Culture and Sensitivity - Anal Swab Tips

Food gives us the energy to carry out activities of daily living. Eating well is not only important for our survival but our mental and emotional wellbeing. Food is so much connected to our culture and reflects our lifestyles to a great extent. All cultures follow a particular method of cooking and eating. We respond to our hunger through food. Our bodies learn specific times to eat. The satiety centre in our brain tells us how much to eat and when to stop. However, for some, eating becomes an abnormality when they respond to their emotional issues through over eating or inadequate eating. For them, eating is not just a normal response to hunger. It could be a psychological response to anxiety, stress or other behavioural and emotional difficulties.

The most common Eating Disorders are Anorexia- causing inadequate eating and weight loss, Bulimia- causing eating in excess amounts and Binge eating -characterised by eating in large amounts and at frequent intervals. Research suggests that eating disorders can develop early in life and are mainly triggered by environment. However, eating disorders are also common among people with anxiety, trauma (physical, emotional or sexual) and depression. People with eating disorders are seen to have a low self-esteem and generally avoid eating with family and friends due to their abnormal eating habits.

Eating disorders disturb the body’s equilibrium and impacts negatively on a person’s mental health. People with eating disorders are unable to socialize, impacting on their self-image and ability to deal with emotions. They often fall prey to their anxiety and depression through abnormal eating. Eating disorder is not seen as a disease in itself since it has strong emotional and behavioural issues. Thus, treatment of the disorder is not limited to drugs alone. Effective treatment of eating disorders is generally a combination of interventions ranging from counselling, psychotherapy and drugs.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to the treatment of eating disorders. It attempts to eliminate the signs and symptoms associated with the disorder through a step by step approach. The treatment is purely herbal and free of side effects. Homeopathy offers a range of medications designed to treat different types of disorders. However, it is important to follow the prescribed medication at regular intervals for maximum benefits. Homeopathy in addition to counselling and therapy offers a comprehensive and safe approach to deal with eating disorders.

It is extremely important to support the person suffering from this disorder and be sensitive towards his/her emotional needs. Sadly, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the disorder and its treatment which sometimes leads to its mismanagement. It’s best to consult an expert and get medical advice.

Food gives us the energy to carry out activities of daily living. Eating well is not only important for our survival but our mental and emotional wellbeing. Food is so much connected to our culture and reflects our lifestyles to a great extent. All cultures follow a particular method of cooking and eating. We respond to our hunger through food. Our bodies learn specific times to eat. The satiety center in our brain tells us how much to eat and when to stop. However, for some, eating becomes an abnormality when they respond to their emotional issues through overeating or inadequate eating. For them, eating is not just a normal response to hunger. It could be a psychological response to anxiety, stress or other behavioral and emotional difficulties.

The most common Eating Disorders are Anorexia - causing inadequate eating and weight loss, Bulimia- causing eating in excess amounts and Binge eating-characterized by eating in large amounts and at frequent intervals. Research suggests that eating disorders can develop early in life and are mainly triggered by the environment. However, eating disorders are also common among people with anxiety, trauma (physical, emotional or sexual) and depression. People with eating disorders are seen to have low self-esteem and generally avoid eating with family and friends due to their abnormal eating habits.

Eating disorders disturb the body’s equilibrium and impacts negatively on a person’s mental health. People with eating disorders are unable to socialize, impacting on their self-image and ability to deal with emotions. They often fall prey to their anxiety and depression through abnormal eating. Eating disorder is not seen as a disease in itself since it has strong emotional and behavioral issues. Thus, treatment of the disorder is not limited to drugs alone. Effective treatment of eating disorders is generally a combination of interventions ranging from counseling, psychotherapy and drugs.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to the treatment of eating disorders. It attempts to eliminate the signs and symptoms associated with the disorder through a step by step approach. The treatment is purely herbal and free of side effects. Homeopathy offers a range of medications designed to treat different types of disorders. However, it is important to follow the prescribed medication at regular intervals for maximum benefits. Homeopathy in addition to counseling and therapy offers a comprehensive and safe approach to deal with eating disorders.

It is extremely important to support the person suffering from this disorder and be sensitive to his/her emotional needs. Sadly, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the disorder and its treatment which sometimes leads to its mismanagement. It’s best to consult an expert and get medical advice.

Food gives us the energy to carry out activities of daily living. Eating well is not only important for our survival but our mental and emotional wellbeing. Food is so much connected to our culture and reflects our lifestyles to a great extent. All cultures follow a particular method of cooking and eating. We respond to our hunger through food. Our bodies learn specific times to eat. The satiety centre in our brain tells us how much to eat and when to stop. However, for some, eating becomes an abnormality when they respond to their emotional issues through overeating or inadequate eating. For them, eating is not just a normal response to hunger. It could be a psychological response to anxiety, stress or other behavioural and emotional difficulties.

The most common Eating Disorders are Anorexia- causing inadequate eating and weight loss, Bulimia- causing eating in excess amounts and Binge eating -characterised by eating in large amounts and at frequent intervals. Research suggests that eating disorders can develop early in life and are mainly triggered by the environment. However, eating disorders are also common among people with anxiety, trauma (physical, emotional or sexual) and depression. People with eating disorders are seen to have low self-esteem and generally avoid eating with family and friends due to their abnormal eating habits.

Eating disorders disturb the body’s equilibrium and impacts negatively on a person’s mental health. People with eating disorders are unable to socialize, impacting on their self-image and ability to deal with emotions. They often fall prey to their anxiety and depression through abnormal eating. Eating disorder is not seen as a disease in itself since it has strong emotional and behavioural issues. Thus, treatment of the disorder is not limited to drugs alone. Effective treatment of eating disorders is generally a combination of interventions ranging from counselling, psychotherapy and drugs.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to the treatment of eating disorders. It attempts to eliminate the signs and symptoms associated with the disorder through a step by step approach. The treatment is purely herbal and free of side effects. Homeopathy offers a range of medications designed to treat different types of disorders. However, it is important to follow the prescribed medication at regular intervals for maximum benefits. Homeopathy in addition to counselling and therapy offers a comprehensive and safe approach to deal with eating disorders.

It is extremely important to support the person suffering from this disorder and be sensitive towards his/her emotional needs. Sadly, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the disorder and its treatment which sometimes leads to its mismanagement. It’s best to consult an expert and get medical advice.

Food gives us the energy to carry out activities of daily living. Eating well is not only important for our survival but our mental and emotional wellbeing. Food is so much connected to our culture and reflects our lifestyles to a great extent. All cultures follow a particular method of cooking and eating. We respond to our hunger through food. Our bodies learn the specific times to eat. The satiety centre in our brain tells us how much to eat and when to stop. However, for some, eating becomes an abnormality when they respond to their emotional issues through over eating or inadequate eating. For them, eating is not just a normal response to hunger. It could be a psychological response to anxiety, stress or other behavioural and emotional difficulties.

The most common Eating Disorders are Anorexia- causing inadequate eating and weight loss, Bulimia- causing eating in excess amounts and Binge eating -characterised by eating in large amounts and at frequent intervals. Research suggests that eating disorders can develop early in life and are mainly triggered by environment. However, eating disorders are also common among people with anxiety, trauma (physical, emotional or sexual) and depression. People with eating disorders are seen to have a low self-esteem and generally avoid eating with family and friends due to their abnormal eating habits.

Eating disorders disturb the body’s equilibrium and impacts negatively on a person’s mental health. People with eating disorders are unable to socialize, impacting on their self-image and ability to deal with emotions. They often fall prey to their anxiety and depression through abnormal eating. Eating disorder is not seen as a disease in itself since it has strong emotional and behavioural issues. Thus, treatment of the disorder is not limited to drugs alone. Effective treatment of eating disorders is generally a combination of interventions ranging from counselling, psychotherapy and drugs.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to the treatment of eating disorders. It attempts to eliminate the signs and symptoms associated with the disorder through a step by step approach. The treatment is purely herbal and free of side effects. Homeopathy offers a range of medications designed to treat different types of disorders. However, it is important to follow the prescribed medication at regular intervals for maximum benefits. Homeopathy in addition to counselling and therapy offers a comprehensive and safe approach to deal with eating disorders.

