Dr. Vivek Raskar

Magnesium is one of the most abundant mineral found in earth, and a good 60 percent of all the magnesium in the body is stored in your bones. A small percentage is also present in your blood and this nutrient is beneficial for healthy bones and in regulating blood pressure. It also enables proper nerve functioning, good blood circulation, strong immune system and a healthy heart.

Magnesium deficiency can lead to a number of ailments including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic back pain, etc. Asthma is also widely known to be associated with magnesium deficiencies and can lead to irregular heartbeats and panic attacks. Magnesium deficiency occurs mainly due to unhealthy diet, alcohol abuse, excessive vomiting, and long-term diarrhea. 

Here are a few signs that indicate that you are suffering from magnesium deficiency.

1. Muscle cramps: Regular muscle cramps are the first symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is extremely important for muscle growth and regeneration. It increases the intake of calcium and potassium- the two key elements important for muscle functioning. If you experience regular cramps, consult a physician immediately. Also, frequent muscle twitching and eye twitching might be symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
2. Migraine: Migraines are caused by a number of reasons and one such reason can be low magnesium levels in your body. Severe migraines should never be ignored as it can be due to an underlying medical condition. Check with your physician as in some cases, migraines can be treated if magnesium deficiency is addressed.
3. Irregular heart beat: Irregular heartbeats and rhythms are the biggest symptoms of low magnesium levels in the body. Magnesium is extremely important for proper functioning of the heart and proper blood circulation in the body. If you are suffering from these symptoms for quite some time, seek medical attention immediately.
4. Anxiety and restlessness: Restlessness and anxiety can be a norm of life for some people. There can be many explanations for this and one is magnesium deficiency. Magnesium can make our body and mind calm, and lack of this nutrient can cause depressions and restlessness. Increasing your magnesium level can help in reducing anxiety levels and restlessness.
5. Fatigue and weakness: If you are experiencing black outs and constant weakness, then you may be suffering from low magnesium levels. Magnesium plays an important role in breaking down glucose into energy. This energy is needed for metabolism and fights the weakness of your body. Lack of magnesium can be harmful in the long run and you might experience extreme instances of weakness and fatigue.

Magnesium intakes: Always have a healthy magnesium rich diet to supplement your magnesium levels. You can best get them from foods such as almonds, avocado, bananas, beans, and pumpkin seeds. You can also opt for milk, cashews, potatoes and yogurt. You can intake magnesium supplements too, but do consult with your doctor before taking them.

An essential prerequisite for good health is having regular bowel movements. People all over the world have a misconception about the regularity of bowel movements. Having bowel movements three times a day or three times a week (if that is the routine) is considered regular. Irregularity in bowel movements can often lead to constipation and it is something that should never be ignored. It not only affects our health but also affect our overall being in ways that are unexpected. Let us take a look at some of these unexpected side effects of not pooping regularly:

1. Constipation can trigger headaches: The cause for a headache can be many things, but the first likely reason is stress. When you do not poop properly, the pain, inconvenience and worry will build up, leading to mental stress. This anxiety can trigger headaches. Also, headache can occur because of dehydration, which is often a result of constipation. By drinking more water, you can get a relief from both constipation and headaches. Moreover, the buildup of toxins in the body also causes a headache. regular is a key channel that releases all the toxins from the body and when that does not work, it is bound to cause problems.
2. It can cause breakouts: What happens in and out the gut shows up on the skin. Skin conditions like acne, pimple, dark circles and even rashes can occur due to internal gut and digestive issues. When the toxins are not eliminated regularly from the body, they tend to accumulate over time leading to major skin breakouts.
3. It carries a risk of anal fissures: Due to hardened stool, there is not enough lubrication and this can lead to a tear of the skin. This is called an anal fissure and the prime symptom of this condition is the presence of blood in your stool. So, if you feel pain or see blood while pooping, you need to contact your healthcare provider and relieve your condition.
4. It may cause Diverticula or Heamerhoids: Long term constipation can lead to certain ailments which tend to form because of the pressure of straining to pass your poop. You can be affected with diverticula which result in bulges or pouches on the lining of the colon area. Or it can also cause a strain in the veins along the rectum and lead to
5. Hemorrhoids.
6. It affects your Bladder control: The colon and the bladder share a close relationship with each other. If there is too much pressure on the bladder because of a full colon, it can lead to decreased control of the bladder. Your bladder will not fill all the way, empty badly or cause unexpected leakages. So, chronic constipation can cause apparent leakage problems too.
7. It can make you lose appetite: Eating food can be a major turn off for people with constipation. Appetite loss is not just an enjoyable form of hunger suppression, but a big inconvenience.

The risks and harms of smoking are pretty much common knowledge to most people. Especially when the pack of cigarettes practically screams it out to you in bold letters. Yet, as statistics would say, smoking in young adults has been on the rise in the recent years. What makes them take this step? Maybe it is peer pressure, or maybe they do it for the thrill of it. Every country takes a great initiative in educating their population, yet some fail to understand the complexity of the situation.

