Diarrhea, an illness that leads to frequent watery stools, is a common healthcare concern in most developing countries, and even elsewhere. Almost everyone goes through some form of diarrhea at some point in their lives. Diarrhea is one of those conditions where the intensity of the illness makes the difference. While mild diarrhea may cause mere inconvenience, chronic diarrhea causes disabling and life-threatening conditions. Usually, diarrhea can majorly be characterized by loose stools, dehydration, cramping, and the like. Diarrhea becomes a major concern when it leads to dehydration and reduction of essential fluids in the body. While a minor case of diarrhea generally lasts for a few days, acute diarrhea gets cured in a couple of weeks. Chronic diarrhea, however, is the one that usually lasts for more than four weeks. Such a condition usually requires complete diagnosis and treatment. Several reasons can cause chronic diarrhea. While diarrhea that is caused by an excess of a certain food item can be easily treated, chronic diarrhea that may have stemmed out of a disease or a serious medical condition requires extensive treatment and care. Some of the common chronic diarrhea causes have been listed below. Infections Infection is one of the most common chronic diarrhea causes that requires immediate treatment. Chronic diarrhea can also be a result of the presence of an intestinal parasite or infection. An infection can be contracted from contaminated food and water, undercooked food, and the like. Often, food poisoning also causes chronic diarrhea that may also cause you to have the runs. People who are frequent travelers to tropical countries may have recurrent bouts of diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) IBS is another common cause of chronic diarrhea which is accompanied by cramping and bloating. While most doctors cannot entirely diagnose the real cause of IBS, it is often caused by imbalances in gut bacteria, alterations in the gut motility, issues with fermented sugar, etc.

It is estimated that in one day, the scalp sheds around 100 hair strands. This is further aggravated by aging, and in the case of women, the problem becomes serious with menopause. These days, the cause for hair fall has gone beyond aging. Modern lifestyle with its food-on-the-go without essential vitamins, excessive stress, lack of adequate rest, pollution, excessive hair styling treatments, and use of chemical-based products have made hair fall problem quite common. Hair fall usually starts out by the shrinking of hair follicles. Hair follicles are tiny openings on your scalp from which your hair grows. As the follicles shrink, hair starts to get thinner and starts falling quickly. Hair loss due to hair fall can occur all over the scalp (called as general hair loss) or only in one part (called as focal hair loss). Excessive hair fall may lead to premature balding or to male-pattern or female pattern baldness. Whatever be the cause of hair fall, it tends to affect a person’s self-esteem. This is because a loss of hair due to hair fall directly affects the physical appearance. What you put on your plate directly affects your overall health, including the health of your skin and hair. One of the best ways to deal with hair loss is to replenish your body with essential vitamins that help with hair fall control. Your diet should incorporate food that replenishes your body with vitamins that help to improve the health of your scalp, control hair fall, and boost hair growth. Here are 6 essential vitamins for hair fall control. Vitamin A: Found in carrots, mango, tuna, sweet red peppers, apricot, peaches, spinach, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables, Vitamin A is essential to control the production of retinoic acid in your scalp. This acid determines the development of hair follicles and helps control their shrinkage.

In today’s fast-paced life, we are all tied to unhealthy eating habits, fried food, and a sedentary lifestyle. There is hardly any time to maintain a healthy weight. While you are considering following a strict diet regime, we are here to tell you a more helpful and handy diet plan—apple cider vinegar diet. Right from promoting a healthy weight loss to cleansing the digestive tract and stimulating growth hormones, the apple cider vinegar diet has a number of benefits. Let us take a look at some of the benefits of the apple cider vinegar diet. Helps in reduction of appetite Did you know that apples are rich in pectin, which is a naturally-occurring substance that helps in making a person satiated after a meal? The apple cider vinegar diet does help in healthy weight loss as it contains pectin. By being on an apple cider vinegar diet, you will be able to suppress your appetite, and it would keep you away from consuming excessive calories. Promotes digestion It is very common these days that apple cider vinegar diet is used for a healthy weight loss. But how does this happen? Well, having a diet that has apple cider vinegar would stimulate digestion and clean the digestive tract and remove unnecessary substances from the consumed food. This also helps in smooth bowel movements. We also know that it is unhealthy if the food remains for longer duration in the intestines. The fats from the food get absorbed if they remain for longer duration and do not get digested. Stimulation of appetite is one of the best benefits of apple cider vinegar and keeps your appetite under control, thereby promoting healthy digestion as well. A great source of potassium Yes, it is! If you are thinking of eliminating salt from your daily diet and cannot even imagine the tasteless plates of meals, then do not worry.

An important hormone that is essential for male growth and development of masculine characteristics, testosterone affects male reproductive and sexual functions, hair growth, muscle mass, as well as maintaining red blood cells levels, energy levels, mood, and density of bones. In men, testosterone is produced in the testicles, while in women, this hormone is produced in the ovaries. However, women have a minuscule proportion of testosterone as compared to men. Levels of testosterone are at the peak during late adolescence and early adulthood for men. After the age of 30, testosterone levels drop by about one percent each year. This is quite a natural phenomenon. However, sometimes testosterone levels decline drastically. The causes for this may include the following: Too much iron in the body, also known as hemochromatosis. Hypothalamus or a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Diseases caused due to inflammation. Liver cirrhosis. Radiation treatment for any kind of cancer. Loss of testicles due to injury or infection. Lifestyle problems such as alcoholism, stress, obesity, and so on. A few effects of low testosterone levels Although lowering of testosterone levels is natural among men above the age of 30 years, there are certain factors such as chemical exposures and use of certain prescribed medications that can lower testosterone levels. This can lead to a lot of negative effects that can bring in a lot of physical changes. There might be an increase in the levels of body fat and a decrease in muscle mass. Cholesterol and lipid levels can be affected. There can be mild anemia due to a decrease in hemoglobin levels. There might be osteoporosis of bones. The growth of body hair might also go on a decline. What are testosterone boosters? Low testosterone levels can be treated with testosterone replacement therapy by taking testosterone boosters and also by following a healthy lifestyle.

Diabetes is a condition that has affected a large population of the United States and continues to spread rapidly. There are several causes that can be blamed for this and these include unhealthy eating habits, irregular sleeping habits, lack of physical exercise, and more. Diabetes is a disease that triggers the sugar or glucose level in the bloodstream and it is essential to manage diabetes through blood sugar control. The high blood glucose level can be the consequence of an inadequate production of insulin or inability of the body’s cells to respond to the produced insulin. It is also possible for a person to be suffering from both the occurrences. There are several symptoms that indicate that a person may be suffering from diabetes. An individual may begin to experience sudden weight gain or weight loss, tingling in the fingers and feet, the need to frequently urinate, tiredness, and a constant feeling of hunger and thirst. When a person suffers from a cut or injury, diabetes tends to delay and slow down the natural process of healing; this can be considered as the worst symptom of diabetes. This leads to other complicated conditions such as the formation of gangrene that may also be life-threatening. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes, it is necessary to manage diabetes through blood sugar control or the condition can become worse. There are different types of diabetes and these include Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, Prediabetes, and Gestational diabetes. While the first three kinds of diabetes can affect anybody gestational diabetes is one in which the blood sugar increases and affects pregnant women. A diabetic patient may be at a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. Thus, it is essential to eat healthy and monitor blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly to avoid complications.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition wherein the person suffering from it feels constant muscle pain. Also known as fibrositis, fibromyalgia is often compared with rheumatoid which is the arthritis-type disorder. However, in fibromyalgia, there is no damage caused to the joints, muscles, or any other tendons or tissues but only severe muscle pain. People suffering from fibromyalgia often complain about a constant, sharp sense of pain. People suffering this chronic muscle ache fear that this health issue might worsen with time. But it is necessary to understand that fibromyalgia is not a progressive disease and does not become worse and affect any other part of your body over the period of time. There is no particular cure for fibromyalgia available yet, but there are surely some treatments that can help reduce the chronic pain and improve your quality of life. It is important to know the fibromyalgia symptoms in order to know when to consult a doctor and get the associated treatments. However, before we get into the different types of fibromyalgia symptoms, let us look at what are the causes of fibromyalgia and other related risks. Prevalence of fibromyalgia One of the most common chronic pain issues, fibromyalgia affects a large number of adults in the US. As per the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, there are about 5 million adults in the country who are affected by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia can occur both in men and women but is more prevalent in women. As per the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association, anywhere between 75 to 90% of women are affected by fibromyalgia. The fibromyalgia symptoms can show up at any age but is mostly seen when a person is middle aged. However, in some cases, fibromyalgia can affect children too. Causes of fibromyalgia The cause of fibromyalgia is not exactly known to the researchers.

Affecting nearly one in three Americans, shingles, also known as herpes zoster, are painful rashes that appear in the form of a band on the skin or in a small area on the skin. The rashes appear on one side of the face or the body of the affected person. What are the causes of shingles pain? Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). This virus also causes chickenpox. In some cases, this virus lies dormant in after a person recovers from chicken pox during childhood. The virus becomes active again in adulthood due to a weak immune system, reactions to certain medications, and factors related to age. The virus may again become active decades after the person was afflicted by chicken pox. Rashes are accompanied by a discomfort known as shingles pain. The pain may go away as the person recovers from the rashes. However, in certain cases, there might be some damage caused to the nerves. This is because the virus travels through the nerve roots of the body. If the pain lasts for three months after the rashes disappear, the person might be suffering from post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The pain occurs in the chest and forehead areas. Generally, PHN affects people who contract shingles after the age of 50 years. In the case of persistent PHN, it is necessary to consult a doctor immediately and get some immediate medical attention. What are the symptoms of shingles? Symptoms of shingles appear in stages. In the early stage, the person experiences flu-like symptoms that include diarrhea, chills, or stomach ache. These symptoms are not accompanied by any kind of fever. There might be swelling or tenderness around the lymph nodes. There will be a sensation of numbness, tickling, tingling, burning, or pain in the areas where the virus affects the nerves.