It is extremely important to support the person suffering from this disorder and be sensitive towards his/her emotional needs. Sadly, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the disorder and its treatment which sometimes leads to its mismanagement. It’s best to consult an expert and get a medical advice.

Food gives us the energy to carry out activities of daily living. Eating well is not only important for our survival but our mental and emotional wellbeing. Food is so much connected to our culture and reflects our lifestyles to a great extent. All cultures follow a particular method of cooking and eating. We respond to our hunger through food. Our bodies learn the specific times to eat. The satiety centre in our brain tells us how much to eat and when to stop. However, for some, eating becomes an abnormality when they respond to their emotional issues through over eating or inadequate eating. For them, eating is not just a normal response to hunger. It could be a psychological response to anxiety, stress or other behavioural and emotional difficulties.

The most common Eating Disorders are Anorexia- causing inadequate eating and weight loss, Bulimia- causing eating in excess amounts and Binge eating - characterised by eating in large amounts and at frequent intervals. Research suggests that eating disorders can develop early in life and are mainly triggered by environment. However, eating disorders are also common among people with anxiety, trauma (physical, emotional or sexual) and depression. People with eating disorders are seen to have a low self-esteem and generally avoid eating with family and friends due to their abnormal eating habits.

Eating disorders disturb the body’s equilibrium and impacts negatively on a person’s mental health. People with eating disorders are unable to socialize, impacting on their self-image and ability to deal with emotions. They often fall prey to their anxiety and depression through abnormal eating. Eating disorder is not seen as a disease in itself since it has strong emotional and behavioural issues. Thus, treatment of the disorder is not limited to drugs alone. Effective treatment of eating disorders is generally a combination of interventions ranging from counselling, psychotherapy and drugs.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to the treatment of eating disorders. It attempts to eliminate the signs and symptoms associated with the disorder through a step by step approach. The treatment is purely herbal and free of side effects. Homeopathy offers a range of medications designed to treat different types of disorders. However, it is important to follow the prescribed medication at regular intervals for maximum benefits. Homeopathy in addition to counselling and therapy offers a comprehensive and safe approach to deal with eating disorders.

It is extremely important to support the person suffering from this disorder and be sensitive towards his/her emotional needs. Sadly, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the disorder and its treatment which sometimes leads to its mismanagement. It’s best to consult an expert and get a medical advice. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a homeopath.

The rise of social media along with the culture of digital editing has led to the escalating need to find validation in the society. This creates a huge population of individuals who feel compelled to see themselves in a harsh light. They suffer from low self-issues and undermine their own abilities. We immerse ourselves in the rat race of life. One-day we wake up to the realization of not being good enough.

You become prone to self-loathing and may develop the tendency to resort to substance abuse. Low self-esteem puts you into a vicious cycle of negativity. The inability to trust your own abilities destroys all prospects for you.

While poor self-image itself is not a disease, it can give rise to hordes of mental ailments. These include anxiety and depression. Therefore, if you are unable to find that inner strength to love yourself, therapy can show you the guiding light.

Reasons to Have Good Self-Image

Self-image is about feeling good about yourself, despite your looks or popularity. It is about accepting yourself with all your faults and strengths. If you are running out of reasons to love yourself, here are some reasons why you should.

• People see us, how we see ourselves. A good self-image helps us make a good impression in our personal as well as professional lives.
• People with good self-image tend to accomplish more
• The sad and low feeling goes away once we start valuing ourselves
• Low self-image affects the mind and body, exposing us to a range of disorders

Role of Therapy in Boosting Self-Image

• Therapy, especially Interpersonal Therapy, helps a person to open up. A trained professional shows acceptance without judgement. This helps the patient a lot.
• Low self-esteem and self-image issues often begin in childhood. The role of a therapist begins by identifying the root cause. This follows a process of reforming the hostile feelings.
• Low self-esteem makes a person extremely sensitive to harsh judgement. They criticize themselves in an attempt to cope. The therapist helps to reshape the insecurities into motivation.
• Mindfulness increases with therapy that improves productivity and boosts self-image.
• Improving self-esteem is a process that requires patience. Therapy keeps a person motivated and helps them explore new facets of themselves.
• Therapy can change the perspective of how people view themselves and the world.

