Tag: diarrhea

The Dark Side of Fish Oil: The Side Effects

First you need to understand that fish oil has a lot of benefits. The omega-3 fish oil belongs to the essential fatty acids which our body needs. Our body does not have any capabilities of producing the omega-3 so we rely on external sources, mainly fish rich in oil, as our main source. The fact that it is labeled essential fatty acid means that our body really needs it and the lack of which could result to a variety of health consequences.

Among the known benefits of taking omega-3 includes reducing the risks of having heart disease, can reduce the development of cancer cells, prevents pregnancy complications, improves eyesight and helps prevent depression. We can have a longer list but I wont trouble you with that, needless to say the benefits of fish oil are real. But unknown to quite few, the fish oil supplements that we all think of as friends has the dark side too, has side effects which when left uncheck can be quite harmful and can even prove to be fatal.

If our list of benefits is quite long, the side effects not as many. The side effects only manifests when one overdoses with the intake and can even disappear after a few days. Sometimes that body just needs to get used to the fish oil and once it has adjusted, the side effects would disappear. Some of the minor and immediate side effects include a fishy after taste and diarrhea.

These two often appears during the first few days of taking the fish oil. These symptoms should disappear after a couple of days but in case they dont changing brands of fish oil supplements might help. But setting up a meeting with your doctor would be the best idea.

After a couple of weeks of taking fish oil capsules, you might notice some fishy burping before and after each meal. This can just be because your body is still adjusting. Give it a couple of days and the burping might stop. Although, you should check the expiry dates of your of your supplements. You might also want to consider that what you have been taking are bad quality produce. Changing brands might help. Some suggest keeping the supplements in a freezer to prevent the various gastrointestinal side effects.

On the other hand, blood thinning is something that you cannot eliminate by just simply changing brands. You see omega-3 from fish oils is great for the heart because it is a natural blood thinner. They help coagulate the blood which helps prevent blood clots which helps prevent heart diseases.

But because omega-3 is already a blood thinner, people who are already taking blood thinning medications should avoid the intake of either the fish oil or the blood thinning drug. The possible problem with this is that people will get too much blood thinners resulting to patients bleeding out. The bleeding could be internal which can damage organs and could result to something fatal.

You should watch out for signs of internal bleeding like black stools or the presence of blood in the stool or vomiting of blood which are all signs of gastrointestinal bleeding. When you bleed in the brain the signs could be changes in your vision or speech, numbness of an arm or leg, and severe headache.

The dark side of fish oil is just that, one part of a fairly good supplement. There are ways to prevent the side effects and most of them through proper consultations before you even start taking those fish oil supplements.

Is Fish Oil Harmful?

If you ask those fans of mackerel and salmon why they loved those fish so much and what is omega-3, they will probably give you a long lecture on how important or beneficial essential fatty acids are to your health. They will site a number of studies proving the positive effects of fatty acids on our bodies and how these can be used to treat a variety of conditions, ailments or diseases.

Some, and these are the really omega-3 fanatics, can go on and on and on. From the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids to the preparations and cooking of salmon. At the end you find yourself mumbling and probably cursing why you asked in the first place. However, despite the long lecture, you might notice your friend leaving behind an issue that is often disregarded but is equally important with the benefits of fish oils. And that can be addressed by answering the question: is fish oil harmful?

I am all for the various benefits of fish oils. I dont discount it, I dont question the studies nor do I criticize the testimonies from long time users. But personally, I dont believe that fish oils are purely good. We have this saying that too much of anything is bad for you. The same should apply to fish oils. After researching the internet, reading a number of articles, and a couple of cups of coffee, I found out that fish oils do have some side effects, some even quite harmful.

Among the more minor side effects are diarrhea and that fishy after taste. You will experience these side effects if you too much dosage of fish oils. Commonly doctors would prescribe or recommend a 2 gram intake of fish oil daily at the minimum.

Probably the major risk of overdosing on fish oil is the contamination, more specifically mercury contamination. It is a sad fact, but a lot of the worlds fishing grounds are contaminated or polluted. The fish you eat might have a good stock of omega-3 but you might not know it, the fish might only contain a considerable amount of heavy metal contaminants. When it comes to pill or capsule supplements, the process of creating those fish oil capsules might not be safe. The safest would be through a distillation process.

Another major risk is when combined with other blood thinners. Fish oil acts as a blood thinner or anti-coagulant, which basically helps stop platelets or heavy cells from forming blood clots reducing the risks of having a heart attack. However, if you combine fish oil with other medicines such as aspirins, the result might be very harmful to your body and even fatal. Too much blood thinners can cause you to bleed out. And bleeding does not mean just bleeding out externally, but there are cases where patients actually bled to their brains.

So going back to our question, is fish oil harmful? Well, the above scenario is quite a frightening one but things like that could possibly happen to people who are extremely careless. That is why before you take any supplements, fish oil in this case, you should consult your doctors and make sure you provide them with a complete, honest and proper medical history.

DYSFUNCTIONS RESPONDING TO CLINICAL MASSAGE

Occasionally referred to as an orthopedic massage, Clinical massage is an entire array of manipulation techniques designed to assess and then to minister to soft tissue injuries and these may include but are not limited to: massage therapy, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, muscle-energy techniques, craniosacral therapy, deep tissue massage and so on. The Clinical massage therapy is usually based on a physicians prescription and directives as a series of treatment sessions to be performed over a set period of time and at specified frequency as related only to a specific need. In that regard, this therapy is most often performed with a particular and purposeful outcome in mind, and its first and foremost objectives are to relieve pain, to increase the range of motion and to help repair and restore soft tissues such as muscles, tendons and ligaments to their normal and healthy functions.

