You must have had an ankle sprain or at least heard of it   it is an injury to the ligaments surrounding and connecting the bones of the leg to the foot. The injury occurs when you accidentally turn or twist the ankle in an awkward way. This can tear or stretch the ligaments that hold together the joint and bones of your ankle.

What Could Possible Lead to a Sprained Ankle? 
A sprain occurs when the ankle joint is forced out of its normal position as a result of the following  

  Awkwardly placing the foot while stepping up and down, jumping or running
  Stepping on an irregular surface
  During a sport or any sort of rigorous physical activity
  An injury while exercising
  Wearing inappropriate footwear

Symptoms of a Sprained Ankle-
A sprained ankle causes pain, swelling, and limited range of motion. You are likely to experience the following symptoms you sprain your ankle  

  Tenderness
  Bruising
  Stiffness
  Discolouration of skin
  Instability in the ankle
  Limping
  A popping sound or sensation at the time of the injury
  Inability to put pressure on the injured ankle

The symptoms of an ankle sprain are usually self-diagnosable and treatable at home. Nevertheless, you never know how severe the sprain could be. Therefore, consider seeing a doctor when you are having problems with your foot or ankle. A specialist can determine whether the injury is just a sprain or something more serious, with the help of X-ray and MRI.

What is the Treatment for Ankle Sprain?
The line of treatment depends on the type of sprain your ankle sustains. Treatment options include  

  RICE   Many people resort to simple home remedies such as RICE and cold compress to treat a sprained ankle. RICE refers to Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It is a first-aid cure for strains and sprains.
  Cold Compress    Helps reduce inflammation and dulls pain sensation
  Medications   If you visit an orthopaedic, he/she will prescribe the NSAIDs to ease pain and reduce inflammation and fever
  Braces and Splints   These are applied to aid in stabilizing and protecting the injured joint and its movement
  Elastic Bandage   Stretchy bandages are used to wrap strains and sprains. These provide compression and support during recovery.

Apart from medications and devices, the doctor may also recommend stretching, physiotherapy, and massage. Mild physical movement and exercise will help relax your muscles and restore flexibility and muscle strength.

An ankle sprain cannot be prevented; it can happen anytime. What you can do is consult a specialist and seek treatment to get back to your daily activities.

Know More About Ankle Sprain!

Do birth control pills help in controlling acne?

An outbreak of a pimple is perceived as a cause of embarrassment and concern as it gives rise to skin damage. Coming to the cause of acne, it generally occurs due to excess oil (sebum) production. The oil on your skin combined with dead skin cells, blocks your skin pores, thereby promoting bacteria growth and causing acne breakouts. 
The use of birth control pills to cure acne is usually recommended when topical medications and oral antibiotics don’t help in clearing up the problem. 
Here’s how they work on acne. 

Possessing properties that can regulate your hormone production, birth control pills contain the two hormones that your body naturally makes – oestrogen and progesterone. Present in different amounts in the pills, they act by lowering the amount of androgens (male sex hormones, which give rise to excessive sebum production) produced by your body. As a result, with a reduction in sebum production, there is also a decrease in the breakout of acne on your skin. However, you shouldn’t expect instant results from their use. 

Many a times, birth control pills can cause a flare-up of the problem before it can be contained. This can result in your acne getting worse before getting better. 
Although birth control pills can help to control acne, it’s still important to maintain a proper skincare routine comprising of washing, toning and moisturising for a healthy and glowing skin. 

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

Do Birth Control Pills Help in Controlling Acne?

There are many ways to treat pain and this includes acupuncture, several natural remedies, technological procedures and surgery. Among the different approaches for treating pain, massage therapy is an effective method.

Massage therapy is one of the earliest therapeutic processes for relieving pain for a long time as it provides ideal relief and performs recovery functions as well. In the modern day, massage therapy is a popular pain relieving remedy, which is utilized by people all over the world.
Massage therapy involves manipulation of the tissues, which is performed by special therapists. There are various types of massage therapies, which incorporate different techniques and procedures.
Long-term massage therapy is not very expensive and has no side effects on the body. With the help of massaging, there is an increased lymph flow, improved blood circulation and several positive effects on the immune system. 
Conflicting views

The current studies on massage therapy are quite conflicting and there are negative views regarding the effects of massage therapy to provide pain relief. Massage therapies are successful in treating several cases of lower-back pain. However, many experts consider massage therapy to be a relaxation technique and not a proper treatment procedure.

They say that massage provides relief to pain, but physical therapy, exercise and medicines are far superior in providing pain relief than massage therapy. Massage provides relief to neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. However, it is considered that this relief is only temporary and not consistent enough. A single session of massage therapy does not really provide a long-term relief from pain. For better and lasting results, massage therapy should be undertaken regularly.

Multidisciplinary treatment

Massage alone will never provide ideal relief from any kind of pain and a multidisciplinary approach should be taken for pain relief treatment, where massage therapy would be one of the elements. For ideal pain relief, you should practice other measures such as physical therapy, behavioral health care, acupuncture, regular exercise and use massage therapy as a complementary relief method.

Massage therapy can never be the main treatment procedure for treating pain and it is an accompanying treatment method which you should practice along with major treatment procedures. Massage therapy combined with other therapies will provide you effective pain relief.

Massage therapy for pain provides effective temporary relief from pain. It should be performed by a trained massage therapist and for good results must be performed every day. However, massage therapy is not a primary treatment measure and should be a part of a multidisciplinary approach for pain relief. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Massage Therapy for Pain - An In-Depth Analysis!

