The biochemic principle

Our body comprises certain inorganic salts like potash, lime, iron or silica. Imbalance or lack in the tissue salts leads to deficiency and as a result, illness. When the tissue salt balance is restored, the illness is cured. Biochemic remedies help in this process.

Small doses, big effects

Biochemic medicines act on the principle that a small dose of a single mineral salt or a combination of two or more mineral salts can be used for treating various ailments. Although given in minute quantities, they are mighty effective.

How to take mineral salts

Anyone lacking in essential tissue salts can take biochemic treatment. These medicines are even available in stores with dosage indications printed on the packs. Although these medicines do not cause any harm, the trickiest decision is the choice of the remedy or the combination, the dosage and the duration of treatment. Hence, it helps to consult a homoeopath experienced in biochemic treatment, especially if you are suffering from multiple problems or major diseases. Being potent, the medicines should be kept away from children.

The 12 tissue remedies

These remedies are not drugs but mineral salts that the body naturally contains. They do not suppress a disease, but replenish our tissues and restore normal functioning.

CALC FLUOR [Calcium Fluoride]

This mineral salt is found in bones and tooth enamel. It helps maintain tissue elasticity and is useful in cracked skin, muscle or ligament injuries, haemorrhoids, varicose veins and adhesions after surgery.

CALC PHOS  [Calcium Phosphate]

This salt is nutritive for bones and teeth, supplies new blood cells and initiates growth. It is useful during growth phases like teething and puberty, when recovering from fractures and old age. It is helpful in treating orthopaedic and menstrual pains, anaemia and a weak constitution.

CALC SULPH [Calcium Sulphate]

It acts like a blood purifier and helps remove decaying cells. It is hence useful in treating ulcers, fissures, abscesses, boils and pimples. It is also prescribed in chronic infections.

FERRUM PHOS [Ferrum Phosphoricum or Phosphate of iron]

It is useful in the initial stage of fever or in conditions that involve inflammation. It is especially useful in anaemia, loss of appetite and weakness in children. It helps build resistance power.

KALI MUR [Potassium Chloride]

This salt helps in treating infections at a later stage and is also a decongestant. It is used in respiratory infections like sore throat, sinusitis, middle ear infection, tonsillitis and bronchitis. It is also useful in treating glandular swelling.

KALI PHOS [Potassium Phosphate]

This salt is critical for nerve and brain health and is called the nerve tonic. It is suggested for stress-related problems, excessive irritability, temper tantrums, anxiety, depression and sleep troubles.

KALI SUPH [Potassium Sulphate]

This salt helps in skin problems with scaling like dandruff and crusts on eyelids. It is also used for treating severe infections.

MAG PHOS [Magnesium Phosphate]

This remedy is useful in neuralgia [pain in the nerves], muscle cramps, convulsions, toothache or sensitive teeth and headache due to mental over work. It is a good remedy for gas-related abdominal pain and is often used to treat colic in newborns.

NAT MUR [Sodium Chloride]

This salt regulates moisture in the cells and is useful in dry skin and nose. It also helps in conditions like cold with nasal discharge, watery eyes, oedema and problems caused by excess heat like headache and migraine.

NAT PHOS [Sodium Phosphate]

It works with fatty acids and is useful in treating conditions like hyperacidity and indigestion, intestinal worms and rheumatic complaints.

NAT SULPH [Sodium Sulphate]

This helps cure liver ailments, digestion problems, gallstones and skin eruptions with discharges. It also helps treat conditions that worsen in humid weather such as asthma.

SILICEA [Silicon Oxide]

This helps in ailments related to bones, joints, glands, and skin. It is used to treat boils, styes, abscesses, fistulas and pus-forming conditions. It is also used to treat glandular swellings, tonsillitis, brittle nails and cracked nipples.

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The healthy range

You are within healthy range if your weight is in proportion to your height. The appropriate way to find your healthy range is by using a weight – height chart or by calculating your Body Mass Index [BMI]. This is a vital tool to determine obesity and assess the risk of diseases. Adults with a BMI of 25 are considered overweight and those with a BMI of over 30 are considered obese. People having a higher BMI are at greater risk of suffering from certain lifestyle disorders particularly heart diseases as compared to those within the healthy range.

Apple or pear

Where fat is deposited matters too. People with ‘apple-shaped’ obesity [having excess fat around the middle] are at an increased risk of disease as compared to those with ‘pear shaped’ obesity [having excess fat around hips and thighs].

As the area and distribution of fat is also a considerable factor, it is important that the body proportion is measured. Therefore, these days, the waist circumference or the waist to hip ratio is measured. If your weight is within normal range, but you have increased fat around your waist, it is still a matter of concern.

Recent studies advocate that although BMI is a predictor of heart disease, one’s waist-to-hip ratio alone can also be a strong forecaster of heart trouble.

How excess weight affects heart

Those who develop fat around the middle have more chances of developing fatty deposits in their blood vessels, than those having lower waist-to-hip ratios. Fat around the waist seems to be more active as it secretes inflammatory proteins that contribute to the fat deposition in the blood vessels. This means that even if you are not obese, you are still at an increased risk for heart disease if you have an increased waist size. Some of the heart problems that overweight or apple-shaped individuals may undergo include:

1. Coronary Heart Disease

As of today, Coronary Heart Disease [CHD] is the biggest silent killer in the world. It results when the blood supply to the heart is interrupted. This usually occurs when the blood vessels of the heart get blocked due to the deposition of plaque on their inner walls [atherosclerosis]. Plaque is nothing but deposits of calcium, cholesterol, fat and other substances. Calcium is more likely to be found in persons with greater waist-to-hip ratio. When the blood supply is interrupted, it can produce chest pain, medically termed as angina.

2. High cholesterol

This is a condition where the bad cholesterol and other lipids like triglycerides are high and the good cholesterol is low. It is determined by a laboratory test called ‘lipid profile’. High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

This is how it works. Cholesterol and triglycerides are the main forms of fat [lipids] carried in the blood. We get them from food and also from our liver. Fats, being insoluble in water, are unable to travel through blood and are hence carried to the parts of the body with the help of cholesterol. Cholesterol is placed into packages called lipoproteins, which are made from lipids and proteins.

Low density lipoprotein [LDL] or ‘the bad cholesterol’ and high density lipoprotein [HDL] or ‘the good cholesterol’ are the main lipoproteins. LDL is the main carrier of cholesterol. HDL’s job is to remove excess bad cholesterol and bring it back to the liver for breakdown. If your diet has too much fat, the liver increases the production of these lipoproteins. But the good cholesterol is unable to remove all the bad cholesterol. As a result, more LDL pieces get stuck to the arterial wall. This hastens the process of atherosclerosis or fatty deposition and, at some point, the blood vessels may get blocked. If the blocked vessel happens to be one in the heart, a heart attack may result. Hence, it’s important for all to check their lipid levels including underweight individuals and those who have less fat on their body. This is because it’s possible that the cholesterol levels in your blood are high. If so, you are still at a greater risk of suffering from heart problems.

3. High blood pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing the walls of the blood vessels, when heart is pumping out blood for circulation Your body needs to maintain a desirable range of blood pressure to function properly. If the pressure rises consistently or remains high for a longer period it can be harmful. Having excess weight contributes to this problem by increasing the workload on the heart. The heart has to pump more blood and with greater force to meet the body’s requirements. Also, if there is narrowing of blood vessels due to fatty deposits, more efforts are needed to meet the circulation demands. This ultimately increases the blood pressure and can be dangerous to your health.

4. Heart rate irregularities

Heart rate is a measure that determines how hard the heart is functioning. If the heart rate is high, it means the heart is beating faster [and working harder]. In obese individuals, the weight is more than the body can sustain. This makes the heart work harder to meet the circulation demands of the body and to provide adequate energy. When this increased workload on heart continues for a long time, it causes the heart muscles to thicken [hypertrophy]. This thickening can continue and eventually hinder overall heart efficiency and could be a cause for heart failure.

