Know about infections of the uterus, vagina and cervix

All you need to know about infections of the uterus, vagina and cervix

The uterus, vagina and cervix are major components of the female reproductive system. Their functioning impacts the overall growth and health of the female body as well as sexuality.

There are a number of infections and diseases that affect the female reproductive organs. Most cases require clinical care and treatment in consultation with a gynaecologist.

Following are the symptoms of infection in the uterus, cervix or vagina:

•  pain or numbness in the pelvic region
•  unusual discharge from the vagina
•  bleeding during or after intercourse
•  pain or burning sensation during urination
•  skipped periods
•  excessively painful menstrual cramps
•  nausea and vomiting
•  urinary incontinence

There are three main types of infections that affect the organs of the female reproductive system. They are as follows:

1. Vaginitis
This is an infection that affects the vagina. It occurs when the walls of the vagina get inflamed and irritated. It is caused by bacteria, viruses, yeast, chemicals and even clothing. It often occurs due to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The different types of infections that occur as vaginitis are yeast infection, viral vaginitis, bacterial vaginitis, trichomoniasis vaginitis, etc.

2. Cervicitis
This infection affects the cervix. Cervicitis can either be acute or chronic in nature, depending upon what causes the cervix to get inflamed. It occurs most commonly due to sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia and herpes. This condition is often confused with vaginitis as the two have similar causes and symptoms.

3. Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) is a serious infection that affects the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. It is caused by sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea and can lead to severe complications. It often causes scar tissue to grow between the internal organs and may even lead to ectopic pregnancy. If not properly diagnosed, it can cause infertility and other chronic problems.

Treating the various infections that affect the female reproductive system depends on a number of factors such as nature of the problem, age and medical history of the patient, and the root causes. Early detection and diagnosis ensure effective treatment which makes it important to see a gynaecologist at the onset of symptoms.


Related Tip: Infections Of The Vagina, Cervix and Uterus: Facts You Must Know

Mystical powers of names and talismans

Mystical powers of names and talismans:

Photo by  isawnyu

The mystical powers of names and talismans actually carry many similarities. Today names are looked at as simply a way to identify someone. But there was a time that names were more than just words.

It’s said that Holy names should be spoken with great respect, while the names of demons should be spoken with great caution. Many times children’s names are chosen with a great deal of symbolism attached and many are given with special ceremony. Some believe that names have potential powers equal to that of a talismans.

Who was Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is the figure of a well known German fairy tale. As the story goes, a young girls father led people to believe that his daughter could spin straw into gold. So marveled by this mystical power, the King takes her captive so that she may make him a fortune. Then magically a dwarf by the name of Rumpelstiltskin appears to her and creates this wonderful feat of spinning gold for her.

Rumpelstiltskin requested that she give up her first born child to him in exchange for his magical services. Ironically, the young woman and the King become married and do in fact have a child. At which point the young maiden begs the dwarf to release her from her promise of giving up her first born, the dwarf reluctantly agrees but under one condition. She must guess his name within a three day period.

Amazingly and with great luck I might add, one of the girls servants over hearsRumpelstiltskin singing a song about his name. So the servant runs to tell the girl what he discovered and her child was spared when she told Rumpelstiltskin his name.

Such an interesting fairy tale, the old ones were always the greatest.

Powers of Talismans

A talisman is an object that is said to hold a magical active force. There are also what’s called amulets, and these are supposed to be a more passive and protective object. An amulet may shield against a curse or the evil eye, while a talisman can bring you positive benefits such as good luck.

The Egyptian ankh, which is in the shape of a cross with a loop at the top, stands for long life and fertility. Then there’s the hammer of Thore, a Scandinavian object that promises it’s wielder strength and success. China is home to the legends of the dragon, which they see as a great sign of good luck, prosperity and life-giving rain. And of course the heart is symbolic of peace and love, which is a universal symbol.

The Wreck of the Titan

This short novel was published in 1898 by Morgan Robertson and is a fictional story about an ocean liner called the Titan, that hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of course the ocean liner sinks and kills many people.

Then amazingly in 1912 the real ocean liner the Titanic actually did strike an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank taking many lives with it. Strangely enough many of the details about the incident and the ocean liner were predicted in Robertson’s novel which seemed like an act of premonition.

