But you are not the only victim of such controlled and awkward body problems. Experts say it afflicts many people.

Internist Marc Siegel, MD, medical director of a new NYU-Sirius Radio program, Doctor Radio says, “Many of these problems like profuse sweating and excess gas can be attributed to stress. Sometimes, our desire to be at our best puts additional pressure on us, thereby accentuating the problem.”

Psychiatrist Virginia Sadock, MD advises that it should not be given much importance as it affects everybody at some time or other. If you are of the sensitive type and can’t ignore them, the best thing to do is to accept it as such.

Frankly speaking, these problems are only minor and inconsequential, but if they remain for a longer period or worsens, then it is better to get the advice of your doctor. But some of these common problems can be kept under check to certain extent. Let’s find out some ways and means to address five of the most common ones.

Body problem No. 1 – Involuntary bladder leaks

Urinary incontinence or stress incontinence is one of the most common problems that women have to endure with. Siegel says that occurrence of urinary incontinence is almost inevitable amongst women who have at least one issue. But the doctor should always be consulted in this regard to rule out any serious implications. The doctor can also advise you about medications for urge incontinence or the problems of overactive bladder, where you have this uncontrolled urge to pass urine.

You can also control this problem to some extent on your own. One way to do so is to indulge in Kegel exercises, in order to strengthen your pelvic muscles. This is done by breaking off the flow of urine during urination. By this, you would be able to have a better control of urination. Fabienne Daguilh, MD, a family practice physician also suggests that women should empty their bladder before indulging in activities that might result in a leak like dancing or aerobics.

Daguilh, medical director of the Montefiore Williamsbridge Family Practice Center in New York City opines that tea, coffee or cola acts as diuretic and hence can accentuate urine formation. Hence, it is better to avoid them, when you do not have a bathroom facility.

Siegel also advises the use of disposing panty liners in order to control the problem. But in stead of menstrual pads, it is better to use pads that are specifically meant for incontinence, as they soak it deep into the pad keeping you dry. She also cautions to wear underwear always and if necessary, to carry an extra one.

Body problem No. 2 – Belches, Growls and Hiccups

Your stomach may produce a resounding growl or your mouth may emanate a disconcerting belch during an important meeting. Unceasing hiccups would not let you speak in an articulate manner during you a speech. All these obviously put you into embarrassing discomfitures.

According to Daguilh, these symptoms are mostly formed due to the combined problems of gas and discomfort to the diaphragm. While taking too much of gassy food may result in belches and growls, hiccups can be due to any irritation to the diaphragm, which can be aggravated by gas.

Sadock reveals that the problems can in fact, be accentuated by stress. “When you are stressed, you end up swallowing lot of air, which leads to belching and hiccupping.”

How can your control it? The first thing you should do is to cut down your intake of gassy foods like fried foods, beans, cabbage and even dairy products before the occasion, when you want to be at your best. You can eat in moderation to avert the growling of an empty stomach. Drinking plenty of water is helpful but taking too much of alcohol may prove to be counter-productive.

Body Problem No. 3 – Profuse Sweating

However hard you might try to be calm and composed, your body’s involuntary propensity to sweat profusely at the wrong time often puts you in an embarrassing situation. Although this can also be due to an overactive sweat gland, Siegel believes that the phenomenon is mostly the result of stress and anxiety. Nervous sweating is associated with the stress hormones like coritsol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine and can occur as a response to stress.

So, how can you prevent or control it? The best way to do it is to prepare ourselves mentally to face the situation beforehand. Gradual exposure to the stressful situations makes you address it in a better way. As your body and mind get adjusted to it, you would become less tense with time and hence, your tendency to sweat excessively would also wane over time.

Daguilh advises to avoid chocolate, tea, coffee, hot and spicy foods, as they may also contribute to excessive sweating by increasing the heart rate and respiration.

Siegel also suggests the use of antiperspirant deodorant to control the sweating. She also has another piece of advice.
“Dab the perspiration from your face and hand with a hanky and hold a glass of cold water to your wrist. “ She says.

Body Problem No. 4 – Dry Mouth and Yawning

At times, your mouth is so dry that you simply can’t blurt out those all-important words to your lover, even after going to a great length to arrange the meeting. Sometimes, during an important meeting, when are supposed to be attentive with all your ears open, you can’t prevent this dampening yawn in the middle of the conversation.

These two problems that may put a dampener during our important interactions have similar roots. Siegel reveals that people generally yawn when they are exhausted but it can also occur due to nervousness and anxiety as you do not take deep breaths during such times.

Likewise, the inability to take deep breaths and the secretion of stress hormones also decline the production of saliva in the mouth. As a result, you develop that dry-mouth feeling.

Since these symptoms have similar reasons, they can be alleviated through the same activities. “The best thing to solve yawning as well as the feeling of ‘dry mouth’ is to chew some candy. It would prevent you from yawning as swallowing and yawning can’t happen simultaneously. Moreover, it will accentuate the formation of saliva and lubricate the mouth, thereby solving the ‘dry mouth’ problems, “advises Siegel.

