Children who experience trauma or mental agony as a teen/child are more susceptible to heart disease later in life.
​
An in-depth review of numerous studies found a strong link between individuals who were abused, bullied, traumatized or exposed to violence during their childhood or teenage years and their increased risk of health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure in early adulthood. It is these underlying conditions that increase the risk of graver diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke.

One-time Experience but Lasting Memory
Firstly, innocent children are exposed to situations/violence that they should never come across in their lifetime. Secondly, the experience might be once (physical/sexual abuse or violence) but the trauma and pain after experiencing these incidents are etched in their memory for a lifetime.

As parents, we would like to prevent things from taking a haphazard turn in the first place and if such things do happen, it is in our hands to prevent any health consequences that might be the side effects of such incidents. Two of every three children in India between ages 5 and 12 report of physical abuse. Alongside this there are various other factors as well, such as parental divorce, death, homelessness, discrimination, poverty, loss of a loved one or parental substance abuse that contribute towards a child’s mental agony.

While the exact cause for heart diseases due to these traumatic experiences is unknown, researchers believe that behavioral, mental health and biological reactions to increased stress might play a central role. More the number of such experiences, more is the health risks. Theoretically, being exposed to violence during childhood leaves room for increased cases of depression and obesity in girls and hypertension in boys. Deal with obesity in children with the help of expert advise from registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com.

Develop Positive Attitude
There is no harm in promoting emotional development and teaching kids to express emotions in a controlled way as this can be helpful in disease prevention and improving overall health of the person.
​
Children can handle stress in several ways:

1. A supportive teacher, counselor or coach can support you during your hard times in life
2. Loved ones in the family or friends can be a good option to rely upon when the child faces some trauma. Parents can teach the child in a loving, supportive and understanding way to handle emotions without blaming or denying.
3. Having control over your life
   
   

We cannot change something that has happened. But, we can change the way in which we respond to things happening around us. 

Women experience the pain of the monthly menstrual cycles which makes them feel off-mood, experience body pain and creates a mental instability. Vaginal discharge that is expelled out of a woman’s body during every menstrual cycle is the fluid that contains a mix of the vaginal secretions and the cervical mucous. The quantity, color and odor of this discharge varies across the female population but most of the times, the discharge released out of the body is healthy. This vaginal discharge serves an integral function in the female reproductive system. The fluid released from the vagina during your menstruation period removed old cells and debris thereby maintaining the health and cleanliness of the reproductive tract. Get more insights about menstruation at www.firsteatright.com.

Menstrual Cycle: Color Wheel
The color and quantity of the discharge changes from day to day depending on where a person is exactly in the menstrual cycle: At the beginning of the menstrual cycle (days 1-5), the discharge is usually red/blood red in color as the body gets rid of the uterine lining. Most individuals don’t menstruate beyond the fifth day of the period and the person may notice less vaginal discharge during the following days (days 6-14). Once the egg starts to develop, the mucous color becomes white or pale yellow with a sticky texture. Some days before ovulation (days 14-25), the mucus is similar to egg white, thin and slippery. A few days just before your next period (days 25-28), the cervical mucus will lighten and there is very little seen.

Red
This is the most common color seen during menstruation. Menstrual cycles differ among individuals and can happen anytime between 20 and 40 days although it happens around 28 days on an average. Full-fledged bleeding occurs for 2-4 days and the color can be anything from blood red to brown or rust color. If someone gets another period between two regular cycles, it is advisable to meet a gynecologist and get it checked as there are many medical reasons behind such intermittent bleeding. It might be a benign cyst, fibrosis or something beyond these.
​
White
White color discharge is commonly seen before a period or during ovulation. The shades might vary anywhere from white to cream to light yellow. Absence of itching, irritation, burning or unusual smell rules out any problem with this discharge and in fact, it is a sign of healthy lubrication. But, if the discharge is like cottage cheese or has a foul smell it can be indicative of an underlying yeast infection. Candida is the most common yeast infection due to fungal overgrowth.

