Healthcare

What causes eye redness?

“Red eye” is often used to refer to bloodshot eyes or significant redness in one or both eyes. Many individuals suffer from red eye at some point or the other, but having bloodshot eyes is not normal and can be triggered due to many reasons. Usually red eyes are not a reason to be overly concerned, but if it’s coupled with inflammation, irritation, pain and watery eyes, it could be a sign of medical emergency.

Serious or not, it is important to be aware of the reasons that can cause red eye.

Allergy
Eye redness is a common indicator of an allergic reaction. It is often accompanied with burning and itching. The eyes turn red as the blood vessels in the front part of the eye dilates, causing swelling. It can be prevented by avoiding known allergens and taking appropriate medication by the doctor.

Conjunctivitis or Pink eye
It is an infection that involves swelling and irritation in the conjunctiva. It is highly infectious and common among young children. It is usually not serious, but it is important to seek medical guidance.

Contact Lenses
Often over wearing or not caring enough for your contact lenses can build up irritating surface deposits and microbes on your eye. If eyes turn red while wearing contacts, it is essential to remove contacts immediately and consult your eye doctor.

Computer vision Syndrome
When you stare at a computer screen for a long time, you tend to blink less than usual which can dry out the surface of your eye. This induces a burning sensation and redness in the eye. To avoid this, it is essential to take frequent breaks while working on a computer, use lubricating eye drops, and use glasses with lenses that provide protection from the computer light.

References:

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/red-eyes.htm

https://www.verywell.com/top-causes-of-red-eye-3422111

http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/red-eye/basics/causes/sym-20050748

The importance of donating blood

You don’t have to be a doctor to save lives… you can just donate blood!

All of us at some point would have donated or known someone who donated blood. Through college, workplaces and even blood donation drives, we would have seen the importance of donating blood and the passion with which certain people drive these campaigns.

However, have you really thought about what is the pressing need to donate blood?

How does it benefit you? How does it benefit the people you are donating to?

On World Blood Donation Day let us understand the importance of donating blood that goes a step further than it just being a good deed.

Weight Loss
Blood donation reduces the weight of donors – in case you are obese or at a risk of cardiovascular disorders, donating blood regularly is a great idea for you.

New Blood Cells
Once you donate blood, the body replenishes itself by producing new blood cells that helps you maintain good health.

Healthy heart and liver
Since iron over-load in the body causes diseases related to the heart and liver, donating blood helps in maintaining iron levels and reduces diseases.

Better Blood Flow
Repeated blood donations can help blood flow better and ensure good health – this is because a good blood flow limits damages to the lining of your blood vessels and results in fewer blockages.

Regular Medical Examination
Sometimes, we do not have the time to go get our vitals checked and ensure we are in the best of our health. However, donating blood regularly means that your vitals will be checked regularly and you can spot anything that goes wrong with your body immediately.

Volunteering
With volunteering and helping another person altruistically comes a sense of wellness that promotes general health and well-being.

Donation is the only way to get blood!
Even with medical improvements and technology at its peak, blood cannot be artificially made. The only way to get blood for a person who is struggling for his life is by using blood that has been donated. Hence, it is critical that someone donates blood to save another life!

Reference:

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/blood-donation.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/28/blood-donation-benefits.aspx

Coffee Grounds and Your Skin

You wake up to the pleasant smell of your morning coffee which you sip and rejoice. While going back to the kitchen to throw away the leftover coffee grounds, have you wondered about how else you can use it?

Here are 5 ways that the leftover coffee grounds can contribute to your beauty regimen:

1. Removing cellulite:

The fat causing dimpling of the skin, especially on the hips and thighs can be reduced. All you have to do is mix dried coffee grounds with the same amount of salt, and add a few drops of olive oil. Steam your skin and apply it in slow circular upward movements. Repeat procedure 1-2 times a week.

2. Hair fall:

Never ending problem of hair fall finally has a fix! Mix 2 tbsp of ground coffee with 3 oz of heated olive oil. Apply the mask on damp hair and wrap it in foil. After half an hour, rinse with shampoo. Repeat procedure 1-2 times a week.
Note: When used on light hair, the remedy might cause a change of tint.

3. Swelling under the eyes:

Are the bags under your eyes not going away? Try this – Take half tsp of ground coffee beans or fresh coffee grounds, half tsp of coconut oil, a pinch of ground black pepper, a few drops of water and mix well. Apply under the lower eyelids and rinse it off with warm water within 15-20 minutes.

