A GLOBAL KILLER… NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES – AN INTRODUCTION

Hello and welcome as we look at non-communicable diseases. We’ll take a look at what they are and some key features about them. Non-communicable diseases are a large group of diseases which are by definition not communicable from one person to another. They’re also called chronic diseases because they're usually long lasting and progress slowly. They occur as a result of a complex interaction of genetic, physiological, behavioral and environmental factors.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a very broad and diverse group of diseases and there are many different types.  The four main types that are responsible for over 80 percent of all deaths are cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes, cancer, chronic respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, asthma and diabetes. Others include mental health disorders, chronic kidney diseases, musculoskeletal disease and sensory disorders such as eye disease or hearing loss . Some of these such as cardiovascular diseases are large contributors to death and others such as mental health disorders can have significant health effects due to the disability they cause.  

NCDs are a major problem all over the world and are responsible for about 41 million deaths a year which is about 71 percent of all deaths. Most of these are in low and middle-income countries. In addition to this, they cause considerable disability as well.  They have a significant economic impact due to health care and medication costs and because they limit a person's ability to work.  Countries spend a significant proportion of their health care budgets on these diseases and the problem is only going to get worse.  

It’s estimated that by 2030 deaths from NCDs will increase to 52 million a year this is due to a number of reasons such as population growth, a rise in aging population, globalization, urbanization and changes in behavioral occupational and environmental risk factors.

Non-communicable disease can affect some groups of people more than others and in different ways.  All age groups can be affected by these diseases for example genetic diseases and some cancers can have an impact from early childhood. However, NCDs are generally more common in the elderly. This is because risk factors accumulate over time and the elderly tend to have co-existing diseases and weakened immune systems. There is an inverse relation between socioeconomic status and NCDs.

People with low socioeconomic status are at a higher risk of dying from these diseases and tend to have more risk factors compared to those with high socioeconomic status. NCDs and poverty are also closely interrelated. In a vicious cycle, poverty can lead to increased rates of NCDs and these diseases can drive people into poverty.  

RISK FACTORS FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES.

There are many risk factors that contribute to the development of NCDs and these can vary depending on the disease but broadly speaking, there are two types of risk factors: non-modifiable and modifiable.  

Non-modifiable risk factors are those that can't be changed by an individual, these include age, sex and genetic makeup.  

Modifiable risk factors on the other hand are risk factors that can be changed by a person. There are four important modifiable risk factors; these are smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition and the harmful use of alcohol.  These behavioral risk factors could lead to or worsen metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, increased blood glucose and obesity.

It is important to note that the exposure to risk factors can happen over a person's lifetime. It could be during childhood, adolescence adulthood, and midlife or even before birth.

During a person's lifetime, there are critical periods of growth and development when risk factors can do more damage than they would do at other times and different risk factors can gradually accumulate over the life course and cause an impact in later life.  

The most important idea is to focus on reducing risk factors to prevent and control NCDs.

These include reducing smoking through education, smoking cessation programs, and increasing taxes and prices of tobacco products, promoting physical activity through media campaigns and community-based educational programs, promoting healthy diets through actions such as reducing salt intake, eliminating trans fats, and raising taxes on sugar sweetened beverages, and reducing the harmful use of alcohol through bans on advertising, limiting access, increasing taxes enforcing drink driving laws, and psychosocial interventions.

These strategies go hand in hand with other preventative strategies such as early screening, effective management of the disease and managing complications, and addressing the social determinants of health. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a group of diseases that can lead to either the development of disease or increase a person's susceptibility to it.

Genes play an important role in the development or progression of NCDs, and when people are exposed to other risk factors such as smoking or environmental changes, they may go on to develop a disease. Epigenetics is an area of active research that is providing insights on innovative strategies to prevent and control NCDs. Thank you for your continued readership as we keep learning about health. Keep it here and until next time, it’s a goodbye for now.

https://youtu.be/BWolWB3tSEU

 

Vaginal Discharge: Everything You Need To Know

 Hello guys and welcome back. Today we are going to ask ourselves, when should we be worried about vaginal discharge? What are the myths and the truths concerning vaginal discharge? Today’s topic is vaginal discharge and everything you need to know about it.  Vaginal discharge is completely natural and it keeps the vagina clean and infection free.  The color, amount and texture can differ depending on your age or your menstrual cycle. However, some changes can be a sign of an underlying health condition. There are several types of vaginal discharge depending on color and consistency.

