The respiratory system, through which air enters the body, is prone to disorders, and most of them are infections. Micro-organisms thrive in the air around us, and can gain easy access to the system through the air that we inhale. Therefore, respiratory issues are very common, but also not always a cause for concern. Most respiratory disorders would have common symptoms including coughing, chest pain, sputum production with varying features, shortness of breath, wheezing, etc. 

Read on to know the symptoms of common respiratory disorders, so you are equipped to handle them.

Asthma: Asthma is one of the most common respiratory issues. The trigger could be extreme cold, excessive pollen in the air, stress, etc.
Common cold: This is a common disorder of the upper respiratory tract. This could be due to allergy or infection. There is difficulty breathing, labored breathing, runny nose, and extreme lethargy. The throat is also sore and there is a scratchy, itchy feeling at the back of the throat.
Bronchitis: The bronchi are the further branches through which air flows, and these when inflamed cause bronchitis. Often caused as an infection, this produces a cough that can throw up a lot of sputum.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: This often occurs with ageing and also due to smoking. This produces chronic coughing, difficulty to throw out air easily without effort. There could also be phlegm, which can be colorless (unlike an infection)
Tuberculosis: This is a bacterial infection of the lung tissue, and there is shortness of breath, a cough which persists for more than 5 weeks, and greenish-yellowish sputum. The person also would have very low energy levels, and sometimes blood in the sputum too.
Pneumonia: Pneumonia again is an infection of the lung and can be caused by bacteria or virus. This again causes chest pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and a greenish sputum.
Lung cancer: With smoking and environmental pollution on the rise, the instances of lung cancer have also been on the rise. This is usually diagnosed in the later stages as the symptoms are confused with any common respiratory disorders and ignored. Chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty breathing, and voice changes are some common symptoms of cancer.
Emphysema: Caused predominantly by smoking, this causes breathing difficulties and reduces the amount of air available for exchange in the lungs. There is no cure, but quitting smoking can reduce the severity of the condition.
Know that prolonged problems with respiratory tract require further investigation and should not be ignored as just another attack of cold and cough.

Signs Of Most Common Respiratory Disorders!

One of the most common problems faced by ageing men is benign prostatic hypertrophy. Prostate is the gland at the base of the urethra near the bladder and when it enlarges it can lead to symptoms, mostly related to urination.

1. Frequent urge to pass urine
2. Prolonged urination
3. Frequent nocturnal visits to the toilet
4. Intermittent urination
5. Difficulty to start urinating
6. Inability to completely empty the bladder
7. Urinary tract infections

There are medications available to manage this, but offer only temporary relief. Many men therefore prefer to have the surgery undergone to manage these bothersome symptoms. However, like any surgery, the risks and benefits need to be considered along with other conditions like age, overall health status, other comorbid conditions, etc.

Surgical removal of the enlarged prostate gland is a more definitive approach to manage these symptoms. In addition to providing a quick cure, it also is used in the following cases:

1. Patients who do not respond to medications
2. Presence of blood in the urine
3. Associated bladder stones
4. Frequent infections of the urinary tract
5. Associated damage to the kidneys

Procedure of Surgery
During the procedure, a tube is passed through the tip of the penis into the urethra towards the bladder neck. Once it is in the desired position, laser is passed through it to deliver energy that acts on the prostate to either completely or partially destroy it. There are two methods by which laser acts on the enlarged prostate and making way for free flow of the urine.

1. Ablation: Excess prostate tissue is melted away by the laser by using photosensitive vaporization of the prostate. This is also known as Greenlight laser therapy or KTP laser vaporization. Alternately, Holmium can be used as the source of laser energy to ablate the prostate tissue.

2. Enucleation: Excess prostate tissue is cut and teased out through the urethra. Holmium laser is used to resect the prostate into smaller pieces, which are then removed out through a resectoscope. Another technique uses a tissue morcellator which grinds the enlarged prostate into smaller pieces to enable easy retrieval.

