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We have always been advised by our dentist to brush our teeth twice a day – right after we get up and right before we sleep. But how many of us actually follow it? Not many.
Though all of us brush our teeth in the morning but the rule of brushing at night is something we conveniently skip, because it isn't considered sacrosanct unlike brushing in the morning. 



If you are nodding your head in guilt, this article is for you.

The bacteria that reside in your mouth feasts upon the food that you eat. These bacteria later excrete waste material, which is highly acidic and can break the  leading to cavities and tooth decay.

When you sleep without brushing, the plaque starts to calcify and harden your teeth. And it gets worse with time because the calcified plaque is impossible to remove with brush or floss. The plaque build-up can lead to bad breath, gum infection, gum bleeding and swollen gums.

Why brushing at night is more important

If you do not brush your teeth before sleeping, you allow the plaque to grow and mature undisturbed overnight, which can even lead to colonization of the acid producing bacteria.

Brushing before bed does these three good things

1. Reduces acid build up

Your mouth is constantly building acid. The saliva in the mouth neutralises the acid with the calcium present in it. But during nighttime, since the saliva production is low, the acids gets accumulated. By brushing your teeth at night, you ensure that saliva secretion does not fall by the fluoride present in the toothpaste . This prevents your teeth from getting corroded.

2. Reduces bacteria multiplication

The saliva reduces the bacteria from multiplying. Thus, keeping your saliva secretion maintained by brushing before bed is very important.

3. Reduces food particles decay

The tiny food particles get stuck in your mouth rot overnight. It is best to hit the bed with a clean mouth to prevent decayed food particles playing foul in your mout.

What's the more important time to brush your teeth? Morning or night!


1. Greens

 No surprises there. Veggies such as broccoli, spinach, kale, watercress and Brussel sprouts are all free-for-all. The reason? According to a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, eating high-fibre, low-glycemic load foods such as these greens, is associated with a greater loss of weight compared to vegetables that are lower in fibre (we’re looking at you, carrots). And we all know the negative calorie benefits of sprouts...

2. Tuna

 Talk about a versatile protein source. You can eat it straight from the tin as a snack, toss it through salad leaves with chopped herbs, tinned white beans and a little olive oil and lemon juice, Hobson style, for a zero-effort satisfying lunch, or grill it on the BBQ for dinner come the summer time. Research in the Cell Press journal shows that including a portion of protein in each meal boosts your body’s level of the hunger-combating hormone peptide YY, and protein has also been linked to increased feelings of fullness. There’s nothing fishy about that.

3. Berries

 Not all fruits are as supportive of your weight loss goals as others so, when it comes to picking which weight-loss fruits to put in your basket, stick to blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries. A recent study by the Harvard Medical School found that berries are high in flavonoids, which can help with weight control. The best bit? The researchers found that these weight-loss foods, when eaten daily, had slim-down benefits, even when no reduction to overall calories was made. 'Berries have the highest level of micronutrients – even when you eat a bigger amount of them, you’ll end up consuming fewer calories overall,' Hobson says.

4. Feta

 We’re good to you, right? Well, when it comes to weight-loss foods, we’re sure you’ll be pleased to hear that cheese does not have to be off limits. Enjoy it in moderation – we’re good, but not that good – and opt for Feta. Why? 'It’s lower in fat and calories than other cheese,' Hobson says. 'Plus, its strong tangy flavour, and the fact that it crumbles easily, means a little goes a long way.'

5. Chickpeas

 Looking to ensure pesky hunger pangs stay well and truly at bay? Switch the meat in your diet to legumes. Beans, peas and chickpeas were found by the Faculty of Science team at the University of Copenhagen to be more effective at increasing fullness. And it’s no wonder when a 1tbsp serving of chickpeas contains more than 2g fibre. You’ll also get the added benefit of choline, which has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body and help get your muscles moving.

6. Mushrooms

 Time to see fungi as your weight-loss BFF. 'Mushrooms function as ‘angiogenesis inhibitors’,' Hobson says. Which means? 'Angiogenesis is a process that results in the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. When you increase the amount of mushrooms in your diet, you are effectively fighting angiogenesis, making it harder for fat to get its own blood supply and grow.' Plus, research from the John Hopkins Weight Management Center found that eating low-energy density foods such as mushrooms in place of high-energy density foods like lean meat, meant lower calories and fat consumed – not just at the one meal in question, but throughout the whole day. That’s some boss multi-tasking.

6 best weight loss foods to eat on a budget



Here are the tests for breast cancer diagnosis:

  1. Physical Breast exam. The doctor will do a physical exam of the breasts and lymph nodes near the breasts (armpit) to check for lumps/abnormalities.

