Samarth Sai Maternity Hospital

As per the latest statistics published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 9% women suffer from a deficiency of iron. Though the proportion is relatively low, iron deficiency can lead to various diseases, which can be very difficult to cure.

So, look out for these telltale signs of iron deficiency and check whether you suffer from any of them.

1. Fatigue: Your internal system uses iron for the production of hemoglobin, which is a component in the red blood cells, responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body. So when the iron content is low, there is not enough hemoglobin production and all organ do not receive oxygen in the required quantities. This is bound to make you feel tired at most times.
2. Inability to focus: People with iron deficiency often suffer from alteration in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. This can lead to decreased functionality and focusing abilities. This may also lead to the development of apathy towards all things, including family, friends, books, music or anything that you loved and enjoyed doing.
3. Breathlessness: Without a proper supply of iron, there could be an oxygen crunch in the body, compelling you to feel breathless. This may happen anytime when you are working out or walking or reading a book.
4. Paleness: Do you think your skin has lost luster and become pale in the last few days? That’s definitely not a good sign and may be a symptom of decreased flow of blood and reduction in the RBC count.
5. Trouble doing your daily chores: Low levels of iron in the body can cause your endurance level to suffer. Thus, you may find it difficult to run up the stairs or catch a vehicle or swim for a while.
6. Soreness of muscles: Even if you could push yourself to reach the gym, you would experience the burns last longer than normal. Lack of right amount of iron prevents your muscles to recover at the right pace. As a result, you are likely to suffer from aches in the muscles.
7. Brittle nails: If there is a recent a development of spoon-shaped or concave depression in the nails, it could be a sign of possible deficiency of iron.

Often people tend to ignore the warning signs that the body gives to inform about the problem that’s cropping up. But you can’t take chances with your health and so, check for these signs without any delay.

The concept of egg quality of a woman is derived from the belief that the embryo implantation probability is powerfully related to the age and ovarian reserve of the woman. Thus, it is regarded that the quality of the egg is almost synonymous with the chances of embryo implantation. Its quality cannot be assessed merely by looking at the egg or measuring its ability to receive the fertilization by sperm or simply observing the initial embryo division.

There are a few important factors that contribute to the success or failure of the embryo implantation and some of them are:

• Advanced age of maternity: Even though the FSH level is normal, the age of the mother who provides the eggs plays an important role to determine the quality of the egg. Quite like women with increased FSH levels, eggs obtained from women aged more than 40 years can have some problems at a later stage of fertilization. Normal FSH levels are not considered a reassuring factor, owing to the lower implantation rate in females aged over 45 years.
• Diminished quality of egg: With an increase in age, the capacity of the mitochondria in producing energy slowly decreases. The egg is linked to the circulation before ovulation, and it is linked again after the embryo implantation. But during the one week time ranging from ovulation to implantation, the egg and the resulting embryo are contained in the zona pellucida and function on the basis of mitochondrial energy supply. The older age of the woman doesn’t cause any problem at the initial stage of ovulation. Its fertilization and embryonic development are also normal. But soon, it runs out of energy and stops dividing before reaching the stage of implantation.

Therefore, it is important to have the eggs tested to find out any sort of chromosomal abnormality. In case the mother is deficient of producing high quality eggs, the best option is to have donor eggs.
 

10 Health Benefits Of Potatoes

Some Tips From Ayurveda:

• Indigestion : Take one spoon Harde Powder with water in morning and bed time.
• Diarrhoea : take one spoon dry ginger powder with buttermilk every two hours and stop to intake any food for some time. You can add Cumin(jira) powder in it too.
• Insomnia : In sleep problem take one spoon Piparimool ( Root of Long pepper) with buffalo milk at bed time.
• Acidity : In this problem have to take two grams of Amla powder empty stomach with water in morning and two grams at bed time with water. Avoid Oily, Spicy, stale and fermented food like pickles too.

Menorrhagia refers to menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding. At such time , one can't maintain the usual activities during periods because of so much blood loss and cramping. Talk with your doctor in case you dread your periods due to this reason.

Urine is normally pale yellow or straw coloured. However, for various reasons, this can change. In fact, the change in the colour of urine is one of the first indications of a deeper underlying problem. This would also be one of the questions that the doctor would ask when suspecting any problem with the urinary tract, starting from infection to stones to cancer.

Hematuria is, therefore, a symptom and not a problem in itself. Some of the reasons for hematuria – presence of blood cells in the urine, producing a light pinkish urine, are listed below.

1. Urinary tract infections – starting from urethra all the way up to the kidneys

2. Glomerulonephritis

Kidney Stones

1. Prostate enlargement

2. Tumours/cancers in the kidney, bladder, or prostate

3. Heavy exercises causing trauma to any of the internal urinary tract organs

4. Bleeding disorders

5. Certain medications

6. Appendicitis

7. Tuberculosis

As the disease progresses higher in the urinary tract, the severity of hematuria also increases. Though hematuria is a symptom in itself, there are some associated symptoms which are listed below-

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Abdominal pain

• Reduced appetite

• Urge to urinate

• Dysuria

• Painful/burning urination

• Feeling of incomplete emptying

• Nocturnal urination (if prostate is enlarged)

• Cloudy urine

• Nausea, vomiting

• Kidney pain (with stones especially)

Homeopathy believes in treating the person as a whole and not just the presenting symptoms. The doctor will ask a number of questions, some pertaining to unrelated organs, which will help them identify the reason for the hematuria. The treatment prescribed will be customised to the patient in question, but some of the common ingredients used in hematuria management are given below.

