GET YOUR HEALTH IN ORDER

Are you worried about that pain in your toe? Concerned about your skin showing signs of premature ageing? Struggling to focus while at work? Ahead of Father’s Day, Friday Lite gets experts to examine some common issues men face

IS GOUT WORRYING YOU?

Gout, a severe joint pain that often starts in the big toe and can affect the knee, ankle and entire foot, is an inflammatory type of arthritis that more commonly affects men. It is characterised by sudden, severe pain, swelling, redness and tenderness, says Dr VL Shyam, an awardwinning ayurvedic practitioner based in Dubai. Severe pain is often experienced at night, he says. Joints get inflamed and become warm, appear red and shiny. ‘Our body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines – substances that are found naturally in your body. Purines are also found in foods, such as steak, meats and seafood, alcoholic beverages, sweetened juices, gravies, liver, sweetbreads, asparagus, beef, cauliflower, lentils, lobster, mushrooms, oatmeal, peas, spinach etc. ‘High uric acid, once thought of as a rich man’s disease (because only the wealthy could afford to eat salted meats and rich breads on a regular basis), is making a comeback due to the increased intake of foods with high purine content,’ Dr Shyam explains. Normally, uric acid dissolves in our blood and passes through the kidneys into the urine. But sometimes either our body produces too much uric acid or our kidneys excrete too little uric acid. When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue and causing pain, inflammation and swelling. Some people may be able to lower their uric acid levels through diet alone. Others might need medication or therapies. Dr Shyam suggests consulting an ayurvedic practitioner if you experience symptoms associated with gout. The doctor can provide a detailed diagnosis and treatment plan. Some natural ways to manage the condition include: Drinking water boiled with Gokshura seeds (tribulus terrestris) Applying oils like Madhuyashtyadi thailam, Pinda thailam, Murivenna. Reducing purine-rich foods as well as sour and salty tastes in excess.

HOW FOOD CAN HELP YOU STAY FOCUSED

Have you been suffering from frequent brain fog or struggling to focus while at work, particularly during these stressful times? Many of us are unable to pay attention for over 15 seconds to a friend’s conversation. Often, our thoughts begin to drift in under two minutes of doing something important, like writing that email, responding to an important text to your boss or doing some research on a new topic, says Rashi Chowdhary, nutritionist, diabetes educator and creator of The Protein Bake Shop. Our brain, she says, needs a constant supply of energy. It occupies such little space in our body but demands 20 per cent of our body’s energy. It is constantly at work. When we eat foods that are nutritionally draining for our body – junk, high-sugar foods, foods we are sensitive to like gluten, dairy – our natural detox pathways, that is the liver and kidneys, become dominant. These organs send out a signal demanding more energy or sugar to metabolise the toxins from food. So these organs start to compete with our brain for energy. The issue worsens when we are faced with day-to-day “normal” triggers like the phone ringing or your messenger beeping. Our highly evolved brain knows the difference but our nervous system will look at all of these as threats, triggering the flight or fight mode. This is exacerbated if you’ve had a traumatic experience in the past and have had to deal with anxiety. All this cause a lot of stress in the brain and releases cortisol and adrenaline that over a period of time cause insulin resistance. Sugar starts to build up in your blood stream due to this and your cells have difficulty using that as energy for the brain. This unstable energy from sugar keeps you shifting from the fight or flight mode, making your brain get easily distracted no matter how hard you try. The solution is simple: Start eating clean, stay hydrated and take regular breaks from work to do some deep breathing. It’s a great way to stay grounded, says Rashi.

SMOKING COULD BE AGEING YOUR SKIN

If you are a smoker, even if you are the occasional shisha smoker, beware. Among a host of health issues including cardiac and lung conditions that can occur due to smoking, it can also affect your skin severely, leading to premature ageing. The habit of shisha smoking has alarmingly increased, says Dr Ikramullah Al Nasir, a specialist dermatologist and medical director at Dermacare Dubai. Unfortunately, this is also connected to the myth that smoking shisha is less hazardous to health than cigarette smoking – which is absolutely wrong. Shisha smoking is equally dangerous, if not more, to the smoker’s general health, Nicotine, an addictive drug, and tar are present in all tobacco products including shisha tobacco. Recent WHO observations state that cigarette-smokers typically take 8-12 puffs, inhaling 0.5-0.6 litres of smoke over about 5-7 minutes, indicating that each cigarette puff contains about 40-75 ml of smoke. In contrast, shisha smoking sessions typically last for 30-90 minutes, during which smokers may take 50-200 puffs with range of about 0.2-1.0 litre of smoke. Dermatologists are convinced that use of tobacco accelerates skin ageing. The spectrum of changes seen in premature ageing skin commonly includes fine and coarse wrinkle formation, irregular and mottled discrete and diffuse pigmentary alterations, tactile and visual roughness and dryness, leathery texture, laxity and some degree of sallowness and significant thinning of skin. Nicotine exerts a specific role in this phenomenon. The only way to prevent your skin condition from worsening is to quit this habit as soon as possible, says the doctor. This will help to reverse the existing ageing signs.