Dr. Shweta Mathur

In India, statistics reveal that more than 92% of women suffer from gynaecological problems. Some of these problems may turn out to be more serious than you expected. Here are 5 danger signs you should watch out for that signal an immediate visit to your gynaecologist.

1. Painful sex
Most women feel that it is normal to feel a little bit of pain in your vagina during sex. However, the truth is that pain during sex is not at all normal. If you feel pain while indulging in sexual activity, there are chances of you suffering from either vaginal dryness or a mild infection, which if left untreated can become worse. Some of these infections can even be STDs such as herpes, gonorrhoea etc.

2. Considerable bleeding during periods
If you bleed heavily during your periods, so much so that you have to change your sanitary napkin 2-3 times in just one to two hours, it’s a cause of concern. If this heavy menstrual flow is also accompanied with shortness of breath and rapid heart rate, you may be suffering from anaemia. In extreme cases (which is very rare), this can lead to extreme blood loss, which may require a blood transfusion.

3. Itchy vagina
Vaginal itching is very commonly ignored as most women consider it to be embarrassing, and as something that does not require any attention. However vaginal itching may be an indication of something more serious. Usually vaginal itching is a sign of fungal infection or a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease. In the worst-case scenario, it can even be a sign of vulvar cancer (a cancer of the vulva, which is the external part of your vagina).

4. Abnormal vaginal odour
Abnormal vaginal odour, just like an itchy vagina, may be a sign of a bacterial infection. Sometimes vaginal odour may even be accompanied with a thick and heavy vaginal discharge. This usually indicates vaginal yeast infection (an infection caused by an increase in the number of yeast cells present in your vagina), and if ignored these infections can recur, making sex and urination very painful activities.

5. Lump in your breast
A lump in the breast, whether or not accompanied by a bloody discharge from your nipples, is most likely a warning sign of cancer. You should also watch out for any type of pain in your breasts or even an abnormal growth as all of these indicate the development of cancerous cells in the breasts.
Schedule an appointment with your gynaecologist if you experience any one of these symptoms. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Second-hand smoke is highly damaging, and in fact sometimes it causes more damage than first hand smoke. The harmful chemicals and particles inhaled in second-hand smoke can accumulate inside your body, and cause long term damages.

What gets damaged due to second-hand smoke?

Damages can happen to the respiratory system, heart, brain, skin and eyes. Items like ammonia, butane, Cyanide, Polonium, Carbon monoxide, chromium and formaldehyde, which are all harmful for the human body are there in the smoke, and these can inhibit many body functions, damage the quality of blood and its oxygen intake power, and create overall havoc to health when exposed to second-hand smoke for a long time.

How to keep away damaging second-hand smoke sources from you?

Once the damage is done, there is as such nothing you may do to revert it back. However, if you try to make a conscious effort to keep yourself, family and children away from the sources of second-hand smoke, then this is the best preventive measure you may take. Let’s look at the various preventive measures you should take to keep yourself away from second-hand smoke and its damage.

1. The most effective and best way to complete prevention is to quit smoking. Do not smoke, and also advise other family members to quit. This can give you the best results.

2. Quitting takes time and determination. Hence, if you are into the phase of quitting, and have lessened smoking, you still need to go out of the house or room to smoke.

3. Keeping items around the room that are bathed with second-hand smoke is also dangerous, as they all have particles of pollute hanging or clinging on to them. The room curtains, cushions, carpets, upholstery and sheets, and mainly the air, all have suspended particles of the smoke which are retained for days. Try steam cleaning or vacuum cleaning to clear them off. Try using an air purifier.

4. If you want to make sure that none of the family members start smoking, then keep cigars and cigarettes out of the reach of children and others. If they get one, they may want to experiment, thus ending up being an addict. Again, one member who has left smoking may start again if an instigating factor works.

5. Avoid places where public smoking is encouraged.

6. Put a board that smoking is prohibited in your home and tell guests about the rules.

These are some of the preventive measures you have to take in order to stay away from the dangerous consequences of second hand smoking. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Diabetes is a complex group of diseases with a variety of causes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose, also called high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, the way the body uses digested food for energy. The digestive tract breaks down carbohydrates, sugars and starches found in many foods, into glucose, a form of sugar that enters the bloodstream. Diabetes develops when the body doesn't make enough insulin or is not able to use insulin effectively, or both.

The two main types of diabetes are:

Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 diabetes typically occurs in children and young adults, though it can appear at any age. In the past, type 1 diabetes was called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Heredity plays an important part in determining who is likely to develop type 1 diabetes. Genes are passed down from biological parent to child.

Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older people who are also overweight or obese. The disease, once rare in youth, is becoming more common in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of factors, including insulin resistance, a condition in which the body's muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin effectively.

