Dr. Kirloskar Santosh V

Infertility is a condition, which is characterized by the inability to have a baby for over a year in spite of having planned and unprotected sex. It is a pretty common phenomenon for both men and women. However, there are several treatments available for both the sexes to help them recover from this problem. Here are some of the most common treatments available for infertility:

For Men

1. Changing your lifestyle: Certain factors in your lifestyle, which may cause you to be infertile include the medications you take, lack of exercise or not having intercourse frequently enough or not at the right time. The solution for these problems is simply incorporating certain changes in your daily life, such as exercising more, sticking to a healthy diet or having intercourse more often at the right time.

2. Sperm retrieval: Sperm retrieval is the technique used when you cannot ejaculate or when there is hardly any sperm present in your semen. It is also used in case of a low sperm count.

For Women

1. Intrauterine insemination: Intrauterine insemination is a process in which healthy sperm cells are put into the uterus so that the egg gets fertilized when it is released. The sperm cells have to be inserted at the time when your ovaries release eggs; therefore it is crucial to know your menstrual cycle as well as how fertility drugs are affecting it.

2. Fertility drugs: Fertility drugs are used to stimulate ovulation. This is done by administering medications which either regulate or cause ovulation to occur. There are several types of fertility drugs, so you should talk to your doctor about which should be the best for you.

3. Hysteroscopic surgery: This is a last resort, which is taken only when there are significant problems such as intrauterine scar tissue, uterine septum or endometrial polyps.

4. IVF: IVF is an assisted reproductive technology. During IVF, the sperm is first retrieved, after which fertility medications are given to the woman so that the egg can be retrieved. Finally, the egg is fertilized on a laboratory dish and injected back into the mother or a surrogate mother.

Given that detox diets won't rid the body of impurities or lead to real weight loss, are there any benefits of using them? The only thing one can say positively is that: 
A detox diet may encourage you to eat more nutritious foods. Some detox diets recommend nutrient-rich foods like:

• lemons
• green tea
• fruit juices
• colorful fruits and vegetables

All of these could, in part, increase your intake of certain nutrients. Some of which might help the body deal with incoming toxins or offer other health benefits.However, a three day detox diet won't move the dial on toxicity (or health) anywhere near as much as maintaining a healthy lifestyle the other 362 days of the year.

Disadvantages of detox diets: For most people, the disadvantages of a detox diet are much more numerous than the potential benefit.

Detox diets are often inconvenient: Any diet will take some effort to organize, and detox diets are no exception. Ironically, you'll probably never put as much work into eating less as you do into a detox.  People with limited time, money, and resources won't enjoy juicing seven kgs of veggies and fruits each day. Especially if they're feeling weak, listless, or dizzy, some of the most frequently reported side effects of juice cleanses.

Detox diets are often too low in energy: 

Most juice diets are extremely low in calories. In fact, some people argue that juicing is just a way to starve and feel good about it. With the low energy intake you'll often notice other things slowing down, you may feel colder, or sluggish, or notice digestion taking a while.

Detox diets may cause blood sugar swings that is cleansing built on fruit juices can cause major swings in blood sugar, making them downright dangerous for people with diabetes, and potentially risky for many others.

Detox diets can be tough on your GI tract: The fruit juices used for many detox diets contain very little fiber. Fiber is a cleanser. It's like a street sweeper for the GI tract; it slows down digestion and aids absorption of nutrients.

There is no credible information saying that the GI tract does better when it doesn't get solid foods (unless the GI tract is damaged). Instead, the gut does well with probiotics, glutamine from protein rich foods, and fiber. You'll struggle to get all of these on a cleanse.
Detox diets are often low in essential fats.

While some less extreme detox diets allow things like nuts and seeds, hard core cleanses typically eliminate most fat-containing foods, even healthy fats. Extreme variations in fat intake i.e. swinging from high (pre-cleanse) to low (cleanse) to high (post-cleanse celebration) to low (back on the cleanse train again) can cause trouble for organs that process dietary fats, like the gallbladder.

Detox diets may cause electrolyte imbalances: Many cleanses involve drinking a lot of liquid (such as water, herbal teas, and/or juices) while removing many foods that contain salts. Some "detox diets" also suggest using diuretic supplements. This can cause potentially dangerous imbalances in your electrolytes, charged chemicals found in fluids throughout your body. The imbalance is even more likely if overhydration is combined with low energy intake.

