Urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are infections anywhere along the urinary tract including the bladder and kidneys are on the most common infections in women. These infections can be caused by poor hygiene, impaired immune function, the overuse of antibiotics and the use of spermicides. The most common cause, accounting for about 90 percent of all cases, is the transfer of E. coli bacteria from the intestinal tract to the urinary tract.

Fortunately, there are a few methods of natural treatment and prevention that are drug free and prescription free and more than are effective as well. Go Natural!

Indian Gooseberry (Amla)
Indian Gooseberry is rich in vitamin C which in turn inhibits the growth of bacteria

Take a cup of water.
Add one teaspoon of Indian gooseberry (amla) powder and one teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Boil the solution until half the water evaporates.
Drink the residue three times a day for three to five days.
You can also eat more fruits like lemons, oranges, bananas, guava, kiwi, melon, raspberries, tomatoes, and papaya that contain a good amount of Vitamin C.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a rich source of enzymes, potassium and other useful minerals that can prevent the bacteria that cause UTIs from multiplying or growing. Those suffering from UTIs can use apple cider vinegar as 

Natural antibiotic to treat the infection.
Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. You can also add lemon juice and sweeten with honey. Mix it well.
Drink this two times a day for a few days
Baking Soda
Baking soda will raise the acid-base balance of acidic urine and give you relief from the pain. Neutralizing the acidity in the urine also will help speed up recovery. Simply add one teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water and drink it once or twice a day.

Blueberries
Blueberries have bacteria-inhibiting properties that can help in the treatment of UTIs. The antioxidants present in blueberries are good for the immune system, and they prevent growth of bacteria that causes UTIs.

You can add some fresh blueberries to your favorite cereal and have it for breakfast.
You can also make fresh blueberry juice and have it daily, in the morning and at night for quick results.

Natural Home Remedies for Urine Tract Infection (UTIs) - Natural Cure

The trapezius muscle is a triangular muscle which extends from the neck, down to the middle of the upper back and across the shoulder. It is one of the largest muscles in the body. It helps in stabilizing and moving the scapula. When you rotate your neck, move your arms, or even shrug your shoulders, you are able to do it because of the trapezius muscle. Over use of the muscle can cause it to strain.

Trapezius strain can be quite annoying and uncomfortable as you will have difficulty in moving your shoulders. It also causes any upper shoulder movement very difficult as it gives out an excruciating pain whenever you try to move your head or rotate your neck. It generally happens when you repetitively put stress on the muscle.

Causes:
1. Poor posture while sitting, standing or lying down
2. If you sleep in a wrong or uncomfortable position
3. If you bend over a desk for hours(This is more relevant to office workers)
4. If you have to carry heavy weights on your shoulders(This is relevant to school and college students who have to carry heavy bags every day)
5. If you over work your trapezius during work outs
6. If you suddenly twist your neck
7. If you met with a fall or accident which injured your back.

Symptoms:
The symptom that characterizes a trapezius strain is the searing pain in the muscles which is scattered around from the shoulders to the neck. The pain might interfere in your daily activities such as moving your arms when you push or pull. It might also cause discomfort while trying to sleep. A trapezious strain might even cause a bit of swelling in the muscle. Sometimes, due to the neck pain, you might even get headaches.

Treatment:
1. Resting: Rest as much as possible. Any strain or swelling can be easily cured with proper rest.
2. Ice packs: Ice packs help to reduce the swelling and get some relief from the pain.
3. Exercise: Stretchingthe muscle will help loosen it.
4. Blood flow stimulation therapy: After the inflammation is reduced, you should take up this therapy as an increase in the blood flow in the affected area will help cure the strain.
5. Care for the scar tissue: The scar tissue will take longer to heal than the muscle. Hence you have to follow your doctor's instruction very carefully to get a speedy recovery.

All About Trapezius Strain!

Urticaria, commonly known as hives, usually occurs due to an allergic reaction. Sheetapitta is a similar condition in Ayurveda, as the symptoms are similar. Sheetapitta is comprised of two words-  sheeta  (cold) and  pitta  (warm). The condition occurs due to dominance of cold (existing in kapha and vata dosha) over pitta dosha.

Causes of Sheetapitta/urticaria-
Ayurveda believes, sheetapitta is caused due to the following reasons-

Excess intake of pungent (katu) and salty (lavana) food, mustard
Over consumption of sour gruels
Sleeping during the day
Contact with cold substances
Exposure to cold wind
Improper emesis (vomiting)
Insect bite (keeta damsha)
Coming in contact with poisonous bugs and insects (krimi samsarga)
Effect of seasonal changes on the body
Due to the factors mentioned above, especially because of exposure to cold wind, kapha and vata doshas become aggravated, and inevitably combine with pitta dosha. These spread all over the body and produce rashes on the surface of your skin.

