Archive for the ‘Young Women Health’ Category

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths globally, accounting for over 75 lakhs deaths annually. Hence there’s almost a deep fear surrounding cancer, mainly due to ignorance and prevalence of myths. Yet the sad fact is that 30% of cancers can be prevented through mere lifestyle changes or avoiding certain key triggers. Another 30% of cancers could be reduced with early detection and treatment.

Did you know…? 10% of cancers are due to poor diet & low nutrition.

You need to know your own body well enough to identify any changes such as lumps or bleeding. These are the alarms that should get you to a doctor’s at the earliest. Of course most of such slight changes may not be precursors to cancer. Most cancers, if detected early enough, can be successfully treated. Even better, the four significant lifestyle changes that can largely prevent cancer are:

• NOT Smoking
• Staying Active
• Moderate Alcohol Intake
• Including 5 portions of fruits & veggies in daily diet

Your contribution in ‘Breaking the Silence’ matters however small…

• Though a sensitive topic, sharing knowledge & talking about cancer can pass on hope and reinforce the mantra ‘early detection saves lives’.
• Getting leaflets from your nearest palliative care centre and passing it on among family, friends and colleagues can help spread hope rather than despair.
• You may come across people with a history. Here you can impress upon them that how cancer treatment has advanced over the last decade.
• If someone you know confide in you about certain suspicious bodily changes, assure them that most screening tests are quite simple and quick.

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“Let me buy a good pair of running shoes and I’ll join you in your morning jog”

“I need to get some smart track pants before I go jogging”

And finally you have purchased all jogging gear including a headband and an iPod. Lets quit with the excuses that sound lame to our own ears and start this very morning or evening. Most old-hand joggers seem to foster a love-hate relationship with running. They love the health benefits and the feel-great factor that come with running. They hate the tedious task of getting up early and start running. Yet the benefits effortlessly cancel out the hatred.

Your reasons to go for daily jogging can range from goal for toned legs, weight loss, good health, enjoying with friends and so on. But as a beginner you need to keep certain things in mind.

• If you’re new in the joggers’ area, it is most likely that you’re out of shape and have been inactive for a while. Don’t get caught up in the beginners’ enthu and try to run 3-4 kilometers on your first day. A 5-minutes warm ups and stretches can get your body ready for the ‘shock’.
• It depends on the amount of time you’re willing to dedicate for jogging. Start with 10 minutes. Follow the pattern of 2-minutes brisk walk, 2-minutes running and then again 2-minutes brisk walk. Use a watch as your ability to judge time can be affected by your tiredness.
• Since even the best shoes’ shock absorbers can get weaker over time, it is recommended that you replace your jogging shoes atleast once a year. Let’s hope that your resolve to run daily last that long.

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Summer has just invited itself into our lives. This is when people endure heat-related diseases as their bodies are incapable of compensating and properly cooling themselves. The body usually sweats it off, a natural cooling mechanism. But in certain situations, normal sweating just isn’t enough to cool your body. In such a case, one’s body temperature can increase swiftly, causing a sharp tiredness. This, if disregarded, can be damaging to brain or other organs.

Usually, if one undergoes heat exhaustion, first thing to do is take him/her to cool place at the earliest and give plenty of cool fluids to drink. Take off the shoes and socks, loosen or remove excess clothing and fan the person with a book or something. In most cases, this is enough to make the victim feel better in less than 30 minutes without much health complications.

But if no treatment is received with in the first 30 minutes, heat exhaustion might lead to heat stroke a life threatening illness

In this season, you can do plenty to reduce risks of heat exhaustion:

• As much as you can, stay indoors from 11AM to 3PM when the sun is at its hottest. If your field work doesn’t permit that try walking in the shade as much as possible.
• Scarf, sunglasses and sunscreens are the 3 S than can shield you from the wrath of sun.
• If you are a 2-wheeler/bike user opt for a full face cover helmet rather than hat-like or half-face cover ones.
• If you are one for enjoying long spells of sports, please complement your physical exertion with plenty of fluids.
• Fruit juices and water, YES. Energy drinks, fizz drinks and alcohol, NO. This rule applies whether you feel thirsty or not.
• Now is the best time to store some fruits in your handbag or in office desk. Grabbing a fruit to munch in intervals means higher energy and more productivity.
• Preceding your dinner with salads consisting of vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes etc high water content is a ‘cool’ idea.
• Washing face with cold water, sprinkling water on your skin and applying a damp towel on neck etc are some ways to keep cool.

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Do you carry around the embarrassment and inconvenience of heavy bleeding during periods? Are you forced to take off from work or studies because of excessive bleeding? Do you stick to dark-colored clothes during the dreaded days? You’re not alone.

Generally, heavy bleeding (Menorrhagia) needn’t imply any serious complication. But it can impact your physical, emotional and social well-being and disrupt routine life. Since blood-loss while menstruating varies largely from person to person, heavy bleeding is largely subjective. Hence even without diagnosis you can almost always tell if you have Menorrhagia.