The Titanic was not the only coincidence related to the novel, The Wreck of the Titan. In 1935 a cargo vessel named Titanican became trapped in pack ice also in the North Atlantic and had to be freed by an icebreaker. Also followed by a passenger steamer, The Titan, that collided with a dock in Hamburg, Germany.

Some people just call these coincidences, but I think the similarities are a little too precise to be mere accident. Who can say for sure…

Names you Shouldn’t Call

It’s believed that if you call out the names “fairy” or “fairies” it can bring fierce consequences. So use something like The Little People or maybe The Good Neighbors if you have to refer to them. The Furies is another one to use caution with. The Furies are the three sisters from Greek Mythology, it’s more proper to refer to them as The Kindly Ones, in hopes they may appear as such if conjured.

It’s also good habit to take care when pronouncing anyone’s name. It is considered an insult to mispronounce someone’s name and is a sign of rudeness. By using a cruel nickname for someone, this can really damage their self esteem, but if you use an affectionate nickname, this can bring them warmth and love.

This is all a little mismatched info hitting you from both sides. But who knows when something like this may come in handy to know such things. Names, Talismans and Amulets have been the center of tradition, stories and superstition for many ages. By understanding them you may be armed with the information needed to effectively navigate through their realm, if faced with the opportunity.

What Causes Tears and What are the Effects of Crying

What Causes Tears and What are the Effects of Crying

Photo by  Ebtesam Ahmed

One of my readers put in a special request for a post concerning the effects of crying. They were reading my post The Medicine of Laughter and in their comment, asked about advantages and disadvantages to crying. I thought that was an excellent contrasting post to the other, so here it is folks.
We’ll go over what causes us to cry and some of the good and bad that may be associated with it. Also how our bodies react to it and the toll on our emotions it may take.

What Causes Crying

Most of us know the act of crying as associated with emotions. When our bodies are overwhelmed with a sensation of sorrow, pain or even great moments of joy. The act of crying is also known as lacrimation, this is because of the link between emotional states and the lacrimal glands. More commonly known as tear ducts.

Scientists believe that humans are the only creatures that are capable of producing tears in relation to emotional states. I tend to disagree with this however. I think it’s very possible that other animals have the ability to cry when their emotions are provoked.

But one theory is that the act of crying is nothing more than an unconscious behavior that is a way of seeking help in others. More of an instinctual act that is recognized by others and may in return produce an emotional reaction known as “feeling sorry” for another individual. Now in my opinion I’m not sure if this is an instinctual behavior or if it may be a learned behavior, but none the less it seems to ring true.

Is Crying Harmful

There are actually a few different types of tears that may produce different chemicals. The Basal Tears are produced as a means of lubrication for the eye. Reflexive Tears are produced in order to protect the eye from irritants, such as getting a grain of sand in your eye. Then we have the Psych Tears which are caused due to emotional responses.

As all of these categories of tears have an intended purpose, is it harmful to cry? I would say certainly not, except possibly to your own ego. I feel like the act of crying is an emotional outlet that we all need at one time or another. The human body is made up of so many complex systems and not having an outlet for emotion can be very dangerous to your health. Now if you are crying more than you feel is normal or doing it uncontrollably, then your hormones may be out of balance and a trip to the doctor could be in order.

There are some medical conditions that are not healthy forms of crying such as Bell’s

Palsy. Sufferers from this may experience crying while trying to eat. There really is no emotional cause for this, but is due to faulty regeneration of the facial nerve. There are also conditions that may causes infants to cry uncontrollably and also this same condition may exist in adults. There is a condition that is an epileptic episode known as gelastic seizure, the main symptom being uncontrollable laughter or crying.

The only harmful thing I can attribute to the act of crying would be the emotions associated with it. Times of sorrow or worry can be quite harmful to our bodies. They can cause a great deal of stress and nervousness which can often times lead to sickness. But I still believe these emotions in moderation are good for us, as we’re only human, and humans need these reactions as a learning experience.

The Joy of Crying

Now let’s talk a bit about the tears of joy. Crying when you are happy is such a rewarding experience. It’s hard to explain exactly the feeling you get, as it may differ depending on the individual. Some people explain tears of joy as a response to human kindness. Like when someone does something so exceptionally nice for you that it overwhelms your emotions. Or when you experience an amazing feat of compassion in others.