Yellow
A slight yellow discharge is not at all a problem and might be the result of changes in your diet or supplement. But discharge that has a dark yellow coloration or has a green tinge to the yellow coloration indicates a bacterial or sexually transmitted infection. Yellow or greenish discharge might be due to trichomoniasis or chlamydia. Trichomoniasis presents itself with itching, pain during urination and an unpleasant odor.

Pink
Light or dark colored pink discharge mostly occurs as a spotting before a period or can also be a sign of implantation bleeding in early pregnancy. Sometimes, sexual intercourse can cause tear or irritate the vagina resulting in pink discharge after intercourse.

Clear
Normal vaginal discharge is colorless or white in color, similar to the egg white. This is normally visible before ovulation, during pregnancy and during sexual arousal.

Grey
Grey-colored discharge indicates that something is not right with your body and mostly conveys the presence of a common bacterial infection called bacterial vaginosis which causes symptoms such as itching, irritation, a strong fish odor or redness around the vagina. 

Xerosis is the medical term for the common dry skin derived from the Greek words ‘xero’ meaning dry and ‘osis’ meaning ‘disease’ or ‘medical disorder’. Dry skin is common across age groups and is the result of lack of moisture in the skin’s outer layer. It might be due to ageing or even due to diseases.
​
Symptoms
Dry skin can occur in any part of the body although some areas, such as arms, feet, hands and lower legs are more prone than others. Common symptoms of dry skin include:

1. Rough, scaly or flaky skin
2. Persistent itching
3. Cracked lips
4. Skin cracks which might even bleed in extreme situations
5. Tightness
   ​

Causes
While any person can get dry skin, some are more prone than others. Most common causes include:

Ageing: Skin becomes thinner and drier as we age. People above the age of 40 are recommended to use a moisturizer every day to stay away from dry skin.

Climate: The place where you live affects your skin texture greatly. People living in dry climates, such as desert or extremely cold, dry places are more prone to dry skin.

Diseases: Individuals who had atopic dermatitis (eczema) as children tend to develop dry skin as adults. Even psoriasis contributes towards dry skin. 

Job: Nurses, hair stylists and those involved in professions that require them to often wash their hands with water all through the day can be affected by dry or cracked skin. Swimmers too can be affected as some pools have high chlorine levels which can cause dry skin.
​
Taking showers frequently, certain medications, living in an air-conditioned surrounding 24*7, washing hands frequently and certain soaps and detergents can also contribute towards dry skin.

Treatment
Before suggesting any treatment, the dermatologist will examine your skin, question you about your problem, diagnose you and then suggest the appropriate treatment plan. If the physician doubts any underlying health problem to contribute towards dry skin, he/she may recommend you for further tests.
​
Once diagnosed with dry skin, the dermatologist recommends using these treatment options:

1. A moisturizer is the best friend for a person affected with dry skin. Apply it frequently throughout the day as it can help the skin stay soft, smooth and devoid of much cracks. There are a variety of moisturizers in the form of lotions, oils, creams and ointments and the dermatologist is the right person to recommend the best-suited moisturiser for your skin. People with dry skin can use a moisturizer with urea/lactic acid as this helps water retention in the skin. However, one must use it cautiously as it might prick/sting when a person has eczema or cracked skin.
2. Try external medications such as cortisone creams or lotions if your skin is inflamed.
3. Stay away from skin products and soaps that contain alcohol, fragrances, dyes and other chemicals. Use a gentler soap with added moisturizers.
4. Don’t scrub your skin.
5. Use mild detergents that do not contain dyes or fragrances to wash clothes.
6. Bathe only once a day. Don’t take hot showers and limit your shower time to less than 10 minutes.
7. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
8. Wear soft, comfortable clothing that don’t hurt your skin. Avoid fabrics such as wool.
   
   

Read more about taking care of the largest organ in your body-skin-at www.firsteatright.com. In most cases, dry skin goes away once the above-mentioned treatment options are followed. If the problem still persists, it is better to get yourself treated by a dermatologist as untreated dry skin can result in bleeding, red patches and bacterial infection. Bacterial infection is visible via redness, swelling or pus.

