A menstrual cramp is something which every woman complains of for a day or two every month. Menstrual cramps are usually the pains felt in the lower abdomen, which can occur both before and during a woman's menstrual period. These cramps are caused by a hormone called prostaglandin that causes the uterine muscles to contract during menstruation. When the uterus contracts to shed its natural lining during your period it releases a hormone called prostaglandins which causes pain and inflammation. So higher the level of prostaglandins more severe the menstrual cramps.

It might be just a minor discomfort for some, but for others it can be severe. The symptoms of menstrual cramps include pain in the abdomen, pressure in the abdomen and pain in the hips, lower back, and inner thighs as well. However, if the cramps are severe you might have an upset stomach, loose stools and vomiting too.

Three out of four women experience menstrual pains and every one out of 10 women experiences severe cramps. Here are few remedies that might help in relieving the pain:

Exercise, brisk walking or any type of physical activity can help to ease your belly pain as by being physically active your body pumps more blood, which helps in releasing endorphins to counteract the prostaglandins and reduce your cramps.
Apply heat on the lower abdomen or the area where you feel the pain as it helps to relax the contracting muscles in your uterus.
Improve your diet by reducing fat and increasing vegetables. However, avoid foods that contain caffeine and salt.
Take a warm bath as it may also provide some relief.
Add ginger in your food as it helps in lowering the levels of the pain-causing prostaglandins.
Drink chamomile tea at least three times a day.
Take fish oil supplements, vitamin B1 or both.
Make sure to get enough vitamin D.
Have an orgasm as it releases endorphins which has a pain-relieving effect and helps in boosting your mood as well.
Include more dietary magnesium such as dry almonds and boiled spinach as it helps to ease the pain of cramps.
Acupuncture also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Take a safe painkiller to reduce pain.
Birth control pills may help relieve painful cramps, but they do come with side effects which may include spotting, breast tenderness, nausea and low sex drive.
Refrain yourself from smoking and drinking alcohol.
Finally, have appropriate rest.
Note: If you still do not get any relief despite trying some of these options then you must visit your doctor to rule out more serious health issues as the menstrual cramps are sometimes caused or worsened by other conditions and any sort of medications for such cramps are to be taken after consulting a Gynaecologist.

How to Get Relief From Severe Menstrual Cramps

Being fit is a matter of striking the right balance between one s diet as well as exercise. There are many kinds of problems that we all face when we do not strike a balance between the two. A flat stomach is a sought after feature in one s figure. One usually ends up losing a flat stomach when you have weight gain due to pregnancy and the onset of age. 

When one wants to get back a flat stomach, there are many measures that one can take because this is a very difficult thing to get back once you have put on weight because you will usually lose weight from the abdomen at the very end. Yet, one does not need to spend many hours in the gym for a flat stomach. You can also do exercises at home in order to get a flat stomach. Read on to know the secret!

Squats: One can do squats every morning as a part of a warm up before getting into the exercises. Ensure that you hold it for a while before you release and straighten up. You can also do squats while you are standing at the kitchen counter so that you get plenty of exercise with just a few moments of hard work through various times during the day.
Sit Ups: Sit ups are also a good form of exercise that one can do at home. Along with lunges and squats, you can also do sit ups so that you get a more toned torso with good exercise for your muscles in that area.
Pike and Stretch: This is another very well known exercise that can easily be done at home. The pike and stretch requires you to lie on a mat, facing upwards. Then, you will have to crunch up and try and touch your toes. The next step is to bring your arms behind your head and keep them straight while you crush up one leg at a time. This should be done at least ten times so that your abs and hips are well worked out.
The Standing Side Crunch: This crunch can be done with a chair. You need to stand on your left leg and then extend the left arm so that the right foot gets lifted off of the ground level by a few inches. Then, place the right hand behind your head with the elbow bent. After this, you will need to lift the left knee towards the right shoulder. Repeat this at least 15 times for it to show any results on your abs and abdomen area.
The Plank: This is a very well known move that many people take to. You will have to lie down on a mat and elevate yourself on your elbows. This position will have to be held for as long as possible for maximum effect on the abs, torso, hips and the thighs and legs as well. This exercise is recommended for a flat stomach, more than any other.

Want a Flat Stomach - 5 Must Do Exercises!

