Why every 1 in 5 Women in India suffers from PCOS? (And what they need to know)

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a medical condition related to a woman’s endocrine system. Generally, this disorder is characterised by an imbalance of the sex hormones (oestrogen and progesterone), which leads to the development of multiple small cysts in the ovaries. Symptoms of PCOS include acne, irregular menstrual cycle and depression to name a few.
The causes of PCOS have not been accurately identified so far, but researchers suggest that the following factors might contribute to the onset of the condition.

1. Increased amount of insulin secretion- Women suffering from insulin resistance may get PCOS as their body is not able to effectively use this insulin, which results in increased insulin secretion by the pancreas. This, in turn, triggers more androgen (male sex hormone) production in the ovaries, making it difficult for the ovaries to ovulate.

2. Lower inflammation levels- The white blood cells present in your body form resistance against infections through a response termed as inflammation. Women with lower inflammation levels are likelier to get PCOS as the decreased levels stimulate polycystic ovaries, thereby producing more androgens.

3. Genetic factor-  If you have a family history of PCOS, it’s highly probable that you may also get it as the disease is linked with your genes.

How To  Live with PCOS

PCOS comes with numerous side effects like acne, obesity, infertility, excessive facial or body hair among others. There are certain lifestyle changes, which you may consider to manage PCOS and minimise its side effects.

1. Change your diet - Opt for a low carbohydrate, low sugar diet to keep your insulin levels in control, as insulin is responsible for increasing the severity of PCOS symptoms. 

2. Try to maintain an ideal body weight - Obesity is known for worsening insulin resistance, and you can prevent this by regularly keeping your weight in check. You can practice some easy at-home exercise to reduce weight besides having a balanced diet.

3. Get yourself checked regularly - Visit a doctor and get yourself checked regularly for potential health risks as PCOS is often associated with increased chances of diabetes, heart diseases, certain forms of cancer, hypertension, and high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

4. Join a support group - Joining a PCOS support group will help you cope with your emotional difficulties, while helping you to live a better life by cultivating an optimistic outlook.

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Every 1 in 5 Women in India suffers from PCOS! Why? (And what they need to know)

When you have pain in the stomach that is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, chances of you having chronic gastritis are high. This is an issue that specifically affects the stomach and is caused because the lining of the stomach gets inflamed and swollen and in some cases it may get damaged. The deterioration of the lining may be caused because of a bacterial infection and that would have to be treated with specialised medicines and treatment methods.During that time you may feel like there is something wrong with your digestive system and you may need to see a doctor for the constant pain that you have to go through as soon as you eat something.

Getting help
There may be times when you can no longer cope with the pain that may be occurring in your stomach. You may want to go to sleep or just sit still and do nothing; however, you cannot spend your entire life in that manner and you may have to consult an expert to get relief from the problem. One of the first steps in coping with chronic gastritis is to make sure that you make important lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy, choosing the right timings for eating, cutting down on alcohol and smoking and making sure that you choose a well-qualified and experienced doctor for getting the treatment.

Treatment
Apart from lifestyle changes, it is highly essential to follow a medication routine in order to beat the chronic gastritis completely. Doctors may suggest you take the medication according to the severity of the problem, but before that, you may be asked to go through a number of tests to confirm the problem. The tests may range from regular blood tests, stool tests, to endoscopy or even biopsy in some severe cases. After the testes are done, the doctors may be further sure about the the problem and that would be of great help in treating the issue with much more ease and expertise.

While it may be obvious to you that you suffer from chronic gastritis due to the constant pain in the stomach, it is also important to understand that the problem should not be taken lightly and that the right steps of the treatment should be taken in time before the problem gets worse.

Chronic Gastritis - How to Cope with it?

Gastric (stomach) cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the lining of the stomach. By far, it is known to be the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths not only in Asia but also worldwide. Though it can affect both male and female populace, it is seen more commonly in men and in people aged 50 years or older.

Type: Gastric cancers can present as one of the following types - 

Adenocarcinoma: Begins in the glandular cells lining the inside of the stomach. This forms a majority of the stomach cancers.
Lymphoma: Begins in immune system cells present in the walls of the stomach. Occurrence of lymphoma, in the stomach, is rare.
Carcinoid Tumor: Begins in hormone producing cells of the stomach.  Occurrence of carcinoid cancer, in the stomach, is rare.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST): begins in nervous system cells of the stomach. Occurrence of GIST, in the stomach, is rare.
Gender: It affects both male and female populace.

