Bile Acids (Total) Test

You may think that it is just a harmless drink or two at the end of the day to help you relax. it's just a few drinks when you get together with friends. or it's just that you need to get rid of the office stress. We all need to catch a break sometimes, which makes our favorite brand of drink our best friend. Trouble starts when 'a drink or two' moves to a level where you can't hold the drink anymore. It affects your ability to think straight and take decisions that you may regret in retrospect. Alcoholism not only has serious health consequences but also can ruin your life and relationships. Don't tread down the path of self destruction, or this is what you'll find:

1. Conflict: It is not a coincidence that fights are common when one or both partners are caught up with alcohol abuse. It is said that if there is too much alcohol in your system, it hampers with your ability to make rational decisions. It allows you to become inconsiderate about others, and give more importance your addiction over their requirements. It, to an extent, numbs you to what others feel, and makes you drink even more.
2. Financial loss: Alcohol costs money. And the more you spend to keep up with your addiction, the more money flows out of your monthly household expenses, monthly savings and retirement plans. And this money literally goes down the drain. Like any other addiction, once you start alcohol abuse, you need it everyday. Drinking may go on to impact your ability to hold on to your job as no one will eventually want to hire someone who has alcohol on their breath at 9am during client meetings. Alcohol is a strict restriction in certain professions where you may put other people at risk. At the very best, you'll be left with a warning. At the worst, you'll lose your job and end up with no work and no money to support your addiction.
3. Accident prone: In 2014, 9,967 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 53 minutes. This may sound only like a statistic to you - until you speak to the families who lost their loved ones or have to see them suffer through loss of limbs or brain function to bear lifelong suffering. And as far as you are concerned, you may end up seeing the wrong end of a prison. Such things have a profound impact on your relationship - many of which fail to last through the ordeal. 
4. Infidelity: You've seen it a thousand times in movies - which actually might get reflected in reality, if you wake up next to someone whose name you don't know. 
5. Infertility: Alcohols and babies don't mix. Too much alcohol intake can stop women from making and keeping a baby. 
6. Divorce: An alcoholic husband or wife is a valid ground of mental trauma applicable in a divorce. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Sexologist.

Blessed are the people who enjoy a good figure without compromising on their diet or going through rigorous exercise and gym sessions. Everyone wants to be in perfect shape. Obesity and the associated health complications are known to all. These days, people are very conscious about their health. They try to maintain a healthy weight as much as possible. From gyms to Zumba, healthy diet to cycling, they try out everything under the sun to shed off the unwanted, stubborn fats. A healthy and fit body has immense health benefits. However, an excess of anything is bad. Maintaining a healthy body weight is good, but achieving it through drastic steps is bad. This article emphasizes on the effects (both good and bad) of weight loss on the overall health.

Health benefits of weight loss:

When you shed off the extra kilos in a healthy way, your body too reacts positively.

1. Endorphins are known to be great mood enhancers. They create a positive feeling, a feel-good factor throughout the body. During workouts and exercises, the body releases endorphins. Thus, most people feel good and fresh after a workout.
2. Weight loss can work wonders for your sleep. Research suggest that people who lost weight enjoyed a good, sound sleep, compared to their obese counterparts.
3. For the body to function properly, it is important to maintain the hormonal balance in the body. Obesity disturbs the hormonal balance in your body. Weight loss plays a pivotal role in restoring the hormonal balance.
4. Weight loss gives your sex life a much-needed boost. Weight loss is directly related to an increased level of the testosterone hormone. Increased level of testosterone is known to increase the sexual desire (increased libido).
5. Obesity can significantly reduce your brainpower, thereby affecting your overall performance. Weight loss helps you to achieve not only a perfect body but a sharper memory as well. You feel fit both physically and mentally.
6. Weight loss also helps to keep stress and anxiety at bay.
7. Weight loss helps to lower the incidences of diabetes (Type 2), hypertension, dermatological problems (acne, skin rashes, skin aging), cardiac problems, thyroid problems, and to some extent cancer.

Harmful effects of weight loss:

1. Drastic steps to achieve a perfect figure can do you more harm than good. Follow a healthy diet, reduce your carbohydrate intake, but do not starve yourself.
2. Weight loss through a very low-calorie diet can interfere with the ability of the gallbladder to contract and release the stored bile (into the duodenum). Eventually, this may elevate the probability of formation of gallstones.
3. A very low-calorie diet can rob your diet of the soluble fibers and vitamins (especially vitamin C). A poor diet can make you prone to infections. Your bones will also become weak.
4. Rapid weight loss may also result in sagging skin. In some cases, your skin might lose its radiance and natural glow.

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.