Have you ever been watching a funny movie and get to laughing so hard that you start crying? This is actually very common and is caused due to the pressure that’s produced against your tear glands while laughing. There is a drain in your eye that allows excess tears to flow into when crying, this is why your nose runs, it’s from the overflow. But when laughing, that drain is closed off so the normal build up of lubrication overflows out onto your eyelids. So tears of joy I don’t believe are actually caused from the happy emotions, it’s just the lubrication has no where to go so it spills out. But don’t let me be a kill joy, for all practical purposes we’re going to look at tears of joy as an awesome thing!

Benefits to Crying

So let’s take a look at some of the benefits to crying. Even though tears are mostly associated with emotions, they do serve a legitimate purpose where our health is concerned.

First and foremost, tears help us to see more clearly. Tears are constantly being produced by your eyes in order to lubricate and protect them. They will also keep your eyes hydrated, without them we would all eventually become blind.

Tears also act as an antibacterial and antiviral agent. They are known to contain lysozyme and it can kill up to 95% of bacteria in a matter of minutes. Very helpful in preventing sicknesses like the common cold. They are also useful in removing toxins from your body. Tears produced during an emotional episode will be loaded with toxins, this could be why we feel so much better after a “good cry”.

Tears are also an outlet for excess manganese in your body. Manganese is responsible for stressors and emotions such as nervousness, irritability, aggression and fatigue. Sounds like a build up of these types of emotions may be one reason we cry while under stress.

Speaking of stress, if we tend to hold our emotions in, this can lead to the build up of certain endorphins in our body that cause stress. Crying is an outlet for these endorphins, this is why over time we can become quite stressed and have a spike in blood pressure if we haven’t cried in a while.

One of the major benefits of crying is it brings people together. Showing emotion is the beauty of being human and it’s a form of unspoken communication between us. When you simply don’t have the words to express how you’re feeling, a nice cry can get the message across just fine.

Body lacks water if these signs appear

5 signs your body is lacking in water

Water is indispensable for the human body as 90% of the brain and almost 60 per cent of an adult body is chiefly made up of water. Water is just as important as any of your meals. Each cell and organ depends on water for its proper functioning and for flushing out toxins and fats from the body. An average man must consume roughly 3 litres (10-12 glasses) of water per day; and a woman requires about 2.5 litres (8-10 glasses). If you're not meeting this requirement, you might be fall prey to dehydration.
The state of water deficiency or dehydration can be determined through various symptoms.

Read on to know the 5 most common signs:

1. The colour of your urine is dark
The colour of your urine indicates your health. The lesser the water you drink, the darker is the colour of your pee. If your urine is pale yellow, you drink a sufficient amount of water. If it's dark yellow and concentrated, it's a sign for you to refill on water. Also, if you haven't urinated for more than two hours, you should immediately gulp 2 glasses of water.

2. You experience frequent headaches
Headaches are often caused by dehydration when the pressure from your blood vessels falls. Dehydration makes it tough for your heart to pump enough oxygen to the brain. Drinking sufficient amounts of water ensures the flow of oxygen in your body.

3. You feel dizzy and fatigued
Lack of water can often lead to laziness and restlessness. It may also cause a rapid change in your blood pressure. Low or high blood pressures are stimulants of fatigue. Water gives you instant energy that wakes up your whole system, thus making you feel revitalised.

4. You have constipated bowel movements
Water is one of the top natural remedies for constipation or troubled bowel movements. If your fluid intake is low, you're likely to have stomach, gastric and bowel problems. The digestive system depends on water to help food move through both the intestines. It checks the functions of the digestive tract, while also keeping it flexible and clean.

5. You experience brain fogs and blackouts
Your brain cells and nerves react severely to water loss. You may start feeling a lack of concentration along with temporary memory loss. Blackouts and fogs are common when you have a deficit of water. You might even experience difficulty in carrying out cognitive tasks.

If you're experiencing similar issues, you must enhance your daily water intake. You can try carrying a sipper around, which allows you to keep a tab on your water consumption. To relish water as a refreshing beverage, you can infuse freshly chopped fruits and herbs in a pitcher of chilled water. This flavoured water also cleanses your body of all toxins and chemicals, thus keeping you fresh.

Morning sickness

Morning sickness refers to the nausea experienced by a woman during the first couple of months of pregnancy. Even though it's called morning sickness, it can happen at any time of the day.

