A baby should be breastfed for at least the first few months after birth. Breastfeeding has a number of benefits for both the mother and child. Apart from being the best source of nutrition for the baby, it also helps the mother and child bond. 

Here are a few benefits of breastfeeding your baby.

Nutrition: No formula can be compared to the nutrition provided by a mother s milk. The first milk produced by a mother s breasts is known as colostrum which is rich in antibodies and proteins. Breast milk is made up of the perfect mix of proteins, vitamins and essential fats. It is also easier to digest as compared to formula feeds.
Immunity boost: A mother s milk is rich in antibodies and helps strengthen the newborn child s immunity. These antibodies also help lower the baby s risk of developing asthma or allergies later in life. Babies that are breastfed are also said to have a lower risk of suffering from ear infections, respiratory problems and diarrhoea. It also plays an important role in lowering chances of sudden infant death syndrome. Breastfeeding is also said to protect babies from certain types of cancer in infancy and later stages,
Bonding: While being breastfed, a baby is held close to the mother and has skin to skin contact. This makes the baby feel secure and helps him or her to bond with the mother. For the mother, this process can also help fight postpartum depression and help reconnect with the baby.
Healthy weight: Babies who are breastfed are said to be less likely to develop obesity. This is because breast milk has lower levels of insulin as compared to formula and babies who are breastfed have higher level of appetite and fat regulating hormone called leptin. As they grow, these babies put on a healthy amount of weight, but refrain from overeating and have healthier eating patterns. This helps maintain a healthy BMI and prevents diseases like diabetes etc.
Boosts intelligence: Studies show that babies who were breastfed for the first six months have a higher IQ than those who were not. Thus, breastfeeding is said to play a significant role in cognitive development. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, breast milk is said to fatty acids that are not available in formulas, Secondly, the emotional bonding between mother and child is also said to contribute towards boosting IQ levels.

Breast feeding - Why it is Important for Your Baby?

Typhoid is an infectious bacterial fever with an eruption of red spots on the chest and abdomen and severe intestinal irritation, brought about by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. It can also be brought about by Salmonella paratyphi, a related bacterium that generally causes a less extreme sickness. The bacteria are stored in water or in the food by a human carrier and are then spread to other individuals around them.

Multiple Ways to Prevent Typhoid Fever

Vaccination: Take one dose of the vaccine one week before travelling. The other is given orally in four cases, with one container to be taken every alternate day. Neither one of the vaccines is 100% effective. Both require repetitive immunisation since the effect of vaccines diminishes over time.
Washing your hands: Frequently washing your hands in hot, soapy water is the most ideal approach to control contamination. Wash before eating or cooking food and after using the toilet. Use a hand sanitiser in cases where water isn't accessible.
Drinking clean water: There are a few ways in which you can avoid getting typhoid fever spread by contaminated water.
Abstain from drinking untreated water.
Contaminated drinking water is a specific issue in areas where typhoid fever is endemic. Thus, drink only boiled or filtered water, or canned or packaged carbonated drinks.
Carbonated filtered water is more secure than non-carbonated filtered water.
Request drinks without ice.
Use filtered water to brush your teeth and try not to swallow water in the shower.
Clean water can get contaminated again in case it is not put away securely.
Store the clean drinking water in a container with a little opening and use it within four hours.
Staying away from raw fruits and vegetables: Maintain a strategic distance from crude foods grown in the ground. Since crude produce may have been washed away in water, maintain distance from products of the soil that you cannot peel, particularly lettuce. To be totally protected, you might need to stay away from street food completely.
Cooking: Pick hot foods. Keep away from food that is put away or served at room temperature. Steaming hot nourishments are ideal. Also, in spite of all precautions, there is no assurance that the food served at the finest restaurants is safe for your health. It is best to stay away from foods served by street side vendors. Completely cook all meats, fish and vegetables. Eat them while they are still hot.
Washing: Wash your dishes and utensils with proper dish washing soap and water. Wash your cutting board particularly well with a cleanser and water.
Peeling: Peeling fruits and vegetables protects you from typhoid. Eat natural products that have been freshly washed and peeled, for example, oranges and bananas.

Typhoid Fever - Follow These Steps and Prevent It!

Bronchial asthma is a medical condition. It happens when the airways of your lungs swell up and become narrow. This limits the amount of air that can pass through the passages and this leads to respiratory distress. Asthma can affect anyone and usually, it starts from childhood.

What are the Symptoms of Bronchial Asthma?
Some common symptoms of bronchial asthma are-

  Wheezing and breathlessness
  Tightness of the chest
  Frequent bouts of coughing which are more common at night or in the early morning, making sleep difficult. 

Bronchial asthma does not go away on its own. It requires treatment.

What is Siddha?
Siddha is a very ancient system of medication and treatment that originated in Tamil Nadu. According to Siddha, the individual is a microcosm of the entire universe. And it is made up of some fundamental elements- earth, air, fire, water and ether as well as three humours- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. An imbalance of these components causes an ailment. So, the chief goal of Siddha is to restore the right balance to root out any illness.

Types of Asthma according to Siddha -
We find mention of asthma in Siddha literature. It is called Eraippu Noi. There are five types of asthma -

  Vazhi Eraippu Noi - Digestive troubles may lead to accumulation of Vata. This is not a grave form of asthma and can easily be cured.

  Iya Eraippu Noi - Exposure to cold climes or freezing winds or being drenched in rain can cause Kapha to build up in the system, which triggers this form of asthma. It is accompanied by symptoms such as the runny nose, nasal congestion, breathing trouble when lying down.

  Iyavazhi Eraippu Noi - Both Vata and Kapha accumulate to trigger this kind of asthma. Its symptoms include breathlessness, bloating, indigestion, disorientation, etc.

  Mukkuttra Eraippu Noi - An imbalance of all three humours- Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the culprits behind mukkuttra Eraippu Noi. A person who has contracted it might experience severe chest pain, constipation and even loss of consciousness.

  Mel nokku Eraippu Noi - This is the gravest form of bronchial asthma and requires extensive treatment.

Treatment of Asthma according to Siddha -

Siddha will first try to understand what kind of imbalance has caused your asthma. The medication depends on the type of asthma. Siddha medicines are made from particular parts of herbs that will induce you to either vomit or defecate to get rid of the excess humour that has accumulated in your body. Thus, the balance of Kapha, Pitta and Vata is restored.

You might also be suggested a few breathing exercises to strengthen your lungs and diaphragm.
Siddha follows a holistic way to curing bronchial asthma and targets it at its source. Unlike allopathic medication, medicines prescribed by Siddha are herbal and have no side effects.

Siddha Approach In Treating Bronchial Asthma!

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition, which primarily affects the lungs and persistence of this condition might lead to severe breathing problems and loss of lung function. If you have inherited two copies of the defective gene from your parents, you are likely to suffer from this disease. Cystic Fibrosis causes a buildup of thick mucus in your lungs and affects other organs such as the kidneys, pancreas and the intestines in your body.

It isn't very uncommon as one out of fifty people in Asia is a carrier of this disease. The disease gets its name from the cysts formed in the pancreas of the sufferer. However, this disease can be detected by testing the quantity of salt present in your sweat. Prenatal testing for Fibrosis is another method to test if your newborn is likely to contract a lung infection.

Complications faced due to cystic fibrosis include:
1. Serious sinus infections
2. Serious damage in lungs due to inflammation and incessant infection
3. Malnutrition
4. Complication in breaking down protein
5. Respiratory tract contamination

If you observe one or more of the following symptoms, you might be suffering from Cystic Fibrosis:
1. Salty-tasting skin
2. Bowel obstruction caused due to meconium ileus (obstruction of the bowels)
3. Mucus amiss in your alveoli
4. Persistent coughing with phlegm discharge
5. Shortness of breath while engaging in a physical task
6. Stunted or measly growth despite healthy lifestyle habits
7. Infertility in males

If you're suffering from cystic fibrosis, there isn't any particular treatment which is recommended due to the varying degrees of it found in people. However, consultation with a medical practitioner and an individualised treatment plan can help you minimise the risks and lead a better life.

