The belly button marks the exact spot where your umbilical cord was once attached—the vital connection that provided oxygen and nutrients in the womb. Once you started breathing, eating, and discharging waste on your own, this cord was no longer needed. What remains is a mark, a reminder of your months in your mother’s womb. However, it often gets ignored as you grow up. And there is nothing wrong with that. Your belly button does not require a special skincare routine, but neglecting its hygiene can lead to a buildup of bacteria, potentially causing a smelly discharge.

But generally, a discharge from your belly button is normal and colourless. According to experts, normal discharge is typically clear or light-coloured, has a slight odor (similar to sweat), and has no pain or redness around the navel.

What happens when you get a Bacterial or yeast infection in the belly button?

Experts say that the most common funk you might encounter in your belly button is a bacterial or fungal infection. A study titled

A Jungle in There: Bacteria in Belly Buttons are Highly Diverse, but Predictable published in 2012 in PLOS One Journal states that once rarefied to four hundred reads per sample, bacterial communities from belly buttons proved to be at least as diverse as communities known from other skin studies (on average 67 bacterial phylotypes per belly button).

This occurs due to poor hygiene, excessive sweating, or trapped moisture. Other conditions include navel piercings, cysts, and skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis. People with diabetes are particularly susceptible to fungal infections such as candidiasis if their blood sugar isn't under control, according to a 2019 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Bacteria and fungi love the dark environment of your belly button. If your belly button is infected, you might notice some redness or swelling. The discharge might look like pus, making your belly button smell bad. If it's a yeast infection, your belly button might also itch.

What happens when your navel piercing gets wrong?

Belly button or naval piercing, if infected, can lead to severe pain, discolouration, swelling, discharge and pus. It can also cause the skin to appear red, causing delayed or failed healing.

Other common signs include:

Chills or fever

Persistent pain or inflammation

Sensitivity or discomfort when moving

Swelling or tenderness to touch

When Should You See A Doctor?

Ludwig Minelli, 92, died on Saturday just days before his 93rd birthday, which would have been on December 5. He was the founder of Swiss right-to-die organization Dignitas. He has died by assisted suicide.

The members of organization paid tribute to him and said that he had always led a "life for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights".

Right-To-Die By Minelli

Minelli founded Dignitas in 1998, which has helped many people to choose how they wish to die with dignity. He however began his career as a journalist and worked as a correspondent for the German news magazine Der Spiegel. He then studied law and that is when his interest in human rights took off.

Throughout his life, he campaigned for the right to die and gave Dignitas the slogan: "dignity in life, dignity in death".

"I am persuaded that we have to struggle in order to implement the last human right in our societies. And the last human right is the right to make a decision on one's own end, and the possibility to have this end without risk and without pain," he said in a 2010 BBC interview.

He founded Dignitas after he split from an older Swiss assisted dying organization, Exit, because he said the rules felt too restrictive.

The reason for Dignitas to become famous was because the way it operated. Dignitas offered assisted suicide to non-Swiss citizens who travel to Switzerland because assisted dying is not permitted in their own countries. In a 2008 interview to Der Tagesspiegel, he said that Dignitas assisted 840 people to die, and 60% of them were Germans.

Also Read: Supreme Court Steps In For 31-year-old's Passive Euthanasia Plea Who Has Been In Vegetative State For 10 Years

His Life Amid Criticism And Legal Battles

While he devoted his life for a cause, he was not spared from criticism. He was often criticized for an alleged lack of transparency over the financial dealings of the organization. He was further criticized for offering assisted dying options to those who were not terminally ill, but wanted to end their lives. He also faced numerous legal battles, and many of which were also appealed to Swiss apex court.

The Wins He Made

As per Dignitas, his work had a lasting influence. In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights announced the right of a person capable of judgment to decide on the manner and the time of their own end of life.

While in his own country, assisted dying was permitted under Swiss law since 1942, under strict condition, of course, Euthanasia still remains illegal there.

The main difference is that in Switzerland, a physician cannot administer a lethal injection, which is what euthanasia is. However, a physician can provide the means for a person to end their own life, and the individual must perform the final act themselves.

The legality of assisted suicide is based on Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code from 1942, which prohibits assistance only if motivated by selfish reason. The conditions for assisted suicide includes that the assistance must not be for selfish motives and must be provided to someone of sound mind who has made a self-determined and enduring decision to die. The person must also be suffering from an unbearable and uncontrollable condition.

The shape of your gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your backside, may offer surprising clues about your likelihood of developing diabetes. New research suggests that the contours of this major muscle change with age and health conditions, helping scientists better understand how fitness, muscle health, and metabolism are connected.

Ageing, Weight, and Diabetes: What We Already Know

For years, the NHS has warned that ageing and excess weight increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. However, this new study goes beyond traditional measures, proposing that the shape of the gluteus maximus itself shifts as people age or develop conditions such as osteoporosis or diabetes. These subtle muscular changes could provide valuable information about a person’s metabolic health.

