Kidney, Urinary, Gastro Intestinal, Liver

Types of Urinary incontinence  a) Stress incontinence: Urine leaks out when you exert pressure on your bladder by coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting heavy objects. b) Urge incontinence: You have a sudden intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary loss of urine. This may be caused by a minor condition such as infection or by a more severe condition such as neurological disorder or diabetes. c) Overflow incontinence: This type occurs when you urinate but do not…

Caring for a GERD Patient Heartburn is the most common symptom of this condition, although some GERD sufferers don't feel heartburn but instead experience chest pains and difficulty swallowing. Fortunately, with proper treatment and monitoring of the patient, the onset of more serious conditions can be prevented. Use the following suggestions to help comfort your family member or patient and ease the painful symptoms of GERD. Follow Up  After the initial GERD diagnosis, a follow-up doctor'…

In addition to medication to manage GERD, lifestyle changes are an important element of managing the condition: Lose weight. Obesity is the leading cause of GERD. Extra stomach fat places pressure on your abdomen, pushing gastric juices up into your esophagus.  Avoid foods known to cause reflux. If you're at risk for GERD, avoid: Fatty foods Spicy foods Acidic foods, like tomatoes and citrus Mint Chocolate Onions Coffee or any caffeinated beverage Carbonated beverages Eat smaller meals…

In addition to managing lifestyle described here, treatment options include medication and surgery. Medication For chronic reflux and heartburn, the doctor may recommend medications to reduce acid in the stomach. These medicines include H2 blockers, which inhibit acid secretion in the stomach. H2 blockers include: cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), and ranitidine (Zantac). Another type of drug, the proton pump inhibitor (or acid pump), inhibits an enzyme (a protein in…

How is GERD diagnosed? Medical History Your doctor will begin assessing you for GERD by reviewing your symptoms. If you are frequently experiencing classic GERD symptoms, your doctor can diagnose you on that basis. The two most common symptoms are: Heartburn.  Regurgitation Lab tests People with severe symptoms may need to undergo tests that can both verify GERD and help doctors assess the scope of the problem. These tests include: Barium X-rays: The patient is asked to drink barium…

What are the symptoms of GERD? A burning sensation in your chest (heartburn), sometimes spreading to your throat, along with a sour taste in your mouth When acid refluxes into the esophagus in patients with GERD, nerve fibers in the esophagus are stimulated, causing the pain that is characteristic of GERD. Heartburn usually is described as a burning pain in the middle of the chest. It may start high in the abdomen and may extend up into the neck.  Chest pain In some patients, the pain may…

Risk factors for developing GERD are Obesity Pregnancy Smoking Spicy foods Acidic fruits and vegetables, like citrus or tomatoes Alcohol Garlic and onions Fried foods, or heavily fatty foods Causes of GERD are Lower esophageal sphincter abnormalities: When you swallow, the lower esophageal sphincter — a circular band of muscle around the bottom part of your esophagus — relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow down into your stomach. Then it closes again, so that the food cannot go back…

What is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)? Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a digestive disorder. Gastroesophageal refers to the stomach and esophagus (food pipe). Reflux means to flow back or return. Gastroesophageal reflux is a condition in which the contents of the stomach (in liquid form) backs up or refluxes into the esophagus. The regurgitated liquid usually contains acid and pepsin that are produced by the stomach. (Pepsin is an enzyme that begins the digestion of proteins…

Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju suggests easy recipes and lifestyle changes to manage heartburn or acid reflux. For those suffering from acid reflux, the pleasure of eating often turns into pain. Acid reflux occurs when the stomach acid and digestive enzymes flow backwards into the oesophagus (food pipe), irritating its lining. This is usually caused by the dysfunction of the lower esophageal muscle, which works to keep the stomach acids in the stomach. The result is a burning sensation in…

Botox injections can be a great alternative for people with leaky or overactive bladders. Overactive bladder (OAB), is a condition where the nerves send wrong signals to the bladder at the wrong time, leading to a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate (urinary incontinence). "Anticholinergics is the main treatment option but their side effects, for example, dry mouth, constipation, and blurring of vision, are some of the reasons why patients stop treatment", said Dr. Colin Teo, head and senior…