People who suffer from low self-image issues recognize their pessimistic outlook of themselves as the truth. They criticize themselves in a manner they would never criticize others. Therapy holds a mirror to this attitude. It makes people recognize that the error is in the self-depreciating attitude. Sometimes therapy and a person who listens to you is all you need. Sometimes all we need to do is reach out to help us love ourselves again.

You may feel congestion or fullness all over your face, pain around eyes, forehead, and face, and may have a runny nose or nasal congestion. The condition may be chronic sinusitis and knowing the symptoms will help you manage the condition effectively.

Chronic sinusitis is a condition where the cavities around the nasal passages, i.e., the sinuses become swollen and inflamed and stays like that for about 12 weeks. It is a persisting condition, and one or more sinuses are affected in this condition.

What causes chronic sinusitis?
There are quite a few causes that can lead to chronic sinusitis. Some of them are:

• A damaged nasal septum may cause the blockage of the sinus passages, thereby leading to chronic sinusitis.
• The growth of nasal polyps in the sinus passages causes the blocking of the passages and thus may lead to chronic sinusitis.
• Infections in the respiratory tract which can be viral, bacterial or fungal like cold and cough may cause the inflammation of the tissues in the nasal passage and thus block the passage for mucous movement. Such a condition also leads to chronic sinusitis.
• Other causes include some medical conditions like any immune system related diseases such as HIV or any complications of cystic fibrosis, gastroesophageal reflux, etc.
• Sometimes allergic conditions may also lead to the inflammation of the tissues of the nasal passage and result in the same.

Know The Symptoms To Self-diagnose
There are four primary symptoms related to chronic sinusitis out of which a person requires to be confirmed of the presence of at least two symptoms for the doctor to suspect chronic sinusitis. These are:

• Congestion of the nasal passage causing breathing difficulties through the nose.
• Discharge of highly viscous or thick, discolored mucus from the nose and also drainage of such down the back of your throat.
• Swelling, tenderness, and pain around the eyes, cheeks, nose, and forehead.
• A cough or reduced taste and smell sensations in the adults.

Other symptoms include a sore throat, pain in the upper jaw and teeth, ear pain, worsened cough at night, etc.

Clinical Diagnosis
There are quite a few ways by which your doctor is going to diagnose the problem, some of which are:

• Observing the nasal passage by nasal endoscopy, that is by inserting an endoscope with a fiber-optic light. This process is also called Rhinoscopy.
• Details of your nasal area can also be observed using the images obtained from a CT or MRI scan.
• If any of the above tests fail, a tissue culture test of your nasal passage and sinus is done to identify the infection you are affected with.

Allergy tests may also be done if the doctor suspects the condition to be caused by any allergies.

Various medications, immune-therapies, and even surgeries are opted for reducing the inflammation or for making way for the mucus to move out. The treatment is chosen depending on the severity of the situation.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Anterior most transparent layer of the eye is called cornea. It is an extremely useful layer for refraction and protection of eye. 

Any trauma, foreign body or chemical etc can invade the integrity of this layer and can be invaded by bacteria, fungus or virus, resulting in the corneal ulcer. Sometimes, due to hypoxia induced by contact lenses too can result in a corneal ulcer.

Depending on clinical presentation, a doctor diagnoses the cause of the ulcer and starts the therapy. Since the transparency of cornea is very important, a doctor may start with very intensive therapy depending upon the cause and extent of infection. In spite of repeated frequent checkups, if proper and intensive therapy is not given, the ulcer can progress and can cause collection of pus in the eye (anterior chamber) which if not attended properly, can cause the infection to travel into the interior of the eyeball (vitreous chamber) resulting in total blindness. The ulcer can become deeper and lead to perforation of the cornea, causing severe damage to the eye and may require removal of eyeball also.

Generally, fungal ulcers are more dangerous and occur mostly in rainy season or with a minor trauma also resulting from an injury with a vegetative matter like leaf, wood, plants etc. 

It is imperative that a case of corneal ulcer be diagnosed promptly and very intensive and proper treatment is given to save the disfigurement of the eye and total irreparable loss - blindness.

At times, with topical eye drops, oral therapy also has to be given. Injections in the eye may also be required in severe cases. Culture sensitivity also has to be done in severe cases to identify the causative organism for proper treatment.

