Dr. Zeenut I Kazi

Polycystic Ovarian Disease or PCOD is a hormonal system disorder occurring in women of reproductive age. It is also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome. PCOD refers a unique set of symptoms, which occur when there is a hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body. The symptoms include late or no periods, pain in the pelvic region, heavy bleeding during periods, weight gain, growth of facial hair, acne and difficulty in conception or getting pregnant.

Cysts develop in the ovaries, which cause hormonal imbalances like the levels of androgen get raised more than the normal limits. Although androgens are the hormones for male, they are present in minor quantities in normal females. With the increase of androgen levels, it creates a disturbance in normal ovulation cycle leading to disturbance in menses.

All PCOD patients are advised to lose weight and do regular exercise. The common symptoms include irregular menses, growth of facial hair and other parts of the body like arms, abdomen, chest, legs and fingers. An ultrasound examination can confirm the ovarian cysts. PCOD can lead to complications like type 2 diabetes, raised cholesterol levels, infertility, depression, cancer of uterus.

Losing weight helps to reduce high insulin level in the blood. In case of obesity, weight loss will reduce insulin resistance, stimulate ovulation and will improve fertility rate.

The conventional system of medicine has no cure for PCOD. Homeopathy, however, offers the best alternative as it concentrates on treating and curing the root cause of the problem. Homeopathy believes that the human body is designed by nature to keep itself disease free and when its own internal vitality is unbalanced, the body becomes prone to disease. Once the vitality regains its original balance, the human body is able to nurse itself back to health without any external aid.

The correct homeopathy treatment is by giving constitutional medicine after taking into consideration the physical and mental make -up of the patient. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Homeopath.

Asthma is a distressing condition during which people find it difficult to breathe as the bronchi or tubes carrying air to lungs swell up. This happens when mucus inside bronchi comes into contact with an allergen like a pollutant or dirt causing symptoms like wheezing, coughing, more mucus production and difficulty breathing. There is no cure for asthma. As of now, it can only be managed. But managing asthma becomes really difficult during low air quality days, especially during winters when it’s cold and dry.

The most common air pollutants are gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, vehicle smoke, and suspended particles. Each one of them can trigger an asthma attack by itself because of its deleterious effect on the lungs. The smaller the particulate matter is, the more dangerous it becomes as these particles get lodged in the air sacs inside lungs, causing not just asthma from worsening but also fatal diseases like lung cancer.

So, most asthma patients suffer from frequent attacks due to air pollution. How can these attacks be prevented? Here are some tips:

1. According to research, asthma can be managed by making modifications in everyday life. On high air pollution days due to ozone, for example, asthmatics tend to experience more lung inflammation. If you are an asthmatic, you should reduce time spent outdoors, especially doing strenuous activity in the mornings and evenings. Keeping medications on hand and using those at the very start of an asthma attack also helps. There should always be a plan in place to lessen the chance of an asthma attack on poor air quality days starting from a rescue inhaler to preventive medication if your doctor feels you need it.
2. Stay hydrated and breathe through the nose. Dehydration is dangerous for asthmatics especially when air quality is bad. In this case, lungs can become badly affected because they need right temperature and levels of water to work properly. It’s crucial to breathe through the nose only and not the mouth as the air breathed in from the mouth can be very cold and dry and can cause even more inflammation of the lungs.
3. Know your asthma triggers and change lifestyle. Avoiding your triggers is key to managing asthma. If traffic fumes are a trigger, it’s best to change the route you take to work to manage your asthma. If you don’t know your triggers look back at your last asthma attack and remember what you were doing. Did you pet your dog? Write a diary and discuss with your doctor on how to avoid your triggers. Use a face mask when outdoors to limit exposure to allergens. 
4. Track your asthma to recognise early signs of asthma. If you know that it’s getting worse, you should have a fool-proof plan in place.

5 signs your body is lacking in water

Water is indispensable for the human body as 90% of the brain and almost 60 per cent of an adult body is chiefly made up of water. Water is just as important as any of your meals. Each cell and organ depends on water for its proper functioning and for flushing out toxins and fats from the body. An average man must consume roughly 3 litres (10-12 glasses) of water per day; and a woman requires about 2.5 litres (8-10 glasses). If you're not meeting this requirement, you might be fall prey to dehydration.

The state of water deficiency or dehydration can be determined through various symptoms. Read on to know the 5 most common signs:

1. The colour of your urine is dark

The colour of your urine indicates your health. The lesser the water you drink, the darker is the colour of your pee. If your urine is pale yellow, you drink a sufficient amount of water. If it's dark yellow and concentrated, it's a sign for you to refill on water. Also, if you haven't urinated for more than two hours, you should immediately gulp 2 glasses of water.

2. You experience frequent headaches

Headaches are often caused by dehydration when the pressure from your blood vessels falls. Dehydration makes it tough for your heart to pump enough oxygen to the brain. Drinking sufficient amounts of water ensures the flow of oxygen in your body.

3. You feel dizzy and fatigued

Lack of water can often lead to laziness and restlessness. It may also cause a rapid change in your blood pressure. Low or high blood pressures are stimulants of fatigue. Water gives you instant energy that wakes up your whole system, thus making you feel revitalised.

4. You have constipated bowel movements

Water is one of the top natural remedies for constipation or troubled bowel movements. If your fluid intake is low, you're likely to have stomach, gastric and bowel problems. The digestive system depends on water to help food move through both the intestines. It checks the functions of the digestive tract, while also keeping it flexible and clean.

5. You experience brain fogs and blackouts

Your brain cells and nerves react severely to water loss. You may start feeling a lack of concentration along with temporary memory loss. Blackouts and fogs are common when you have a deficit of water. You might even experience difficulty in carrying out cognitive tasks.

If you're experiencing similar issues, you must enhance your daily water intake. You can try carrying a sipper around, which allows you to keep a tab on your water consumption. To relish water as a refreshing beverage, you can infuse freshly chopped fruits and herbs in a pitcher of chilled water. This flavoured water also cleanses your body of all toxins and chemicals, thus keeping you fresh.

consult.