Tag: Small Intestine

What Are Kidney Stones

Kidney stones form when minerals or salts which are normally found in the urine become solid. Most of the time, they are too tiny and do not cause any damage to the kidney because the body is able to expel it. But if they build up inside the kidney, then we have a problem.

The problem starts when the stones move out of the kidney and then go to through the ureters which are the little tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder. If it gets stuck here, an infection will occur which may lead to kidney damage.

You will find out if you have a kidney problem when there is pain in one side of your back or on both, you experience spasms, notice bloody, cloudy or smelly urine, you dont not feel well, you urinate frequently and when you have fevers and chills.

The symptoms mentioned are very similar to UTI or urinary tract infection and you will only know what is going on when you have yourself checked by a doctor.

What causes kidney stones is still not known. What doctors know is that this happens often to men than to women.

These individuals fall within the 20 and 40 age group, have a family history of kidney stones, take certain medications such as antacids, diuretics and thyroid medications, have one kidney or one that is abnormally shaped, eat a lot of protein in their diet, often dehydrated, have poor mobility and have had a disease in the small intestine or small intestinal bypass. Although it is treatable, a new one can develop within the next 5 years.

Doctors tell the difference between UTI and kidney stones through a variety of tests. These include blood test, urine analysis, x-rays, ultrasound and non-contrast helical computerized tomography. If initial reports confirm the findings, then treatment is administered.

Treatment for someone who has a kidney stone varies per patient because this depends on the type of stone that is inside the body. If it is nothing serious, the doctor may not even have to do anything except tell you to drink lots of water and stay physically active.

It is going to hurt trying to expel the stones out from your system so this can be identified which is why you may be prescribed a paracetamol or codeine to reduce the pain. It is only when there is an infection that antibiotics will be given and surgery will have to be performed.

Examples of such procedures include extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopic stone removal and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. In simple terms, the doctor may use one machine to break the stones down using shockwaves, by simply pulling it out or using later to cut them into small pieces.

Kidney stone can easily be removed thanks to advances in modern medicine. If you have one or you think that you could have one, it is best to visit your doctor to see what is really the problem and the proper action can be taken.

When it is all over and the kidney stones are removed, it is best to make some lifestyle changes because they could come back and you will have to go through this ordeal all over again. Surely, you wouldnt want that to happen.

Pinworms in Children

Pinworms develop as a result of unhygienic habit of not washing hands before having food. They are small worms who resemble to small thread pieces and cause itching in the anus area. Pinworms infect humans only and reside in the intestines. Every school going kid encounters this problem at one time or the other. They can touch another kid infected with pinworm or an object having the eggs of the pinworm.

The eggs of the pinworms eggs get on the fingernails and that why it is a good idea to wash the hands regularly. If the food is eaten without washing hands, these eggs go inside the body, by the digestive system. In the small intestine, the eggs hatch and the pinworms move towards the large intestine. There, they cling onto the walls of the intestine and stay there for few weeks to mature. After that the female pinworms go towards large intestines end to lay eggs near the anus region. Usually the eggs are laid at night and that is the time when the area itches. It takes one to two months time period after the consumption of the eggs, for the maturing of the pinworms who lay new eggs. The eggs get hatched on the anuss skin and the baby pinworms will crawl inside the body in order to grow.

Pinworms eggs are found anywhere like on the kitchen counter, school desk or bed. They are also found on utensils, clothes and towels. When outside the human body, the eggs can live up to two weeks. Within that time period when they are touched, there is a chance to enter the human body and flourish. Pinworms are contagious and can spread from one human to another. Also they can spread by air as the eggs are lightweight and the wind can blow them and they can be breathed in or swallowed by anyone. The child can intake more eggs when he scratches his bottom and doesnt wash his/her hands immediately.

Children infected with pinworms can see worms in their stool after they pass and even on the underwear. The worms look like small white threads. But the eggs arent visible to the naked eyes. If the child observes these symptoms he/she should inform the adults about the condition. The itching caused by pinworms can be so bad that it can wake the child in the middle of the night and make him/her squirm. The doctors usually prescribe some medicine to kill the pinworms. The doctors also take samples from underneath the fingernail and the anus to check for eggs. The medicine will take about two weeks to get rid of the worms completely. If the itching is very irritating and wakes the child in the middle of the night, a cream is prescribed by the doctor. Sometimes other members of the house will also be asked to take the same medicine as a precautionary measure. The parents should wash all the clothes, towels and sheets used by the pinworm infected child.

