Constipation is a condition that involves difficulty in passing stools. Hardening of stool and decrease in the frequency of passing stool is also noticed. Sometimes, episodes of constipation can occur in between diarrhea as well. When constipated, the stools are hardened, and it becomes difficult for it to pass through your rectum. Causes of constipation Your diet plays an important role in the functioning of your body, and the same goes for constipation and its treatment. Consuming foods that are rich in fats and dairy products causes constipation. Inadequate consumption of foods that are rich in fiber is also a major cause. Water is something you shouldn’t compromise. Drinking eight to ten glasses of water on a daily basis is a must. Inadequate consumption of water can cause your stools to harden. Your colon needs water to keep the stools soft as well. Drinking a lot of water is also one of the treatments for constipation. Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to dehydration. These drinks make you pass urine frequently, due to which your intestines begin to absorb moisture. This causes you to get constipated. Sometimes, constipation is caused when you delay or ignore your bowel movements. Ignoring the desire to have bowel movements may initiate a cycle of constipation. This is true for people who hold back their stools because they don’t like using the public toilet. This shouldn’t be the case as it can lead to progressive constipation if repeated often. Medications can cause constipation too. Painkillers, iron tablets and a few narcotic drugs can suppress bowel function, leading to constipation. Laxatives help induce bowel movements and loosen the stool, but using this can make your bowel lose its sensitivity. You might become too dependent on these laxatives, and it can have a negative effect on you, that is constipation.

A hernia is a painful medical condition. It is the result of bulging tissues or viscera that move away from their natural position and push through weak and open areas of the muscles. This results in swollen pockets and extreme pain. A hernia can be deadly in certain cases. It affects millions of people in the country itself. The condition commonly affects the abdomen but can also take place in the belly button, upper thigh and groin regions. Medical attention is strongly recommended when it comes to seeking a cure for the disease. There are a number of natural remedies which aid in hernia pain relief as well. They reduce the risk of the onset of the disease and help as a whole. Here are a few of the best natural remedies for a hernia! Performing pull-up exercises is a great way to prevent spinal diseases. It is a very simple exercise which stretches the vertebrae and releases pressure on the nerves. This enhances blood circulation in the joints. You can perform this exercise at home and it is one of the best natural ways to provide for hernia pain relief. Workout twice a day in sets of 5. Each set should take 10-15 seconds. Avoid exercising too much as it can worsen your condition and increase the pain. Slowing down spinal degeneration is one of the most effective treatment methods for spinal disc herniation. The spine does not have the firmness it once had when it is degraded. The pressure on the spinal disk is suppressed completely and this leads to the onset of the disease. Add certain food items to your diet to restore cartilage joints and bones under the cartilage. This slows down the degeneration process and reduces pain. Eat tomatoes, cereals, soy, fish, meat, tubular bone, fresh milk, bananas green vegetables and fruits.

Summertime is here, and so are summer outings! Our pets love being outside, running around, playing fetch, or digging dirt. While the season is great for some outdoor activities, it is also the time when fleas and other parasites may attack your dogs and stick onto their coats. This flea infestation may become a bigger problem as it gets hotter and more humid. Here are some DIY flea sprays to get rid of these fleas. Apple cider vinegar This ingredient can be used in two ways. You can either spray the solution on your fur child’s coat or give it orally to your dog. If you would like to make a spray, just add around two to three tablespoons of it to a glass of water. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle, and spray it thoroughly on your pet’s fur. This remedy keeps the fleas at bay and your dog’s coat shiny and healthy. Here’s the recipe if you want to give it orally to your dog: For every 40 pounds of your dog’s weight, add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to their water bowl. Repeat this process every time you refill their water bowl. Baking soda Take one-fourth cup of baking soda, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and five drops of peppermint oil before pouring two cups of warm water into this concoction. Mix this thoroughly and transfer it into a spray bottle. Use this mixture generously on your pet’s fur. Spraying enough mixture on the coat will ensure that it gets absorbed into the skin. You can simply leave the mixture on till it dries out. Make sure your dog doesn’t lick it off. Use this as many times as needed every week. Keeping some natural remedies at home is a big relief as these DIY recipes can be used to take preventive measures against flea infestation.