Physical Inactivity, Obesity, and Diabetes: Physical inactivity and obesity are strongly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. People who are genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes are more vulnerable when these risk factors are present. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

An imbalance between caloric intake and physical activity can lead to obesity, which causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. Central obesity, in which a person has excess abdominal fat, is a major risk factor not only for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes but also for heart and blood vessel disease, also called cardiovascular disease (CVD). This excess belly fat produces hormones and other substances that can cause harmful, chronic effects in the body such as damage to blood vessels.

So, measuring your waist is a quick way of assessing your diabetes risk. This is a measure of abdominal obesity, which is a particularly high-risk form of obesity. Women have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if their waist measures 80cm (31.5 inches) or more. Asian men with a waist size of 89cm (35 inches) or more have a higher risk, as do white or black men with a waist size of 94cm (37 inches) or more.

Simple Steps to Lower Your Risk: Making a few lifestyle changes can dramatically lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. The same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and other life taking cancers.

1. Control Your Weight: Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes seven-fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. Losing weight can help if your weight is above the healthy-weight range. Check your BMI. Losing 7 to 10 percent of your current weight can cut your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in half.

2. Get Moving and Turn Off the Television: Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. Working your muscles more often and making them work harder improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on your insulin-making cells.

3. Tune Up Your Diet: Four dietary changes can have a big impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes-

Choose whole grains and whole grain products over highly processed carbohydrates.

• Skip the sugary drinks, and choose water, coffee, or tea instead.
• Choose good fats instead of bad fats.
• Limit red meat and avoid processed meat; choose nuts, whole grains, poultry, or fish instead.

If you are already suffering from diabetes, then do take a walk everyday and adopt healthy eating habits. Along with that relieve your stress and take proper doses of insulin or medications as prescribed by your doctor.

We often fear change in our daily routines, it makes us anxious and jittery. But sometimes change is often required to shake up your life and inculcate better and healthier daily habits. We are creatures of habit and linearity, and like to keep it so. Soon these new habits will be a part and parcel of your life in no time. But it is important to push yourself and be disciplined and not slack off when your body refuses to comply.

• Exercise daily: This habit can never be stressed upon enough. It gets your body up and running first thing in the morning, and helps to make you feel good about your body. When exercising daily, your body is fit and healthy, decreasing the risk of lifestyle diseases. The kind and level of exercises that you do is completely dependent upon your goals.
• Eat right: What you eat everyday by way of habit, makes more impact than you think. Stick to well-balanced meals that supply your body with just the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, etc. Food also has an impact on your moods and it is important that you understand what each food does to different kinds of moods. Make sure you eat a power-packed breakfast for it is the only meal of the day that gives you enough energy to get through to the next meal.
• Limit your online time: Social media has become so much a part of our lives. But being online and making your social media presence felt all the time isn't all that 'cool', but a rather unhealthy habit. Checking your phone constantly for those incessant notifications, hearing ghost rings, can make you have extremely jumpy nerves. Limit the number of times you check your phone in a day, and have phases where you don't touch it at all, especially just before you go to bed. The glare of your smartphone can not only ruin your sleeping patterns but also your eyesight.
• Stay hydrated: You should drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, to wash out all the toxins that have accumulated overnight. This helps to boost your metabolism and raises your energy levels. Drink enough water the rest of the day to keep up this cleansing effect.
• Meditate: In a world that is now so virtual, it is integral that you take out time for yourself and yourself only. Meditation is a way by which you can find inner peace and clear your mind of all unnecessary thoughts. It helps you to focus on yourself, your goals and wants. Starting your day peacefully with intent and focus is the way to go.

It's all about trying and being disciplined enough to keep at it and succeed. It is for your betterment and will go a long way to keep you healthy mentally, physically and emotionally.

Vitiligo: 10 Important Facts

1. Vitiligo is a disease in which the pigment cells of the skin are destroyed in certain areas.

2. Symptoms and signs of vitiligo include loss of skin color in the form of depigmented, or white patches of skin in any location on the body.

3. Vitiligo can be focal and localized to one area, or it may affect several different areas of the body.

4. The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown, although mostly believe that it is an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys certain cells within the body.

5. Most people who have vitiligo will develop the condition prior to age 40; about half develop it before age 20.

6. Vitiligo may have a genetic component, as the condition tends to run in families.

7. Vitiligo is not painful and does not have significant health consequences; however, it can have emotional and psychological consequences.

8. Some treatments can reduce the severity of the condition, but it can be difficult to cure.

9. There is no known way to prevent vitiligo.

10. There are some home remedies which may improve appearance.

Electric pads, hot water bottles, and gel packs or moist such as damp clay packs are the common hot agents used for hot therapy.