4. Dry / Cracked lips:

Say hello to soft lips! Mix half tsp of coffee grounds and half tsp of honey. Massage your lips with the scrub for only 30 seconds, and then remove it with a wet cotton swab.

5. Oily skin:

Tired of having an oily face? Take fresh coffee grounds and mix it with 1 tbsp yogurt. Apply the mixture on your entire face by massage it for 1-2 minutes and then slowly rinse it off with cold water.

Reference:

https://makeupandbeauty.com/5-best-homemade-coffee-face-packs/

https://brightside.me/inspiration-health/this-effective-hair-and-skin-beauty-remedy-can-be-found-in-every-home-329010/

Tips To Keep Urinary Incontinence In Control

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine or in other words it is a condition in which a person urinates when they do not want to. Apart from being a really uncomfortable problem that not many people want to talk about, it might surprise you to know that it is really common.

Urinary incontinence is a fairly common problem that is prevalent today and especially so among women. It is a condition that is not only completely treatable but there are also simple things that you can do to keep the condition in check!

Here are a few ways in which you can improve this condition.

Do pelvic exercises
Simple pelvic exercises that involve clenching and un-clenching your pelvic muscles when done during the day (about 40-50) can strengthen these muscles and help improve the condition.

Passing Urine Regularly
Don’t keep holding when you have the urge to urinate – make sure you use the toilet frequently.

Control your caffeine intake
Caffeine makes you urinate more and controlling the intake will help control the condition. Stay away from aerated drinks, coffee, cola or tea!

Stay hydrated
Drinking about 8 glasses of water a day can keep your kidneys and bladder healthy. Apart from having a host of other health benefits, drinking a lot of water can also help control urinary incontinence.

Check your medications
Sometimes, urinary incontinence is a side-effect of another medicine that you might be taking. Ensure you have a discussion with your doctor to see that none of your medications are causing this side effect.

Lose weight if you need to
Obesity is a cause for urinary incontinence. In case you are obese or need to lose some weight, ensure you take the steps to do so.

Stop smoking
In case you are a smoker, try to quit smoking as it can definitely worsen the condition.

Get Medical Help
Many people avoid getting medical help for urinary incontinence because it is embarrassing to talk to your doctor about it – don’t shy away from discussing this as it is very imperative to get the right medical help.

Urinate Slowly
Don’t rush urination – there is a tendency sometimes to urinate fast and not pay enough attention to whether you have emptied your bladder. Ensure you urinate, relax and wait for a bit – do you feel the urge to urinate again? If so, empty your bladder! This helps avoid urinary incontinence.

Reference – http://www.webmd.boots.com/urinary-incontinence/features/daily-coping-urinary-incontinence

All you need to know about Melanoma

What is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops in melanocytes – the cells that are responsible for skin-pigmentation. Melanocytes are in the epidermis (upper layer of the skin) and produce melanin, the pigment that helps protect human’s skin from UV radiation.

How to spot a melanoma?

Common traits of melanomas are the growth of new moles and pigmentation in pink blue, white, purple, red or even skin colour. It also occurs in palms, mouth, back of the body & legs.

Melanomas can develop from an existing mole or grow as new moles. Panic not, because the majority of moles are non-cancerous. Melanoma is common among people who are exposed to higher degree of the Sun’s radiation and tends to occur in the part that has little to no exposure to the radiation. If left un-noticed or un-treated, this disease will spread to other parts of the body like the lungs, liver bone or brain.

Here’s an easy term to remember to analyse Melanoma – ABCDE Signs

A – Asymmetry – If you draw two lines through a mole/pigmentation, the two halves will not match.

B – Border – The edges of the mole/pigmentation will be uneven or have a smudged appearance without a border.

C – Colour –The mole/pigmentation will be multi-coloured with speckles in shades of brown, tan, red, white, blue or black.

D – Diameter – The moles/pigmentation will be at least 6mm in diameter and sometimes start as a small dot.

E – Evolving – The size of the mole/pigmentation increases as the disease progresses and are usually 6mm in size at the early stage.

Treating Melanoma: Like other cancers, melanoma can also be treated. When detected at an early stage it can be completely cured. The treatment options available are
– Surgery
– Radiation therapy
– Adjuvant therapy
– Chemotherapy
– Immunotherapy

Although Indians have higher concentration of Melanin which means we are naturally built to fight this disease ; studies have showed that due to the change in climatic & environmental changes, the disease is posing a serious threat to Indians also. This is why we highly recommend that everyone is alert to any changes in their body, its capability and its reactions to outside factors. It is better to be safe than sorry!

