10 Tips on Belching, Bloating, and Flatulence

1.Belching is caused by swallowed air from:
Eating or drinking too fast
Poorly fitting dentures; not chewing food completely
Carbonated beverages
Chewing gum or sucking on hard candies
Excessive swallowing due to nervous tension or postnasal drip
Forced belching to relieve abdominal discomfort

2.To prevent excessive belching, avoid:
Carbonated beverages
Chewing gum
Hard candies
Simethicone may be helpful

3.Abdominal bloating and discomfort may be due to intestinal sensitivity or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. To relieve symptoms, avoid:
Broccoli
Baked beans
Cabbage
Carbonated drinks
Cauliflower
Chewing gum
Hard candy

4.Abdominal distention resulting from weak abdominal muscles:
Is better in the morning
Gets worse as the day progresses
Is relieved by lying down

5.To prevent Abdominal distention:
Tighten abdominal muscles by pulling in your stomach several times during the day
So sit-up exercises if possible
Wear an abdominal support garment if exercise is too difficult

6.Flatulence is gas created through bacterial action in the bowel and passed rectally. Keep in mind that:
10-18 passages per day are normal
Primary gases are harmless and odorless
Noticeable smells are trace gases related to food intake

7.Foods that are likely to form gas include:
Milk, dairy products, and medications that contain lactose--If your body doesn't produce the enzyme (lactase) to break it down.
Certain vegetables--baked beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage
Certain starches--wheat, oats, corn, potatoes. Rice is a good substitute.

8.If flatulence is a concern, see your doctor to determine if you are lactose intolerant.

9.Identify offending foods. Reduce or eliminate these gas-forming foods from your diet.

10.Activated Charcoal may provide some benefit.

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

8 Tips on Peptic Ulcer Disease

1.Ulcers are "sores" that frequently affect the stomach and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum).

2.Bacterial infection is the most common cause of duodenal ulcers.

3.Stomach ulcers are often a side effect of pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs used primarily to treat arthritis.

4.Alcohol ingestion, cigarette smoking, and emotional stress may also influence the development of an ulcer or interfere with its healing.

5.Upper abdominal pain is the most common symptom of ulcers, but many ulcers cause no symptoms at all.

6.Ulcers may hemorrhage (bleeding) into the gastrointestinal tract; this results in the passage of black ("tarry") stool. Very serious ulcer disease may also cause a blockage between the stomach and small intestine and this complication results in persistent vomiting. Severe pain results from the most urgent complication of ulcers - peritonitis caused by a tear through the wall of the stomach or duodenum.

7.Almost all ulcers can be treated successfully, usually without surgery. Many ulcers can be prevented.

Ulcer treatments include antibiotics, agents that neutralize gastric acid or reduce its secretion, and drugs that strengthen the resistance of the stomach and duodenum

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

6 Tips on Hepatitis

1.Five different hepatitis viruses have been identified: type A; type B; type C; type D, or delta virus; and type E. Type A is probably the most prevalent type of viral hepatitis worldwide, followed by types B, E, C, and D.

2.Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through fecally contaminated food or water. Other modes of transmission include needle sharing among intravenous drug abusers; sexual contact; maternal transmission; and transmission by blood transfusion.

3.A simple blood test is used to determine that a person has one or more of the different types of hepatitis.

4.Acute hepatitis is typically characterized by flu-like symptoms (including fever, headaches, fatigue, nausea and vomiting) and jaundice. Chronic hepatitis is often asymptomatic.

5.Vaccines are available to protect against hepatitis A and B. Additionally, immune globulin for hepatitis A or hepatitis B is recommended when someone has been exposed to an infected person.

6.Among the ways to care for your liver are: limiting alcohol consumption; avoiding liver- damaging drugs; practicing safe sex; avoiding use of illegal drugs; avoiding high doses of vitamins unless prescribed; avoiding tattoos and the sharing of razors; not eating raw shellfish from questionable sources; and carefully following directions for use of toxic substances (e.g., cleaning products).

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

5 Tips on Use of Medications

1.Use of medications increases with age: 80% of older Americans who live independently receive 20 or more prescriptions per year Residents of nursing homes receive an average of 8-10 drugs per day

2.It is important to take medications as prescribed. Reasons for not following directions include:
Too many drugs
Error due to visual or mental impairment
Sharing drugs
Changing doctors
Use of over-the-counter drugs
Sparing expense
Drug side effects
Symptoms not improving

3.See your doctor regularly to check on medications and their effect (bring your medications with you for an office visit or to an emergency room): Drug effect changes with aging There is decreased absorption of drugs through the intestinal tract Decreased kidney function slows drug elimination Metabolism of drugs changes with age

4.The effect medications have on your body will change with aging. For example: Drug action may last longer Drugs may produce toxicity at a lower dose in mature adults than in younger adults

5.Remember that all changes you experience are not necessarily due to aging. For example, decrease in salivary flow is: Due to disease or medication not due to aging

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com

5 Tips on Swallowing and Heartburn

1.Abnormal swallowing is commonly perceived as food "sticking on the way down." If this complaint persists, it is sometimes due to a serious condition and should always prompt medical attention.

2.Swallowing difficulty may be caused by a number of different problems including:
* Poor or incomplete chewing (possibly the result of dental problems, poorly fitted dentures, or eating too quickly)
* Abnormal muscle contraction
* Scar tissue from chronic inflammation
* Infection
* Cancer

3.Heartburn is a very common problem caused by regurgitation or reflux of gastric acid into the esophagus, which connects the mouth and the stomach.

4.Heartburn can often be eliminated by avoiding:
* Smoking
* Fatty food in the diet
* Caffeine
* Chocolate
* Peppermint
* Overeating
* Bed-time snacks
* Tight-fitting clothes that constrict the abdomen
* Certain medications
* Heavy lifting, straining

5.It is important to consider the possibility of heart disease before attributing any kind of chest pain to gastroesophageal reflux.

Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.

Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com

For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com