Starting around the fourth week of pregnancy, and lasting up to the 14th week, the unpleasant symptoms of morning sickness can be managed in the following ways:

1. By Smelling a Lemon - Pregnancy can make you highly sensitive to different types of smells, and certain types of scents, foul odour to be precise, can be major factors that cause nausea. This can be treated by inhaling a fresh aroma, like that of lemon extract or a fresh sprig of rosemary, or any other smell you find pleasant.
2. By Drinking Loads of Water - Dehydration or drinking less amounts of water than what your body requires at this stage of your life can lead to increased feelings of nausea. Thus, it’s extremely important to stay hydrated. Although, drinking the standard 8-10 glasses of water when you feel like vomitting might seem like a challenge, there are certain ways in which you can trick your body to increase its fluid intake. Research shows that certain salty snacks (cheese or chips for example) can trigger thirst in pregnant women, while reducing feelings of nausea. Even munching on ice chips or sipping on ice cold water or a hot beverage can do the trick, depending on what works for you.
3. By Eating Something that Works for You- Even though nausea can be a hunger-killer, eating something that doesn’t make you vomit can actually help control the symptoms of morning sickness. This may be different for each pregnant woman, although certain carbohydrate rich, bland tasting foods such as dry cereals, ice cold watermelons, popsicles and crackers have proven to be very effective in controlling morning sickness. Greasy, fatty and spicy foods should be avoided as they can upset your stomach.
4. By Having a Little Bit of Ginger - Ginger can be highly instrumental in soothing your upset stomach, and can even quell feelings of queasiness. Just try having ginger tea whenever you feel nauseous. You can even add a thin slice of ginger to your water or have ginger soup, ginger ale, ginger candy or gingerbread; each of these ways can put a stop to the nausea.
5. By Lying Down - The simplest and easiest way to fight off the nausea is by lying down. Closing your eyes and taking deep breaths as you do so can relax your body. Sometimes morning sickness can be a result of lack of sleep and rest, hence catching a nap can be the best remedy.

Hope this tip was helpful to you. Do share this with your loved ones'.

Related Tips:
Standard protocols of doctor visits and events when you are pregnant. A helpful week-by-week list.
5 regular things that become dangerous when you are pregnant

Why your back hurts?

Why Does Your Back Hurt?

Most of us, experience back pain due to incorrect posture or longer duration of sitting.
Sometimes you may experience back pain because of exertion - you spent the entire day doing the same kind of job or maybe you bent in a wrong manner while picking up your child.

However, the actual cause of your spinal agony may not be very clear, but it pays to be aware of the possible reasons that can cause backache. It is good to consult a doctor if your back pain is consistent and recurrent.

Here are few of the causes:

1. The position of your pelvis
The pelvis consists of three bones that can shift depending on which muscles become weak or stiff. This brings about a pull in the muscle of the lower back, resulting in severe strain to this area. You should consult a physiotherapist for suggestions regarding the best exercises for strengthening your pelvic area.

2. Weak abdominal muscles
A cause of your back pain can be weak stomach muscles. Abdominal muscles play an important role in balancing out the constant bending that your back muscles perform. When you've weak abdominal muscles, your spine is not able to maintain proper balance, resulting in severe stress on the spinal column.

3. Disc injuries
Located between the bones of your spine, discs perform the function of a shock absorber. Physical injury to these padded cushions can cause them to break open, leading to a condition known as herniated disc. This can then bring about pain in the back area.

Few precautions that can be taken for a hurting back. Despite the causes, there are certain precautions that you can take, which are:

• Avoid sitting in a bad posture, that is, keep your back straight as much as you can. Pull and stretch your body in continual intervals to keep it relaxed.
• Consult the right physician instead of doing exercise that can aggravate your pain.
• Take a break from work and go for short walks, every couple of hours.

Ganga Worship at Varanasi

Spectural Ganga Worship at Varanasi:

Varanasi is sacred and oldest city of the world located at the banks of the holy River Gange. Where, Gange aarti is performed daily in the evening by a group of priests at the Dashashwamedh ghat. 

Through the aarti, Agni Pooja is performed in which a commitment is made to the Lord Shiva, Mata Gange, Surya, Agni (Fire) as well as the whole universe made by the Lord Shiva. On some special occasions, religious festivals and second day of the week means Tuesdays, a particular type of aarti is held at this ghat.