Underweight

Being underweight means having a body weight below what is ideal for your height and age. It is defined as BMI below 18.5. Being underweight does not necessarily mean you are healthy. There are chances that your body could be deficient in essential vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients. This can put you at an increased risk of suffering from nutritional deficiencies and related problems like anaemia. Let’s find out how low weight directly affects the heart.

1. Anaemia

In anaemia, the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood decreases. This can affect the circulation and the heart as it may not receive enough oxygen. This can lead to chest pain. Additionally, lack of oxygen will make the heart work harder to meet the bodily needs and eventually the heart muscles can get thickened. All these effects can increase your risk of suffering from heart disease.

2. Heart rate irregularities

There are increased chances of suffering from heart abnormalities. There can be irregularities in the beating of the heart and are termed as heart irregularities or arrhythmias.

Underweight people generally have an insufficient intake of calories. As the body does not get enough energy for daily activities, it begins to conserve by modifying the regular functions. The heart may beat at a slower rate, which also lowers blood pressure. If this continues for long, you can suffer from decreased heart rate and low blood pressure. For both these parameters, if the counts fall below the range, it can be dangerous to your health. It can cause a permanent damage to your heart and could also be a cause for heart failure.

Help your heart

So, maintain a healthy weight and a proportionate body form. Focus on your waist circumference and waist to hip ratio. Watching your weight will enable you to take appropriate action and reduce the risk of heart disease. Keeping your heart healthy will also keep you away from other health problems.

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The unhappiness and indifference that comes with a burnout can threaten your job, your health and your life as a whole. The good news is that you can deal with burnout. But before that, let’s understand how it affects you.

What is job burnout?

Burnout is mental exhaustion due to prolonged exposure to excessive stress. It kills the driving force that keeps you going. As a result, you are unable to meet the increasing demands of job.

As the stress continues, you tend to lose all motivation and start feeling hopeless and helpless not just about the job, but about life as well. Ultimately, you collapse.

Job burnout is a visible disparity between the demands of a job and the resources one has. When a person finds it impossible to cope with demands of his job for long, the stress associated with work turns into a burnout.

The reasons behind it

Burnout can erupt from many negative conditions at work. Some of the commonest causes are:

Work timings: Long working hours and shift work over an extended period diminishes a person’s capacity to handle stress.

Lack of rewards or recognition: It is normal to expect rewards such as praise, credibility, and promotion for good work. Disappointment sets in when these expectations are not fulfilled.

Lack of control: This happens when a person feels overpowered by others. For example, you are unable to influence the decisions that affect your job, like hours of work, workload, submission timelines and pay.

Undefined responsibilities: There are many instances when the job roles and responsibilities are unclear. Also, uncertainty regarding degree of authority can affect a person.

Difference in preference: This occurs when the values of an employee and her employer or supervisor do not match. Certain behaviours and personalities of the employer like bullying or perfectionism also cause stress.

Poor job fit: Job roles that poorly fit a person’s interests and skills make it difficult to stay motivated. So do monotonous roles, where there is little change in one’s nature of work or little scope for creativity.

Personality traits: Your personality determines your perspective towards your work and work environment. How you manage your work ultimately affects your peace of mind.

How it can affect you

When burnout remains unnoticed or unaddressed, it can significantly affect your health. It can cause psychological disturbances like irritability, anxiety, hopelessness and depression.

Physical symptoms include fatigue, muscle pain, headache, stomach upset, insomnia and changes in blood pressure. Behavioural issues like absenteeism, alcohol or substance abuse, strained personal relationships may also crop up.

Warning signs of burnout: Spot it

Burnout is characterised by three main features:

• Exhaustion: A state in which mental resources are drained.
• Cynicism: A state of indifference, a negative attitude towards everything, especially your job.
• Lack of efficacy: A tendency to estimate your performance negatively, which then leads to feeling of inefficiency and poor self-esteem.

It is normal to feel bored or dejected sometimes, only to regain your enthusiasm after a while. Some stress helps keep you motivated, however it is important to realise the difference between normal stress and burnout.

To spot the symptoms of burnout, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you find your job less interesting than before?
• Do you dread at thought of your job on waking up?
• Do you feel you are dragging yourself to work?
• Have you become more critical or irritable at work?
• Have you started blaming others for mistakes?
• Do you lack the feeling of satisfaction from your accomplishments?
• Do you feel you are caught between too many responsibilities?
• Do you feel that you lack energy to be consistently productive?
• Are you left with no time for your personal interests?
• Have you noticed any change in your sleeping or eating habits?
• Are you using any foods, medicines, stimulants to deal with your worries?
• Do you experience unexplained headaches, body aches or other physical complaints?

If your answer to the above questions is yes, you may be experiencing job burnout. You can learn ways to manage your stress. At the same time, you can consider seeking professional help if required.

Don’t just quit

It is likely that your present job is to be blamed for your condition. And, in desperation, you may feel like quitting this job and seek another one. But without understanding the basic problem and the underlying cause, beginning a new job is dangerous.

The second job may promote burnout even more rapidly, because the previous frustration is still there. And thus the vicious circle starts. It is better to stop for a while, assess the situation, and then take appropriate action.

Act on it

If you are already on the way to burnout, here’s what you can do about it:

• Identify your stressors
• Give yourself some time to analyse the situation.
• Identify the issues that cause you stress.
• Modify your attitudes.
• Know yourself and your capacities; assess your strengths. Identify your weaknesses.
• Accept yourself as a unique person. Do not compare yourself with others. When you identify your uniqueness and are willing to improvise on your abilities, you will succeed.
• Set realistic goals and reasonable expectations from yourself and others.
• Learn from your mistakes.
• Balance work and play.
• Develop social support. Discuss your concerns with friends and family.
• Change your interaction with the environment
• Improve your outlook. Rediscover the brighter and enjoyable side of your job.
• Develop strategies on goal setting, time management and conflict management.
• Take assertiveness training.
• Use peer feedback to identify areas of improvement.
• Learn to slow down and relax.
• Improve your physical health
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
• Get appropriate and adequate nutrition.
• Get enough sleep and rest.
• Regularly involve yourself in some recreational activities.
• Cut down on excess stimulants like tea, coffee and cigarettes.
• Take a break
• Go on a vacation, but the kind of vacation is more important than its length. So avoid attending calls and checking emails while you are away.
• Spend quality time with your family regularly. You may want to start a daily night walk or a collective week-end activity.
• Update yourself
• Assess your skills, interests and inclinations.
• Undertake some continued education programs if possible.

Changes in work environment

• Talk to your supervisors about altering your work timings to make it easy for you to adjust.
• Ask for a change in work profile so that you can work on a variety of areas.
• Choose a job role that better suits your personality. If it isn’t possible in the present job, consider changing jobs.

The key lies in learning to manage the source of stress and to make use of it in a positive way. Manage yourself and your environment so that you can stay within those boundaries.

But act on it now, before it acts on you. While these tips are helpful in coping with burnout, someone who is more deeply affected requires additional measures to recover. If you feel the situation is beyond control, seek medical help.

This was first published in the August 2011 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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In today’s world, women play different roles, giving equal importance to career and family. While juggling these roles in life, it is very important for them to plan their pregnancy. Since oral contraceptives were introduced 40 years ago, the idea of modern contraception has developed drastically. The awareness about reproduction and contraception has improved. However, women still seem to be in two minds about using these pills. The reason is the myths and stories linked with these pills.