Sadock proscribes the use of chewing of gum. By chewing it, you would gulp down more air, which would induce more yawning as well as belching. She further suggests that drinking cold water just before speaking would help you to keep away from yawning and the feeling of ‘dry mouth’.

Body Problems No. 5 – The Sex Snafus

While all the problems like leaking urine, yawning, hiccups, belching, feeling of ‘dry mouth’ can be embarrassing, they are not big enough reasons to despair. Since it afflicts everybody at some point, people generally do not give much importance to it. But, when such problems do occur during out most private and intimate relationships, they can really be distressing. And sex is one such private and intimate thing and such belching, passing of gas, leaking of urine during it, is the last thing that we want to happen.

But unfortunately, they do take place during sex. Siegel says, “The sphincter muscle activates both the urine and bowels. During sex, you effectively lose all control over this muscle. This is more so when you are in orgasm. So, if you have by any chance, gobbled up a lot of gassy foods before it and so your stomach is full, then you are bound to pass some of it during that uncontrolled state.”

So, what can you do to avoid it?

Siegel advises in this regard, “The one thing you can do to prevent it, is emptying your bladder before and after sex. By this, the chances of leaks would be lessened. That apart, you can also prevent the sex-related urinary tract infections to a certain extent.”

Siegel also advises to take only light foods that are not gassy just before engaging in sex. She further warns not to take too much water or any other drinks, especially the carbonated ones, as they contain both gas and liquid. Avoiding coffee and tea is also important since they act as diuretics.

But the problems can still occur; all your efforts to control them notwithstanding. So, what can you do about it?

“Just ignore it and move on,” suggests Sadock.

This original article is presented to you by MyHealthToday.com © 2010

It is not advisable to follow health rules blindly. The age-old advice of health experts like drinking lots of water, doing heavy work-outs, devouring tons of green salads may not hold true for some people and they may not even know it. For instance, take the case of Elaine Monarch. Her natural affinity for whole wheat bread and other cereal products got a boost, when her physician advised her to consume more of them, after a bout of bloating and diarrhea.

It almost proved fatal. She had celiac disease. Her immune system reacted to the glutens from the grains and in the process; tissues in her small intestine were distressed. Now, she avoids taking grains and instead, gets her share of fiber from nuts, fruits and food supplements. She has been working as the founder of the Celtic Disease Foundation.

The health rules that every American gets perennially from the health experts are indeed, right for most and the advices to quit smoking or to avoid foods trans-fats should be diligently followed. [quote]But some of the other general health rules may not be beneficial for everybody, as can be viewed from the fact that even the USDA has not placed a section for celiac disease, in their recommended food pyramid. The advices are based on the results of surveys, which may not always be all-encompassing. Even the success rate of a staggering 94 percent of the sampling studies, still leaves aside 6 percent of people, which may be a sizable population.

Dan Rod, MD, assistant vice chancellor for the personalized medicine at Vanderbilt University says in this regard, “The recommendation made by the health experts, may not always hold true in some individual cases.”

Hence, we analyzed some of the established health rules and sought the advices of the health experts about the precautions, just in case; they may prove to be otherwise.

Health rules about your exercise regimen

Recommendation: Excessive exercise is more beneficial than moderate ones

Be cautious, if you are fighting obesity. By indulging in vigorous exercises, you would feel exhausted too soon and as result, wouldn’t be able to burn sufficient calories to attain weight loss. Studies showed the amount of weight loss was around 15 to 18 pounds in women, who took up a lengthy but moderate exercise regimen as also with those who did strenuous workouts for shorter spells. In fact, a study conducted among 184 women in 2003, revealed that women who walked for two and half hours each week at a moderate speed and those who took up a more elaborate and vigorous exercise regimen, achieved the same level of weight loss. So, to fight obesity, take up such exercises that you can do for 30 to 40 minutes without gasping for air.

Recommendation: Walking is the easiest and best exercise

Do it in moderation if you have any cardiac ailment and on smoggy days. The dust particles present in the air on a smoggy day can accentuates the risk of a cardiac attack. So, on such days, it is better to do your workouts indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned room, as it can reduce the level of air pollutants by half.

Recommendation: Routine household activities like gardening can make you healthier

Be cautious, if you are suffering from any cardiac ailment and want to prevent a cardiac attack. While any sort of physical activities helps, the routine household works like cooking and washing may be too light and of short duration in order to prevent the risk of blockage of arteries and cardiac attack. On the other hand, the risks of cardiac attacks can be significantly reduced by doing moderate to heavy exercise 30 minutes every week. A brisk walk for two hours each week can reduce the risk of cardiac ailments by 50 percent, as revealed by a study carried out on around 40,000 women.

Recommendation: Swimming is the perfect aerobic exercise

The chlorine present in the swimming pool can lead to various allergies and disorders. This is more so in the case of children. People with asthma and children under the age of seven with any form of allergy, should also avoid getting into the pool and settle for some other form of aerobic exercise. Contrary to popular belief, swimming does not lead to a substantial weight loss, if you are fighting obesity.