Smoking causes cancer. Smoking kills. We are aware of these statements. But are you aware that smoking increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes?
​
Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s blood sugar levels are abnormally higher. People with diabetes cannot make/use insulin efficiently, thereby causing glucose to build up in the blood without allowing it to reach the cells.

Diabetes can be Type 1 or Type 2 out of which Type 2 diabetes is the most common form. India has almost 10% of its population living with diabetes. Research puts forth the fact that smoking is a direct cause of Type 2 diabetes. As a matter of fact, smokers are 30-40% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers.

Smoking & Diabetes
Diabetes is controllable and manageable, but smoking aggravates and worsens the disease leading to further complications. Diabetes patients who smoke are at a higher risk for disease complications than nonsmokers with diabetes. Such complications include:

1. Heart and kidney disease
2. Retinopathy (eye disease that can result in blindness)
3. Nerve damage in hands and legs that can result in pain, numbness, weakness and poor mobility
4. Improper blood circulation in the legs and feet that can lead to infections, ulcers and even amputation of toes and feet
   
   

Smoking and diabetes together increase the risk of heart disease. Also, people with diabetes who smoke are two times at an increased risk of immature death than non-smokers.

If you have diabetes, are prone to diabetes, at a prediabetes stage or even if you have no diabetes please stop smoking. This will benefit your health right away. Whatever type of diabetes you may have, smoking makes it more difficult to bring it under control. Once you quit smoking you can immediately notice the difference in blood sugar levels.

Eating healthy and nutritious foods, leading a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and keeping yourself happy are the keys to a healthy body without diabetes, blood pressure or any other disease on this earth. If you are interested in pursuing a healthy lifestyle, please get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to help you in this important phase of life.

Sleep is a universal language for rest and a good night’s sleep provides one with enough energy to do a good day’s work! But today’s fast-paced world prioritizes other chores/pleasures over sleep which makes it one of the essentially unfulfilled activities! We have repeatedly discussed about the advantages of sleep-good health, improved memory, weight loss aid and clarity of mind. Exercising and following a diet would not accelerate weight loss if the person suffers from sleep deprivation. We also know that insufficient sleep increases blood pressure and hence, the risk of heart-related diseases. But a new study has shown that even mild sleep problems (for instance, finding trouble falling asleep) can increase blood pressure in women.
​
Sleep-deprived Women
Almost one-third of adults don’t get enough sleep (1 in 3 people are sleep-deprived) throughout the world and the statistics are even worse when the women population alone is considered. Studies support the fact that women are at a greater risk for sleep problems and there are also research evidences supporting that chronic insomnia is twice as likely to hit women compared to the male population. Its always the woman who lacks in sleep as she holds primary responsibility caring for her children as well for adults in the family, experiences great hormonal changes every month during menstruation and across her lifetime too.

The new study examined blood pressure and sleep habits in 323 healthy women (aged between 20 and 79 years) and found that mild sleep disturbances such as poor-quality sleep, taking more time to fall asleep and insomnia were three-times more common than critical sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea wherein the individual stops breathing for short periods of time while sleeping. Sleep apnea can be dangerous when left untreated and there are valuable suggestions given at www.firsteatright.com to cure this disease. Even when these women slept between seven and nine hours (measured with a wristwatch-like device) every night, the presence of any mild sleep disturbances caused blood pressure rates to shoot up.

When some of these women (26 women precisely) allowed researchers to extract a few endothelial cells (cells lining the blood vessels) from the inside of their arm vein to check for pro-inflammatory protein (this is a contributing factor for cardiovascular disease), the team found an association between endothelial inflammation and mild sleep disturbances. Such mild sleep problems could be the basis for vascular endothelial inflammation-one of the contributing factors for cardiovascular disease-for which the results are yet to come out. Hence, it is advisable that women with mild sleep disturbances are checked for cardiovascular problems immediately.