HealthDuties

Your diet has a direct impact on heartburn. Chocolate, peppermint, caffeine, fried foods and alcohol are some substances that cause heartburn. Spicy foods, citrus fruits and smoking are known to directly irritate food-pipe. Starving yourself of food for long hours causes unutilized acid secreted in the stomach to create a burning sensation.

One should seek medical advice if blood comes from your mouth, you experience weight loss or begin to have difficulty swallowing. Heartburn may actually be confused with serious heart disease so one should seek medical advice if sweating or breathing difficulty.

A glass of cold milk, protein supplements in any liquid base or some solid food can help utilize the excess acid. Medications such as ranitidine and cimetidine block acid production & antacids can also help. Metclopromide is another option.

Sometimes surgery is needed in which the part of the stomach close to the food pipe is wrapped and sutured to provide extra strength.

Heartburn is a commonly felt discomfort in your chest just under the breastbone. Despite the pain in the chest it has nothing to do with the heart. Stomach acid regurgitates back to the food pipe through a weakened cardiac sphincter that normally prevents the back flow of food and gastric juice. When heartburn occurs repeatedly it is named gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Nearly 30% population and 1/4th of pregnant women experience heartburn.

Acid is protective and digestive in nature but its strength can damage tissue easily even while the stomach has a protective layering and the cardiac sphincter prevents upper food tract. Once this sphincter is weakened, acid regurgitates and causes pain. In later stages, permanent damage or ulcers may develop in the esophagus leading to serious consequences.

Kidney failure is asymptomatic in the beginning with some sluggishness, fatigue, anorexia and shortness of breath due to waste accumulation. Later, metabolic acidosis, arrhythmias (due to raised potassium levels) and raised urea levels causing encephalopathy or pericarditis occur. Excess fluid and high blood pressure may cause congestive heart failure. Increased urea and creatinine levels with decreased glomerular filtration rate are indicators and ultrasound can also help.

Foods high in potassium like bananas and apricots and excess salt is to be avoided. Milk, nuts, cheese and aerated drinks are high in phosphorus levels that cause calcium metabolism leading to osteoporosis. Tofu, peanut butter and eggs in controlled quantity helps in nutrition.

Apart from medications prescribed for symptoms, the last treatment options include dialysis of blood or peritoneum or transplantation.

The kidneys play important roles in filtering waste products like urea & uric acid out of blood, maintaining acid-base balance and sodium and potassium levels regulating blood pressure. They are located in the abdomen on each side of the spine. Urine formed in the kidneys passes through ureters to the bladder and finally goes out through urethra.

Reasons for kidney failure can be pre-renal such as short blood supply due to blood loss, dehydration (diarrhea, vomiting), and taking diuretics. Renal causes include infections of kidney/urinary tract, medications that are toxic to kidneys like NSAIDs (ibuprofen) or antibiotics like amino glycoside (gentamycin) or iodine-based medications and/or multiple myeloma or glomerulonephritis.

Post-renal causes like blocking of the urinary tract, intra-lumen (stones, tumor) or pressure from outside by cancer around the ureter can cause backflow of urine increasing pressure within the kidneys and affecting it’s function. Long-standing reasons for kidney failure can be diabetes, hypertension or stones.

ADHD is hard to deal with for parents. It’s not that easy for parents to diagnose their 3 year old who is uncooperative and impulsive but ADHD sufferers are much more extreme than being hyperactive. A child with ADHD is not able to focus on even a normally enjoyable work.

Diagnosis is based on the history of signs/symptoms of ADHD persistent for more than six months. Family history & gender are exposing factors and boys are three times more prone to have ADHD.

Psycho stimulant drugs and psychotherapy/behavior therapy and social skills training are the most preferred and effective treatment options for ADHD. Specialized learning techniques can help improve school performance.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inability to pay attention or acting impulsively with hyperactivity. Many sufferers often struggle in their studies or profession and have trouble maintaining and developing a social circle. ADHD can be either predominantly inattentive or predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combinations of the two are common. Studies have shown that ADHD affects 3-7.5% of school children in America.

Symptoms of ADHD include: inattention, i.e. Struggle to focus, absentminded and easily diverted, poor executive skills, sluggishness, passive & constant daydreaming. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by uncontrolled behavior, jiggling and restlessness. Hyperactivity precedes inattention usually.

Sometimes depressions runs in the family. Genetic susceptibility makes them vulnerable to depression. An external episode of some trauma is often related to causing depression as well. Death, loss of someone dear, relationship problems, financial crisis and/or social obligations may also be a cause of depression.

Medications like antidepressants are the treatment of choice for the majority of types of depression. A vast variety of antidepressants are available in the market including: TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants) and SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs have less side effects and are safer to use on elderly people.

In total there are 3 phases of treatment:

1. Acute treatment (till remission occurs),
2. Continuation treatment (from remission till end of the treatment)
3. Maintenance treatment (to prevent further recurrences)

Occasionally, electric current is passed through the brain to produce controlled convulsions. These are helpful particularly in those people who are not responding to antidepressant medications. The ECT is given in hospitals under anesthesia to reduce pain. A side effect is short term memory loss but this side effects is temporary.

Psychotherapy is another treatment option that may include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy
• Interpersonal therapy
• Psychoanalytic psychotherapy
• Behavior therapy
• Group therapy
• Family and marital therapy

There are also various mood stabilizing drugs given in depression like sodium valproate, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, benzodiazepine, topiramate and lamotrigine.

Depression is a common condition with a lifetime risk of 8.12% in males & 20-26% in females. It may be mild, moderate or severe. The risk of severe depression in a lifetime is about 8%. Clinically, significant depression is often referred to as major depressive disorder (MDD). It is major cause of suicide and disability. It is difficult to differentiate it from a medical condition because it has somatic as well as psychological symptoms.

The typical depression episode is characterized by significant loss of appetite resulting in weight loss, early morning awakening, loss of interest, loss of reaction to pleasant happenings, withdrawal from friends and family, anger, anxiety, loss of concentration, feelings of guilt, pessimism, thoughts of suicide and/or lack of enthusiasm.

Depression associated with a medical condition aggravates any associated disability, diminishes adherence to medical treatment and may even shorten one’s life span.

Bipolar mood disorder is a relapsing mood disorder which may involve periods of major depression mixed with periods of high mood and activity. The relapse rates are very high, though patients seems perfectly normal between the episodes.