What you must know about body ache


Affecting your entire body, body ache is usually an indicator of a condition that requires your attention for the pain to stop or a reaction of your body's immune system to an infection. Understanding the symptoms and the cause of the pain is the first step towards getting the right treatment for your problem.
The causes of body ache can be any one of these:
  an increase in your body's lactic acid as a result of overused muscles (that you normally experience when you perform strenuous exercises) leads to body aches that are not severe but temporary in nature.
  temporary body aches can also occur if you suffer from flu caused by the influenza virus and other medical conditions like fever and viral infections, among others.
  a cause of body aches can be the presence of a serious condition such as Lyme disease or pneumonia that brings about major infection affecting your entire body.
  inflammation of body cells or damage to your body's nervous system in the form of chronic ailments like autoimmune diseases and psychiatric problems can also cause pains and aches to develop all over the body.

What can you do to manage it?
There are simple ways that you can employ to relieve your body aches based on the root cause and these are:

  if the cause of your body ache is the flu, the best way to alleviate your condition is to take a hot bath. The hot water works by eliminating the body pains you may be suffering from. Even a gentle massage can soothe the ache affecting your entire body.
  for body aches that are caused due to overused muscle, you need to apply ice packs for 2-3 weeks on the affected area to bring down the inflammation. Even the application of a heating pad can help in relieving body aches brought on by muscle soreness.
  shoulder and neck pains can be easily prevented by performing simple exercises from time to time such as shoulder shrugs or head turns. Also, the practice of using wrist and forearm rests can reduce your chances of getting shoulder and neck aches.
  reducing your stress levels can also help in effectively lowering the instances of body ache. From sleeping on time to meditating for about 20 minutes a day can help in lowering stress.

In case, you do not get relief from any of the suggested ways, you need to consult a qualified doctor who will guide you on the right treatment course. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'
Related Tip: Why does PAIN occur? Understand the Mechanism of Pain

Body Ache? Here's What You Must Know about Body Pain

Everyone can suffer from pain in the stomach, at one time or the other and we usually ignore it. But when the pain is sudden and severe abdominal pain then it is termed as acute pain and this should not be ignored.

Often the following can be expected with acute pain:

Acute abdomen pain is usually synonymous with rapid onset of the symptoms which might indicate life threatening intra-abdominal pathology.
Pain is just a feature and not necessary that it is present at all times. An acute abdomen which is pain free usually occurs in children and women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy.
The differential diagnosis is difficult and wide especially in primary care. This is because the different organs within their peritoneal cavity might have different areas of referred pains.
Abdominal pain usually happens to be in the top three symptoms when patients present their state in the emergency and accident departments. But only few of these have acute abdominal pain.
Management of the abdominal pain should be the primary focus and an assessment should be done to reach the differential diagnosis so that care can be given accordingly.
The clinical evaluation regarding abdomen pain can change quickly. Any diagnosis which had been made can change and both doctor and patient should not be hesitant and seek other treatment.
Conditions which might cause acute abdomen pain are:

Meckel's diverticulitis or Acute appendicitis
Acute cholecystitis
Ectopic pregnancy
Acute pancreatitis.
Peptic ulcer disease
Diverticulitis.
Intestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus (adynamic obstruction)
Pelvic inflammatory disease.
Gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage
Gastroenteritis.
Acute intestinal ischaemia/infarction or vasculitis.
Acute urinary retention
Renal colic or renal tract pain
Testicular torsion
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Non surgical diseases like pericarditis, sickle cell crisis, acute intermittent porphyria, HIV-associated lymphadenopathy, bowel disease, typhoid, opiate withdrawal, enteritis, pneumonia, myocardial infarction and hepatitis.
Rare causes might include thromboemboli, phytobezoar, and phytobezoar
Diagnosis of abdominal pains:

Patients can be ordered to get their blood tests done. Also if need be then imaging can also be referred to them.
Following tests can be done to rule out the condition causing the abdominal pain:
Blood Tests: these include FBC, LFTs, glucose, amylase, clotting, calcium and arterial blood gas for pancreatitis
Crossmatch or group and save
Pregnancy test in women of childbearing age
Blood cultures
Peritoneal lavage in case of an abdominal trauma
Urine analysis
X ray of the abdomen, ultrasound, CT scan
ECG and cardiac enzymes
Laparoscopy should be a routine procedure

Don't Ignore the Acute Abdominal Pain

When is your pain chronic?