Etiology: The factors that are associated with increased risk of gastric cancer include the following mostly  

 Helicobacter Pylori  bacterial infection in the stomach is a common cause of gastric cancer of both the intestinal (expanding) & diffuse (infiltrative) type. Furthermore, studies indicate that high salt intake is synergistic with H. Pylori infection in the manner that it is likely to increase the risk of gastric cancer that is induced by H. Pylori bacteria.
Smoking, consuming alcohol, red meat, salty/ smoked/ processed foods, low intake of fruits and vegetables, diets rich in nitroso compounds, eating foods contaminated with aflatoxin fungus etc all.
Atrophic gastritis characterized by chronic stomach inflammation is known to increase the risk multi-fold. Chronic gastric inflammation can lead to atrophy of the gastric mucosa, metaplasia, dysplasia and finally carcinoma.
History of pernicious anaemia, gastric ulcers, adenomatous gastric polyp etc all.
Family history of gastric cancer. Several familial syndromes that have been associated with a pre-disposition to gastric cancer include familial adenomatous polyposis, Lynch syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and e-cadherin mutation (diffuse type)
Blood group A, Obesity etc all are known to be associated with diffuse or cardia gastric cancer.
Low socioeconomic status - persistent lifestyle issues/ irregularities including high stress coupled with an improper diet/ dietary pattern.
Epidemiological evidence is indicative of a risk or pre-disposition to gastric/ stomach cancer for people suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM).
Very high dose ionizing radiation exposure is an uncommon risk for gastric cancer.
Features: There are often no early stage symptoms. Early stage symptoms, if any, are non-specific and are likely to be ignored, thus delaying the diagnosis most often. Hence, gastric/ stomach cancer is often detected at an advanced stage where the disease is either locally advanced or metastatic. The various presentations (of signs & symptoms), by stage (early or advanced), of gastric cancer are as enumerated below:

Early Stage   can present with one or more of the following non-specific symptoms/ signs -

Dyspepsia (Indigestion),
Stomach/ Epigastric discomfort,
Bloated feeling after eating,
Mild Nausea/ Vomiting,
Blood in Vomit (Haematemesis),
Heartburn,
Weight loss (Cachexia)
Anaemia,
Occult blood in stool/ Melaena,
Advanced Stage   presents with one or more of the following symptoms/ signs -
GI Bleeding with black tarry stools (Melaena),
Persistent Nausea/ Vomiting,
Blood in Vomit (Haematemesis),
Early Satiety,
Anaemia,
Loss of Appetite (Anorexia),
Weight loss (Cachexia),
Persistent pain in the abdomen,
Fluid build-up in the peritoneal cavity (Ascites),
Edema of the lower extremities,
Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly)/ Jaundice,
Difficulty swallowing food (Dysphagia)
Screening: Is generally recommended for asymptomatic populations in high incidence areas or as surveillance for high risk individuals. The goal of screening, as usual, is to be able to detect & diagnose gastric cancer at an early stage which is potentially curable. It is mostly endoscopic/ radiologic.
Diagnosis: Following are the diagnostics employed in gastic cancer - 

Physical Examination: May be remarkable for palpable abdominal mass, weight loss (cachexia), abdominal distension, ascites, hepatomegaly, lower extremities edema and lymphadenopathy for gastric cancers in the advanced stage. For early gastric cancers, however, physical examination is largely uninformative.
Blood: Hb- may be low, ESR   raised, tumor markers CEA & CA-19-9 could be raised sometimes in adenocarcinoma but are not frequently elevated. Abnormal blood test results may be indicative of malignancy, but a follow-up gastroscopy/ biopsy is always the gold standard for accurate diagnosis.
Stool: Occult blood may be +ve
Barium Meal X-Ray: Could show a filling defect at the site of the carcinoma/ cancer growth.
Gastroscopy/ Biopsy: Clinches the diagnosis.
Endoscopic Ultrasound: Maximizes tumor staging as it helps determine the depth of invasion of the tumor.
CT Scan: Of chest, abdomen & pelvis helps detect metastatic disease, if any, and also helps stage the disease (TNM) appropriately.
Bone Scan: Helps detect osseous metastasis (bone mets), if any.
Treatment: Conventional treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy as contextually appropriate. Surgery (i.e. gastrectomy either sub-total or total), with an adjuvant chemotherapy and/ or radiotherapy as contextually relevant, is the only treatment that is known to cure the disease in light of the prognostic indicators as briefly enumerated in the section below. Chemptherapy and/ or radiation alone cannot be curative. Mostly, it can improve symptoms, and may prolong survival. Simultaneously, an adjunctive or integrative naturopathic treatment with suitable complementary & alternative medicines (CAM) too can help improve clinical outcomes and facilitate recovery as feasible contextually.
Prognosis: For gastric cancer is variable. Preventive measures, earlier diagnosis and right early treatment is key for an effective therapeutic management & better prognosis. Like most other cancers, the chances of cure for an early stage gastric cancer are more. The cure/ recovery chances are influenced by the grade, stage of cancer, recurrence and the patient s general health & vitality etc all. Distal tumors are known to be cured more often than the proximal ones. Again, intestinal-type gastric cancers are known to have a better treatment outlook in comparison to the diffuse-type gastric cancers.