About the pill

In 1960, after more than a decade of research, the United States Food and Drug Administration [USFDA] approved the first oral contraceptive pill, which contained high doses of hormones oestrogen [150 ?g] and progestin [9.85 mg]. These pills satisfied women’s need for convenient, safe and reliable contraception. However, some users experienced side effects such as headache, nausea, cramps and weight gain. Though these side effects were temporary, they led to more research and lowering of the hormonal doses in the pills. Today’s pills contain around 20-35 mg of oestrogen. This has significantly reduced the side-effects also.

Types of pills

For basic understanding, the oral pills can be broadly classified into:

• Combined oral contraceptive pills — These contain oestrogen and progestin. These are the most commonly used oral pills.
• Progestin-only pills — These contain only progestin. These were developed in the early 1970s. Although these are not as effective as combined pills, these are a good option for breast-feeding mothers who have resumed menstruation and want oral contraception. In this case, these pills are better as they do not reduce the quantity of milk production unlike the combined oral pills.

Working of the pill

The pills primarily act by preventing ovulation [the release of egg from the ovary]. As the egg is not released, conception cannot take place. The pills also help in making the mucus secreted from the cervix thicker, so the sperms have difficulty in moving forward.

Using the pill

The current packaging of pills includes 21 active pills. Then seven days pill-free interval, during which there is withdrawal bleeding and at the end of it, the new pack has to be started.

Generally, there is no need to take regular breaks from pill use. As with modern low-dose pills, the side effects are reduced. However, even if there are some mild side effects, they usually occur in the earlier months and eventually subside with regular use. Taking a break and restarting could mean experiencing the side effects all over again.

Effectiveness

When used as instructed, oral pills provide almost complete protection from pregnancy. In practice, pregnancy rates among pills users are about six to eight per 100 women in the first year of use.

Pill use and smoking

Women who smoke have a higher risk of stroke than non-smokers. Particularly for older women, the combination of oral pills and smoking can increase their risk of stroke and blood clots.

Common myths

The oral pill causes weight gain

This is probably the most common myth about the pill. Different factors like lifestyle, diet and exercise contribute to variations in weight. Because these changes are so common, women often feel the culprit is the pill. Weight gain may be associated with the earlier contraceptive pills that contained higher doses of hormones. However, the latest pills contain lower doses of oestrogen also called low-dose pills [LDP]. Studies have shown that these LDPs are likely to have very little effect on the body weight.

The pill changes a woman’s sex drive

Sex drive is different in every woman and it also varies from time to time. Researchers find that some women while using the pills find a decreased sex drive, while some enjoy it all the more. But there is no evidence that the pills affect women’s sexual behaviour.

The pill causes infertility

A woman is protected only as long as she is consuming the pills. On discontinuation of the pill, she regains the fertility she previously had. The bleeding pattern of a woman generally returns after she stops the pill. Some women may experience a delayed return of their usual bleeding pattern.

The pill causes birth defects

Good evidence shows that oral contraceptive pills do not cause birth defects. Also, they do not harm the foetus, even if the woman accidentally takes the pill when she is already pregnant.

Emergency contraceptive pills [ECPs]

Oral pills are also useful as an emergency contraception. That means they can prevent pregnancy when taken after unprotected intercourse or in cases where the women feel the regular method failed.

• ECPs can help only if taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. Pills from an ordinary oral pill packet can be used as emergency pill, if the pills contain the progestin hormone.
• Emergency pills may prevent ovulation or fertilisation [the union of sperm and egg] or may prevent implantation [attachment of the fertilised egg to the womb]. However, these pills are ineffective if implantation has already occurred.
• Pills that are specially designed for emergency contraception are available. However, it is necessary to follow the instructions mentioned on the packet and seek medical advice as required.
• As the name suggests, emergency pills are only for certain urgent situations. Also, they are more likely to cause nausea and vomiting than oral pills taken daily. Hence, emergency pills should not be used regularly as a substitute for ongoing contraception.

So it is necessary that women seek advice from their physician and make an informed choice. After all, it is an important decision that will set them free to achieve their goals in life and plan a family when they wish.

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