Navjivan Hospital

The procedures, techniques, and principles of cosmetic surgery are entirely focused on enhancing a patient’s appearance. It gives you new confidence and Improves aesthetic appeal, symmetry, and proportion are the key goals.

Maintaining proper vaginal hygiene is imperative to ward off any sort of STDor STI, even before any sort of irritation, infection or disease occurs. The normal vaginal pH balance helps cater to the growth of useful bacteria. Some useful tips to maintain proper vaginal hygiene can be:

1. Douching (spraying a mixture of water, baking soda, vinegar or iodine on the vaginal area) is strictly discouraged. It can interfere with the normal pH levels of the vagina and can make the area extremely acidic, which sets the stage for the growth of bacterial infections.

2. A balanced, healthy, nutritious diet is recommended for a healthy vagina as well as for good reproductive health. Certain fluids such as cranberryjuice can help prevent the onset of any yeast infection.

3. Safe sex should be practised in order to keep harmful bacteria away. Using a condom during a sexual intercourse helps prevent the occurrence of any sort of STI or STD.

4. Gynaecological check-ups should be done every four months or so to be on the safe side regarding any doubts about unhealthy vagina. Prevention is always better than cure in the long run.

5. Petroleum jelly should not be used for lubrication during sexual intercourse as such fluids tend to damage the latex in the condom and may even lead to a possible infection.

6. Clothes should be chosen carefully to keep the vaginal area clean and dry. Cotton underwear is generally the best option in this regard as it can help prevent any bacterial infection by keeping the area clean and dry.

7. Certain simple sanitary habits such as changing of tampons or sanitary pads every four hour during one’s periods, proper washing of the genital area after relieving the bowels, can go a long way in nurturing the health of the vagina.

8. Opt for gentle skin care products to wash the vaginal area as that area is extremely sensitive. Avoid scrubbing the vaginal area as well.

Most women stay confused with the time of their ovulation. Couples who are sexually healthy and are in their 20s and 30s and are not using any birth control measures have 20% chances of getting pregnant. It is interesting to know that you have a high chance of getting pregnant at the time of ovulation. It is a small window period that comes each month. It is the time when your ovary produces ovum or egg and the egg is open for fertilisation. Even if you are having sex two or three days before ovulation, there is a high possibility of fertilisation. After ovulation is over, the window period gets shut for the next cycle. It is the safe period. Though doctors say that it cannot be considered 100% safe to have unprotected sex during this period, the chances of getting pregnant are considerably lower.

When does ovulation actually start?
It should be remembered that ovulation takes place at the middle of your menstrual cycle. It usually occurs halfway through the cycle. Commonly, the average time period of a cycle is 28 days. But, in some cases, women may have cycles as long as 23 to 35 days.

How will you know that you are ovulating?

1. Check your calendar: It is a healthy habit to keep a menstrual calendar. You must maintain the dates for a few months. This will give you an idea as to when you actually ovulate.It is difficult to know the actual time of ovulation if you are having irregular periods.
2. Carefully listen to your body: It is a common thing that your body spontaneously sends a memo to you before ovulation starts. You get cramps or feel pain in the lower abdomen before ovulation starts. This pain is called mittelschmerz. It is a reminder of the coming periods.
3. Chart your body temperature: Well, you will need to keep a record of your basal body temperature. You can measure it after three to five hours of sleep. Your basal body temperature changes throughout the monthly ovulation cycle. Progesterone hormone is responsible for the increase in body temperature. In the first half of the month, the progesterone levels are low and hence the temperature remains low as compared to the second half of ovulation.
4. You can go for saliva test: Your saliva contains the estrogen hormone. Its level changes throughout the cycle. You can also use an ovulation detector kit to know the dates.

Menstruation is a healthy experience of a woman’s life, and it must come habitually every 28 days, for a period of 3-4 days without coagulating, and the blood loss should correspond to about a quarter of a cup. For a woman, menstrual cycle is a virtuous indicator of her overall wellbeing. Some women get irregular periods that appear at longer intervals, an unpredictable discrepancy in the duration of the cycle and the normal twenty-eight-day cycle is missing. Some women have very insignificant problems with menstrual cycles, while others experience a monthly torture.

