PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) through its effects on the ovaries, usually leads to symptoms such as amenorrhoea, scanty or delayed menstruation or infertility. As a syndrome it also has associated conditions viz. excess hair growth, acne, obesity, diabetes or prediabetic states. From the medical perspective, the exact reasons for this condition are not known and though it can be controlled, there is no permanent cure for the same. However, from the perspective of psychology there are certain anxieties that are seen to be associated with this condition, which if worked upon do help in reducing the symptoms overall. The most prominent anxieties are;

1. Anxiety/ aversion of pregnancy – coming from a low confidence in self or incidences of mortality/ complications in and around the family in association with pregnancy lead to a severe anxiety regarding pregnancy.
2. Anxiety of parenting – history of various emotional traumas during their own childhood or any situation that leads them to believe parenting as a highly difficult task or as painful for the child, can develop severe anxiety and a sub-conscious aversion towards parenthood.
3. Traumas regarding sex or femininity –
   1. History of sexual abuse in childhood that leads to an aversion/ anxiety towards a physical relation or to the femininity itself; the femininity now being seen as the reason for the abuse.
   2. Extreme criticism, derogatory or a discriminatory behaviour that destroys the self-esteem of the girl child can make the now adult girl feel unworthy of any responsible job, including parenting.
4. Anxiety/ Need for being the male ‘Responsible’ child – being the elder daughter or the only child (female), can sometimes make the female feel extremely responsible towards her parents

Obesity is the increase in the fat deposits in the body that can have harmful effects on our health. One simple way of measuring obesity is by;

1. Calculating the BMI (body mass index),
2. Using the simple height to weight charts where the range of an ideal weight for a particular height is given for comparison

Obesity however must be differentiated from overweight, wherein the extra weight can occur also from an increased muscle mass as in body builders or weight lifters and can be mistaken for obesity. Hence, one more method to quantify obesity is by measuring the skin fold thickness for the sub cutaneous fat deposit.   Why is obesity harmful? Obesity is the forerunner for most other chronic illnesses including; arthritis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesteremia, sleep apnea as also creating a predisposition towards malignancy. Causes of Obesity: Common reasons for developing obesity include; family / hereditary factors, hypothyroidism, poor eating habits & lifestyle. Psychology of Obesity: If hormonal or any metabolic reasons for Obesity have been ruled out, then it is quite common to corelate obesity with certain mental states that include;

1. Depressed moods: this can often present itself in two forms;
   1. Laziness: Chronic anxiety can sometimes present itself in a hidden form as a state of demotivation, often expressed as laziness. It is this demotivation that usually prevents a client from doing the exercises and taking good care of themselves, despite having complete knowledge about the same.
   2. Faulty eating habits: Food is often a solace for us in moments of sadness or depression. Inability to curtail food habits despite knowing its harmful effects can hence also be a defense mechanism adopted as a means of seeking our happiness.
2. Peer Pressure: Addiction to a faulty lifestyle and eating habits can arise from the insecurity one has towards being accepted by the society or a certain group and hence the need to adhere to the lifestyle of that group.

Arthritis refers to the condition of inflammation around a joint space. A joint is a place where two or more bones come together for the purpose of facilitating a movement (though there are some joints that do not allow any movement). Though there are various reasons for causing arthritis, there are certain arthritic conditions that may necessitate medical intervention. Hence, we suggest that you seek a medical opinion for all cases or arthritis and we will be suggesting management of only diagnosed cases of Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Osteoarthritis: This is a degenerative condition that occurs due to the wear and tear in and around the joint spaces. Psychology Of Osteoarthritis – the reasons for increased degeneration of a bone are;

1. Weak bones – Weakness of bones that can occur due to nutritional deficiencies must be corrected by correcting the diet. Psychological reasons may include demotivated states leading to a lack of physical exercise, which affects the regenerative function of the bones, further leading to bone weakness.
2. Increased strain on the bones arising from;
   1. Obesity – reasons for which have been mentioned under obesity
   2. High sense of responsibility towards others with usually an inability to say a NO. these are the individuals who usually compromise on their own comforts and end up hurting themselves while taking more care of others. Reasons could be either a highly compassionate behaviour or an inability to hurt others coming from some deeper anxieties.

• A high demand for perfection and success coming from some deeper insecurities that can make a person being often physically overactive or glued to a chair often in a wrong posture.

1. Assuming a wrong posture can put uneven pressure on the bones, accelerating the process of degeneration which could simply be a physical factor. Overuse of electronic gadgets can be an addiction, whereas inability to take the necessary breaks in-between work could be a sign of some anxieties; both coming from some deeper covert insecurities.

