Dr. Vidya Patil

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 produced in the stomach 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, among others.

So what does one do to deal with GERD? Here's a brief list:

• Control weight: 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.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking: The LES or 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, in order 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 ingredients, including grains and dairy products that contain more protein than what your digestive tract 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 food 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 stomach acids.
• Exercise: Ensuring that you do not take a nap or lie down right after a meal and doing 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.

The vagina is a muscular, tubular structure of the female genital tract extending from the vulva to the cervix (the opening of the urethra). Sexual activity affects vaginal health in a number of different ways during intercourse and in the long term.

A few of the varying effects and the factors responsible for these effects are listed below:

1. Changing size of the vagina: The vagina is designed to be elastic and adjustable. So, no permanent change in size is possible but it does undergo temporary changes in sizes as effects of sex. The inner walls of the vagina enlarge during sexual intercourse and during childbirth. Tissues in the clitoris puff out and harden, this also causes an expansion in size. It takes a while to get back to its normal size.
2. Vaginal secretion: When you are aroused during sex, the blood vessels supplying the vagina expand immediately. The blood flow increases to lubricate the vaginal walls (rugae). The rugae unfold and the space increases. These secretions are important because, women who are sexually inactive for a long time at a stretch, experience dryness that leads to urinating difficulties and rashes.
3. Unusual discharge: Apart from natural lubricants, vagina secretes some fluids, the process being termed as 'female ejaculation'. A tiny amount of white fluid made of prostate plasma cells, is produced just before you climax and discharged with some quantity of urine. Sometimes, prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (usually found in semen) are also found in the secretion.
4. Infections in the urinary tract: The friction caused by sexual intercourse may cause small cuts which enable bacteria to pass from the vagina to the urinary bladder through the urethra. This causes infection in the bladder, the urinary tract and the vagina. These can be avoided by using a condom or by urinating before and after having sex.
5. Vaginal pain: A lot of women report the experience of pain and discomfort inside or around the vagina during and immediately after sex. The pain can result from repeated sex within a short period of time or reduced secretion of natural lubricants. If the pain is too severe, you should see a doctor because yeast infections or chronic vulvodynia can also be responsible for the pain sensation.