Achalasia is a serious disorder of the esophagus in which your nerves and muscles fail to work properly. This disorder causes problems in your body such as chest pain, difficulty to swallow food and excessive coughing. 

You will also face problems in breathing in case the food enters in to the lungs. There is a valve in your lower esophageal splinter, which closes the esophagus from your stomach. If you have problems like achalasia then perhaps your lower esophageal splinter fails to open while swallowing food it can lead to accumulation of food in esophagus. In this condition the nerves in your body gets damaged and hence cause health complications.

You are at risk of achalasia when you are middle aged, but it can also occur during childhood. Auto immune disorder often places you at risk for achalasia.

Symptoms of achalasia:
The major symptom of achalasia is dysphagia in which you face problems while swallowing food. You may feel that the food is struck in your esophagus which causes choking and problems when you breathe. There may be other symptoms of achalasia which includes:
1. Loss of weight
2. Heart burn
3. Discomfort or pain while you eat food
4. Chest pain
5. Risk of esophagus cancer

Treatment for achalasia:
Esophageal manometry is a technique your doctor may use, if he suspects achalasia when the symptoms include difficulty while you eat and swallow foods. A tube measures the muscular activity in your stomach and reports about the functioning of your esophagus. Another way to diagnose is through X- ray of the esophagus or endoscopy.

The treatment for achalasia generally starts with oral medications. Sphincter nitrates and calcium blockers often help to relax the muscles. Botox can also help to relax your sphincter and help you swallow food.
Esophagomyotomy also helps to treat achalasia in which your doctor can use an incision to access the sphincter and also alter it to enable better flow into the stomach. It s a generally successful procedure, but sometimes can cause gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) which causes heart burn and would require intensive care. Sometimes surgery can also help to give relief but it can also cause acid reflux, respiratory problems, tearing of esophagus along with other serious complications.

Laparoscopic surgery is a simple and effective way of treating this problem .The tight lower esophageal sphincter is released to make way for easy passage of food.The patient recovers in one day and is discharged home following this operation.

Achalasia - Symptoms + Treatment

Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is a condition where the prostate gland gets enlarged. This is mostly common in men who are ageing. When the prostate gland gets enlarged, the flow of urine through the urethra gets blocked, and hence, several problems related to urination may occur. BPH occurs as a result of hormonal imbalance. If untreated, BPH can lead to severe bladder and urinary health conditions.
There are several symptoms and signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Here are 7 common symptoms:

1. A frequent need for urination: Men affected by BPH feel an increased need to urinate frequently. This gets enhanced during the night and is called nocturia. The patient may even need to urinate more than eight times a day. Due to the enlarged prostate gland, more pressure is put on the urethra, which leads to uncontrollable urination.
2. Urinating difficulties: The act of urination becomes difficult. Because of enhanced pressure on the urethra, the flow of urine to the penis from the bladder gets blocked. This makes a urine stream hard to start. The urine stream gets weak and interrupted, and more difficulty may be experienced during the end of urination.
3. Pain during urination and ejaculation: Due to pressure on the urinary tract and reproductive system, pain can accompany urination and ejaculation. Some patients tend to push urine out, which results in pain. The pain may also occur because of infection during BPH.
4. Blood in urine and an unusual color/smell: Urine may take a dark color and have an unusual smell due to urinary retention. Unpleasant urine smell signifies urinary tract infection. Blood in the urine may also result because of dilated veins present on the surface of the enlarged prostate.
5. Urinary retention: When a patient is unable to pass any urine, it is called urinary retention. Such a condition requires immediate treatment, and you need to consult a doctor immediately.
6. Urinary tract infections: Bacteria may start growing in the bladder when the bladder is not fully emptied of urine. This bacterial infection causes darkening of the urine, and emission of a foul odor.
7. Bladder stones: Bladder stones may develop because of the inability of the bladder to empty itself completely. This is a major symptom of BPH. Hard lumps of minerals or bladder stones are formed when the urine present in the bladder gets highly concentrated, which causes the crystallization of minerals. Bladder stones may cause infections, result in blood in urine, cause bladder irritation and may also block urine flow.

