Pregnancy, for a woman, is akin to rebirth. Seemingly so because the woman not only gives birth to a new life but faces a risky circumstance during delivery out of which she emerges unscathed. Obstetrics and gynaecology doctors keep her under constant vigil to ensure that both she and the baby are in sound health throughout her term.

Pregnancy is the most fulfilling yet most challenging period of a woman's life. Nutrition during pregnancy assumes supreme importance as this food reaches the baby as well through the umbilical cord.  So the mother has to restrain herself while eating and follow a pregnancy food chart.

Let us take a look at the foods to avoid in the diet for a healthy pregnancy according to a pregnancy doctor 's advice.

Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Pregnant women have food cravings due to hormonal changes. Yet as per pregnancy doctor advice, these foods must be avoided by the pregnant mother to ensure the safety and good health of her newborn.
1. Raw uncooked food
Pregnant women should eat their foods piping hot. Yes, this is because raw vegetables or undercooked foods are prone to Listeriosis and Salmonella infections. Listeriosis is a food-borne infection caused by "Listeria" bacteria that causes meningitis, septicemia and even death to the unborn child. Pregnant women are 10 times more prone to listeriosis which is caused mainly  due to consumption of raw foods like these

• Raw eggs
• Unwashed or uncooked vegetables
• Undercooked meat or deli meats like hot dogs, cold cuts, sandwich meat, sliced meat or lunch meats.

2. Unpasteurized cheese
 Some pregnant women just go gaga over cheese. But caution should be exercised while taking cheese as unpasteurized cheese is the main home ground for Listeria bacteria. Pregnant women must avoid unpasteurized and soft cheeses like

• Brie
• Camembert
• Feta
• Panela
• Mexican cheese like Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco
• Blue-veined cheese like Roquefort or Stilton

3. Fish
Certain fish have high levels of mercury in them which can cause nervous and motor disabilities to the unborn child. Here is a list of fish that pregnant women must avoid.

• Marlin
• Sword Fish
• Big-eye Tuna
• King Mackerel
• Shark
• Locally-caught pike, trout, salmon, walleye, bluefish or striped bass as they may be contaminated with chemicals in the water.
• Even smoked salmon is harmful as it is not thoroughly cooked.

Pregnant women can eat well-cooked fresh water which is rich in Omega-3 and not mercury.

4. Fruits
Fruits are a great source of vitamins and anti-oxidants for pregnant women. Pregnant women must forbid these fruits

• Papaya - Unripe papaya is rich in latex which may trigger uterine contractions
• Pineapple - it is rich in bromelain which softens the cervix leading to early labour
• Grapes - the high amount of resveratrol present in grapes may be toxic to the mother.
  

5. Vegetables
Some vegetables are just taboo for pregnant women if eaten abundantly, like

• Bitter melon as it contains vicine which may induce a hemolytic disorder called favism in infants.
• Raw sprouts, cabbage and lettuce as they may contain Salmonella.Eggplant as it contains phytohormones that may induce menstruation causing miscarriage
  

6. Nuts
Nuts like peanuts, tree nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, are avoided by women during pregnancy as some develop an allergy for them.

7. Drinks
Pregnant women may best avoid drinking

• Caffeine as high amounts of coffee causes miscarriage.
• Herbal teas as herbs like angelica, ephedra, kava kava, motherwort, mugwort, wormwood, liquorice root etc. cause abortion.
• Unpasteurized Milk or juices as they contain E.coli bacteria.
• Alcohol as it causes stillbirth.

Pregnancy is a boon and women must strictly shun these 7 foods suggested by obstetrics and gynaecology doctors for a safe delivery.

With the current scenario of declining birth rates, women's health importance has assumed paramount significance. In improving women's physical and mental health, yoga has been found to be the most effective.

Yoga for women's health

A woman's body is unique as it undergoes periodic transformations in the stages of puberty, fertility, pregnancy, menopause and post-menopause. Yoga helps a woman to adapt to these transformations with minimum discomfort and maximum energy.

Women's physical and mental health is maintained as Yoga helps in
    1. A complete exercise of the body
    2. Total mobility removing stiffness and improving muscle and bone strength
    3. Improving metabolism
    4. Reducing weight
    5. Stress Reduction
    6. Pain Management
    7. Maintaining hormonal balance by regulating endocrine glands
    8. Female infertility treatment by regulating the reproductive organs
    9. Pregnancy and Natural childbirth
    10. Restoring Post-partum health
    11. Addressing menopausal and post-menopausal disorders

How Yoga promotes Women's health?

