Violence against women is an everyday occurrence. Protecting ourselves is important, if not essential – and it is never too late to learn.

By Nisha Salim

India is the fourth most unsafe country for women, according to a 2011 poll by TrustLaw. When it comes to women’s safety, we rank just above Somalia. Delhi is the most unsafe city for Indian women, even during the day.

Over-protection fosters helplessness

A typical Indian girl from a middle-class or affluent family is raised chaperoned and over-protected. Rarely does she learn how to protect herself or react in a situation where she is attacked.

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The experiences of five women who have cared for an elderly family member – how they coped and what we can learn from them.

By Melanie Lobo

We will all have to go through it one day or the other – caring for our loved ones as they grow older and infirm. Many of us have already been through this process and looked after our parents/in-laws when they fell ill and were unable to do for themselves. In the process, it is usually women who have to invest a lot – emotionally, physically and mentally.

With understanding

Nidhi Gupta has been married for 6 years and her time with her husband has been, “compromised from day one”. While her sister-in-law who also lives with them suffers from Down’s syndrome, her mother-in-law suffers from dementia. Nidhi’s husband, Nikhil used to be the caregiver for both mother and sister till he got married. Nidhi used to work earlier but gave up work when their son arrived. Since she stopped working, she is in charge of taking care of both mother-in-law and sister-in-law completely. This has taken a toll on her relationship and in the early stages, she and her husband would often end up fighting.

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We know they are bad for us and yet we succumb to them; why are we lured by fad diets? Here we go behind the lure of crash diets.

By Dr. Lakshmi Ananth

Reema Dutta*, a 29-year-old nurse, is appalled with her sister for going on a grapefruit diet to quickly lose weight for the New Year’s party. “I mean, come on, she’s doing her masters in biochemistry, so you’d think she would know better!” she says, shaking her head.

This is not uncommon. Most of us know our body needs a fine balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and micronutrients to stay healthy. Even those of us who know very little about the intricacies of nutrition know that fad diets are not good. But crash diets have always had their proponents and continue to do so even in these days when ‘healthy’ is all the rage. What’s so alluring about these diets? Here’s a look at the top reasons why we still succumb to the temptation of indulging in them.

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Infertility treatment can be tough on you as well as on your relationship. A first-person account on dealing with IVF.

By Charu Katira

I always wanted three kids. I had no explanation for this wish. I just did. And I wanted my kids to be no more than two years apart in age. I ended up with two kids eight years apart in age. Talk about God disposing of your plans. Mine were disposed of in a grand, “Take THIS!” kind of way. My husband and I suffered from a very common condition called “Secondary Infertility”.

As per Resolve, the U.S. National Infertility Association, Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant, or to carry a pregnancy to term, following the birth of one or more biological children. The birth of the first child does not involve any assisted reproductive technologies or fertility medications.

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Feeling tired constantly but don’t know where to look for help? Here is the ‘tiredness checklist’ to help you explain your fatigue.

By Dr. Lakshmi Ananth

When 41-year-old Rekha Srinath* confided in her friends that she was becoming extremely tired for no apparent reason, she was amazed by the range of reactions the revelation evoked. From “who doesn’t feel tired” and “you’re stressed out” to “you need to try green tea and five minutes of very energetic exercise everyday” to “you must see a doctor, it could be serious”.

This is the thing about fatigue – we all experience it at some time of our lives. Some of us dismiss it, some try home remedies, some head straight to the doctor. “Oh, I wouldn’t go to a doctor about feeling tired,” laughs Latha R.*, a lawyer, “My family doctor would only give me patronizing looks, a lecture about stress and a prescription for vitamins.” And then again, we have all heard the story of an aunt or cousin who ignored her tiredness until it was too late, only to be diagnosed with something sinister.

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Hypothyroidism, a common hormonal disorder in women, is often overlooked. Learn about thyroid problems, symptoms and dealing with it.

By Dr. Lakshmi Ananth

When Rajini Balan* started gaining weight in spite of yoga and a reasonably healthy diet, she was not really worried. She put it all down to midlife crisis and her desk job and reacted very positively by adding a brisk morning walk to her routine. But a couple of months later she found herself feeling perpetually tired and sleep-deprived. She was missing her morning walk often and never seemed to have energy for anything.

As she gained more weight, she could not bear to look at herself in the mirror. She made the mistake of attributing her lack of energy and depression to her weight gain. “I just need to lose a couple of kilos,” she kept telling herself. While well-meaning friends and family suggested that she sign up for a gym, it didn’t occur to anyone that she might be ill.

It was only when her periods started becoming irregular that she sought a doctor’s help, thinking it might be early menopause or something related. Instead, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Continue reading →

Cancer can overtake your entire life in a flash – if you allow it to. A cancer survivor tells us how she came to terms with it.

By S. Ramya 

It is hard to put into words and describe the feelings when you first learn that you have been diagnosed with cancer. It happened to me first in 2003 – I was in my 20s, single, had completed my Masters from the US and had a good career unfolding. The world was full of opportunities and I was looking forward with the vigour, energy and optimism of youth. I had just returned to India when my mother was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. We started the treatment, anxious and urgent. And then, 4 months into my mother’s treatment, came my bombshell.

It seemed surreal – I could not believe that it was happening to me. Before I could come to terms with the diagnosis, I was overtaken by a number of diagnostic tests and then treatment plans followed by the treatment itself. I experienced a gamut of emotions – shock, sorrow, fear…

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With ‘thin is in’ becoming a part of the young urban Indian woman’s psyche, can Anorexia be far behind?

By Melanie Lobo

The media, movies, and fashion magazines have all played a role in giving women the idea that “thin is beautiful”. So well and truly is this mantra being imprinted on us that although most Indian women are not genetically skinny (as statues of our goddesses too attest), the race to be thin is on among young urban women. In a small-sample study of 200 17-19 year old college girls in Kerala, conducted in 2003, 51% of the girls perceived themselves as ‘fat’ and desired changes in their perceived body image. Even among those classified as ‘underweight’, 39% had tried to lose weight at some point in time, and 15% had started a diet in the last one month. (Study report here, PDF).

Is it any surprise that eating disorders such as Anorexia now affect us in India as well? This problem can begin very subtly before the woman or her family is aware of what’s happening. With anorexia, the disorder may well begin with a diet. Before we talk more about anorexia and the health problems associated with it, let us take a closer look at what exactly anorexia is.  Continue reading →

Here are some health and fitness tips for busy women without expensive fitness equipment or time for rigorous fitness training.

By Dipika Singh

Home. Work. Grocery Shopping. Handling the children. In life’s daily grind, what suffers most in a women’s routine is exercise. If just reading on exercise, diet plans and fitness helped, we would be a very fit lot indeed, given the plethora of articles on the subject. Unfortunately, fitness requires special time to be set aside and more importantly hard work. However, if you find that you face a time crunch for regular exercise, there are various activities that can be incorporated into your daily routine that will go a long way towards increasing health and fitness levels.

1. Healthy Eating: This has nothing whatsoever to do with diet plans. It is about eating sensibly. Eat a hearty breakfast in the morning. Make this a habit. Many think eating a hearty breakfast will lead to increased weight. No. In fact you are doing yourself more harm by skipping a healthy breakfast as you’ll feel drained through the day and will also have a tendency to snack later on. Eat a light dinner. If your job pushes mealtimes too far apart, stock up on healthy snacks for those in between hunger pangs. And if you can’t escape finishing what is on your child’s plate, simply use a smaller plate for yourself. This way you’ll stick to smaller helpings for yourself and won’t overfill your stomach with leftover food.
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With women prone to osteoporosis as they grow older, read on to find out more about osteoporosis prevention and protecting yourself.

By Melanie Lobo

Much has been said about Osteoporosis, a disease where the bones in our body become fragile, porous and thinner over time. They tend to lose their normal density thereby turning weaker and are more likely to break and fracture. These fractures occur usually in the wrist, hip and spine. Osteoporosis can progress quite painlessly. You may only find out when you break a bone.

Osteoporosis is mainly found in post-menopausal women due to the decrease in bone mass with an increase in age. Bones are only formed till the age of 35-40. There may not be a way to completely stop bone loss as it is a result of both environmental and genetic factors. But you can definitely take some preventive measures against Osteoporosis.

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