What to do?
• Adapt a healthy lifestyle: Eat nutritious good, get adequate sleep and keep yourself physically fit.
• Use soaps to wash your hands regularly particularly if you are in touch with contaminated objects and surfaces.
• Keep your windows and doors open, this will improve the ventilation.
• Take rest if you feel feverish or have a bad throat. Drink lots of fluids and cover your mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing. This will not let the infection spread.
What not to do?
• If you are not feeling well, consult a doctor. Do not take medicines on your own. You might end up developing resistance to those medicines in the future.
• Avoid going to crowded places like markets etc.

Early diagnosis is important here, as it is with other cancers too. Early diagnosis increases the chances of survival. So how is breast cancer diagnosed? Accurate history and clinical examination are very important for detecting breast cancer. Few investigations which help in making the final diagnosis are:

Mammography: its diagnostic accuracy is about 90-95%. The test yields better result in older women as the density of the breast tissue decreases with age.
Ultrasound: it is an important diagnostic test in young women. Mammograms are difficult to interpret in young females because of the dense breast tissue. Ultrasound can locate areas of breast pathology which are not palpable clinically.
Cytology and Needle biopsy: FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) is least invasive, easy and safe. Diagnostic accuracy is almost 95%. In this fluid or tissue is drawn out from the lump to be examined with the help of a needle. Biopsy can also be done by obtaining breast tissue under local anesthesia. In this either the whole or a part of the lump is removed and examined.
Other investigations: Blood picture may show decreased hemoglobin levels. Chest X-ray can be done to rule out lung metastasis.

Triple Assessment: Diagnosis of a breast lump is done by a combination of three things:
1. Clinical assessment- history and clinical examination
2. Imaging: which includes ultrasound and mammography
3. Pathology: biopsy and cytology

99.9% of the breast lump cases can be diagnosed accurately with this triple assessment!

Watch the video below to know more about breast cancer!

Another factor which can lead to better IQ for your child is breastfeeding. It can in fact increase a child’s IQ by six times. Earlier, mothers were not encouraged to indulge in many exercises. However latest research has shown that exercises using light weights, stretching etc can prove beneficial for some.

Women need to be fit and active during their pregnancy. They can easily adapt to changes in their body shape and weight if they are active enough. They can also deal with labor in a better way if they exercise regularly. Exercise increases the bloody supply to the brain and helps in growth of neurons too.

There is another theory which says that the way a mother talks to her child can also increase the child’s IQ. According to this theory parents should ask questions to their kids. They should also explain them the answers. This will encourage the kids to think, which will eventually increase their IQ. If they answer correctly, they should be appreciated for their hard work. This will encourage them to do even better in the future. One can also indulge in various “anticipation exercises” with their children. You can ask them to make predictions like where a submerged duck will float up in a pond.

Combination of breastfeeding and exercise can raise a child’s IQ up to 14 points above average according to the latest research reports.

If not treated, cystitis can even lead to kidney failure. Therefore you need to know few things which can prevent the infection:
Increase your water intake: Drink at least 1.5 litre per day. If you exercise, then the amount should be increased even further. Also drink more water during summers.
Go low on sugar: Reduce your sugar consumption. Sugar provides an excellent medium for bacterial growth and this can lead to cystitis.
Say no to synthetic undergarments: Wear only the cotton ones. Synthetic undergarments cause irritation and can lead to infection.
Drink cranberry juice: The juice makes the urine more acidic, which doesn’t favor bacterial growth.

If you still end up with the infection, make sure you take the whole course of antibiotics. Also take enough rest, this will ensure speedy recovery!

The baby can get high blood glucose levels from the mother, through the placenta. To regulate the extra sugar, more insulin is required for which baby’s pancreas starts working at an abnormal rate. More energy is produced which leads to “macrosomia” or a huge baby. This can cause problems during delivery, other than that the baby can also suffer from respiratory and heart problems.

Risk factors: It is therefore important to know about gestational diabetes especially when you are pregnant and have a family history of diabetes. Are you at risk for this disease? Well you are if you fall into any of these categories:
• Family history of diabetes
• Above 30 years of age
• Obese
• Having a previous birth of an overweight baby (4 kg/8.8 lbs or more)
• Presence of vaginal candidiasis or polyhydroamnios in the present pregnancy

Screening/Diagnosis: Prenatal care includes screening for gestational diabetes. A glucose challenge test is performed usually between 24th-28th weeks of pregnancy. The test can also be done earlier if the patient is at high risk for having gestational diabetes mellitus.
Oral glucose (50 gm usually) is given to the mother and blood sugar levels are then recorded.

Management: The blood glucose level is maintained by diet restriction, exercise and with medicines and insulin (if required). Diet with 2000-2500 Kcal/day for normal weight woman and restriction to 1200-1800 Kcal/day for over weight woman is recommended. Simple and safe exercise routines can also de done like aerobics and brisk walking. Such patients usually do end up with caesarean section.

The good thing with gestational diabetes is that sugar levels come back to normal after the delivery. But once you have had gestational diabetes, chances are that it will occur again in the subsequent pregnancies. Such women may go on to develop diabetes mellitus type 2 after few years. Therefore if you have had gestational diabetes, you need to watch out for your sugar levels even after the delivery.