More men now opt for laser prostate removal as it has the following advantages:

1. Reduced risk of bleeding: This becomes essentially important in patients who are on blood thinners.
2. No hospitalization: This can be done either as an outpatient or with minimal one day stay at the hospital
3. Immediate symptom relief: As compared to medications, the relief is felt almost immediately after the surgery
4. No catheter: With laser surgery, a catheter may be required for less than 24 hours unlike in open surgical cases.

As noted above, as with any surgery, once enlarged prostate symptoms set in, have a detailed discussion with your doctor to identify if you are a suitable candidate for laser surgery.

Know About Laser Prostate Surgery

Many people suffer from a low libido problem. This can be a problem for their partners as well as for themselves. A low sex drive can also reduce one's self esteem and confidence. In severe cases it also leads to depression.

Factors which cause low sex drive:
1. Sexual problems: Many sexual problems also lead to a low sex drive. An inability to experience orgasm even after a lot of attempts can make one indifferent to sex. Some people also experience pain because of a tight vagina. In such cases their desire to have sex reduces greatly.

2. Medical diseases: Many medical conditions also affects your libido, such as cancer, arthritis, blood sugar (diabetes), artery diseases, high blood pressure and neurological diseases.

3. Medications: Some people suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. To get over these disorders most doctors prescribe them antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills, these medications create a very low libido.

4. Habits: Many lifestyle habits such as over-consumption of alcohol can make your sex drive reduce a lot. Smoking also decreases the blood flow in your body which may make your libido fall.

5. Surgery: Reconstructive surgeries such as breast reconstruction surgery and genital tract surgery can also affect sexual desire and give your body signals to not engage in an intercourse.

6. Fatigue: Tiredness because of physical activities or caring for your old parents or young children can also make you uninterested in sex. Your body and brain might not have the energy to engage in an intercourse due to fatigue.

7. Menopause: The levels of estrogen reduce greatly during menopause. Low estrogen levels make your vagina dry hence sex can be uncomfortable and painful. Women also go through hormonal changes which make them suffer from a low libido.

8. Pregnancy: After pregnancy, breastfeeding your baby becomes an everyday activity. This can reduce sexual desire because of the pressure of caring for a new born baby.

Regular exercising complemented with enough sleep is known to reduce stress thus giving you a high sex drive. Avoid consuming alcohol. Testosterone replacement therapy (a therapy used for treating erectile dysfunction) also treats low desire.

Worrying Factors That Lead to a Low Sex Drive

Alcohol addiction commonly known as alcoholism is a fairly common problem that has shown to affect people from every walk of life. Scientists have tried to pinpoint the absolute cause behind alcoholism, but to no success. Certain factors like sex, genetic, and socioeconomic factors have shown to have some effect on alcoholism. The cause of alcoholism is never singular. Alcohol addiction is indeed a disease, where a person may not have full control over his actions and is seen to change the neurochemistry of the brain.

The symptoms of alcohol addiction can be seen in many ways and the severity of the situation varies from person to person. Other factors such as the frequency of consumption may also be specific. While some people are heavy drinkers and drink throughout the day; others may drink occasionally and remain sober for a few days.

A person who is dependent on alcohol will prioritise drinking over other essential activities and will eventually cause disruption in his social life, work or other areas of his life. It can also create a negative effect in the victim s life along with their families and their near and dear ones.

What are the signs of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse?
The signs and symptoms of alcoholism or addiction are rather conspicuous. Since drinking alcohol is common in social events in most cultures around the world, it becomes difficult to recognise when someone is addicted to alcohol, unlike drugs like cocaine and heroin.

The physical signs of alcohol abuse include:

Loss of control over the quantity of alcohol consumed.
Lack of adequate sleep, followed by overcompensation for sleep.
Expression of anger and other negative behaviours my increase in inappropriate places and situations.
Lack of proper attention towards the priorities in life.
How does alcohol affect the body?
Chronic abuse of alcohol can have negative effects on almost every part of your body and plays havoc in your system. Alcohol is liable to cause irreversible damage to several organs of the body which is vital for sustenance:

Nervous system
Stomach or Intestines
Liver
Heart
Brain
Alcoholism in itself can lead to several diseases like:

High blood pressure
Cancer
Increased incidences of osteoporosis, especially in women
Sexual issues

Alcohol - How Over Consumption Affects Your Body?