  2. Breast ultrasound. The use of sound waves to image the structures inside the body to look for lumps, etc.

  3. Mammogram. This is an X-ray test of the breast to look for abnormalities.

  4. Biopsy. When other tests show a problem, a sample of breast cells may be taken to make a definitive diagnosis.

5. MRI of the breast. Uses radio waves and a magnet to image the breast’s internal structure.

When breast cancer is diagnosed, other tests may be performed to determine treatment course and prognosis. They may include: a breast MRI, a bone scan, another mammogram (to look at the other breast or more tissues), complete blood count test, a CT scan, or a PET (positron emission tomography) scan.

The stages of breast cancer range from 0-IV. 0 means the cancer is contained to the milk ducts and is noninvasive. IV means the cancer is metastatic and has spread.


Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemo therapy, and hormone therapy. Surgery may be the first option. The patient may have bleeding, pain, infection, or swelling of the arm afterwards as complications. Here are some types of surgeries used for breast cancer:


  1. Taking out only the breast cancer or lumpectomy. This surgery may try to keep the breast intact, while removing the tumor and a small area of healthy tissue around it.
  2. Taking out the entire breast or mastectomy. This surgery removes all the breast tissue, including skin, fatty tissue, lobules, and ducts. Even the areola and nipple are removed.
  3. Taking out some lymph nodes or sentinel node biopsy. This involves removal of lymph nodes to prevent spreading of the cancer. This may be done in addition to a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
  4. Taking out many lymph nodes or axillary lymph node dissection. More lymph nodes besides the sentinel lymph nodes may need to be removed near your arm pit to prevent the cancer from spreading.
  5. Taking out both breasts or contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. This may be done if the cancer risk is high for the second breast due to family history or a genetic predisposition. 


For radiation therapy, protons or X-rays (high-energy beams) are used to kill the cancer. It can be done with a machine (beaming the energy at the body) or using radioactive chemicals (also called brachytherapy). This may require 3 days to 6 weeks of treatment. A radiation oncologist will determine the best course of treatment for each patient. Side effects can include swelling of the breast tissue, a rash (like sunburn), fatigue, heart/lung damage, or additional cancer at the treatment site (rare).

For chemotherapy, drugs are used to kill the cancer cells. This may be done after surgery to prevent a recurrence. Side effects include vomiting, nausea, hair loss, infection risks, infertility, premature menopause, heart or kidney damage, nerve damage, or even blood cell cancer (rare).

For hormone therapy, hormones are blocked for cancer that is sensitive to them. These are progesterone receptor positive cancers and estrogen receptor positive cancers.

Tests and Treatment for Breast Cancer

Safety of fertility drugs - Is it a cause of concern?



For millions of women struggling to conceive, fertility drugs are the first step

in treatment. Clomiphene works by stimulating the hormones in brain that trigger an egg (or several) to develop and be released from ovaries. Gonadotropins stimulate ovaries directly to produce eggs. Women typically produce only one or two eggs a month. Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG), urofollitropin, or recombinant FSH prompts the ovaries to produce several eggs. One of these drugs is injected into the muscle or under the skin.

What are the risks of gonadotropin treatment?

• Conceiving multiples is the most common complication of gonadotropin treatment. Of these pregnancies, two-thirds are twins and one-third are triplets.

• Though many couples consider this a blessing, carrying multiples increases risk of miscarriage and other complications.

• During stimulation for natural conception or IUI if three or more follicles are growing to maturity or if blood estrogen exceeds a certain point patients are asked to stop the injections in order to prevent a condition called hyper stimulation.

• Women who take a gonadotropin occasionally develop ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS). OHSS happens when a woman produces too many eggs after taking the drug. The ovaries rapidly swell and fluid accumulates in the abdomen, or around the heart or lungs. About 10 to 20 percent of gonadotropin cycles result in a mild form of OHSS, which can cause sudden weight gain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea, but usually goes away on its own. In 1 to 2 percent of gonadotropin cycles, OHSS is severe enough to require hospitalization and can lead to blood clots, kidney problems, or very rarely, death.

• Women may notice breast tenderness, rash or swelling at the injection site, bloated abdomen, or mood swings during fertility treatment.

Fertility treatment and cancer

During IVF treatment medications are given to stimulate the reproductive systems. As a result, women are exposed to high levels of estrogen, which the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences lists as a known carcinogen. But based on current research, scientists say there's little cause for concern.

As for ovarian cancer infertility, itself is associated with a higher risk. When compared to the general population infertile women have a higher incidence of ovarian cancer, but not one that is caused by IVF. The drugs have recently been linked to a very small increased risk for non-invasive ovarian tumours. But experts don't believe the dangers are significant enough to warrant extra screenings for women who have taken fertility drugs in the past.

Fertility medications don't raise risk of breast cancer, though they may accelerate the growth of a pre-existing breast cancer. Hence before starting IVF treatment it is mandatory to check for breast diseases.

Fertility treatments raise hormone levels for a matter of days which is far less time than the heightened hormonal exposure in nine months of pregnancy. Hence the risks for cancer development is not a concern.

Safety of Fertility Drugs

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