Symptoms-
A person having sheetapitta/urticaria will encounter these symptoms-

Itching/pricking sensation
Nausea/vomiting
Fatigue
Tastelessness (aruchi)
Thirst (pipasa)
Lethargy
Reddish discoloration of the eyes (rakta lochanata)
Fever
Ayurvedic approach to cure Sheetapitta-

Ayurveda focuses on eradicating the doshas and purifying of the body toxins with Ayurvedic medicines & Panchkarma procedures. This is the essential part of Ayurvedic approach to cure urticaria. Abhyanga (massage), svedana (fomentation), vaman (induced vomiting) and virechen (induced lose motion) are very effective in treating Urticaria.

Ayurvedic treatment for Urticaria (Sheetapitta)-
Ayurvedic treatment for urticaria involves body purification therapy like Samshodhana, and oral medications. Some popular, effective techniques used in the treatment are-

Applying mustard oil all over the body
Applying mustard oil mixed with Saindhava lavana and Yavakshara
Use of a herbal powder named Eladi choornam that contains natural ingredients like elaichi
Applying medicated paste prepared from Haridra and Doorva, Kushta and Ghee over the rashes
Apart from these, herbs such as Guduchi, Yashtimadhu, Amalaki are recommended in the treatment of sheetapitta
Although urticaria is not a fatal condition, it can seriously affect one s quality of life. Many people suffer from urticaria for several months or years. Continual intake of conventional medicines reduces body s immunity. Moreover, the incidence of recurrence of this condition is often found. Thus, Ayurveda has an upper hand in treating hives, as it offers a comprehensive and permanent solution for this problem.

Sheetapitta - Causes, Symptoms & Ayurvedic View On It!

The world celebrates World Pneumonia Day on 12 November. As we all know, pneumonia, the world's greatest killer of children under five, is a respiratory illness. Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that may affect one or both lungs. In this condition, the air sacs, also known as alveoli, fill with pus or fluid, which makes it difficult to breathe. Moreover, pneumonia is known to cause inflammation in the air sacs. This disease may range from mild to life-threatening and the severity depends on the cause of inflammation, the organism fostering your infection, your age and general health. 

Symptoms:

Most common symptoms associated with the condition are:

Chest pain
Difficulty in breathing
Shaking chills
Rapid heartbeat
Fever
Rapid breathing
Dry cough
Vomiting
Wheezing
Nausea 
Muscle aches
Bluish skin tone due to oxygen deficiency 
Blood in sputum that is coughed up mucus
Labored breathing
Confusion 
High fever
Causes: 

Bacteria: One of the most common causes of pneumonia is the bacteria named as Streptococcus pneumoniae. This type of pneumonia may occur after you have had flu or a cold or maybe even on its own. Moreover, it may affect only one part of the lung i.e. the lobe and is also known as lobar pneumonia. 
Viruses: Viruses are one of the main reasons why children below 5 years of age suffer from pneumonia. Viruses that cause pneumonia may also cause cold or flu. Viral pneumonia is usually mild and may be treated at home itself. However, in some cases, it may be very severe and life-threatening. 
Mycoplasmas: Mycoplasma is a type of bacteria that doesn't have a cell wall around the cell membrane which is why they are usually unaffected by most antibiotics which target cell wall synthesis. The symptoms of pneumonia caused by mycoplasmas are mild and the patient does not require bed rest. This type of pneumonia is known as 'Walking Pneumonia'. 
Fungi: People with weakened immune systems or chronic health problems usually develop pneumonia due to fungi. You may also develop fungal pneumonia by inhaling large doses of it mainly found in soil or bird droppings.
Prevention against Pneumonia

It is important for all of us to prevent ourselves from pneumonia and for that we can follow the below mentioned steps:

