Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed every year on May 28. It has become a global event which marks the importance of period hygiene and also draws attention to the importance of breaking taboos related to menstruation. The concept lies in the understanding that menstrual health, in fact, is a fundamental aspect of human rights, dignity, and public health. This year, Sustainable Development Goals is leading the charge to educate, empower, and transform the conversation around menstrual health.

Good Period hygiene is also crucial for the health, well-being, and empowerment of women and girls worldwide. It also plays a critical role in enabling women and girls to reach their full potential.

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Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025 Theme

This year, the theme for Menstrual Hygiene Day is "Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld". This theme encourages collective action to ensure that menstruation does not limit access to education, health, or opportunities. It also emphasizes on the importance of breaking the taboo and stigma around menstruation. The goal is to create a world where menstruation is a normal part of life and everyone can manage their periods with dignity and safety.

Menstrual Hygiene Day History

It was first initiated by a German-based NGO WASH United in 2013 and observed for the first time in 2014. This is especially important for developing countries, where women's choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by the costs, availability and social norms.

Why Is Menstrual Hygiene Important?

Why is it important to talk about periods? The reason is that even today, 1 in 4 women in India say they are being negatively impacted through social media misinformation about menstruation. It creates panic and fear about something which is a natural process. This data comes from the 10th edition of the everteen Menstrual Hygiene Survey, which was released ahead of Menstrual Hygiene Day.

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As per the World Bank, on any given day, more than 300 million women worldwide are menstruating. In total, an estimated of 500 million women lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. As per the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme 2012, menstrual hygiene is defined as:

“Women and adolescent girls are using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood, that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access to safe and convenient facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials. They understand the basic facts linked to the menstrual cycle and how to manage it with dignity and without discomfort or fear.”

The challenges that menstruators face encompass more than just lack of basic supplies and infrastructure. While menstruation is normal and healthy part of life, there are many societies, where menstruators continue to be constrained by cultural taboos, which further encourages unhygienic practices, shaming, isolation, and even gender-based violence.

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As per a study published in 2017 in Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, that talks about the myths and symbolism related to menstruation which further encourages taboos. These cultural norms, associated with religion and historical beliefs also link menstruation with impurity, which is why it leads to menstruators feeling ashamed to talk about it, further discouraging them the access to a healthy life.

In a major blow to the athletics world, Ruth Chepngetich, the women’s marathon world record holder, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) made the announcement on Thursday, July 17, sending ripples across the global running community.

The 30-year-old Kenyan runner, who has been hailed as one of the most dominant figures in long-distance running, now finds her illustrious career under intense scrutiny.

What Is the Drug Behind the Ban?

Chepngetich tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a diuretic commonly used in medicine to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and fluid retention.

While HCTZ is not a performance-enhancing drug, it is classified as a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to its potential use as a masking agent.

HCTZ increases urine output, which can dilute the concentration of other substances in the urine, including performance-enhancing drugs, making them harder to detect. This is why it remains under strict monitoring in competitive sports.

Chepngetich’s sample, collected on March 14, 2025, reportedly showed an HCTZ concentration of 3,800 nanograms per millilitre, dramatically higher than the WADA threshold of 20 ng/mL. This has raised immediate red flags for potential misuse.

Under Scrutiny

Before this suspension, Ruth Chepngetich’s career had been nothing short of phenomenal. She captured global attention in October 2024 when she smashed the women’s marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon, clocking in at 2:09:56, nearly two minutes faster than the previous record held by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa. It was her third Chicago Marathon victory, reinforcing her status as a marathon titan.

Chepngetich’s reputation was also built on her grit, especially visible during her gold medal win at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where she overcame brutal midnight heat to win the marathon. These performances had elevated her to the status of a national icon in Kenya, a country with a rich tradition in long-distance running.

However, the doping revelation now casts a shadow over those accomplishments and has triggered broader concerns about doping in elite marathons.

Investigation Timeline and Next Steps

According to the AIU, Chepngetich was notified of her positive result on April 3, 2025. While she wasn’t immediately banned, she voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension on April 19 as the investigation began.

“Chepngetich was not provisionally suspended by the AIU at the time of notification; however, on 19 April, she opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU’s investigation was ongoing,” said Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU.

On July 17, the AIU formally issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own provisional suspension, pending further action.

Chepngetich now has the right to challenge the findings and present her defense before a Disciplinary Tribunal.

If the charges are upheld, she could face a ban of up to two years, depending on whether the tribunal finds aggravating circumstances or any prior infractions.

While Chepngetich’s case is still under review, it adds to a troubling pattern that could shake public trust in elite sports. Her legacy — once built on speed, stamina, and triumph — now hangs in the balance.

For many individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS), muscle spasticity, an often painful and limiting symptom, can be one of the most persistent and frustrating aspects of the disease. Characterized by stiff or tight muscles that resist movement, spasticity can interfere with basic activities like walking, dressing, or even sleeping. But an encouraging breakthrough may be on the horizon.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati’s Gardner Neuroscience Institute are currently conducting a promising Phase 2 clinical trial for a new oral drug that targets the body’s endocannabinoid system, a natural internal mechanism that helps regulate muscle tone and relaxation. Rather than introducing an external muscle relaxant, this treatment is designed to enhance the body’s own ability to ease muscle stiffness by preventing the breakdown of naturally occurring compounds called endocannabinoids.