Gange aarti is the magnificent event during evening in the Varanasi that one must not miss to see it. It makes us to experience the great feelings while Gange aarti become in process. This beautiful ritual makes every moment of the evening period special and fills with the spiritual thoughts. 

It is performed by the brass lamps which accompanied with the mantra chant in the presence of the huge crowd.

All the priests who have to perform the aarti, wear same cloth, the dhoti and kurta which is tightly bind with a long towel. 

First they make preparation of the Gange aarti by making collection of the five elevated planks, a multi tiered oil lamp, an idol of the Goddess Ganga, flowers, incense sticks, a conch shell, a big and heavy brass lamp having a snake hood at the edge of the River Gange. 

A group of boats filled with devotees come around the place of aarti at the bank of River. They are very eager to see the event; some of them take live video, photos as well. 

Ritual of the Gange aarti is performed by the students of the Vedas and Upanishads which is lead by the head priest of the Gangotri Seva Samiti. The whole event takes around 45 minutes.

Timing of Gange Aarti

Gange aarti takes place at 6.45 PM in the evening after the sunset for around 45 minutes at the Dashashwamedh ghat in the Varanasi. Devotees have started to come to see the Gange aarti at least one hour before.

A group of young priests starts aarti in a well organized manner by having a lighting lamp in their hand, start a rhythmic chant of mantras. An announcement at 7.00 pm indicates the beginning of the aarti. 

Music starts by someone and priests involving in the aarti stood up to begin the Gange aarti. Devotees at present make clapping together with the chanting of the mantras. Priests blown the conch shells in between the aarti very loudly and aarti continues with the incense sticks.

 After completing the mantras, priests do aarti with the multi-tiered brass lamps having firing camphor or kapoor. Gange aarti ends up with the final aarti and after that the environment become very silent.

Ganga Aarti Video

This is the video of the Gange aarti where you can see the live Gange aarti. Young priests are doing the aarti by ringing the bell and chanting the mantras of the Goddess Gange.

Ganga Aarti Photos

This is the photo of the Gange aarti, where priests start preparing the aarti celebration event. Devotees, eager to see the Gange aarti, have started gathering at the Dashashwamedha ghat.

 Boats, loaded with the pilgrims, have also started gathering at the banks of the River Gange.

This is the photo of the Gange aarti, where almost preparation has been completed and young priests and one main priest are coming to their places to start the aarti event.

Devotees and pilgrims are getting their places at the Gange ghat very silently without harming each other in order to see the great event. 

Some people are ready to make video or take snaps of the event with their own cameras.

Tourists from outside the country as well as from the country and local devotees are taking their places at the boat in the water to see the aarti event very clearly. 

Boats loaded with the people are collecting in the organized way at the River bank.

Foreign tourists are very eager to see the aarti event soon and they are preparing their cameras to have photos as well as videos. They are enjoying the evening time very silently on the boat.

Get Help for IBS

HOW TO STOP THE SUFFERING

By: Lisa Fabian

For many people, IBS can be controlled through diet, medications, and stress management.

Consider not only what you eat but also how you eat. Avoid large meals that can cause cramps. Instead, consume smaller meals more often, but make sure they’re low in fat, which can be hard to digest.

Grains such as wheat, rye, and barley have been associated with a worsening of IBS symptoms, so try eating a gluten-free diet.

Stay away from beverages that can stimulate the intestines. These include caffeinated colas, coffee, and tea. It’s wise to avoid alcohol as well.

Be sure to drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day, particularly if diarrhea is a problem.

Avoiding all dairy and milk products for two weeks may help your doctor determine if you are lactose intolerant.

Certain foods and supplements can ease symptoms. A high-fiber diet can help make bowel movements less painful. Increase fiber intake by 2 to 3 grams a day. This may initially cause gas and bloating, but symptoms generally subside in a few weeks.

Fiber supplements, such as psyllium husk, can help ease constipation, and medications may be prescribed to control diarrhea. Probiotic supplements are a good choice for supporting the digestive system.

If you find that consuming dairy products triggers symptoms, avoid them in general, but yogurt may be better tolerated. It contains beneficial bacteria, which help digest lactose.