Irregular menses is typical in early puberty and not generally perturbing. Women should be alarmed when periods are spaced out for more than two months, as this may suggest hormonal imbalance and ovulation problems. A woman’s customary hormonal cycle is contingent upon a subtle equilibrium between different hormones. Several potential triggers can stimulate hormonal imbalance leading to irregular menses. If a woman fails to ovulate, her ovaries will not receive a signal to produce a hormone called progesterone. Progesterone is essential in regulating the Uterine lining called endometrium, which is discarded during menstruation. Without progesterone, the endometrium persistently grows until it starts to break down and is disposed off as a very heavy uterine bleeding. The endometrium may also shed partially and intermittently, and bleeding becomes irregular or prolonged.

Causes of Irregular Menses:

• Puberty.

• Birth control pills.

• Stress.

• Poor diet due to anorexia, bulimia can influence your hormones.

• Excessive weight loss or gain.

• Intense exercise.

• Breastfeeding.

• Anxiety regarding pregnancy.

• Anemia.

• Menopause.

• Excessive production of Androgen (a steroid hormone such as testosterone that controls the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics).

• Uterine fibroids, cysts, polyps.

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (in this condition the ovary does not make all the hormones needed for any egg to mature fully, due to which some follicles remain as cysts, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made. Without progesterone a woman’s menstrual cycle is irregular or absent).

• Endometriosis (this is a condition where cells similar to those found inside the uterus grow and are attached outside the uterus forming implants. This can lead to infertility and irregular menses).

• Pelvic infection.

• Ovarian cancer.

• Inflammatory Bowel disease.

• Thyroid disease.

Symptoms of Irregular Menses:

• Inconsistency in the length of menstrual cycle.

• Acne.

• Bloating.

• Low energy levels.

• Sore breasts.

• Fever.

• Chills.

• Changes in sexual desire.

• Infertility.

• Depression.

Homeopathic Approach to Irregular Menses:

Homeopathy offers an holistic approach for treatmet of Irregular menses. Homeopathic treatment for Irregular Menstruation is very competent, non-invasive, safe and inexpensive. Homeopathy treats the patient as a whole and looks deeper into the problem, promotes the immune function and maintains uterine health by eliminating the causative factor. Homeopathic Constitutional treatment based on the holistic approach stimulates the natural hormonal balance without administering any harmful hormone preparations. The goal of this Homeopathic approach is to enliven the body's natural healing and self-repair ability to treat the underlying condition, to prevent it and to create the highest state of health and well-being.

Constitutional Homeopathic treatment with the management of an experienced and professional Homeopath is an excellent choice for Irregular Menstruation. Some Homeopathic remedies that are commonly used to treat Menstrual Irregularities are given below. It is not advisable to resort to self-medication for any disease.

Self-care measures for Irregular Menses:

• Relax and ease stress.

• Avoid exhausting physical exercise.

• Eliminate any eating disorders.

• Eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Reduce your intake of salt and caffeine.

Hence, appreciate a natural way to a healthy uterus, convalesce healthy living and curtail the changes that happen during your menstrual years.

An in-vitro fertilisation procedure carried out to counter the problem of male infertility is Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Male infertility factors include poor quality of sperm, low sperm counts, poor sperm movement or the disability to penetrate an egg. Azoospermia is one such rare condition wherein there is no sperm in the semen. Through this injection, a single sperm can be injected into the egg directly. The fertilised egg is placed into the woman s uterus or the fallopian tubes. The first successful birth using this procedure was on January 1992 after the conception took place in April 1991.

Collecting Sperm
Sperm can be collected from the male through masturbation. If this procedure somehow fails then sperm can be removed through a surgery. Using a small incision, sperm can be withdrawn from the testicle and is used in the procedure. If the ejaculation of sperm is prevented due to a blockage or if the problem arises in the development of the sperm, surgery method is used.

Injecting the sperm
This is performed through the following steps. A specialised pipette or a glass tube is used to hold the egg, a single sperm is picked with the help of a sharp and delicate needle, the needle is then inserted carefully into the cytoplasm of the egg through the egg shell, then the sperm gets injected into the cytoplasm and the eggs are checked to see whether they have been adequately fertilized.

After this process is done, eggs which are fertilised successfully are selected and placed into the uterus with the help of a catheter. The number of embryos an individual needs to transfer is determined depending on the age of the person and other health issues. For this purpose, a thorough full body check-up is carried out and the medical history is checked during the preliminary consultations.

Expectations from the treatment
The treatment of fertilisation using an Intracytoplasmic sperm injection can be demanding, both physically and mentally for the woman (mother). An individual has to go through regular shots and monitoring including blood tests. There are moments when the shots can be painful for the woman undergoing the procedure.

The reason behind the procedure
When a male is having severe infertility issues, the method of ICSI is helpful. There are times when very little sperm or no sperm ejaculation, the eggs can be fertilised through this procedure. Testing of an embryo for genetic problems is also accomplished through this procedure. When in vitro fertilisation or IVF does not work even after trying repeatedly, then couples can undergo the treatment using ICSI.

Success rate
When ICSI is used along with better quality eggs, it is seen to be successful on many occasions. Especially for men who have sperm ejaculation issues.

Are you suffering from a sore throat that is prolonged in nature? Although, a sore throat is not very severe, being prolonged in nature indicates that it is chronic. You should not ignore a sore throat that does not heal over a long period of time. This might be an indication of a serious problem, and you will require proper diagnosis.

When is a sore throat termed as chronic?

1. A sore throat may take various forms. It can be itchy, burning, scratchy in nature, and can also cause difficulty in swallowing food.
2. It is likely for a sore throat to be accompanied by a form of pesky cough that leads to further irritation of the throat.
3. Sore throats can also occur from common colds and several viruses. These usually resolve on their own.
4. However, when your sore throat is persistent and you cannot find relief, it is referred to as a chronic sore throat. The primary cause of sore throat includes strep throat, allergies, tonsillitis or the infection of your tonsils, inhaling air pollutants, influenza, cigarette smoking, and inhaling via the mouth.
5. Among these conditions, strep throat and tonsillitis may turn into severe problems, if not treated properly.
6. Smoking is a major cause of chronic sore throat. You should control your smoking to eliminate these sore throat symptoms.
7. Snoring is also a major cause for sore throat.

Relief from chronic sore throat
No matter what is the cause of your chronic throat pain, or sore throat is, you should follow some steps and undertake simple home remedies for soothing your scratchy, itchy and painful throat. Some of them include the following:

1. Do hot water steam inhalation daily, which will help
2. You must stay well hydrated and should moisten your throat by drinking lots of fluids throughout the day. You should add honey to warm drinks and hot tea.
3. You may take over the counter pain relievers.
4. You should install a humidifier in your home for preventing dry air that causes irritation to your throat.
5. You may try gargling regularly with warm water and salt, at least twice a day.

It is difficult to diagnose the exact cause of a sore throat, but when it worsens or does not tend to leave, something serious is indicated. You must consult a doctor and undertake a physical examination of your throat in order to detect the cause.

We all know that the homeopathic system of medicine is side effect free, so apparently there is no harm if these medicines are not consumed in an appropriate manner. But the only issue of concern here is that the medicines would be less effective if you are not consuming them in the right manner.

So, here are a few tips that you necessarily need to keep in mind while following a homeopathic medicine course.

• Never touch the medicines: Ideally you should never touch the homeopathic medicines with your bare hands, fingers or palm. This is because touching them reduces their potency, thereby declining their efficiency. Additionally, never use printed papers which contain ink like pages torn from a book, newspapers, etc. For handling homeopathic medicine. This is because the ink may react with the medicines, thereby hampering its efficiency. Always use bottle caps or plain papers provided along with the medicines.
• Follow the thirty minute rule: This particular rule states that you should not ideally consume any food half an hour before and half an hour after consuming the homeopathic medicine dosage. This is done so that any other elements present inside the food do not react with the medicines, hence making them less effective.
• Stay away from addictive substances: Addictive behaviors such as smoking or chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol and doing drugs are considered to have a nullifying effect on the homeopathic medications that you are exposed to. Thus it is desirable not to engage in such acts, till the time your homeopathic medications continues.
• Strong smelling edibles: You can have garlic and onion with homeopathic medicine, but make sure there is a gap of one hour before you consume them, either before or after. The strong smelling edibles will not hamper the medicinal effect, if taken 1 hour before or after the medicine.

The aorta is the largest blood vessel that supplies pure, oxygenated blood to the various parts of the body. Starting in the left lower heart chamber, it takes a U-turn down to the abdominal area and then the legs. It branches as it goes down, with two main branches being the thoracic and abdominal aorta.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm, also known as thoracic aortic dissection or descending aortic aneurysm is abnormal swelling of the aorta in the chest which can rupture over a period of time. The exact cause as to why this occurs has not been identified yet. Family history does have a role to play along with smoking, and history of heart disease, identified as risk factors.
The condition is quite slow to progress and often gets diagnosed when some other disease is being investigated. There are no clear symptoms to indicate this aneurysm, other than a probable hoarseness of voice, difficulty swallowing or pain in the shoulder blades. This is often due to the pressure it exerts on the surrounding areas.

Diagnosis, as noted above, is often when some other condition is being investigated. It can be identified on an x-ray and then further confirmed with MRI or CT scan.

Treatment is often decided based on the overall severity of an aneurysm and the condition of the patient. In most cases, the doctor might decide to wait and watch. The patient is monitored at regular intervals to ensure no symptoms develop and the condition is under control. Every once in 6 months, a scanning can be done to ensure that the aneurysm is not growing. The idea is to prevent rupture and internal bleeding, which can be life-threatening. Thoracic aortic endovascular graft repair, often referred to as TEVAR, is the most widely used technique for definitive treatment of a thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Treatment: What happens during TEVAR is that an aneurysm is identified and isolated. An incision is made in the groin area through which a small device is placed in the aorta at the area of an aneurysm. The part of the aorta with the aneurysm is replaced with a graft, so that normal blood flow is restored. Alternately, the blood flow could be bypassed to skip the aneurysm and flow through an alternate route.
This is a minimally invasive procedure and done as an outpatient than the conventional open heart surgeries that were done earlier.

Postop care:
- Maintain good control over blood pressure
- Watch out for recurrence, especially if there is a strong family history
- Quit smoking

Thoracic aortic aneurysms are very rare and not easy to identify. However, given the possible complications, they require timely intervention.
 

Hypoglycemia is a condition that is associated with a lower amount of glucose in the body. Since glucose is the main source of energy in the body, it creates quite a few complications in the body. In a majority of the cases, this condition is associated with diabetes. Hypoglycemia, like fever, is not a disease but a disease indicator. A quick fix to keep hypoglycemia under check is to ensure that a patient intakes high-sugar food. A long-term fix involves a doctor treating a patient for the root cause.

What are the common symptoms?

The body needs a constant supply of glucose to carry out the daily function. In a case of short supply, it presents with the following symptoms:

• Frequent heart palpitations
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Shakiness
• Pale skin
• Sweating

As the condition worsens, the symptoms can aggravate to the following conditions:

• Frequent seizures b. Inability to complete daily work due to confusion
• Sudden loss of consciousness
• Problems related to vision such as blurred vision

People with an acute hypoglycemia can get a feeling of intoxication at times. Words get slurred while they talk.

What are the causes?

Glucose is one of the many sugar molecules that the body produces when it digests food. Glucose is one such sugar component and is the driver of energy. There are 2 reasons of diabetes. If the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin or the body is incapable of responding to the insulin. This results in a logjam of glucose in the body. To address the problem, intake of insulin is required. Too much of insulin intake can result in hypoglycemia. The latter can also befall if an adequate amount of food is not consumed while going through a medicine course of diabetes. Even too much of working out while consuming diabetic medicine can also result in hypoglycemia.

Other probable causes:

1. Alcohol consumption- A regular drinker who eats less runs a heavy risk of suffering from hypoglycemia. This blocks the liver and the latter can refrain from releasing glucose.
2. Critical illness- Hypoglycemia may occur from certain critical illnesses such as liver illness, kidney disorder, frequent starvation etc.
3. Overproduction of the insulin- A tumour of the pancreas known as the insulinoma causes the body over-produce insulin.
4. Hormonal deficiencies- Disorders related to the pituitary gland and adrenal gland runs a serious risk of suffering of hypoglycemia due to hormonal deficiencies.

What are the complications?

Some of the common complications of this conditions include loss of consciousness, seizures and at times even death. Frequent episodes of hypoglycemia can make a person go numb and speechless.

Diagnosis:

A doctor typically asks a patient to go for a fast of 12 hours in a hospital setting and then test the glucose level in the blood. It ensures that the body exhibits the correct symptoms of hypoglycemia. The doctor analyses the blood sample report and decides whether a person has this condition. The last and the final confirmation comes when the symptoms of hypoglycemia go away as soon as the blood sugar levels are increased.

Prevention:

In the case of a diabetic patient, it is necessary to ensure that a constant evaluation of the blood sugar level happens from time to time. Eating and medicine schedules need to be adhered to. Exercise too is important. All this needs to be done in consultation with the doctor.