Health Tips for Season Change

The unpredictable weather patterns and changing seasons can take a serious toll on your health. Hair fall, acne, diseases, dull skin, losing weight, are some of the punishments you get from shifting seasons. Worry not, browse through this blog to learn simple health tips to be followed while this season changes. Now you can say cheers to the sunny days!

Hydration

Water is essential for healthy living. Drinking water detoxifies and moisturizes skin from inside. It can keep a check on any season change sickness and also replenishes lost fluids. So, when you feel the corners of your mouth dry and chapped lips and you’re thirsty, you are “dehydrated”- drink minimum 8 glasses of water a day, which will keep away health issues.

Seasonal Nutrition

To stay healthy, it is a must to include theseason’s fruits and vegetables. Seasonal nutrition means it is fresh and the naturally occurring minerals and vitamins in them are also fresh. At this time of the year, include watermelons, muskmelons, papaya, lychee and other summer fruits to your diet!

Keep Insects Away

The onset of summer invites a ton of insects into our homes. These uninvited dangerous guests can hurt you and put your health in danger. Cover the trashes, the open drains, the stored water, just bug-proof your home, surround your outdoor areas with non-flowery greenery and banish the blooming plants, clear off the weedy bushes and apply insect repellent often.

Healthy Diet

Summer season means holidays and beach time. In order to get into a summer shape, don’t compromise on your diet. Consume fresh food, avoid over eating. Try to eat within not too long intervals of time and give time to your food to get digested. Fuel your body’s basic energy needs with the right kind and in the right amount. Avoid too much of oily food or outside junk food during the summers, rather, eat food that is be light, hydrating and refreshing.https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/nutrition.html

Skin Care

Skin gets greatly affected by soaring temperatures and excess dust. As the heat increases, remember to pamper your skin. Let your skin breath with the right kind of moisturizing lotion or cream. Do not forget cleansing, exfoliating, moisturising and protecting your skin, always use a light, oil free moisturiser so that the pores are not clogged and the skin feels not greasy but hydrated.

For all types of skin and hair care, avail exceptional services from The Aesthetic Clinic: https://www.aestheticlinic.co.in

Dress for the Season

Give your body some solace from the heat by avoiding tight fitting clothing. Wear linen and cotton fabric clothes of lighter colours to cover your body. Do not keep yourself over-exposed, and let your skin get tanned in the sun or get bitten by the bug.

What is important during the season change is to stay healthy and familiarize with the seasons instead of cursing and hating them. Follow the above mentioned health tips and enjoy the summer!

Water is, and always has been, essential to everyday life. Humans are dependent on water to function. Our bodies are made up of nearly 70% water, and our major organs are much more dependent on it to function. The water in our bodies helps regulate our body temperature and powers our organs, muscles, and cells to function correctly. Whether you’re a sportsperson or a doctor, your body needs adequate amounts of water to survive and thrive on a daily basis.

Water is needed for most body functions, including to:

• Maintain the health and integrity of every cell in the body
• Keep the bloodstream liquid enough to flow through blood vessels
• Help eliminate the by-products of the body’s metabolism, excess electrolytes (for example, sodium and potassium), and urea, which is a waste product formed through the processing of dietary protein
• Regulate body temperature through sweating
• Moisten mucous membranes such as those of the lungs and mouth
• Lubricate and cushion joints
• Helps transfer nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide and waste products from one cell to another.
• Reduce the risk of cystitis by keeping the bladder clear of bacteria
• Aid digestion and prevent constipation
• Moisturise the skin to maintain its texture and appearance
• Boost your physical performance
• Serve as a shock absorber inside the eyes, spinal cord and in the amniotic sac surrounding the foetus in pregnancy.

How much water do you need to drink?

The amount of water you should drink on a daily basis depends on your lifestyle, fitness and other habits. A good rule of thumb is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, but that number may be conservative for optimal health. It depends on your weight, activity level, and other factors that affect your health. However, there are other factors to consider when deciding how much you want to drink. Coffee and alcohol are diuretics that can lead to dehydration. If you’re exercising, you’ll want to increase your water intake. If it’s a hot summer day, and you’re moving around a lot, you’ll want to make sure you keep up by drinking water throughout the day. Under any of these circumstances, you’ll want to increase your fluid intake.

Keep in mind, commercially bottled mineral water contains salt, which can lead to fluid retention and swelling, and even increased blood pressure in susceptible people. Limit the amount of mineral water for optimum consumption.

On a concluding note, it is important to remember that water is essential to most bodily functions. The body has no way to store water and needs fresh supplies every day. It is up to you to fuel this machine that keeps you going every day.

For more information of creating a well-balanced diet, and to know the optimum water intake for you, take an appointment with our Nutrition Department: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/nutrition.html

Packed with nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants and vitamins, superfoods are the key to good health. They include items that shield our bodies from cell damage and help prevent disease. Here’s a quick read on various superfoods and how to include them in your diet.

Blueberries

Tasty, sweet and packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, flavonoids and soluble fiber – blueberries have the power to help prevent serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

When your sugar cravings surface, ditch the ice cream and pop some frozen blueberries into your mouth instead. They can also be eaten with yogurt or blended into smoothies.

Leafy Greens

Loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, leafy greens stock your body with the artillery needed to fight off potential killers like heart disease and cancer.

Include kale, spinach, mustard leaves and even broccoli into your diet in the form of omelets, sauces or simply in salads.

Beans

Beans help raise levels of the hormone leptin which curbs appetite. They also deliver a powerful combination of B vitamins, calcium, potassium and folate. All of this helps maintain healthy brain, cell and skin function and even helps to reduce blood pressure and stroke risk.

Beans can be used in a variety of side dishes instead of bread or potatoes, or in Mexican dishes.

Walnuts

Just a small handful of walnuts everyday will deliver a healthy dose of omega-3’s, alpha-linolenic acid, melatonin, copper, manganese and Vitamin E which helps protect your heart. Walnuts on your plate may also protect your brain and help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Chop walnuts and add them to your daily bowl of cereal, or enjoy them as a snack.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are tiny, nutritional dynamos – the single richest source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids you can buy. They’re also loaded with antioxidants, protein and minerals, plus soluble and insoluble fiber to help keep your digestion moving in the right direction. What’s more, chia seeds have an unusual property – they swell to more than 5 times their weight in liquid, so adding a spoonful or two to meals will help you feel fuller faster.

You can drop a spoonful or two of chia seeds into just about anything, including smoothies, sauces, soups and salads.

Other superfoods include:

• Avocado
• Tomato
• Chocolate
• Brussel Sprouts
• Acai Berry
• Pomegranate

Visit a dietician and get a well-rounded diet plan curated just for you! Visit:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/nutrition.html

Taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, World Cancer Day 2017 explores how everyone can play their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. World Cancer Day is a chance to reflect on what you can do, and vow to make healthy lifestyle choices. Here’s all you need to know about this deadly disease.

What is cancer?

Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases. It harms the body when altered cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors (except in the case of leukemia). Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter body function. Cancerous tumors are malignant, which means they can spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. In addition, as these tumors grow, some cancer cells can break off and travel to distant places in the body through the blood or the lymph system and form new tumors far from the original tumor. Benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues, but remain in position and grow in large sizes.

What is different about Cancer Cells?

Cancer cells differ from normal cells in many ways that allow them to grow out of control and become invasive. Cancer cells are also often able to evade the immune system and ignore signals that normally tell cells to stop dividing.

What causes Cancer?

Cancer is a genetic disease—that is, it is caused by changes to genes that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide. Genetic changes that cause cancer can be inherited from our parents. They can also arise during a person’s lifetime as a result of errors that occur as cells divide or because of damage to DNA caused by certain environmental exposures. Cancer-causing environmental exposures include substances, such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke, and radiation, such as ultraviolet rays from the sun.

What are the types of Cancer?

There are more than 100 types of cancer. Types of cancer are usually named for the organs or tissues where the cancers form. These are some of the most common types of cancer:

• Anal cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Bone cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Vaginal cancer

How is Cancer prevented?

Your risk of developing cancer can be substantially reduced by healthy behavior. This includes stopping the use of tobacco, getting sufficient physical activity, eating healthy foods, participating in cancer screenings, preventing obesity, getting sufficient sleep, reducing your exposure to toxins and getting vaccinated against the Human Papilomavirus (HPV).

How is cancer treated?

The most common treatments for cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Surgery can be used to take out the cancer. The doctor might also take out some or all of the body part the cancer affects.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells or slow their growth.

Radiation is also used to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. It can be used alone or with surgery or chemotherapy.

