Acupuncture is a Chinese method of treatment which aims at maintaining the energy balance in the body. The procedure involves stimulating the energy channels of the body by using fine steel needles. It enhances the production of endorphins (pain controlling hormones) in the body, therefore less pain.


Signs you are suffering from arthritis
Arthritis is a disorder that is characterized by inflammation and swelling in the joints. The symptoms of arthritis are tenderness in the joints, fatigue, fever and stiffness in the joints that worsen in the morning. Initially, the smaller joints in the body are affected; it then progresses to joints in the elbows, wrists and the knees. 


Causes behind it
Arthritis is caused when the immune system starts attacking the membrane surrounding the joints. Inflammation occurs, resulting in destruction of the bone and cartilage. It causes the ligaments and the tendons holding the joint to weaken. The joints then starts to lose their original alignment and shape.


Dietary guidelines you must follow
You need to follow dietary guidelines such as avoiding refined and processed foods as they can contribute to the inflammation of the joints. You also need to steer clear of foods which may trigger a reaction from your immune system. Mild exercises to strengthen the joints may be performed to improve mobility.


Acupuncture and arthritis
The procedure begins with the practitioner applying alcohol to the affected spot and tapping the area with a needle. The disorder determines the number of needles required, the spots of insertion and the depth to which they have to be inserted. The duration for which the needles are kept in the body ranges from a few minutes to an hour. In order to enhance the effect of the needles, they may be heated or energized electrically. You may experience a tingling sensation in case electricity is used. 


Acupuncture is a holistic method of treatment that has no side effects. It does not involve chemicals; so it is safe to use. It will not cure the disorder, but can reduce the pain to a large extent. One of the added benefits of this procedure is that no matter, which part of the body is subjected to this process, it does help calm your mind down.

Arthritis - How Acupuncture is used to Treat it

Out of the many things a parent can be worried about their child, physical growth and development are the major ones. Height development is indeed a very crucial part of the overall development of a child's body. But how will you know whether your child is short and should you worry if he or she is short?

When is a child categorised as being short?
A child is said to be of short stature when the height is two standard deviations less than the mean height for the specific age and sex. However, it does not signify that your child is sick or has some deformity.

What are the causes of being short?
The most common reasons that need not be worried about are:

Ancestry: Your child short height could be a result genetics. If his/her parents belong from a short family stature, then, the child is most likely to follow the same. Being said that, their body performs in a normal way and they do not face any medical issue despite being short.
Delay in Growth: In case a child faces a severe growth delay between the age of 6 months and up to 2 years, then it may lead to him/her staying short. Such children usually grow at a much slower pace, compared to other children of the same age without any development issues. However, no medical treatment is required as the child usually catches up with the height of their friends of the same age, once they become adults.
What are the medical Conditions behind the short stature?
For children who show an excessive delay in growth, doctors can find out whether they are going through any serious medical condition that needs attention or not. Some of the medical conditions which can cause short height are:

Malnutrition: For those who do not receive proper nutrition on a daily basis, tend to face physical health issues.
Chronic Illness: Any congenital disease or something that affects the major organs of one's body might slow down the height growth.
GHD: Growth Hormone Deficiency is a common condition in children. When the pituitary gland does not produce enough hormones, such a condition occurs.
Mental Stress: When a child faces stress from a very little age, often he or she becomes mentally and physically hampered.
Genetic Problems: A condition known as Turner s syndrome can cause growth failure in a girl child.
Hormonal Imbalance: For those who suffer from improper production of hormones, they might face obstruction in case of height growth.
Endocrine diseases: Endocrine diseases disrupt hormone production thus resulting in a delay in growth.
For every 100 children of a particular age, 3 tend to be shorter. However, unless your child suffers from a medical problem, short stature is not to be worried, and it is recommended that they have a proper and balanced nutrition to ensure a proper height development.

Short In Height - Should You Be Worried About Your Child?

Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis

Most of India’s urban populace is highly prone to respiratory infections and problems due to the dangerously high air pollution levels in all major cities across the country. Air we breathe in travels through the bronchial tube to reach our lungs. Problem begins when these tubes get inflamed and mucus builds up. It leads to coughing and shortness of breath which is known as bronchitis. It is very important to identify the symptoms in the beginning and get yourself treated by a doctor immediately. 

Look out for these symptoms of acute bronchitis.

1. Prolonged Cough - If your coughing goes beyond ten days, it could be bronchitis. If you have been coughing so long, check if the mucus is coloured too.

