Are you experiencing frequent and extended heartburn on a regular basis? This might indicate that you are having gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is a type of digestive disorder that affects your lower esophageal sphincters. The condition involves the return of the stomach s content back to your esophagus. Although heartburns are common, GERD involves chronic heartburns, which require an adequate treatment. 

Here the some important reasons why you should not ignore the symptoms of GERD:

Esophagitis: In case of GERD, the food, acid and digestive juices flow back from the stomach to the esophagus. This leads to irritation and swelling with time, which is called esophagitis. In case you have acid exposure in your esophagus for a few weeks, inflammation of the lining is indicated. This can be very painful and uncomfortable, making the esophagus more prone to scarring and further erosion.
Esophageal stricture: If esophagitis continues for a long time, scar tissues can lead to the narrowing of the esophagus. This is known as a stricture, which makes swallowing very difficult and painful. Large chunks of food may get stuck and you are more likely to choke while eating or drinking. You may tend to avoid food and water because of esophageal stricture, which may result in weight loss.
Throat and voice problems: Apart from heartburn, several other symptoms may also appear because of GERD. These are called cases of silent reflux where you may not experience heartburn. Instead, other issues are indicated which include voice hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat and chronic coughing.
Breathing problems: If stomach acid is inhaled after regurgitation, the symptoms of asthma and pneumonia may worsen because of GERD. Shortness of breath and breathing difficulties are likely, even without any lung problem.
Tooth decay: When the stomach acids and digestive juices go back to the esophagus and into the mouth, it leaves a sour taste. In case it occurs frequently, it wears away your tooth enamel and results in tooth decay. People experiencing acid reflux induced erosion may be unaware of the damage being caused until it reaches peak stages.
Esophageal ulcers: Stomach acid may result in the wearing away of the esophageal lining, resulting in ulcers and sores. These esophageal ulcers are different from stomach ulcers, which occur from bacteria. Patients with esophageal ulcers may vomit blood, and notice blood in stool. It is usually darker than its usual shade and may have the texture of coffee ground like particles.
It is important for you to visit a doctor immediately after experiencing the symptoms of GERD. This condition may cause severe distress if you let it advance, and hence, early diagnosis and treatment are very important.

GERD - Reasons Why You Should Not Ignore The Signs!

Kidney transplantation is a major surgery. In this surgery, doctors will remove your damaged/malfunctioning kidney and replace it with a healthy kidney from a donor. A successful kidney transplantation surgery will greatly increase your life expectancy if doctors have diagnosed you with chronic kidney disease.

However, some kidney transplantation surgeries have a better outcome than others do. This is mainly due to some factors that can affect the chances of success before and after the surgery. Here is a look at what these factors are.

Pre-surgery:

You may not be able to control what happens before the transplantation surgery, but here are some things that can affect your chances of a healthy life:

1. Age of the donor and the recipient: Younger people have healthier bodies and easily recover from surgery. Therefore, to achieve the best results in kidney transplantation surgery, it is important for the kidney donor to be young. Kidneys from a younger donor are likely to be healthier and function better for a longer time. For instance, if donor A is 60 years old and donor B is 30 years old, the outcome of transplant will be better if you receive the kidney from donor B. Similarly, if you are too old, your body may reject the transplanted kidney. However, your body will easily adjust to the transplant if you are young.

2. Living donors are better: If you receive a kidney from a living donor, the surgery is much more likely to be successful. In most cases of living donors, a friend or family member donates the kidney to the patient. Therefore, if you have a friend or relative willing to donate a kidney to you, you should opt for that instead of waiting for a kidney from a dead donor.

Post-surgery:

When you undergo a kidney transplant, you can develop heart diseases. Here are some things that will help you prevent that-

1. Keep blood pressure low

Some medications for your kidney disease can lead to an increase in blood pressure. Therefore, you should consult the doctor and report the elevated blood pressure, so that he/she can change the medicine. Additional medication may be required to keep your blood pressure under check so that you do not develop cardiac conditions.

2. Keep cholesterol levels in check:

To prevent organ rejection after the transplant surgery, doctors prescribe immunosuppressants. These drugs can increase cholesterol levels in the blood, which leads to blood and heart disorders. Therefore, you need to reduce cholesterol intake through diet. Ask your doctor about exercises that you can do to reduce cholesterol build up in the body.

Lastly, maintaining proper body weight is also essential after kidney transplantation surgery. Taking these measures will keep your overall body healthy while keeping heart disease and other problems at bay.

How To Achieve Best Results In Kidney Transplantation?