Here are some quick facts about Cancer:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the numbers of new cancer cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 20 years.
• The most common sites of cancer among men are lung, prostate, colon, rectum, stomach and liver.
• The most common sites of cancer among women are breast, colon, rectum, lung, cervix and stomach.
• In developing countries, people over 65 years of age account for 40% of new cancer cases.
• Green tea, berries, turmeric, avocado, kale, garlic and dark chocolate can naturally trigger damaged cancer cells to self-destruct via a process called apoptosis.

‘There is a CAN in CANCER because we can beat it!’

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cancer.html

Thyroid diseases have been around for generations. But only of recent, almost every third person (mainly women), claims to have been affected by an abnormally functioning thyroid gland. So, what exactly does this gland do? And why does it have such a great effect of the body – find all the information you need, below.

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck. It serves a crucial function in the endocrine system, by producing a variety of hormonesthat maintain the body’s metabolism (the process of creating and using energy). These hormones regulate many vital body functions likeheart rate, body weight, muscle strength, breathing, menstrual cycles, cholesterol levels etc. Several disorders arise with the functioning of the thyroid, those being:

• Hyperthyroidism – when the thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than the body requires
• Hypothyroidism – when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones
• Goiter – enlargement of the thyroid gland
• Thyroid nodules – lumps in the thyroid gland
• Thyroiditis – swelling of the thyroid
• Thyroid cancer

Here’s a closer look at these common thyroid malfunctions:

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the thyroid is overactive and produces excessive amounts of hormones. In this case, the body’s processes speed up, causing nervousness, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, hand tremors, excessive sweating, fatigue, bulging eyes, weight loss, and sleep problems, among other symptoms.

Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is an autoimmune disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. This disease is hereditary and is most commonly found in women. Other risk factors include stress, pregnancy, and smoking.

Hyperthyroidism also may be caused by nodules, goiters, thyroiditis and overconsumption of iodine (in foods and supplements).

Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical exams, and blood tests. Doctors may also order an ultrasound or a nuclear medicine scan of the thyroid to see if it has nodules, or whether it is inflamed or overactive.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism stems from an underproduction of thyroid hormones. This condition slows down the body’s metabolism and includes symptoms like constipation, muscle weakness, weight gain, joint pain, depression, tiredness, dry skin, thinning hair, slow heart rate, etc.

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease. This is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the thyroid, causing damage to the tissue. Sometimes, radioactive iodine (for treatment of hyperthyroidism)and surgical removal of the thyroid gland can lead to hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism can often be diagnosed with a simple blood test.

Goiter

A goiter is a swelling in the neck. It may be large enough that to be seen or felt. A very large goiter can also cause a tight feeling in the throat, coughing, or problems swallowing or breathing.It is usually caused by iodine deficiency in the diet. Most of the time, goiters don’t require treatment, and may shrink away on their own. In extreme cases, a surgery may be required to remove a part or most of the thyroid.

Thyroid Nodules

A thyroid nodule is a swelling that forms in or on the thyroid gland. It may be solid, or filled with fluid or blood. As with other thyroid-related problems, nodules are more common in women than men. Nodules do not show any major symptoms. In certain cases, the swelling may get so large, that it causes swallowing and breathing problems. Nodules also tend to cause hyperthyroidism. Usually, nodules can be detected through a physical exam or ultrasound. Treatments aren’t required in most cases. However, surgery or radio iodine can be used in extreme scenarios.

Thyroiditis

Thyroiditis refers to an inflammation of the thyroid. It occurs when the body produces antibodies that attack the thyroid. It is caused by autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, genetics and viral or bacterial infection. Treatment for thyroiditis depends on the phase of the disease and the symptoms that can be seen.

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer occurs when cancer cells form from the tissues of the gland. Most people with thyroid cancer have a thyroid nodule that does not show any symptoms. The main treatment for thyroid cancer is surgery to take out the whole thyroid gland or as much of it as can be safely removed. Doctors may also use radioiodine therapy after surgery to destroy any thyroid cancer cells that were not removed during surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body.

Why are men less likely than women to have problems with their thyroid?

Though not completely verified, researchers suspect it has to do with the differences in the immune system. Women have been found to have a more intense immune response to vaccinations, trauma, and infections, compared to men. Hence, it is likely that this highly active immune system puts women at risk for more thyroid disease.

Early detection can help control thyroid diseases. Contact Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital’s Thyroid Clinic and book your appointment now.

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/endocrinologydiabetes/thyroidclinic.html