Dr. Geetanjali

Happiness, health and success are interlinked

Bleeding in early pregnancy or during the first trimester may or may not be a serious reason for concern, depending on the cause. But because bleeding can sometimes be a sign of something serious, it's important to know the possible causes, and get checked out by your doctor to make sure you and your baby are healthy. About 20% women have some bleeding during first 12 weeks. The possible reasons are implantation bleeding, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, cervical changes and infection. So how do you deal with it? Here's a quick list.

• Hygiene: Ensure that hygiene is your first priority, especially during pregnancy.
• Light Bleeding: Light bleeding or spotting that is dull red or brown in colour is a normal occurrence for many pregnant women. This can point to the foetus getting lodged and pressing against your womb's lining, or even the cervical changes that you may be going through due to the implantation and impending trimesters and eventual delivery. The best thing to do in such cases is to not panic.
• Sex: Having sexual intercourse can also sometimes lead to mild spotting. Also, you should avoid using abrasive material and clothing during this time.
• Ultrasound: Go for an ultrasound and ensure that your pregnancy is normally placed and not ectopic. An ectopic pregnancy can lead to bleeding which can later become fatal. It may cause cramps in the lower abdomen region as well. 
• Infection: Speak with your gynecologist and ensure that there is no risk of infection. Usually, many women suffer from infection (can be on cervix or vagina) during the early stages of pregnancy. This may give rise to spotting and mild bleeding. Take necessary actions and precautions to ensure that the infection does not get out of hand and is treated right away. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.

Top surprising benefits of Namaz

Health benefits of Ablution/Wudu/Wuzzo

Wudu (Ablution) with water where one washes his hands, face, and feet region leads to preventing germs from the body thus promotes good health.
Ablution (Wuzzo) stimulates biological active spots similar to Chinese Reflexo-Therapy, which has beneficial therapeutic effects on the hands, face and feet region.
Ablution helps to relax the nervous system and eases tension, stress and anxiety.
Washing hands five times a day (excluding washing before dietary intake) before Namaz means an effective way to keep germs away from the body.
Hand washing is an efficient way to prevent spread of germs.
Gargling during ablution (Wudu) is very important as it helps to remove germs, allergens and dust particles.
Gargling with plain water reduces the chances of common cold to a greater extent thereby contribute to health and hygiene. Gargling also reduces viral respiratory infections. Gargling ensures reduction in bad breath too.
Nose cleansing during Wuzzo removes dusts, allergens and contaminated matter. Nose cleaning with plain water helps to minimize the infections such as flu, sinusitis,
cold and chest infections.
Nasal cleaning with water overcomes nasal congestion and clear sticky matter in the nose.
Nasal cleaning helps to treat allergic rhinitis, good for nasal dryness and improves breathing.
Face washing during ablution is very beneficial for refreshing as well as improving the facial complexion.
Face washing reduces the impact of oily skin and retarded the growth of acne, pimples, wrinkles, and other facial spots.
Ears cleaning during ablution are quite effective to prevent wax accumulation. Cleaning ear with wet fingers five times a day is also good to remove dust and germs from the outer region of the ears.
Washing the feet during Wuzo helps to cleaning dirts, fungus. It also acts like as acupressure while fingers are passing through the bottom area of the toes. Rubbing the toes with fingers is also good in case of diabetes and removing pain from the body. As lots of accu points are present in the upper and lower parts of toe regions and pressing these during ablution is helpful in curing of pain like back pain, arthritis, joints pain, etc.
Offering Namaz (Sala'at) has many benefits such as spiritual, religious, physical, mental, social, economical, social, etc.
Namaz is highly beneficial to activate all the seven Chakras as per the Yogic philosophy
Namaz and Yoga

17. There is great correlation between Namaz and Yoga. Yoga rejuvenates the mechanism of body and mind. Yoga Therapy, a refreshing process as well as a cost-effective solution; try to find out the very root cause of diseases. It helps to restore harmony among various components of lifestyle- physical, social, emotional, spiritual, mental and psychological. The basic concept of Yoga is to relish and cherish the life with exhilarating excitement. The system provides psychological and emotional well-being. Being drugless therapies, it enhances sustainable and functional ability of the body. The same case is also with Namaz. Yoga and Namaz is certainly a substitute of stress and disease free personality.

Namaz is the finest form of meditation

18. Namaz is one of the best forms of meditation or Dhyan from Yogic point of view where the person unilaterally surrenders to Allah. Meditation is defined as the uninterrupted flow of mind towards a particular object. Namaz is one of the best stress buster and tension reliever modules. Namaz (Sala'at) is the perfect example of meditation where the performer thinks only and only about Allah. Thus, Namaz provides the ultimate satisfaction and peace to the mind thus save you from many diseases and disorders. It enhances your concentration and reduces the level of depression. Namaz helps to develop positive milieu around the Namazi.

Namaz and physical health benefits

19. Namaz has multiple many health and fitness benefits. Some of the important physical health benefits are as follow:

Namaz is one of the important means for health, happiness and harmony.
Offering regular Namaz keeps one fit and healthy by burning extra calories thereby losing weight. Namaz is one of the effective ways for weight loss as well as to control obesity.
Namaz stretches your muscles and helps to provide tone body.
It is good to overcome arthritis as Namaz is good to enhance flexibility of the body and reduces stiffness.
Namaz is a good source to balance Anabolic and Catabolic biochemical process of the body.
Namaz is good for heart, brain, above all for the entire body.

Standing posture in Namaz (Qiya'm) ensures proper blood flow the lower portion of the body. It is also good in strengthening the leg muscles.
Health benefits of Ruk'u

20. The forward bending position of Namaz (Ruk'u) is good for your lower vertebral column. It helps to ease your back pain as per Yogic philosophy. Doing Ruku properly helps to control backache and vertebral column related diseases. Namaz Ruku is effective in developing flexibility to shoulder, elbowm wrist, knees and ankle regions. Ruku exerts abdominal pressure thereby eases constipation and peristaltic movements. During Ruku, the kidney experiences a sort of massage thus helpful to kidney problems.

Health benefits of Sajdah

21. During Sajdah, one sit in Vajrasana, a very important yoga pose from health point of view. Vajrasana strengthens the thigh and calf muscles. It is good for digestion and keeps your spine firm and erect. Sajdah is very beneficial in the proper functioning of brain, lungs, body muscles, joints and entire vertebral column. Sajdah helps to maintain smooth blood to the brain region, and also stimulates the master gland pituitary gland as well as the pineal gland. Sajdah reduces the chances of brain hemorrhage and headache due to smooth blood flow to the head region. While performing Sajdah, the toes are experiencing acupressure which is good for better health of the body, especially for body pains.

Health benefits of Sala'm (Neck Yoga)

22. Salam is the excellent form of neck and upper vertebra exercise. Namaz's Salam is the Griva-sakti-vikasaka (Strengthening the Neck) of Yogic Sukshma Vyayama, which is helpful in loosening the neck joints and also helps to relax the shoulder and upper back muscles. Salam helps to refresh all the nerves passes through the neck, thus good in case of headache and contend migraine.

What are some signs or symptoms of swallowing disorders?

Several diseases, conditions, or surgical interventions can result in swallowing problems.

General signs may include:

•     Coughing during or right after eating or drinking
•     Wet or gurgly sounding voice during or after eating or drinking
•     Extra effort or time needed to chew or swallow
•     Food or liquid leaking from the mouth or getting stuck in the mouth
•     Recurring pneumonia or chest congestion after eating
•     Weight loss or dehydration from not being able to eat enough

As a result, adults may have:

•     Poor nutrition or dehydration
•     Risk of aspiration (food or liquid entering the airway), which can lead to pneumonia and chronic lung disease
•     Less enjoyment of eating or drinking
•     Embarrassment or isolation in social situations involving eating

Most swallowing problems can be treated, although the treatment you receive will depend on the type of dysphagia you have.

Treatment will depend on whether your swallowing problem is in the mouth or throat (oropharyngeal, or 'high' dysphagia), or in the oesophagus (oesophageal, or 'low' dysphagia).

The cause of dysphagia is also considered when deciding on treatment. In some cases, treating the underlying cause, such as mouth cancer or oesophageal cancer, can help relieve swallowing problems.

Treatment for dysphagia may be managed by a group of specialists known as a multidisciplinary team (mdt). Your mdt may include a speech and language therapist (slt), a surgeon, and a dietitian.

High (oropharyngeal) dysphagia

High dysphagia is swallowing difficulties caused by problems with the mouth or throat.

It can be difficult to treat if it's caused by a condition that affects the nervous system. This is because these problems can't usually be corrected using medication or surgery.

There are three main treatments for high dysphagia:

•     Swallowing therapy
•     Dietary changes and
•     Feeding tubes

Swallowing therapy

You may be referred to a speech and language therapist (slt) for swallowing therapy if you have high dysphagia.

An slt (speech language therapist) is a healthcare professional trained to work with people with feeding or swallowing difficulties.

Slts use a range of techniques that can be tailored to your specific problem, such as teaching you swallowing exercises.

Dietary changes

You may be referred to a dietitian (specialist in nutrition) for advice about changes to your diet to make sure you receive a healthy, balanced diet.

An slt can give you advice about softer foods and thickened fluids that you may find easier to swallow. They may also try to ensure you're getting the support you need at meal times.

Feeding tubes

Feeding tubes can be used to provide nutrition while you're recovering your ability to swallow. They may also be required in severe cases of dysphagia that put you at risk of malnutrition and dehydration.

A feeding tube can also make it easier for you to take the medication you may need for other conditions.

There are two types of feeding tubes:

1.     A nasogastric tube - a tube that is passed down your nose and into your stomach
2.     A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (peg) tube - a tube that is implanted directly into your stomach

Nasogastric tubes are designed for short-term use. The tube will need to be replaced and swapped to the other nostril after about a month. Peg tubes are designed for long-term use and last several months before they need to be replaced.

Most people with dysphagia prefer to use a peg tube because it can be hidden under clothing. However, they carry a greater risk of complications compared with nasogastric tubes.

Minor complications of peg tubes include tube displacement, skin infection, and a blocked or leaking tube. Two major complications of peg tubes are infection and internal bleeding.

Resuming normal feeding may be more difficult with a peg tube compared with using a nasogastric tube. The convenience of peg tubes can make people less willing to carry out swallowing exercises and dietary changes than those who use nasogastric tubes.

You should discuss the pros and cons of both types of feeding tubes with your treatment team.

Low (oesophageal) dysphagia

Low dysphagia is swallowing difficulties caused by problems with the oesophagus.

Medication

Depending on the cause of low dysphagia, it may be possible to treat it with medication. For example, proton pump inhibitors (ppis) used to treat indigestion may improve symptoms caused by narrowing or scarring of the oesophagus. 

Botulinum toxin

Botulinum toxin can sometimes be used to treat achalasia. This is a condition where the muscles in the oesophagus become too stiff to allow food and liquid to enter the stomach.

It can be used to paralyse the tightened muscles that prevent food from reaching the stomach. However, the effects only last for around six months.

Surgery

Other cases of low dysphagia can usually be treated with surgery.

Endoscopic dilatation

Endoscopic dilation is widely used to treat dysphagia caused by obstruction. It can also be used to stretch your oesophagus if it's scarred.

Endoscopic dilatation will be carried out during an internal examination of your oesophagus (gastroscopy) using an endoscopy.

An endoscope is passed down your throat and into your oesophagus, and images of the inside of your body are transmitted to a television screen.

Using the image as guidance, a small balloon or a bougie (a thin, flexible medical instrument) is passed through the narrowed part of your oesophagus to widen it. If a balloon is used, it will be gradually inflated to widen your oesophagus before being deflated and removed.

You may be given a mild sedative before the procedure to relax you. There's a small risk that the procedure could cause a tear or perforate your oesophagus.

Find out more about gastroscopy.

Inserting a stent

If you have oesophageal cancer that can't be removed, it's usually recommended that you have a stent inserted instead of endoscopic dilatation. This is because, if you have cancer, there's a higher risk of perforating your oesophagus if it's stretched.

A stent (usually a metal mesh tube) is inserted into your oesophagus during an endoscopy or under x-ray guidance.

The stent then gradually expands to create a passage wide enough to allow food to pass through. You'll need to follow a particular diet to keep the stent open without having blockages.

Congenital dysphagia

If your baby is born with difficulty swallowing (congenital dysphagia), their treatment will depend on the cause.

Cerebral palsy

Dysphagia caused by cerebral palsy can be treated with speech and language therapy. Your child will be taught how to swallow, how to adjust the type of food they eat, and how to use feeding tubes. 

Cleft lip and palate

Cleft lip and palate is a facial birth defect that can cause dysphagia. It's usually treated with surgery. 

Narrowing of the oesophagus

Narrowing of the oesophagus may be treated with a type of surgery called dilatation to widen the oesophagus. 

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (gord)

Dysphagia caused by gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (gord) can be treated using specially thickened feeds instead of your usual breast or formula milk. Sometimes medication may also be used.