2. Shortness Of Breath - If you are facing shortness of breath despite not being asthmatic, you should see a doctor.

3. Chest Pain - Chest pain and chest tightness could be a symptom of acute bronchitis as breathing troubles might cause problems in such areas.

4. Sore Throat - Sore throat with persistent coughing is also a symptom for acute bronchitis.

5. Flu Like Symptoms - Most children show very different symptoms of bronchitis. They might show flu like signs of runny nose, sore throat, back or muscle pain and chills.

6. Weight Loss - You might also experience unexplained weight loss.

7. Barking Cough - Deep, barking cough is a sure shot symptom of something serious and you need a consult a specialist immediately.

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

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Did You Know: Every 7th Urban Indian Is Prone To  Bronchitis

Cure insomnia with natural remedies


Insomnia is the situation where someone is unable to sleep, despite being tired or having had a tough day. It also applies when a person can fall asleep but is unable to stay asleep for long. Sleep apnea, chronic pain, indigestion, stress, medications, hormones, depression, chronic pain and restless leg syndrome are few of the symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia has become quite common and increasing ever so rapidly with our daily stressful lifestyle. There are some simple ways to combat insomnia:

1. Make Sleep a habit : 
There is a general practice to cut the sleep short whenever we go behind the schedule. Be it sitting for an important examination or preparing for a challenging assignment. It is always the sleep whom we sacrifice. This is a very bad practice. We need to remember that adults needs eight to ten hours of sleep for proper mental functioning. So make sleep a habit , try to follow a simple routine. It will help you establishing  regular sleep-wake cycles which will in long run prevent insomnia.

2. Add amino acids to diet: 
Include in your diet, foods that are high in the amino acid called tryptophan because they help calm the nerve. Chicken, tuna and turkey are such types of foods.

3.Drink hot milk: 
It has been an age-old custom to have a glass of warm milk before going to sleep. So, If you are not allergic to dairy products, you can drink a glass of milk before bedtime. It has sedative effect due to presence of tryptophan.

4. Avoid caffeine after noon and Limit alcohol and nicotine intake:
Avoid Coffee, alcohol and food with high fat content and foods which can cause allergies, at least a few hours before your bedtime. Drinking water or coconut water, after drinking alcohol is advisable. This increases the hydration level in the body and helps you sleep. You should also avoid nicotine  which is also a stimulant thus adversely affects normal sleep.

5. Pick magnesium rich foods: 
Foods which are high in magnesium are known to relax our system. Foods like oats, leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds and sesame can be included in your diet for best results against insomnia.

6. Stay away from your phone at bedtime:
It has been postulated that the blue wavelengths produced by your smartphone and other gadgets (and energy-efficient LED light bulbs) significantly suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, according to University of Basel research. So it is better avoiding surfing the phone at bed. You have enough time with it during the whole day. Is not it? Let her sleep too.

7. Practice yoga:
Practice 15 minutes of simple, yoga-like poses (such as neck rolls, shoulder rolls, and arm and back stretches) to help your muscles unwind before hitting the bed. But you should go slowly. “The goal is to loosen your muscles to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep, not increase your heart rate,” 

8. Try aromatherapy:
Studies have shown that aromatherapy aids in sleep. Lavender oil is most commonly used, It's also an inexpensive, nontoxic way to slip into a peaceful slumber. Find a spray with real lavender and spritz it on your pillow before bedtime and it may help you go asleep better.
 
9. Adopt deep breathing exercises:
Practice deep breathing  and relaxation exercises. They are simple and can be performed lying on bed. This will help you let go stress and worries that are troubling you and will therefore calm your nerves.

10. Re-organise your bedroom:
Bedroom should be quiet and dark to have proper sleep. You can use dark window curtains which will cut the lights from outside. You can try using sleep mask. Try not to watch television for at least half an hour before bed. Make your bed comfortable with extra mattress, pillows that are not too soft or too hard. Doing these simple things will make a lot of difference in your sleep habit.
 
 



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Fight insomnia naturally. #SleepWell 

One of the most pervasively contagious diseases known to affect our lives, chickenpox affects almost every 9 out of 10 children. Even adults suffer from this disease occasionally. Caused by a special breed of the herpes virus, chickenpox manifests itself on the infected person in the form of reddish blisters all over the body. Moderate fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness are some of the most common symptoms of chickenpox. A general feeling of malaise prevails in the course of the disease.