1. Hematuria from all causes can be managed with Terebinthina.

2. Bladder hematuria is better managed with Erigeron Canadense at 80% concentration while renal hematuria responds better to the same at 60% dilution.

3. Inflammatory hematuria can be reduced with Cantharis (80%)

4. Renal hematuria is better managed with Gossypium herbaceous (60%).

5. Renal colic with pain in the glans, groyne, and thighs responds well to Pereira brava.

6. Cocus cacti thrice a day is useful where there is itching of the urinary meatus along with the passing of red-coloured urine.

7. When there are small stones or sand particles in the urine along with pain at the end of the micturition process, Sarsaparilla thrice a day is known to be beneficial.

8. In some other people, Arnica Montana, Cantharis, phosphorus, and Hepar Sulphur are also used to relieve symptoms of hematuria.

As with any homeopathic treatment, the actual ingredient chosen would depend on the actual symptom that the patient presents with. Though these compounds are used, self-medication is not advisable. Talk to a specialized homeopath who will identify the right ingredient for a given clinical presentation.

We have more than 200 bones in our body and each of them is susceptible to bone cancer. However, long bones in the arms and legs are most susceptible to this condition. Bone cancer can be primary or secondary. Primary bone cancer involves uncontrolled and abnormal cell division within the bones while secondary bone cancer refers to cancer that originated somewhere else in the body and later spread to the bones. While children and adults are equally at risk for primary bone cancer, adults and elderly people are more susceptible to secondary bone cancer. If diagnosed early enough, bone cancer can be treated and even cured with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.

Hence it is essential to recognize the signs and symptoms of bone cancer. Here’s what you should look out for.

• Swelling: In some cases, the abnormal growth of bone cells can result in the formation of a lump of mass that may be felt through the skin. In other cases, the affected area may also show signs of swelling.
• Breaking of the Bone: Cancer can weaken the bones and make them more brittle. This may make the bones more susceptible to fractures. A bone breaking in an area that has been painful or sore for a long period of time may be a sign of cancer. This is known as a pathologic fracture.
• Reduced Flexibility: If the tumour is located near a joint, it may affect the range of movements possible and make simple actions uncomfortable. For example, a tumour around the knee may make walking and climbing stairs a painful exercise.

Other symptoms to look out for are sudden and drastic weight loss, tiredness, excessive sweating at night, fever and difficulty breathing in case cancer has spread to other organs. Since many of these symptoms are common to other medical disorders, you should conduct a doctor immediately if you notice any of them. A physical examination and a couple of tests along with a biopsy will be required to confirm a diagnosis of bone cancer.

Pregnancy is a special period that every woman waits with bated breath. While the happiness and excitement are there, the health of the mother and baby are extremely important as well. Incidences of complications during pregnancy and childbirth are not new. Many pregnant women suffer from preeclampsia (high blood pressure often associated with the presence of proteins in the urine), and gestational diabetes, which, left attended can be risky for both the mother and the baby. Lack of awareness and proper guidance are often found to be the main contributors, affecting the maternal and fetal health during pregnancy. The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) suggests that complications or not, all women should be under medical guidance and assessment during pregnancy.

Antenatal Care and Assessment has been a revelation ensuring that a woman enjoys a safe and healthy pregnancy sans any complications. There are regular health check-ups, diagnostic and screening tests and prenatal counseling for the pregnant women and their families. The initiatives have been truly noteworthy, bringing about a significant reduction in the incidences of miscarriages and other pregnancy-related complications.

What does Antenatal Care and Assessment include?
Each trimester brings about changes that need care and attention. The Antenatal Care involves assessing and guiding a pregnant woman and their loved ones as the pregnancy progresses through each trimester.

• The diet can play a crucial role during pregnancy. A pregnant woman should eat a nutritionally enriched diet as the fetus receives the nutrients directly from the mother. Antenatal care lays great emphasis on the diet of the pregnant woman.
• De-worming and immunization programs are carried out to immunize the mother and the baby against harmful infections, including, tetanus and malaria.
• Antenatal care is a complete package that includes prenatal as well as postnatal care and assessment so that the mother and the baby enjoy good health.
• Pregnancy brings about a new phase in the life of couples. While most couples accept the changes graciously, many find it difficult to cope with the situation. Thus, the program aims at counseling such couples both mentally as well as emotionally so that things get a less stressful and challenging. The program also educates the other family members and loved ones about prenatal and postpartum care and management.

Many women have benefitted immensely from the antenatal care and assessment programs, safeguarding the mother and the baby from various health problems. In fact, efforts are being made to aware and educate the rural India about the immense health benefits associated with the antenatal care.