Dr. Aparna Patil

All living creatures work on energy and a smooth functioning of the different metabolic processes in the body. The energies or “prana/chi/qi” are of different kinds and have their own distinct path of flow and influence. Air energy is better known as the air we breathe and from younger days we learn in school books that air purifies the blood in the lungs. The nose, the windpipe are the pathways and the transfer of energy happens in the lungs, on the blood. This blood feeds/influences the health of each and every cell of the body. The points of influence are the nose and windpipe.

Similarly, there are subtle energies that have their own specific pathways called Meridians. These energies are also associated with special metabolic functions and better known by names that associate with the main organ in the line of their path. For example, digestive energies are associated with the Liver meridian that follows a distinct path in the full body. There are specific zones along this path that can influence the manner in which energy flows along these paths and change the metabolic process of that energy meridian.

These points of influence are called äcu-points’. Pressure applied along these points is referred to as Acupressure treatment”. When needles are used, it is called Acupuncture treatment. The manner in which the Acupuncturist will choose a group of points will stimulate or sedate the activity of toes energies. This will allow the body to regain better health.

The needles help to regulate the flow of energy. Acupuncture is an exact science and needles are inserted into the skin at the point of influence. The depth of insertion, kind of needle, selection of points, angle in which needles are inserted, depth of needle insertion, twisting/turning of the needle, duration of therapy, the frequency of treatment; all these will create a change in the metabolic energies of the body.

A lot of research is being done all over the world to find out how this system works and what it is best suited for. Some medical conditions are easily treated and some take time. Very good medical clinical data is published in leading medical journal regarding these studies. Acupuncture has proved to be very useful in pain management; detoxification; healing enhancement; stress relief; improve digestion and few other health issues. Pure Acupressure medical science claims it is useful for all kinds of health disorder; modern medical research is by and by being able to prove this slowly.

Typically, the process of an Acupuncture treatment will follow these steps:

The acupuncture points are located throughout your body, and at times, the points may be located far away from a pain-affected area. The process of treatment involves the following steps:

1. Needle insertion
   • Around five to 20 needles are utilized in typical acupuncture treatments.
   • The needles are quite thin and do not cause much discomfort.
2. Needle manipulation
   • After the needle insertion, the needles are moved or twirled. Sometimes, in addition to insertion, heat or electric pulses is applied to the needles.
3. Needle removal
   • Commonly, the acupuncture needles are kept in place for around 20 to 45 minutes while the patient is relaxed in a lying down position.

Benefits

The most important benefits of acupuncture are as follows:

1. Reduces headache and migraines
   • It is quite effective for the management of chronic headaches.
   • Based on several studies and research, it has been proven that acupuncture is ideal for the treatment of migraine headaches.
   • The strategically placed acupuncture needles help in relieving the symptoms of headache.
2. Improves pain of various types
   • Acupuncture is considered to be effective in dealing with pain, such as chronic back pain, neck pain, knee pain and arthritis pain.
3. Helps in insomnia treatment
   • Acupuncture is beneficial in reducing the various symptoms of insomnia and sleeplessness.
   • It works better than medicines and herbs for treating insomnia.
   • Moreover, the treatment is not associated with adverse side effects.
4. Helps in improving cancer and chemotherapy recovery
   • Studies state that acupuncture is effective in boosting your immunity and enhances the recovery rate of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
   • It also increases your platelet count and prevents the death of healthy cells after undergoing a radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
   • It reduces the amount of pain involved in cancer treatment and improves your quality of life.
   • The major side effect of chemotherapy includes nausea.
5. Prevents cognitive decline
   • Acupuncture is also effective in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
   • The age-related cognitive decline symptoms that are caused because of a neutral response in certain areas of your brain are reduced by this treatment.

Acupuncture is also being successfully used to treat digestive disorders; hormone imbalances; stress and depression; bone healing; reducing inflammation; preventing to treating diabetes; overcome acidity; hair fall and many other diseases. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an acupuncturist.