Eczema is one of the skin conditions caused due to an inflammation of the skin. This condition causes itchiness, redness, and dryness to the skin; the skin also becomes leathery and cracked. There is no specific part of the skin that usually gets affected by eczema. It can appear anywhere on the body. Most people face this problem when they are young or in their infant stage. Eczema can also give rise to other allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever. Eczema is also known as dermatitis. There are no solid causes of eczema as in most cases it is genetic and runs through families. The gene can also cause some people to have extra sensitive skin. In some cases, defects in the skin barrier can trigger eczema. These defects let the germ in through the skin by letting the moisture out. There are other factors that contribute to eczema: Dry skin Stress Sweat and heat Cold or dry climate Contact with woolen and synthetic fabric that have irritating substances. Sometimes, even soap. Before you can diagnose any medical condition, there are symptoms that are identified; it is always wise to do so before the condition becomes serious. Here are some of the symptoms you should be able to identify after knowing: There is always itching before any rash appears that later becomes an eczema rash or a dermatitis rash. Watch out for any itchy sensations especially when it doesn’t seem to stop. If there is itching and you know about the family history of eczema, then there is a good chance that itchiness is a symptom of eczema and not a regular itching. If there is any yellowish, pus-like formation on the place you have been itching, it is a sure sign of eczema and needs medical attention. There are other treatments for eczema.

Fibromyalgia is a common condition, but often goes misdiagnosed. Also known as a musculoskeletal condition, fibromyalgia causes pain in the muscle and joints resulting in a lot of fatigue. This can also lead to what is commonly referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, which is a set of symptoms like pain in the muscle, fatigue, and decreased pain threshold. People often tend to overlook two of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia—chronic pain and fatigue. Persistent pain in joints or muscles should be immediately checked out. The pain might not necessarily be the result of overworking or stress but can be prime indicators of developing fibromyalgia. Common symptoms of fibromyalgia: Here are some other indicators of fibromyalgia. Disturbances in sleep, which affects sleep patterns and causes fatigue, often leading to moody behavior and depression, are among the top symptoms of fibromyalgia. Severe muscle twitching, burning sensation under the skin, deep pain, and muscle pulling. Fibromyalgia also affects the neck joints, shoulder joints, back joints, and hip joints, among common areas. Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include abdominal pain; chronic headaches; dryness in mouth, nose, and eyes; stiffness in the body due to muscle pulling and pain; incontinence; inability to concentrate which is also known as fibro fog; and increased sensitivity to temperature changes. Myths about fibromyalgia busted Many people are under the impression that fibromyalgia is something which is rare and does not affect many. But this is not true, taking into account that more than 5 million people in the country suffer from this chronic pain disorder. The fact that only a few are aware of the statistics explains why the symptoms of fibromyalgia often go unnoticed and untreated, until and unless the condition worsens. Symptoms of fibromyalgia can be often confused with symptoms of most common pain disorders, which is why it takes some time to ascertain for sure that the condition is fibromyalgia.

Testosterone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, is predominantly found in men. However, this hormone is also present in small quantities in women. Normally, the testosterone produced on a daily basis is enough for supplementing a man’s virility but additional supplements can be taken over and above the daily production. Testosterone levels are mainly linked to the changes that a man undergoes when they attain puberty. These levels tend to affect the genital transformation, sperm production, libido of a person, behavioral traits, beard and body hair, skin related changes, muscle growth and development, controlling the fat metabolism in the body, and bone density among many others. There should be a balance of the naturally present testosterone produced by our body and the additional supplements that you plan to take in order to boost your development. The best testosterone supplements can be prescribed to people who are experiencing first-hand symptoms due to changes in levels. The warning signs are generally reduced sex drive, sperm production that gets affected due to stress, and unexplained changes in the fat metabolism which results in weight gain, among others. These symptoms can be experienced anytime and not necessarily for men who are above a certain age limit. However, as time goes by, your natural bodily functions, which are mainly affected by testosterone levels, will not function in the way they used to. This is where consuming some of the best testosterone supplements on a regular basis for the prescribed dosage will help counter these changes. The common symptoms of low testosterone levels over a certain age includes a lower sex drive, reduced muscle mass, depleting energy levels, and problems in achieving and maintaining an erection. Men above the age of 50 commonly face these problems and thus tend to opt for testosterone supplements. Here are some of the best testosterone supplements for men who are above the age of fifty: