Dr. Renu Lachman Vallicha

The word metabolism is the manner in which food is processed and used by the body. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions, which are caused due to altered metabolism. They increase the chance of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity in a person.

When a person has one of these, it puts them at a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. However, lifestyle changes can help the onset of metabolic syndrome and reduce the gravity of the situation.

Factors that put you at risk of contracting a metabolic syndrome

There are 5 major risk factors, which can indicate if a person would develop a metabolic syndrome.

1. Increased blood sugar: If the fasting blood sugar is consistently high, it could be the early indication of diabetes.

2. Increased blood pressure: When the heart constantly exerts pressure to pump blood through the arteries, it can be damaging in the long run.

3. Excessive fat around the waistline: Fat around the belly (pear shaped body) is more harmful than fat around the hips. This abdominal obesity is an indicator of metabolic syndrome.

4. Abnormal cholesterol level: There are good and bad cholesterols (HDL and LDL respectively). When the HDL level is low, the chances of the heart to build plaque are increased, which can lead to heart failure, stroke, etc.

5. High level of triglyceride: Increased triglyceride levels also put one at a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Complications: Some of the complications of having a metabolic syndrome include hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart failure and fatty liver. It is a complicated and vicious cycle where there is increased pressure on all the vital organs, but they are unable to perform to their optimal levels. There is a narrowing of the blood vessels due to the plaque accumulation, which slows blood flow to all organs leading to the sluggishness of the whole system.

Prevention

While the bad news is that metabolic syndrome is on the rise with changing lifestyles, the good news is that with some planning and effort, it can be prevented and severity reduced. It requires discipline, commitment, and dedication.

1. Diet: Eating healthy with more of whole grains, less of red meat, loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, and a heart-healthy diet can go a long way in managing the metabolism.

2. Exercise: Regular moderate exercise can help avoid accumulation of fat and burn the extra calories consumed.

3. Smoking: One should quit smoking, as it can help in many ways and helps in managing the body’s metabolism is one of them.

4. Alcohol: Avoid consuming excessive alcohol as it helps in managing body’s metabolism.

5. Stress management: Finding good ways to manage stress (be it music, meditation, yoga, or exercise) can help control harmful ways of stress management like drinking alcohol and smoking. 

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

It's not that you feel the same responsiveness while having a sexual relationship with your partner like you used to have earlier; impotency in women can occur at any stage due to various reasons. Sometimes such problems may strain your relationship with your partner.

If you know what impotency in women is, it will be helpful for you to get it treated:

1. Inhibited desire disorder: Most women who are impotent in sex have almost no desire to have sex. Different causes that lead to such a situation are illness, tiredness, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship disharmony, and drug or alcohol abuse. Apart from these reasons, there are certain days in the monthly cycle of women when they lose the sexual desire. Medication and child birth can also be another cause for this. It may not seem serious in the beginning but gradually with time, things will change and frustration and unhappiness creep in a lovely relationship.
2. Pain during intercourse: Dyspareunia or pain during intercourse also sometimes leads to impotency among women. It can be a superficial or deep pain. The main cause of the pain is that the womb is not able to lift up, and the discomfort for this does not allow the walls of the vagina to swell and allow the penis to enter the vagina. Mainly lack of lubrication and endometriosis is an important cause for such a pain. You will have superficial pain when there are issues like genital herpes, muscle spasms and other such problems. With experience of such pain, many women fear the feelings of intercourse, and they start lacking the sexual desire in total.
3. Lack of ability to reach orgasm: It is a common belief that women have an orgasm with the penile penetration. The truth is that it's not. Only 25% of women are found to get orgasm in this way and others need clitoral stimulation for having orgasm. Thus, most women while having sex do not reach the climax! Women who love their partner without getting orgasm during sexual intercourse may feel different. And gradually they lose their desire for having sexual relations. There are a few factors like poor blood flow to the vagina, hormone imbalance that create this problem.

If you are facing any of the above problems, you may be suffering from impotency. However, do not get threatened as you are not alone, and getting to your doctor will help you out of such problems.

Stay away from carbonated and other fizzy drinks because of its high sugar content and extremely damaging in nature for the enamel of your teeth due to its highly acidic nature.