Ovarian cysts are common and most women will have at least one during their life. In most cases they do not display any symptoms and are discovered only during routine physical exams and ultrasounds. In most cases, it is nothing to worry about but in rare cases it can lead to complications and hence it is best to get an ovarian cysts checked out by a doctor.

Ovarian cysts usually affect women in their child bearing years. They can be described as fluid-filled sacs that develop in either of the ovaries. In an ultrasound image, these can look like small bubbles. Problems usually arise when these cysts grow larger or rupture. 

In such cases, you may experience symptoms that include:

Pain in the lower abdomen
Painful intercourse
Irregular menstruation
Painful urination and bowel movement
Pelvic pain after exercising
Nausea and vomiting
Bloating
Spotting between periods
Heartburn and indigestion
If the doctor suspects ovarian cysts, an ultrasound is usually used to confirm the diagnosis. A pelvic ultrasound or a sonograph as it is also known is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the body s internal structure. In some cases, an endovaginal ultrasound may also be required. This involves inserting a covered wand or probe into the vagina through which a clearer image of the ovaries can be seen.

If the cyst does not trigger any of the above symptoms, it usually does not require treatment. Instead a pelvic ultrasound may be scheduled after a month to check on the size of the cyst. In most cases, these cysts resolve themselves within a month or two. In the case of larger cysts, a biopsy may be required to rule out the chances of the cysts being cancerous. Birth control pills may be prescribed to address the pain associated with this condition. These pills are also used to stop ovulation and reduce the risk of developing further cysts.

Surgery is considered only if the cyst grows in size or continues to pain. In such cases, surgery can be of two kinds: laparoscopy or laparotomy. Laparoscopy involves the removal of cysts through a telescope like an instrument that is inserted through a small incision made in the abdomen. This is usually used to remove small cysts. Larger cysts and ovarian tumours are treated with a laparotomy. This involves making a bigger incision in the stomach and may also involve the removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus depending on the tumour. 

Ovarian Cysts - 9 Symptoms About It!

It s been long known about the numerous health benefits of beetroot. Surprisingly though, beetroot has some not-so-known qualities such as increasing stamina, removing skin blemishes and increasing the glow of the face. Apart from this, it can fetch benefits to the skin, hair and the overall health. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of beetroot consumption in vivid detail.

Reduces the impact of aging: Beetroot being a great antioxidant successfully blocks free radicals and helps to fight the symptoms of aging. All it requires is a medium slice beetroot. The juice should be extracted from it and the pulp needs to be removed. The juice then could be applied to the face using cotton balls. Applying this simple solution once in a week can fetch dramatic results.
Reduces blemish and pigmentation: Beetroot is one of the few vegetables that have a large amount of vitamin C embedded in it. It helps the skin to retain its original color, reduces blemishes and pigmentation. 3-4 cubes of beetroot serving twice a week should do the trick.
Hair loss: Beetroot is a great source of food to stay away from hair loss. Being a good source of potassium, beetroot can prevent hair loss and enhance hair growth. A weekly serving of 3-4 cube of beetroot over a span of few months will show visible results.
Improves liver function: Beetroot contains glutathione that is known to be a great agent for the liver. It acts as a detox diet and helps in functioning of the liver. This liver, in turn, helps the body to detox. Beetroot also helps in the regeneration of cells of the liver.
Boost hemoglobin: Beetroot is an excellent source of iron and folate. These are the nutrients that are required for the body to maintain an adequate amount of hemoglobin in the body. A deficiency in the hemoglobin level can lead to anemia. Regular consumption of beetroot can ensure that a person refrains from deadly diseases such as anemia.
Fight inflammation: Some typical symptoms of inflammation include infection, trauma etc. This is a sign of the immune system not acting efficiently against sudden panic. Some typical symptoms include pain, redness, swelling etc. Beetroot in known to have a super-efficient anti-inflammatory response. Injection of beetroot is often suggested by medical practitioners.
Cancer prevention: Beetroot can elevate the level of oxygen in the blood. Since cancer cells are acidic in nature, beetroot can successfully neutralize them due to its alkaline nature. Owing to this anti-cancer properties, oncologists often suggests the intake of beetroot juice on a regular basis to patients suffering from liver, rectal, colon and various other types of cancer. 2 glasses of beetroot juice are often recommended for cancer patients.

Beetroot (Chukundar) - 7 Reasons Why You Must Eat Them!

Heartburn or acid reflex is a burning sensation that is felt in the throat or chest region after the intake of certain foods. While many of us must have felt heartburn once in our lifetime, too many occurrences such as this could be a fair indication of esophageal cancer.