Some therapies you can opt for are:
a) Airway clearance: This therapy helps sift the thick layer of mucus around your organs. Some people have also chosen to use the inflatable vest which vibrates around your chest, thereby, thinning and loosening the layer of mucus.

b) Inhaled medicines: Another breakthrough in the field of respiratory medicine, this method requires the patient to sniff a liquid consisting of mist, which is inhaled with the aid of a nebuliser. This method is known to be beneficial for opening airways.

c) Pancreatic enzyme supplements: Along with multivitamins, these specially designed supplements are known to cater to your pancreas with the much-needed nutrients and they need to be consumed with every meal.

Cystic Fibrosis: All You Need to Know

Using a hearing aid presents a number of advantages to a hearing impaired person. First and foremost, you will hear a lot better. Hearing aids do not restore your hearing to normal but they improve it significantly. It becomes easier to hear what other people say. Sounds you have not heard for a long time such as birds singing, door bell ringing, the howling of the wind and water running may become audible to you.

Hearing aid usually improves the user s social, psychological and physical sense of well being.

Study as well as experience shows that hearing aid generally improve the quality of life and will help you:

Get a better relationship with your family
Feel better about yourself
Get better mental health
Improve your physical well being
To concentrate better
Feel more independent and secure
Feel less tired or exhausted
Be more able to participate in social gathering
Be able to increase your social contact
Be able to do better in your job  
Hearing aid will help you to reduce tinnitus
Hearing aid will help you to avoid dementia by helping you to hear and improve cognitive functioning
As you start hearing through hearing aid, you will start socializing yourself and indirectly improve your quality of life.
Why you need to wear two hearing Aids?

Better understanding of speech
Better understanding in group and even in noisy situation
Better ability to tell the direction of the sound (Localization)
Better sound quality
Greater listening comfort
Hearing is less tiring and more pleasant
Keeping both ears active preserves speech understanding in both ears
Effective tinnitus masking
Better understanding of listening to radio and television
Speech will be clear

Advantages Of A Hearing Aid!

An infant is usually called a bundle of joy and with good reason. There are simple and carefree, and bring a smile to your face with their antics. However, the mood and health of an infant can be tarnished due to an issue which is known as galactosemia.

What is Galactosemia?
When a baby has galactosemia, he or she will have a problem when it comes to digesting galactose, which is something that is present not only in milk but in all milk products. Galactose is a sort of sugar, just like fructose and glucose is. As a matter of fact, lactose, which is what milk has, is, in fact, a combination of glucose and galactose. Also, when lactose is processed, it is broken down by the human body into its constituents.

The condition is something that is passed down through the genes of the parents of the baby. The condition would occur if the gene which causes a tendency for a baby to have galactosemia is present not only in one parent but both of them. A baby who has the condition will be lacking an enzyme which is known as the GALT enzyme. The enzyme could also not be functioning as it should be under normal circumstances.

When it comes to the problem, it is very important, to say the least, to detect it sooner rather than later as if there is a build-up of unprocessed galactose which is allowed to occur, it can affect the baby adversely and in some cases, it can also be threatening to the life of the baby!

How does it affect a baby?
The problems which can erupt due to galactosemia include issues which affect organs such as the brain, eyes, liver and kidneys. It is interesting to take note of the fact that these are all organs which either have something to do either processing the blood or are heavily dependent on it. While a baby is not in the position in which he or she can communicate the issues that are being faced, when keeping an eye out for galactosemia, the signs which are displayed include an irritability of the baby as well as lacking consumption of the milk of the mother.

Even though galactosemia may not be the case, a doctor should be consulted as the exacerbated issue can include seizures and jaundice. It is to be kept in mind that galactose is something that can be found not only in the milk of the cow but also human milk as well as the milk of other animals such as goats.

Galactosemia In Infants - Know the Reasons Behind It!

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