For some people, when they have a bloated stomach, their belly looks swollen or they might encounter intense abdominal pain. The reason may be abdominal bloating caused by something as mild as indigestion or too much gas forming up in the stomach and bowels. Fluid retention, irritable bowel syndrome, or infection are the possible causes of abdominal bloating. The cause of bloating is mostly harmless, and it can be treated at home by most people. However, abdominal bloating can be disturbing, especially when it is extremely painful. Let us have a look at some of the causes and treatments to get stomach relief from bloating: Causes of bloating Digestive disorders People who have various functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease have a bloating stomach. Studies show that stomach bloating is experienced by almost 23 percent to 96 percent of people with IBS. Fluid retention Excess bloating and temporary weight gain can be caused by bodily fluids that are deposited around the body, including near the abdomen or pelvis area. Fluid retention in the abdomen is called the ascites and it can be a symptom of a more serious health condition. It can be due to an abdominal infection, liver disease or, evendue to cancer. Dehydration Dehydration pauses digestion. The more water you drink, the more you get bloated. Constipation Another main reason for having a bloated stomach is constipation. Constipation causes the stool to settle in the intestines, thus leaving you with a hard-feeling stomach which causes pain, discomfort, and gas. The prominent reasons for constipation are the limited amount of fiber intake, not drinking enough water, or avoiding physical activity. Food allergies Food allergies, sensitives or lactose intolerance are other common causes of gas and bloating. The foods that trigger gas include dairy products, gluten-containing foods (most bread, pasta, rolls, cereals, etc.) and certain kinds of carbohydrates.

Swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum causing a lump are called hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are also commonly known as piles. Hemorrhoids can affect your body in many ways: one of the common effects is that your rectum does not feel empty after a bowel movement. Hemorrhoids cause excess pain in the anus as it causes blood clots to be protruding out of the anus. With pain, there is a lot of itching and discomfort that hemorrhoids cause. In most cases, people who have hemorrhoids cannot sit properly as the clot hurts when there is any kind of pressure implied on it. There are ways to know or identify if one has hemorrhoids or not. For the treatment of hemorrhoids, noticing the symptoms and appropriate and timely diagnosis is important. Here are the symptoms of hemorrhoids: One would notice blood in their bowel movements when someone is affected by hemorrhoids. If you find any trace of blood in the stools or tissue, it could be an indication of growing hemorrhoids, and you must turn to the treatment of hemorrhoids to prevent it from getting worse. You will feel an itchy and irritated sensation in your anal area. You are also likely to feel reckless itching. If there is a pain in that area and you feel discomfort while standing, walking, or sitting, you should get a diagnosis done. If you feel that there is a lump near your anus that is very sensitive to touch, it is probably because you are developing a condition of hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids are the prominent types of hemorrhoids that affect many people. There are also various treatments for hemorrhoids that are available. Internal hemorrhoids : This hemorrhoid occurs inside the anus and does not protrude outside the anus. It bleeds whenever one feels itching and irritation in the internal hemorrhoids.

In brief, vertigo means that you feel the outside environment is in a spin. “Almost as if you are dizzy,” that is how vertigo sufferers define the feeling. The disease is attributed to issues in the inner ear or even the brain. These could include infections, inflammations, tumors, sclerosis, or trauma. Other causes might also include a migraine, neck injuries, diabetic complications, as well as restricted flow of blood to the brain base. In advanced cases, the same can be attributed to Meniere’s disease. The most common feeling involved in vertigo is to feel disoriented, but this could be accompanied by sweating, vomiting, nausea, and abnormal movements of the eye. Related symptoms attributed to vertigo include: – Sensation of ringing in the ear – Eyesight issues – Speech issues – Lower consciousness level – Issues with walking The diagnosis of vertigo is made with the aid of physical examinations, detailed scans, and a thorough analysis of all medical history. Now when it comes to vertigo treatment, there are a bunch of options. These include medicines, home remedies, as well as therapy maneuvers. Prognosis for vertigo is much dependant on what the cause for the same is. All self-limiting instances of vertigo can be controlled using all the methods involved. The differentiating factor of vertigo and dizziness is that the former comes with a sort of illusory movement. In case the patient feels movement, the type of vertigo is subjective vertigo, while in case he/she feels that everything else around is also moving, it is called objective vertigo. Vertigo is symptomatic of some other issues but is not itself contagious in any way. The most commonly prevalent form of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV. In this, vertigo lasts for few seconds to minutes. It could come about as a result of head movement of sudden nature or even directional movement of the head.

