Author: Usman Chaudhry

Health News, Wellness Tips, Healthy Foods and Nutrition Guide

Nocturia: Frequent Urination Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

- by Usman Chaudhry

Frequent Urination

Frequent urination refers to urinating more than normal per day. If there is an abnormal increase in the amount of urine one passes at a time, it is known as Polyuria. If a person regularly goes to the restroom to urinate 4-8 times a day but has recently been going for more times than the usual, it will be considered as frequent urination.

Nocturia is a form of frequent urination, but it only applies to a specific time of the whole day’s 24 hours, which is the night time. If any individual wakes up to urinate once normally at night but has recently been waking up quite more frequently, it will be considered as nocturia.

Frequent urination is not a disease but a symptom pointing to an underlying problem or condition. There are various normal physiological conditions in which urination frequency increases, along with a number of abnormal, pathological conditions and diseases.

Causes:

The most common causes of frequent urination include:

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): UTIs are far more common than you think. One can easily contract UTIs, especially from frequently using public restrooms and not taking care of personal hygiene. Usually, there is a bacterial causative organism, which causes infection and inflammation of the bladder. Hence, this reduces the bladder’s capability to hold more urine.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM): The incidence of developing Diabetes Mellitus, an endocrine disorder, has fairly increased in the past few decades. In DM, excessive sugar buildup in the blood gets excreted via your kidneys, drawing out more fluids from your tissues along with it. This causes increased urinary frequency and increases thirst.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy is a normal physiological condition, in which the growing baby takes up more and more space, eventually putting a lot of pressure on the bladder. This leads to increased urinary frequency in pregnant women.

Diuretics: Diuretics are medicines which draw out excess water and fluids from your body by excreting it in the urine. These are prescribed in special conditions like Hypertension, Congestive Cardiac Failure, Liver disease, and even Kidney disease.

Stroke: A person who has experienced stroke may have nerve damage. If the damaged nerves are the ones controlling bladder function, it may lead to frequent urination and even urinary incontinence (which is uncontrolled urinary leakage).

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH): This condition is selective for males only as over time, with age, the prostate gland in a male, may increase in size, putting pressure on the bladder. This leads to increased urinary frequency and even incontinence.

Excessive use of Caffeine or Alcohol: Caffeinated drinks and alcohol tend to make people urinate more often as caffeine has a similar effect like that of a diuretic.

Anxiety: Anxiety is a fairly common cause of increased urinary frequency as well as people who get anxiety more often, tend to urinate more frequently.

Interstitial Cystitis: This is referred to inflammation of the bladder wall, which is a serious infection. It causes frequent urination too.

Bladder or Kidney Stones: Any bladder or kidney stones can also cause increased urinary frequency.

Pelvic Mass or Bladder Tumor: The large tumor size can have a mass effect on the bladder by putting more pressure, which increases the need to urinate more than usual per day.

Diagnosis:

If you are experiencing increased urinary frequency, visiting a doctor may be the best next step. A detailed history will be taken, including any kind of diuretics you may be taking. The following investigations are conducted:

  • Urine analysis – to identify any infection or problem in the urine
  • Kidney function tests – to identify any kidney disease
  • Ultrasound or CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, to visualize any kidney or bladder disease, including stones and tumors.
  • Urine culture and sensitivity test – to identify the bacteria causing UTI.
  • Neurological tests to identify nerve dysfunction.
  • Urodynamic tests- to detect bladder function abnormalities.

Treatment:

  • Reduce the consumption of caffeine or alcohol
  • Increase water intake
  • Treat the underlying cause – antibiotics for the infection.
  • Surgical intervention for any tumors or masses
  • Monitor and control Blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
  • Ask your doctor to alter your medications if you have been taking heavy diuretics.
  • Bladder training exercises, as advised by your doctor
  • Increased personal hygiene and care.

Frequent urination is just a symptom and could be the cause of any underlying problem. If you are greatly troubled and the routine is getting seriously affected due to your worsening symptoms, you are advised to immediately visit your physician for a full checkup.

Lose Weight Fast and Burn Belly Fat Natural Home Remedies

How to Lose Weight Fast and Burn Belly Fat in Natural Way at Home

- by Usman Chaudhry

How-to-Lose-Weight-Fast-and-Burn-Belly-Fat-in-Natural-Way-at-Home

Losing weight is a time-consuming concept, where unless you stick to a key diet plan along with a killer exercise regimen, you will not achieve much. To burn fat, you require unremarkable dedication and the key to success is consistency. Of course, losing fat is not an easy ride, but one which requires a tremendous amount of hard work, coupled with fierce will power.

However, every person has a unique build, where they tend to lose fat from certain areas, while other parts of the body are quite resistant to losing fat. These are known as your “problem areas”. One such problematic area is your belly, which might need extra efforts to lose fat from. Worry not, there are various easy weight loss home remedies to help you lose that unpleasant belly fat in no time.

CUT DOWN ON THOSE HIGH CALORIE CARBOHYDRATES:

Initially, changing your diet plan will immensely help with getting those desired, ripped abs. Cutting out refined carbohydrates (burgers, fries, packaged and processed foods) and replacing them with nutrient-packed whole carbohydrates (bran, fruits, oats, vegetables, whole grains) is ideal.

SAY NO TO SUGAR, ALCOHOL AND CARBONATED DRINKS:

Carbonated, fizzy drinks and alcohol are key contributors to the accumulation of fat around the waist. Eliminating their use or simply restricting their usage per week, will remarkably fasten the process of losing belly fat. All kinds of desserts and drinks which contain an insanely abundant amount of sugar should also be avoided. Just by cutting out sugar for a month, you will notice a considerable amount of difference in your waistline.

