Specific conditions that fall under the umbrella term of lumbosacral spondylosis can include herniated discs, bulging discs, bone spurs and osteoarthritis, all of which are spinal abnormalities that run the risk of protruding into the spinal canal and exerting pressure on spinal nerves. The sciatic nerve is often compressed at the meeting of the L5 and S1 vertebrae.

1. Lower back

2. Tailbone

3. Buttocks

4. Hip joints

5. Toes

6. Back of thighs (hamstrings)

7. Calves

8. Feet

1. Diagnosis of lumbar spondylosis consists of a physical examination, neurological examination (to assess sensation and motor function), imaging studies (such as x-rays, CT scan, or MRI).
2. X-ray studies demonstrate much of the characteristic appearance of spondylosis narrowing of the intervebral disc space and the neural foramina (bony canals by which the spinal nerves exit the vertebral column).
3. Also visible is the presence of osteoarthritis and the formation of osteophytes (small bone spurs) on areas of the vertebrae adjacent to the discs and in the area of the facet joints.
4. Soft tissue injuries such as herniated disc and nerve root impingement are best seen with advanced imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and myelography.

The signs and symptoms of gout are almost always acute, occurring suddenly — often at night — and without warning. They include:

1. Intense joint pain – Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but it can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists. The pain is likely to be most severe within the first 12 to 24 hours after it begins.

2. Lingering discomfort – After the most severe pain subsides, some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later attacks are likely to last longer and affect more joints.

3. Inflammation and redness -The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender and red.

   Uric acid crystals can deposit in tiny fluid-filled sacs (bursae) around the joints. These urate crystals can incite inflammation in the bursae, leading to pain and swelling around the joints (a condition called bursitis).

1. Hyperuricemia is the underlying cause of gout. This can occur for a number of reasons, including diet, genetic predisposition, or underexcretion of urate, the salts of uric acid.

2. Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. Renal underexcretion of uric acid is the primary cause of hyperuricemia in about 90% of cases, while overproduction is the cause in less than 10%.

3. In addition to an inherited abnormality in handling uric acid, other risk factors for developing gout include obesity, excessive weight gain (especially in youth), moderate to heavy alcohol intake, high blood pressure, abnormal kidney function and eating too much meat and fish that are high in chemicals called purines. Some medicines, such as diuretics, can also bring on gout.

4. In patients at risk of developing gout, certain conditions can precipitate acute attacks of gout. These conditions include dehydration, injury to the joint, fever, excessive eating and recent surgery.

The most reliable test for gout is finding uric acid crystals in a sample of the joint fluid obtained by joint aspiration.

Blood uria is the commonest blood test to estimate the level of Uric acid. Other blood tests commonly performed are white blood cell count, electrolytes, renal function, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

X-rays can sometimes be helpful and may show tophi-crystal deposits and bone damage as a result of repeated bouts of inflammation.

Vata Rakta or Aadya Vata is a classical description of Gout in Ayurveda. Vata dosha, Pitta dosha and Rakta Dhatu are specially vitiated to cause Vatarakta.

Several causes are listed in Ayurveda, which causes Vatarakta are excessive intake of Lavana (salty), Amla (Sour), Katu (pungent), Tikta (bitter), Kshara (alkaline), Snigdha (Too oily), and Ushna (Too hot) foods, eating dried & preserved or spoiled fish/meat, Ulavalu (Horsegram), Blackgram, Nishpava (anumulu, a bean variety), sour curd or buttermilk, incompatible foods like fish with milk products, drinking alcohol, daytime sleep, staying awake in the night, anger etc.

The treatment modalities for treating this condition include Panchakarma & Rejuvenation therapies, internal medications, diet and life style changes.

Therapies like Dhanyamladhara, Abhyanga swedam, Elakizhi, Sarvangadhara, Basti, kati basti, Navarakizhi are commonly done according to the severity of illness.

Complications

Obese persons are more likely to develop a number of potentially serious health problems, including:

1. High cholesterol and triglycerides

2. Type 2 diabetes

3. High blood pressure

4. Metabolic syndrome — a combination of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and high cholesterol

5. Heart disease

6. Stroke

7. Cancer, including cancer of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, breast, colon, rectum and prostate

8. Sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts

9. Depression

10. Gallbladder disease

11. Gynecologic problems, such as infertility and irregular periods

12. Erectile dysfunction and sexual health issues, due to deposits of fat blocking or narrowing the arteries to the genitals

13. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which fat builds up in the liver and can cause inflammation or scarring

14. Osteoarthritis

15. Skin problems, such as poor wound healing

Obesity is described as ‘Medoroga’ or ‘Sthaulya Roga’ in Ayurveda. Continuous indulgence in high fat food, fried items, etc., along with sedentary life-style leads to excess accumulation of body fat which gets deposited in the numerous body channels.

Deep dry Udwarthana with herbal powders and pastes, synchronized Abyanga with specific oils, steam bath, Dhanyamla dhara etc., mobilize the accumulated fat, whereas, specially designed Panchakarma procedures for detoxification clears & prevent its further accumulation. Diet & Life style modifications plays a important role in the management of Obesity. Practice of specific yoga postures is also advised to reduce body weight. Along with these, appropriate Ayurvedic internal medicines are also used to achieve the best results, without any side effects.

Treatment schedule usually ranges between 3 – 5 weeks to suit the individuals requirement.

Hair disorders

1. Hereditary thinning or baldness (also called androgenetic alopecia): This is the most common cause of hair loss. It affects men and women. About 80 million people in the United States have hereditary thinning or baldness. When men have hereditary hair loss, they often get a receding hairline. Many men see bald patches, especially on the top of the head. Women, on the other hand, tend to keep their hairline. They see noticeably thinning hair. The first sign of hair loss for many women is a widening part.
2. Alopecia areata: Researchers believe that this is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune means the body attacks itself. In this case, the body attacks its own hair. This causes smooth, round patches of hair loss on the scalp and other areas of the body.
3. Cicatricial (scarring) alopecia: This rare disease develops in otherwise healthy people. The disease destroys a person’s hair follicles. Scar tissue forms where the follicles once were, so the hair cannot re-grow. Treatment tries to stop the inflammation, which destroys the hair follicles.
4. Central centrifugal cicatricial (scarring) alopecia: This type of hair loss occurs most often in women of African descent. It begins in the center of the scalp. As it progresses, the hair loss radiates out from the center of the scalp.

1. Underlying medical condition: Hair loss can be the first sign of a disease. About 30 diseases, including thyroid disease and anemia, cause hair loss. By treating the disease, hair loss often can be stopped or reversed.
2. Illness: Significant hair loss can occur after an illness. A major surgery, high fever, severe infection, or even the flu can cause hair loss.
3. Your dermatologist may call this type of hair loss telogen (tee-lə-jen) effluvium (ih-flu-vee-uhm).
4. Some cancer treatments: Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can cause hair loss. This hair loss is often temporary, but it can cause great distress.
5. Ringworm of the scalp: This disease is contagious and common in children. Without effective treatment, ringworm can cause balding.
6. Trichotillomania: This medical disorder causes people to repeatedly pull out their own hair. They often feel a constant urge to pull out the hair on the scalp.
7. Some sufferers say they feel compelled to pull out their eyelashes, nose hairs, eyebrows, and other hairs on their bodies.
   
   

1. Weight loss: :Some people see hair loss after losing more than 15 pounds. The hair loss often appears 3 to 6 months after losing the weight. This hair loss is common. The hair re-grows without help.
2. Vitamin A: Too much vitamin A can cause hair loss. People can get too much of this vitamin through vitamin supplements or medicines. Once the body stops getting too much vitamin A, normal hair growth resumes.
3. Protein: When the body does not get enough protein, it rations the protein it does get. One way the body can ration protein is to shut down hair growth. About 2 to 3 months after a person does not eat enough protein, you can see the hair loss. Eating more protein will stop the hair loss. Meats, eggs, and fish are good sources of protein. Vegetarians can get more protein by adding nuts, seeds, and beans to their diet.

1. Improper washing, drying, and combing
2. Too much shampooing, combing, or brushing (100 strokes or more a day).
3. Rubbing wet hair dry with a towel.
4. Brushing or combing wet hair (especially people who are Asian or Caucasian).
5. For many people, hair is more elastic when wet. This means it breaks off more easily than dry hair. When hair breakage occurs, the hair appears shaggy or too thin. For people who are of African descent, their hair is not more elastic when wet.

1. Products :Frequent bleaching or permanents can cause the hair to break. Regular or improper use of dyes, gels, relaxers, and hair sprays also can cause hair breakage.
2. Blow dryers, flat irons, and other devices: Frequent use of a blow dryer tends to damage hair. The high heat from a blow dryer can boil the water in the hair shaft leaving the hair brittle and prone to breakage.
3. Hairpins, clips, and rubber bands: When used to hold hair tightly, hairpins, clips, and rubber bands can break hair.

      It is practiced using various herbal powders, pastes and shampoos.

1. Shirodhara

   Duration: 45 minutes

   Shirodhara gives the best results when taken after an Abhyanga.

   Benefits - Treats anxiety, epilepsy, hypertension, diabetic neuropathy, central nervous system, hemiplegia paraplegia, strengthens the sensory organs, insomnia, mental retardation, paralysis, stress.

2. Shirolepa

   Duration: 45 minutes

   Shirolepa gives the best results when taken after an Abhyanga.

   Benefits - Treats anxiety, epilepsy, hypertension, diabetic neuropathy, central nervous system, hemiplegia paraplegia, strengthens the sensory organs, insomnia, mental retardation, paralysis, stress.

3. Shiroabhyanga

   Duration: 45 minutes

   Shiroabhyanga gives the best results when taken after an Abhyanga.

   Benefits - Treats anxiety, epilepsy, hypertension, diabetic neuropathy, central nervous system, hemiplegia paraplegia, strengthens the sensory organs, insomnia, mental retardation, paralysis, stress.