Prevention: Rightly said, prevention is always a better choice. Although genetic risks are difficult to modify, still an adherence to a relative Mediterranean diet, maintaining an ideal body weight and an active lifestyle with due emphasis on regular exercising, de-stressing and relaxation is highly recommended for reducing the risks of many cancers including gastric cancer. A healthy eating plate comprises essentially a low fat diet, fibre rich foods including whole grain cereals, green leafy vegetables cooked using healthy vegetable oils, fresh fruits of all colours as seasonally available and healthy proteins/ fats including fresh fish, poultry, beans, nuts etc all. The consumption of alcohol, if any, has to be strictly in moderation, and is best avoided in a high risk scenario. Smoking is to be avoided too. Again, red meat, butter, refined grains, sweets, sugary drinks including carbonated beverages and other high calorie foods etc all, if any, are to be taken sparingly. Not only it is important to eat healthy, but also it is equally important to eat properly. Insufficient chewing, eating until full, eating meals within a short time etc all are best avoided so as to ease off digestive burden on the stomach/ other organs in the GI tract. Last but not the least, consumption of clean and filtered water, natural probiotics like freshly prepared yogurt/ butter milk, maintenance of cleanliness & hygiene including oral hygiene etc. all can help guard against H. Pylori infections. Breastfeeding is known to be protective against H. Pylori infections too.

Gastric Cancer - In a Nutshell!

Osteoporosis is a medical condition marked by a decrease in bone density. It results in the brittleness of bones and their fracture. Osteoporosis does not display any signs or symptoms but manifests itself in advanced age.

Homeopathic remedies for Osteoporosis

Silica or Silicea-This remedy is for people who are often nervous, feel sweaty during the night, get easily tired and are a highly nervous lot. The injuries of such people take the time to heal/ are difficult to heal and their spine is weak. Generally, these patients have delicate or refined features.
Symphytum- Meant for those fractures that occur because of mild trauma, this remedy is useful in cases where pain persists in old but healed fractures and also when bones need to be strengthened.
Calcarea carbonica- This remedy is administered to people who are overwhelmed by a lot of work and stress, get tired easily after work and have a proclivity to stress a lot. Generally, these people are overweight and have a lot of body flab and easily get depressed by cold/chilly weather and dampness in the air. They have swollen joints, experience a recurring back pain and get a sweaty head in the night. An interesting characteristic of these people is also that they have a craving for eggs and sweet things.
Calcarea phosphorica- This remedy is meant for people who have a deep, uncontrollable and intense desire for travel. They want a change in their environment and have a general sense of dissatisfaction. People requiring this medication have pain in their neck, upper back and hips. Fractures, if any, are slow to heal and there maybe deposits of calcium in the bones. Post-exercise, these people feel greatly tired.
Phosphorus- Meant for people who experience a burning pain between their shoulder blades, phosphorus as an osteoporosis remedy is given to those people who have an intense desire for refreshing foods like ice cream, beverages, carbonated drinks etc. Such people are usually lanky and their faces often get flushed. They are sensitive, suggestible and susceptible to the imagination. They get easily tired after a round of exercise and work.
Homeopathy Dosage
Unless directed by a homeopathic physician, take doses of low potency like 6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X or 30 C if you are going in for self-medication. Follow the instructions printed on the label.
If you are taking a single dose, ten wait for its response. If the medicine is working, then wait for its full effect to manifest. If there is little or no response, take another dose. If there is no response at all after taking the second dose then change the medicine.

