Dr. Madhumita Deb

Milk is very important for a healthy lifestyle, as studies show that people who drink milk avoid significant fat gain. In milk there is calcium for healthy bones, phosphorous, magnesium, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin A, zinc, riboflavin, folate, vitamin C, and most importantly, vitamin D.

Buy organic milk. Studies have shown that organic milk is much healthier than regular milk. Some benefits of organic milk is the fact that organic milk is from cows that haven't been given growth hormones, it is wholesome, produced without harmful pesticides, etc.

• Organic milk isn't produced with antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics is a serious health problem. Today, of all the main places that antibiotics is overused is in agriculture. Organic milk comes from cows that were not given antibiotics, so it doesn't contribute to the growing problem of bacterial resistance.

Be aware of all the vitamins and minerals found in milk:

• Calcium: Keeps bones and teeth healthy; helps your body maintain bone mass.
• Protein: A good source of energy: builds and repairs your muscle tissue; good after work-outs.
• Potassium: Helps you keep a good blood pressure.
• Phosphorus: Helps strengthen your bones and gives you energy.
• Vitamin D: Helps your body maintain your bones.
• Vitamin B12: Helps maintain healthy red blood cells and helps maintain nerve tissue.
• Vitamin A: Helps maintain the immune system; helps maintain normal vision and good skin.
• Niacin: Improves your metabolism; have a glass before doing aerobics.

Drink milk to have clear skin. For thousands of years, milk has been known to keep skin clear. The lactic acid found in milk aids in removing dead skin cells, and therefore keeps your skin clear and rejuvenated.

Drink milk for healthy teeth. Milk has been shown to protect the enamel against acidic foods. Also, the calcium and vitamin D found in milk keeps bones strong, although teeth are not considered bones.

Every year, millions of people all over the world undergo abdominal surgery. If you belong to that group, you will want to get back on the feet as early as possible. But there are many aspects that patients do which can slow down the recovery process and lead to delayed and uncomfortable and sometimes, fatally dangerous complications.

In recent times, hospitals employ enhanced recovery after surgery or ERAS for pain management, pre-operation eating, and post-operation exercise. The result of this protocol is that the recovery time is reduced by one-third which indicates that you can go home a few days earlier while the rate of complication drops manifold. Regardless of whether you have undergone a hernia repair surgery or removal of gallbladder or hysterectomy or colorectal cancer, the following steps can help you heal faster.

1. Get walking as soon as you can: When you are recovering from the abdominal surgery, you should aim for three to four walks regularly. This is because movement helps the lungs to expand which can reduce the chance of having pneumonia which is a common risk of post-surgery. It can help in the movement of blood in the extremities while decreasing the likelihood of blood clots.
2. Cut back on narcotic painkillers: Your doctor may recommend a non-opioid pain reliever or an epidural injection which can protect bowel function. But you should try not to rely on these drugs for a longer period and strive to cut down on them since they can cause various complications. They can slow down the function of intestine which causes constipation. This is extremely troubling after undergoing the abdominal surgery and can delay recovery time.
3. Drink a lot of liquids: You should start drinking water and other liquids as soon as your doctor allows you to do so. If you are a coffee lover, you can start drinking that as well to prevent caffeine withdrawal symptoms like headaches. But make sure you can drink a lot of water for avoiding dehydration.
4. Chew gum: Once you have undergone abdominal surgery, the digestive system would become slow and may decline from the optimal function. It can be extremely uncomfortable and prolong hospital stay. When you chew gum, it makes the body feel that you are eating which will compel the digestive system to start functioning again.
5. Spend time on a rocking chair: Most people know that sitting tends to open the lungs better than lying flat. But when you spend time in a rocking chair, the additional activity can be extremely beneficial for your body. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get up and walk.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

"Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." --- Buddha 

Every morning we get up and have a list of things in our mind to complete during the day. Some people have the list ready in their mind, some are trying to figure out that in which direction they should move and some are at peace because they believe whatever comes their way, they are ready to take it up with positivity. With such different thinking patterns we begin our day but how many of us are able to think about the feeling that we have in the morning when we get up from the bed? Do we ever try and give attention to it ? Are we feeling happy, sad, loved, aggressive, tensed, anxious, scared, or probably no emotion at all ? If everything at our emotional level is healthy and going smooth, its great. But what if some of us are not at peace from past couple of weeks, something or the other keeps on bothering, may be one is stressed or tensed and due to this the person may stop the work or start feeling loaded, or just shatter and drag everyday to complete the task. And slowly the person starts experiencing and feel one's emotions.  

Slowly, these emotions start ruling us and we behave in the way our current emotions wants us to behave. We may get tearful or cry for no reason by watching a simple commercial advertisement, reading something in a magazine or any other social networking website which emotionally tug the heartstrings.This shows that we are so full from within that we are not able to process the situation and associated feelings and it comes out of eyes as tears.  

There may be times when a person starts thinking negatively about oneself, others and is not able to use the tools during the day to fight with negativity and is in a vulnerable state. And, may suddenly start to think about death or dying or committing suicide. Why such thought is even arriving in the mind as an option? Usually these thoughts are not always there in one's mind, they just come and go but each time they push us towards darkness. In order to get away with such feelings, there are people who tend to use any substance, be it a drug or alcohol, so as to free their conscious mind from the tornado of thoughts. And we keep on delaying the need to look at our emotions, feelings and thoughts.  

One fine day comes and the person plans to 'talk it out' to the best friend or one close relative and it makes the person feel settled as the other person has given a sound listening. But again after a few days, one gets this feeling that he or she is still stuck. Sometimes, friends or relatives are too close to our situation and they may not be honest with you because they are empathetic towards you, they have a fear that if they utter out the truth, you will no longer be in touch or simply you may feel bad.  

In such a situation, one needs to realize that it is now time to seek professional help from a Clinical Psychologist or a Psychotherapist. It is like, once in your life you can be completely honest to another human being who is trained to deal with the emotions with care and is not going to effect anything in your life.

Getting into therapy is not about if something traumatic has happened in your life, even if you are generally unhappy, sometimes that is a problem because you do not have to live like this forever. It helps you find things about yourself as it forces you to examine the why's and hence untie the tied knots of your mind. Therapy is all about self discovery, it is not about what wrong you have done in your life or this is what you need to fix, it is about looking inward and finding things on your own along with slowing down the chaos that one lives.  

Psychotherapy can be helpful for any person of any age, like somebody may have lack of confidence, difficulty in making friends, doubts about growing up, body image, inferiority complex, difficulty in making connections with people, public speaking, anxiety due to divorce or separation, setting new goals, marriage, being productive, deal with guilt, fear, commitment, multiple relationships, loneliness and much more.

Sometimes, there are people who want to come out their shell because endlessly they are being labelled as 'Introverts' by the society. But there is always a question involved, What will other's think about me if I seek help from any mental health professional? Am I not able enough to deal with my own problems? Am I Mad that I want to seek therapy? Usually when a person has problem in kidney, stomach ache, fever, throat infection, they are easily able to visit a medical professional and simultaneously talk about it with others but what if one is struggling with one's own thoughts, negative emotions and thinking in every possible direction or not able to think at all, if that person wants to seek help from a mental health professional, the person feels hesitated in even telling it to the family members.

Sometimes, the family members over react, deny and may not understand what one is going through and may give solutions to eat properly, sleep, exercise, be positive and forget whatever has happened. They are still okay if the neighbour is taking such kind of professional help and they do not want the pathology to enter into their house but they don't know that it is already there. It is all about acceptance and being open to the fact that anybody may require psychotherapy for any reason they come across in their lives which they are unable to handle or if something is making their life unfulfilling or slow. So, Thank you for being a patient reader and next time if you meet somebody, whom you can sense require some form of help, encourage that person positively to visit a clinical psychologist or any mental health professional.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!