Yoga supports women at every step of their life.

    1. Puberty and menstruation

• When a child attains puberty, she undergoes some hormonal changes which may cause her some initial discomfort. Practicing yoga helps to regulate irregular periods, dysmenorrhea etc.
• Menstrual cycles for women are often accompanied by stomach cramps, backache, bloating, fatigue etc. Yogic asanas improve oxygenated blood flow to reproductive organs, thereby removing discomfort due to cramps. Bloating is relieved by the circulation of the water accumulated in the abdomen and removal of gas.
• Mood swings and irritability are the indicators of a woman's PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome).  With yoga, the central nervous system is calmed and relaxed using breathing control, thereby reducing stress and tension.
• Exercise like  Dhanurasana and Vajrasana are the best for regulating menstruation.

    2. Adolescence

• This is a stage of life where a woman undergoes tumultuous changes in body and mind.
• Restlessness, confusion and fear in the teenage mind can be eliminated by Pranayama or breathing control and meditation.
• Some girls tend to put on weight as result of hormonal imbalance. Yogic asanas help in correcting the hormonal imbalance and reducing weight by constant exercise.
• Even teen problems like acne and pimples are reduced by Yogic exercises as the body gets rid of toxins through sweat while performing asanas.

    3. Fertility
 Female infertility treatment is incomplete without Yoga. Yoga helps women to conceive by

• reducing stress by breathing control
• reducing weight and the possibility of PCOS
• improving blood circulation to the ovaries
• correcting hormonal imbalance by inducing blood flow to endocrine glands

    4. Pregnancy and childbirth
This is the most valuable stage of a woman's life where she needs yoga the most.

• About 13% of the women experience depression and anxiety during pregnancy and childbirth. Yoga helps to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and induce good sleep through its breathing control exercises.
• Pre-natal yoga is priceless for women as it reduces the risks of pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia.
• Spontaneous abortions are also avoided by the use of yoga in pregnancy.
• Natural childbirth is achieved by the use of yoga in pregnancy.

    5. Post-partum health

Most women suffer "post-partum" depression due to weight gain, hormonal changes and fatigue after childbirth. Yoga helps to combat "post-partum" depression by promoting activity and exercise which reduce both weight and stress. It also helps women to gain control of themselves through breathing control and meditation.

    6. Menopause and post-menopausal  disorders

• Restorative yoga postures help to calm the nervous system which tends to reduce all menopausal disorders like palpitations, mood swings, hot flashes and night sweats.
• Yogic asanas help to improve bone and muscle strength, helping to combat arthritis and osteoporosis after menopause.

Women are the cornerstones of life as they bear the seed of life and save man from extinction. Create a world of wellness by promoting women's health through yoga.

Enhancing productivity and improving process efficiency is the ultimate objective of any organization. This objective attains more focus in the healthcare industry as hospitals have a diverse workflow in various segments. All the processes in a hospital must be monitored using a professional hospital management system to streamline its operations and enhance its efficiency.

The concept of 5S is a novel approach to achieve optimum quality management in hospitals. Introduce initially in the industrial sector, this path-breaking concept was first implemented in the year 2000 at the Castle Street hospital in Sri Lanka by Dr. Wimal Karandagoda. After its stupendous success, the 5S concept has become the rulebook at all hospitals to achieve continuous improvement in healthcare efficiency.

What is 5S?

The 5S concept is a part of the "Lean" approach of Management which aims to reduce waste and improving efficiency and workflow of processes in an organization. Often used in conjunction with Management principles like Kaizen or Continuous Improvement, TQM or Total Quality Management, the 5S concept is based on the motto- "everything in its place and a place for everything".

Why do we need 5S in healthcare?

Summarized in 5 simple steps - sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain, the 5S methodology is highly effective in healthcare by reducing waste in the form of unwanted resources, system downtime etc and escalating process workflow.

Hospitals often function with a disorganized working environ as they integrate multiple disciplines which are interconnected to each other. The workflows of each and every department  has to be continuously monitored and improvised to achieve overall efficiency. This is a  challenging task which might lead to unintentional lapses  and accumulation of waste.

The 5 S concept is the ultimate solution in eliminating the waste in hospitals  like

• Excess medical supplies
• The waiting period for both patients for doctors and physicians for supplies.
• Under-utilized staff for patients
• Unused or under-used equipmentNon-availability of supplies at the right time at operating room etc.
• Unwanted delays in surgical and diagnostic procedures etc.

