Bad Breath

A persistent, unpleasant odour in exhaled breath, usually not serious, is commonly called Bad Breath.  It is also called Halitosis which may occur on occasion or be a chronic condition.

Causes of Bad Breath:  There are many causes and risk factors-

1. Food:  Food is a prime source/ reason for bad odour.  Some foods such as onions, garlic, spicy        foods, cheeses, fish and acidic beverages can leave a smell in the mouth for a short period of time.  Some foods get stuck in the teeth promoting growth of bacteria and dental plaques thus causing bad breath. Drinking alcohol also cause bad breath.

2. Tobacco Products: Chewing tobacco/ smoking leave chemicals that remain in the mouth.

3. Poor Oral Health:  When a person does not brush the teeth regularly, food particles, remain in          the mouth, which causes an odour.  It may lead to a gum disease called Periodontal. When plaque hardens it is called Calculus, which lead to gum disease. Mild form of gum disease is called Gingivitis, and if it not treated, it can advance to Periodontitis.

4. Health Problems:  Pneumonia, sore throat, common cold, flu, tonsil stones, bronchitis,                      diabetes, acid reflux, digestion problem are also associated with bad breath.

5. Dry Mouth:  Dry mouth also cause bad breath.  Lack of saliva may cause bad breath.  One of          its example is bad breath in the morning because saliva production stops during sleep.

6. Medications:  Some medicines used to treat allergies can cause dry mouth which result in                bad breath.

Symptoms of Bad Breath:

1. Sometimes other person tells about one’s bad breath.

2. Dry mouth.

3. Change in taste.

4. Coating on the tongue.

Treatment Options:

1. Halitosis:  We have to go to a dentist when come to know about our bad breath.

2. Periodontal:  This dentist specialize in gum disease and dental implant.

3. Braces:  When food is stuck in our teeth, we go to Orthodontist for an adjustment and regular          check ups.

Home Remedies:  There are some home remedies by the help of which we can keep away our            dental problems.

1. Brush and floss teeth regularly including including tongue.

2. Avoid/ Stop smoking or chewing tobacco.

3. Keep the mouth moist by drinking water and chewing sugarless gum.

4. Mouth Wash is also effective in keeping the bad breath in control unless there are medical issues.

Be careful.  Be healthy.         

                                                                  MENOPAUSE

Menopause:  It is a condition when a woman stops having periods.  Some changes are seen in the periods just before or after it stops, thus ending the reproductive time.  It is declared after the continuous stop of period for over 12 months.

Cause of Menopause:  The fertility eggs are stored in the ovaries of a woman.  Ovaries produce hormones estrogen and progesterone, which control period and release of eggs.  Menopause occurs when the ovaries no longer release an egg each month and in this way menstruation stops. It is a part of aging, generally happens after the age of 40.  In some woman it is seen early for few reasons like damage to the ovaries, ovaries removed, genes, immune system disorders.  Ovaries prematurely stop releasing eggs is called Premature Ovarian Failure.  In the second condition when there is damage to ovaries or ovaries are removed for medical reasons, is called Induced Menopause.

Stages of Menopause:  There are 3 stages of Menopause.

1. Perimenopause:  It is the time or period before Menopause when ovaries make less estrogen and

   gradually stops releasing eggs.

2. Menopause:  This is when Menopause has stopped for 12 months, ovaries stopped releasing eggs

    and making estrogen.

3. Postmenopause:  This period is after Menopause.  Hot flashes ease while health risk increase due

    to loss of estrogen.

Symptoms of Menopause:  These are the following symptoms- Hot flashes, warmth feeling in the

body, uneven or missed periods, depression insomnia, mood swings, head aches, changes in libido,

vaginal dryness.

Menopause Diagnosis:  Woman comes to know about their Menopause by uneven or missed periods or symptoms as discussed above.  There is the other method by consulting Doctor who advice for blood test of following:

1. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH):  It goes up as woman near Menopause.

2. Thyroid Hormones:  Problems in the thyroid gland can affect period.

Treatments of Menopause:  Menopause is a natural process.  Symptoms related due to menopause often go away but if some remains then it could be treated as follows:

1. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Medicines can be taken to replace hormones for the

    symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal symptoms, but there is a risk of health problems like heart

    disease or breast cancer.

