Stress related diseases

Today life is full of frustrations, hassles, demands and stress. Stress has become a part of our lives today.

Nervousness, anger and grinding of teeth are some common symptoms of stress. One needs to learn to manage the stress in his life as it could otherwise lead to diseases like heart problems, diabetes, depression  and even death.

What is stress?

Stress is our body’s response to events that make us feel threatened or lose our balance in some way.

Symptoms of stress

A person suffering from stress may show the following symptoms;

·         Easily Angered

·         Loneliness

·         Mood swings

·         Frustration

·         Nervousness

·         Dry mouth

·         Sleeplessness

·         Nausea

·         Diarrhea

·         Constipation

·         Low sexual desire

 Diseases caused by stress

If a person is stressed over long duration of time, he may develop any one or all of the following diseases

1.       Heart disease: Stress is believed to cause an increase in the heart rate and blood flow causing the body to release cholesterol and trigycerides. This causes high blood pressure and heart diseases.

2.       Asthma: Stress can cause shortness in breath and cause asthma attacks.

3.       Obesity: High levels of stress cause fat to be deposited in the stomach area giving rise to obesity.

4.       Diabetes:Skipping meals and eating junk food may lead to increase in the glucose levels thereby inducing diabetes.

5.       Depression: People in stressful situations most of the time are prone to depression.

6.        Aging: Stress can lead to shortening of length of each DNA strand causing the cells to lose their ability to divide further. This leads to faster aging.

7.       Alzheimer’s disease: Stress increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

8.       Gastrointestinal problems: Stress worsens ulcers in the stomach and may cause chronic heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome.

9.       Death: Stress can affect one severely and may eventually cause death

Consult a general physician at Kharghar Medicity Hospital if you show any of the above symptoms or have any query regarding stress related diseases.

Learn to recognize symptoms of Down syndrome

What is Down syndrome?

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused due to abnormal division of cells resulting in extra genetic materials from chromosome 21.Simply put, down syndrome occurs when a baby acquires an extra chromosome at birth.  Down syndrome varies from one individual to another. Its severity also varies among individuals and in some it may cause lifelong intellectual and developmental disability.

 Symptoms of Down syndrome

A child with Down syndrome may show the following symptoms

·         Slanting eyes

·         Flat Face

·         Small ears

·          Short limbs

·         Small fingers

·         Short height

·         Small white spots on the iris Loose joints

·         Tongue sticking out

Who is at risk of developing Down syndrome?

A child may develop Down syndrome in the following cases;

1.       If the mother is pregnant after the age of 35 or more. After the age of 40 the risk of developing Down syndrome increases to 1 in 100.

2.       If the family has a history of having Down syndrome

3.       If either the mother or father suffers from Down syndrome.

If your child suffers from any of the above symptoms then consult a pediatric surgeon at Kharghar Medicity Hospital and get your child examined.

Osteoporosis – A growing concern.

As a matter of fact bone is a living tissue that breaks down and a new bone is formed to replace the old one. When the new bone fails to keep up with the old bone, it causes Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes the bones very brittle and even mild stress like coughing or bending can cause a fracture. It causes constant backaches and causes the back to stoop.

When we are young, our body is capable to make new bones at a faster rate and hence the bone mass increases. However, as we age, our body’s capacity decreases and bone mass is lost at a faster rate than it is created. The likeliness of developing osteoporosis depends on how much bone mass is gained during our youth.

Osteoporosis can affect both men and women. However, a woman is more susceptible to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis may not show any symptoms in the initial stages. However, as osteoporosis develops, watch out for the following symptoms;

·         Constant Backache

·         Reduced height over time

·         Stooped posture

·          Fractures

Apart from the above mentioned symptoms, you could visit  your doctor for an osteoporosis analysis if you have had an early menopause, took corticosteroids for long duration or have a history of hip fractures in your family.

Consult orthopedist at Kharghar Medicity Hospital to get a more clear understanding of Osteoporosis and also get yourself examined if you are suffering from any of the symptoms.

Suffering from an Ear Infection?

Ear is an important and delicate organ of the human body.Ears allow you to hear different sounds.If you are suffering from pain and fluid drainage from the ear then you might be suffering from an ear infection. The Ear is connected with nose and throat hence if a person suffers from flu or cold the ears also get affected.

 Symptoms of ear infection

The symptoms are different in children and adults.

1.        Children

A child may show any of the following symptoms

·         Very irritable

·         Difficulty in sleeping

·         Pulling feeling in the ear

·         Crying for no reason

·         Headache

·         High fever

·         Fluid discharge from the ear

      2.  Adults

An adult may show any of the following symptoms.

·         Discharge of fluid from the ear

·         Ear pain

·         Difficulty in hearing

It is highly recommended that ear infection must not be ignored as the fluid might build up in the ear and cause serious infections. Ear infection may spread to the brain. If not treated at the right time, ear infection may cause the eardrums to tear off and lead to hearing loss

If you show any of the above symptoms and find it difficult to hear then consult an ENT specialist at Kharghar Medicity Hospital.

Colorectal cancer- What’s that?

Colorectal cancer affects the inner walls of the large intestine. It can affect the colon and the rectum too. Frequent cramps in the abdomen, experiencing blood in the stools are some of the common signs of colorectal cancer. It is believed to have killed approximately 6,94,000 people across the globe and the number is increasing day by day.

Causes of Colorectal cancer

As a matter of fact, old cells in our body get replaced by new cells. Sometimes, the new cells grow but the old cells do not die. This process leads to the formation of tumor. Initially, tumour or polyps are formed in the colon. They may either be mushroom shaped or flat in shape. These have the ability to get dissolved in the walls of the colon. If not treated at the right time, Polyps could develop into cancerous cells.

 Symptoms of Colorectal cancer

A person suffering from colorectal cancer may show the following symptoms;

·         Extreme tiredness or weakness

·         Weight loss

·         Pain in the pelvic region

·         Gas or discomfort

·         A constant urge to move the bowels

·         Diarrhea, constipation

Treatment

There are three methods to treat colon cancer.

1.Surgery: It is considered to be the best option to treat colorectal cancer. Small tumours can be removed by colonoscopy or open surgery or laparoscopic surgery. In a few cases, the surgeon may recommend colostomy.

2.Radiation therapy: This therapy is generally recommended to people before undergoing a surgery. This procedure makes use of high energy rays to reduce the size of the tumour or kill the cancer cells. It may also be performed after a surgery to kill any cancer cells if present.

3.Chemotherapy drugs: The surgeon may recommend certain drugs to treat colorectal cancer.

Do not leave colorectal cancer untreated .Consult a gastroenterologist at Kharghar Medicity Hospital and get yourself treated today!

Sleep early to reap its benefits

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Absolutely true! In today’s fast paced life everybody is in hurry and losing sleep over every small issue. Staying up till late in the night has its side effects. According to a study by National Sleep Foundation, an adult needs to sleep for atleast seven hours every night. Sleeping for less than seven  hours may damage to your health.

 We have listed a few ill effects of sleeping late.

1.       Stress: Ideally a person should sleep at the same time every night and avoid any strenuous activity before sleeping time. Sleeping late leads to a lot of stress. This could further lead to depression, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s

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2.       Obesity: Sleeping for less number of hours causes your body to produce hunger hormone ghrelin which makes people feel hungry all the time.This makes people crave for more food and also eat a lot of junk food. This may lead to obesity.

3.       Stroke: People who sleep less are 4 times more likely to suffer from a stroke when compared to people to who sleep for atleast 7 hours every night.

4.       Diabetes:The body does not respond to insulin in late sleepers. This increases the insulin level of the body thereby causing diabetes.

5.       Heart disease: According to a study, people who sleep for less than seven hours produce more amounts of chemicals and hormones that cause heart diseases.

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6.       Death: Last but not the least people who sleep less are more likely to die at a young age. In a research it was found that men who slept for less than six hours every night are four times more likely to die within 14 years of his life.

It is advisable that everyone sleeps for atleast seven hours every night to avoid any damage to health. Health is your hands so sleep well and stay healthy!

Hepatitis B- The Silent Liver Killer. Know the facts!

Hepatitis B is caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and is infectious. It affects the liver and causes it to swell up. In this blog let us discuss about the symptoms of hepatitis B and also learn about its effective treatment. Hepatitis B can be classified as 1) Acute Hepatitis and 2) Chronic Hepatitis.

1.       Acute Hepatitis B- This type of hepatitis usually gets treated by the immune system and it takes approximately six months to recover from it. In few cases acute hepatitis B can lead to chronic hepatitis B infection.

2.       Chronic Hepatitis- If the immune system is unable to cure acute hepatitis B, then it develops into chronic hepatitis B. This infection may take more than six months to be cured.

A person with Hepatitis B may show the following symptoms;

1.       Dark coloured urine

2.       Frequent headaches

3.       Loss of appetite

4.       Vomiting or nausea

5.       Pain in the joints

6.       Yellow skin and eyes

 Treatment of Hepatitis B

Depending on the severity of the disease, the treatment would vary. However, it is recommended that the infected person have a balanced diet, drink plenty of fluids and avoid smoking and drinking, Chronic Hepatitis B is treated with antiviral medicines.

If you experience any of the above symptoms then consult a general physician at Kharghar Medicity Hospital today!

Want to gain weight?

Yes , you heard that right! Gain weight. We come across several people who wish to lose weight and will go to any length to achieve this. But, there are others who wish to gain weight. This blog is dedicated to all those people who wish to gain weight in a healthy way.

It is always believed that obese or overweight people are prone to several diseases, it is the same with underweight people too. Therefore, it is advisable that people maintain a healthy BMI and are neither overweight nor underweight. A person is said to be underweight if his/her BMI is less than 18. Several causes such as hypothyroidism, cancer, diabetes, stress, excessive exercise etc could lead to being underweight.

Treatment

Kharghar Medicity Hospital has listed a few ways which will help an underweight person to put on weight in a healthy way.

1.       Increase the intake of calories- It is recommended that an underweight person increase his calcium levels. Include almonds, cheese , sunflower seeds in your diet.

2.       Eat more often- Eat atleast 6 meals in a day instead of 3. This is needed because underweight people feel full faster.

3.       Eat foods loaded with nutrients- Consume foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates. Proteins help in building up muscles. Include whole grains and brown rice in your diet.

4.       Include Milk shakes and smoothies- Include milk shakes and smoothies sprinkled with flax seed powder. Avoid coffee, diet soda and junk food.

5.       Healthy diet- Include healthy foods like salmon, eggs, peanut butter, butter, cheese, tuna, whole wheat and dried fruits to increase the nutrients.

6.       Exercise- Include aerobic exercise, yoga and weight lifting to help in building up of muscles.

Follow the above tips religiously and you are sure to put on weight in a healthy way.

Symptoms of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis also known as MTB or TB, is widespread and may be fatal in few cases. It is infectious disease caused mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB normally affects the lungs but it can affect other parts of the body. If you have a cough lasting for more than 3 weeks with a nagging pain in the chest, it could possibly be TB!

Symptoms of Tuberculosis are;

·         Cough lasting for more than 3 weeks

·         Cough with yellow or green mucus

·          Blood in mucus while coughing

·         Extreme fatigue

·         Sudden weight loss

·         Fever

·         Sweating at night

·         Chills

·         Shortness of breath

·         Chest pain

·         Pain in the kidneys

Tuberculosis infection is spread through air when people having active TB infection sneeze or cough. Most infections do not show symptoms and is known as latent tuberculosis. However, one in ten latent infections turn into active TB .If left untreated can lead to death.

According to a study by WHO in 2013,out of the 9 million people affected  by Tuberculosis , 1.5 million people died.

It is highly recommended that a person showing any of the symptoms get himself examined at the earliest. Tuberculosis , if left untreated can lead to liver problems, heart disorders , spinal damage and joint damage. In few cases it can cause swelling of the membranes that cover our brain.