1. Increased hair fall in ayurveda is termed as khalitya and is classified under shiroroga. Romakupagata / keshamulagata vitiated pitta (bhrajaka pitta) along with vitiated vata leads to dis-lodgement or withering of the hair from the hair roots. Further to this, vitiated sleshma / kapha along with rakta will cover and causes obstruction to the hair root, which results in no further hair growth from that place.
Khalitya is primarily a Pitta predominant tridoshajanya vyadhi (all three doshas vitiated disease). But based on the predominance of dosha, is divided into following types.
1. Vataja Khalitya : In this type, Keshbhoomi or scalp appears as if it is Agnidagdha and it becomes Shyava and Aruna.
2. Pittaja Khalitya : In this type the colour of scalp appears as Peeta, Neela and Harita. The scalp is surrounded by the Siras (veins). Sweat may be found all over scalp.
3. Kaphaja Khalitya : In this type, the colour of the scalp is more or less same as the colour of skin but here it is Ghana and Snigdha in appearance and the colour tends towards whitish tinge.
4. Sannipataja or Tridoshaja Khalitya : In this type of Khalitya, characteristic of all the three Doshas are observed. The scalp looks like burnt and it bears nail like appearance.

2. Apart from medical management, controlling Stress, eating healthy & balanced diet rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals and a healthy life style are extremely necessary to arrest hair loss.

When periods (menstruations) come regularly, this is called the menstrual cycle. Having regular menstrual cycles is a sign that important parts of your body are working normally. The menstrual cycle provides important body chemicals, called hormones, to keep you healthy. It also prepares your body for pregnancy each month. A cycle is counted from the first day of 1 period to the first day of the next period. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long. Cycles can range anywhere from 21 to 35 days in adults and from 21 to 45 days in young teens.

In the first half of the cycle, levels of estrogen (the "female hormone") start to rise. Estrogen plays an important role in keeping you healthy, especially by helping you to build strong bones and to help keep them strong as you get older. Estrogen also makes the lining of the uterus (womb) grow and thicken. This lining of the womb is a place that will nourish the embryo if a pregnancy occurs. At the same time the lining of the womb is growing, an egg, or ovum, in one of the ovaries starts to mature. At about day 14 of an average 28-day cycle, the egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation

1. Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. This occurs after hormone levels drop at the end of the previous cycle, signaling blood and tissues lining the uterus (womb) to break down and shed from the body. Bleeding lasts about 5 days.

2. Usually by Day 7, bleeding has stopped. Leading up to this time, hormones cause fluid-filled pockets called follicles to develop on the ovaries. Each follicle contains an egg.

3. Between Day 7 and 14, one follicle will continue to develop and reach maturity. The lining of the uterus starts to thicken, waiting for a fertilized egg to implant there. The lining is rich in blood and nutrients.

4. Around Day 14 (in a 28-day cycle), hormones cause the mature follicle to burst and release an egg from the ovary, a process called ovulation.

5. Over the next few days, the egg travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If a sperm unites with the egg here, the fertilized egg will continue down the fallopian tube and attach to the lining of the uterus.

6. If the egg is not fertilized, hormone levels will drop around Day 25. This signals the next menstrual cycle to begin. The egg will break apart and be shed with the next period.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a combination of emotional, physical, psychological, and mood disturbances that occur after a woman's ovulation, typically ending with the onset of her menstrual flow. The most common mood-related symptoms are irritability, depression, crying, oversensitivity, and mood swings. The most common physical symptoms are fatigue, bloating, breast tenderness (mastalgia), acne, and appetite changes with food cravings.

A more severe form of PMS, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), also known as late luteal phase dysphoric disorder, occurs in a smaller number of women and leads to significant loss of function because of unusually severe symptoms. The American Psychiatric Association characterizes PMDD as a severe form of PMS in which anger, irritability, and anxiety or tension are especially prominent.

Amenorrhea (ay-men-uh-REE-uh) — the lack of a menstrual period. This term is used to describe the absence of a period in:

1. Young women who haven't started menstruating by age 15

2. Women and girls who haven't had a period for 90 days, even if they haven't been menstruating for long

Causes can include:
3. Pregnancy

4. Breastfeeding

5. Eating disorders

6. Extreme weight loss

7. Excessive exercising

8. Stress

9. Serious medical conditions in need of treatment

As mentioned previously, when your menstrual cycles come regularly, this means that important parts of your body are working normally. In some cases, not having menstrual periods can mean that your ovaries have stopped producing normal amounts of estrogen. Missing these hormones can have important effects on your overall health. Hormonal problems, such as those caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or serious problems with the reproductive organs, may be involved. It's important to talk to a doctor if you have this problem.

Dysmenorrhea (dis-men-uh-REE-uh) - painful periods, including severe cramps. Menstrual cramps in teens are caused by too much of a chemical called prostaglandin (pros-tuh-GLAN-duhn). Most teens with dysmenorrhea do not have a serious disease, even though the cramps can be severe. In older women, the pain is sometimes caused by a disease or condition such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis.