Women tend to develop high levels of blood sugar during their pregnancy (especially within the 24th and 28th weeks), irrespective of whether they already had suffered from diabetes prior to their pregnancy. However, gestational diabetes, if not taken proper care of, might escalate the risks of developing diabetes in the near future for both the mother and the child, accompanied by complications in pregnancy or labor. Gestational diabetes is usually characterized by mild symptoms such as excessive urge to urinate, excessive thirst, blurred vision and fatigue.

Causes:
Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, allows for the utilization of the glucose for energy. The food consumed is broken down by the digestive tract of the body, converting carbohydrates into glucose before releasing it into the bloodstream. The glucose is then absorbed by the cells to be used as an energy source. Now, at the time of pregnancy, the placenta (organ nourishing the fetus) connecting the baby to the blood supply also produces various other hormones in high levels, for instance, estrogen and human placental lactogen. Most of these hinder the normal functioning of insulin in the cells, hence raising the blood sugar count. With subsequent growth of the baby, the placenta keeps on producing more amounts of such insulin resistant hormones to an extent that they are capable of meddling with the development of the baby.

Treatment:
1. Monitoring the blood sugar count at least four to five times a day and keeping it under control might help to ease the complication.
2. A healthy diet consisting of whole grains, vegetables and fruits in the right proportion and limiting sugar or other highly refined carbs meets the nutrition and fiber requirement of the body. Guard against additional weight gain during pregnancy as that hampers the entire process.
3. Exercise or regular physical activities help to normalize blood sugar level by boosting glucose absorption in the cells. Furthermore, exercises also enhance the sensitivity of the cells towards insulin. This means that only a little amount of insulin production by your body would be enough for the transportation of sugar.
4. Medication, If exercise and diet fall inadequate, insulin injections are often administered to control blood sugar count.
5. Keeping the baby under close observation with the help of repeated ultrasound and other tests to record its growth and development is an essential part of the treatment plan.

Gestational Diabetes - How It Can Be Treated?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that leads to recurrent seizures. Seizures arise when electrical activity in the brain suddenly surges causing a temporary disturbance within the messaging systems located between the brain cells.

Epilepsy is more common in children below the age of two years and adults above the age of 65 years.

Seizure Types

Seizures are classified into two main categories depending on their area of impact. 

A focal seizure is one that affects only one part or area of the brain whereas a generalised seizure affects the whole brain. Further, both focal and generalised seizures have various sub-categories which are as follows-

Previous nomenclature- 

Partial Seizure

  Simple Partial Seizure
  Complex Partial Seizure
  Partial Seizure with Secondary Generalization

Generalized Seizure

  Absence Seizures
  Myoclonic Seizure
  Atonic Seizure
  Tonic Seizure
  Tonic-clonic Seizure
  Mixed Seizure
  Status Epilepticus

Latest nomenclature of seizure types:

Focal seizures-

  Focal aware seizures
  Focal impaired awareness seizures (previously called complex partial seizures)
. Bilateral tonic clonic seizures

Generalised onset seizures-

  Tonic clonic seizures.
  Atonic seizures (sometimes called drop attacks) and tonic seizure.
  Myoclonic seizures.
  Absence seizures.

Symptoms

The well know symptom of epilepsy is a convulsion/ fit, a few other symptoms include-

  Intermittent spells of fainting. When this happens the patient is likely to lose control of his/her bladder or bowel movements. Following this, the person is likely to suffer from extreme tiredness.
  Spells of a blackout with difficulty in remembering
  Becoming unresponsive to any instructions or questions asked during brief periods of time
  Bouts of continuous blinking without any known reason
  Inappropriate movements that keep on occurring
  Changes in sensory perceptions
  Sudden stiffness in the body

Reasons for Epilepsy

Messaging systems within the brain are responsible for every function that goes about in your body. A disruption to this system caused by defective electrical activity leads to epilepsy in a person. Many people inherit epilepsy while others may develop this condition as a result of-

  Head trauma sustained during an accident
  A stroke or a tumour that has affected the brain impairing its normal capabilities
  An injury to the brain before or during birth
  Associated with developmental issues
  Infections of the brain

Treatment for Epilepsy

Epilepsy in childhood can be treated by using medications and by adopting dietary changes in some cases. Medications for epilepsy mainly include-

  Anticonvulsants - Helps control seizures and manages the symptoms of epilepsy
  Medications for nerve pain - Reduce pain that is caused by the damaged nerves

These medications should be consumed as and when prescribed by the doctor. You must consult a paediatrician for this, as he/she will take your child s physical and mental in consideration before starting the treatment.