Here are some well advertised and well-loved foods that most youngsters cherish. These foods cause far more damage in even small quantities. 

Try to avoid these foods now, to prevent from further damage as you grow older.

1) Frosting- The creamy layer that you lick off from the top of a cake is one of the most unhealthy foods ever. It contains trans-fat, which lowers your good cholesterol and can raise heart rate, increase belly fat and lead to heart diseases or diabetes. Plus, frosting has just too much of sugar.

2) Packaged Fruit Juices- ‘But juices are good for you!’ is something that most people say to defend why they drink packaged fruit juices. It is true that juices are great, but the ones that are packaged aren’t any good. Firstly, the ones available in packed forms have a limited amount of real content (look at the concentrate, which is sometimes lesser than 10% of the total packaging). At the same time, most of these are filled with artificial flavours and a lot of sugar. Do yourself a favour and drink only fresh juices.

3) Artificial Sweeteners- Artificial sweeteners can actually cause diabetes and are as harmful as natural sugar. In fact, they are also responsible for a number of allergies, cancers, seizures, weight gain and obesity.

4) Soda Beverages-   They are the worst! There is absolutely no reason why you should be popping out that bottle of soda or fizzy drinks with so much of caffeine every time. These bottles contain 10 packets of sugar, highly synthetic flavors and have absolutely zero nutritional value. In fact, they promote the ugly fat deposits on all the wrong places. High content of phosphoric acid in sodas can lead to heart and kidney problems, muscle loss, and osteoporosis, as well as trigger accelerated aging.

If you have any further questions on issues related to nutrition or diet, ask me by clicking on 'consult'.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over WhatsApp, Facebook and other media.

Avoid These 4 Foods to Stay Healthy

How to naturally treat and prevent insect bites using Ayurveda

Insect bites occur when an insect stings the upper layer of your skin externally. They generally lead to an allergic reaction or transfer of pathogens like virus, bacteria or parasites in the human body. Insect bites can be of many types since there are numerous species of insects around us. Some of the bites that you will come across more often are by mosquitoes, spiders, bee stings, bugs, mites, ants and such others. The most common symptoms of an insect bite include redness, swelling, irritation or discomfort, itching, itchy skin, and such others.

An insect bite is most commonly treated by using allopathic medicines which can be either applied externally or consumed orally to minimize allergic reactions. But Ayurveda gives you a method to treat insect bites which are natural, harmless and free from side effects. Some of the common ways to treat insect bites following the principles of Ayurveda are:

Basil leaves and turmeric- If you take a handful of basil leaves, add turmeric to it and apply it on the insect bite, it acts as an antiseptic and prevents your wound from worsening.

Onion application- Onions are specifically used to treat bee stings. You need to take out the sting, apply onions on the affected area and hold them in position using a bandage or a tape for at least an hour to get relief.

Turmeric and sandalwood- You can use turmeric and sandalwood to soothe your wound as sandalwood has certain cooling properties, and turmeric will help in speeding up the healing process.

Banana peel- The inner skin of a banana peel is used as an anti-irritant and it helps to cut down the discomfort, pain and irritation.

Neem- Neem is a medicinal plant, which has one of the highest medicinal values among all the Ayurvedic agents. It is often applied to the wound in the form of powder mixed with water.

Coriander- The juice from coriander leaves is also used to cure wounds. Depending on the thickness, it can be used along with water to provide relief to insect wounds.

Conclusively, it is always desirable to consult an Ayurvedic medical practitioner before applying the natural agents on sensitive body parts such as the skin.

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

Naturally Treat & Prevent Insect Bites Using Ayurveda Remedies

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