YOUR BEST FRIENDS ARE PROTEINS AND FIBRES:

Foods which are high in protein will do you wonders if you stick by them. High-protein foods do not tend to increase insulin levels in your body. If your insulin levels are low or moderate, your body will not be converting your food into fat. Eat lean proteins like chicken, fish, fat-free beef and legumes. Use a large number of leafy greens in your meals to make your digestive system stronger and faster. Eat vibrant, fresh fruits and raw vegetables to improve your High-density lipid levels (the good kind of cholesterol).

Read Also: Best Weight Loss and Lose Belly Fat Diet Plan for Effective Results

TARGETED EXERCISE AND WEIGHT TRAINING:

Cardio and aerobics are excellent exercises when it comes to burning fat overall. However, abdominal fat can be quite resistant. Following exercise videos which include more centralized, abdominal focused exercises will help greatly. Crunches, pushups, mountain climbers, leg raises, and planks are some of the miracle workers when it comes to burning the tough belly fat. Incorporating weights in your exercise regimen will boost the entire process by two-fold.

HONEY-LEMON WATER:

Lemon is one of the most powerful and anti-oxidant rich fruits out there. On an empty stomach, drink a Luke-warm glass of water with half a lemon squeezed in it, along with a teaspoon of raw honey. The combination of lemon and honey will power through your belly fat and help in melting it fast. A very effective thermogenic is ginger, which increases the basal metabolic rate of the body and raises the body temperature, thus, enhancing fat burn. Adding ginger to your glass of lemon-honey water makes it a magic drink. Drink it regularly daily and you will notice a stunning result in no time.

Conclusion

Losing fat is not easy, especially because your routine meals compose of unhealthy, processed junk, which is terrible for your body and is causing more harm than you could possibly imagine. Your body is your temple and you need to take care of’ it. By making the above-mentioned small changes, you can improve your health considerably and lead a longer, healthier and more active life. Not only that, you will also finally get rid of all the resistant belly fat.

Irregular Periods, Pregnancy, PCOS, Hormonal Imbalance

Irregular Periods: Possible Causes of a Missed Period and Treatment

- by Usman Chaudhry

Irregular-Periods

Normally, the menstrual cycle is composed of 28 days, where menstruation (bleeding) occurs for approximately 3-7 days for a regular person. It begins at the age of 10-16 years, which is known as menarche and ends between ages 45-55, known as menopause.

During the menstrual phase, the uterine lining (endometrium) sheds in the form of blood, mucous and clots, before regenerating. This process of endometrial shedding every month is known as “menses.” The length of the menstrual cycle can vary in women, from 21 to 35 days, depending on person to person.

Irregular periods refer to the state of abnormal cycle lengths, which could be less than 21 days or more than 35 days. It could also be due to abnormalities in the volume, frequency, and duration of periods. There are certain terms which can be used to describe irregularities:

Oligomenorrhea: Infrequent periods, usually occurring after more than 35 days.

Menorrhagia: Heavy menstrual bleeding, which accounts for excessive loss of blood.

Amenorrhea: Lack of menstrual bleeding.

Dysmenorrhea: Extremely painful bleeding, especially the first 2 days

Polymenorrhagia: Heavy and more frequent bleeding, especially earlier than 21 days.

Hypomenorrhea: Short or extremely light periods

Causes of irregular periods:

There are various causes of irregular periods but mostly, they are related to hormonal imbalances as menstruation is highly dependent on hormones such as LH, FSH and estrogen, progesterone, which regulate the cycles. These causes include:

Read Also: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Pregnancy: The state of pregnancy is retainable when the fertilized egg embeds itself into the endometrial lining. Hence, the menstrual cycle pauses in order to prevent endometrial shedding, so the embryo can grow in it. Pregnancy may be confused for irregular periods, especially if there may be spotting noted.

Lactation: Lactational amenorrhea is a normal physiological process, where a hormone called Prolactin is released during breastfeeding, which causes very light or scanty periods till the mother breastfeeds.

Birth Control Pills: Hormonal birth control pills or certain medications can alter hormonal levels, leading to irregular menstruation. OCPS can cause spotting in between periods.

Stress: Stress is a major factor in causing a delay in menstruation. The more the stress, the more irregular the pattern of periods becomes.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: PCOS refer to the hormonal imbalance due to an excess of male hormone production in the female body. This causes multiple cysts to form on both the ovaries, along with other symptoms. One of the most common presenting features is irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding.

Thyroid Disorder: An overactive or underactive thyroid gland can lead to changes in the menstrual cycle, leading to irregularities.

Intra-Uterine Device: An IUD also releases hormones to prevent pregnancies and this regulation of hormones may cause irregular periods.

Obesity: Obesity has a direct link with PCOS, eventually leading to irregular menses.

Treatment and Management:

Getting the appropriate management is important when it comes to irregular menstrual cycles. The amount of menstrual problems is on the rise, especially in young girls these days. A healthy, balanced diet, along with an active lifestyle are recommended by every physician.

Besides this, if you or anyone you know faces the problem of irregular menstruation quite frequently, make sure to visit a gynecologist. After a full workup, any underlying disease or condition will be managed and treated accordingly. OCPs can be given for patients with PCOS while thyroid disorders can easily be managed using medication as well.

Irregular menstruation is easily treatable nowadays with the advancement of modern medicine. Women of child bearing age with multiple medical issues can smoothly conceive after receiving the right treatment. If you face any irregularities in your menstrual cycle, consult a doctor as soon as possible, as there are quite many complications of leaving underlying medical conditions untreated.