Being overweight doesn't stop you from getting pregnant but if not managed properly, the excess kilos can have quite a few side effects. Amongst these are an increased risk to infections, gestational diabetes, labor issues and premature birth. Losing weight in the first and last trimester is normal as long as the weight loss is not drastic. Here are a few simple tips to help manage weight during pregnancy effectively.

1. Eat frequent, small meals

Pregnant women are often advised to eat for two. Instead of piling food onto a plate three times a day, break your meals down into smaller bites at more frequent intervals. Eating every two hours is a healthy habit to inculcate. Along with helping maintain portion sizes, this also makes digestion more comfortable.

2. Avoid empty calories

When faced with a choice between fruits and chips, choose the former. Pregnancy cravings are normal but eating a tub of ice cream does not give your body or your baby any nutrition and only lead to unnecessary weight gain. Avoid anything with added sugar and solid fat like soft drinks, fried food, cheese and desserts. These can easily be replaced by fresh juices, nuts, yogurt and fruit sorbets. Also try avoiding caffeine.

3. Drink plenty of water

Apart from preventing dehydration, drinking water also helps in weight maintenance. Filling your stomach with water reduces hunger and thus leads to lesser snacking. Water is also known to increase metabolism.

4. Exercise

Regulating your food intake is only one half of weight maintenance. The second half is regular exercise. Consult your doctor to create a workout regime suited to you. If you were a regular gym enthusiast before pregnancy, there should be no reason to stop now but if you lead a sedentary life before pregnancy don't try and start an intensive gym routine. Light yoga, walking, swimming and cycling are great exercise options for pregnant women.

5. Take your prenatal vitamins regularly

Prenatal vitamins are an essential source of the extra nutrition your body needs during pregnancy. While this can in no way replace meals, it should never be missed out. Prenatal vitamins also help maintain weight by giving your body the nutrition it needs without the accompanied calorie and thus can also help maintain pregnancy weight.

The key to maintaining weight during pregnancy is to know your body's requirements and address them properly. For this reason, it is very important to consult your doctor or a dietician to help understand your calorie needs.

The thyroid gland is a tiny gland that produces the hormones which affect the body's metabolic process. When these hormones are produced in less or more quantities, it may result in an imbalance of the thyroid gland, leading to a range of thyroid issues including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and others. Overproduction or underproduction of the thyroid hormones can also cause a variety of other symptoms and conditions. While this affects the state of one's general well being, health and weight, it also has an effect on the patient's libido.

Let us learn more about the link between thyroid and sex:

• Thyroid in Men: Men who are suffering from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism as well as related conditions like goitre or Garves Disease, have complained of sex related problems. These problems are known to affect at least 50% to 60% of the patients, as per various medical reports. The sex related issues include premature ejaculation, low sex drive, delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and others.
• Thyroid in Women: It has been found that almost 10% of women over the age of 50 suffer from some form or the other of thyroid hormone imbalance. Apart from fatigue, depression and muscle ache as well as weight alteration, depending on the type of thyroid problem, thyroid patients who are women have also experienced problems when it comes to libido. Sexual dysfunction and arousal problems are high on the list of these issues.
• Hormonal Treatment: One of the most common ways of treating this sex related thyroid problems for thyroid patients is through the use of hormonal therapy. Besides getting the testosterone, estrogen and other androgen levels checked, the patient must also get a full hormonal evaluation along with a check-up of the adrenal function. This can help in pointing any anomalies and the hormones that will require replacement with the help of appropriate medication.
• Optimal Drug Treatment: A T4 only drug or Levothyroxine can lead to a resolution of sexual problems that one encounters as a part of thyroid problems. There are many doctors who may switch to a T3 drug once the libido is restored and brought back to normal.
• Supplements: Men may require testosterone supplements, while women may need estrogen or progesterone supplements to tackle the sexual problems in such cases. These can be rendered as a patch or through an injection.
• Sex Therapy: In many cases, sex therapy considered as a popular and effective form of addressing the problems and helping the patients get around the same. This is especially helpful if depression is one of the symptoms of the thyroid disorder.

A thorough physical check-up also helps in treating such problems for thyroid patients.