Tag: healthy living

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Reasons to switch to a menstrual cup

Embracing a pad-free, zero-waste menstrual cycle and switching to a menstrual cup takes a lot of patience and guts in my opinion. Inserting an alien object into the private part gives me jitters even as I thought about it. But, I’ve seen women making the change, feeling comfortable and most importantly helped spread the word to make other women cupvert.

Busting the Myths on why not to use the cup click here

Painful experience to get it inside and fit it properly.



Patience and being relaxed is the first step. There are a lot of YouTube videos that help understand the different types of folds. Choose the one that best suits you and you are sure to be a pro after a couple of cycles. Do not aim to get it right at the first time, this isn’t a race or a competition.

Fear of loosing the cup inside . Ouch!!



That is not going to happen for sure. You can relax, it’s not a tiny pill that is going to get lost or get dissolved. Moreover, the cup isn’t going to pass through cervix so no matter how much you fear it isn’t going anywhere but staying where you exactly put it.

Thinking it needs to be removed when you use the restroom every single time.



You might need to revisit your biology chapters to understand your private parts. You bleed menstrual blood through vagina so the cup stays there. You pee through the urethra and poop through the rectum, so they are all different holes and you needn’t remove the cup every time you visit the restroom.

Fear of the cup overflowing



That’s where the size comes into play. Did you know that you need to empty the cup only twice if you are a person with regular flow. But if you are a person with heavy bleeding, even then it is highly unlikely that the cup would overflow within an eight-hour period.

Thought of inserting plastic inside



Medical or health grade silicone is the material the cup is made of, so it is safer to use. It’s rash-free, itch-free and makes it comfortable.

Pad-free period

Tips for usage of menstrual cup

Menstrual cup

Sterilize the cup, since safety is first



Make sure you sterilize the cup by boiling it, before and after your period. Place the cup in a pot with water, turn on stove, bring to boil and turn it off. Remove the cup, wipe it dry and store it in a cloth bag.

Trying out different folds



Once you buy the cup, try out different folds available on the internet. Choose the one that suits you, the C fold doesn’t suit everyone, you might even find a better one.

Learn positions to insert it



Relaxing and finding a comfortable position to insert the cup is just like finding the fold that suits you. Sitting , squatting or lifting either one of the legs should make it work.

Learning and understanding the how tos before the period



Trying it out during period is going to be very difficult. Make sure you watch videos on insertion, position and sterilizing before your period so that it’s easier for you to do it. Learning how to relax the pelvic area also plays an important role when you use the cup. How the cup works when inserted definitely helps preparing yourself mentally and physically.

Checking the leaks



The fear of leak is the biggest for any women. So how do you check for leaks? There is a pop sound that you hear once the cup is in.

Not keeping it longer than 8-10 hours



Most cups can be kept till 12 hours, they are safer than pads. But make sure you empty it when it exceeds 8 hours just to be on the safer side.

Cleaning before re-inserting



When you empty the cup for re-inserting, make sure you wash it with hot water if it’s available. Else a couple of washes with regular water also works.

How pelvic muscles can help?



Relaxing pelvic muscles by taking deep breaths makes it easier for insertion. Using the muscles to push the cup out makes it easy to remove. Squatting helps relax to get the cup out.

Using cloth pads of low flow days



Depending on the cycle and your flow you can switch to cloth pad beyond three days or days when you have lighter flow.

What are the advantages to use the cup?

  • The menstrual cup is the most environmentally friendly and cheap option that is hygienic and also is zero-waste.
  • Much more hygienic than pads to use for longer duration.
  • Makes the period most comfortable because you forget that you have it inside.
  • Makes it easy to do physical activities when you wear a cup.
  • Using the cup, helps reduce menstrual cramps.