Are you suffering from a sore throat that is prolonged in nature? Although, a sore throat is not very severe, being prolonged in nature indicates that it is chronic. You should not ignore a sore throat that does not heal over a long period of time. This might be an indication of a serious problem, and you will require proper diagnosis.

When is a sore throat termed as chronic?

A sore throat may take various forms. It can be itchy, burning, scratchy in nature, and can also cause difficulty in swallowing food.
It is likely for a sore throat to be accompanied by a form of pesky cough that leads to further irritation of the throat.
Sore throats can also occur from common colds and several viruses. These usually resolve on their own.
However, when your sore throat is persistent and you cannot find relief, it is referred to as a chronic sore throat. The primary cause of sore throat includes strep throat, allergies, tonsillitis or the infection of your tonsils, inhaling air pollutants, influenza, cigarette smoking, and inhaling via the mouth.
Among these conditions, strep throat and tonsillitis may turn into severe problems, if not treated properly.
Smoking is a major cause of chronic sore throat. You should control your smoking to eliminate these sore throat symptoms.
Snoring is also a major cause for sore throat.
Relief from chronic sore throat
No matter what is the cause of your chronic throat pain, or sore throat is, you should follow some steps and undertake simple home remedies for soothing your scratchy, itchy and painful throat. Some of them include the following:

Do hot water steam inhalation daily, which will help
You must stay well hydrated and should moisten your throat by drinking lots of fluids throughout the day. You should add honey to warm drinks and hot tea.
You may take over the counter pain relievers.
You should install a humidifier in your home for preventing dry air that causes irritation to your throat.
You may try gargling regularly with warm water and salt, at least twice a day.
It is difficult to diagnose the exact cause of a sore throat, but when it worsens or does not tend to leave, something serious is indicated. You must consult a doctor and undertake a physical examination of your throat in order to detect the cause.

Prolonged Sore Throat - Can It Be Chronic?

What is Colitis?
Colitis is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the lining of your colon i.e. the large intestine.

Prevalence in India -
Once prevalent in Western countries, colitis is on the rise in India among other Asian countries. The causes for this rise are mainly the degrading environment and the consequent changes in your genes. Colitis brings many changes to your lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to arm yourself with all the information about the disease to better manage it and lead the life you want.

What are the causes?
The common causes of colitis are -

Infection due to virus, bacteria and parasites
Decreased blood supply
Allergic reactions
What are the signs and symptoms of Colitis?
The signs and symptoms of colitis include the following-

Extreme pain before, during or after diarrhoea in the lower abdomen
Aches in joints and muscles
Tender abdomen
Swelling of colon
Redness on the colon surface
Bleeding from stool
Diarrhoea or constipation
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Fever, fatigue
Dehydration
Eye and skin inflammation
What can you do to prevent it?
In order to prevent the occurrence of colitis, you can adopt a few steps. Precautionary measures mostly include dietary changes. You should avoid intake of certain foods to eliminate the symptoms of the disease.

Avoid the consumption of dairy products
Avoid eating spicy foods
Avoid including vegetables like cabbage, dried beans, peas in your diet
Refrain from drinking alcohol, caffeine and carbonated drinks
Instead, include white bread, white rice, pureed vegetable soup, canned fruits, etc
Depending on the diagnosis and the treatment, people do get better. Many people can build successive careers after getting treatments. However, initially, the symptoms will cause a problem in your daily life. It is important to know how you can identify the early signs and what you can do to manage or prevent them.

Know More About Colitis!

Doctors keep learning from research conducted on different types of diseases and their treatments. In the case of lactose tolerance, the conventional wisdom has been that the condition may actually start setting in by the time the baby turns 2 years, but it may not manifest itself till the child reaches adulthood. However, later research has revealed that not only does lactose intolerance occur as one ages, but there are other considerations besides the age of the person, which determine lactose intolerance and its intensity.

Production of Lactase: There is no difference of opinion that the basic cause of this condition is directly related to the production of an enzyme, lactase within the body. This enzyme is produced in the small intestine, and once its production tapers off or stops completely, lactose intolerance surfaces. Lactose intolerance refers to the manner in which the body reacts to the consumption of milk and some foods made with milk. Chemically, milk is described as a combination of one portion galactose and one portion glucose. When milk is consumed, these two are broken down with the help of the lactase enzyme.

Age Does Matter: When researchers started studying cases of lactose intolerance reported at different locations or parts of the world, the patterns that emerged showed a slightly different picture. It is true that the age of the person diagnosed with lactose intolerance does matter. As mentioned, it can start in kids as young as 2 years, but definitely, many symptoms may appear only later in the adolescence period. But some people may develop the condition much later. This means, they might not have faced lactose intolerance to begin with, but as they grow older, their body s ability to produce lactase may dwindle and even disappear and that is when the condition could be noticed and if left untreated, it can become serious too.

Other Factors Relating to Lactose Intolerance: While remaining with the same conviction that age is in important factor in the onset of lactose intolerance, there are other significant indicators which have relation to the genetic composition of the person. For example, in a mixed race population or country such as the US, among whites, the condition may not occur before 5 years of age, while among African-Americans, it occurs by the age of 2 years. Among the Asian population also the occurrence of lactose intolerance is very common, whereas in some European races, the condition is rarely noticed.

How to Manage with the Condition?
It can be easily diagnosed by Lactose Hydrogen breath test (LHBT). If you have already been diagnosed with lactose intolerance, there is not much you can do to improve or induce lactase secretion. The only way is to avoid milk. But there are some products such as butter and some specific types of cheese that can be consumed. Many manufacturers mark the packaging of their products to indicate if they can be consumed by people who are lactose intolerant.

Lactose Intolerance & Age - Understanding The Relation!

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