Irritability and crying in infants (babies from birth to 1 yr of age) is their way of communicating about their needs. It could simply indicate that the baby is hungry, sleepy, tired, feeling cold or hot or has a wet diaper. However, excessive irritability, more than usual, can be an infant’s way of giving a clue about any discomfort or problem he/she is facing as the baby is unable to speak. Excessive irritability and crying may be because of certain medical reasons frequently seen in babies. Some common among these may include stomach pain from gas, teething trouble, pain in the head, earach ..read more

Knee pain is normal in old age though it may affect persons of any age. The main reason for knee pain in old age is wear and tear and degenerative changes in the structures of the knee joint. The most common reason behind knee pain in elderly people is osteoarthritis in which the knee cartilage (a cushion with a rubbery consistency that allows smooth movement of the bones in the joints) degenerates resulting in rubbing together of the bones that collectively make up the knee joint. Additionally, the elderly who are overweight and obese and those who have a family history of osteoarthritis are ..read more

Sore throat refers to an irritation, scratchiness or pain in the throat that usually gets worse on swallowing in most cases. Sore throat can result due to various reasons. These may include infectious as well as non-infectious causes. Infectious cause mainly includes infections that can be viral or bacterial infections. Common viral infections include common cold and flu. Bacterial infections can also lead to sore throat like strep throat. Strep throat is a throat infection that is caused by streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. In such cases, white patches or pus pints appear on the tonsils. Strep ..read more

There are several complaints that women face during menses. One among these is nausea and vomiting. This might occur due to hormonal changes that occur during menses or an underlying medical condition. The most important reason behind it is dysmenorrhea (painful menses or menstrual cramps). Menstrual cramps can lead to nausea. An increase in the levels of prostaglandins (hormone-like substances responsible for uterine contractions) results in abdomen pain during menses. This could be attended by other symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headache and diarrhea (loose stool). Another reason can be p ..read more

Numbness means loss of feeling or sensation on the skin, and tingling refers to a prickling feeling or sensation of sharp pointed objects pricking the skin. Numbness accompanied by  tingling sensation is medically referred to as paresthesia. Numbness and tingling on the face can arise from various reasons. The main reason behind it is damage, irritation, or compression of a nerve in the face. Nerve damage can happen from different causes such as an injury, deficiency of vitamins like vitamin B and niacin, some infections like shingles (an infection of the nerves caused by varicella zoster ..read more

Cough is a protective mechanism of the body to help clear the airways of any mucus, dust, or infectious agents, like bacteria and viruses. Cough can arise from several reasons and one among these is dust. Cough from dust exposure can arise from an irritation of the airways or from an allergic (an overreaction of immune system to some allergen) response, here the allergen being dust. Dust may trigger asthmatic attacks in those already suffering from asthma. It could be attended with other symptoms including wheezing (whistling sound heard from the chest during breathing), difficulty in breathin ..read more

Both lower back pain and hip pain can cause a lot of discomfort and in some cases, both can occur together. Pain can be unilateral (one-sided) or bilateral (on both sides) varying from case to case. The symptoms vary in intensity from mild to severe. Depending on the cause behind it, other symptoms may be felt. These include stiffness, numbness, tingling, pin needle sensation, weakness, reduced range of motion in the back and lower limb. In severe cases, serious symptoms can arise like retention of urine, difficulty in passing urine, and involuntary passage of urine or stool that demands immed ..read more

The drynessthe  of the skin is normal in winter and can be attended with itching. Dry skin is medically known as xerosis. It can be quite annoying, irritating, and uncomfortable. The intensity of dryness and itching varies from case to case. In summer, oil production in skin is more due to high temperature that keeps skin moisturized. During winter, skin moisture lowers due to a decrease in environmental temperature resulting in dry skin. The dryness may get worse from bathing with hot water in winter. Hot water tends to destroy the natural oils of the skin. Additionally, it can damage th ..read more

Anus is the opening at the lower end of the GIT – gastrointestinal tract. The anus can get swollen from different causes. The first important reason can be external piles. Piles refer to swollen, dilated veins around the anus and or in the lower rectum. External piles are the ones that can be seen or felt on the surface of the anus. Its main signs and symptoms are painful swelling around the anus, hard lump at the anus, itching, and sometimes bleeding. The second cause could be anal fissures which refers to cut, tear,, or crack in the anal lining/ Its symptoms includes anal pain, bleeding at t ..read more

Itching is an irritating sensation on the skin with an urge to scratch. Itching can occur on any body part. In some cases, itching particularly occurs on the skin folds. These skin folds include armpits (axilla), groin area (crease where the abdomen and thighs meet), in between buttocks, area under the breasts, area in the bend of the elbows, area behind the knees and in between the toes and fingers, folds of the neck and behind the ears. Along with itching, eruptions or rash may appear on the skin. The eruptions can be dry or may ooze fluid. Cuts and cracks can appear on the skin folds. In so ..read more