Seizures that occur in childhood may be benign. This means that it will not continue into one s adult life. Further, those children who have suffered from epilepsy in their childhood have been seen to have normal mental and intellectual development in their adulthood. However, some epilepsy syndromes in children can have a devastating effect on the child.

Seizure threshold is a term that is used to refer to the conditions that are important for the production of seizures. The threshold is lower for people who are more prone to having seizures whereas the threshold is higher for those who do not have a tendency to suffer from seizures.

A Complete Guide To Childhood Epilepsy!

High fever is common in kids and a common worry for parents as well. If you are a parent, you need to know when the fever is serious, and when you should worry about it. Fever is a defence mechanism of the body. Body temperature rises if any foreign body (or antigen) attacks your body. As a defence, body temperature rises making it an unfavourable condition for the antigen. Fever means 100.4 degree Fahrenheit. Normally for kids, thermometer is placed under the armpit to record the temperature. You need to add an extra degree for accuracy. Paediatricians recommend treatment for fever if it's more than 101 degree F.

When to Call a Doctor

If the kid is less than 4 months old and has a fever of 100.4 degree F with other mentioned symptoms as highlighted, one must see the doctor as an emergency situation.
If a kid has 104 degree F fever, rush to the doctor. Such a high fever in children could lead to seizers.

You must call a doctor if the kid has a fever along with the following symptoms:

    Looks very dizzy
    Has a deteriorated immune system or even any other medical condition
    Has a seizure
    Has symptoms such as rashes, painful throat, annoyance, rigid neck or ear pain

Medication Side Effects:

At times, if you treat your children with some medication that does not suit them, it may lead to high fever. In case fever in a kid aged less than 2 years lasts for more than one day, it's time to see a doctor. And lastly, remember that normal body temperature is 98.6 degree F.

High Fever: When It Should Raise Alarm for Parents

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that results in higher level of blood sugar in the body. It is assuming epidemic proportions and India has become the new diabetic capital with more than 50 million diabetic people. The main problem with diabetes is that it does not completely go away and there is a whole myriad of issues that it brings along with it. Heart attack, stroke, eyesight problems, delayed wound healing, nerve damage and impotence. Therefore, diabetes and by that we mainly mean blood sugar level has to be managed so that there is a delay in onset of the associated conditions and/or reduced in severity.

Ayurveda refers to diabetes as Prameha (excessive urination) and Madhumeha (sugary urine) and has identified close to 20 forms of the disease. According to Ayurvedic belief, each disease is caused due to imbalance in kapha, pitta, and vata doshas and diabetes is caused by all these, predominantly by kapha. With any stream of medicine, management of diabetes involves two tracks   one is lifestyle changes and the second is medications.

Lifestyle changes include the following:

    Diet: Reduce the amount of rice, sugar, potato, sweet fruits, maida, deep fried foods, and red meat. Protein-rich foods like lentils, soya, green leafy vegetables and fish should be increased. Diet plan should change to small, frequent meals instead of binge eating.

    Exercise: Include 30 minutes of regular exercise into your daily routine if you have a diabetic predisposition.

    Others: Avoid smoking and alcohol, ensure sufficient sleep, avoid sleeping during day time, improved foot and eye care, periodically check sugar levels and manage stress levels.

Medication

Ayurveda has a whole lot of home remedies which have proven to be very effective against diabetes:

    Jambhul: Eugenia Jambolana whether eaten raw or juice extract has been shown to have beneficial effects in managing sugar levels and cholesterol.

    Gymnema sylvestre: Used to manage diabetes for over 2000 years, it reduces sugar cravings and is being touted as the future for diabetes treatment.

    Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia): It has 3 components that give it strong antidiabetic properties. The charantin reduces blood sugar levels; the polypeptide has insulin-like effects; and lectin that again has hypoglycemic effects.

    Bel (Aegle marmelos): Also known as wood apple, leaves of the plant are shown to have antidiabetic properties. 5 to 10 leaves can be chewed on a daily basis to help control blood sugar levels.

    Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum): Consuming 10 g of fenugreek seeds soaked in water increases the amount of insulin produced, thereby increasing sugar breakdown.