Your pain is chronic if it last for more than a period of six months. Chronic pain is a long-term pain whose nature can vary from mild to excruciating, and it may trouble you either continuously or at short and regular intervals. Chronic pain is so dangerous that it does not only cause discomfort and inconvenience but also robs you entirely of your capacity to work for a long time.

Chronic pain can occur in a number of organs of the human body like head, joints, back, shoulders, neck etc. In fact, pain in any part of your body can turn into chronic pain. Here are a few symptoms that can help you identify if what you are going through is, in fact, chronic pain:

- persistent and severe body pain

- burning sensation accompanied by the body pain

- fatigue and sleeplessness

- weak immune system

- stiff and sore joints

The 4 types of chronic pain disorders that you should be aware of are:

1. Nociceptive pain

The pain that affects the soft tissues of the body such as the skin and the muscles or the organs that have sensory nerves present in them is called nociceptive pain. The sensory nerves, known as nociceptors can detect the stimuli of pain and send information to the brain and the spinal cord for interpretation. The pain could be either somatic (originating in the outer body) or visceral (originating in the internal organs).

2. Neuropathic pain

This pain is caused when the nerves stop functioning normally. It is caused due to nerve disturbances that result in pain stimuli being spontaneously transmitted to the brain and spinal cord. If you are suffering from this type of chronic pain disorder, you will feel a sharp, shooting and stabbing pain. Neuropathic pain can also be caused due to the formation of neuroma (abnormal growth of the nerve tissue).

3. Psychogenic pain

The pain that is caused by psychological disorders like depression and anxiety is known as psychogenic pain. Sometimes this pain can be accompanied by physical complications like fatigue, body pain and muscle weakness.

4. Idiopathic pain

The pain that exists even though there is no physical or psychological cause for it is known as idiopathic pain. This pain is more common in people who have suffered from a pre-existing painful disorder. Some common examples of idiopathic pain are fibromyalgia (intense pain all over the body) and tmj disorders (pain in the jaw area).

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: Why does PAIN occur? Understand the Mechanism of Pain

Your Pain is Chronic if it Falls Under These 4 Types of Chronic Pain Disorders!

You are sitting in an office meeting and it has been a couple of hours since you have had your breakfast. Lunch looks like a long time away and you are trying hard to concentrate. But all of a sudden your stomach starts distracting you and makes noises calling out to you. Does this sound familiar to you?

The rumbling of our stomach has been a constant subject of studies for several scientists. In fact, 2,000 years ago, the Greeks coined a special name for it called Borborygmi. So, what s with all the growling and rumbling. 

What causes stomach rumbling?
The rumbling that you hear is related to the movement of food, liquid, digestive juices and air through your intestines. When your intestine is processing the food, your stomach may grumble and growl. When it is hungry and your stomach is empty, the rumbling noise is more audible and can be heard clearly.

The stomach digests the food through a process called peristalsis. The walls of the gastrointestinal tract that are made of muscles contract and move the food down the intestines. Peristalsis is responsible for the rumbling sound that you tend to ear when you are hungry.

Here is the exact process that occurs in your stomach:

During the digestion process, the food along with the digestive juices, gas and air bubbles are pushed down through the digestive system.
If you have food in your system that needs to be broken down, then the muscle contractions aids its movement. The presence of food can muffle the sound of movement and rumbling.
But when it is empty, all you have in there is air or gas. The movement of air bubbles and gas is not absorbed and your stomach grumbles clearly.
Five ways to deal with it
So now that we know why our stomach growls, is there a way to control it? Here are five effective tips to keep the rumbling of your stomach under check.

Mute the rumbling noise by eating small meals at regular intervals instead of a few large meals. Your digestive system will then have a lesser opportunity to create those loud noises of rumbling.
Eat slowly and swallow less air.
Stay away from high-fructose or high-sugar foods that tend to cause a lot of intestinal noise when it gets broken down in the system.
Eat food that produces less gas.
Try to take a small walk after heavy meals in order to aid digestion and keep your bowels moving, without excessive build-up of gas in your digestive system.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Rumbling Of Stomach - Why It Happens? + How To Manage It?

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