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Stomatitis or mouth ulcers is a painful condition where tiny blisters or canker sores develop inside the buccal mucosa, or tongue. The inflamed mucous membranes can lead to redness, burning sensation and difficulty eating

causes of stomatitis can be

1)Infection from Herpes simplex virus

2) inflammatory bowel disease

3) improper nutrition leading to vitamin b 12 , zinc and folate deficiency

4)immune deficiencies

5)trauma from dental work or ill fitting dentures

In ayurveda stomatitis is correlated to mukha paka

Home remedies for stomatitis

Local application of tankana bhasma with honey

Application of triphala choorna with honey

A pitta pacifying diet ,  which includes avoiding hot, pungent food  and gargling with oil and kashaya of medicated herbs can give good results in non systemic mouth ulcers.

For systemic involvement the underlying cause has to be investigated and  treatments done accordingly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In developing countries many children and adults are infected with soil transmitted helminths  which are mainly spread by contaminated soil from poor sanitation. Eating contaminated and unwashed vegetables, eating under cooked meat, improper hand washing after playing in mud, walking bare foot in contaminated soil etc can facilitate the entry of the eggs of these parasites into the human body

Many school going children are reported to have increased absenteeism and poor nutritional outcomes because of worm infestation.

The common types of intestinal worms include flat worms, and round worms. Within this classification there are sub types such as hook worms, pinworms,  tape worms, ascaris etc.

Symptoms of worm infestations include abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, not gaining enough weight, loss of appetite, anemia, anal itching, loose stools etc. Presence of worms in feces or stool test can confirm the diagnosis

Because of the prevalence of soil transmitted helminth infections, WHO recommends deworming children twice a year.

In ayurveda intestinal worms are compared to krimi roga.

Some of the medications that has anti helminthic properties include

Vidanga- Embelia ribes

Palasha- butea monosperma

Bilwa- aegle marmelos

Preparations like khadirarishta , vidangarishtam etc are also effective in krimi roga.

Raw papaya juice and latex obtained from the raw papaya fruit have strong antihelminthic properties and various clinical trials have proved the efficacy of papain extracted from papaya  comparable to the deworming tablets

Image copied from epainassist.com

Liver does many important functions in the body including production of bile which helps in digestion, storage of vitamins, detoxification of chemicals, synthesis of some hormones etc.

When there are excess fat deposits in the liver cells, it is called fatty liver. Liver cells have an inherent ability to regenerate, but once scarring and hardening of liver cells happens regeneration becomes difficult and it becomes cirrhotic.

Fatty liver many not cause any symptoms initially, but sometimes such as vague pain below the ribs on the right side can be felt. Nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite  etc can also be present in some cases

Fatty liver disease can be classified as alcoholic fatty liver disease or steatohepatitis and non alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Alcohol is hepato-toxic and daily alcohol use can cause inflammation and progressive scarring of liver cells.

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease can be due to obesity, unhealthy diet, diabetes, insulin resistance etc

Dietary management.

Limit intake of fried food, added sugar and salt in the diet.

Include plenty of fruits and vegetables such as papaya, beet root, green leafy vegetables, cereals and nuts

Avoid or limit alcohol

Ayurvedic herbs such as bhumiamalaki, punarnava, garlic, turmeric, amla and herbo mineral combinations such as arogya vardini vati etc have hepato protective effects.

Daily exercise is also important to improve metabolism, and prevent accumulation of  excess fats

 

Cholesterol serves many important functions in the body such as production of hormones  including estrogen and testosterone,synthesizing bile acids, Vitamin D etc. Hence an ideal ratio of cholesterol is important in maintaining normal cell function; however, when the total cholesterol level increases the chances of plaque deposition in the blood vessels increases proportionately.

LDL or low density lipoproteins are often called the bad cholesterol as it carries cholesterol from liver to the blood and a higher level of LDLs can predispose to atherosclerosis.

HDL or high density lipoproteins help in transporting cholesterol to liver and help in excretion.

Diet and activity can help in maintaining a healthy ratio of cholesterol levels.

Foods to avoid

• # 1 on the list is Trans-fat- Hydrogenated oils – vanaspati, dalda, margarine
• Highly processed foods
•  High fructose syrup  – excess sugar is converted to fat

What helps in reducing high cholesterol levels?

Research has shown that a plant based diet can help reduce the total cholesterol level by 29.2 mg/dl

• Increase fiber content in the food from whole grain cereals and pulses. Oat bran and barley have the highest soluble fiber content which helps to bind the cholesterol and helps in excretion.
• Increase servings of fruits and vegetables.
• Nuts are a good source of healthy fat, but avoid highly salted or sweetened nuts.
• Olive oil, ghee etc in moderation also provide healthy fatty acids without increasing cholesterol
• Omega 3 fatty acids – found to have cardio protective effects
• Garlic, turmeric , amla, fenugreek, coriander , ginger etc are great in balancing cholesterol levels
• Last but not the least some sort of physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
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Jaundice is a condition of yellowing of skin, mucus membrane or sclera due to excess accumulation of bilirubin.  Bilirubin is usually formed as a byproduct of breakdown of red blood cells and it gets conjugated in the liver and excreted in bile

If there is an excess of bilirubin in the blood it stains the skin, mucus membrane and sclera giving a yellow – greenish tinge.

Causes

• Acute inflammation of liver / hepatitis
• Obstruction of bile duct
• Hemolytic anemia
• Problems with gall bladder, pancreas etc.

In Ayurveda Jaundice is treated as Kamala.

Aggravated pitta dosha is pacified with drugs that has bitter and astringent properties

Unction and purgation has been recommended in the treatment of kamala in Charaka samhita

Maha thiktaka ghritam, pancha gavya ghritam etc are given for unction

Avipattikar choornam, triphala choornam etc can be taken for mild purgation

Drugs like mandoor vatakam, navayas choornam etc are beneficial in jaundice from hemolytic anemia

Diet is important for a patient with acute hepatitis.

Strict avoidance of oily, spicy food and alcohol is advised.

Coconut water, tomato juice , bitter melon juice , buttermilk,  papaya, grapes, raisins, green gram  etc are beneficial during acute hepatitis