Being overweight is becoming a common sight. However, opting for bariatric surgery is not the first option for everyone who is obese. Also to remember is that morbid obesity is not an isolated condition. It affects a person s overall physical and mental health in various ways, and therefore bariatric surgery becomes an option only as a last resort. 

Some defining criteria for this surgery would be:

A male who is at least 100 pounds overweight for his height or a female who is at least 80 pounds overweight for her height. This puts them at a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40.
If the BMI is in the range of 35 to 39 and if there are significant health issues like metabolic syndrome, then bariatric surgery can be done. For BMI less than 35, other conservative measures are usually tried before resorting to a surgical approach.
Most people with BMI in the range of 35 and above will have health issues like sleep apnoea, heart disease, lipid disorders, and metabolic syndrome.
Conservative measures to lose weight including diet changes and exercise have failed to produce any desired results.
The person, in addition to physical health, should also be emotionally strong to undergo the demands of bariatric surgery. There are changes involving almost all body systems including digestive, respiratory, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, and so the person needs to be prepared for a lifestyle change.
Strict lifestyle changes including diet and exercise are required, so the person needs to be counseled and convinced about these. A person who can see the long-term benefits will be willing to take the effort.
It is also essential that the person has a strong social support system. For immediate post-op care when skin flaps need to be managed, and for long-term emotional support to manage emotional issues, it works wonders if there is a strong social network. The results are usually better in such people.
A person s overall health would be screened to make sure the lab tests are well within acceptable limits before surgery. It would be unreasonable to get these numbers within limits, if they are way too beyond acceptable limits.
Not the least consideration, but bariatric surgery is an expensive affair. It requires not just surgical costs, but also post-op costs. The good thing, however, is that overall healthcare costs would come down, once the results are visible.
Identifying the right candidate for a bariatric surgery is very essential, as doing this extensive surgical approach on an unsuitable candidate would be a failure.

Bariatric Surgery - Who Is Eligible For The Same?

Feeling acidic after eating a heavy meal can often make you regret those last few morsels. This acidic sensation is known as acid reflux or Gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known as GERD. GERD occurs when the functioning of the lower oesophagus muscles is restricted. This makes the undigested food in the stomach and stomach acids leak back into the oesophagus. 

Thankfully, this is not something you have to live with and a few simple lifestyle changes can help resolve the situation.

Do not lie down after eating: When your body is in a horizontal position, there are higher chances of food being regurgitated into the oesophagus. To avoid this, finish your meals at least 3 hours before going to bed. Sit upright while eating and do not lie down or slouch immediately after eating. This gives the food time to be digested and move out of the stomach.
Limit your food intake: Overeating is one of the most common triggers of GERD. Cutting down your portion sizes can instantly reduce the number of GERD occurrences. Instead of eating large, heavy meals, shorten the duration between meals and have more frequent small meals.
Avoid foods that trigger acidity: With time, you will soon realise which types of foods trigger an acidic reaction. Some common triggers are onions, peppermint, caffeine, citrus fruits etc. Keeping a diary can help identify such foods and ease your problem.
Quit Smoking: Nicotine not only harms your lungs, but can affect your digestive system as well. It is responsible for weakening the muscles that control the opening between the stomach and oesophagus. This allows stomach acids and food from the stomach to re-enter the oesophagus. Alcohol can also worsen GERD symptoms and hence it is better to avoid alcohol is you suffer from frequent bouts of acid reflux.
Lose weight: Overeating, obesity and acid reflux go hand in hand. Being overweight can put extra pressure on your stomach and abdomen, thus pushing food and gastric juices into the oesophagus. Losing this extra weight should effectively resolve your acid reflux problem if you are overweight.
Look at your medications: Some types of medication too can cause acid reflux by interfering with the digestive system and irritating the oesophagus. These types of medication include blood pressure medication, asthma medication, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bisphosphonates, sedatives and painkillers. Do not simply stop taking these medications, but talk to your doctor about replacing them with something else.

GERD - 6 Ways You Can Manage It!

Silk pillowcase slows down skin aging

Using silk pillowcase is known to slow down skin aging by giving you a wrinkle-free skin. This is due to many good qualities of silk fibers.

Silk is a natural fiber obtained from animals and contains amino acids which are compatible and friendly to the human skin. It also contains temperature regulators which adjust your skin to the changing temperatures. Hypoallergenic silk fibers resist many skin allergens like fungus, spores etc making it ideal for sensitive skin.

The tightly woven fiber which remains most in contact with your face retains moisture to your skin and keeps your skin well hydrated. Unlike dry and flaky skin, moistened skin cells are most likely to show fewer wrinkles and hence slow down skin aging process.

Did You Know a Silk Pillowcase Can Slow Down Your Skin's Aging?

Prostate cancer is a cancerous tumor in a man s prostate gland, a small gland that is responsible for producing the seminal fluid which transports and nourishes the sperm. It is a very common type of cancer among men. A few cases of prostate cancer tend to develop slowly while others may progress very fast.
Symptoms-
In the initial stages, prostate cancer may not show any symptom. However, in the latter stages, there may be symptoms such as:
Pain in the bones.
Erectile dysfunction.
Urination can get troublesome.
Presence of blood in the semen.
Pain and discomfort in the pelvic region.
Causes-
The exact causes of prostate cancer are not known. It starts to develop when certain cells in the prostate gland start to mutate. These mutations cause these cells to multiply at a very fast rate and thus, soon form tumors. Although the causes are not known, certain factors tend to aggravate this condition; them being:
Color: According to certain medical reports, a darker skin may mean increased chances of suffering from prostate cancer.
Age: The risk of developing prostate cancer tends to increase with age.
Genetics and Family History: Faulty genes could be another cause of this condition. Also, having some member in the family who is diagnosed with this type of cancer only increases the risks of you suffering from them.
Obesity: If you are obese, then you are more likely to develop prostate cancer.
Treatments-
The treatments for prostate cancer include:
Radiation Therapy: In this procedure, high energy rays are used to target and destroy cancer cells. Usually X-rays or protons are used to treat the cancer cells.
Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy is a type of treatment wherein certain medications are administered to prevent your body from producing testosterone.
Surgery: If the other treatment methods do not produce desired results, then a surgery is carried out for the removal of the prostate gland. In addition to the prostate gland, some adjoining lymph nodes and tissues are also removed.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is method of destroying cancer cells by injecting chemicals into the body. The medicines are injected into the veins in the arms. 

All About Prostate Cancer

Hectic lifestyle, unhealthy food habits, poor bowel movements, and stress can all add up to one condition called the GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD refers to a particular type of digestive disease, and mainly affects the LES or lower esophageal sphincter, which is a muscle ring between the stomach and the esophagus resulting in the symptoms such as burning sensation in the chest or difficulty in swallowing.

Treatment options
While the moderate or mild GERD can usually be treated with healthy lifestyle changes, diet, and medications, when the condition gets severe, surgery becomes the only option to prevent the issue from deteriorating further. Here are some of the common surgical options available for treating GERD:

Fundoplication: This surgical procedure is the most common and standard surgical option for treating GERD. It focuses on tightening and reinforcing the LES by wrapping the upper portion of the stomach around the outer side of the lower esophagus which strengthens the sphincter.
Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication: Transoral incisionless fundoplication or TIF is another surgical procedure available for treating GERD and can be performed when an open fundoplication cannot be performed. It is performed by creating a barrier between the esophagus and the stomach which prevents the stomach acid from reflux or going backwards.
Stretta: This surgical procedure is performed as an outpatient option using an endoscope. Here, a flexible tube is passed into the esophagus where the electrode present at the tip of the tube creates tiny cuts on the esophagus by heating the esophageal tissues. As a result, the scar tissues formed, block the nerves that are responsible for acid reflux.
Bard EndoCinch System: This surgical procedure also uses an endoscope to create stitches to make pleats in the lower esophageal sphincter, which strengthens the LES. However, this surgical treatment option is not as common as other GERD treating procedures.
Linx Surgery: In Linx surgery, a special device called Linx, a ring containing microbeads of magnetic titanium, is wrapped around the sphincter to make it strong. As the beads are magnetized, they help in keeping the opening between the esophagus and stomach closed, while letting the food pass normally.
Recovery
As long as the surgical option is laparoscopy, they are the least time-consuming as well as less painful with lesser downtime, but may not be ideal for everyone. When it comes to traditional surgical treatment options like fundoplication, it takes around minimum six weeks to resume the daily activities. However, for laparoscopic fundoplication, the downtime is one or two weeks. Linx surgery is a minimally invasive surgical option and therefore, the recovery time is shorter than other traditional surgeries for treating GERD. Depending on the patient's health conditions and response to surgery, the recovery time may vary for each surgical treatment options for GERD.

So, seek the advice of your gastroenterologist for the best possible treatment option to get completely cured of the condition.

Treating GERD: 5 Surgery Options That Can Help!

Enlarged prostate surgery is a very common type of surgery that many have to undergo nowadays. An enlarged prostate causes many health problems including urinary tract obstructions and urinary tract infections. It may also lead to the passing of blood via urine. Thus, enlarged prostate must be treated as soon as possible as neglect may lead to prostate cancer and its associated health issues. There are various types of prostate surgeries that a doctor performs on his/her patients. However, of late, radical prostatectomy is the most popular of them all.

What is Radical Prostatectomy?

This process can be handled in two ways. Firstly, the prostate can be reached through an incision in the abdomen. This would help the doctor work with precision and carefully avoid all the other nerves and muscles in the area the operation take places. The prostate is examined and any nodule or lymph formed over it is carefully removed. The advantage of this surgery is that the patient is less likely to suffer from any erectile problems post- surgery. The second option would be to make an incision between the scrotum and the anus. This process is best for those who are obese. The surgery is performed quickly and there is less loss of blood. Furthermore, the healing time is less too.

How To Recover From The Surgery?

Like most other prostate operations, even in radical prostatectomy, you would have to wear a catheter till you recover completely. For a few days post the surgery your urine would be collected through a urine bag attached to the catheter. One might feel a little sore in his/her genitals after the surgery, but that is quite normal to occur. The soreness is caused due to the surgery and the incisions made and would heal in a matter of a few days. Interestingly, since the urethra plays an important role in this surgery, the catheter has to be in place for at least two to three weeks but the patient can be discharged after a two to three night stay at the hospital. It is advised that the patient takes ample rest. But this does not mean all rest and no work. In fact, it is seen that patients can walk a little and even go back to a normal diet within a week to ten days of the operation. But regular checkups, till the urethra is healed, are compulsory.

Hence, these are some of the recovery procedures after an enlarged prostate surgery. Such surgeries are quite common and heal quickly.

What To Expect Post An Enlarged Prostate Surgery?

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