A burning sensation in your feet is often related to nerve damage caused by certain underlying health conditions, out of which diabetes is one of the major causes. The feeling of pain can range from mild to harsh, and intermittent to constant. Sometimes you may get the feeling of hot, tingling or prickling pain or numbness in your feet which usually gets worse during the night. Causes of burning foot pain Sometimes, cases of burning foot pain have unknown causes. However, most of the times, doctors diagnose a wide range of conditions that lead to the sensation of burning foot pain. Here are some of the top causes: Diabetic neuropathy Uncontrollably high levels of blood sugar can gradually damage your blood vessels and nerves, leading to a reduction in the transmission of signals from the nerves. It can also weaken the blood vessel walls that are responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to nerves all over the body. Altogether, this can affect the ability to feel sensation in various parts of the body, including the feet. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, around 60-70 percent of people with uncontrolled diabetes have some nerve damage or neuropathy. Certain factors can increase the risk of neuropathy: Obesity High blood pressure Smoking Alcohol consumption When the nerve damage takes place in your legs and feet, it’s known as peripheral neuropathy. It is the most common form of diabetic neuropathy. Apart from the burning sensation in the feet produced by peripheral neuropathy, there are some other symptoms which are as follows: Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet Sharp and stabbing pains Weakness in your legs or arms Excessive sweating Small fiber sensory neuropathy (SFSN) SFSN is painful neuropathy which often leads to a painful burning sensation in the feet.

Many people love the change of seasons, whether it’s spring or autumn. However, if you experience the changing seasons as days of sneezing and watery eyes, you may have seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies are also called hay fever or allergic rhinitis. It is an immune response that primarily affects the nasal cavity and the eyes. The symptoms of seasonal allergies are a runny nose, increased mucus production, sneezing, and coughing. Redness around the face, swelling of the nose and watery eyes are also noticed in some people. Allergy-causing allergens Seasonal allergies are inflammatory. The immune system reacts to particles present in the air and triggers an inflammatory process. These particles that cause an allergic reaction are called allergens. The allergen in seasonal allergies depends on the geographical area, local flora, and the season. The common allergens involved in seasonal allergies are flower pollen, wood pollen, and grass pollen. Most of the allergens that trigger seasonal allergies are light pollen from trees, weeds, and grass. Heavier pollen from insect-pollinated plants won’t stay airborne for very long. Hence, seasonal allergies are more common in spring, summer, and autumn and less common in winter. Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies Seasonal allergies are also called allergic rhinitis; it affects the nose and nasal passage. Characteristic symptoms of seasonal allergies are: Rhinorrhea (excessive nasal discharge) Itching Sneezing fits Swelling of the nose Nasal congestion and obstruction Redness of the eyes and conjunctiva Ear congestion Rarer symptoms of allergic rhinitis are coughing, headache, Shortness of breath, and wheezing. In some very persistent cases of seasonal allergies, there may be secondary infections of the sinuses and throat. The best seasonal allergy medicine will aim to relieve these symptoms. Causes of Seasonal Allergies Seasonal allergies occur when your immune system identifies an outside substance as harmful. It immediately triggers a response to it.

What is gout? Gout is a type of arthritis that primarily attacks the joints and other body parts like the ears, wrists, knuckles, knee, ankles, and other small joints. It is often characterized by painful swelling, stiffness, and inflammation of these affected joints. The swelling and stiffness are mainly the results of excess levels of uric acid forming crystals in the joints. The pain is due to the inflammatory response to the crystals formed. The causes of gout may include lack of exercise, high levels of uric acid in the system, genetics, excessive consumption of meat, being overweight, menopause, excessive consumption of alcohol, stress, and excessive protein content in the body. It mainly affects the big toe, causing an increased swelling, inflammation, and redness in the affected area. The deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint causes inflammation and makes the movement of the joint agonizing. The elevated levels of uric acid in the system also causes the depositing of crystals in the kidney, which, in turn, leads to stone formation. Gout attacks An overweight or an obese person is more likely to suffer from frequent gout attacks. A gout attack generally results from years of having high levels of uric acid in your bloodstream. This condition is called hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia might also lead to other diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney failure, and heart failure. The most common sign of a gout attack is the night-time swelling of the big toe followed by redness, tenderness, redness, and gut-wrenching pain. This attack might continue for days or even weeks before the pain goes away completely. Swelling causes pain and pain induces swelling. Hence it is important to address both. Diagnosis of gout attacks After doing a thorough physical exam, the doctor may also take a sample of the fluid from the swelling of the joint to look for uric acid crystals.

