As you grow old, your health starts to deteriorate. Everything, whether it is your mental health or your physical health, starts to slow down. However, with age, your mental health gets overshadowed by your physical health.

Signs You Should Note

Neha Sinha, a dementia specialist and CEO and Co-founder of Epoch Elder Care, with the experience of 15 years notes that with age accessing social spaces becomes a hassle. “You are not able to go out because it is not accessible anymore or is not safe. This leads to loneliness. You start to withdraw from all social gatherings, and this leads to a deterioration in your mental health,” she points out.

If you note these signs in your ageing parents or grandparents, take note of it. Try to get involved with them. It is also important to ensure that they have a separate social circle apart from the family. This way, they can have friends who they can also relate to.

With age, suggests Sinha, you are more prone to be depressed, and anxious. “Mental health conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorders are not something that happens when you grow older. You may have been living with these for the last 40 years, but the management differs, she suggests.

As you grow old, your symptoms start to overlap with other mental health conditions. For the proper treatment professionals use differential diagnosis, suggests Sinha. “The lines become blurred and to differentiate the symptoms from one mental health condition to another becomes difficult,” she says.

Preventive Measures

While there are ways like performing brain quizzes and optical illusions to keep your brain functioning, Sinha says that not many studies have been done on it. Thus, it cannot be guaranteed that it will help. However, it surely helps keep your brain active.

There are also food habits like eating leafy vegetables, nuts, fish, virgin coconut and beans that help with brain functions.

Sinha suggests that keeping a social circle and continuing your hobbies can help your mind stay healthy. “Men especially face this issue, after they retire, they feel like they are at the loss of authority, and they start to lose control. It is thus important to keep doing things and learning a new skill to keep your brain active. While for women, since they continue taking care of the house, their brain stays active,” she says.

Cognitive stimulation is the key, especially to managing dementia, she notes.

“Just with weight training, you push your body and after a while, it becomes your muscle memory. Same with the brain. However, one should not get into solving too many puzzles, or trivia after being diagnosed with dementia. Because that would mean you are making your already injured brain exercise which might lead to agitation,” she recommends.

How to support?

It is important to know the ways you can support your ageing parents after they have been diagnosed.

“The most important part is for the caregiver to understand what is happening and come to terms with the conditions. Because the elderly with cognitive conditions are not able to understand, they cannot be told or instructed to do anything. Thus, the responsibility is solely on the caregiver,” points out Sinha.

So, what can be done?

Awareness

Sinha suggests that the caregiver must understand that most cognitive conditions in ageing parents is progressive. “Even if you give your 200%, the condition will progress, you must not blame yourself for it. But you can delay the progression by creating a healthy environment.”

Reach out to therapists and counsellors to know the ways to create such a healthy environment.

Be Patient

With progressive neurological conditions, the capability to communicate also deteriorates. “If you have a million words in your vocabulary, your parents might have a handful. So, it is important to pay attention to their needs,” she says.

She suggests adopting the same approach that you do with kids and with your pets. This is when you focus on gestures, body language and mood over language. Due to cognitive disorders, parents experience a loss of language and the only way to communicate and to understand what they are communicating is through these means.

Be Empathetic

The earliest sign of dementia is short-term memory loss. “This means that your parents may not remember what they had or breakfast or if they had breakfast at all. But they will remember their childhood stories. You may be confused if there is at all a memory loss since they remember old stories, and you might think they are doing this on purpose. But this is not the case,” she says.

Create a healthy environment by agreeing with them and listening to their stories. The responsibility of creating a safe environment is totally with you.

There might be times when your parents may do socially unacceptable or non-compliance behaviour. But it is important to understand the triggers and ensure that the triggers do not occur anymore.

Help Them Stay Fit

It is important that they physically stay well, and do not get any infections or don’t suffer a fall. For that, you can use the help of technology like motion sensors. GPS tracker is another way you can keep a check on them. “There is a tendency of wandering off and being unable to find your way back. In these cases, a GPS tracker can help,” she says.

India is no stranger to the monsoon, but in recent times, untimely rainfall, during the summers has become a recurring and worrying pattern. Sudden downpours and extended wet spells, often hitting before or after the traditional monsoon season, have created favorable conditions for a surge in seasonal diseases. Public health experts are increasingly concerned that this erratic weather is putting millions of Indians at risk, particularly in urban areas where poor drainage and sanitation aggravate the problem.

Why Untimely Rainfall Is a Health Hazard

Unseasonal rains lead to prolonged humidity and stagnant water, two ideal conditions for the breeding of disease-carrying mosquitoes and the spread of bacteria and viruses. Overflowing drains, waterlogged streets, and contaminated water supplies become hotspots for infection. With climate change making such weather more frequent, India’s already burdened healthcare system faces further pressure during the monsoon and beyond.

Here Is a List of 10 Most Common Monsoon Diseases:

Dengue

Spread by the Aedes mosquito (often called the tiger mosquito), dengue is the most widespread monsoon disease. To prevent bites, apply mosquito repellent gel or lotion regularly.

Symptoms:

• High fever
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Skin rashes
• Headache
• Low platelet count
• Hypersensitivity

Chikungunya

Caused by mosquitoes that breed in stagnant water, often in overhead tanks, coolers, or unused containers.

Symptoms:

• Intense joint pain
• High fever
• Fatigue
• Chills

Malaria

Another mosquito-borne illness that spikes during monsoon due to waterlogging.

Symptoms:

• Recurring high fever
• Chills and sweating
• Body ache
• Severe anemia

Cholera

Caused by consuming contaminated food or water, particularly where sanitation is poor.

Symptoms:

• Dehydration
• Muscle cramps
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Loss of skin elasticity

Typhoid

A highly contagious bacterial disease, often resulting from unhygienic food and water.

Symptoms:

• Prolonged high fever
• Weakness
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting

Viral Fever

Common during monsoon, this illness spreads easily due to temperature fluctuations and humidity.

Symptoms:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Muscle and joint pain
• Inflammation of the throat

Diarrhea

Typically caused by unhygienic food or water, diarrhea can become dangerous if left untreated.

Symptoms:

• Watery stools
• Abdominal cramps
• Fever
• Nausea

Influenza

Fluctuating weather often leads to cold and flu symptoms, which can spread quickly.

Symptoms:

• Fever
• Muscle ache
• Headache
• Nasal congestion
• Persistent cough

Leptospirosis

Transmitted from animals to humans, this bacterial infection becomes common in waterlogged areas.

Symptoms:

• High fever
• Headache
• Red eyes
• Abdominal pain
• Rashes

Stomach Infections

Caused by the consumption of unhygienic food, leading to infections like gastroenteritis.

Symptoms:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
• Low-grade fever

Staying Safe During the Monsoon

As India grapples with climate change-induced weather patterns, it is essential to stay prepared. Avoid street food, drink only boiled or filtered water, and use mosquito repellents. Basic hygiene practices like washing hands regularly and ensuring proper sanitation can go a long way in protecting yourself and your family during this unpredictable season.

On April 21, Hailey Bieber shared a selfie of herself lounging on a couch, and opened up about a recurring health challenge that she has been facing. She wrote on the post "Currently have 3 ovarian cysts", as she uploaded it on her Instagram story.

In her photo, she rolled up her black tank top to show her stomach, which seemed to be bloated. In the photo, she further wrote: "If you deal with ovarian cysts I'm right there with ya!"

She also clarified that she does not have endometriosis or PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), however, she has had cysts for a few times, and it has been recurring. She said that she had been dealing with it since 2022, and had a cyst "the size of an apple".

She also clarified for any pregnancy rumor, and said that she was "bloated", and the stomach was "not a baby". She wrote: "It is painful and achey and makes me feel nauseous and bloated and crampy and emotional."

What Are Ovarian Cysts?

As per National Health Service, UK, an ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac that develops on an ovary. They are very common and do not usually cause any symptoms. Most ovarian cysts occur naturally and go away in a few months without the need of any treatment.

The ovaries are 2 almond-shaped organs, which are essential part of the female reproductive system. There is one on each side of the womb or the uterus and have two main functions:

To release an egg approximately every 28 days as part of the menstrual cycle

To release the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, which also play a key role in reproduction

Ovarian cysts could affect both ovaries at the same tie or one at a time.

What Are The Symptoms?