Pain, experienced in the lumbar area, is generally referred to as lower back pain. This kind of back pain may happen due to a variety of reasons including hereditary conditions as well as accidents and sports injuries. These pain generally leave your body in a state of chronic pain, depending on the area that was affected. This lumbar area is a complex of joints, nerves, ligaments and muscles which go towards providing support and posture to the human body. Here are the various ways in which you can deal with lower back pain-

1. Heat and Ice Therapy: One of the most recommended forms of treatment includes heat and ice therapy. You can use a warm bath or a heat compress and heating pad to soothe the area and bring down the pain. Ice packs can be used for inflammation and swelling. While the previous method can be used for chronic pain, the latter can be used for acute pain and more recent accidents. These methods are known to increase the blood flow to the affected area and hence bring much relief when there is pain and stiffness.
2. Choose your Activity with Caution: There are a number of activities that one can carry out even when you are suffering from lower back pain. Mild to moderate exercise that has been approved by your physician can help in soothing the area. The trick in such cases to move at frequent intervals so that stiffness and further pain does not set in. You can embark on walks and even water exercises that will help in soothing the stiff muscles. Having said that, one must remember to avoid exercises that will involve bending and standing for too long as this can aggravate the pain.
3. Rest: It is essential to sleep in the correct position and get the best amount of rest so that the muscles and joints of this area can get the required comfort and rest before being put to work again. Yet, too much inactivity is also not recommended in such cases, and hence one must not rest for too many days at a time. Further, it is important to rest in the correct position so that the lumbar area does not twist and there is no pressure on the same. It would be best to lie down on the back without crossing the ankles.
4. Pain Medication: You can get a prescription for pain medication in case the pain is unbearable. It would be advisable to take medication after consultation with a doctor. One can have oral medicines or take topical application gels and ointments that will numb the area. One can have ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin and other such medicines to get relief from the pain.

Interventional pain management

Finding the right relief can be tough for patients living with chronic pain. It involves a lot of trial and error to find the therapy that works for you. The Interventional Pain Management is one therapy that is aimed to reduce your pain, as well as provide options for preventing pain in the future. It adopts a comprehensive and holistic look to treat pain with lesser risk and morbidity when compared with surgical interventions.

1. Surgery cannot be a solution to every health problem, the minimally invasive procedures of interventional pain management are cost-effective
2. Lower risk for infections and complications
3. Lower recovery time as they don’t employ large incisions or anesthesia
4. It identifies the source of pain and comes up with the right solution to alleviate pain

Types of interventional pain management

1. Epidural Steroid Injections: The prime aim of these injections is to identify the site of pain and reduce inflammation in the nerve roots as they exit the spine. A local anesthesia is administered and a steroid is injected into the epidural space. More than one injection is needed until there is a significant reduction in pain.
2. Facet Joint Injection and Medical Branch Blocks: This technique helps the patient to manage and tolerate their pain better. A steroid is directly injected into the facet joint to reduce pain. Medical branch blocks target i.e. the nerve that detects the painful sensation and sends messages to the brain. These blocks help further denervation procedure and provide long term relief.
3. Sacroiliac Injections: These injections are administered directly on the sacroiliac joint of the spine which is the cause of lower back pain.
4. Peripheral Joint Injections: Joints like shoulder, knee and hip are injected with medicines that aim to reduce painful inflammation at the source of joint dysfunction.
5. Radio frequency Ablation: This involves the use of radio waves to create an electrical current that delivers heat to the targeted nerve tissues. It results in the impairment of the nerves to transmit pain signals to the brain
6. Rhizotomy: This is another procedure where the pain signals are turned off. Heated electrodes are applied to the specific nerves to cut off the transmission.
7. Spinal Cord Stimulation: This uses electrical impulses to block pain from being perceived by the brain
8. Nucleoplasty: This is a procedure in which a which tissue is removed from the disc of the spinal cord to decompress and relieve pressure
9. Intrathecal Pump Implantation: A pain pump is placed under the skin that directly delivers pain medication to the targeted area.

These are some of the procedures of interventional pain management that aim to reduce pain, without the need of surgery or other conservative pain medications. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Pain Management Specialist.

13 real benefits of vinegar:

1. It reduces bloating. Vinegar increases the acidity in the stomach, which allows it to digest the food you've eaten and helps propel it into the small intestine, a because slow digestion can cause acid reflux, a burning sensation that occurs when food in your stomach backs up all the way into your esophagus.

2. It increases the benefits of the vitamins and minerals in your food" when your stomach isn't producing enough acid, this impairs the absorption of nutrients as well as b6, folate, calcium, and iron" Dr. Kellman explains. Help your body by ingesting a bit more acid in the form of vinegar, and you'll actually be able to use all the good stuff you consumed by ordering the side salad instead of fries.

3. It cancels out some of the carbs you eat. The acetic acid found in vinegar interferes with the enzymes in your stomach responsible for digesting starch so you can't absorb the calories from carbs you've eaten.

4. It softens your energy crash after eating lots of sugar or carbs. Consuming vinegar before a meal can help by slowing the rush of sugar to your blood stream, so your blood sugar spike resembles a hill instead of a mountain and you don't crash quite as hard.

5. It keeps you full longer. In a small but thorough study, researchers found that people who consumed vinegar before eating a breakfast of white bread felt more satisfied 90 minutes after eating compared to people who only ate the bread.

6. It can help your muscles produce energy more efficiently before a major push. Endurance athletes sometimes drink diluted vinegar before they carb-load the night before competing because acetic acid can helps the muscles turn carbs into energy to fuel intense exercise, according to well-regarded research conducted on animals.

7. It could lower your blood pressure. Animal studies suggest that drinking vinegar can lower your blood pressure by a few points. Researchers don't understand exactly how this works or whether it is equally effective among humans, but johnston is pretty confident it can make at least a modest difference.

8. It cleans fruits and veggies. The best way to clean produce, according to johnston, is with diluted vinegar: research suggests its antibacterial properties can significantly reduce pathogens such as salmonella. Just fill an empty spray bottle with diluted vinegar and spritz your produce (salad stuff, fruits, etc.) then rinse in regular water before serving.

And don't rely on a vinegar-based salad dressing to redeem a dirty deli's salad bar fare: johnston worries that mixing vinegar with ingredients found in salad dressings (like salt or olive oil) or with actual salad could render acetic acid inactive, and says that more research is needed on the topic.

9. It kills bad breath. You might have heard that the antibacterial properties of vinegar can kill microorganisms responsible for bad breath — and in theory, this is true. However, johnston warns" it's no more effective than any other antibacterial agents, and there are better products designed for this purpose"

10. It deodorizes smelly feet. Just wipe down your clompers with a paper towel dipped in diluted vinegar. The antibacterial properties of vinegar will kill the smelly stuff.

11. It relieves jellyfish stings. In case you're ever stung by a jellyfish and just so happen to have diluted vinegar on hand, you'll be awfully lucky: vinegar deactivates the jellyfish's sting better than many other remedies even though hot water still works best, according to a study that compared both techniques.

12. It balances your body's ph levels, which could mean better bone health. Although vinegar is obviously acidic, it actually has a neutralizing effect once it's inside of you. Meaning: it makes your body's ph more basic.

13. It alleviates heartburn — vinegar's effectiveness depends on the source of your heartburn: if you have erosive heartburn caused by lesions in your esophagus or stomach ulcers, a dose of vinegar will only aggravate the problem. But if your heartburn stems from something you ate, adding acetic acid to your stomach can help neutralize the acid in there and help fix the problem, providing you with at least a little bit of comfort.

Migraine is a type of headache and is characterized by headache on one side of the head. In many cases of migraine, the pain is experienced all over the head and not just on one side. The pain is throbbing in nature. Migraine is mostly caused due to excess stress. Going out in the sun, improper sleep, exposure to loud noise and disruption in eating patterns are other common causes, which lead to migraine. Homeopathic medicines are widely used for treating migraine headaches and provide an effective remedy.

Here are some homeopathic medicines used for curing migraines of different types:

• Belladonna: This is the best homeopathic medicine for migraine which is accompanied by intense throbbing headache. A sense of fullness is also felt in the head, and the headache worsens when exposed to sunlight. Belladonna is also used for migraines developed due to exposure to cold air or catching a cold.
• Glonoinum: This form of homeopathic medicine is used for migraines where there is an excessive congestion in the head. The patient might feel that the head would burst, and it seems to be bigger. Heat is felt around the head, and the eyeballs get protruded. Glonoinum is also used to treat migraines, which occur because of long exposure to the sun.
• Spigelia: This medicine is very effective for curing migraines felt on the left side of the head or left-sided migraine. The headache is usually located over the left temporal area of the head, forehead and eyes. The patient may have the sensation of a tight band being tied around their head.
• Sanguinaria Canadensis: This is a perfect homeopathic medicine for treating right sided migraines where the pain and throbbing are felt on the right side of the head. The pain usually starts from the back of the head and settles over the right eye, affecting the entire right side of the head. The medicine is also prescribed in case of headaches, which occur during the morning and increase during the day. Migraines in women after menopause are also cured by this medicine.
• Iris Versicolor: This is an effective homeopathic medicine for treating migraine where intense nausea, vomiting and acidity are observed. The vomiting is acidic, sour and bitter in taste and a burning sensation in the alimentary canal is also felt.
• Nux Vomica: In case of migraines characterized by gastric problems, this medicine is used. It provides an effective cure for migraines, which occur due to indigestion, constipation and piles. When the migraine worsens after intake of spicy food or alcohol, this medicine provides quick treatment.

Homeopathic medicines are very efficient for curing migraine headaches and there are medicines for all types of migraines occurring due to different causes. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a homeopath.