1.      : White colored discharge. This is common at the beginning or end of your menstrual cycle.  It is usually thick and sticky with no strong odor.

2.      : Clear and watery vaginal discharge. This is usually clear and watery when you're sexually aroused or pregnant.

3.      :  Clear and stretchy discharge. This discharge indicates that you're ovulating.

4.      : Brown or bloody.  This can occur during or right after your menstrual cycle.

5.      :  Yellow or green.  Yellow discharge may not indicate a health condition as it can turn to this color when exposed to air. However, darker yellow or green discharge especially when it's thick or accompanied by an unpleasant smell is assigned to seek medical care. Here are the causes of vaginal discharge.  The change in smell, color or texture of vaginal discharge can be caused by changes to the vagina's bacterial balance. When the number of harmful bacteria increases, vaginal infections are more likely to occur.

Ø Vaginosis. This causes increased vaginal discharge that has a strong and sometimes fishy odor.  The discharge may look thin, gray and watery.  This infection can put you at a risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.

Ø Trichomoniasis.  Trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite and is usually spread through sexual contact.  It can also be gotten by sharing bath suits or towels.  Most affected people have no symptoms and if they do they'll notice a green or yellow discharge with an unpleasant odor.  Common signs are pain, itching, inflammation, around the vagina when having sex or when urinating.

Ø Yeast infection. This causes a thick white discharge similar to cottage cheese and it is usually odorless. Other symptoms are itching, burning or irritation around the vagina. Gonorrhea or chlamydia. These STIs produce an abdominal discharge due to infecting the cervix. Other symptoms are stomach pain while urinating, bleeding after penetrative sex and many more.

One should  see a doctor if you are worried about your vaginal discharge and also if you notice changes in smell, color and amount then you should talk to a clinician other symptoms to watch out for are pain when urinating, fever, irritation around the vagina, pain in the abdomen, unexplained weight loss or even fatigue.  When you get to a healthcare appointment a physical exam including a pelvic exam will be performed.  Your doctor will also ask several questions about your menstrual cycle, your symptoms and general lifestyle.  If your doctor can't diagnose the problem immediately then they may swab your vagina to get a sample of the discharge, examine it and send it to a laboratory for testing.  Once the cause of the discharge is known, you'll be given treatment options.

 It’s not possible to prevent vaginal discharge because it is natural. However, steps can be taken to reduce the chances of infection. Use water to gently wash your vagina and avoid scented products in douches. Drying thoroughly and wearing breathable cotton underwear can also help. It is good to note that vagina is self-clean so there is absolutely no need of douching or using scented products. I hope that you have learnt something today and as always, let’s keep engaging. Thank you and see you next time.

https://youtu.be/dHab7pur2Gc

INTERESTING BENEFITS OF WALKING BAREFOOT.

 Now, today we have a very interesting topic that will change how we view things henceforth. Growing up, and I know many of us who grew up in the villages can bear me witness, walking barefoot was very normal and it still is. Unfortunately we walked barefoot because we could not afford a pair of shoes oblivious of the many benefits we were getting from just walking bare on the sand and grass!  And did we really care about cracked heels? I bet we didn’t! Now we have developed even in terms of research and it is now obvious that walking barefoot is actually healthy and that is what we will be looking at today. Let’s learn together and kama kawaida, we engage in the comment section.

In your foot, you have 26 bones and 33 joints in 19 different muscles. It’s a very highly complex part of your body that allows you to move and it supports your entire body weight.

Shoes are very unnatural and they compress your toes. Naturally, the toes should be wider and when you're constantly compressing them then that creates a lot of problems with your gait, balance, muscles, calves and your feet and that translates up to the knees. Wearing shoes actually increases the risk of getting knee pain and low back pain just because of the altered dynamics of your feet.

Wearing shoes means raising the foot above the ground so we're losing communication with the ground making things very unstable and so the bottom of your foot is really not communicating with the ground making things very unstable. The bottom of your feet communicates  with the ground through a sponge like cushion and if you wear a high heel that's even worse. Since you spend most of the day in shoes, it's very important to get shoes that are very comfortable.