    Neem: Chewing about 4 to 5 leaves in the morning on an empty stomach helps to control blood sugar levels. Alternately, neem leaves powder is available which can be dissolved in water and consumed.


Diabetes - 6 Natural Remedies that Will Help You Manage it

If you are experiencing a whizzing sound while you breathe or having difficulty in breathing, you are suffering from asthma. It is a medical condition characterized by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea. There is no definite way to prevent asthma, but by following a step-by-step daily plan, you can prevent asthma attacks or keep them in check. Here are some important measures to follow to prevent asthma:

You need to strictly follow your asthma action plan. The plan should be laid down after a detailed discussion with your doctor or healthcare team. All the medicines you require to prevent the asthma attacks will be written down for you.
You should get vaccinated for pneumonia and influenza. This will prevent these conditions from triggering asthma attacks or flare-ups.
You need to identify the asthma triggers and stay away from them. Several outdoors irritants and allergens from pollen to cold air can trigger asthma attacks.
You have to monitor your breathing. By recognising the warning signs of an attack like wheezing, slight coughing or shortness of breath, you can prevent an asthma attack. You need to measure and record your peak airflow regularly using a home peak flow meter.
By acting quickly, you can identify a fatal attack and prevent it from occurring. When the peak flow measurement decreases, you need to take your medicines immediately and abstain from any activity which may have triggered the attack.
You need to keep taking your prescribed medicines, even if your asthma symptoms have improved. You should not change your medication schedule without consulting a doctor. It is recommended that you to bring along the medicines you take at your doctor s appointment as he will be able to tell whether you are taking them right.
If you use your quick relief inhaler a lot, the asthma is not under control. You need to visit your doctor as soon as possible and he/she will make some modifications to your treatment.
For prevention of asthma, you should use allergy proof pillow covers and mattresses. You must wash your bedding every week in hot water to eliminate dust mites. You may use a dehumidifier for reducing excess moisture to prevent mold.
Do not allow your pets in the bedroom and on the furniture. Pet dander is a common trigger of asthma and it cannot be avoided by people who own pets.
You can also fit an air filtration system in your home. It will help in the elimination of asthma triggers such as pollen, dust mites and other allergens.
Many doctors suggest immunotherapy for asthma prevention in the form of allergy shots. Immunotherapy aims at altering a person s immune response by making it less sensitive to asthma triggers.

Asthma - 10 Ways to Keep it Under Control

Hearing is one of the five senses that you or anyone else relies on for communication and a whole host of other things. Among the five senses, touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight, it is often hearing, which is the most easily affected. You don't have to be a senior citizen to experience hearing loss as it is quite common among younger people as well. This problem is also getting widespread with each passing day.

Before coping with hearing loss, the first job is to detect it
If you have a hunch that you or any of your loved ones is suffering from hearing loss, it is important that you get it diagnosed. Some of the common symptoms of hearing loss will be:

 Hearing difficulties while talking to someone over the phone
 Straining to hear conversations with family members or friends in household situations 
 People usually need to repeat what they talk to you with a louder voice
 You often hear complaints that you keep the tv too loud.
 In crowded situations, such as family gatherings or a restaurant, you have problems listening to people.

Although this condition tends to affect senior citizens, an increasing trend shows younger people i. E. People mostly in their 40 and 50s and even younger than that suffer from this condition.

How to deal with hearing loss?
Some of the options to deal with hearing loss are mentioned below.

 Once diagnosed with hearing problems, change your ways of communication: if you or your loved ones have been diagnosed with hearing problems, it is important that both adjust your ways to deal with the problem. Rather than getting angry at the other for not being able to communicate effectively, develop and strategize ways to make communication less problematic and erratic.
 Cochlear implants: this is a newer technology, which has gained popularity in the past decade or so. These are directly implanted into the inner ear and are designed to bypass the damaged areas of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. These have become very popular, although, are not a replacement of natural hearing. It is only prescribed for people who have severe hearing loss or are deaf.
 Hearing aids: although selecting a hearing aid is difficult as the patient needs to be comfortable, once selected it is one of the best solutions for the hearing impaired. The functionality of these devices can be extended with the hearing assistive technology or hat devices that can focus the audio waves depending on the situations and give a more tailored approach for every individual's needs.

Dealing With Hearing Loss

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