References:

https://skinvision.com/en/articles/what-is-melanoma-the-complete-storyhttp://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma#panel1-1

The Anatomy of a Fad diet

A low-carb diet is the best.

No, a no-carb diet is better.

The Paleo diet is the way to go. Or better, go vegan!

High-protein diets are the most effective.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

What are all of the above? Short-lived fad diets that are recommended to people to lose weight.

Do they work? Maybe.

Should you try? No!

And here’s why:

Fad diets can cause dehydration: The first 2-6 kilos you lose on a diet is because you are losing water weight and not fat like you are often made to believe. Your body actually needs much of that water, as a reserve, to prevent dehydration.
Your body can become fatigued easily: Most fad/short-term diets simply don’t give your body what it needs in terms of nutrients and fuel, which can cause extreme fatigue, hunger and loss of motivation.
You don’t get enough of the necessary stuff: Fad diets usually cut off one food group or the other from your meal. The problem is our body needs something from every food group to be fit and you are end up denying yourself good health.
You lose muscle: Most of these diets end up focusing on the food part and miss out on telling you that you need to get the right amount of exercise. Deprived of exercise, your body does not build muscle, and without enough muscle tissue, your body will not burn calories to its maximum potential.
You put your heart at risk: Most people who go on fad dieters quickly put their weight back on once they stop the diet as the latter are never long term. Unfortunately, quick weight loss and gain can be worse that having a few extra kilos as it is a strain on the heart putting you at a higher health risk.

These are just a few reasons to stay away from a fad diet, but they are reason enough. What you need to do instead is:

Analyze your meals and your energy requirements
Weed out the unnecessary junk elements
Maintain the right proportion of carbs, proteins and veggies based on your energy analysis and activity levels
Drink a lot of water
Exercise consistently

And all of this on a everyday basis and not as a short-term plan!

Reference:

http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/fad-diets/

https://draxe.com/fad-diets/

IVF – When does it not work?

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most common form of Assisted Reproductive Technology. It is the only acceptable treatment to cure infertility and achieves positive results. Around 40% of those who embark upon the journey tend to fall pregnant after a single attempt. But many a time there are individuals for whom IVF fails for various reasons causing frustration and heartache for these couples. Some of these reasons can be:

1. Female Age:

The likelihood of a woman getting pregnant as she gets older decreases over time. Each woman is born with a certain number of eggs. Some studies show that 32% of women are likely to give birth after IVF at the age of 35 but only there is only 16% chance for a woman who is 40.

2. Embryo Quality:

Another contributing factor to the failure of IVF is the embryo quality. Some embryos have genetic or chromosomal abnormalities that can make them too weak too work for IVF. Still other embryos don’t have enough cells to survive and are less likely to fertilize.

3. Ovarian Response

Sometimes a woman’s ovaries just do not respond properly to the IVF treatment, which tries to get the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. The chances are that IVF will fail when the body does not listen to the medication to produce more eggs.

4. Implantation Issues

The most common reason that IVF treatment fails is implantation issues. Implantation issues occur when the embryo stops growing and if there are polyps or cysts on the ovaries.

The truth of the matter is that IVF doesn’t always work. It is expensive and also a very stressful process. It can be very hard to accept when if the IVF treatment does not work and you may not always understand why. But don’t ever blame yourself or forget that there are people around you who care and can talk to.

Reference:

http://www.advancedfertility.com/ivf-implantation-failure.htm

http://haveababy.com/fertility-information/ivf-authority/my-ivf-cycle-failed-what-went-wrong-2

Be a Healthy Mom!

Mothers. They raise their kids, juggle their school work and extra-curricular, and take care of their health. Amidst all this multi-tasking, they forget just one thing…taking care of themselves.

Studies show, that while women tend to need fewer calories than men, they do require a higher intake of nutrients. Hormonal changes associated with menstruation, child-bearing, and menopause mean that women have a higher risk of anemia, weakened bones, and osteoporosis.

As a mother, there is a tendency to neglect one’s own nutrition needs – maybe to put the family first or due to the lack of time. While there is no one-fit diet solution, here are some foods that can help. The right nutrition can boost energy, strengthen bones, and stabilize mood swings (even during later stages like menopause).

1. Calcium: For adult women, the recommended amount is 1,000 mg/day. These can be from sources like dairy products, fish, tofu, and leafy vegetables.

2. Magnesium: The recommended amount is 320-400 mg/day. Good sources are broccoli, leafy vegetables, a variety of seeds and celery.

3. Vitamin D: This is required for a smooth metabolism and healthy bones. Make sure to get some fresh air and soak in the sunlight, and also eat foods like salmon, shrimp, cod and eggs.