Ask yourself the following questions to know that your bleeding is too much.

• Are you using more number of sanitary napkins than what is usual for you?
• Do you experience heavy bleeding that stain your clothes or bedding often?
• Does your period last for more than a week?

If you answer YES to all, then you do have heavy periods.

Lifestyle changes that can make a difference:

• Heavy Periods can be linked to your iron deficiency. Including plenty of iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, apple, chick peas, honey and jaggery is one thing you can do. Starting your day by having a couple of date-fruits can also boost your iron-reserve.
• Feast on vitamin C rich fruits like orange. This will help your body to absorb iron better & perhaps make your blood vessels stronger.

If you feel the need to remedy your nutritional deficiencies by taking vitamin C or iron supplements, please consult your doctor first. Similarly, it is always better to check with a Gynecologist to make sure there are no other underlying conditions that cause you to bleed excessively during periods.

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It is estimated that 1 in 5 people experience some kind of hearing problems, not counting the selective deafness you may adopt when someone says something you don’t like. Hearing problems often start as mild and thus not easily noticeable in the initial stage.

Certain steps can be taken to protect hearing in such cases like using earphones rather than speakers, wearing earmuffs when going to noisy places like discos or factories. But these steps will only work if hearing problem is due to environmental factors such as regular exposure to loud traffic snarls, loud music in a discotheque or noise in a factory. If hearing problem is due to some underlying reason, it may require expert help.

Signs of hearing problems in people:

1. Inattentiveness: If you notice one going all ‘spaced out’ while talking to him/her, it can be a sign of hearing problem unless his/her attention span is too small.
2. Talking loudly: “He speaks as if we’re all hard of hearing”. Do you jokingly say this about your friend or colleague? Chances are that he has hearing problems.
3. Listening to music or TV at high volume: Do you get annoyed at that inconsiderate neighbor who leaves his TV or music on blaringly high volume? Do you often have to remind your kids to lower the volume? This is a disturbing indicator of mild hearing problem.
4. Misinterpretation of your words or mispronunciation in kids: People with hearing problem either out of embarrassment or because they don’t know it yet, try to compensate by reading your body language and lip movement. But since all this is done without any training, they end up misinterpreting your words.
5. Being distracted at school: If your child’s teacher informs you that his/her concentration is lacking and the child is kind of upset and worried at school, check with an ENT to make sure these are not due to any hearing problem.

If you notice any of the above signs in someone you know or if one has informed you that you manifest these symptoms, consult an ENT.

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At long last, sunny and warm days are here- with a chirpy holiday mood in the air. Yet there’s no denying that getting tanned is one of the worst nightmares of young Indians. Summer is knocking on your door to invite you to frolic in the plethora of activities.

It is believed that up to 80% of one’s total exposure to sun’s harmful UV rays occur before the age of 18. Therefore it is vital that you inculcate healthy sun habits in your kids right from the beginning, while following the same yourself.

Here are some protection tips you can insist that your family follows:

• Covering up: It is time to fish out some cotton pants, long-sleeved cotton tops & hats from your wardrobe. This will shield your skin from the worst of UV rays, if not all.
• Dabbing on sunscreen: A sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher can be your best friend this season. Don’t forget to apply after swimming and every 2-3 hours.
• Sporting sunglasses: More than a cool & bold fashion statement, it is the best defense for your eyes and delicate skin around eyes during scorching summer.
• Wearing a hat/scarf/dupatta: Covering head with a hat, scarf or a dupatta can be the final touch to your sun safety measures.

During summer, playing in the bushes or grassy areas (like a park) may present you with ticks also known as bites from the small insects called ticks. Ticks flourish in verdant and tropical areas.

Use the following protection tips if you are in a place where ticks might live:

• If your kids play in such an area, make sure to check your skin & scalp the moment you/they reach home.
• If you have pets at home, take a look at them too.
• Apply insect repellents but use it exactly as said in the directions for use.
• Here, too staying covered like mentioned above is the best possible way to steer clear of ticks.

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Urinary Infections are infections caused by bacteria in your urinary tract, which can be said as your body’s cleanup system. Statistics show that women are the worst affected due to anatomical reasons. Certain microbes and fungus tend to leech themselves to your urinary tract lining for long, making the infection a painful affair.

Fighting Constipation & Urinary Infection with Diet:

Constipation is often an underlying cause for urinary infection. If you have constipation, this has to be dealt with immediately.

• Increase the quantity of fiber in your daily diet.
• Include greens, spinach dish etc as side dish with your lunch.
• Munch on fruits like banana, mango, orange etc in between work.
• See that your water bottle filled is always kept filled and keep sipping whether you’re thirsty or not. Recommended water intake for a day is 8-10 glasses of water.