2. Osteoporosis:  Medicines could be taken with Vitamin D to help bones strong.

3. Life Style Changes:  There are certain symptoms due to Menopause which can be cured by

    giving some effort in our life styles like: drink cold water during hot flashes, use vaginal

    moisturizer for dryness, exercise regularly to sleep better,prevent heart disease, diabetes,

    and osteoporosis, stop smoking and drinking alcohol. 

                                                                           Vertigo


Vertigo is the sense or feeling like everything is spinning or rotating even when a person is holding still.  A patient has variety of symptoms like balance disorders, difficulty walking, light headedness.  Many people feel nausea or vomiting.

Causes of Vertigo:  Vertigo is mostly caused by  an inner ear problem.  Some common causes are as     below.

1. Menier’s Disease:  It is caused by build up of fluid and changing pressure in the ear.

2. BPPV:  It occurs when tiny calcium particles clump up in canals of the inner ear.

3. Vestibular Neuritis:  It is an inner ear problem related to infection around nerves that are                important to help the body sense balance.

Sometimes Vertigo may be caused by:

1.Brain problems like stroke or tumor.

2. Medicines that cause ear damage.

3. Migraine headaches.

Treatment of Vertigo:

1. Vestibular Rehabilitation:  This therapy help strengthen the vestibular system which helps to send signals to the brain about head and body movements relative to gravity.

2. Canalith Repositioning:  In this therapy a series of specific head and body movements are done     to move the calcium deposits out of the canal into an inner ear chamber so they can be absorbed by the body.

In some cases where symptoms are like nausea or vomiting, medicine are also prescribed.  In some serious cases caused by tumor or injury, Surgery is also done.

Be careful, be healthy.      

Coronaviruses are the viruses that cause illness like common cold to more severe diseases, known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.  Since, it is discovered in the year 2019 so also called Covid 19.

These viruses are zoomatic so they are transmitted between animals and people.  After investigation it is found that these are transmitted from civet cats and dromedary camels to humans.

Some common signs of these viruses infected are: respiratory symptoms, fever, cough and breathing difficulties.  Severe cases can result to pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death also.

It was first found out in the city of Wuhan, China.  More than 80,000 people in China have been found affected and number of deaths are about 8,000 apprx.  WHO (World Health Organization) has declared it as a global pandemic. There are more than 1,30,000 cases outside China including more than 150 countries.

Coronavirus spreads when an infected person cough small droplets into the air and they are breathed in by other person. Even by touching a surface where they have landed on.  On average it takes five days to start showing the symptoms and even much later in some people.  The incubation period lasts from 14 to 24 days.

According to WHO examination of data from several patients suggests:

1. 6% become critically ill: Lung  failure, organ failure and death risk.

2. 14% develop severe symptoms: Breathing difficulty and shortness of breath.

3. 80% develop mild symptoms: Fever, cough and pneumonia.

Older people and people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure are more likely to become severely ill.

At present there are about 2,21,000 Coronavirus cases in the world with 9000 deaths and 86,000 recovered.  Active cases are about 1,26,000 of which 1,19,000 are in mild condition and 7,000 critical.

Here is update of  few countries as on date: (aprx.)

Country                Total Case                    Total Deaths                Total Recovered

China                    81,000                           3,200                            70,500

Italy                      35,700                           3,000                              4,000

Iran                       17,000                           1,100                              6,000

Spain                     14,800                              650                              1,000   

Germany               12,800                                31                                 110

USA                        9,500                               150                                100

France                    9,000                                270                                600

S.Korea                 8,500                                  90                              1,950

UK                        2,600                                 104                                  70

Tips to prevent spread of Coronavirus:

1. Regularly and thoroughly clean hands with sanitizer or wash with soap & water.

2. Keep at least 1 metre ( 3 feet) distance from the person who is coughing or sneezing.

3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

4. Follow good respiratory hygiene.

5. Stay at home if feel unwell.  We need to seek medical attention if we have fever, cough or

    breathing difficulty.

Hope the best and pray for everybody’s good health

Summer is coming. Temperature has started going up. Gone are the days sleeping with pullovers. Now we have to prepare ourselves to protect from the heat and its side effects. 

Here are few tips given below to be careful of :

01. Doors and Windows should be kept open now to let the fresh air come inside.

02. While going out in Sun, we should apply Sunscreen Lotion.

03. Wearing a hat protects our head and face.

04. Sunglasses are good for eyes and comfortable for a cool view.

05. Wearing Shoes protects our feet to burn.

06. Maintain good hygiene and wash hands often.

07. We should be careful of public pools and tubs as there may be germs.

08. Exercise is must for at least 30 minutes a day.  We can go for a walk in the morning/evening.

09. We should eat healthy foods including fruits and veggies.

10. An Umbrella is a good protector from Sun while going out.

11. We should be hydrated through out the day drinking lots of water and juice.

12. Have fun by taking vacation, going to some cool places, hill stations, etc.

13. Rest is compulsory.  We should have a peaceful sleep to keep us fit.

Wrinkle is a slight ridge (line) or crease in the skin as a result of age.  It is natural part of aging and are most prominent on sun exposed skin, mostly visible on the face, neck, hands and forearms.  Genetics mainly determine skin structure but sun exposure is a major cause of wrinkle along with pollutants and smoking.

Main cause of wrinkles are:

1. Age: As we get older, our skin naturally becomes less elastic and more fragile.  Less production

    of natural oils dries our skin.  Fat in the deeper layers of our skin decreases causing it loose, saggy

    and thus wrinkles. 

2. Exposure to ultra voilet light: Ultra voilet radiation speeds natural aging process.  Ultra voilet light

    breaks down our skin’s connective tissue- collagen and elastin fibres, which lies in the deeper layer

    of skin.

3. Smoking: Smoking accelerates normal ageing process of our skin.

4. Repeated facial expressions: Facial movements and expressions like squinting or smiling lead to

    fine lines and wrinkles.  A groove is formed beneath the surface of the skin as we use our

    facial muscle and it becomes permanent feature on our face, which is later seen as wrinkle.

Prevention: Below are some ways to prevent or delay the process of wrinkle formation-

1. Protect our skin from the sun.

2. Use sunscreen products as it blocks the ultra voilet rays.

3. Use moisturizers to keep our skin hydrated.

4. Quit smoking.

5. Eat a healthy diet with vitamins and proteins with plenty of fruits and vegetables

Hair loss also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to loss of hair from the part of body or head.  Baldness is partial or complete lack of hair growth. 

People have between 100000 to 150000 lacs hairs on their head.  The number of strands normally lost in a day varies but on average is 100.  In order to maintain a normal volume, hair must be replaced at the same rate at which it is lost.  The first signs of hair thinning that people will often notice are more hairs than usual left in the hair brush after brushing.  In male pattern hair loss begin at the temples and the crown and in female pattern hair loss begin at the frontal and parietal.  Hair loss is associated with dihydro-testosterone production and serborrheic dermatitis which cause hair thinning.

Hair is considered an essential part of identity for women which represents feminity and attractiveness and men with youth and vigor.  Therefore, hair thinning is a sensitive issue for both.

Causes: There are few reasons for hair loss as mentioned below-

1. Pattern hair loss: Male hair loss is due to combination of genetics and male hormone

    dihydro-testosterone.

2. Infection: Such as Dissecting Cellulitis, Fungal infections, Folliculitis, Demodex folliculorun.

3. Drugs: Hair loss can be caused by several medications like blood pressure problems, diabetes,

    heart disease, cholesterol, contraceptive pills, steroids.

Medications:  Treatment for hair loss have limited success.  Three medications namely Minoxidil,

Finasteride, Dutasteride have evidence to support in male pattern hair loss but have their side effects  also and hair loss resumes, if the treatment is stopped.

Another method is surgery which is Hair Transplantation.  In this method healthy hair from the back and sides of the head are moved to the area of thinning. Transplanted hair falls out within a few weeks but regrows permanently within months.  Wigs are an alternative to medical and surgical treatment.

Some tips for stopping hair from falling out:

1. Regularly wash hair with mild shampoo.

2. Vitamin for hair loss.

3. Enrich diet with protein.

4. Scalp massage with essential oils- Castor oil, Ricino oil, Rosemerry oil, Lavendar oil.

5. Avoid brushing wet hair.

6. Apply juice of garlic, onion and ginger.

7. Keep hydrated.

8. Rub green tea into hair.

Best treatment for female hair loss: 

Minoxidil (Rogaine) 5% is the only topical medication approved by FDA for female pattern hair loss. The once daily use foam treatment regrows hair

At the entrance of our stomach is a valve, which is a ring of muscle called Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). LES closes as soon as food passes through it.  If it doesn’t close or opens too often, acid produced by our stomach move up into our esophagus.  This cause symptoms such as burning chest pain called heartburn.  If this symptoms happen more than twice a week, it is acid reflux disease also know  as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). 

Causes: One common cause of acid reflux is stomach abnormality called hiatal hernia.  This occurs when the upper part of the stomach and LES move above the diaphragm, a muscle that separates our stomach from our chest.

Other common factors for LES are:

1. Eating large meals or lying down right after meal.

2. Being over weight.

3. Eating close to bed time.

4. Eating foods such as citrus, tomato, chocolate, garlic, spicy or fatty foods.

5. Drinking certain beverages, such as alcohol, carbonated drinks.

6. Smoking.

Common Symptoms:

1. Heartburn- a burning pain that move from our stomach to our abdomen or chest or up to throat.

2. Regurgitation: A sour tasting acid backing up into our throat or mouth.

Other Symptoms:

1. Bloating 2. Bloody vomiting 3. Nausea 4. Wheezing, dry cough, sore throat

Tips to get rid of Acid Reflux:

1. Standing up straight.

2. Elevating upper body.

3. Drink water mixing baking soda.

4. Trying some ginger.

5. Sipping apple cider vinegar.

6. Chewing gum.

7. Over the counter treatment such as antacids.

Bad posture is the posture that results from certain muscles tightening or shortening while others lengthen and become weak which is a result of one’s daily activities.

Type of Bad posture:

1. Rounded and elevated shoulders and a pushed forward head position.

2. Forward tilting of the hips, increase in the curve of the lumbar spine and a protruding stomach.

 Causes of Bad posture:

There are numerous factors one may encounter that may come in the way of good posture.  Bad posture may be due to an injury, a disease or because of genetics.  Here are some reasons for Bad posture:

1. Injury and muscle guarding: After an injury, nearby muscles tend to go into spasm as a way of protecting the vulnerable area.  Muscles in spasm will likely work in a diminished way until treated by massage or physical therapy.

2. Muscle tension and muscle weakness: This situation is when our body has areas that are too weak. It will not allow our body to be in the most effective manner. 

3. Daily habits can lead to bad posture: Habits like we sit or walk, clothing, shoes, etc.  We have to concentrate on all our activities and practice good.

4. Mental attitude and stress may lead to bad posture.

5. Back packs and computer use are associated with spinal distortions.  Prolonged computer use with poor posture can deform the thoracic and cervical spine.

Side effects of Bad posture:

1. Soreness and Pain: Slouching causes our muscles to work harder.  Poor posture puts a lot of stress on spine and causes lower back pain.

2. Sitting crossing our legs lead to lower back pain and spider veins.

3. Negative Mood; Good posture fights depression but bad posture invites it.

4. Increased stress: Increased physical and mental stress are negative effects of bad posture.  Physical stress causes soreness and pain.

5. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Nerves in our neck and upper back control muscle function in arms, wrists and hands, bad posture can effect these areas and cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

6. Less motivation: Since one of the effects of bad posture is lower confidence, less motivation can also stem from bad posture.

7. Poor digestion: Bad posture effects our digestion system also.  Slouch and hunch over bunch up our organs and makes it harder for the body to digest food.

8. Fatigue: Poor posture makes body work harder to keep us upright and we will feel tired soon.

How we can correct our posture:

1. Bear our weight primarily on the balls of our feet.

2. Keep our knees slightly bent.

3. Keep our feet about shoulder width apart.

4. Let our arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.

5. Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.

6. Tuck your stomach in.P