Here are some of the reasons that will tell you that even a single puff of the deadly tobacco can severely harm your health and general well-being

1. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of cancer. It can cause cancer in most organs of the body. Smoking cigarettes can cause the following
   • Nose cancer
   • Throat cancer
   • Larynx cancer
   • Mouth cancer
   • Oesophageal cancer
   • Lung cancer
   • Liver cancer
   • Cervix cancer
   • Stomach cancer
   • Kidney cancer
   • Colorectal cancer
   • Cervical cancer etc.
2. Smokers are more prone to respiratory diseases because smoking is capable of compromising the immune system of the body.
3. Autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis are more likely to occur in smokers as their immune system is compromised by smoking.
4. Smoking has been linked to Diabetes type 2. This type of diabetes develops during adulthood. The more cigarettes a person smokes, the more likely is the person to develop this disease.
5. Smoking puts you at risk of developing several heart diseases such as angina, heart attacks, etc. because the nicotine in the body results in the lowering of good cholesterol. This causes deposition of bad cholesterol in the arteries.
6. Tobacco can cause tooth decay and several other oral problems such as gingivitis and other problems of the gum.
7. Cigarettes constrict your blood vessels. This constant narrowing of blood vessels can cause erectile dysfunction in men and leads to the infertility in both men and women. It also makes them difficult to achieve orgasms.
8. You might find yourself craving for cigarettes when you’re stressed out. This is because the effect of nicotine in the cigarettes is lowered by the hormone produced during a stressful situation, i.e. cortisone.
9. Nicotine that causes momentary central nervous system stimulation can cause addiction and dependence.

Around 40% of adults all over the world suffer from hypertension, and many may not know that too much of salt in the diet is the leading cause of developing high blood pressure. Recent studies from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension have shown the advantages of taking a lower amount of salt. But the real problem is that most people find salt to be tasteful just like sugar, and this tends to cast its harmful effects on overall health.

What happens to the body when you take too much of salt?
Salt contains sodium, and the kidneys have troubles to keep up with its optimal functions when there is an excessive amount of sodium in the bloodstream. When sodium starts to accumulate, the body holds back water for diluting the sodium which enters the blood vessels thereby increasing the volume of blood in the stream. When this happens, the heart has to overwork, and more pressure will be exerted in the blood vessels. With the passage of time, the excess amount of pressure would stiffen the blood vessels which would pave the way for stroke, heart attack or even heart failure.

What are the signs and symptoms of taking too much sodium?
Most people are generally unaware that there is an excessive salt intake and hence could be dangerous. Therefore, it is important to look for signs that your body is pleading to reduce the consumption of salt.

1. You are feeling very thirsty: When you eat foods with high amounts of sodium such as chips, pepperoni pizza, and ketchup, you are likely to feel dry. This is because of the high amounts of sodium that troubles the balance of fluid in the body which makes you crave for water so that it can restore the salt balance.
2. There are swellings at strange places in the body: You may feel bloated in the morning when you take too much of salt. This phenomenon is termed as edema which means swelling of extra fluid in the tissues in the body.
3. You may develop stomach ulcers: Taking too much sodium is associated with stomach ulcers as well as cancers in mammals according to the recent journal Infection and Immunity. Even though more research is required, there is no harm in reducing the amount of salt in the diet and enjoy a healthy life.

Research also indicates that reducing the amounts of sodium can lower death rate over the long term. Hence, it is advisable to stick to the recommended amount of 2300mg which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt per day to lead a healthy life.

The chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS is a kind of debilitating disorder which causes extreme fatigue and tiredness. It is not treatable through rest and cannot be explained in the light of any underlying medical condition and hence a major problem.

Causes of chronic fatigue
It is understood what causes chronic fatigue. There are theories stating that it is triggered by psychological stress, viral infection and a combination of different factors which vary from one individual to another. Since no particular cause is still identified and many infections and diseases produce similar symptoms, it can be very difficult to diagnose. According to the reports of the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, chronic fatigue is the end stage of numerous health disorders rather than a single problem.

Diagnosing chronic fatigue
The chronic fatigue is one of the most challenging conditions to diagnose. There are no lab tests for screening the disorder and many symptoms of the chronic fatigue are similar to other conditions. The best way to be sure that an individual is suffering from fatigue is to rule out the possibilities of other disorders like major depressive disorder, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, lupus, Lyme disease and mononucleosis.

Treating chronic fatigue disorder
At present, there is no particular cure for the chronic fatigue syndrome. Every person who is affected with the disease manifests different symptoms and thus, may require different treatment options which can manage the disease and relieve the symptoms. Some of the most prevalent treatment options for chronic fatigue include-

1. Home remedies and changes in lifestyle: Making proper lifestyle changes can bring about positive impact. One should try to limit and even eliminate the caffeine intake which can aid a better sleep and ease your insomnia. It is important to avoid sleeping during daytime. Another effective way is to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time each morning as a fixed routine.
2. Therapy: Two types of therapies can help the people suffering from the chronic fatigue disorder. The first one is psychological counseling which helps in coping with the problems and improving the mindset. Another option is physical therapy where a physical therapist can aid in creating a daily routine and carve out an exercise plan which gradually increases the intensity. This is termed as the graded exercise therapy or GET and it helps the patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome cope up with the difficulties.
3. Medications: It is important to note that no single medicine can treat all the symptoms of the chronic fatigue disorder. The symptoms can alter with the passage of time and may also trigger depression. The experts may recommend antidepressant for combatting it. In case the lifestyle changes fail to offer a restful sleep in the night, the doctor may also suggest a mild sedative. Sometimes, pain reliever is also suggested so that the affected individual can manage the joint pain caused by the chronic fatigue.

These are a few of the most common treatment options for chronic fatigue and helps in effective management of the disorder.