If you ask pre-menopausal women regarding the endocrine based disease they have, then the majority would reply as PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome!! Yes, PCOS is a very common endocrine disease that occurs in teenage girls and in other pre-menopausal women. It has been revealed that PCOS in women could cause issues like irregular periods, hirsutism or excess facial hair growth, acne, infertility and type2 diabetes etc. It was later explained by a famous gynaecologist that PCOS in young girls could occur due to fast food culture. Girls and other pre-menopausal women could get hormonal imbalance and menstrual disturbances by eating junk foods and due to unhealthy eating habits etc. Bigger impact of intake of junk foods: Bitter fact is that across the globe obesity in women has gone up to 26percent and up to 18percent in adolescent girls. Those with higher BMI or body mass index would have metabolic issues and gynaecological problems etc.  Point is that consuming junk foods would slow down metabolism, increase unhealthy weight gain, and cause hormonal imbalances. All these would lead to perfect conditions for PCOS to develop in the girls and pre=menopausal women. There is a strong link between intake of junk foods and menstrual issues especially in the pre-teen girls. The body`s calorie burning capacity would get lowered by frequent intake of fried foods and processed foods etc and insulin sensitivity would be disrupted resulting in obesity. As a result, hormonal imbalance would be created and this would affect menstrual health and reproductive health. Early habits and long term consequences: It is worthy to note that inappropriate food behaviours formed in the adolescence stage would persist in the adulthood stage too. It is true that women with issues like obesity, endometrial defects, hormonal imbalances etc would find it harder to conceive. Moreover, these women would also have higher risks of early miscarriage. Poor diet choices in the teenage years are responsible for these complications later on. It must be noted that harmless snacking in the teenage years can result in serious health issues later on in their lives. In such a scenario, it is good to eat home cooked nutritious foods, and staying active and these could protect the health of a woman. Treatments for PCOS: Lifestyle changes like diet modifications and regular exercises, intake of medicines prescribed for lowering cholesterol, regulating periods etc and finally regular medical checkups to monitor BP, blood sugar levels etc could help a woman to manage her PCOS well.

Intermittent fasting can be a double edged sword!! On one hand, it could help us to lose our excess body weight but on another hand it can also result in heart diseases in us. Shocking? The intermittent fasting has gained huge popularity in recent times. Here, persons eat their meals in a restricted time span of a few hours  (8 hours per day)and not eat any food for the remaining time of the day. Recently, research study has brought out that intermittent fasting could be dangerous as it can lead to heart diseases etc in us. The research has been published in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome. In the research study, as many as 19000 individuals were taken into consideration. Point is that the research was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey or NHANES. It was revealed by the research study that participants who restricted eating to an 8 hour time frame every day had 135% more chances of getting affected by heart related illness like heart attacks, strokes etc when compared to participants who eat food in the 12 hours to 14 hours range time.. Various reasons why intermittent fasting can result in above mentioned heart issues are Loss of lean muscle mass: By extreme fasting, loss of lean muscle mass would be there and this would not be good for the heart. Circadian rhythms: It must be noted that a diet that has too little time in the day might mislead the body clock and affect heart functions. Low quality of foods: Truth is that a person might over eat on energy dense and low nutrient foods during the period of consuming such meals. This could lead to risk to the heart. Body strain: It is learnt that prolonged fasting over a period of time would lead to strain on the body`s stress levels leading to adverse effects on the heart. Things to keep in mind during intermittent fasting: Please keep away from very short eating windows of less than 8 hours. It is necessary to eat heart healthy and weight healthy foods while eating in the windows. Watching out for symptoms like dizziness, palpitations, tiredness etc. Consulting a medical expert is very important t before beginning fasting routines. For heart health to be good, gradual calorie cutting plus good nutrition is important. Please take care it`s your health.

Do you have pets at home, especially cats? If yes, here is an important piece of information for you!! It is true that cats are superb companions to many. There are many people who like to play with cats and their paws etc. Not many would be aware of the fact that we could get one disease through the cat scratches. Shocking isn’t it!! A zoonotic infection called Cat Scratch Disease or CSD caused by bacterium Bartonella Henselae could be transmitted through cat scratches, bites or through saliva from the infected cats. So, please be careful and take care. Those with CSD would show several symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, fever etc. This was mentioned by a Neurologist working in Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. In certain severe cases, the person could develop brain encephalopathy with symptoms like confusion, seizures, headaches etc. How can CSD affect brain health? Mostly, CSD affected persons would show mild symptoms only. Brain encephalopathy occurs when bacteria affect the brain. The person affected would have altered mental state and other severe symptoms. To manage the symptoms well, early diagnosis of CSD and prompt treatment would be essential. Prevention methods: Especially those with weak immunity must follow preventive measures. Kittens would carry Bartonella Henselae and rough play with kittens must be avoided. Maintaining good hygiene is very essential after playing with cats. In this regard, we must wash our hands well after handling cats and clean any scratches or bites etc. Never pick up stray kittens from roads etc. Finally, fleas on cats must be controlled as they can spread the disease. Medical attention: It is necessary that we must seek a doctor immediately if we get symptoms like persistent fever, swollen lymph nodes and neurological issues etc. Blood tests are done on the affected persons and antibiotics would be provided. Those with CSD can manage the symptoms at homes also by taking OTC medicines for pain relief. Warm compress can be applied to swollen lymph nodes. Note: There are less chances of getting CSD from indoor cats as the cats would get B. Henselae infection through fleas only.