“Our goal is to find a treatment that’s not only effective, but also better tolerated during the day,” said Dr. Shahla Hosseini, MD, PhD, in a statement released by the university. “Most existing oral medications come with side effects like drowsiness or fatigue, which can significantly reduce a patient’s quality of life.”

How the New Drug Works

The new treatment under investigation inhibits specific enzymes that normally break down endocannabinoids in the body. These endocannabinoids function like the body’s natural muscle relaxers, but in people with MS, their levels tend to be low. By elevating endocannabinoid levels, the drug aims to restore better muscle control without the sedation that plagues current treatments.

This trial will involve approximately 200 participants from multiple international sites, making it a robust, multicenter effort. Over a period of six weeks, participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of three different doses of the study drug or a placebo. There’s also an optional six-week extension, which allows all participants to potentially receive the active drug and helps researchers compare the varying doses more effectively.

If successful, the trial could pave the way for a new class of medications to be used in tandem with current therapies like physiotherapy and botulinum toxin (Botox) injections. The drug’s oral format also means it could offer a non-invasive, easier-to-manage option for long-term symptom relief.

Broader Potential Beyond MS

While this trial is focused on MS-related spasticity, researchers are hopeful that the drug could eventually help individuals with other neurological disorders that impact muscle control, including spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and stroke. This makes the study’s success particularly significant, not just for those with MS, but for a wider community of patients affected by similar conditions.

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system—including the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers, disrupting the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Over time, this can lead to nerve damage and deterioration.

Common Symptoms of MS:

• Muscle spasticity or stiffness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty walking or maintaining balance
• Vision problems (e.g., blurred or double vision)
• Numbness or tingling, especially in the limbs
• Cognitive difficulties
• Bladder and bowel dysfunction
• Pain or muscle cramps

Symptoms can vary widely depending on the area of the nervous system affected, and they often come and go in episodes known as relapses.

How is MS Diagnosed?

Diagnosing MS can be complex and typically involves a combination of:

• Neurological exams to assess reflexes, vision, coordination, and balance
• MRI scans to detect lesions or areas of demyelination in the brain or spinal cord
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to examine cerebrospinal fluid for specific immune markers
• Evoked potential tests to measure electrical activity in response to stimuli

There’s no single test for MS, so diagnosis often involves ruling out other conditions with similar symptoms.

When the sniffles will not stop and your mornings start with continuous sneezing, it is natural to assume you have caught a cold. But what if it is something more persistent, like allergic rhinitis?

What is allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis is an allergic reaction that occurs when your immune system overreacts to allergens like pollen, dust mites, animal dander, or mould. This common condition is marked by a suite of symptoms, including sneezing spells, a runny or blocked nose, itchy, watery eyes, post-nasal drip, fatigue, poor sleep, and constant coughing. Unlike the common cold, it is not caused by a virus, and symptoms can persist for weeks or months or even all year round.

How is it diagnosed?

Dr. Manish Arya of the ENT, Allergy and Vertigo Clinic points out that “most people with allergies are unaware of the exact trigger causing their symptoms. That is where the skin prick test (SPT) comes in.”

This quick, safe diagnostic tool involves pricking tiny amounts of various allergens into the skin—typically on the forearm or back. “If you are allergic to a substance, a small red bump (like a mosquito bite) appears in 15–20 minutes,” he explains.

The benefits of the SPT are many:

• It helps identify specific allergens such as dust mites, pollens, fungi, pets, or certain foods.
• It guides both avoidance strategies and treatment plans.
• It is painless – just small skin pricks!

What is allergy immunotherapy?

While most people turn to antihistamines or nasal sprays, Dr. Arya says that these only provide temporary relief. “That is where immunotherapy comes into play; it is like a vaccine for your allergy,” he says. Immunotherapy aims to gradually desensitise the immune system to allergens and is the only known method to reduce allergies in the long term.

According to Dr Arya, it can be administered through:

• Allergy shots (Subcutaneous Immunotherapy or SCIT)
• Under-the-tongue drops/tablets (Sublingual Immunotherapy or SLIT)

What does immunotherapy offer?

• Reduces symptom severity over time.
• Decreases dependency on medicines.
• Prevents worsening of allergies or the development of asthma.
• Safe for children and adults.

Dr. Arya emphasises, “It is a long-term investment in your health, usually taken over 3 years. In some cases, it may be extended up to 5 years. It does not contain any steroids or antihistamines and is completely natural.”

Why Early Testing and Treatment Matter

“Allergic rhinitis is not just a nuisance,” warns Dr. Arya. If left untreated, it can:

• Over a period of time, it may worsen to asthma as well in about 50 per cent of cases.
• Cause recurrent sinus infections.
• Affect sleep and work/school performance.
• Lead to ear problems in children.

“Allergies can take a toll on your quality of life,” Dr. Arya says. So instead of just popping pills every season, it is time to find out what you are allergic to and treat the root cause. Skin prick testing and immunotherapy have transformed how we manage allergic rhinitis today.”

Quick Allergy Checklist – Do You Have It?

• Frequent sneezing, especially in the mornings
• Nasal congestion or watery discharge
• Itchy eyes or throat
• Symptoms triggered by dust, pollen, or pets – or sometimes without any trigger!
• No fever (unlike colds)