Please note that dosage depends upon the individual and the intensity of his/her ailment,

Osteoporosis - How Homeopathic Remedies Can Help?

Throat cancer is a broad term used to cover cancer across a number of organs in the oronasal passage   right from the nasopharynx, oropharynx, glottis, epiglottis to supraglottis. Minus the medical terms, it means anywhere from the back of the nose and throat to the where the neck ends. The mucous cells along this path can undergo changes and begin multiplying rapidly, leading to cancer. The following are some additional risk factors:

Cigarette smoking
Tobacco abuse
History of human papilloma virus (HPV)
Alcohol abuse
Poor dental hygiene
Family history
Cigarette smoking is the most important of all, and a person can significantly reduce the risk by cutting down smoking. The throat has different types of linings and gland tissue, and depending on the cell type affected, the type of cancer could vary.

Symptoms: Throat cancer diagnosis can get delayed as the symptoms are very similar to a throat infection.

Sore throat: A sore throat that lasts for weeks together is often a cause for concern and requires ruling out underlying serious problem. Having associated risk factors is a good way to see if ruling out cancer is needed.
Cough: A cough that does not go away is a cause for concern. This is often associated with other symptoms mentioned here.
Voice change: Usually hoarseness of the voice, which is painless and not accompanied by a throat infection, is an indication of throat cancer.
Difficulty swallowing or breathing: Depending on where the cancer is located, there could be problems in either free breathing or swallowing. The developing mass gets in the way of free air and/or food movement.
Lumpy feeling in the throat: If the developing mass is along the length of the throat, then there could be a lumpy feeling, as if something is caught in the throat and not going down.
Bleeding: There could be bleeding either through the nose or the mouth, depending on the place of the cancer. Again, this is one of the late symptoms and not seen in the beginning.
Unexplained weight loss: As with any cancer, throat cancer also leads to unexplained weight loss.
Depending on the area affected, the symptoms can point to the location. For instance, voice changes are often associated with laryngeal cancer. A combination of risk factor assessment and symptoms will help in pinning down the diagnosis. Reach out to the doctor as soon as you notice something is wrong, as early diagnosis is very good for timely intervention and improving prognosis.

Throat cancer - Symptoms to watch for!

Everyone knows that drinking a cup of coffee before bed can leave you tossing and turning for hours. Eating the right food not only gives the body the right kind of nutrition, it also affects the quality of your sleep. While some foods are sleep deprivers, others are sleep enhancers. Here are a few such types of food that you can include in your diet to improve your sleep.

Cherries: Cherries are rich sources of melatonin. This is the chemical responsible for controlling the body s internal clock. A serving of tart cherries in their raw, whole form or a glass of cherry juice(without added sugars) can improve sleep quality and help treat chronic insomnia. It can also be used to fight jet lag.
Walnuts: These nuts are rich sources of an amino acid known as trytophan. Trytophan boosts serotonin and melatonin production thus regulating the body s sleep-wake cycle. This can help you fall asleep faster and avoid tossing and turning.
Milk: A glass of warm milk is a well known home remedy for insomnia. Milk or any form of dairy is rich in tryptophan. As mentioned above, this helps people fall asleep faster by regularizing their circadian rhythm. Additionally, calcium also helps regulate muscle movements and calms the body by fighting stress and stabilizing nerve fibers. If you don t like the thought of plain milk, you could try other forms of dairy like cheese and yogurt.
Rice: Jasmine rice and other forms of white rice have a high glycemic index. This means that the body digests rice slowly and hence releases glucose produced during digestion very gradually into the body. This helps cut down the time it takes to fall asleep. A gradual absorption of glucose in the body also prevents a  sugar high  and its accompanying crash. This helps prevent waking up in the middle of the night and ensures that you sleep through the night comfortably.
Bananas: Bananas are great not only for your overall health but also for your sleep cycle. Bananas are rich sources of magnesium and potassium. These are natural muscle relaxants that promote sleep. They also help fight sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome and muscle cramps to give you a more restful sleep. Bananas are also rich in carbohydrates that are slow to digest and hence make people fall asleep faster. Combining bananas and milk is a sure shot way of falling asleep faster.

5 Foods For a Good Night Sleep

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