Know about the symptoms of pneumonia first: It is difficult to detect or diagnose pneumonia, especially in people over the age of 65. In older patients, the common symptoms such as fever, chills, cough may not be experienced. You should watch out for non-respiratory symptoms like weakness, dizziness, delirium and confusion. It is even more difficult to diagnose pneumonia in people who are suffering from preexisting conditions.
Practice good hygiene: Common respiratory Infections, influenza and cold may cause pneumonia. You should follow hygienic habits. Wash your hands regularly before meals and use hand sanitizers in order to prevent the illness from spreading. You should also maintain proper oral hygiene as several oral infections may also lead to pneumonia. You should also keep away from people who are affected by pneumonia or any other illness like flu, cold and serious diseases such as measles or chicken pox. All these factors may cause pneumonia.
Get vaccinated: It is recommended for people of all ages who may be at a risk of getting pneumonia to get vaccinated and immunized against pneumonia causing virus called pneumococcal pneumonia. This is a one-time vaccine, which prevents and reduces the severity of pneumonia. A booster vaccine after every five years may also be prescribed. Elderly people should be vaccinated against all diseases which cause pneumonia.
Quit smoking: Smoking accounts for being a major cause or risk factor for pneumonia. It increases a person s chance of getting pneumonia as the lungs  ability to defend themselves from the infection is reduced. By quitting smoking, you will be able to prevent pneumonia.
Maintain a good general health: Maintaining an overall good health and following healthy habits will help you in preventing pneumonia. This is because your immune system stays strong and is able to fight efficiently against pneumonia-causing infections. A proper diet with all essential nutrients is also recommended along with regular physical exercise and proper rest.
Severe cases of pneumonia are capable of making you suffer and you may be admitted to a hospital. According to studies, it has been estimated that more than 60% of people over the age of 65 need to be hospitalised because of pneumonia. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a pulmonologist.

World Pneumonia Day - How Best Can You Prevent Yourself?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or gerd, as it is commonly known is a digestive disorder that is caused primarily due to intestinal distress. Gerd is caused in the muscle that lies between the oesophagus and the stomach, when the acid is produced in the stomach, it starts to flow backwards. For patients suffering from gerd, the acids flow back into the oesophagus instead of the stomach, causing symptoms like severe heartburn, chest pain and nausea, amongst others. So what does one do to deal with gerd? here's a brief list!

Obesity: being overweight and obese are two of the most important factors that contribute to discomfort in gerd patients. Working towards a healthier weight is a sure shot way of dealing with this ailment.

Alcohol and smoking: the muscle ring that can be found between the stomach and the oesophagus relaxes with the intake of alcohol or with smoking, which prevents it from closing to stop the stomach's juices from reaching the oesophagus. So, giving up both substances would be a good idea if you are a gerd patient.

Go gluten free: adopting a gluten free diet can help you cut out ingredients including grains and dairy products that contain more protein than what your digestive tracts can handle.

Other dietary measures: in order to handle gerd effectively, you will need to remove or reduce chocolate, fatty food, spicy food, and even oily and fried food from your diet. You may need the help of food with extra fibre, like fruit so that it can pass through the digestive tract faster.

Smaller and well timed meals: eating meals regularly and dividing them into smaller meals that can be digested quickly and more efficiently is one of the best ways of dealing with gerd to prevent the onset of backward flowing of stomach acids.

Exercise: ensuring that you do not take a nap or lie down right after a meal and putting in a small amount of exercise everyday will also help in doing away with the uncomfortable and painful symptoms of this disease.

Making lifestyle changes is one of the best ways to deal with gerd. Yet, it would be best to see a doctor regarding severe cases where the symptoms do not abate and medication may be required.

How To Deal With GERD

Seasonal local mangoes or exotic avocado? Avocado and Mango both are rich in vitamins and minerals but which one should you choose?

Remember that the more food travels, the lesser will be nutrition. So consume seasonal & local fruits and vegetables.

Mangoes are even big yes for weight loss as it calms sugar cravings and slows down the development of fat cells.

Can I have mango if I have diabetes? Yes
Can I have mango if I have cholesterol? Yes
Can I have mango if have high bp? Yes

Remember, moderation is the key. And eat fruits on their own or first thing in the morning. Do not consume with or right after/before meals.

For all those who are concerned if mango really works for weight loss:

Your mango can help you become lean and toned, but you've got to eat it at the right time. Here's how it works: a mango, eaten with a meal, alters the ph balance or acidity of the stomach and disturbs both the glycemic index and glycemic load of your meal. When a mango is eaten on its own, exactly like the way you often eat your papaya and melon, the sugars and the micro-nutrients in the fruit are much more available to the body than they would be, when it is consumed along with, or right after a meal. So eat your mango after dinner, or have it, as some of us love to do, as aamras, with hot puris, and sure, you will be expanding that ring around your waist. 

Eat it first thing in the morning, or just after physical exercise, and it may just help you get that six pack.

If you have any further questions on issues related to nutrition or diet, ask me by clicking on 'Consult'.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over WhatsApp, Facebook and other media.

Dietitian Tip - Seasonal Local Mangoes or Exotic Avocados?

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