How an acidburn is related to esophagus?
Esophagus is the tube which carries food from the throat to the stomach. In the case of an acid reflux, the acid from the stomach jumps to the esophagus leading to a condition known as the Barrett s esophagus. This is a condition which replaces the tissue present in the esophagus with a similar kind of tissue found in the lining of the intestine. This being said, Barrett s esophagus doesn t necessarily lead to esophageal cancer.

Key symptoms of Esophageal Cancer
Difficulty swallowing is a key symptom of esophageal cancer. This condition is known as dysphasia. As the tumor grows bigger, it becomes more difficult to swallow food. Esophageal pain is also a common symptom reported by many patients. Loss in appetite and an unexplained weight loss are some of the other symptoms of this type of cancer. Although esophageal cancer does not show any visible signs in the early stage, some of the key indicators are chronic couch, indigestion and hoarseness of voice.

Key risk factors:
Some of the key risk factors for this type of cancer are as follows:

    Men tend to run a higher risk of getting this cancer than women.
    Esophageal cancer are often detected in people above the age of 55 or more
    Chronic tobacco users have higher chances of getting esophageal cancer
    Consumption of alcohol increases the risk of esophageal cancer
    Obesity increases the risk of acid flux thereby, leading to esophageal cancer
    Radiation treatment in the abdomen or chest area might also lead to esophageal cancer

How an esophageal cancer is detected?
Primarily there are 3 ways by which this cancer is detected. The first step for an oncologist to detect this cancer is to perform an endoscopy. If this fails, doctors often try a barium swallow on suspected patients and take an X-ray to understand the esophagus lining. If all this fails, doctors rely on a CT scan to detect this cancer.

How is esophageal cancer treated?
If a patient is lucky and the cancer gets detected in a very early stage, the tumor along with the infected cell can be surgically removed. Apart from surgery, some other alternatives are radiation and chemotherapy. A combination of radiation and chemotherapy or a surgery followed by radiation can also be suggested by the doctor. The treatment plan depends on the stage of detection.

Does Heartburn Lead to Esophageal Cancer?

Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries, often in multiples, which are very common in women. This is absolutely different condition from polycystic ovaries. Most of them are benign and not indicative of an underlying problem. They produce no specific symptoms and even if detected, can be watched over a period of time. Treatment may be required only if there are serious symptoms or there is higher possibility of cancerous nature of the cyst. Read on to know more. 

Types 

Functional: There are two types in this. The follicular variety is when the egg that is ready for fertilization does not completely shrink and stays for a few more days before it disappears. Another variety, the luteal ovarian cysts are formed when after the release of the egg, there is blood filling up in the corpus luteum. 
Pathological: There are many types here   dermoid, cystadenomas, endometriomas, cancerous cystadenocarcinomas etc. These are worrisome and need to be treated. Both varieties, once identified, should be monitored. The functional variety, though may not cause a problem, can cause infertility and so necessitate treatment. 
Symptoms 

Any ovarian follicle larger than 2 cm can be called as an ovarian cyst. They are usually benign and do not produce any symptoms. However, if they turn pathologic or grow in size, they can cause various symptoms such as: 

Irregular menstruation 
Heavy bleeding 
Intermittent spotting 
Painful and/or frequent urination 
Severe, recurrent abdominal pain 
Infertility 
Abdominal bloating 
Constipation or loose motions 
Nausea, sudden vomiting 
Fever, dizziness, and weakness 
While cysts are often quiet and do not produce any symptoms, they can cause intermittent, nonspecific symptoms like above. If there is a family history of ovarian cancers in mothers, maternal aunt, Sisters, Grandmothers etc then women should have regular Gynaecological checkups to have a check done for ovarian cysts. 

Why go for laparoscopic surgery? 

Laparoscopic surgery is considered to be one of the most effective ways of treating the condition of ovarian cysts. During the surgery, problem causing non-cancerous cyst can be removed without harming the ovaries. In the case of cancer, both ovaries along with uterus etc may have to be removed. This decision is taken by the operating surgeon depending upon age of the patient, characteristics and nature of the cyst and future fertility desires of the patient. 
The patient is given general anesthesia during the surgery. After the surgery, one is suggested to rest for a day and may be permitted to return to normal activities within a day s time. However, one needs to avoid any strenuous activity for almost a week. 
While some cysts can be watched for years, others need treatment. This would be specifically true in cases where the couple is facing infertility issues or if there is a higher possibility of cancerous cysts. Such cysts need urgent intervention and should be monitored by a gynecologist with an experience in oncology. There are few blood tests that are needed to be done to know the nature of the cyst if it is benign or cancerous.

Ovarian Cysts - Ways Laparoscopic Surgery Can Help! 

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