After a tough workout session or a strenuous day at the office, your muscles may feel floppy and exhausted until you have given them a chance to rest. However, persistent muscle weakness with no apparent cause or explanation can be a sign of an underlying medical problem.

What causes muscle weakness?
Voluntary muscle contractions and movement are generated when the brain sends a signal through your spinal cord and nerves to the particular muscle. If there are any hindrances in the connections between them, it can result in muscle weakness. However hard you try, the muscle is such cases becomes abnormal.

Here are some common causes of muscle weakness:

Lack of Use: One of the most common causes of muscle weakness, lack of muscle fitness may occur as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. If the muscles are not used, then the fibers are partially replaced with fat.
Ageing: As we age, our muscles tend to get weaker and lose strength. Muscles become bulky and recovery times during injury are greater. However, with physical activity, it is still possible to increase the muscle power. So stay active and instill strength in your muscles.
Infections: Infections and inflammation can cause temporary muscle fatigue. Even though recovery is quick, if the infection is severe the weakness can last for some time. Without proper care, it can lead to permanent damage.
Pregnancy: During and just after pregnancy, high levels of steroid in the blood and low levels of iron can cause muscle tiredness. Lower back pain is common during pregnancy and all your muscles may feel floppy.
Chronic Diseases: With conditions of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and anemia, it can lead to muscle weakness by thwarting the essential blood or nutrient supply to the muscles. Also, chronic pain related ailments cause weakness.
Injuries: Injury or trauma such as sporting injuries, pulls and sprains can deter the muscles. Along with localized pain, it can also lead to muscle weakness if not taken care of properly.
Sleep Disorders: With disturbed or reduced sleep there is a general sense of tiredness that leads to fatigue in the muscles. Insomnia, anxiety, depression and other mental disorders also affect the muscles a great deal.
Conditions affecting Nerves: Conditions like Myasthenia gravis or motor neuron disease affects the nerves and thereby fail to relay signals to the muscles, leading to weakness.
Genetic disorder affecting muscles: There are also certain inherited diseases which can affect the muscles like muscular dystrophy.
Spine-related disorders: Conditions like slip disc and other disorders affect the muscles served by the irritated or compressed nerves of the spinal cord.

Muscle Weakness - 10 Common Reasons Behind It!

Women are not really sure about frozen embryos  ability to result in pregnancy. Ironically, the success of Frozen Embryo Transfer has dramatically improved over the last few years. In the days gone by, the chance of women getting pregnant through the use of frozen embryos seemed to be on the lower side compared to that from the transfer of fresh embryos. Recent data related to this suggests that this is no longer the case.

Reasons behind the low success rate of frozen embryo transfer in the past
Previously during the frozen embryo transfer process, the embryos which had to get frozen were the ones that did not get chosen for the fresh embryo transfer initially. The reason being that the embryologist had gone ahead to choose the best possible embryos for getting them transferred initially. As far as the fresh embryo transfer is concerned, quality of embryo has got a major effect on the chance of a woman getting pregnant. On the other hand, if quality of embryos frozen is not good, the rate of survival after it gets thawed along with the rate of pregnancy would be on the lower side.

The second important reason is the amount of embryos that got transferred. Let us consider a couple who produce four very good quality embryos. Two of them are transferred during fresh In Vitro Fertilization Process and the remaining two are frozen. This leads to pregnancy and the woman gives birth to a baby. Later on, the couple once again decides to go for pregnancy by using the frozen embryos. Though only one embryo survives after getting thawed. The frozen embryo transfer is that of a single embryo. The success rate of a frozen embryo transfer through a single embryo is always going to be on the lower side than what it will be when multiple embryo transfer is involved.

Finally the method of freezing embryos has seen a sea change quite a number of years ago. Nowadays the freezing of embryos takes place by a fast method, known as vitrification. This process has got a much better survival rate when embryos get thawed along with good rates of pregnancy when those particular embryos are transferred in a much better manner.

Studies about high success rate of frozen embryo transfer
There have been studies performed in women, who have had quite a vigorous stimulation of their ovaries and were considered to be at high risk for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. The physicians took the decision of skipping the process of embryo transfer and instead go ahead to freeze all the embryos for use at a later stage.

This tends to significantly decrease the risk of having serious Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome along with decrease in complications. Other cases involved, physicians deciding to move on with a fresh embryo transfer depite the risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. In both the scenarios the couples have quite a large number of embryos and the embryos selected for transfer were the best embryos.

The studies have shown no difference in the rates of pregnancy between fresh or frozen embryos or for that matter higher rate of pregnancy with frozen embryos.

How Successful Is Frozen Embryo Transfer?

Season is changing and kids are very susceptible to cold and flu these days. Here are 5 ways you can keep your kids safe -

1. Blow their Noses: Frequently and Right: Blow their noses often and don't let them gulp the mucus. Don't ask them to exert too much pressure as it might hurt their ears.
2. Gargle Daily: Make your kids gargle with lukewarm water everyday. It moistens the sore throat and gives relief.
3. Give them a Steamy Bath: Make sure they always take bath with warm water. It relieves nasal congestion and makes them feel good
4. Hygiene is a must: Inculcate good personal hygiene.
5. Hand Wash: Ensure frequent Hand Wash with antiseptic lotion and lukewarm water.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions regarding your kid's health.

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Avoid Cold & Flu in Toddlers in 5 easy ways

Nasal allergies are very common and as a result, not taken seriously by most people. In most cases you patiently withstand the coughing and sneezing, which might last for an entire day and in the process might inadvertently damage your health by choosing to ignore it for the time being. Here are some of the commonly experienced nasal allergies and what you should do to get relief from them.

1. Runny or stuffy nose: The best option is to just avoid allergy triggers. For example, if pollen is your allergen, then avoid going out during the times pollen count when it is reported to be high. Or, if animals make you sneeze, then make sure to have your hands washed and clothes changed after playing with them. Do not over use decongestant sprays at all. If these symptoms persist for more than half a week, then it's time to seek your doctor's advice.
1. Uncontrollable Sneezing: Again, the best option is to avoid; but in many cases, it becomes difficult for you to avoid the allergen. In those cases, try antihistamine. If that doesn't work, then you can also go for a nasal steroid spray, but again, make sure to not overuse it.
2. Post Nasal Drip: Usually, you unconsciously swallow your mucus. But, if the mucus quantity increases, it becomes thicker and results in post-nasal drip. It isn't much common, but you can practically feel the mucus dripping into your throat from the back of the nose. It can result in a lumpy feeling in the throat and can cause irritation. You can try drinking more fluids and using a nasal spray to reduce the mucus quantity. If that doesn't work, then it's time to seek advice from your doctor.
3. Eyes that itch: Watery eyes that itch are annoying companions of nose allergy and though they might not be a serious hazard for the eyes, you cannot ignore them. Try wearing sunglasses when you go out into a reportedly high-pollen-count weather. It might be a better option to forego contact lenses; they can escalate the entire eye-itching problem. If it becomes too itchy, you can place a cold washcloth over your eyes.

Testing an Allergy
Allergy testing is commonly done by by skin prick test, in order to diagnose the allergens. Once, the allergens are diagnosed, immunotherapy can be started, which will help in improving the symptoms of and in many cases, it provides complete cure.

Allergic Issues of the Nose

Ringworm is a type of fungal infection occurring on the skin of a person. Ringworm does not involve the presence of any kind of actual worms whatsoever. It is so named because of the circular scaly infection on the skin, which almost appears as if a worm is present beneath the skin. 

Why the fungi arise on the skin is unclear. However, these skin infections are highly contagious, so people coming in contact with those already having the disease could naturally develop the ringworm lesions. The fungi also require warm and moist conditions to thrive in. People working in waterlogged conditions or those walking barefoot on wet floors near swimming pools; public washrooms etc could all develop ringworm based on their immunity levels.

Symptoms of Ringworm:

Reddish, scaly or white patches on the skin.

The lesions may appear raised and blistered.

The circular lesion might have a clearing in the center.

Hair loss is a common side effect of this disease. Ringworm of scalp especially is characterized by patchy hair loss where the hair might be bent and broken at an odd angle. Dandruff might also be present. Thankfully, there are many effective homeopathic remedies for ringworm on scalp.

Though mostly ringworm is treated with conventional medicines and allopathic treatment, there are certain recurring ringworms on which traditional medicines slowly lose effect. Such infections can be controlled and cured with the help of homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathy is based on the principle of  like curing like . This means, the homeopath takes a bit of the plant material, deactivates it and just like a vaccine, infuses the patient s body with small quantities of it. Popular homeopathic remedies for treating ringworm are:

Sepia: It is obtained from the ink of a squid. It has been found that contact with the squid causes symptoms similar to the ones caused by ringworms. Thus, it is a remarkable cure for this disease. However, before actually administering this medicine, the homeopath doctor would ask several questions to understand the nature of the disease occurring to you. Such questions would include your sensitivity to heat and cold or how many times in the past has ringworm infected you. Only when the practitioner is sure of the fact that sepia is the correct treatment, would he prescribe it to you. This is a great cure for ringworms occurring in children as well.

Sulphur: Ringworms not only affect a person on the skin of his/her body, it might also occur on the scalp. These ringworms can cause a lot of itching, irritation, hair loss, pus in the scalp etc. For treating such types of ringworm, one can apply sulphur-based creams or ointments on the affected area on the scalp. Sulphur is seen to help in fighting the ringworms and thus providing relief from all the itching and irritation on the scalp.

Rhus Toxicodendron: This medicine is obtained when leaves of the poison ivy plants are distilled overnight. Contact with poison ivy leaves also causes similar symptoms as ringworms and thus, it is known to be a good cure for the disease.

Ringworms on Animals-

At times, even animals like cats and dogs can be affected by ringworms. Symptoms would include loss of hair in patches, itchy hair, white or blackish patches on the body and others. A specialised vet should be referred to for a medicated shampoo besides a homeopath. Medicines like Sepia or Chrysarobinum are administered to treat ringworms in animals.

Thus, ringworm is a very common form of a disease and is easily treatable whether in humans or animals. One would need to follow the course of their medicine and take to patience for getting it cured as soon as possible.  

Homeopathic Treatment For Ringworm Fungal Infection

In recent years there has been a rise in gastrointestinal disease due to lifestyle changes. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver, cancer of colon, liver and pancreas have been affecting the young and the elderly equally.

The advancement of medical science has given rise to a series of laparoscopic surgeries relating to gastrointestinal diseases. These surgeries are minimally invasive compared to open surgeries. Let s have a look at the various forms of gastrointestinal surgeries.

Conditions Cured through Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Gastrointestinal surgery can be used to prevent and treat the following health disorders.

  Peptic ulcer disease
  Barrett s Esophagus
  Hiatal hernia
  Radiation bowel injury
  Gastrointestinal tumours
  Inflammatory bowel disease
  GERD
  Achalasia
  Malignant disease of the pancreas
  Malignant disease of the biliary tract
  Infectious disease of the colon and rectum

Types of Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Some examples of gastrointestinal surgeries include  

  Colon Cancer Surgery   It may involve local excision which is done in the early stage of colon cancer. Here the doctor inserts a cutting tool into the colon to remove the cancerous growth. Colectomy is the next stage that is performed only when the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues.

  Oesophagal Cancer Surgery   It includes esophagectomy or removing the oesophagus partially leaving the patient with the ability to swallow.

  Gall Bladder Cancer Surgery - It involves four stages of treatment namely Cholecystectomy, Surgical Biliary Bypass, Endoscopic Stent Placement and Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage. Each procedure is performed at different stages depending on the severity of the condition.

  Liver Disease Surgery   Liver disease surgery involves Partial Hepatectomy, Liver Transplant and Ablation used at different stages of cancer.

  Pancreatic Cancer Surgery   The four stages of pancreatic cancer surgery includes Whipple procedure, Total Pancreatectomy, Distal Pancreatectomy and Gastric Bypass.

Apart from these open surgeries, the laparoscopic procedures include  

  Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
  Laparoscopic Appendectomy
  Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
  Laparoscopic Splenectomy

Benefits of a Gastrointestinal Surgery:

  Minimally invasive due to which scarring is less
  Shorter recovery period
  Reduced chances of infection
  Reduced chances of reoccurrence of the disease

Most of these benefits apply specifically to the gastrointestinal surgeries performed using the laparoscopic technique.

With the rampant increase in gastrointestinal diseases among the masses the wide ranges of gastrointestinal surgeries have made treatment and prevention easier and more accessible.

Gastrointestinal Surgery - Everything About It!

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