Recommendation: Devouring lots of leaf green vegetables

Be careful if you are taking warfarin (Coumadin), the blood thinner drug, which is taken to prevent the harmful blood clots. It restricts the action of vitamin K, the vital component for blood-clotting. But taking high amount of vitamin K-rich leaf green vegetable like spinach, kale and Swiss chard can inhibit the effect of the drug. Hence, don’t eat too much of them. Thus, the common health rules of eating more leaf green vegetables can do more harm in this case.

Recommendation: Taking eight glasses of water daily

Be cautious of this health rules if you have bladder control problem. By moderating your fluid intake, you can avoid leaks. Take the advice of your doctor about how much water you should drink every day. If it is less than eight glasses, do not worry, as in any case, around one-fifth of the body’s water requirement is from the food, as per the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. And if you pass light colored urine every eight hours, then in all probability, you are drinking sufficiently.

Health rules about the drugs you take

Recommendation: Low blood pressure is always better

This health rules may not be true if you have coronary artery disease (CAD). It is advisable to keep your blood pressure at 120/80, so as to prevent a cardiac attack or stroke. But very low blood pressure is risky, as the flow of blood through the narrowed vessels gets restricted. Study conducted among more than 22,000 patients who had CAD, revealed that a diastolic pressure of below 70, have twice the risk of cardiac attacks and deaths. Thus the health rules of having low blood pressure is not always good in every case.

But, for patients who had angioplasty or bypass surgery to clear blocked vessels or for the passage of the blood via another healthy vessel, having a low blood pressure is not risky.

Recommendation: Use of acetaminophen is safe and ideal for relief from pain like arthritis

Be cautious, if you regularly take wine (alcohol). Acetaminophen, in combination with alcohol, can damage the liver. So, the label of acetaminophen contains a warning to people who take three or more drinks regularly when using them. Donald Jensen, a board member of the American Lever Foundation warns that light drinks can also be damaging. According to him, you should take only 2 mg of acetaminophen on days when you drink; the recommended dose of 4 mg/day notwithstanding. The health rules of taking drugs have to be taken seriously and in accordance to what your physician prescribed.

Recommendation: Whole foods are better source for nutrients than pills

This health rules may not apply if you eat only vegetarian foods. You have to depend on pills to supplement your needs of vitamin D and B12, if you avoid taking eggs and milk. Recent researches propose that the recommendation for vitamin D should be 1,000 to 2,000 FU to be on the safer side than the presently recommended 200 to 600 IU. Though one can get enough iron from vegetarian foods, it needs a sensible planning. You should get your hemoglobin test done, if you tire easily.

Recommendation: In case of chronic pain, anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal medicines like Ibuprofen or prescription drug like Indocin are the safest and most effective

Be careful if you are above 65 years old. NSAIDS can lead to stomach ulcers and internal bleeding, especially among the elderly people. Experts say that deaths due to NSAID-related bleeding mostly occur among the aged persons. The best thing for persons over the age of 65 would be to consult their doctor. You can take other drugs like acetaminophen, corticosteroids or narcotic like Demerol, while diligently following the instructions of the doctor to take care of any side-effects or over-dependence.

Health rules are not to be followed blindly, consult your physician whenever you have doubts.

Incontinence may be quite mild: the occasional leaking of small amounts of urine which does not cause embarrassment and which would therefore not be considered a problem. Or it can be very severe and may lead to people constantly having to wear pads to stay dry, avoiding normal activities such as sport or worrying about people noticing the smell of urine.

The causes of incontinence are varied, and some are easily corrected – just as constipation can easily be cured with a better diet or a urinary infection with antibiotics. Others may require surgery or long-term medication. Incontinence is a common problem and it leads to a range of symptoms. Women are often reluctant to seek help. There is a great deal of help available from incontinence products advice to.



Who is affected?

Urinary incontinence is most commonly found in women who have had children but it can also affect children, men and women without children. Urinary Incontinence is estimated to affect around 2.5 – 3 million women in Britain alone. However this figure is probably an estimate because there may be many women too embarrassed actually to admit that they have a problem. Some studies suggest that up to 30% of women may be affected after pregnancy and childbirth.

Symptoms

As well as leakage, there are a range of other symptoms of incontinence and bladder problems. You may have to pass urine more often than usual, which is known as frequency, and it may be painful or difficult to pass urine (dysuria). You may have a sudden and uncontrollable desire to pass urine. This is called urgency, and can lead to leakage if you don’t reach a toilet in time. These are all common symptoms of cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder. You may have to get up in the middle of the night more often than normal to pass urine – which is known as nocturia, or you may have difficulties in emptying your bladder (voiding problems). You may have the sensation of wanting to pass urine but being unable to do so, on demand, or you may suffer from hesitancy, which is a period of delay before you begin to pass urine.

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