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Acid Reflux: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Heartburn

Gastrointestinal reflux refers to the chronic digestive condition commonly called acid reflux . The lower esophageal sphincter functions as a valve. This muscle located in the esophagus remains closed most of the time. It opens to allow food and fluids to pass to the stomach. In the presence of acid reflux, the lower esophageal sphincter does not close completely or may open spontaneously for varying lengths of time. Food and acid from the stomach flows back into the esophagus. Acid blockers, which include H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors, are a group of medications used to treat acid reflux. Causes of Acid Reflux Medical experts acknowledge a malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter as the mechanism for acid reflux but the exact cause for this problem remains unclear. According to the Medical News Today website, certain conditions, foods and habits contribute to the incidence of acid reflux. Women can experience acid reflux during pregnancy and especially during the t
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Is There A Strong Link Between Anxiety, Insomnia & Depression?

Insomnia has long been recognized as a symptom of depression and anxiety disorders, but we’re learning that the relationship is a lot more complex. While negative thoughts, stress, worry, or irrational fears can keep you up at night and make it hard to fall asleep, good sleep is also essential for your mental health. This means that it isn’t a one-way street and insomnia or poor quality sleep can also contribute to or exacerbate anxiety and depressive disorders. In many ways the link between insomnia, anxiety, and depression is like the classic case of the ‘chicken or the egg’, where it’s hard to really pinpoint either as being the primary cause or the outcome. Understanding their relationship, however, can help in the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies. How Insomnia Increases the Risk of Anxiety & Depression Just one night of poor sleep can take a toll on your mood, leaving you feeling fatigued and down the following day. The effects are even worse w

Abdominal Ultrasound

Abdominal ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to acquire images of the abdominal organs. Unlike x-ray , ultrasound is non-ionizing radiation, so it has no known negative effects on the patient. It is often used in conjunction with other imaging modalities. Ultrasound, x-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image the body using different technologies, so each may be helpful in determining different properties of a mass for a more complete diagnosis. Preparation Bowel gas hinders the visualization of the abdominal organs. When a loop of gas-filled bowel lies between the transducer and the organ being examined, an artifact called shadowing is seen on the image and obstructs the view of the organ. Patients who are scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound are asked to fast during the eight hours prior to the examination. This allows bowel gas to subside for optimal imaging. Most likely, the patient will not need to undress for this examination . The patient's shirt will be

Aciphex (Rabeprazole)

Aciphex (rabeprazole) is a proton pump inhibitor used to treat GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and duodenal ulcers. GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) occurs when stomach acid leaks out of the stomach and into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn and damage to the inner lining of the esophagus (erosive esophagitis). Aciphex (rabeprazole) is a proton pump inhibitor often used to prevent GERD symptoms. How Aciphex Works The active compound in Aciphex is rabeprazole sodium, which limits the stomach lining’s ability to produce gastric acid (hydrochloric acid). Reducing stomach acid alleviates GERD symptoms and gives the esophagus time to heal. When taken with antibiotics, Aciphex is used to treat duodenal ulcers. Aciphex Doses Aciphex is generally taken for four to eight weeks to relieve GERD symptoms and heal damage caused by erosive esophagitis. If this time frame is insufficient a further four to eight weeks is warranted. Aciphex is also taken over long perio

Using Oxygen Safely While Traveling

Get copies of oxygen prescriptions from the health care provider who diagnosed the need to use oxygen, and make sure there is not any other needed paperwork. Depending on the means of travel, make prior arrangements for oxygen at the end of the destination. With some forms of transportation oxygen may travel with you. Before traveling, call a local company to find out the requirements for traveling with oxygen. Leave plenty of time to make those needed arrangements. Traveling By Auto with Oxygen Just as if there is a pet in the car, it is necessary to keep windows cracked open for the air to circulate. When using liquid oxygen, place the canister upright on the floor or on the seat. Secure it with a seat belt or tie it securely to the back of the seat. Store any extra oxygen canisters behind the seat: do not put them in the trunk as temperatures there can rise too high. Do not smoke or let anyone else smoke in a car with oxygen. Traveling By Bus or Train with Oxygen Call the bus

Lyme Disease and Humans

Lyme disease is probably the most common vectored disease in the world. Its causative agent is a spirochete: Borrelia burgdorferi . Borrelia normally requires both a tick host of the Ixodes genus and a warm-blooded host to complete its infectious cycle, but insects may occasionally also be vectors, transmitting Borrelia from one host to another. Spirochetes undergo multiple changes as the ticks are biting their warm-blooded host. But these pale in comparison with the changes that occur inside a human. Inside the Human If left alone once inside a warm-blooded host, spirochetes move through the blood stream, reproduce slowly, produce blebs, change shape, and move into the host's organs and tissues where they give off toxins that often reduce host mobility. Reduced host mobility increases the probability that new ticks will find and bite the infected host and transfer the spirochetes to more vertebrates. Spirochetes Release “Cluster Bombs” Each active bacterium releases int

Lyme Disease and Ticks

Most people have been or know someone affected by Lyme Disease. The ticks that transmit this disease are found in all of the US, Canada, Mexico, European and most Asian countries. When they bite, they can inject the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and other diseases. Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease Lyme disease begins after a tick bite. This is sometimes followed by a bulls-eye rash, becoming exhausted in the middle of the day – totally incapable of continuing without collapsing in bed, flu-like symptoms that may or may not go away, or suddenly developing arthritis. Since any of these symptoms could be something else, diagnosing LD is difficult. Diagnosis Difficulties The bulls-eye rash is diagnostic for Lyme disease and treatment often begins with no further testing, but almost 50% of people affected have no or atypical rashes. When Lyme disease is suspected, doctors send blood samples for testing. This test looks for antibodies in response to the bacterium. If the

A Bit Too Old to Know The Abbreviations, But Never To Old to Laugh

Have you laughed at all today? Do you know the last time you laughed? How about laughed out loud. LOL. How about laughing while watching a great TV show? Can you even remember the last time you laughed? Catherine Kalamis, in “Laugh Your Way to Health” (Choice magazine, March 2001), said that a 10-minute bout of laughing can have the following effects: As the person laughs, carbon dioxide is driven out of the body and replaced by oxygen-rich air, providing physical and mental freshness. Laughing can produce anti-inflammatory agents that can aid back pain or arthritis. Laughing encourages muscles to relax and exercises muscles all over the body, from the scalp to the legs. Laughing reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. It is also thought that laughter may possibly aid immune system responses, (though the evidence for that is primarily anecdotal). Laughing exercises facial muscles to prevent sagging. Laughing boosts the production of “feel-good” endorphin hormones. Gigg