Why the Gluteus Maximus Matters

Researchers from the University of Westminster highlighted that the gluteus maximus plays a key role not just in movement but also in metabolic regulation. Healthy, well-maintained muscles can improve blood sugar control and reduce the burden on organs involved in glucose processing.

Dr Marjola Thanaj, co-author of the study from the university’s Research Centre for Optimal Health, explained, as reported by Independent: “People with higher fitness, as measured by vigorous physical activity and hand grip strength, had a greater gluteus maximus shape, while ageing, frailty and long sitting times were linked to muscle thinning.”

Mapping the Muscle

To understand these differences, researchers used advanced MRI 3D mapping to create a detailed anatomical model of the gluteus maximus. By analyzing more than 61,000 MRI scans from the UK Biobank database, they discovered that the shape, not the size, of the muscle varied significantly between individuals with diabetes and those without it.

What the Study Found

The MRI analysis revealed distinct, sex-specific patterns linked to Type 2 diabetes. Among male participants living with the disease, those classified as “frail” showed widespread muscle shrinkage across the gluteus maximus, indicating a loss of muscle quality and strength.

Women with diabetes, on the other hand, had enlarged muscle shapes — not because of increased muscle strength, but because of fat infiltrating the muscle tissue. This type of fat infiltration often signals declining muscle function and poorer metabolic health.

Dr Thanaj said these patterns underline a crucial point: men and women can experience the same illness in very different biological ways, which may influence diagnosis and treatment strategies in the future.

Why Maintaining Muscle Mass Matters

Beyond appearance or strength, muscle health is essential for long-term wellbeing. Maintaining muscle mass supports blood sugar regulation, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and lowers the likelihood of developing fatty liver disease, all conditions closely linked to metabolic health.

Professor Louise Thomas, senior author of the study, told The Times: “Maintaining muscle mass as we age is one of the most important things we can do for our long-term health. If people understand how important their muscles are, and make small changes to keep them healthy, that could have a huge impact on disease across the population.”

Small Steps to Strengthen Your Glutes

Improving glute muscle health doesn’t require intense gym sessions. Simple actions such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, adding squats or lunges to your routine, or breaking up long periods of sitting can help tone and strengthen the gluteus maximus.

Kidney disease is rising at an alarming pace worldwide, and it’s now among the top causes of death. A Lancet study highlights that the number of people living with chronic kidney disease jumped from 78 million in 1990 to nearly 788 million in 2023. That’s a massive tenfold spike, and a reminder that our kidneys need more attention than we realize.

The tricky part? Kidney problems often progress silently. Many people don’t realize anything is wrong until the kidneys are already significantly damaged. That’s why experts strongly emphasize early screening. According to nephrologists like Dr Arjun Sabharwal, a few simple tests — often quick and inexpensive — can help catch kidney issues early and improve treatment outcomes.

Below are the four key tests everyone should know about, especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney disease, or you’re simply trying to stay proactive about your health.

Creatinine Blood Test & eGFR: Your First Kidney Health Check

eGFR uses creatinine values along with age and other factors to estimate how well your kidneys are functioning overall. Doctors often say, “Creatinine is just a number — eGFR tells you how much your kidneys are working.”

An eGFR below normal may be an early signal that your kidneys aren’t filtering efficiently, even if you feel fine.

Cystatin C: A More Accurate Indicator for Some People

Cystatin C is a protein produced naturally by all cells. When kidneys are healthy, its levels stay stable; when the kidneys struggle, the levels rise.

Experts highlight that Cystatin C can be more reliable than creatinine for people with very high muscle mass, those who work out intensely, or individuals taking supplements that may affect creatinine readings. If creatinine results seem unclear or inconsistent, this test adds clarity.

Urine Dipstick Test: Quick and Tells You a Lot

Before kidney function takes a major hit, the body often shows early warnings — one of which is protein leakage in urine. A urine dipstick test is one of the fastest ways to detect this.

A chemically treated strip is dipped into your urine sample, and if proteins like albumin are present, the strip changes color. It’s simple, non-invasive, and helpful for spotting early kidney damage.

Urine Protein-to-Creatinine Ratio (UPCR): How Much Protein Is Leaking

If a dipstick shows abnormalities, the next step is often a UPCR test. This test measures exactly how much protein is leaking into the urine relative to creatinine. Higher levels may signal worsening kidney function or underlying disease. Doctors use UPCR to assess the severity of kidney damage and monitor progress over time.

When to See a Nephrologist

If any test shows rising creatinine, an abnormal eGFR, protein in urine, or blood detected on a dipstick, it’s crucial to book an appointment. Lifestyle tweaks, home remedies, or detox drinks cannot reverse kidney damage. Expert evaluation is essential.