In fact, there's a name for this phenomenon, well known to health care providers who deal with extreme anorexia, malnutrition, or any medical condition with severely restricted food intake that is refeeding syndrome.

To keep operations running when nutrients and energy are low and electrolytes are disrupted, the body may adjust its metabolic environment (for instance, it may deplete cells of minerals to keep blood levels of those minerals stable).

Not only can this affect health during the detox diet, it can cause potentially cause serious problems when a person on a detox diet (especially a longer-lasting one) starts eating normally again.

Detox diets can create a cycle of restrictive eating and deprivation:
Detox diets, the entire concept of "cleansing", in fact can enable feast-or-famine style eating patterns:

• The detox diet starts tomorrow, so I'll eat a bunch of "toxic" foods tonight.
• On the detox diet now. Not allowed any stuff I enjoy.
• The detox diet ends tomorrow, so I'll get set to eat all those "toxic" foods I missed! And so on.

Recognize that thought pattern? It's the classic dieter mentality. On the wagon, off the wagon, on the wagon, off the wagon. It's always more harmful than helpful. When you think and eat this way:

• You never learn to find the sane middle ground.
• You never learn to prepare real food and real meals that are both nutritious and delicious.
• You're always in "all-or-nothing" mode. (Usually getting "nothing", because "all" is really, really hard.)

Worst of all is you never feel truly happy with any of your choices.
Fortunately, the body "cleanses" itself, if we can't ever avoid toxins, doesn't it then make sense to do some sort of detox? Not really. That's because our bodies have very robust detoxification systems. Our major organs of detoxification include are:

• Digestive tract;
• Kidneys;
• Skin;
• Lungs;
• Liver,
• Lymphatic system;
• Respiratory system;

These systems break down chemicals (toxic or otherwise) into other form, which we can eliminate via the toilet, sweat, or breathing. And the body seems to do a pretty good job of this when placed in a balanced (i.e. healthy) environment.

Take Home Message:
The idea that you can speed up and improve your body's detox pathways by drinking detox water is nonsense. That said, it is still a healthy drink with a few health benefits. Nevertheless, you could probably get most of these benefits from drinking regular water. However, people often find plain water boring. If infusing your water with fruits and vegetables means that you drink more water and less sugary drinks, then it can only be a good thing.

Related Tip: "The 4 Essential Constituents of A Detox Diet"

5 surprising foods a health conscious person should never eat

Most people are aware that they need to avoid the usual starch or gluten rich foods, like bread, burgers or noodles. What most people fail to see is that some foods that are supposedly healthy end up doing more harm than good. If you do want to have a healthy diet, you have to forgo the following convenient foods that appear healthy.

1. Muesli

The box of muesli that you bought thinking that it is healthy has around 500 calories per serving! additional sugar is what makes most commercially available muesli palatable. You might as well eat a plain doughnut if you are going to consume the amount of calories that each serving of muesli offers.

2. Energy bars

Many people mistakenly feel that energy bars fall under health food. In reality, energy bars are loaded with processed soy along with high quantities of sugar and salt. While being processed the soy loses most of its nutritional values and ends up producing a chemical called hexane. Hexane is highly controversial since in certain doses it is a neurotoxin. 

3. Light yoghurt

The selling point of light yoghurt is that it cuts down on the calorie content of the yoghurt. What most people fail to see is that when the calories are stripped from the yoghurt it does not remain flavourful. To make it palatable, artificial flavours are added. These additional chemicals negate the point of opting for light yoghurt in the first place. 

4. Salads

Unless you are making your own salad you cannot be certain of how healthy it is. When you buy a pre-packed salad or order salads at restaurants you are not exactly ordering healthy. To enhance the taste of the salads a lot of unhealthy additions, especially in the form of dressings, are made which exterminate the whole point of having a salad in the first place. 

5. Store-bought smoothies

You might be putting in nothing but the right fruits and vegetables into your homemade smoothie. Do not expect the store bought ones to be the same. To enhance the flavours, a lot of additional elements go into the product. Some smoothies that you buy can even have up to 1000 calories which you unknowingly intake.

