Dr. Haresh Tolia's Clinic

Sodium deficiency or hyponatraemia refers to the low sodium concentration in the body of an individual. As other minerals, Sodium also plays essential roles in the human body. It is required for many of the functions of the body, including blood pressure management, fluid balance and the proper functioning of the nervous system. It may also sometimes lead to neurological impairments which affect walking and attention and could also result in bone fracture. Hyponatremia can be caused due to drinking too much of water, without enough replacement of sodium from the body. However, consuming too much of sodium can increase the volume of blood in the body, resulting in various health problems and can sometimes lead a person to coma.

The symptoms of sodium deficiency or hyponatraemia aren’t usually always specific. They can differ from person to person and depend on how rapid the fall in the sodium concentration of the body is. However, some of the common symptoms that are usually seen in the affected persons are as follows:

1. Gastrointestinal distress: One of the symptoms of hyponatraemia includes gastrointestinal distress. It may cause a decrease in the appetite of an individual and also result in nausea and vomiting. However, if a person suffering from sodium deficiency experiences vomiting, then their problem may continue to worsen.
2. Cognitive Impairment: Deficiency in sodium level can also result in abnormal mental status. Hyponatremia causes expanding of the tissue cells in the body. However, maximum tissues in the body can handle this change but the brain cannot. It is not capable of compensating for the increased size of the cells and as a result, the brain starts to dysfunction and causes a headache, confusion, lethargy and the problem of fatigue. With the worsening of the conditions, the person can experience hallucinations, decrease in consciousness and may also lead to coma.
3. Muscular Problems: Due to the drop in Sodium concentration, a person can experience various muscular problems including spasms or cramps. He/She may also suffer from fatigue. The weakness in the muscles and seizures are some of the additional symptoms of sodium deficiency.

The severity of these symptoms depends on the speed i.e., on how fast the fall in the blood salt level is. A gradual, low-level drop can be tolerated if it lasts for a few days or weeks, but the deficiency of sodium in the body can be fatal if not treated as early as possible. It may even lead to the death of a person.

There are diseases which affect us in spite of us trying to keep them away as far as possible, and then there are lifestyle diseases, which are the result of our own mistakes. It can be said that lifestyle diseases are those which occur on account of the decisions we make and the actions we commit. Having said that would it not be interesting to know more about lifestyle diseases?

There are various kinds of lifestyle diseases, which affect various parts of the body. For instance, if a person drinks a significant amount of alcohol, more than what he or she should, then he may soon be affected by a lifestyle disease in the form of liver cirrhosis. Apart from just the alcohol, this condition can also be caused on account of chronic hepatitis.

1. Stroke: A lot of people are of the opinion that a stroke is something, which only strikes old people. However, this is not correct. In fact, there is quite a bit of trouble can be caused if this opinion is held and people allow themselves to not care enough about their health using this as justification. Statistically, up to 15% of the cases of stroke in a country such as India occur to people who have not even reached the age of 40. Surprising and scary at the same time, isn’t it?
2. Kidney problems: When people think of lifestyle diseases, they most likely think of problems, which are related to the heart. While it can be said that a heart attack on account of bad lifestyle choices has the highest visibility, even parts of the body, which are rarely thought of like the kidneys, can kick up trouble in the form of nephritis. So, what exactly happens when a person has nephritis? Simply put, the kidneys swell up and this causes a lot of pain, which could have been avoided with a reasonable amount of foresight and effort. When this occurs, kidneys create trouble when they need to perform their primary function of purifying blood and complications related to the kidneys can really have a magnified impact on other parts of the body.
3. Heart disease: Finally, addressing the elephant in the room, when it comes to lifestyle diseases - heart disease. Around 31% of people who die every year worldwide fall prey to it and the main culprits behind heart failures include smoking, diabetes and very high cholesterol levels.

Do you know about the different types of sexually transmitted diseases and how they are caused? STDs are caused mostly by bacterial infections. The bacteria get transmitted while having sex, in the case of most common STDs. There are several STDs which commonly occur in people, primarily because of having unprotected sex.

Our lifestyles, while full of luxuries that can make our lives easier and better in a lot of ways have actually increased our chances of suffering from a plethora of related health conditions. A lot of the diseases we suffer from today are either caused by sedentary lifestyles or the immense pollution that plagues the modern world.

Here are 4 factors of a modern day lifestyle that are ruining your health.

1. Binging on processed and junk foods

Apart from being high in sugar, salt, and fat content, processed foods are chief sources of synthetic food additives. Preservatives, artificial colors, and flavor enhancers are used in most processed foods. Besides the fact that packaged foods are stale, most of them do not go through proper tests to determine their long-term health risks. Usage of various types of chemicals and artificial additives do their part in worsening the case.

2. Use of tablets, computers, and cell phones

One often hears how cell phones lead to disastrous traffic accidents. But most people are unaware that excessive use of cell phones can lead to ear cancer. Besides, it has been found that the signals emitted for telecommunication purposes lead to stunted growths of trees and other agricultural abnormalities, thereby affecting the quality of the food you consume.

Moreover, computers and tablets are making people more engrossed in a virtual world rather than reality, giving rise to feelings of alienation and depression. In fact, addiction to social media is fast becoming one of the major factors of depression amongst teenagers and young adults.

Related Tip: 3 'Healthy' Dietary Habits That Are Infact Harming You!

A complex mix of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors can increase a person’s risk for obesity. However in terms of weight management, one should target at 2 kg reduction per month at the max.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition wherein the air passage gets blocked or constricted due to the production of extra mucus. It is an age old condition which has been creating problems for people since a long time. Despite the seriousness of the condition, there are various myths people tend to believe about asthma.

Here are a few myths about asthma and the usage of inhalers:

1. Regular usage of inhalers is addictive: This is a total myth. Using inhalers is not at all addictive, it is a necessity. Just because you use your inhaler regularly does not mean you are addicted to it.  Just like brushing your teeth every day isn't an addiction, taking your daily medicine from an inhaler isn't an addiction as well. Using an inhaler will just help you with your asthma condition.
2. Oral medicine gets better results than inhalers: Absolutely not. In fact, it is proven that inhalers give better results than oral medications. Oral medication takes longer to act during a sudden asthma attack while inhalers deliver the drug directly to the lungs.
3. Inhalers are meant for severe asthma cases: Well, this again is not true. Inhalers are used for treating asthma. Period. Asthma is a condition where your lungs inflame which is best cured with steroids, and the easiest way to have steroids administered to you is through the inhalation method. When you use the inhalers, the steroids are delivered directly to your lungs. They also have minimum number of side effects when administered through inhalers.
4. Asthma is curable: You might tend to think that asthma can be cured with the help of proper medications. You might think that asthma is not a constant condition. But it is not what you think. The symptoms of asthma might not be present all the time but that doesn't mean you do not have asthma. Asthma is a long term condition where the airways swell up causing you to suffer from breathlessness. If you suddenly stop taking your daily medicines because the symptoms have not surfaced, then it will take you a long time before you will be able to totally recover from the next attack you suffer from. If you have asthma, remember to take your medicines daily and timely.