Rheumatoid Arthritis & Ankylosing Spondylosis Though there is a variation in the intensity of these affections, both are related to the category of auto-immune conditions. The function of our immune system is to protect us from any foreign body that could be harmful for our health and existence. Every normal cell of our body has its unique identity marker (antigen), a record of which is available with our certain white blood cells. This is why our immunity recognizes our own cells and do not harm them. Rather whenever there is a new cell/organism that enters our body, our immune system recognizes it as a foreign body and attacks it as an intruder. Auto-immunity occurs because of some damage that occurs, damaging the identity markers of our own cells, leading to a failure of our immune cells to recognize them as our own. The result is an attack on our own cells. The reasons for autoimmunity are not yet completely understood, though there is growing evidence that many of our health conditions, e.g. hypertension, migraine, psoriasis, etc. could be auto-immune in nature. Psychology of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylosis: The damage to a cell wall, increases with the level of activity and the strain on a cell, which can also be related to the aging of our cells. Overuse of our body along with lack of proper rest, which has become quite common nowadays could be one reason towards this predisposition. Another factor that is commonly observed is the extremely high levels of emotional sensitivity coupled with lack of their ability to express themselves (suffering in silence).

Asthma is a chronic affection of the lungs, wherein the person finds it extremely difficult to breathe. Mild breathlessness may not be serious, but severe impediment can sometimes be. The process: There are 3 factors that lead to this difficulty in breathing;

1. Spasm of the bronchial muscles that cause a narrowing of the air passage, leading to difficulty in breathing
2. Swelling of the internal mucosal layer of the bronchi that leads to further narrowing of air passages
3. Increased mucus secretions that clog the air passages affecting the exchange of gases (oxygen and CO2).

Weakening of lung tissues from infections or inflammatory conditions in early childhood can be predisposing factors. Triggering factors can be;

1. Exercise induced
2. Allergy induced
3. Pollution induced

There is no treatment as per the allopathic system of medicine, which considers this disease as non-curable. However, evidence shows reduction in the frequency, duration and intensity of the episodes following Yoga practices with effective Stress Management. The Psychology of Asthma: Allergies can be seen as the physical expressions of mental sensitivities. The two responses of sensitivities can be either;

1. Crankiness or irritable behaviour
2. Suppressive or brooding behaviour.

The intensity of these two types of behaviours can usually be seen as proportional to the intensity of the asthmatic episode, though more commonly, it relates with the suppression of emotions, esp. anger.

If we were to study the functioning of a factory, it could be divided into certain important steps;

1. A production line that goes into creation of the smaller parts of a larger product
2. Assembly lines where these smaller parts will be assembled in various sequences to create that larger product
3. Giving final touches to the product
4. Keeping the employees pepped up and the machinery in good condition
5. Keeping the energy lines active throughout (coal/ electricity)

If we were to compare our whole body as an aggregate of various organs and systems, it too can be compared to a factory that has different product lines simultaneously going on. And if we were to search for one word that can explain that can describe these activities at a physiological level; the word would be ‘metabolism.’ And further on, if we were to search for one hormone that has a significant role in controlling the metabolism of our body, that would be the thyroid hormones (T₃ & T₄). Hypothyroidism, thus is the condition when the levels of these hormones are reduced leading to reduction in the metabolism of body, expressing itself in the form of;

1. Coldness of body and cold intolerance – due to lower heat production in the body
2. Slowing of pulse
3. Reduced appetite, torpor and similar states of lethargy
4. Slowed bowel movements and constipation

Psychology of Hypothyroidism: Is that the thyroid hormones control our metabolism or could it be possible that the thyroid hormone is a reflection of our body to carry out the various metabolic activities. Going back to the example of a factory, we can ask the question as to when and why is it that a factory slows down its production. The answer is, either;

1. When there is a cyclical reduction in the demand of the product or
2. There are repeated losses incurred that could Demotivate, importantly the investors who may not shut down the entire factory but may pull back investments which automatically reduce its functioning.

Patients having hypothyroidism are also seen to be affected by states of Frustration, Demotivation or Depression. But rather than being an associated symptom of hypothyroidism, it is also seen to be the reason behind this condition. Long drawn stressful situations where the results are either painful or severely against the expectations can gradually lead to demotivated states, further leading to affection of the thyroid function. Counselling and effective Stress Management programs which have helped overcome the depressive moods, is often seen to improve the thyroid functions simultaneously.