Dr. Satyanarayan Rao Clinic

Exercise has a considerable number of benefits to offer people who have diabetes. As a result of doing exercise on a regular basis, the blood sugar level stays in check. Managing diabetes without indulging in any physical activity is near to no good as exercise is the backbone of diabetes treatment. Here are the ten exercises that prove to be great for people with diabetes.

1. Walking: Walking is considered to be one of the best exercises for treating diabetes and the most prescribed physical activity for people with Type 2 diabetes. A daily brisk walking of at least 30 minutes can be the easiest way of increasing one’s physical activity level.
2. Running/jogging: By jogging or running daily, people can control their blood pressure and ensure good heart condition. It proves to be extremely beneficial for diabetes people who often develop risks of heart attacks or high blood pressure.
3. Weight training: As regular weight training helps in building the muscle mass, opting for this becomes necessary for people with Type 2 diabetes. Because losing muscle mass means difficulty in maintaining the blood sugar levels.
4. Tai Chi: Tai Chi helps in relaxing the body and mind as well as ensures trouble-free body movements. Tai Chi plays a crucial role in reducing stress and nerve damage, which is a common complication in diabetes.
5. Swimming: Swimming helps in relaxing and stretching the muscles, without exerting any pressure on the joints, which is why it is a great exercise for diabetic people. Often diabetic people lose sensation in their feet, which makes swimming the best option for them.
6. Yoga: Helping in lowering the body fat, improving the nerve function, and fighting the insulin resistance, yoga can benefit people suffering from diabetes in a lot of ways. By controlling the stress, it indirectly helps in lowering the blood sugar levels.
7. Stationary bicycling: A form of aerobic exercise, stationary bicycling ensures a strong heart and well-functioning lungs. Burning lots of calories, it improves the blood flow to the legs, which is important for diabetic people.
8. Water aerobics: Water aerobics, too, has a lot of benefits to offer to the diabetic people in terms of regaining the right body balance and strengthening the muscles.
9. Playing: For those who enjoy playing tennis or basketball, treating diabetes with exercise can be an easy job. All one has to do is play rigorously on a daily basis, and the body will stay fit and the blood sugar levels well controlled.
10. Dancing: Dancing can be a great way of doing exercise for the diabetic people as it helps in improving the flexibility of the body, reducing stress and lowering the blood sugar levels.

By including exercise as a regular part of their daily life, people with diabetes can not only experience positive effects on their diabetic condition but can also achieve an overall good health with desired fitness.

Are you fed up of tweezing, shaving or waxing the unwanted hair, then laser hair removal is the right option for you. Unwanted hair removal from different parts of the body is not only time consuming, but is also a very boring chore, which needs to be carried out on regular intervals. On top of it, the process is accompanied with the worry of bruising skin and often resulting in patches. With laser hair removal, the process has become easier and hassle free.

As per the laser hair removal process, a laser beam hits the individual hair follicle after passing through the skin. The intense heat of the laser damages the hair follicle, which inhibits future hair growth. Laser hair removal effectively slows hair growth and typically takes multiple laser hair removal sessions to completely get rid of the unwanted hair. The laser hair removal is most opted for areas such as female facial hair, bikini line hair and back hair for men. The process is most suited for people with light skin and dark hair.

Laser hair removal therapy has been classified in five methods. Although they are all different, but they function on one same principle of converting light to heat producing effect of laser. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged. The process does not require any recovery time which allows one to return to work immediately.

1. Ruby Laser Hair Removal was the first cosmetic laser hair removal system. The wavelength of this laser is 694 nm. The laser damages the hair follicles keeping surrounding tissues and structures in the skin safe. It gives long term hair free results and any hair regrowth is thinner, finer and patchier than previous growth. The built-in cooling system continuously cools the skin and is least painful in comparisons with other laser hair removal systems. It can be used on small areas of skin and slow laser repetition rate resulting in better and long treatment times.
2. Alexandrite Laser Hair Removal works in a similar manner as the Ruby Laser hair removal system. The wavelength used in this system is 755 nm, which is in the red infrared part of the light spectrum. It is the fastest available laser hair removal treatments. It has excellent penetration rate and can cover large areas of skin. It also work great on albino skin and freckled skin, on which many other laser hair removal systems are ineffective. It is effective on skin with white to olive tones with thinner hair types. It is not suitable for dark skin as the skin pigment can change.
3. Diode Laser Hair Removal are made up of diodes or semiconductors operating at wavelength of 800 - 810nm. It can be used effectively darker skin coupled with thick, coarse hair making it popular with men due to its effectiveness on back and chest hair. It is the next most useful hair removal light source and the most promising laser for hair removal. The Diode laser features a longer wavelength and thus able to provide better results among dark-skinned people. This laser provides safer and deeper penetration into the skin layer. Large areas of the body tend to recover faster.
4. Nd:YAG Laser Hair Removal is the most advanced type of laser hair removal system. It works at wavelengths of 1064 nm in a double frequency mode, which creates green light at 532nm wavelengths. It is effective on all skin types, including Asian and dark skin tones. It has a fast rate of repetition and can be used on larger areas of skin.
5. IPL or Intense Pulse Light Hair Removal system is a non-coherent laser. It is flexible than laser hair removal, as there is no set laser wavelength. For this treatment parameters are set to suit one's individual needs, giving one a personalised treatment. It can cover large areas of skin and has smaller risk of damaging surrounding tissues.