So you see that benign prostatic hyperplasia involves the enlargement of the prostate gland, and results in several problems related to urination and different symptoms. Hence, immediate treatment is advisable.

7 Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Green Tea is often referred to as the elixir of health. It is refreshingly light, has minimal calories and provides so many health benefits that you would love introducing this to your everyday fitness and health regimes. Check out some of the wonders of Green Tea-

1) Cuts Your Risk of Cancer - Major researchers from all over the world agree that drinking Green Tea regularly can reduce your risk of cancer. Several polyphenols found in Green Tea are potent antioxidants that can prevent the growth of cancer cells and reduce the opportunities for tumors to thrive!

2) Protects Skin - Consumed or applied Green Tea has several benefits as well. For instance, Green Tea, when applied directly on the skin can help block skin cancer and reduce tanning. That's the reason why growing number of companies now use green tea extracts in their moisturizers and sunscreens. At the same time, it soothes your skin from cuts and scrapes when applied directly.

3) Increases Metabolism - You have heard it before! But we will remind you of the same again. Green tea is often known for increasing metabolism, which in long run, with exercising and healthy dieting can help you lose more weight. Drink a cup about half an hour before exercising and you will feel more powerful.

4) Stay Young - Green Tea, when consumed at least two cups a day regularly can help you stay younger, by giving your skin a natural glow and ensuring that your arteries don?t clog fat and cholesterol.

5) Steadies your Blood Pressure - Sipping even a single cup of Green Tea every day can help in reducing your chances of getting hypertension and high blood pressure. This is because of polyphenols, which can keep vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

If you have any more questions, click on consult privately to ask me.

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Top 5 Reasons to Start Drinking Green

Gastric bypass is a kind of bariatric surgery, which helps in weight loss. This surgery aims to make changes so that your stomach becomes smaller than it used to be. This limits the amount of food you consume and effectively helps you to reduce weight.

Are you fit for the surgery?

Not everybody can go in for this surgery. Your doctor will recommend this surgery after careful evaluation. These are the parameters based on which your doctor will make a decision-

  Your medical history - If you suffer from sleep apnoea, heart ailments, liver diseases, kidney stones or if you have blood clots then you might have to undergo the surgery.

  Your psychological status - Sometimes obesity is the outcome of certain psychological ailments. A doctor will first ensure that these conditions are addressed before you go under the knife.

How is the surgery performed?

Gastric bypass operation is performed under general anaesthesia so you will be asleep for the entire duration of the surgery and it will be pain-free. The surgery is done laparoscopically. Tiny incisions are made through which scope and fine surgical instruments are introduced into the abdominal cavity. The camera guides the surgeon by providing live images from inside the body. Laparoscopic gastric surgery is advantageous because the wound heals faster and does not leave any marks.

Sometimes your surgeon might opt for an open surgery where she/he makes a large incision to reach the stomach.

There are two major steps to the surgery-

  The aim of the surgery is to make the stomach smaller so the surgeon divides it into two portions with staples. The food that you eat will go into the upper part (the pouch) of the stomach. The reduced upper stomach can hold at the most 28 grams of food so you are forced to eat less than usual. This will help you lose weight.

  The other step is the bypass surgery. After the pouch is created, the surgeon links it to the small intestine through the small hole in the pouch. This way, food will pass directly from the pouch to the small intestine. The surgery takes around 3-4 hours. You will be kept under observation for a couple of days and you will be released from the hospital in a week.

Gastric bypass operation is an effective and simple surgery that can help you reach your weight goals when you have a very high BMI and most other dietary restrictions have not been successful.

Gastric Bypass Surgery - Everything You Should Know!

Heartburn is a common symptom experienced by many people, but is often overlooked as indigestion. Besides making you uncomfortable, this can be a sign of a much bigger health problem. While the occasional heartburn can be treated with antacids, chronic heartburn can be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or acid reflux. Here are three important reasons you should not ignore heartburn.

It can promote tooth decay:The acid regurgitated might not necessarily stop in the esophagus. It can often also make its way into your mouth. When this happens frequently it can promote tooth decay and wear out enamel. This can also leave your mouth with a sour taste. Acid reflux induced tooth erosion can easily be prevented by the early treatment of acid reflux,but in most cases is noticed only after the damage has been done.
It can cause cancer of the esophagus:Chronic acid reflux that persists for years can lead to changes in the cells of the esophagus. This can lead to a cancerous condition known as Barrett's esophagus. The condition has no other symptoms can if left untreated can develop into cancer of the esophagus. Women are at a higher risk of this form of cancer than men. Though esophageal cancer is relatively rare, it is not something to be trifled with. The survival rate of esophageal cancer is very low in comparison to other forms of cancer. Only 15-20% patients live longer than 5 years after this condition is diagnosed.
It can lead to breathing problems:Heartburn is caused by stomach acid flowing back into the esophagus. If it is inhaled after regurgitation, it can worsen asthmatic conditions and pneumonia. At the same time, treating acid reflux with medication like PPIs can also increase the risk of pneumonia as it can promote bacterial growth and suppress coughing. Thus, when consulting a doctor for acid reflux treatment ensure that you mention any existing asthmatic conditions so that you can be treated with your lung functioning in mind.
In addition, acid reflux can also impact a person's health and quality of life. To prevent heartburn people often find themselves avoiding certain foods. This can impact their social lives and in turn make them withdrawing into themselves. A person's sleep can also be affected by heartburn. Hence, it is important to treat heart burn as early as possible and not wait for it to become a chronic problem.

GERD / Heartburn - 3 Reasons Why You Should Not Ignore it 

The spleen is a very important organ of the human body. A splenectomy is the process of removing the spleen from the human body. The spleen is a very small, fist-sized organ which is located under the rib cage, close to the stomach. The basic function of the spleen is removing the damaged or dead red blood cells. It also removes any kind of bacteria present in the bloodstream that can cause infections. When the spleen is removed, there are chances of infection that can be life-threatening if not treated. It is always better to prevent infections as soon as you see the symptoms.

Why do you need a Splenectomy?
There can be many reasons for the removal of the spleen from your body such as  

In case, the spleen is damaged due to an accident, injury or in the process of an abdomen surgery.
For treating some medical conditions such as lymphomas or leukemias.
Overactivity of your spleen.
In case any abnormalities found in the red blood cells of the body.
Collagen vascular diseases
In some rare cases, a person may be born without a spleen.
Sepsis:
The infection that is caused due to the removal of the spleen is called sepsis. This is a life-threatening condition where the bacteria that causes the infection keeps on spreading to the entire body and bloodstream. It is going to impact the normal functioning of the human body. Symptoms of sepsis include high fever, shivering, headache, confusion, drowsiness, severe pain in the abdominal area and increased heartbeat. But all this starts with a simple respiratory problem such as a respiratory tract infection.

Tips to prevent infections after a Splenectomy:
If you have had a splenectomy, then it is very important for you to take certain precautions such as:

You need to take certain vaccines such as HIB, pneumococcal or meningococcal and they will reduce the risk of getting an infection after the removal of the spleen.
You will have to take some additional doses of the above vaccines in order to maintain the effect on your body.
You need to take antibiotics on a daily basis to prevent a sepsis infection.
The first stage or symptoms start with chills or fever and hence you should make sure to maintain a set of antibiotics. Start taking them as soon as you see these symptoms.
If you are travelling to another country, then make sure you carry the antibiotics with you. If you notice any kind of symptoms, you need to take the medicine immediately.
You need to discuss the above-listed points with your doctor, especially if you require more information about how to prevent infection after the spleen is removed.

Tips To Prevent Infections After A Splenectomy!

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