If you do want to have a healthy diet and include these foods then it is best to prepare them at home. Keep track of what you are eating without blindly trusting the labels on the boxes. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Related Tip: Not chewing your food fast enough can lead to serious problems

The fundamental principle of homeopathy is the Law of Similars or 'like cures like'. Homeopathy looks at the general health condition of the person and then prescribes remedies that can stimulate the body to function to its optimum capacity and this can naturally eliminate diseased cells and tissues from the body. The remedies stimulate the body's natural healing procedures without introducing chemicals to kill the disease.

Here are 5 reasons to switch to homeopathic medicine: 

1. It is an individualized treatment: A homeopathic practitioner evaluates the patient's overall health and discusses his problems and expectations before prescribing treatment. All the homeopathic remedies are made with the individual's specific climatic conditions, allergies, stress factors, food habits and lifestyle in mind. Homeopathy also optimizes the immune system and it is equally effective for physical and psychological disorders.
2. There are no side effects:  Homeopathic medicines are made from natural substances and so they are non-toxic and free from side effects. They are given to the patient in small doses and so, the healing approach is gentle and gradual. They can also be used by people of all ages and even those in delicate conditions like pregnancy, chronic diseases etc. Even if the wrong medicine is prescribed to the patient, it does not cause much harm to the body.
3. Homeopathic medicines are easily accessible: Homeopathic remedies are available in most places as they are made directly from the abundant natural resources. There are also several alternatives to a medicine depending on the kinds of plants and minerals found in a particular region. Moreover, the medicines do not have an expiration date and can be stored for a long period of time if they are kept properly.
4. The remedies are non-invasive: No homeopathic remedy involves surgical procedures or invasive techniques. So, there is absolutely no chance of infection or further complication. The medicines and therapies are also aimed at eliminating the root cause of the disorder instead of just providing temporary relief from the symptoms.
5. Homeopathic medicines are not addictive: Once the disease is healed, the person can easily stop using the medicines since they have no addictive property. This is because the active ingredient is used in minute quantities in homeopathic medication. Hence, these remedies are also safe for infants, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, aged people and people with addiction problems.

Your inner health and its link to the heart and Ojas: According to Ayurveda, the heart is believed to be the seat of the ‘Ojas.’ You might be wondering that what Ojas is then. Well, Ojas is a term given to the substance that maintains life. It is responsible for maintaining the bliss and longevity of life. Ayurveda believes that heart can be protected by increasing the ojas. Therefore, the well-being of an individual is directly related to the ojas and condition of his or her heart.

Your inner health can only be improved by maintaining the health of the heart and ojas. Ayurveda suggests that heart can be well kept by boosting fat metabolism and digestion within the body. Therefore, a mixture of herbs is recommended to keep the heart healthy by nourishing the blood, and improving the functioning of heart muscles. Individuals who lead a sedentary life and live on fast-food diet are at risk of developing severe cardiovascular diseases. Ayurvedic treatments offer relief to such persons and ensure the well-being of their hearts and ojas. An authentic Ayurvedic herb mixture improves the health of your heart and inner-health in the following ways:

1. It increases the ojas and the power of fighting back diseases
2. Nourishes the muscles and tissues of the heart walls
3. Improves circulation of the blood through all channels or the shrotas
4. Betters the coordination between mind and body
5. Enhances fat metabolism and overall digestion, avoids accumulation of excess cholesterol

Tips for good inner health

1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by getting an adequate amount of night sleep. Go to bed early and wake up early too.
2. Don’t spend long hours in watching television or work till late night
3. Be happy. Happiness is the ultimate medicine for the good heart.
4. Eat a lot of fresh and green-leafy vegetables daily.
5. Avoid the intake of spicy, oily and fast foods.
6. While eating, ensure that the atmosphere around is absolutely peaceful and serene.
7. Consume home-cooked food only. Avoid eating out at restaurants or street-side joints.
8. Don’t drink excess coffee, tea or aerated drinks.
9. Don’t consume alcohol or smoke up cigarettes. Intake of raw tobacco or getting addicted to drugs is also harmful for the heart.
10. Don’t live a sedentary life and be a couch potato. Work-out and exercise on regular basis.
11. Avoid emotional outburst and try to keep a control over your reactions.
12. Maintain a peaceful environment inside your home.
13. Avoid eating pungent food items. They increase anger in you.
14. Avoid excessive stressful and emotionally draining works or interactions.
15. If you are stressed, take an Ayurvedic massage with herbal oils.
16. Go for meditation to relieve yourself from the stress and strains of life.