The common symptoms of an ovarian cyst are:

• pelvic pain – this can range from a dull, heavy sensation to a sudden, severe and sharp pain
• pain during sex
• difficulty emptying your bowels
• a frequent need to urinate
• heavy periods, irregular periods or lighter periods than normal
• bloating and a swollen tummy
• feeling very full after only eating a little
• difficulty getting pregnant – although fertility is usually unaffected by ovarian cysts

Types of Ovarian Cysts

There are two main types of ovarian cysts:

Functional cysts: These develop during the menstrual cycle. They’re the most common type, usually harmless, and tend to go away on their own.

Pathological cysts: These form due to abnormal cell growth and are much less common.

Sometimes, ovarian cysts can be linked to underlying conditions like endometriosis.

Most ovarian cysts are non-cancerous (benign). However, a small number can be cancerous (malignant), especially in women who have gone through menopause.

Diagnosing Ovarian Cysts

If your doctor suspects a cyst, they may refer you for a vaginal ultrasound scan. If a cyst is found, it might be monitored with another scan after a few weeks, or you may be referred to a gynaecologist.

If there's a chance the cyst could be cancerous, your doctor may also recommend blood tests to check for certain chemical markers. Keep in mind, high levels of these markers can also result from non-cancerous issues like:

• Endometriosis
• Pelvic infections
• Fibroids
• Your period

Treating Ovarian Cysts

Treatment depends on:

• The cyst’s size and appearance
• Whether you have symptoms
• Whether you’ve gone through menopause

Often, the cyst goes away in a few months. A follow-up scan may be done to confirm this.

If you're postmenopausal, regular scans and blood tests might be done over a year to monitor the cyst, as the risk of cancer is slightly higher.

Surgery may be needed if the cyst is large, causes symptoms, or might be cancerous.

Ovarian Cysts and Fertility

Most ovarian cysts don’t affect your ability to get pregnant. But in some cases, they can make conception harder.

If surgery is needed, doctors try to preserve your fertility. This could mean:

• Removing only the cyst
• Removing one ovary and leaving the other
• In rare cases, both ovaries may need to be removed, which would stop egg production

It’s important to discuss fertility concerns with your surgeon before any operation.

Stress is your body’s natural response to challenges or demands. It’s a physical and mental reaction triggered by anything from daily responsibilities—like work, school, or family—to major life changes, such as illness, loss of a loved one, or a traumatic event. In small doses, stress can be beneficial. It helps you stay alert and focused and can even improve performance in some situations. This is because your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which increase your heart rate, speed up your breathing, and prepare your muscles to respond quickly.

But when the stress response continues for too long or happens too often, it can become harmful. Chronic stress—when your body stays in a prolonged state of alert—can lead to long-term health problems.

How Stress Affects the Body

Central Nervous and Endocrine Systems

Your brain’s hypothalamus triggers the “fight or flight” response, telling your adrenal glands to release stress hormones. These hormones prepare your body to deal with threats. Ideally, once the threat is gone, hormone levels drop, and your body returns to normal. But if stress persists, this system stays activated. Over time, this can lead to anxiety, depression, irritability, headaches, and sleep disturbances. Chronic stress can also push people toward unhealthy habits like overeating, skipping meals, smoking, or using alcohol or drugs.

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems

Stress causes your breathing to speed up in order to quickly move oxygen throughout your body. If you have a breathing condition like asthma, this can worsen symptoms. Your heart also pumps faster, and your blood pressure rises. Over time, this extra workload increases your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

Digestive System

Under stress, your liver produces extra glucose for energy. But if your body can’t regulate this surge, it can raise your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Stress may also lead to stomach discomfort, nausea, acid reflux, or bowel issues such as diarrhea or constipation. While stress doesn’t directly cause ulcers, it can aggravate them.

Muscular System

Muscles tense up during stress to protect you from injury. Normally, they relax when the stress passes. But with ongoing stress, they stay tight. This can lead to headaches, back pain, and general body aches. Chronic muscle tension can also make you less likely to stay active, which can contribute to more discomfort and reliance on painkillers.

Sexual and Reproductive Systems

Stress can reduce sex drive in both men and women. In men, long-term stress can lower testosterone, affect sperm production, and cause erectile dysfunction. In women, it may lead to irregular, painful, or heavier periods and intensify menopause symptoms.

Immune System

Initially, stress boosts your immune system. But over time, it weakens your body’s defenses, making you more susceptible to colds, flu, and other infections. It can also slow down your recovery from illness or injury.