Sudden weight loss is extremely common. It is mainly adopted by people who are depressed because of their weight and want to reduce weight rapidly. There can be various reasons why people would want to adopt sudden weight loss techniques. Few of these reasons are obesity, feelings of social neglect, heart diseases and inactivity or lethargy.

Sometimes many people want to reduce weight as soon as possible. They try to lose weight by dieting or by consuming certain medications. This might result in a lot of complications such as:

1. If you reduce weight rapidly, it might cause the skin to be left behind and also it will cause the skin to sag. This also creates stretch marks on the surface of your skin from where you intend to lose weight. This might give a very unsightly appearance to your body. So it is better to reduce weight slowly.
2. Many people try to starve themselves while dieting to get faster results. This is extremely harmful for your body. It can result in dehydration and sometimes also lead to nausea or fainting.
3. Rapid weight loss can also make you lose water from your body. This can be extremely detrimental for your health. It is difficult to burn a lot of calories in a short time instead you might be burning water from your body which is very harmful.
4. Sudden weight loss is not a permanent solution. You should be very careful while adopting rapid forms of weight loss exercise or diet, you might lose weight for a limited period, but since your body isn’t trained to adapt to temporary and rapid changes, you might start gaining weight rapidly instead.
5. Rapid weight loss can also lead to the formation of gallstones. It can also cause infection because of obstruction in the normal flow of the bile from the gallbladder to the intestine.
6. Hair loss can also occur, if you are trying to lose weight rapidly. Protein intake gets reduced when you follow a strict diet plan for rapid weight loss. This can make your hair extremely brittle and dry hence causing it to break.

If you want to reduce weight, it is better to follow a diet chart which does not make you starve and rather balances your diet.

Insomnia is a disorder where a person has difficulty sleeping. One can have problem falling asleep or staying asleep for long. Some people also have disturbed sleep. This can be a major problem as due to lack of sleep one feels tired and fatigued all day.

Recurring cases of insomnia hamper your daily activities and interfere with the smooth functioning of your life. Therefore, this condition should not be ignored and treated immediately.

Here are the various ways to treat insomnia:

Non-Medical (Cognitive and Behavioral treatment)
Several psychological and behavioral techniques can be used for the treatment of insomnia. Many of these methods can be easily self-taught and others require a therapist to be carried out properly. 

1. Relaxation training, which is also called progressive muscle relaxation involves the patient to tense and relax his muscles systematically in various parts or regions of the body. Relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, various forms of meditation, mindfulness and guided imagery are used for treating insomnia people. The use of audio recordings for guidance in these techniques is quite popular.
2. Stimulus control enables building an association between the bedroom and sleep. This is done by limiting several kinds of activities done in a bedroom. This may include going to bed only when very sleepy and leaving bed if you cannot sleep within twenty minutes. A strict bedtime and wake up time schedule has to be maintained.
3. Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT involves changes in behavior like maintaining a strict sleep time schedule, elimination of afternoon naps and other habits related to sleep. A cognitive component is also added to this method. Unhealthy beliefs and fear regarding sleep are challenged and positive, rational thinking is encouraged. CBT is a very effective procedure for treating insomnia and the track record regarding success is high.
4. Changes in lifestyle are required to treat insomnia and prevent recurrence of insomnia, you should change certain habits and start some new practices. You should limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Do not consume coffee or tea before going to sleep and avoid smoking. The habits may be stimulating and will keep you awake. Your diet should be balanced. You should avoid having rich and spicy food before going to bed. Avoid late meals and maintain a proper schedule for meals. Regular exercise can improve the symptoms of insomnia and you should try to work out every day.

Medical Treatment: There are many forms of medicines, which can treat insomnia. This includes over-the-counter medicines, as well as prescribed medicines. The type of medicine required completely depends on the severity and symptoms of your insomnia and other factors related to health. Therefore, you must consult a doctor before having any kind of medicine for treating insomnia.

The most common medicines for insomnia, which are usually prescribed by doctors are benzodiazepine hypnotics, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics and melatonin receptor agonists. However, medicines should only be taken after consulting with a specialist. Insomnia not only affects your health but also interferes with all your daily activities. Proper treatment should be taken to treat the same.

If you are suffering from back pain, you should know that the tiniest of movements can trigger the same. Back pain may occur due to several factors or reasons and it hampers your daily activities and standards of life to a great extent. However, you need to become active instead of being immobile for relieving back pain. If any movement increases your pain, you must avoid doing it.

There are several exercises which help in strengthening your back muscles and performing these on a regular basis will provide you relief from back pain drastically. Here are 7 common  exercises which you should carry out:

1. Pelvic tilt: You have to lie on your back and keep your knees bend, but touching. Your feet should stay flat on the floor. By flattening your lower back against the wall and tilting your pelvis downwards, you must maintain the position for 20 to 40 seconds. Meanwhile, you must breathe slowly and deeply and then release. This stretch requires small movements for reducing tension, thereby easing your back pain.

2. Lumbar stretch: You need to sit on a chair, roll your head, chest, neck and lower back forward till your head gets between the knees. Hold the position and take deep breaths. Slowly, get back to the sitting position. Repeat this twice.

3. Cat position: You have to kneel on your fours and keep the knees and hip width separate. Keep the stomach muscles tense, arch your back like a cat does and maintain the position for five seconds. Repeat this and then allow your stomach to drop towards the floor direction and hold it for five seconds again.

4. Curl ups: For this exercise, you should lie on your back with the knees bent and your feet kept flat on the floor. Placing your hands behind the head will make the stomach muscles tense. Then, lift your shoulders, head and upper back from the floor. Do this around 10 times. This is ideal for strengthening your back.

5. Dry swimming: Begin by lying on your stomach, keeping a rolled-up towel under your belly for support. By tightening your buttocks, raise one arm and the opposite leg simultaneously. Switch your arms and legs and perform this for about two minutes.

6. Leg lift: For leg lifts, you should lie on your back with the knees kept bend and the feet kept flat on the floor. You have to press your lower back to the floor and straighten a leg with the knees aligned. After bending your leg, return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other side.

7. Cobra stretch: The cobra stretch is another ideal movement for stretching your tight abdominal muscles and lower back. You need to lie on your stomach with your legs extended and your palms planted on the sides of your head.

If you are diabetic then it is important that you visit your ophthalmologist for regular check-ups. Diabetes is known to be one of main causes for blindness across all age groups. If you suffer from bouts of blurred vision then it is not likely due to a long term vision problem. It is temporary and usually occurs due to fluctuating blood sugar levels in the body.

How diabetes affects your eyes?
The lens of your eyes can swell if you are a diabetic, and this can impair your ability to see causing blurry vision. In order to rectify this problem, it is important for you to get your blood sugar levels under optimal levels. This entire procedure of reducing blood sugar levels may take three months or more.

Eye problems that are caused by diabetes
The major eye problems that can occur due to diabetes are

1. Cataract: Cataract occurs when the lens of your eyes become foggy or cloudy. Although cataract mostly occurs to people who are middle aged or above sixty, you can get affected by this disorder at an earlier age if you are diabetic. Also, the deterioration or clouding of the lens progresses at a much faster rate than usual. Cataracts lead to an inability to focus as the retina is covered by cloudy layer.
2. Glaucoma: This is another disorder that can occur due to diabetes. This is characterized by the buildup of pressure in the eye due to the fluids within it not draining properly. This intense pressure damages the nerves and blood vessels in the eyes, thus impairing your ability to see.
3. Diabetic Retinopathy: Diabetic retinopathy is a disorder characterized by damage to the vessels in the retina that carry blood. It can occur if you have either of the type 2 or type 1 diabetes. If not treated in time it can lead to blindness.

If you have a history of diabetes or even borderline diabetic tendencies, it is highly advisable to constantly check your blood sugar levels and also get your eye checked at regular intervals, especially if you feel even the minutest vision problems.

A head louse is an insect that lives on the human scalp and feeds on human blood. The female louse lays eggs in the head and makes sure the eggs are attached to the hair shaft. It takes around eight days for the egg to hatch. The louse takes another 11 days to mature into an adult louse.

Causes:
The primary cause of head louse is poor personal hygiene. Other causes due to which a person can be infected by lice are:

1. Using combs and towels that are infested.
2. Coming in contact with another person who has this condition.
3. Sharing the bed with a person who is affected by lice.

Symptoms:

When a person is affected by this condition then the following symptoms are observed:

1. The saliva of the lice causes an allergic reaction in the scalp which leads to constant itching. It can occur in various places such as ears, scalp and the neck. It may not occur initially, but it tends to occur after a few weeks.
2. Constant scratching can lead to formation of small red bumps on the skin. A bacterial infection usually occurs from constant itching.
3. It may lead to symptoms of dandruff in the scalp.
4. Presence of various insects in the scalp.

Prevention of Lice:

Lice can be prevented by using medicated shampoos and conditioners to wash the hair. The shampoos are usually based on a chemical called pyrethrin. This compound is toxic for lice and helps in getting rid of it.

You can also opt for the following lifestyle changes to prevent lice:

1. You should avoid sharing your hairbrush with others.
2. In case you have long hair, tie it in buns or ponytails.
3. Add tea tree oil to your shampoo before using it.
4. Keep the scalp clean to prevent infestations.
5. Avoid sharing pillows and clothes.

Freckles are not always unwanted. While some people can't stand them, a few people find them cute. However, everybody loves clear skin and to achieve that it is essential to bid farewell to freckles. Freckles are tiny brown spots that are caused by an increased production of melanin in the skin cells.

People with sensitive skin are more prone to freckles than others. If you're looking for a way to get clearer skin, here are a few remedies to help you deal with freckles: 

• Use sunscreen: The first step towards fighting freckles is to prevent them. Freckles are a result of exposure to the sun and hence using a good sunscreen every day is a must. Choose a sunscreen that fights both UVA and UVB rays. The more your exposure to the sun, the higher the amount of SPF needed. 
• Bleach them with lemon juice: Lemon juice is the best form of natural bleach. Apply freshly squeezed juice or bottled lime juice onto the skin and leave for 15*20 minutes. Do this twice a day to see your freckles fade. Along with bleaching the skin, the citric acid also helps tighten the skin and makes you look younger. 
• Increase your intake of vitamin C: Vitamin C helps lighten the skin. Apart from the limes and lemons, kiwis, tomatoes, bell peppers and papaya are good sources of vitamin C. 
• Use sour milk and sour cream: Sour milk and sour cream contain lactic acid that inhibits melanin production and lighten the skin. Wash your face with sour milk three to four times a day. You may rinse your face with water a little while after each sour milk wash. Apply the sour cream on your face as a mask and leave on for 15*20 minutes. This will help your skin absorb the lactic acid. 
• Mask them with honey: Apply a mixture of honey and warm water over the freckles. Let it sit for a while and then rinse with lukewarm water. Follow this by rinsing your face with cold water. Alternatively, you could try a mask of honey and yogurt. Leave this mask on for at least half an hour. 
• Try a fruit peel: Along with eating them, you could also put fruit directly on your skin to fight freckles. Blend fruits like strawberries, papaya, pineapple and cucumber and apply it on your face. As it dries the top layer of skin sticks to the fruit and is peeled off. With repeated use, you will notice your freckles fade away.

If none of this works, you could also try skin lightening creams or chemical peels and laser freckle removal. 

From a medical standpoint, intercourse during menstruation is completely fine. Most men have claimed that period sex seems messier when compared to intercourse on normal days but, other than that, there aren’t any risk regarding period sex. In fact, it is advisable to engage in vaginal intercourse during periods for a variety of reasons.

Here are a few things you should know about period sex:

1. Intercourse during periods isn’t harmful: Contrary to the popular myth, period blood doesn’t contain impurities which might affect the penis in any way. Instead, menstrual blood is normal blood mixed with disposed off tissues from the lining of the uterus and the penis isn’t affected by menstrual blood in any way. The menstrual blood serves as excellent lubricant to make the process of intercourse smoother.
2. Chances of pregnancy still persist: It is not okay to completely ward off protective measures during periods because even though it is safer than other days, there might be a small chance that the sperm of a man lives on in the female body till early ovulation. Besides, the chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease is the same during period sex.
3. Can relieve cramps: Some women claim that having sex during their period helps ease their cramps as having an orgasm releases ‘pain- reducing endorphins’ into the bloodstream. Also, some medical practitioners believe that sex provides relief by using up chemicals which are responsible for cramps. Thus, having period sex can prove to be relaxing and less painful than normal days.
4. Sexual arousal ups during menstruation: Most women feel hornier and more aroused during periods because of the increase in the hormonal levels. Some women feel heavier in the pelvic area which increases the sex drive; precisely the reason why having sex during this time is a good idea. So, for all you know, you might actually have a brilliant intercourse session when she’s on her period.