The best way to deal with pinworms is taking precautionary steps in the first place. The child must cultivate a habit of washing hands before eating food, after using the bathroom and after playing outdoors. The fingernails should also be clipped regularly to not to allow eggs depositing there. The eggs also hang onto clothes, so it is a good habit to change underwear daily. And other clothes should be washed after every few days.

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Understanding IBS Relief

IBS is no other than Irritable Bowel Syndrome, oftentimes associated with discomforts of stomach from gas pain, bloating and troubled bowel movements. Although it is a very common digestive problem, it caused enormous disturbances to millions of people without discriminating age and race.

IBS relief comes in different packs if the problem is ruled out at once. The major issue about IBS is the wide misdiagnosis because of overlapping familiar symptoms clouding the other disorders of the stomach. Usually it is considered symptom of another disease such as Crohns Disease, which is linked to long term episodes of IBS.

What are the main causes of IBS? It takes place in the colon, one of the heavily trafficked parts of the human intestine during food digestion. After food consumption is processed in the stomach, the culmination of activity ends in the large intestine after nutrients are absorbed from small intestine. The colon stores the remains of waste food particles with the joint activity and effort of the mechanical stimulus of the nerves, hormones, and other chemical elements. The process of muscular contractions to expel contents of the colon happen several times in the day, the result is bowel movement.

For normal individuals, agitation in the stomach leaves no disturbing effect. For people with IBS, the colon over reacts to even the mildest stimulation, which leads to debilitating discomfort.

IBS relief must be focused on long-term result by shifting to good diet out of determining food allergens and eliminating them all the way. If relief is only for the sake of temporary solution, it will just recur with constant carelessness. Remember that the biggest activity of the body is the complete facilitation of food intake until fully absorbed internally. Like a gasoline, it is what pushes the functioning to accelerate everything the brain instructs it to do. IBS relief must be given with care or it might result to wrong medication if misdiagnosed. It covers broader symptoms the doctors are finding hard to determine without laboratory tests.

Cure IBS Permanently

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a very common digestive disorder yet hard to get diagnosed accurately at once. This is because the digestive track is a very complex part of the body, unbelievably compressed inside the stomach. The small intestine alone measures an approximate 21 feet long, making it hard to imagine how it added bulk to the body trunk. Imagine how the body mechanism works hard 24 hours, seven days a week in every food processing taking place in the digestive system? If an automobile needs overhauling out of wear and tear, the counterpart of that in human body functioning is getting sick and being given the right medicine. Talking specifically of IBS, once diagnosed, options to have relief vary. IBS is a very tricky condition especially if it is associated as a symptom of another disease.

Generally, IBS is buried in every stomach dysfunction considered chronic and broad in nature with no exact cause but diagnosed based on the patterns developed in a patient. Although there are some lists of medicines for specifically for IBS, there is no exact cure other than management of symptoms. There are categories of medicines for other broad IBS linked discomforts to alleviate the symptoms follows:

1. Laxatives to ease bowel movements and promote fecal softening

2. Corticosteroids and Inhibitors a medication for Crohns Disease as linked to IBS and for ulcerative colitis

3. Anti-diarrheal Medicines and Oral rehydration solutions aids in suppressing the attacks of diarrhea and its effect of robbing the body of the necessary fluids. The combination of both drugs will work to control the embarrassing and consequential dehydration if the diarrhea worsens.

4. Antacids helps ease stomach pain due to excessive acid production the stomach to those who are suffering from hyperacidity.

Taking medicines to relieve IBS helps temporarily until one gets nauseated enough to look for permanent cure. Instead of getting imprisoned by medicine dependency, changing into having healthy lifestyle may pave way to a good start. Shifting to a healthy diet by eliminating synthetic and allergy-causing foods is one of the best preventive measures in giving the stomach some rest. These solutions may sound universal, but basically people never know the abuses done to the body until it is signaling red alert thru body discomforts. Like a machine, food digestion is one the bodys basic and important task. It is all about what the body is taking; therefore, managing IBS is all about having quality food intake to prevent getting into stomach trouble.