How to implement the 5S concept in hospitals?

The 5S concept is implemented easily in hospitals by the following steps.

1.SORT
The first step in the 5S concept is for hospitals to sort their inventory of stocked medical supplies, equipment, staff and resources. List all the absolutely essential items and separate the unwanted ones. For instance, stock keepers can segregate expired medicines, damaged syringes, outdated devices etc., all of which can be eliminated.

2. STRAIGHTEN
It is time for hospitals to straighten their steps or fine-tune their operations. They can do this by

1. Labeling all rooms with patient-friendly signboards.
2. Using directional signs to help patients to access the various parts of the hospital quickly.
3. Grouping related services like radiology, serology etc. together and placing them close to billing counters.
4. Organize supplies and stock in labeled bins to identify and locate them quickly.

3. SHINE
For a hospital to shine in reputation, it must first polish its processes. The "Shine" aspect of 5 S refers to spotless housekeeping, hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness in hospitals. Sterilized equipment. clothing and supplies, clean hospital wards and floors, spotless counter tops and operating tables, trash cans emptied often and a general air of disinfectant can make the hospital shine.

4.STANDARDIZE
Erratic functioning and mismatched procedures at hospitals will only lead to wastage of time and hospital resources. To avoid this, every hospital must standardize its procedures for operating, nursing, diagnostics and even housekeeping or billing facilities.

5.SUSTAIN
The last step in 5S is to sustain these improvements by continuously monitoring and improvising on the above 4 steps to improve quality of care.

Strengthen your hospital's management and optimize its operations by enlisting the services of professional healthcare consultants in implementing the 5S.

The female reproductive system is unique and complex in structure. The organs that make the miracles happen and give birth to a new life are more prone to get various health complications as one age. Many women health issues could be prevented with the help of healthy lifestyles that balances the diet, exercises and psychological aspects of life perfectly. 

What is Cervical Cancer?

The lowest portion of woman’s womb (uterus) is called uterine cervix and it connects the uterus with the vagina. Cervical cancer is a condition in which the cells of the cervix outgrow abnormally, invading the other parts of the reproductive system over time of not treated. The invasive type of cancer causes more damage by affecting the deeper tissues of the cervix.

As cervical cancer takes time to advance to next stages, with the help of proper medical support and effective cervical cancer treatment there could be increased chances to prevent cancer at the early stages.

How to Prevent Cervical Cancer?

Early detection of any cancerous condition increases the chances of cure at a significant level. However, cervical cancer will not show any kind of symptoms such as pain and discomfort. The only way to ensure the cervical cancer is detected at the early stages is by conducting regular pelvic exams and pap tests.

However, few characterized symptoms could be observed just during the initial stages of cervical cancer. 

1. Pain during intercourse
2. Abnormal vaginal bleeding
3. Bleeding after menopause
4. Odor and discharge from the vagina
5. Pain in the pelvic region

• Pap Test (Pap Smear) - Pap test is a screening procedure that is conducted to check the presence of cervical cancer. In this procedure, the cells in the cervix will be gently scraped using an instrument called speculum and analyzed in the medical laboratory.

• Pap test is simple and could be conducted in all major healthcare facilities. It is a better and easy method to prevent cervix cancer. Women who are above 21 years old need to undergo this simple medical test once in every 3 years.

• The cell analysis will help in finding the abnormal growth of the cells, if any. If the tests are positive, you may need to undergo further tests for confirmation.

• Medical examinations such as colposcopy will give a clear view at the cervix and takes less than 15 minutes for the examination. In this test, the doctor will physically examine the cervix using a specially designed instrument.

• Cervical cancer is one among the very few cancers that could be prevented by taking simple precautions. HPV or the Human Papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in most of the cases

• Undergo the Pap Smear tests and the HPV tests on a regular basis to check the abnormal growth of the cells in the uterus.

• Get the HPV vaccine shot before becoming sexually active. The cut-off time for this vaccine is 26 years for females and 21 years for males.

• Keep your body weight under control by following strict diet and exercise and a regular basis to prevent cervical cancer.

The health issues faced by women are mostly triggered by age-related organ degeneration, physical inactivity and lack of proper health consciousness for a long time. Women who are above 35 start getting various health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, bone-related health issues, joint pains, cardiovascular diseases and various cancerous conditions, especially cervical cancer.