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!

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive form of cancer. The disease shows no early symptoms and often spreads to other organs long before it is properly diagnosed. Due to such poor prognosis, only around 6% of the pancreatic cancer patients are healthy and alive 5 years after the first diagnosis.

One of the most common surgeries to remove tumours from the pancreas is Pancreaticoduodenectomy, that is commonly called Whipples surgery. The primary aim of the procedure is to cure cancers or disorders that are identified in the pancreas, bile duct or the duodenum. Here, the tumour is removed to prevent it from spreading to other organs, thus improving the life expectancy of the patient. 

Whipple's Procedure

Before the surgery, an intravenous line will be injected to your arm, to provide you with the necessary medication. Medicines may be passed through this line to soothe your nerves. A spinal injection or an epidural catheter may be placed. This helps you to recover painlessly after the surgery.

The surgery can be carried out in different ways  

Open surgery

Here, the surgeon makes a small incision in your abdomen to access the pancreas and other organs. This is the most common method. This is a complicated operation where the tip of the pancreas, the gallbladder, the bile duct and the initial portion of the small intestine are removed. It is performed to treat cancers that are present on the head of the pancreas. 

Laparoscopic surgery

Here several small incisions are made in your abdomen to insert a camera that transmits the live video of the abdomen to a monitor. According to the live feed, the surgeon performs the operation by using surgical tools. It is a common form of minimally invasive surgery.

Robotic operation

This is another type of minimally invasive surgery where the surgical tools are attached to a special robot. Here, the doctor uses a console to control the robot to perform the surgery. This is used because surgical robots can reach and operate in spaces and corners where the human hands may not reach during surgery.

 The Whipples surgery can take 4 to 12 hours depending upon the approach being used and the complexity of the process. During the surgery, you will be given general anaesthesia, so you will be asleep.

In some cases, a part of your stomach or nearby lymph nodes may be removed to treat the cancer growths. After the process, the doctor will reconnect the other organs so that you can digest food normally.

After the procedure, you may face problems while emptying your bowels. The condition improves around 7 to 10 days after the surgery. Most patients are able to return back to their normal life usually around 6 weeks after the procedure.

It is recommended that you follow the doctor s instructions after the surgery and stick to the diet prescribed. Additionally, keep the incision protected from sunlight and remove the bandages only after consulting the doctors. 

 

 

Whipples Surgery & Pancreatic Cancer - Know About Them!

The inflammation of your pancreas over a short period of time indicates acute pancreatitis, which is a serious health condition. You may experience symptoms such as severe abdomen pain all of a sudden, diarrhoea and feeling of being sick. Acute pancreatitis occurs when there are some problems with certain enzymes in the pancreas. This condition is often associated with gallstones and alcohol consumption.


Treatment
Acute pancreatitis can be cured in a hospital, where you will get monitored for signs of serious issues. In some cases, supportive things like oxygen and fluids are required. Here are the various ways by which the condition can be treated:


1. Fluids: The body may get dehydrated during acute pancreatitis. Fluids are provided via a tube connected to one of the veins of the patient. This is known as intravenous or IV fluid. These fluids may help in the prevention of a problem called hypovolemic shock, which occurs when the amount of blood in your body gets lowered due to a drop in fluids. 
2. Nutrition: Diet is usually not restricted for people with acute pancreatitis, but some patients are recommended not to consume solid food for some time. Attempting to digest solid food may cause a strain on the pancreas. You may need to avoid solid food for some days. You should use a feeding tube to get essential nutrients. This process is called enteral feeding and it may involve the insertion of a tube into your stomach via the nose. 
3. Oxygen: For ensuring sufficient oxygen supply to your vital organs, you will be supplied with oxygen through the tubes on your nose. The tube may be removed when your condition improves. In some cases, ventilation equipment may be required for assistance to breathe.
4. Painkillers: Acute pancreatitis causes severe abdominal pain and strong painkillers such as morphine may be given to the patient. These may make the patient feel drowsy. 


Treatment of underlying cause
After controlling the symptoms, the underlying cause must be treated. They are as follows:
1. Gallstone: When pancreatitis occurs because of a gallstone, you may require a process known as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or ERCP. The gallbladder may have to be removed, if necessary. 


2. Alcohol consumption: After getting treated for acute pancreatitis and you have recovered from this condition, you should try to avoid alcohol completely. Alcohol may spoil your recovery and the condition might reoccur or the symptoms may reappear. For freedom from alcohol, you may try counselling, joining self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or take a medicine which reduces your craving for alcohol. 


It is recommended that you visit a doctor immediately after experiencing any slight or severe symptoms of acute pancreatitis. This will help in early diagnosis and the chances of the symptoms getting worse are prevented.

Acute Pancreatitis - Can it be Cured?

Cumin, also known as 'jeera' in the Indian subcontinent, is an ancient seed that has been prized for more than 3000 years. Ayurveda holds this spice in high regards and uses it for treating a host of health disorders including burning of excess fat.

Why are cumin seeds considered to aid in weight loss?

An effective detoxifier: Ayurveda considers the accumulation of toxins to cause weight gain and other medical conditions. While certain toxins are easily removed with water, fatty toxins stick to cells and disrupt cell metabolism resulting in weight gain. To detox such hard-to-remove toxins, cumin seeds are predominantly used in Ayurveda. The seeds remove excess kapha from the intestines and detox liver effectively.
Lowers cholesterol that aids in burning fat effectively: Black cumin is rich in phytosterols which are plant fats resembling cholesterol present in animal fats. When consumed, they limit the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. Taking a tablespoon of cumin seeds every day has been medically proven to lower the amount of cholesterol up to 10 percent and bad cholesterol up to 14 percent. This reduction in addition to the cholesterol-lowering measures that you may have adopted would be helpful in burning fat much faster. Taking about 2 grams of cumin seeds combined with light freehand or aerobic exercises can lead to subsequent weight loss in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Lowers blood sugar levels and regulates metabolism: Any person with high blood sugar levels is aware that low insulin levels tend to create a craving for sweets and carbs while high insulin levels can cause extreme thirst and fatigue. Cumin seeds have been proven to lower the blood sugar levels. It lowers blood sugar levels by increasing insulin and glucose sensitivity. In this way, black cumin seeds can aid you to shed off extra pounds by improving the blood glucose levels as well as glucose absorption. In addition to all these benefits, black cumin seeds contain high amounts of oleic acid which is a fatty acid causing acceleration in the way in which the body burns fat.
Other benefits from cumin seeds: Constipation and indigestion are other common reasons for weight gain. An excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, and that has anti-flatulent properties, the cumin seeds can cure constipation, bloating and heaviness, thus, aiding in weight loss. Lack of sleep may also be causing weight gain. Cumin seeds can cure you of insomnia, thus. regulating your sleep pattern and metabolism.
Hence, cumin seeds are a simple and effective ayurvedic remedy for weight loss. Cumin seeds are more potent, and you can take a spoon of roasted or plain cumin seeds every day. Obese or normal, irrespective of your weight, taking cumin seeds regularly have quite a few benefits.

1 Tablespoon Of Cumin - Know How It Can Work Wonders!

Sometimes, when it comes to problems in the abdominal area, an ultrasound is not clear enough for a diagnosis. In such cases, an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may be performed. This procedure gives the doctor a clear view of the duodenum, bile duct, pancreatic ducts, gallbladder and papilla of Vater.

This procedure is usually performed under intravenous sedation without general anesthesia. This procedure involves the use of a duodenoscope, which can be described as a thin, long, flexible tube with a camera at one end. It also has a fiber optic bundle that transmits lights to the camera and a chip to transmit video images to a TV screen.

This is inserted through the patient s mouth and sent down the throat through the food pipe to the stomach and duodenum while the patient is lying on his or her back. The air pipe is left undisturbed so as to not interfere with the patient s breathing. Since the patient is not under general anesthesia, he or she can move and turn according to the doctor s needs. The papilla of Vater is a small nipple like structure with an opening to the bile duct and pancreatic duct. Once this has been identified, a small plastic catheter is passed through the duodenoscope into the bile duct or pancreatic duct through the papilla. Dye is then injected into the area and X-rays are taken of the bile ducts and pancreatic duct. In cases where a biopsy is needed, other instruments can also be passed through the endoscope. Plastic or metal stents can also be passed through this to relieve obstructions in the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts.

ERCP can be used to diagnose and treat a number of conditions in the liver, bile ducts, gall bladder, pancreas and papilla of Vater. These include:

  Blockage of the bile duct by gallstones, cancer, scars, tumors or compression from adjacent organs.

  Jaundice due to an obstructed bile duct. This can also cause light stools and dark urine.

  Persistent upper abdominal pain

  Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite

  Diagnosing a Dysfunctioning Sphincter of Oddi within the Papilla of Vater

ERCP can also be used to confirm pancreatic cancer and cancer of the bile duct. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctors can customize treatment according to the patient s needs.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography - Procedure and Results

Problems are pancreas are common and are treated by gastroenterologists. There are two common pancreas problems -

1. Acute Pancreatitis: Sudden Inflammation of the pancreas is known as acute pancreatitis. It is usually due to Alcohol, gall stones, trauma, metabolic causes such as hypertriglyceridemia, and congenital causes such as Pancreas divisum. The patient presents with severe upper abdominal pain and vomiting. Patients require admission for IV fluids and analgesics. Nearly all patients recover from the pain and start eating within 3 to 4 days. Few patients with severe pancreatitis may develop kidney failure, respiratory failure or GI bleeding. Such patients require longer hospitalisation stay and critical care management. Recovery is usually uneventful but few patients develop peripancreatic fluid collection known as Pseudocyst or walled-off pancreatic necrosis(WOPN). In such cases, the patient requires additional treatment of fluid collection and requires internal drainage by Cystogastrostomy which is done by Endosonography (EUS) by a gastroenterologist. Some patients require ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) for evaluation of pancreatic ductal leak. EUS and ERCP are advanced endoscopic procedures done by a few gastroenterologists who are specially trained in such procedures.

2. Chronic pancreatitis: Long term irreversible damage to the pancreas is called chronic pancreatitis. It is usually due to Alcohol intake. It presents with upper abdominal pain, Diabetes mellitus and fat in stools (steatorrhea). The small duct in the pancreas called main pancreatic duct can have hard calcifications also known as stones, which obstruct the flow of pancreatic juice and cause severe abdominal pain. Treatment of chronic pancreatitis includes stopping alcohol intake to prevent further damage to the pancreas, medicines for pain, Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and Endoscopy for those who do not respond to medical treatment. Endoscopy includes ERCP and plastic stenting to establish a flow of obstructed pancreatic duct and Endosonography (EUS) guided Celiac plexus block for decreasing pain. Patients who develop fluid collection such as Pseudocyst require internal drainage by Cystogastrostomy which is done by Endosonography (EUS)

In Brief About Types Of Pancreatic Disorders!

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