It is recommended that the infected person is kept in isolation for a span of seven days. While recuperation usually happens in the natural process, it is time sustaining. One also has to partake numerous antiviral drugs and paracetamols to abate the symptoms of chickenpox. One of the most prominent side effects is acute weakness. Thus, as an alternative therapy, one may approach homeopathic remedies. These not only heal in the most natural way, but also avert all kinds of possible side effects. Homeopathy helps in rebuilding the body s immunity system for a speedier recovery.

Some of the most reliable remedies are listed as follows.

    Aconitum: This largely helps in keeping the body hydrated and therefore keeps the signs of weaknesses at bay. It also keeps the temperature fluctuations in control.
    Antimonium Crud: Antimonium Crud reduces the skin irritability and itchy pustules which are symptomatic of chicken pox. It also relieves the patient of white disposition on the tongue and thus helps in gaining back the appetite. However, the patient must be at rest throughout for Antimonium Crud to work effectively.
    Apis: Certain bouts of chicken pox leave an unhealthy stench on the patient s body. Apis helps in bettering it. It also soothes the sting that one might have to endure from the scabs of chicken pox.
    Belladonna: Certain chronic forms of chicken pox result in hot flushes, headaches and sleeplessness. Belladonna helps in curing all such symptoms and palliating all such sufferings during chicken pox.
    Rhus Tox: One of the reliable remedies for the extreme itching sensation that affects the patient suffering from chicken pox, Rhus Tox is extremely beneficial for regaining body strength also. 

Chicken Pox - How Homeopathy Can Help Treat it?

Are you experiencing a sudden pain in the right upper part and at the center of your abdomen? This might be an indication of the presence of gallbladder stones. These stones are deposits of digestive fluid which may form in your gallbladder.

Risk Factors Associated With Gall Stones:

Family history of gallstones

Women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones

Overweight

High cholesterol

High-fat diet

Rapid weight loss

Over age 60

In the case of gallbladder stones, you need to dissolve and remove them. Among the different modes of treatment of gallbladder stones, homeopathy is considered to be an ideal method.

Homeopathy successfully dissolves small and medium-sized gallstones and help you avoid the gallbladder removal. Homeopathy also provides fast pain relief in gallbladder attacks and can be used for prevention and treatment of biliary colic. The medicines are natural, effective and have no side effects. In patients with gallbladder removal homeopathy can alleviate the digestive disorders after surgery. Here is a list of the top homeopathic medicines, which help in dissolving and removing gallbladder stones:

Chelidonium: This is an effective homeopathic medicine used in the treatment of gallbladder stones. It treats the pain caused because of the stones and jaundice when the bile ducts are obstructed. The medicine is used when the skin turns yellowish, stool turns clay colored and the urine becomes dark. The patient may have an urge for having hot drinks. This medicine is also ideal for gall bladder problems in women during pregnancy.

Lycopodium: This medicine is the best natural cure for gall bladder stones when accompanied by gastric symptoms such as acidity, a bloated abdomen, or gas in the abdomen. Distension in the abdomen may occur even after taking a small meal. Gas rolls in the abdomen and it is difficult for it to pass out. Acidity is likely, which worsens after taking flatulent food containing starch. The patient s appetite may decrease and the craving for sweet and hot drinks increases.

Calcerea Carb: This is another effective homeopathic medicine for gallbladder stones. It is mostly used in case of obese patients who have a flabby and fatty constitution. The abdomen is full of excess fat with hardness and distension. Profuse sweating on the head and an increased sensitivity to cold air are other symptoms. The patient might crave for boiled eggs or unusual things such as lime, chalk and pencils. He may avoid hot food and crave for sweet drinks. The medicine is also used in relieving sour belching and sour vomiting.

Carduus Marianus: This is a very effective medicine in case of an inflamed gallbladder. Pain is experienced in the right upper abdomen and it is also accompanied by nausea and vomiting of burning fluid. It treats jaundice in gall stones as well.

Phosphorus: This homeopathic medicine is used in case of gall bladder stone patients who experience sour belching and vomiting after any meal. The patient will love cold drinks, chicken, ice cream and fish in his diet.

Homeopathic medicines treat gallbladder stones effectively without any side effects. In case you notice the symptoms of gallbladder stones, you should consult a homeopathic practitioner.

Can Homeopathy Help In Dissolving And Removing Gallbladder Stones?

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