In extremely severe cases, we may have to perform, therapeutic keratoplasty.

Conclusion: Corneal Ulcer is a serious challenging problem with the potentiality to cause total and irreparable blindness and must be attended promptly by a very expert ophthalmologist to save the eye.

Anorexia is a common eating disorder which is identified by abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight. The problem is not only related to your dietary patterns but it also related to your mental state. People with this disorder are generally self-conscious, have a low self-esteem and are overly concerned about their external appearance.

Causes of Anorexia

• Biological factors - These factors represent that anorexia can be congenital or it may have developed over time. Congenital means that disorder is hereditary in nature and is passed on from the parents to the offspring. On the other hand, it may develop in people who are more sensitive and have an inclination towards perfection.
• Psychological factors - Anorexia can also be caused due to certain specific personality traits and emotions that might be possessed by you. For instance, anorexia is more likely to happen to young women who are really worried and conscious out the way they look externally. Additionally, people who are either emotionally not too strong or suffer from anxiety issues can develop this disorder easily.
• Environmental factors - The type of a cultural set up you are living in also plays an important role in developing this disorder. For instance, the western culture is all about slim and fit people, whereas the oriental countries are not so bothered about the same.

Symptoms of Anorexia

Emotional symptoms - This category of symptoms includes behaviors and a thought process aimed towards losing weight and minimizing your food intake. Some of the symptoms belonging to this type include:

• Forceful vomiting to lose calories
• Staying hungry
• Excessive physical activity or exercise
• Denial of hunger
• Social withdrawal
• Irritability
• Depressed moods

Physical symptoms - These symptoms are self-explanatory and are clearly visible on the human body. These include:

• Extreme weight loss
• Thin appearance
• Abnormal blood count
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dizziness or fainting
• Discoloration of the fingers
• Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
• Soft, downy hair covering the body
• Constipation
• Low blood pressure 

  If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist and ask a free question.

Erythrasma is caused by a virus called bacterium Corynebacterium minutissimum. This type of infection is mostly found in the moist folds of the body such as the groin, knees, and armpits. They are visible in the form of reddish patches and are itchy in nature. Although Erythrasma doesn’t lead to anything serious, they have a tendency to spread, if not treated in early stages.

Causes of Erythrasma
Erythrasma often occurs to people who live in shabby conditions and do not maintain good hygiene. People living in the tropical region have a tendency to get this infection too. Some medical conditions that lead to this disease are diabetes, obesity, etc. Even low immunity and hyperhidrosis is known to cause this sort of infection.

Common symptoms of Erythrasma
Erythrasma shows unmistakable symptoms. It looks like a patch of pink to red skin with a well-defined border. With passing time, the coloration turns from reddish to brownish in color. The skin outside the patch or border is normal. This being said, if proper medication is not taken on time, this might spread and affect the healthy skin. Some other symptoms include:

1. Mild to heavy itching in the affected area.
2. Scaly patches in the affected area.
3. The patches often look like typical ringworm infections
4. A burning sensation in the affected area (especially, if the affected area is groin)

Diagnosis of Erythrasma
While this infection is one of the easiest to identify by any dermatologist, a doctor might prescribe the scraping culture test to be absolutely sure of the diagnosis. A wood’s lamp test can also be performed in order to diagnose the infection. This is a test in which a doctor passes the UV rays of the lamp on the infected area only to find a coral red coloration.

Treatment for Erythrasma
Doctors mostly suggest the intake of antibiotics such as erythromycin to kill the bacterial infection. Ointments containing imidazole and fusidic acid are also prescribed for controlling the infection. Drugs of antibacterial origin such as Clarithromycin and Erythromycin are prescribed depending on the severity of the infection and patient’s general health. A patient with a surgical wound and low immunity might develop some minor complications. It is strongly suggested to refrain from over the counter medicines for patients with this medical complication.

How to prevent Erythrasma?
Some common tips to stay away from bacterial infections such as these include the following:

1. To ensure the folds of your skin is moist free
2. Wearing cotton clothes in summer and avoiding tight fitting clothes
3. Keeping basic hygiene intact such as wearing clean clothes, taking bath twice a day etc
4. Sticking to a healthy diet and following a workout plan