The most recommend are those shoes that fit in the category of the barefoot footwear, shoes that are closer to the ground and provide more space for the toes. They’re wider and they're much more comfortable and they force the foot to work harder which is a good thing because it creates more stability. Wearing the wrong type of shoes in general causes the reduction of range of motion and they increase the temperature of your feet so basically “cook” your feet in this small space and create knee adduction. This means the knees tend to go inward and that can throw off the dynamics of the knee increasing the risk of knee pain and low back pain. Your Achilles tendon becomes stiffer, that's the tendon in the back part of the lower ankle and affects your ability to move and play sports. It also reduces your circulation and it can even shorten the calf length and create atrophy of your muscles in your calf.

If you wear high heels, there's one study done that shows that if your heel is greater than five centimeters and you wear it for over two years, there's a significant reduction in the size and strength of your calf muscles. The longer you wear these types of shoes, you lose the strength of your foundation which can affect the rest of the body because the ankle bone is connected to the knee bone which connects to the hip bone. There are two things that can be recommended:

First look for a shoe that has less of a heel that's closer to the ground and that provides more space on your toes so you can have more stability.

Second, start walking barefoot on the grass and the sand this is a very therapeutic exercise. This will make your feet get stronger and you're going to notice that there's much less stress on your joints.

So what are the benefits of walking barefoot?

Walking barefooted is going to provide lots of benefits and these benefits are at different levels. Physical, mental and even spiritual!

Physically it is believed that the earth has a magnetic field and so do human beings so when you walk barefoot on the ground, your magnetic field naturally becomes aligned with the earth's magnetic field and you experience a sense of harmony in your body. Your feet has so many nerve endings and when these nerve endings are given pressure by walking barefoot on uneven natural surfaces such as stones, it has positive and healing effect on the body.

Psychologically walking barefoot also called grounding or earthling energizes your root chakra and therefore provides relief from anxiety, depression and other mood related disorders.  Walking barefoot in water or on the grass which is drenched in morning dew is extremely rejuvenating. This can instantly upswing your mood and bring enthusiasm to all your activities. Walking barefoot not only improves the blood circulation but also allows the body mind soul complex to absorb a positive energy of the earth

When we live with such a reverence for nature we learn to live in harmony with our natural environment in our day to day life. Cultivate the habit of walking barefoot in your house or outside at least for 15 minutes and experience some or all of these benefits.

Now, next time you see someone walking barefoot in the streets like Dr. Hamisi Kote Ali, the Founder and C.E.O of The Human Garage, try not to laugh them off because this is how we should all be walking – barefoot. And as the Dr. Hamisi quotes, “pain is not a lifestyle.” Until next time, it’s a goodbye for now.

https://youtu.be/JQo_edypQOE

10 Common Mental Illnesses Crash Course

What is mental illness? According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, it's defined as a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or mood for a sustained period of time that negatively impacts them. Depression and anxiety are the most common types of mental illnesses. We will look at 10 common mental that probably are not known.

Anxiety Disorders. We know 18.1% doesn't sound like a lot but that's the number of adults who suffer from anxiety disorders. 40 million people suffer from symptoms of an anxiety disorder every year. Of those 40 million people, it's estimated that only 36.9% of them will get help. Anxiety disorders rarely appear alone, with depression being a common co-diagnosis. Anxiety disorders come in a few varieties, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Anxiety disorders are all characterized by nearly uncontrollable worry that messes with several aspects of daily life such as sleep, relationships, school and work. There are several treatment options available, which include different types of therapy and medication.

Personality Disorders. Personality disorders refer to behavioral, emotional and thought patterns that deviate greatly from the expectations of an individualist culture. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests that 9.1 of the population has the traits of a personality disorder. According to the diagnostic criteria these differences must be causing the individual significant amounts of distress in the way they see themselves, others and situations, inappropriate or exaggerated emotional responses, impulse control and how well the individual relates to and functions around others. Personality disorders can't be cured but thankfully they can be treated. Treatment consists of combinations of medications for the underlying mental health issues as well as talk therapy.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The stereotype of a person diagnosed with ADHD is usually a small child who's bouncing off the walls or can't finish a task. However, between 7.8 and 11% of children aged 4 to17 are diagnosed with ADHD any given year. ADHD affects people of all ages and includes multiple symptoms such as inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, inability to sit still, restlessness and losing things. An individual's symptoms vary depending on their age, gender and type of ADHD. There are three recognized types of ADHD. The ADHD, combined type ADHD, impulsive/hyperactive type in ADHD, inattentive and destructible type. Most people think meds are the only way to control ADHD. Well many people diagnosed with the disorder find relief by using a combination of medications, life coaching, education and talk therapy.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. An estimated 6.8% of the population will develop some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. A traumatic event is considered any event that should not have happened, such as a natural disaster, an assault, childhood neglect, abuse, starvation and so on. The stress and trauma stop on its own for most people, when the mind and body understand the individual is no longer under attack. Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to a prolonged fight or flight response that happens after the stressful event has stopped. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder, CPTSD refers to the PTSD that occurs due to a series of continued traumatic events, such as childhood abuse. Think of PTSD and CPTSD as the echoes of the stress response. These echoes can happen in the form of emotional flashbacks, nightmares, extreme anxiety or panic, difficulties connecting to others and an overwhelming sense of fear. People suffering from PTSD or CPTSD can find relief through trauma therapies, which is eye movement desensitization reprocessing EMDR or traditional talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Depression. An estimated 6.7% of the US populations over the age of 18, 15.7 million people live with depression. Although the occasional low mood is a normal response to negative situations, depression entails low moods that are severe and last longer than six weeks. Depression manifests differently in women than men. Women tend to experience depression as feelings of sadness, worthlessness and shame or guilt. Men tend to mistake the symptoms of depression as fatigue and being easily irritated. Common treatments for depression include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), psychodynamic therapy, psycho education groups, antidepressants and various brain stimulation therapies.

Bipolar disorder. An estimated 2.8% of the US population that sought mental health treatment was diagnosed with some form of bipolar disorder in 2018. This number may be low, as many individuals who suffer from any mental health disorder do not seek treatment. Bipolar disorder means a lot more than just really bad mood swings for a couple of reasons. First people diagnosed with bipolar disorder cannot completely control these mood swings and in second, these mood swings range from manic, feeling super happy or invincible, doing crazy spontaneous things, grandiosity and having racing or unrealistic thoughts to extreme bouts of depression and maybe a little hypomania in between. Living with bipolar disorder isn't easy but people struggling with the disorder can find a variety of medications and traditional counseling treatments to help them find more balance.

Eating disorders. Did you know there are almost as many people living with eating disorders as there are with bipolar disorder? Approximately 2.7% of individuals who sought treatment were diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2018. The most common question people ask about eating disorders is what's the difference between not being happy with your body and having an eating disorder? Well, in addition to this total focus on their physical flaws, eating disorders are defined by dysmorphia and the binge purge restricts cycle of behavior. This cycle comes from the person's feelings of extreme distress and disgust about their body. This disgust drives the individual who has the disorder to become super focused on their body weight and shape. The eating disorders everyone knows about are anorexia nervosa and bulimia but most people have never heard of eating disorders not otherwise specified, EDNOS or avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, ARFID. Recovery from an eating disorder is totally possible. With a combination of talk therapy, residential treatment and medications to treat the symptoms of any underlying mental health conditions.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  If obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD is a type of anxiety disorder, why does it make the number eight spot? Simple professional’s day 2.3% of individuals will qualify for a diagnosis of OCD during the course of their lifetime. What's the first thing you think of when you think of someone who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder? The common stereotype of an individual diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD is if someone obsessed with cleaning or counting to a comical degree but that's not the whole picture. The reality of OCD includes a great deal of anxiety, rigid thinking and feeling isolated from others. Individuals diagnosed with OCD suffer from reoccurring thoughts that they cannot control, which are referred to as obsessions. These obsessions can be things like cleaning or accounting but also include checking and double checking, feeling as though one will be punished for being a sinner. Organizing and arranging and hoarding. Having obsessions is different from being detail oriented or a little type A because individuals who suffer from obsessions experience crippling anxiety due to these thoughts they're unable to control. The compulsions are the actions such as cleaning, hand washing, arranging and hoarding, individuals use to cope with overwhelming anxiety and rigid thinking. Although there's no cure for OCD, a combination of medical and talk therapy will help them manage their symptoms effectively.

Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD. Approximately 1.2% of children, one in 59 children will qualify for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. ASD begins in childhood but many individuals are not diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood. ASD is characterized by significantly impaired social interactions, learning and communication. Individuals with ASD may seem eccentric or unemotional to others, as they do not understand normal social cues. Some of these behaviors include seeming off in their own world, repetitive thoughts or behaviors, restricted interests, poor eye contact and difficulty communicating with others to the point their functioning is greatly impaired. The most common treatments for ASD include special education classes, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral management, and therapy and medication management.

Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders. Three out of 100 people will experience the symptoms of psychosis in their lifetime. This means 1% of the population suffers from a psychotic disorder. People usually have their first psychotic break between the ages of 16 and 30 which means approximately 100000 adolescents and adults will experience their first psychotic break every year. This does not mean everyone who experiences psychosis will always have a psychotic disorder. Medical and environmental or situational factors such as extreme stress, certain prescriptions and illicit drugs can induce temporary psychosis. For individuals with a psychotic disorder however, the symptoms last longer than six months. Someone suffering from psychosis has breaks or disruptions in their reality, which manifests in behaviors such as religious delusions, audio visual or tactile hallucinations, feelings of paranoia or persecution and disordered or jumbled thoughts and speech. Schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder but the DSMV recognize a few others. Having a psychotic disorder can feel like torture but it doesn't have to. Many people who are diagnosed with some type of psychosis are successfully treated with a combination of specialized medications, therapy and case management. As always, any information provided here is for educational purposes only. If you need mental health counseling or treatment, please contact your local doctor kindly.  I hope that with this explained it will be easier to identify exactly what mental illness one is suffering from. Thank you for your continued support and as usual let’s engage in the comment section.

https://youtu.be/IaSpas9hWNQ

How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Hello my people and welcome wherever you are. Now, in our segment today we will talk about sun! Yes, sun! It’s been extremely hot over the last few months and therefore we all dread getting caught outside especially between 10:00am and 04:00pm because it is hottest then but we have no choice because we must go about our daily hustles. However, there are few things we can do to protect ourselves from the effects of exposure to too much sun that we will look at here.  UV radiation is emitted by the sun.Skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B 

rays,also known as UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays account for the majority of solar radiation. UV rays cause wrinkles and sun spots on the skin, as well as skin cancers such as melanoma and non-melanoma cancers. Sunburn is caused by UVB rays damaging the top layer of your skin. Skin cancer can also be caused by UVB rays. Severe sunburn, defined as skin that blisters, peels, or swell,increases your risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Even minor sunburns as a child can lead to melanoma later in life.When you are out in the sun, you are exposing yourself to UVA and UVB rays, which can harm your skin.There is no such thing as a safe tan, and this includes tanning bed tans. Tanning beds can provide a tan with little or no burning, but they also expose your skin to UV radiation,which causes skin aging and cancer.Even a single session of tanning increases your risk of developing melanoma by threefold.You can enjoy outdoor activities safely if you protect your skin from UV rays.It is best to avoid being directly in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest. If you must be out in the sun, protect yourself by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen. To keep your skin and eyes safe You can even wear clothing designed to keep the sun off your skin.This type of clothing has an ultraviolet protection factor (upf), which means it is made of material that can shield your skin from uv rays. Also, wear light coloured and long sleeved clothes to protect your skin.Make skin protection a part of your routine by wearing sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days, and by covering all of your skin with sunscreen, not just your face. When selecting a sunscreen, look for the spf, which stands for sun protection factor.The spf of a sunscreen indicates how well it protects you from uvb and some uva rays.Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, as well as one labeled as broad spectrum sunscreen.

It is a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.Sunscreens are classified into two types.Mineral sunscreens, also known as physical and chemical sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens act as a shield, preventing UV rays from entering your skin. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays.Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out in the sun so your skin has time to absorb it, and reapply it every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating. If you have a dark skin tone, you still need sunscreen; all skin tones are at risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

In addition, drink lots of water/fluids whether you are thirsty or not to keep your body hydrated. With all this said, it doesn’t mean that the sun has no benefits at all. There are actually about ten benefits we get from the sun that we may not know about apart from the vitamin D that we get from early morning and evening exposure to the sun. In our next segment we will look at these ten benefits of the sun and until then, it’s goodbye for now. Keep engaging in the comment section and let us know what we should add in our segments for our overall health. Also remember to keep your health in check, always.

https://youtu.be/FxG1AdCmMhI

 

Bipolar disorder (depression & mania) causes, symptoms, treatment & pathology

Now, we know that mental illnesses are becoming a big menace by the day and so in our topic today we will look at bipolar disorder. Sadly, some people don’t take this as an illness and so we will deeply look at bipolar as an illness. Kama kawaida let us engage in the comment section as we continue learning. Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by depression, periods of lowered mood, as well as mania, periods of heightened mood. Maybe you’ve heard the term “bipolar” used to describe someone who’s moody, or who has mood swings, but this colloquial use of the term is really different from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depression, is a serious mental illness that causes a person to have dramatic shifts in emotions, mood, and energy levels: moving from extreme lows to extreme highs. But these shifts don’t happen moment to moment, they usually happen over several days or weeks.There are a few different types of bipolar disorders, but there are some common features.

First, the low moods are identical to those in a related disorder - major depressive disorder, also known as unipolar depression. Individuals with this can feel hopeless and discouraged, lack energy and mental focus, and can have physical symptoms like eating and sleeping too much or too little. But along with these lows, the thing that sets bipolar disorders apart from unipolar depression is that individuals can have periods of high moods, which are called manic episodes or hypomanic episodes, depending on their level of severity.

In a manic state, people can feel energetic,overly happy or optimistic, even euphoric with really high self-esteem and on the surface, these might seem like very positive characteristics, but when an individual is in a full manic episode, these symptoms can reach a dangerous extreme. A person experiencing mania might invest all of their money in a risky business venture or behave recklessly. Individuals might talk pressured speech, where they talk constantly at a rapid-fire pace, or they might have racing thoughts and might feel ‘wired,’ as if they don’t need sleep. Manic episodes can also include delusions of grandeur, for example they might believe that they are on a personal mission from God, or that they have supernatural power and they might make poor decisions without any regard for later consequences. The average healthy individual might have normal ups and downs throughout their life, and they might even have some pretty serious lows once-in-awhile, maybe after losing a job or moving to a new place and feeling lonely. An individual with unipolar depression though, might have the normal highs, but they might have some crushing lows that last for a long period of time and may not have an obvious trigger.

Now, for the bipolar disorders, the first one is called Bipolar 1, and these are people that have some major lows that last at least 2 weeks, and some major highs that last at least a week or require hospitalization. That said, untreated manic episodes can last as long as 3-6 months. Depression is seen in most cases, but is not required for a diagnosis.

The second one is called Bipolar-2, and this is when a person experiences similar lows, and has additional highs called “hypomania”, which are less severe manic episodes than we see in Bipolar 1. To qualify for a diagnosis, these hypomanic states need to last at least four days. These symptoms generally last a few weeks to a few months.

The third one is called cyclothymia, or sometimes cyclothymic disorder, and these individuals have milder lows as well as the milder highs or “hypomania” like you see in Bipolar-2, and they cycle back and forth between these two over a period lasting at least 2 years. Sometimes, people with Bipolar disorder can show other, less common symptoms as well, for example having what are referred to as mixed episodes—experiencing symptoms of both depression and mania at the same time. Another symptom they might have is rapid cycling, which describes a situation where a person has 4 or more episodes of depression or mania within a given year.

Like most mental health conditions, the exact underlying cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, and there is no single “bipolar gene” identified, but it’s thought that there are genetic and environmental factors that play a part. For example, people with family members who have bipolar disorder are 10 times more likely to have it themselves. Another clue is that some drugs and medications can trigger manic episodes, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (or SSRIs).

It’s also worth mentioning that people with bipolar disorder often have other disorders like anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, ADHD, and personality disorders as well, making diagnosis and treatment a real challenge. Even though there’s no cure for bipolar disorder, identifying and treating individuals is really important, since there’s a real danger that the person could harm themselves or even commit suicide.

One of the oldest treatments is also one of the most effective treatments, and that’s lithium salts. Lithium acts as a mood stabilizer—smoothing out the highs and lows they experience. it is much better at treating manic rather than depressive episodes, and so individuals who take it often have to take other medications as well, which can be problematic since some antidepressants (like the SSRIs) can trigger manic episodes in individuals who are predisposed to them.

Other treatment options include antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and benzodiazepines, but many of these—including lithium—have side effects that can be severe and can lead to non-adherence which can be dangerous for an individual. Unlike certain disorders like unipolar depression, psychological interventions, like talk therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy are not particularly effective in treating the manic episodes of bipolar disorder but they can still be very helpful tools to help individuals with bipolar disorder in general—especially after a manic episode has ended. They can also help an individual handle stressful situations that might otherwise lead to a manic episode, thereby helping prevent a potential manic episode in the first place. This brings us to the end of our topic today and thank you for yyour continued support. Keep following and learning and until next time, it’s a bye bye from me.

 https://youtu.be/KSvk8LLBo2g

HOW TO PREVENT HORMONAL IMBALANCE NATURALLY

Hello family and once again I welcome here and in this segment I hope we learn a few things on how to naturally prevent hormonal imbalances. Karibuni.

Hormones are body's chemical messengers that travel through our blood passing information to tissues and organs telling them what to do. Hormones play myriad different roles in our bodies right from appetite management, reproductive Health, growth and Metabolism and the list goes on. Basically hormones are critical to our health and to our lives. Hormonal imbalance occurs when there is too little or an excessive amount of some hormone. We all experience hormonal imbalance in our lives through phases of puberty, pregnancy or menopause but these are temporary imbalances that subside with time. There are some hormonal imbalances which might last a little longer and might lead to conditions like diabetes, pcod, PCOS, obesity, thyroid problems, infertility, hormonal acne etc. these kind of hormonal imbalances might require medical help. Hormonal imbalances may not always be treated; there are some kinds of hormonal imbalances arising due to conditions like autoimmune disorders, adenoma or tumors which cannot be prevented. However, a lot of hormonal imbalances and conditions arising due to them can be prevented. Conditions like pcod, PCOS, thyroid obesity and infertility are far more common now than there were three decades back.

There are a few foods that have been studied for having a positive impact on the hormones in our body and can help prevent hormonal imbalance. Root vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, beets, radishes, or yams have been backed up by science to contain a compound that helps in regulating the hormones in our bodies especially in cases of thyroid pcod, PCOS or menopause. There are cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, broccoli  and turnips that contain a compound called indole three carbinol that plays a role in preventing hormone dependent cancers like breast cancer or ovarian cancer so it's recommended to include more cruciferous vegetables in your diet. Foreign extracts that help our body cope with stress which could be physical biological or mental stress also known as adaptogens help in boosting our immune and hormonal Health. Some well-known adaptogens are found in herbs like ashwagandha, Tulsi, turmeric, ginseng and certain kind of mushrooms.  However, it is not recommended to consume these adaptogens in concentrated forms like supplements since a lot more study is required to understand the benefits and side effects of consuming them in concentrated forms. Include these adaptogens in a moderate and time-tested fashion in the diet like the inclusion of Tulsi in the form of Tulsi Tea or turmeric in the form of turmeric milk our gut contains trillions of microbes that produce substances and metabolites that impact our hormonal Health positively as well as negatively. Taking care of our gut health is Paramount and maintaining a good hormonal balance in the body and we can take care of our gut health by doing these three basic things:  inclusion of more diversity in our diet intake of Probiotic foods and intake of Prebiotic Foods. Fats are the basic building blocks of hormones in our bodies and they also play other functions in the body like temperature regulation, reproductive Health, cognitive function and so much more.  A diet consisting of the right quality and quantity of fat can go a long way in maintaining good hormonal balance.  Nuts, seeds, fish, cold pressed or filtered oils are great way of including good fats in the diet. any kind of diet that works on the principle of leaving out a macronutrient like carbs or fats inevitably disturbs the body's hormonal balance, you might think that you're losing weight but in the process you also lose the health of your hair, the health of your skin and they might also disturb your menstrual cycles. Studies have shown that people with thyroid or pcod PCOS can revert back their hormonal Health by going on a regime of regular physical activity and exercise, however, balance is the key with exercise as well high intensity activities or exercises should be followed by periods of active rest or recovery to avoid any added stress in our bodies especially in case of people who might be experiencing other health conditions. Foreign levels of stress for a long period of time results in high cortisol in the body which influences other hormones like insulin thyroid or sex hormones. High cortisol could potentially lead to hormonal imbalance in the long run so it is important to avoid stress by engaging in Hobbies, yoga or meditation. Sleep hugely impacts the balance of hormones in our bodies. Hormones leptin and ghrelin that play a role in regulating our appetite are hugely influenced by our sleep patterns. Lack of sleep or inadequate sleep has been associated with patterns of overeating and weight gain. Lack of sleep can also lead to elevated levels of cortisol in the body which once again leads to other health problems like fat gain, insulin resistance diabetes, etc. with the correct kind of diet and lifestyle, hormonal imbalances can definitely be reverted that was just a brief look at how to prevent hormonal imbalance naturally and I hope you find it helpful. Take care until next time.  Bye.

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