How to manage skin flare-ups for psoriasis: treatment and medications Psoriasis is a skin condition that is known to be a recurring autoimmune disorder. This condition is characterized by red, flaky patches on the skin, and there is a rapid buildup of skin cells, which causes scaling on the skin’s surface. Though some treatments help ease the symptoms of psoriasis, there is no cure for this condition. These treatments are a combination of home remedies and prescribed medications to control specific triggers. Different treatment approaches There are two types of approaches to treating this condition. The first is topical and involves direct application of creams and ointments on the skin to relieve mild to moderate psoriasis. The other is the systemic approach, which involves taking medication orally or injecting it directly to treat moderate to severe psoriasis. Since these medications can have severe side-effects, they are just short-term prescriptions. Light therapy is another approach to treatment that uses ultraviolet or natural light to kill the overactive white blood cells that attack healthy skin cells and cause rapid cell growth, leading to the buildup. Patients are advised to use both UVA and UVB light to help reduce the symptoms of this condition. Some trade names to be aware of when getting treated for this condition Skyrizi This is the trade name for risankizumab-rzaa. This medication is an injection prescribed to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. It is not known yet whether Skyrizi is safe or effective for children aged below 18 years. Stelara Its generic name is ustekinumab, and this medication is an immunosuppressant that reduces the effects of a chemical substance in the body that causes inflammation. Unlike skyrizi, this is used to treat plaque psoriasis in adults as well as children aged 12 years and above.

Excessive stress levels and ignorance towards health has led to cropping up of numerous medical conditions among teens today. People within the age group of 22 to 30 primarily complain about muscle and joint pain. Medical research has made a shocking revelation that people still in their teens are suffering from arthritis and muscle disorders. One of the rising health complaints today is about shoulder and neck pain. The shoulder and neck are the midpoints of the human body system. the shoulder muscular system contains muscles, nerves, arteries and veins and ligaments which connect other body organs. There are numerous reasons as to why one can suffer from shoulder muscle pain. Early diagnosis of the same can help in resolving the issue in time. Here are a few causes and remedies of shoulder muscle pain. Muscle injury One of the common causes of shoulder muscle pain is trauma caused to soft tissues due to an injury or exertion. Muscles have their own stretching capabilities and when they are overstressed, it leads to shoulder muscle pain. People exercising in gyms are common targets for muscle injuries. People who are into heavy workload too suffer from shoulder muscle pain. Frozen shoulder Frozen shoulder is a condition when the shoulder nerves get pinched leading extreme pain in the shoulder. People suffering from frozen shoulder have also complained about lack of sufficient movement of the shoulder. Rotor cuff injuries A group of tendons that support the shoulder is known as rotor cuff. Injury or trauma to these tendons can lead to shoulder muscle pain. People active in sports requiring excessive shoulder movement, weightlifting or force requiring games, commonly suffer from shoulder muscle pain because of rotor cuff injuries. Shoulder blade injuries A forceful trauma to the shoulder blade can cause extreme shoulder muscle pain.

People suffer from itching and irritation in their underarms. The underarm rashes could turn red and bumpy. These armpit rashes are of different types depending on the cause, and likewise, different underarm rash treatments are used to cure them. They can be caused by various skin conditions, hot water, and lifestyle. Types of underarm rashes: Atopic dermatitis (Eczema): Eczema occurs in armpits, elbows and under knees. High itching makes the skin red and even bleed after regular itching. Seborrheic Dermatitis: The seborrheic dermatitis is caused by the excess production of skin oil known as sebum. You may have oily flakes of skin in your armpits. Contact Dermatitis: Contact with allergens result in the contact dermatitis. The fragrance of body deodorants and lotions causes underarm rashes. Candida: Fungus infection causes candida. The common symptoms of candida include scaling, itching, and swelling of underarms. Steroid and anti-fungal creams are the best treatments for fungal infections. Bad hygiene, tight clothes, and extremely hot weather can worsen the candida infection. There are different underarm rash treatments. Firstly you must identify the irritant which causes the rashes and removes them. Bathing with warm water, usage of anti-itching creams and cool compresses are the effective ways to treat underarm rashes. Avoid scratching if you suffer from underarm rashes. Continuous scratching can aggravate the skin infection and turn into flare-ups. Antihistamines such as Benadryl and fexofenadine must be applied to soothe the underarms. The armpit rashes can also be treated using natural remedies. The best home remedial measures are mentioned here: Lemon : The citric properties of lemon kill the bacteria present in the underarms. Regular use of lemon can help you get rid of the rashes. Rub a swipe of lemon in your underarms and rinse it later. You can even use the lemon deodorants. Baking Soda: