Water effectively constitutes 70-75% of human bodies and keeps us protected from many harmful things. But many people have a frequent question: is it alright to drink water before you brush your teeth? Will it harm your body? Let us discuss the same in this article.

Many people believe that they should not drink water before brushing their teeth because of the bacterias present in saliva after you wake up. But this is a myth and it does not have any scientific logic. When you drink water after waking up before brushing, your saliva goes with the water down into the stomach which results in the killing of the bacteria due to the high acid content inside it. Therefore there is absolutely no harm if you drink water before brushing teeth.

If you are familiar with Japanese culture then you must know that the Japanese drink two glasses of water every morning immediately after they wake up. Drinking water immediately after you wake up without brushing your teeth does not harm you in any way. Doctors always recommend drinking two full glass or at least one, on an empty stomach. There are several benefits your body receives when you consume water every morning after you wake up.

Drinking water every morning has its own long list of benefits. Let us have a look at them-

Boosts your immunity- Drinking water every morning strengthens your immunity system. Helps you to fight diseases and germs much better.
Clears the bowels- After your drink water in the morning, you will get an urge of flushing out your bowels. This way the bowels remain clear and you do not face any constipation issues.
Speeds up metabolism- Your metabolism gets boosted when you drink water resulting in faster digestion and metabolic rate. It also keeps you hydrated through the day.
Prevents headaches and migraines effectively and it also helps in preventing colon infection because your bowels get cleared easily.
Helps in weight loss- Drinking water every morning helps you to lose weight by a significant margin due to the fact it occupies the stomach killing the desire to eat much in the morning.
Beneficial for skin- Increase in the freshness of your skin complexion which water delivers if you drink it every day in the morning. It flushes out the toxins and dead cells which helps in increase of new and fresh body cells.
Thus as you can see the long list of benefits you will receive if you drink water every day after you wake up.

Is It Alright To Drink Water Without Brushing Your Teeth?

A hernia occurs because of an internal weakening of the abdominal layer, resulting in tearing. The inner most layer of the abdomen forms a sac and pushes the weakening area. This results in the abdomen tissue being slipped into the sac, causing pain and other health problems. It can occur to both men and women. Apart from natural weakness of the abdomen, a hernia can get triggered from heavy weight lifting, constant coughing, gaining weight and from irregular bowel movement. 80percent of hernia cases originate near the groin.

What are the symptoms?
Some of the common symptoms of a hernia include:

Constipation
Nausea
Feeling of fullness even without eating a thing
Sharp pain while lifting weight
Burning sensation
Dull ache near the groin area
Bulge near the groin area
How is a laparoscopic hernia performed?
This mode of surgery uses a telescope-like instrument known as the laparoscope. With the help of a small incision, the laparoscope is inserted at the belly button. Since the procedure is performed withanaesthesia, it isessential for a doctor to do a routine medical check-up that evaluates the general health of the patient, past medical history, EKG, blood work etc.

Usually, the patient doesn t feel a thing while the surgery is performed. A video camera is connected to the instrument to get a detailed inside view of a hernia and the area that needs to be repaired. Before this, the abdomen is inflated with the help of carbon monoxide. A mesh is placed inside the abdomen to fix the defects of the abdominal wall and strengthen the weakened tissue of the abdomen. Once the procedure is done, the incisions that are made in the abdomen is closed with the help of surgical tapes. The mark of incision disappears within a month.

Benefits of Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery
The benefits of laparoscopic surgery are quite evident.

A lot of tiny incisions are made rather than making a large incision in the abdominal area. This ensures speedy recovery and a short stay at the hospital.
The pain is significantly less compared to the conventional surgery.
The cost of a laparoscopic surgery is lesser
Lastly, a speedy recovery can ensure that a person can return to work within a few days after the surgery is performed.
What to expect after the surgery
Doctors often suggest a week of complete rest after the surgery. The healing time can vary from person to person. A surgeon typically prescribes antibiotics and pain medications to cope up with the wound and pain. It must be ensured that these medicines are taken on time. A revisit to the surgeon might be required after a couple of weeks to assess the recovery.

An Overview Of Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery!

When an organ residing in a cavity such as the abdomen tries to push through the muscular layer it resides in, it is called as hernia. 

Though said to be genetic, hernias can be caused by things such as improper heavy lifting, incorrect posture, or chronic constipation and as a result of surgical complication or injury. Factors like obesity, pregnancy, smoking, chronic lung disease aggravate the severity of the hernia. It is believed that about 27% of all males and 3% of females can have a hernia during their lifetime.

Types of hernias:

Inguinal hernia: The groin is the most common area, where the abdomen pushes through a weak spot in the lower abdominal wall, causing a protrusion into the inguinal canal. This is more common in men than women.

Hiatal hernia: The abdomen has the diaphragm separating it from the thoracic cavity in the upper border. When it pushes through the diaphragm, a hernia is caused and there is almost always associated food reflux in these cases. Though the most common cause is associated old age, due to muscle weakness, there also are cases of congenital hiatal hernias.

Umbilical hernia: The abdomen finds a weak layer along its length and protrudes through the skin on the stomach. Most commonly seen in babies around the bellybutton, it gradually corrects itself on its own. Quiet rare in adults, seen during pregnancy and in chronic obese people.

Incisional: These are post-surgical, and happen when the organ protrudes through the weakened wall due to surgery. The abdomen is again the most common area and the hernia can happen either onto the external surface or internally, when they are called ventral hernias.

These are the most frequent types, though hernia affects other organs like the spine, brain, appendix, etc.

Treatment
 
This includes a combination of constant monitoring followed by a decision to do surgical treatment. Hiatal hernias and umbilical hernias can be monitored for a while before deciding on surgery. Inguinal hernias may require surgery earlier in the stage. Post-surgery, a mesh is placed to hold back the tissue in its corrected place. The umbilical hernia in children could be self-limiting. If it does not get auto-corrected in the first year of life, that also would qualify for a surgical treatment. Hernias need to be managed under medical supervision.

Hernia - What You Should Know About It?

Potassium is an essential mineral which is known as an electrolyte. Electrolytes are responsible for maintaining the ionic balance of your body. Other electrolytes are sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, chloride. These electrolytes bear an electric charge which manages the electrical activity of your health system. Potassium also helps the muscles of the body to function properly. In fact, it has its contribution in regulating blood pressure; a crucial role for a healthy heart.

Potassium deficiency is a kind of medical condition which is known as hypokalemia. The normal level of potassium in the human body should be in between 3.5-5.0 mmol/L. But the deficiency in potassium can cause severe problems including muscle weakness, nerve disorders, heart problems, etc. Kidney is the organ which is known to manage the potassium balance by removing the extra potassium through urine.

Causes of potassium deficiency:

Lack of potassium in diet
Dehydration
Diarrhoea
Too much sweating
Several medicines also cause potassium deficiency

Signs of potassium deficiency:

You are getting wiped out too often: Like it is discussed before that potassium is responsible for your muscles to work actively. Each and every cell needs the required amount of potassium to work effectively. So, a little deficiency of potassium can leave you exhausted throughout the day. If your normal working routine leaves you exhausted and if you are sweating too often, then there is a chance that you are suffering from hypokalemia.
High blood pressure: Potassium plays an important role in maintaining the blood pressure by helping in relaxing the blood vessels. Low potassium can cause the blood vessels to get constricted, due to which your blood pressure increases.
Muscle weakness: Potassium plays a significant role in building the strength of your muscles. Lack of potassium can easily cause muscle weakness, aches and spasms.
Irregular heartbeat: Anything regarding your heart problem can scare you badly; especially when you experience sudden skipped heart rate or when your heart rate doubles. Low potassium can cause such palpitations and skipped heartbeat.
Feeling dizzy: Lack of potassium in your body can slow down your heart rate and make you feel dizzy or you may feel that you are going to faint. Though many other medical conditions can be responsible for such symptoms but hypokalemia is one of them.
Constipation: Potassium deficiency can affect your overall health. You might encounter symptoms like bloating, abdominal cramping etc.
Numbness and tingling: Potassium is significant in keeping your nerves healthy. Potassium deficiency can make you experience numbness, needle sensations on your feet, wrist, etc.
These are the signs that people encounter when they suffer from hypokalemia. Hypokalemia can make you feel extremely sick and it causes several diseases which are discussed above. It is always advisable to visit a doctor when you encounter any of these above mentioned symptoms.

Potassium Deficiency - 7 Signs You Are Suffering From It!

Laparoscopy surgery is a very vital component of the hernia repair. Studies have shown that many patients have a better outcome when they opt for laparoscopic surgery. Candidates eligible for this mode of surgery include those with bilateral inguinal hernias, ventral hernias, and recurrent hernia. People associated with athletics and other outdoor sports prefer to go for a laparoscopic hernia surgery as it ensures a speedy recovery and minimal tissue invasion (due to small incisions).

Laparoscopic hernia repair- inguinal
A laparoscopic surgery requires an incision of 1-2 cm at the belly (at the lower end). Two small punctures are done near the umbilicus. The punctures are done to make room for the cameras so that the surgeon is able to view the abdomen clearly. The smaller incisions allows the operating instrument to enter into the stomach.

The Procedure:
A balloon is placed in between the abdomen and the overlying muscle so that the peritoneum can be separated. When space is successfully made, the camera comes into the action to view the condition of a hernia. A hernia is pulled from its hole into the abdomen. Once the hole is detected, the defect of a hernia is fixed.

Laparoscopic hernia repair- incisional/ventral: Laparoscopic hernia repair is suitable for all types of a hernia such as an umbilical hernia, ventral hernia, recurrent umbilical hernia, epigastric hernia etc. Just like an inguinal hernia, A camera is placed into the abdomen through the muscles. Two small incisions are made for the operating instruments to get through. This is followed by the cutting of the tissue that is placed between a hernia and the intestine. The hole thus gets exposed. Through one of the laparoscopic ports, the hernia mesh gets rolled and is placed into the abdomen. A hernia is then pulled up and the mesh gets secured with 4 sutures. A special device is used to fix the healthy muscle.

Tension free repair: Tension free  repair is often used to symbolize hernia surgery. A hernia is often triggered by the weakened muscles. Few surgeons endeavors to sew the muscle around the area of a hernia. Since the muscles surrounding the hernia are weak in the first place, they pull apart causing a recurrence of a hernia. To avoid this, most surgeons use a mesh to strengthen the cells around the hernia region. This procedure ensures that the muscles aren t sewn but the mesh placed over the hole can prevent the muscle to push through the walls of the abdomen.

The use of mesh: There are some reservations about using the mesh in a hernia surgery. However, this is the safest and most appropriate way to perform a hernia laparoscopic surgery. The use of a mesh also negates the risk of open incisions and recurrence of a hernia.

Types of Hernia - How Laproscopy Can Help Manage?

Umbilical Hernia is a common condition in infants in which the intestine protrudes or pokes out through the abdominal muscles in the navel area, where generally the Umbilical cord is located. Umbilical Hernia is generally harmless if not sore and is evident when the bellybutton protrudes. During childhood, Umbilical Hernia closes on its own, but sometimes when it does not, it might require a surgical correction during adulthood. This condition is commonly seen in premature babies and can be diagnosed through physical examination alone.

Symptoms

Umbilical Hernia causes swelling or bulging near the navel and is generally visible under normal circumstances. However, in some cases, the protrusion occurs only when the baby strains, coughs or cries. Though this condition is painless, it can cause discomfort during adulthood. To avoid complications, it is advisable to seek professional help even if the condition initially seems harmless. There might be symptoms of pain, swelling, discoloration, and tenderness in the navel, accompanied by vomiting sometimes.

Causes

When the fetus is still unborn and in womb, the umbilical cord passes abdominal muscles of the baby through a small opening, which generally closes post birth. But in case muscles fail to completely join the midline of abdominal wall, this condition appears post birth, and sometimes later in life.

During adulthood, when there is too much pressure on the abdomen, it leads to this condition. This pressure might build up due to a number of causes like multiple pregnancies, obesity, previous abdominal surgery, ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity), and long-term dialysis for kidney function.

Complications

Complications might be caused when the protruding part of the intestine gets incarcerated or trapped and fails to push itself back into the abdominal cavity, reducing the blood supply. This leads to tissue damage and umbilical pain. If the blood supply totally fails, tissue death leads to gangrene, causing infection, and posing a life-threatening situation. In such cases, surgery might have to be performed in an emergency.

Treatment

Most of the times, abdominal tissue pushes itself back but sometimes, it has to be done by an experienced medical professional. When this cannot happen, surgery has to be performed to correct the situation. The surgery can be open or laparoscopic.

A small incision is made at the base of the bellybutton during surgery, which is a small and quick procedure. The hernia is corrected and sutures close the incision. For adults, sometimes mesh is used for strengthening the abdomen during open surgery.

Take Away

Umbilical Hernia is a condition in which the intestine or abdominal tissue protrudes through the abdominal muscles in the navel area, where generally the Umbilical cord is located. It is a harmless condition but sometimes painful. Generally, it corrects itself but when it fails to do so, corrective surgery is required which can be open or laparoscopic.

 Umbilical Hernia - How To Manage It?

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