Stomach Ache During Pregnancy

Pregnancy and pain are ageless companions, much like aches and aspirin, or moon and night. Nevertheless, an unexpected cramp or a sudden spasm during pregnancy can throw your gumption out of the porthole. Before you hit the panic button, know that certain amount of pain and discomfort is pretty much normal during pregnancy. 

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While nagging pains and cramps can be highly annoying at times, it is important to understand that they are anything, but life threatening and are more often just gentle reminders for you to take things easy. Anything from gas pain to raging hormones to bulging uterus can trigger discomfort in your tummy. However, severe cramping or stomach pain is something that should not ignored, as they can be an emergency signal of serious complications. If you are an expecting mom, then reading the following causes of stomach pain during pregnancy will save you from losing your sleep over it. Read on to know more on causes of stomach pain during pregnancy.

Causes Of Stomach Pain During Pregnancy

Most expecting women complain of stomach cramps during the early stages of their pregnancy. While these cramps are most often a gentle reminder that you should slow down and take things easy, at times they can be a warning sign of more serious complication like ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy or ‘tubal pregnancy’ occurs when the fertilized ovum is implanted outside the uterus, somewhere in the fallopian tube. As the egg starts to develop, it induces severe strain in the pelvic and abdominal region causing sharp, stabbing pain in the abdomen that might just get worse with physical activity, bowel movement, coughing and more.

Cramps during pregnancy are nothing unusual and count up as normal pregnancy discomforts. However, severe cramping accompanied by vaginal bleeding can indicate a more serious case of miscarriage. The pain may be light or intense, short or long lasting and generally varies from one woman to another. Some may experience low backache or complain of dull abdominal pain and pelvic pressure too.

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Of all the concerns usually tagged along with pregnancy pain, prematurity is possibly the worst dreaded fear. An early onset of labor can induce premature contractions, which may last up to four hours or even more, menstrual-like cramps, dull nagging backache, intestinal cramps, pelvic pressure and increased vaginal secretions. It is best to consult your practitioner at the soonest if you experience any of these symptoms to avert any untoward complications.

How often you have jumped out of your sleep believing that “this must be it” and then went back to sleep again realizing that this was not the real thing? Most women experience contractions or tightening of uterus, during the last trimester of pregnancy, which are nothing more than false labor or Braxton-Hicks Contraction. These contractions are irregular, infrequent and painless and spell no danger in real sense.

Pregnant women are unusually susceptible to bladder infection during pregnancy because of changing urinary tract position. As pregnancy advances, the uterus increases in size, thereby blocking the drainage of urine from the bladder and inducing an infection. Bladder infection can lead to pain or burning when urinating, cramps or pain in the lower abdomen, cloudy foul smelling urine and tenderness in the region.

Ways To Quit Smoking

Smoking - a habit that people find almost impossible to quit, knowing fully well that it is harmful for them! Infact, even non-smokers recognize the fact that quitting the habit of smoking is very difficult. Not just strong will power, you must have the notion of quitting it completely embedded in your mind. The main reason why people find it difficult to quite smoking is that they face withdrawal symptoms the moment they kick the habit. 

Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, lack of concentration and cravings form a part of these symptoms. However, it is absolutely possible to quite smoking. All those who have till now wondered, how to stop smoking, can make use of below-mentioned ways of kicking the cigarette butt.

Deep Breathing

The moment you start craving for a cigarette, start taking deep breaths. Inhale deeply and slowly, exhale the air through pursed lips. While exhaling, try to visualize all the tension leaving your body and flowing out. It is a variation of a yoga technique and will help you, not only in conquering the craving, but also in tackling various stressful situations calmly.

Stay Away from Smokers

During the first few days that immediately follow your quitting resolve, try to stay away from smokers. Make an excuse and leave as soon as possible. This is because the first few days matter the most and it is better to stay away from temptations. You will find it easier to resist the enticements after the first few days of quitting have passed.

Drink Fluids

During the initial days, drink as much water as you can. It will help flush out the nicotine and other toxic substances from your body.  

Avoid Alcohol, Sugar and Coffee

In the first week you go without smoking, try to stay away from alcohol, sugar and coffee also. This is because all the three have been found to arouse the desire for nicotine.

Nibble

Whenever you feel the urge to smoke a cigarette, pop a cinnamon stick or a chewing gum into your mouth. You can also nibble on low calorie foods like celery, fruits, etc. If you are used to having a smoke after meals, try replacing it with other things like a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy.

Exercise

Most of the people take to smoking as a stress buster. So, next time you are under a lot of pressure, try your hand at exercising. Hit the gym or go for a jog. It will not only help you avoid having a puff, but also reward you with a healthier body.

Get Support

While quitting the habit of smoking, you might suffer from withdrawal symptoms like irritability, short temper, etc. It is advisable to tell your family members, friends and colleagues that you are going to quit smoking and might become prone to things like mood swings. If they are sensible enough, they will definitely help you in kicking the butt.

Destroy Your Cigarettes

The day you decide to quit smoking, destroy all your cigarettes and even throw away your lighter and ashtray. Remove any and every thing that might remind you of cigarettes.

Face It

Never ever try to pretend that you didn’t enjoy smoking. Face the fact that it was enjoyable and this is precisely the reason why you took it in the first place. At the same time, remember the harm it has caused as well as the hazards it is possible of causing in the future.

Never Ever Smoke Again

Even if it has been months since you have quit smoking, do not smoke again - not even a single cigarette. Times will come when you will feel like smoking and you will even think that what is the harm in a single smoke, but you have to keep up with the promise you made to yourself. Even a single cigarette can take you right back from where you started.

Upper Stomach Pain

As the name suggests, upper stomach pain is a pain experienced in the upper portion of the belly region. There can be a number of reasons for the occurrence of this type of pain. It can be quite severe, long-lasting and chronic at times, while at other times it can be merely a short lived condition. However, the exact location of the pain determines its root cause. For instance, pain in the upper middle abdomen indicates problem in the epigastric area, related to pancreas, gall bladder and the upper small intestine. Pain in the upper left abdomen is connected with problems of the stomach, colon, pancreas or spleen. Acute pain in the upper right abdomen denotes inflammation of the gall bladder. For more information about causes of upper abdominal pain and its home remedies, read on.

Causes of Upper Stomach Pain 

• If you are experiencing an upper abdominal pain after meals, it can be due to indigestion or heartburn.
• The upper abdominal can occur due to an inflammation of the Pancreas.
• Another reason can be the occurrence of a peptic ulcer. It is caused when the lining of the stomach breaks, due to excess production of acid.
• Upper abdominal pain can result from other inflammations, such as diverticulitis and appendicitis.
• Loss of blood supply to an organ as in the case of ischemic colitis.
• Stretching or distention of an organ can also cause pain, like blocking of a bile duct by gallstones. 
• Remedies to Treat Upper Stomach Pain 
• In case of indigestion, you can take antacids, which provide instant relief in such a situation.
• If you are suffering from peptic ulcer, the treatment involves usage of antacids, which are well regulated.
• Milk is supposed to benefit in case of indigestion or peptic ulcer as it forms a lining on the stomach, thereby reducing the ill effect of the acids produced.
• If the cause of the pain is pancreatitus, medical assistance is needed.

Treating Back Pain At Home

One of the most common causes of discomfort, back pain causes the nerves to go on an overdrive, shooting pain signals throughout the body. This is because the back contains the spine, which is a complex network of nerves, joints, muscles, and ligaments that are likely to produce pain at the slightest stress. Back pain comes as silent as a mime without you even knowing when you caused the strain to the back muscles. 

And the sudden pain that you experience in the back is more likely the cause of the strain that has occurred earlier. Lifting heavy things, bending down, twisting the body and sitting for long duration are the most common causes of back pain. The pain shoots up like a bolt of electricity that can sometimes be so strong to leave you paralyzed for a moment. Back pain is a cause of concern as even a slight pain can engulf your entire back leaving you almost incapable of mobility. Since, back pain is quite a common problem it is better to have remedies on hand so that the pain does not hinder you in your day-to-day work. In the article given below are the various home remedies for back pain.

Home Remedies For Back Pain 

If the back pain is the result of any injury then apply an icepack on the affected area within 24 hours. This will help contain the inflammation in the injured area. It will numb the nerves that send the pain signals and so ease the pain a lot. To make an ice pack, take some ice cubes in a plastic bag and then cover the entire bag in a thin towel. Place the ice pack in the affected area for 20 minutes and then remove it. Apply again after 30 minutes.

A hot bath is an excellent way to get rid of back pain as it increases the elasticity of the muscles. A shower won’t be of much help. Instead, you will have to soak in a hot water tub for 30 minutes. However, this should be avoided by pregnant women .

To relieve an aching back, another good option is to lie flat on your back with two pillows underneath the knees. However, too much of bed rest can be detrimental so it is better to get up and move around so that continuous rest doesn’t weaken the muscles.

Massaging the back with herbal oils is another effective remedy. The masseur should massage the back using the knuckles while increasing the pressure gradually. This will get rid of the pain as it relaxes the muscles.