To keep your urinary tract infection-free, you can stick to the following pointers:

• Go to the loo as soon as you feel the urge to urinate rather than controlling it till you are free. Bacteria multiply when urine remains in the bladder for long.
• If you’re on the move, you can use the restroom in a shop or mall.
• See that a roll of toilet paper is a permanent resident in your handbag.
• Hygiene can go a long way in preventing infection. Let washing genitals before sexual intercourse be a norm for you.
• It is advised that you urinate after sex.
• Opt for cotton undergarments. Tight and synthetic clothes trap moisture making it a breeding ground for bacteria.

Urinary Infection Red Flags:

• a recurrent and strong urge to go to toilet
• urination in droplets despite the strong urge to urinate
• if your urine stinks and is dark yellow, orange or bloody
• a throbbing pain when urinating
• fatigue, muscle cramp and tummy ache

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It is not exaggerating when they say nothing spoils your day more than a painful stiff neck!

Have you ever woke up one morning with a sudden and sharp shooting pain in the neck? It happens when your sleeping position somehow went wrong and your neck got twisted or locked to one side.

How/When it happens-

• when the weather turns cold
• falling asleep while reading, working on laptop, watching TV
• sleeping in a bus
• when the pillow is too high or fluffy
• after a bad fall
• some underlying medical condition which needs to be checked by your doctor

What you can do-

• If you do regular workouts, go easy on that day and the next day if its still painful. This can bring down the soreness.
• Do minor neck exercises like moving your neck gently up-down, side-side etc. This can strengthen neck muscles in the long run.
• Ask someone- partner or roomie- to give you a soft massage on the aching area.
• Is your mattress too fluffy and soft? This might be the reason. Try sleeping on a firm mattress and use a thin pillow (or better yet, don’t use a pillow for a few days).
• Sometimes your routine stress can also pave way to neck pain and stiffness. Deep breathing, meditation and yoga are easy relaxation techniques you can adopt.

It is time for you to consult a doctor if the stiffness last for more than a week with self care.

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Hello Readers,

March 1 is observed as Self Injury Awareness Day worldwide. The day recognizes self-injuring tendencies of people as a serious health concern and urges you to identify the symptoms in yourself and others (if any) to nip this habit in the bud.

What makes a person resort to such crude measures? Self-harming is essentially a coping mechanism. Unable to deal with emotional turmoil and problems in life, some people injure themselves so that they are forced to focus on the physical pain rather than face the issues in life. They invite this bodily pain to numb the real pain. Does this sound familiar anyone?

Self-injury is like drug addiction. Like drug-intake starts with smaller doses, self-harm too starts with smaller cuts and scratches. Soon minor cuts stop having the same effect and you escalate to bigger and frequent injuries till you become extremely dependent on self-harming. There have been reported cases of people using this mechanism to help them sleep as their problems keep them awake at nights.

What one forgets is that self-injury only calms you or gives momentary relief (if you can call it a relief). It doesn’t kill your real problem, be it some trauma in the past, abuse, or self esteem issues. People can suffer for years without confiding in anyone or knowing that they even have a problem.

What you can do-

• The first thing to do is to identify and admit that you have a problem and self-injury is NOT a normal way of coping.
• When you feel that bout of depression, stop whatever you’re doing at once. Taking some time off to mull over your emotions can help you a lot.
• Ask a trusted family member or friend to be a point of contact when you feel like you are going to self-harm.
• Low energy levels are due to hunger, thirst or fatigue, which you may not recognize at the time, can also trigger depression and consequentially Self-injury. Avoiding long gaps in between meals is the best way to deal with this.
• Like any craving, your urge to self-injure too has a peak-point, which will not last more than 5 minutes (though you may feel like its forever). After that peak-time, it will go away on its own. Distracting yourself with loud music, meditation, calling up a friend or going for a walk may work.

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The mobile phone radiations and frequency of mobile towers and stations has grown to a reasonable health hazard recently. News stories of such towers negatively impacting the bird migration are still fresh in people’s mind.

Following suggestions may help you to reduce your exposure to harmful radiations:

• While checking the model and price, also check out its Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) before buying. This way you can go for a safer cell phone.
• When in standby, do not keep phone close to your body (for eg- in back pocket, lying on phone in bed or sofa etc.)
• When the network is low, don’t go for the classic ‘shake and use’. Not only will it remain stoic, but also exhibits high levels of radiations.
• See that children do not ‘borrow’ your mobile phone for long.
• Use earphones as much as possible. This can weaken the effects of radiation.
• If your phone has an external antenna, well and good. This can keep much of the damaging waves away from your head.

In spite of traffic law’s strict ministrations, typical yet highly risky and an unnecessary practice like ‘talking on mobile or one-hand messaging while driving’ continues! Did you know you are more likely to cause or have a motor accident if you do this?

A few pointers below may help you break this habit:

• Keep your phone switched off while driving. If that is not possible, atleast put it on a non-vibrant silent mode. You can avail a missed-call alert service if you are worried of missing important calls.
• If it is absolutely urgent, slow down and stop at a side and then attend the call.
• Some people depend on earphones or loudspeaker mode to use phone when driving. But this can be as much a distraction as using the mobile normally.

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