4. Iron: To keep that fabulous hair, nails and skin, iron helps create the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. A majority of women are anemic as they don’t have enough iron intake. The recommended intake for older woman is 18 mg/day – you can find this in poultry, seafood and dried fruits.

Avoid Trans-fats: Trans-fats, deep-fried foods and excess sugar are all inflammatory, and can trigger major hormonal imbalances.

Apart from the nutrition, some lifestyle changes should be made too!

Get some ‘me-time’! Between juggling work and family time, it’s important to take atleast half an hour off everyday – either go on a long drive, or read a book, or meditate – whatever helps to rejuvenate!

Exercise: Not just as a mother but as a woman who is more prone to cardio-vascular conditions and bone weakening -it’s important to consistently get some form of exercise!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the selfless superwomen out there!

5 Common Summer Diseases to Look Out For

Would you say that the 2017 summer is the worst that you are experiencing? Or was it 2016 that was bad or 2014? It is hard to tell because summer in India has never been easy! It’s not just the roasting heat that is the problem but a series of health conditions that interrupts life on a daily basis or on a long term.

The most common ones are dehydration, skin damage and heat stroke. Some people get affected directly by the heat with a heat stroke while some others get viral fevers. Are you aware of the other set of illnesses that individuals are prone to

So here is a set of common summer ailments that you should be aware for an uninterrupted life –

1. Prickly heat/ Rashes –A rash that is common among children and adults who sweat a lot. It is caused by sweat glands blockage and occurs when the humidity and heat are at their peak. People with prickly heat will suffer from skin irritation and the urge to scratch the infected area thereby causing damage to the skin. You can treat this by using talcum powder prescribed by your doctor.

2. Food poisoning – We are not the only victim of this scorching sun; food gets affected by it too! Foods that are kept in the open-air for a long time will spoil. Eating that stale food will upset your stomach resulting in vomiting and diarrhea. Always watch out for what you eat & drink because contaminated water and half-cooked or spoilt food might contain bacteria.

3. UTI – Another most common yet painful disease prevalent among children and women. People experiencing urinary tract infection go through moderate to severe pain while passing urine, back ache and discomfort. You can escape this one by using clean latrines and keeping yourself as hydrated as possible.

Some severe sicknesses:

1. Viral diseases like – Mumps, Jaundice, Chicken pox and Measles –
These are the more serious viral infections that occur commonly during summer. Most individuals are given a vaccination for these diseases at different stages of their childhood. Consult your doctor immediately if you haven’t been given these shots.

2. Bacterial infection like Typhoid –
Another life-threatening disease whose symptoms include, high fever, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite and long term complications. Although there are vaccines available for this disease, you do not want to risk contracting it – so make sure you eat food and drink water from trusted sources.

Reference:

http://www.onlymyhealth.com/common-diseases-in-summer-1339091062

How to stay healthy at work

Spending an average of 8 hours in a chair in front of a laptop for 5-6 days a week can be both physically and mentally draining. This is how long hours, slouching, slumping, and straining dominate the office. From avoiding eye strain and tension neck syndrome to indulging on those extra calories that co-workers leave invitingly on their desks, there are various reasons why one could stay unhealthy.

Here is how you can clean up your act before the bad habits set in:

1. Give your laptop a second look

If your laptop is in direct contact with your eye, you will need to raise it. The top of the screen should be in level with your eyes. The idea is to get your eyes looking down about 10 degrees. If the screen is lower or higher, your head points down or up, causing both neck aches and backaches.

2. Poor posture

Sitting for long hours on the chair can make you slouch and develop a bad posture. Most people sitting at a computer get drawn into the screen, putting strain on the neck and spine. But what you can do is some basic neck exercises every day that will help keep away the muscle contractions and pain.

3. Surf the Web

After doing some serious content or a monotonous work, looking at some memes or interesting articles is sure to distract your routine and lighten you up. Browsing the internet rejuvenates and boosts productivity. This break is almost equal to going for a coffee or snack break.

4. Eating healthy
Many a time when you are bored, you end up binging on whatever is available – in which case ‘healthy’ is hardly the first option that you pick. Try it for a change! Healthy snacks definitely keep you refreshed and energized for longer. Fatty foods only contribute towards feeling bloated and heavier. If this is hard, convince your colleague to eat healthy too!

Reference:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ways-stay-healthy-work/story?id=14363408#

http://time.com/3566809/computer-health-tips/

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/10-tips-to-improve-your-health-at-work#1

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