When you are suffering from back pain, never bend down from the waist. If you want to lift something, then bend the knees first so that the lower back doesn’t get tense, causing stress to the spine and back muscles. Also, don’t try to twist your back and lift heavy objects.

Sit and sleep in firm chair and bed. Support your lower back with a pillow to keep it in proper position.

Mix equal amounts of khas khas (poppy seeds) and sugar cubes into powder. Mix 6 grams of the mixture in milk and drink a glass twice a day. This will provide relief against the pain.

Exercises provide excellent relief against back pain. When the back pain starts, the best exercise that you can do is to lie on your back and slowly raise both legs upwards as far as you can and then hold your breath. Keep the legs up for some time and then bring the legs down.

Another exercise is to lie on your back and keep the hands slightly apart from the body. Place both the feet together. Take a deep breath and then relax your entire body. Stay relaxed for 30 seconds and then turn your feet in one direction and the head in the other while inhaling. Hold the breath and hold that position. Exhale and then reverse the process. Return to the original position and then repeat this exercise in the other direction.

Symptoms of Eczema Dermatitis

Eczema is a real big time skin problem... the contagious rashes and inflammation raises lots of itching and discomfort. This condition is irritable as well as creates allergy to the other parts of the body as well. So, its important to know the basic and main symptoms of eczema. Moreover, detecting the symptoms helps in curing and treating the disease in an easy and fast way.

Symptoms of Eczema (Dermatitis)

Thickening 

The skin of eczema that have been inflamed for a while is usually much thicker than the unaffected skin. Mainly this occurs as a protective response of the skin to the repeated trauma of scratching. Eczema often affects the skin in areas around joints such as the elbows, behind the knees and in front of the ankles (the ‘flexures’) where the skin also needs to be particularly flexible. Commonly one will see splits in the skin here (fissures), as the thickened skin is unable to bend as it would normally.

Blisters

This contributes to scaling and makes it easier for skin bacteria to get into the deeper layers, between the gaps. It also makes it possible for tissue fluids to ooze between the cells , and, if sufficient, to gather into collections or blisters. Small blisters may be seen in active eczema but occasionally large ones may occur, either due to the particular nature of the eczema, or because of skin infection coming along as well when the blisters may be filled not only with clear fluid but also with pus.

Redness

Increase redness of the skin may cause many problems. In eczema, it is quite common. The very top layer of skin has low blood supply, thus, creates dryness.. resulting in redness.

Crusts

The fluid that oozes out from the skin often dries up and settles as a thick layer. So, forms a thick and dry crust on the top layer of the skin.

Itching

Itching is usually the primary symptom that is present when you have eczema and gets more difficult at night. It often turns into an irritating condition.

Eczema's symptoms are basically easy to detect, but, should be treated well so that they do not give rise to any other sub chain of skin inflammatory diseases. At times, the situation becomes very uneasy to handle as you may feel discomfort in  doing itching while standing in public areas.

Stuffy Nose Remedies

Having a stuffy nose can be very exasperating. You constantly have to struggle to breathe and your head feels heavy. All this hinders the normal pace of your life. While adults somehow manage to get on with things in such situations, children (when having a stuffy nose) tend to raise a hell lot of a tantrum. Luckily there are a number of home remedies for a stuffy nose that you can employ to get some relief. Read to know.

Natural Home Remedies for Stuffy Nose

Sniff Onion

One easy way to unclog your stuffy nose is by sniffing an onion. Usual medications like Methanol or any other decongestants work by causing some irritation in the nose that makes it de-clog and run. Sniffing an onion has the same effects.  

Go Heavy On Spice

The remedy for a stuffy nose is to make it runny. There are few things that make it run quicker than spicy meals. So if you can, then consume some hot chili peppers. Your nose will soon start running and de-clogging it in the process.

Have Chicken Soup

In order to de-clog a stuffy nose, have chicken soup or any other hot fluid in a cup. Whenever you consume anything hot, the steam of the liquid causes the mucus in the nose to soften up. The result is that the nose de-clogs and runs.

Have a Shower

Having a hot shower has the same effect like drinking a hot fluid from a cup. This one is perhaps the easiest way to de-clog a stuffy nose and prevent it from getting thick.  

Use Humidifier

You can use a humidifier to get cured of a stuffy nose. But you have to be careful as the water used in the humidifier can also spread germs and impurities. So make sure that you use distilled water only in humidifier.

Decongestant Spray

Incase you are using a decongestant spray to cure yourself from a stuffy nose, then remember to use it carefully. Do not use the decongestant spray for more than two times a day, and a maximum of three to four days in a row.