Sirona menstrual cup helps in giving you a peaceful period experience by making it odour-free, itch-free and rash-free. It offers 10-hour protection and is one of the cheapest options for a menstrual cup. click here

Reasons to switch to a menstrual cup

COPYRIGHT NOTICE –
@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

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A2Z of common diseases & their homeopathic treatment – Book review

Blurb

This ebook is a collection of 26 chapters (in alphabetic format) about all common diseases. As “A” to acidity to “Z”, “Zika virus infection,” each chapter has a proper detail information about all common diseases. Each chapter contain causes, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and homeopathic treatment of common diseases. I am hoping this e-book will give an insight about common diseases and also help in understanding the efficacy of homeopathic medicines in treating routine and day to day ailments. You can also use this as a handy guide to understand the causes, symptoms, prevention, and homeopathic treatment of routine illnesses. 

My review

Homeopathy is based on the belief that the body can cure itself. Founded in the 1700s in Germany it is one of the widely sought alternative medicinal approach.
What actually brings on symptoms in a healthy person, in a very minute proportion can help in treating an illness that has similar symptoms. So it is more like triggering the body’s natural defenses.



By adding water these ingredients become weakened. The mixture is then shaken known as potentization. This is the step that transfers the essence of healing. Homeopaths firmly believe that lower the dose , the more powerful the medicine becomes. Sugar pellets, liquid drops, cream and gel are forms in which homeopathic medicine is available.



Homeopaths do ask a lot of questions about mental, emotional and physical health. A remedy that best matches all the symptoms is prescribed and the treatment is tailor made.



I was used to taking allopathic medicine until I got married. Be it cold, fever or an allergy I always resorted to taking a pill that was prescribed. No side effects but it did help me heal. But I also came to know of a couple of adverse effects that allopathic medicines gave in when treated for something different that had no relevance to the side effects being experienced. I was shaken, but continued to take them when I fell ill.



My in-laws have been taking homeopathic medicines for over ten years. And I was suggested to get an appointment. I have bad allergies which God knows what triggers them and couldn’t be cured with the medicines I’ve been taking. I met the Doctor, who I’d now say definitely knows about my body like the back of her hand now. Something that I totally resisted to switch, but I wouldn’t say I was forced to but I think it was destiny that gave me the push and trust me homeopathy worked wonders that I now recommend it and my doctor when people come up to me for suggestions.



The tailor made treatment and understanding the emotional and mental health definitely made me trust this way of medicinal approach which I’d say has to be the first step when you encounter a condition or a disease. Trust in the medicine and the doctor who treats you helps you heal faster.



Surbhi’s book lists out the diseases alphabetically,giving you an insight of what the disease is and the homeopathic treatment corresponding to it. The book also dives deep to make you understand the efficacy of homeopathy in treating the illnesses.



Understanding the disease by proper diagnosis of the symptom, triggers, prevention and treatment is the first and foremost step that will lead you to healing. Surbhi breaks it down to a very basic level that the book can serve as a first hand guide to the common illnesses.



I really liked that the author Surbhi, chose to include lifestyle factors that could cause the issue, the home-care treatments and homeopathic treatments as different sections under each chapter for a much clearer understanding.



The author also clearly lists down the preventive measures that can be taken, the danger signs to look for and the complications that each of the common disease could lead to. Homeopathic treatment and combinations are detailed with the dosage information that show the amount of research and effort spent by the author to give us a guide that makes it trustworthy and provide the value of knowledge.



Some of the diseases covered in the book include those which include the younger and older age group so makes the book a perfect handbook for medical references in each family. Though the book does not encourage self-medication, it is always good to understand your body and the way it reacts to decipher a condition.

Author BIO

Dr. Surbhi Prapanna is a homeopathic therapist by profession and a writer and blogger by passion. She has more than 5 years of professional writing experience and her work has been published on various prestigious online platforms like Momspresso.com, kidstoppress.com, cureJoy.com and shivanaspirit.com.
Health, parenting and creative activities for kids (art, crafts, DIYs etc…) are her niche. And she shares her areas of expertise and parenting experience on her blog Surbhiprapanna.com. She has won so many awards for her academic and professional excellence, but winning the “Best parent award” is the most precious and satisfying experience of her life.

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Backaches and chiropractic

Back pain

People with a desk job , IT professionals and couch potatoes usually face frequent backaches. I missed to add people who travel for longer distances. They count in as well.

