Health is Wealth

Here’s what to look out for:

Excessive hair growth

Hirsutism refers to a male pattern of hair growth in women, especially around the moustache and beard area or unusually thick hair growth on the limbs. You may notice hair on the chest or an extension of pubic hair on the abdomen and thighs.

Hirsutism is usually genetic but some women may experience it as a result of increased amounts of the male hormone testosterone. A blood test can determine the actual cause which could be a common condition termed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Swelling of the body

The thyroid gland in the neck produces hormones that regulate metabolism.

A malfunction of the thyroid gland could be hypo (weak functioning) or hyper (very active functioning) in nature.

Hypothyroidism may cause the body to swell and could occur at infancy, puberty or pregnancy, when the gland has to work harder to meet the needs of the body.

An abnormal lump

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, affecting approximately 1 out of 12 women at any stage of life in the US. Make breast self-examination a part of your monthly health care routine. If you are over 40 or at high risk for the disease, you should also have an annual mammogram.

These changes in your breasts could point to breast cancer:
• An abnormal lump in or near the breast or underarm area.
• A change in the size or shape of the breast.
• Abnormal discharge from the nipple.
• A dimpling or puckering of the breast.

Impaired vision

Many eyesight malfunctions occur due to more serious underlying disorders such as glaucoma, hypertension and diabetes. Higher than normal blood sugar levels can cause blurred vision. Blood clots in the eye can even lead to a stroke on account of clotting in the brain.

Swollen legs

Deep vein thrombosis is often diagnosed in patients with acutely swollen and painful calves. The swelling in your limbs can be due to congestive heart failure, lung disorder, varicose veins, liver failure, hypothyrodism, tumour or even medications such as Nifedipine, Oestrogen or Corticosteroids.

Mental disorientation

A swollen abdomen, mental disorientation or confusion (hepatic encephalopathy) and sleepiness are the main symptoms to watch out for in liver failure. It’s a life-threatening condition that demands urgent medical care.

Most often, liver failure occurs gradually, over many years. However, a rare condition known as acute liver failure occurs rapidly in as little as 48 hours and can be difficult to detect initially. But Hepatitis B or C, excessive alcohol consumption or malnutrition can also cause liver failure.

Over-stressed? learn to relax with some simple techniques



Stress has become a common phenomenon in today's life. These days, everyone you meet has some level of stress - be it a young student, a fresh graduate on the lookout for a job, a businessman, an executive or even a housewife. It is a curse of the modern age and it is impossible to turn the clock back to the relaxed, tension-free atmosphere that our forefathers enjoyed. A certain amount of stress is permissible as it can stimulate the body and result in improved performance but excess stress, when left unattended, can result in high levels of physical and mental illnesses that might lead to prolonged medical treatments.

Listed below are some tried and tested techniques that have helped to overcome stress -

• T'ai chi - Originally a martial art in the boxing style that is basically defensive in nature but based on the Taoist principles of yielding. Over the years, T'ai chi has evolved into a gentle form of exercise that helps in totally relaxing the body and which, through movement and meditation, allows the individual to seek self-perfection through practice. People who practice this gentle exercise swear by its ability to reduce stress levels and tension.
  
• Yoga - The word means 'union' in Sanskrit. When practiced, it unites the body, mind and soul into a balanced whole. Also a slow and gentle form of exercise, yoga imparts energy to the individual. The beauty of this form of exercise is that it can be totally customised to suit the person's medical condition. A combination of 'asanas' with deep breathing and meditation followed by the final relaxation pose 'shavasana' helps to produce a physiological and mental calm that is conducive to complete healing. India being the ultimate seat of yoga, there are many yoga mandrams that teach this technique.
  
• Shiatsu - This is a Japanese technique and is over 1000 years old. It is basically a form of massage that combines gentle manipulation and body movement with finger and hand pressure. Here again, the goal is to balance the body's energy. This Japanese technique is based on the belief that stress causes the blockage of the body's energy channels situated in different layers. A trained practitioner can identify the channels closest to the surface of the body and use the technique to release stress.
  
• Meditation and Visualisation-Concentration is the key word in meditation. It is a form of 'letting go' by sitting in a comfortable and secure place without any distractions and slowly willing emotional and physical suffering to go away. Visualisation is also a form of meditation, the difference being that it is a directed meditation. By a method of directed relaxation, the stress levels are reduced and attitudes to stress inducing situations changed. In addition to actually reducing stress, this technique can channel the stress into resulting in positive performance. This technique is generally practiced by sports persons who go through high levels of stress.
  
• Transcendental Meditation (TM)-A form of meditation introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s, this technique also uses the same approach of simply 'letting go'. Deepak Chopra commenting on this technique says that by practicing this meditation, "the mind learns to go beyond the noise of thought to a region that is silent, peaceful and whole. It transcends sickness to find health." In this "purely mechanical technique", when practiced for just 20 minutes every morning, "one sits quietly in a chair with eyes closed, using, as instructed, a special word called a 'mantra' selected not for its meaning but strictly for its sound. That sound alone attracts the mind and leads it, effortlessly and naturally, to a slightly subtler level of the thinking process." says Chopra. Many corporates have regular TM sessions to relax their executives and help them perform better.
  
• The Alexander Technique - This is a lesser known technique that was introduced in the late 19th century by Frederick Mathias Alexander and is generally practiced by actors and dancers. It is known to cure stress related ailments including hypertension, ulcers and even dysmenorrheal and is very popular abroad. In this, important parts of the body are 'adjusted' to release tension - for eg. the area where the neck and body meet is gently manipulated and immediate relief is felt. There are professionally trained instructors in the Alexander Technique abroad who are in great demand.
  
• Reflexology -This technique is based on the stimulus-response principle and uses the stimulation of specific reflex points in one part of the body to produce a reflex response in another part. Reflexology is equally beneficial when administered by yourself or by someone else. Foot reflexology is the most commonly practiced, but it may also be performed on the hands and ears.