Are you at risk for osteoporosis? Check out the 10 important risk factors below:

Medicines: You are at risk for developing this bone disorder if you are on steroids, diazepam or anticonvulsants. These medicines cause tissue breakdown, decrease the androgen and estrogen levels and also interfere with calcium absorption.
Smoking: If you are a chain smoker, chances are that you will develop osteoporosis at an early age. Smoking decreases the hormone levels pre-maturely.
Alcohol: You are at risk if you consume more than one alcoholic drink per day. Alcohol affects the bone cells and their ability to make new bone and remodel the old ones is significantly reduced.
Tall stature: Women who are very tall or thin are at higher risk for developing osteoporosis. Due to lack of fat in the body, less estrogen is produced.
Immobility: Due to any medical or surgical condition is a potential risk factor for osteoporosis.
Sedentary lifestyle: People who are not on their feet for at least four hours a day are definitely at risk for this bone disorder. Bones remain healthy when vertical force is applied on them directly. You need to exercise if you wish to have healthy bones.
Emotional factors: Depression is also a risk factor for osteoporosis. There is an increased production of a chemical in patients suffering from depressions which is responsible for the bone breakdown.
Excessive consumption of caffeine: Drinking more than two cups of coffee every day can prove to be dangerous for your bones. Urinary excretion of calcium is increased which leads to weakening of the bones.
Thyroid disorders: The thyroid is over active in patients suffering from Hyperthyroidism. Thyroid stimulates the bone cells for bone breakdown. Same affect is also seen in hypothyroid patients who take medications for an under active thyroid gland.
Junk food: Bone health will deteriorate if your diet doesn’t contain green leafy vegetables and fruits. So eat healthy and avoid eating junk food if you want your bones to stay healthy.

Flavonoid, present in green tea is an antioxidant which helps in maintaining the pliability of the blood vessels. It does so by preventing tissue inflammation. These substances also help in preventing the formation of clots, which are primarily responsible for causing heart attacks. So if you have a family history of blood pressure, heart diseases etc, it might actually be a great idea to become a green tea drinker!

*You must avoid consuming alcohol if you are suffering from gout. Alcohol consumption leads to uric acid production which can worsen the symptoms further.
*Certain food items stimulate uric acid production and should be avoided. This includes shellfish, caffeine, eggs, fatty fish and meat.
*Herbal teas, peppermint should be taken more regularly.
*Increase your water intake. It helps in flushing out the excess uric acid from the body.
*Vitamin C helps in dissolving uric acid, so consumption of vitamin C (1gm per day) might help those who are suffering from gout.
*During the attacks, ice packs should be applied to the painful area. The packs should be applied regularly during the attack.
*Eating cherries might relieve some symptoms.

A little change in your lifestyle/eating habits might help in relieving the gout symptoms.

We can practice chromotherapy is our daily lives too by eating those vegetables/fruits which contain these colors. Different colors can have a different affect on your body.

Yellow: Joy and happiness are associated with this color. It stimulates the brain, liver and the spleen. It also acts as a diuretic and laxative. Yellow is found in grapes, lemon, lime, banana, mango, melon and pumpkin.

Red: The color represents anger, fire and heat. Red energizes and stimulates the human body. It makes the cold extremities warm by stimulating arterial blood. Tomatoes, radish, water melon, red berries contain this color. Red is found in most of the red skinned fruits.

Purple: The color is made up from red and blue. It has a soothing and calming effect on the nervous system, ears and eyes. It’s also a great stimulant. Purple is found in all food items with violet and blue colors.

Orange: The color is associated with pride and prosperity. It helps is energizing the nerves and stimulating the blood supply. Orange is found is various vegetables and fruits like orange, carrot, peach, papaya, mango and apricot.

Blue: this beautiful color helps in alleviating pain and reducing bleeding. It also helps in healing of burn wounds. Blue is found is blueberries and blue grapes.

Green: This color results from a combination of soothing blue and stimulating yellow. Green is often seen as a color of harmony. It has a mild sedative effect on the human body. The color is quite naturally found in most of the green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, gourds, pears and peas.

Maternal complications:

*Recurrent abortions can occur in women with uncontrolled diabetes.
*Infections are more common especially urinary tract infection.
*Increased incidence of pre-eclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension.
*Increased incidence of polyhydroamnios; which is a condition associated with excessive amount of amniotic fluid.
*Maternal distress can occur because of polyhydroamnios or because of the big size of the baby.
*Labor might be prolonged and difficult because of big size of the baby.
*Infection and hemorrhage more common after delivery.

Fetal complications:

*Big baby: babies born to diabetic mothers are usually huge in size.
*Congenital malformations: various congenital malformations have been seen in babies born to diabetic mothers. Some of the common ones are-
Involving the Central nervous system: neural tube defects, microcephaly, anencephaly.
Cardio vascular system: cardiomegaly, atrial and ventricular septal defects.
Gastro intestinal tract: duodenal atresia
Renal system: renal agenesis.
*Unexplained fetal death can occur.
*After birth, baby can suffer from jaundice and respiratory distress.

To avoid these complications, pregnant diabetic women must consult their doctors regularly. Sugar monitoring is extremely important throughout the course of pregnancy.