It all starts with incorrect posture combined with prolonged pressure on your spine especially the tail bone. I’ve also heard from a lot of women about the persistent backaches post caesarian section delivery. I cannot comment on that since I didn’t undergo nor did I came to know of anyone close to me undergoing it. Maybe I will take time to know more about it and make a separate post.

Getting back to the backaches, some happen periodically and some only when the spine is over stressed. A general advice would be to make sure you sit in an erect posture and take breaks at regular intervals so that the spine is not overpressured.

Calcium intake on a daily basis also helps in the longer run. I don’t just mean drinking up gallons of milk so that your calcium levels are high. Make sure to include foods that are rich in calcium, not just the regular milk for calcium.

Adamant creeper which I heard recently or which is probably unknown to many is a great source of calcium especially very good for women to strengthen your pelvic area.

Calcium depletion leading to osteoporosis is altogether a different topic that needs discussion separately.

I recently came across the term ‘chiropractic‘ and the person who practices ‘a chiropractor‘. I’d thought why not share it with you all here so that many would be made aware of such medical treatment that is going to help you with backaches or spinal issues.

Chiropractic and chiropractors

Chiropractic is categorised as Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( CAM) . Mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system with specific focus on the spine can be diagnosed and treated with chiropractic.

Another interesting fact is that a lot of general health issues crop up when there is a disorder in the musculoskeletal system through the nerves. The therapy mainly involves manual manipulation of the spine. Shocking isn’t it? Yes when I actually saw a video of an ongoing therapy I was wondering how would it actually feel to someone actually moving your spine with force.

It is also called as bone setting as it actually involves correction of the discs. Some chiropractors also claim that chiropractic could cure irritable bowel syndrome and asthma.

Vertebral subluxations or simply termed vertebral joint misalignment seemed to interfere with the body’s function and it’s capability to heal itself with an inborn ability.

Chiropractors use x-ray radiography to examine the bone structure. But the subluxation or the misalignment is mostly unseen this is because it’s not something structural that can be captured on x-ray rather something functional that shows up as a limp or a headache.

When it comes to treatment it usually involves one or a couple more manual adjustments on the joints which have the misalignment. The chiropractic manipulates and uses a controlled sudden force on the joints. The goal is to include prevention of injury and restoration of the specific function in addition to treatment of back pain relieving.

Post the treatment a good nutritional diet and an exercise regime goes hand in hand for the continued benefit. This is best suited to treat acute back pain which are the ones that happen due to furniture movement or lifting and tackling an attack. The pain arise due to the sudden injury in any of the above cases.

It’s a strict no-no for people who suffer from osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis and compression in spinal cord.

Following the treatment people generally give feedback about their ease of mobility, improved pain relief and great sense of general well-being.

Spinal checkups need to be done regularly to make sure future health issues can be avoided in prior.

Conditions that can be treated

  • Slipped disc
  • Low back pain
  • Frozen shoulders
  • Elbow pain
  • Knee pain
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Neck pain
  • Mid back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Numbness
  • Tingling sensation
  • Ankle pain

Chiropractic is hence not a conventional medical treatment but could be combined with conventional medical treatment at times to help relieve certain conditions.

India is slowly picking up on establishing many authorised centers for chiropractic so make sure of you are opting for the treatment you get it done after thorough understanding and enquiry on the facility and the chiropractor.

So maintaining a good posture is all that is needed to save yourself from this chronic condition and treatment to get it relieved.

How to improve posture

  • Don’t slouch. Not on the sofa and the work desk.
  • No soft mattresses. Use something that is firm and keeps your spine stiff.
  • No high heels often and save it for the big night.
  • Beware of text neck. Never heard of the term? Don’t tilt your head to look down at your phone . Just lift it up and move the eyes and not the head.
  • Make sure you exercise and keep your abs toned. A packed up belly is definitely going to put pressure on your spine.
  • Frequently check for spinal issues. If you seem to be doubtful get it checked by the physician right away.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla, and generously SPONSORED BY Bugshield Clothing – Enjoy Outdoors More!