thus cling on to people.

Nux Vomica: Those experiencing high levels of stress and falling prey to cough and cold with a sore throat and sharp pain while swallowing should try a dose of Nux Vomica. This is used to cure cough and cold, which block the nose, especially at night, making it troublesome for the individual to breathe. This might also cause blockage in the ear and sharp pains while trying to swallow food.

Phosphorus: At times, one experiences an extreme bout of cough that is triggered through dry throat and coarse fever. This violent cough can be nerve wrecking at times and a relaxing remedy is preferred by the patient as soon as possible to soothe the irritation.

Bryonia: This is the best medicine to treat dry cough that can be a symptom of a slowly approaching influenza. Such coughs occurs when an individual takes a high intake of cold drinks or due to sudden weather changes. The cough is followed by fever and dryness of the throat. It might also itch to a certain extent.

Natrum Mur: It is the best treatment for a dry cough, which often causes a tingling sensation in the throat. This sensation creates irritation and often leads to sleepless nights for the patient. There is also presence of whitish mucus in such types of cough.

These are some of the most common types of homeopathic treatments for treating deep chest cough. Each cough is different in nature and origin, and hence should be treated differently as per the individual symptoms.  

How To Treat Deep Chest Cough With Homeopathy?

One of the most important aspects of staying healthy is to keep your body hydrated by drinking enough water. When it comes to drinking water, we stress on purifying it but do you ever stop to think about how you are storing your water? The vessel in which water is stored in not only contains it but also interacts with it and influences the chemical elements in it. In the old days, water was stored in earthen matkas but today, water bottles have become more popular. These bottles are commonly made of glass or plastic both of which can be harmful in the long run. Instead, Ayurveda suggests the use of copper vessels to store water. Here are a few reasons for this.

Plastic vs Glass vs Copper

One of the chemical elements present in all plastic bottles is Bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical has been linked to a number of diseases including cancer. They also contain a number of other toxins that are gradually absorbed by the water inside the bottle. Exposure to BPA when pregnant can lead to a woman giving birth to an underweight baby. This chemical can also affect the development of the brain and behaviour. Disposable mineral water bottles should never be reused for this reason. Plastic bottles also absorb odors and tend to leak after repeated use.

The glass is an inert material and hence when used to store water, does not influence it in any way. The two things you should look for, if you choose to buy glass bottles is that they are lead and cadmium free. However, glass bottles are not cheap and have a tendency to crack or break. Once broken, these bottles cannot be reused.

Copper also influences the chemical balance in the water. However, this does not harm the body in any way, but in fact, has a number of benefits. Copper acts as a natural sterilizer and has an oligodynamic effect on water stored in it. It has the ability to destroy a number of harmful pathogens that are commonly found in water. Copper is an element needed by the body and drinking water stored in a copper vessel supplies our body s daily copper requirement. 

Copper can also help regulate cholesterol, heart rate and blood pressure levels. Copper has also been associated with an ability to regulate thyroid functioning, ease joint pains, improve fertility, heal internal wounds, help in hemoglobin synthesis and in maintaining the proper acid-alkaline balance in our bodies. A copper bottle may seem a little expensive when you buy it but there is no chance of breakage. Hence, if handled properly, a copper bottle can last a lifetime. 

From the given arguments it is clear that using a copper vessel is the best way to store water.

Plastic Vs Glass Vs Copper - Which Type Of Vessel Should Be Used To Store Water?

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is regarded as an extremely distressing condition arising after experiencing a traumatic event. It affects about 3 percent of the population around the globe and the symptoms affecting the individuals are more or less similar.

Many people affected by this psychological disorder are also vulnerable to developing various mental illnesses such as drug and alcohol abuse, phobias, and sleep and eating disorders. Since the patients often have a tendency to develop nutritional habits, nutritional therapy for PTSD can have proven to be very helpful in relieving the symptoms.

  Having the right diet
It has been pointed out by the experts that dietary changes are crucial for managing the symptoms of PTSD since the anti-inflammatory diet, such as a Mediterranean diet inhibits the intake of processed and refined foods. Patients are encouraged to take good amounts of legumes, vegetables, olive oil, unrefined cereals, and lean meat along with a moderate amount of dairy products. It is suggested that they should have locally produced food and organic food so that it can reduce a person s exposure to agricultural as well as environmental toxins.

During the 1940s, research has been carried out to find out about the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet for reducing the effects of PTSD. It is shown to improve the quality of life of an affected individual. It is worthwhile to mention here that the modernization of the food industry has exposed it to various types of processing and refining techniques which incorporate toxins and snatch away the inherent goodness of different foods. Thus, it has become difficult for a person to have an anti-inflammatory diet in the true sense of the term. However, a nutritionist can guide a patient in adopting the fundamental principles of the Mediterranean diet along with a more active lifestyle to reduce inflammation and symptoms of PTSD.

  Importance of specific anti-inflammatory nutrients
Individuals suffering from PTSD are prone to have chemical imbalances and therefore, it is important to point out that the areas where immediate additional or intensive support is needed. Most nutritionists focus on the significance of Omega 3 and curcumin for relieving the symptoms of PTSD.

Omega 3 fatty acids not only exhibit anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory effects but also play a critical role in monitoring neurogenesis. On the other hand, curcumin, which is a polyphenol available in turmeric root is regarded as an effective compound for PTSD owing to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, monoaminergic and neuroprotective effects which are all directly related to the disease.

To conclude, it can be said that post-traumatic stress disorder is a complicated psychological disorder which involves potential biochemical and physiological dysfunctions in numerous types of mechanistic pathways. In many cases, individuals seek dietary interventions without any formal treatment and find it helpful in offering desired results. However, it is best to consult a specialist before things go out of hand.

Here Is What You Must Know About Nutritional Therapy For PTSD!

Pain in the joints continues to bug mankind till this very day. There are different types of joint pains, which might occur all of a sudden, with no signs of receding. The most common of them all are arthritis, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, back pain and repetitive muscular strain. These joint pains are sometimes impossible to diagnose properly by the regular modes of diagnosis. In those cases, resorting to the homeopathic mode of medication might be a good idea as it is a medication based on treating the actual cause of the disease and sustained use might result in complete remission of the pain.

Some commonly used homeopathic medications for pain in the joints are as follows:
1. Rhus Tox: This is the most commonly used in homeopathic preparation for severe joint pains, the symptoms of which include severe pain after relaxation, pain triggered by slightly wet weather and pain after walking or running for a long time.

2. Arnica Montana: When the symptoms are pain in every joint of the body resulting in body aches and pertaining injuries due to accidents, Arnica Montana serves as the perfect medication.

3. Actea Spicata: This medicine is primarily used as a remedy for pains in the small joints of the hands. The symptoms for which the medication can be implemented are rheumatoid arthritis in the joints of the finger and swollen wrists after usage of the hand.

4. Colchium: This medicine can be used in case of Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammatory and chronic form of arthritis).

5. Bryonia Alba: This medication can work wonders if the symptoms include severe pain in the knee joints while walking, severe swollen joints and osteoarthritis (affects the flexible tissues present at the bone ends).

However, it is always advisable to take medication as prescribed by your doctor, as the potency and frequency can only be decided by your doctor.

Homeopathic Treatment for Pain in the Joints

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