The first of the doctor-prescribed set of sessions is predominantly devoted to assessment or diagnostics of the clients true condition and with all the data collected an action plan can be formulated:

* By using various levels of palpation or touching of the ailing body part, the massage therapist will pinpoint the exact location as well as determine the levels of pain.

* The range of motion and the strength of the muscles is tested through a sequence of movements such as a passive movement which involves the massage therapist moving the relevant muscle groups while the client is inert; an active movement which involves the clients own movement of the muscles in questions; and the resisted movement which involves the clients movement against a resisting force.

* If clinical data related to previous soft tissue injuries and massage therapy is available, it will be reviewed for comparison to the current situation and the phase of healing will be determined.

* The findings are closely reviewed along with the doctors orders and a customized Clinical massage therapy is drawn up.

Most every condition of the soft tissues can benefit from Clinical massage to some extent, but the following list displays dysfunctions which respond most advantageously to its application:

Myofascial Pain. Pain and physiological dysfunctions are known to begin at specific points within muscles and their connective tissues which are also known as fascia. These are appropriately referred to as trigger points because they tend to set off or trigger reactions at remote locations.

Scientists and researchers have successful recorded comprehensive map systems of myofascial trigger points and they have been able to identify dozens of dysfunctions relating to them. The most common of these are: carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ dysfunction, PMS, headache, diarrhea, dizziness, cardiac arrhythmia, indigestion, tennis elbow, urinary frequency, sinusitis, deafness and blurred vision.

Fascial Plane Dysfunction. Fascia covers nearly the entire body in large endlessly connected sheets which can be distorted and bound to themselves and nearby tissues when inflicted with injury, misalignment or a chemical imbalance. To promote optimal health, the fascial sheets and the blood vessels and nerves which follow them must be in good conditions.

Neuromuscular Dysfunction. Even the simplest and the tiniest of movements of the body requires armies of nerve impulses to be sent to the muscle which is directly involved, as well as to the adjoining and opposing muscles. And it must all be accomplished with precision of timing and proportions. When the mechanics of any part of these functions break down, muscle fibers or entire muscles lock.

Tonus System Dysfunction. Overused muscles become hypertonic or lose their ability to relax. Consequently, they tighten and cause stress on opposing muscles and on the joints they cross.

Dermatomic Dysfunction. When nerves are pinched anywhere along their path, pain will be delivered to the area they serve.

Spondylogenic Dysfunction. When joints of the spine are impaired or compressed, pain will occur in that specific area.

Stated more simply, people suffering from muscle or joint pains or tightness, muscle fatigue or tension, shooting or spreading pains, allergies or asthma, anxiety or depression, irregularity of the digestive system, arthritis or circulatory problems, sleep disorders, headaches, immune function disorders or stress, they can be helped as their symptoms can be relieved through Clinical massage.

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Sinus Infection And Antibiotics

Most doctors recommend antibiotics for patients suffering from sinus infections. Are the effective? Not always which is why you should tell your doctor if it is doing well or not so something else can be given.

There are two types of antibiotics that are used for sinus infections. The first are known as narrow spectrum antibiotics. This means that it is designed to only fight a certain type of bacteria. The second are broad spectrum antibiotics that attack a wide range of bacteria.

Studies have shown that the second type is more effective but are more likely to promote antibiotic resistance. This is why most doctors will recommend the first type first then resort to the second when there is no other option. Here are a few of the antibiotics in the market.

The first are Aminoglycosides and these are classified as narrow spectrum antibiotics. This can be administered through irrigation or inhaling through the nose. Given that it is very strong, this should only be administered in the presence of a doctor because it has serious side effects that include damage to hearing, sense of balance and may cause damage to the kidneys.

You also have Macrolides are another form of narrow spectrum antibiotics as it is designed to fight the cocci bacteria. This can be taken orally and tests have shown that it is very effective in slowing or blocking protein formation in the bacteria.

There are also Cephalosporins which are broad spectrum antibiotics. This can be taken orally or through the ear and often used for patients who are resistant to penicillin. The side effects associated with this antibiotic are diarrhea and rashes.

Penicillin is not only used to treat people with kidney problems. They can also be used to fight bacterial that causes sinus infection by slowing metabolic functions vital to bacterial cell wall formation and by stimulating production of enzymes that eventually destroy cell walls. Thus, making it another example of broad spectrum antibiotics that will only attack actively multiplying bacteria and the two commonly used are amoxycillin and amoxycillin-clavulanate.

Among the antibiotics mentioned, Quinolones and Fluoroquinolones are rarely prescribed to patients. These two are broad spectrum antibiotics and although it is effective in treating legionella and mycoplasma, it can interfere with a patients DNA activity.

People should keep in mind that a sinus infection is different from a cold. The sinus infection can be caused by the cold and the only time that the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic is when this lasts longer than 7 days.

In order for the doctor to recommend the best antibiotic around, he or she must first identify the kind of bacteria that is present. To do this, the doctor will remove a swab of nasal discharge and let it grow into a bacterial culture in the laboratory.

If properly identified, the doctor will be able to prescribe the correct antibiotic and you will see an improvement within a day or two after starting the treatment. However, if you only feel better on the tenth day, your condition improved not because of the antibiotic but because your body was somehow able to fight the bacteria on its own.

Antibiotics can only be used if bacteria caused your sinus infection. Otherwise, something else will be recommended to fix the problem.