Types of Constipation

1. Atonic Constipation

Atonic (Gk. atonos = unaccented, without tension) constipation results from reduced muscle tone (tension) of the colon, abdominal wall or pelvic floor. Causes include:

• Habits, like sedentary life style, irregular meals, low-fiber diet, postponing bowel movement, overuse of laxatives resulting in a lazy colon that does not react to stimuli, like eating and presence of the stool in the rectum. Affected person simply does not feel the urge to defecate even when his colon is full of stool.
• Loose rectal muscles, mainly in old people
• Weak pelvic floor muscles, often in women after giving birth
• Damage of the intestinal nerves in long-term, poorly controlled diabetes or congenital disorders, like Hirschsprung’s disease.

Change of life habits, or surgery (in Hirschsprung’s disease) can help.

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Anaphylaxis is the medical term for a severe allergic reaction that can affect the entire body and is potentially life threatening. An anaphylactic reaction can lead to shock, hence the term anaphylactic shock. Anaphylaxis presents with the same signs and symptoms of shock in addition to an itchy skin rash, airway constriction, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Anaphylaxis is known as a type I hypersensitivity reaction and occurs within 15 to 30 minutes of being exposed to the antigen (foreign organisms or substance). Sometimes a severe reaction can occur within seconds. This reaction is mediated by immunglobulin E (IgE), which is a type of antibody. Antibodies are developed by the immune system to help immune cells identify antigens  as being dangerous and triggering a reaction against them. IgE tends to reside within the respiratory passages, skin and mucus membranes. Therefore much of the symptoms of this type of hypersensitivity reaction occurs in these areas.

Milder type I hypersensitivity reactions may be seen in acute allergies and chronic allergic conditions like asthma and hay fever. Anaphylaxis, however, is a much more severe reaction commonly triggered by certain drugs, foods or insect toxins (from bites or stings). Unlike a mild allergic reaction, anaphylaxis requires emergency medical attention so that epinephrine can be administered. Failure to do so can sometimes lead to death.

Chest pain may be accompanied by other signs and symptoms like coughing. The pain may be due to forceful or persistent coughing, or can occur independently of the coughing. Nevertheless it is important to identify if both chest pain and coughing are related and to isolate the possible causes of both. Chest pain with coughing is not always due to respiratory causes since certain gastrointestinal and cardiac (heart) conditions can cause chest pain and also trigger coughing.

continue reading Chest Pain with Coughing

Anasarca is the medical term for simultaneous swelling throughout the body (generalized edema). The fluid accumulates within the subcutaneous tissue of the skin and gross swelling of the body is evident. There may also be other types of edema occurring simultaneously like ascites, which is fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity (swollen stomach). Other cavities and organs may also be affected by edema.

There are various diseases that cause edema, some of which result in localized swelling while others can lead to anasarca. This may vary from cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) to kidney and liver diseases, certain pharmaceutical drugs and different types of autoimmune diseases like SLE (lupus). Anasarca usually indicates severe illness and may often be seen in the end stages of serious chronic conditions.

Anasarca gives the appearance of being swollen or bloated throughout most of the body and should not be mistaken for weight gain. Immediate medical attention is required if anasarca is evident.

Does Calcium Cause Constipation?

It has not been scientifically proven that either dietary calcium or calcium supplements would cause constipation. However, some people complain about constipation after eating dairy products (which are high in calcium), taking calcium supplements or other medications containing calcium.

On the other hand, elevated level of calcium in the blood serum (hypercalcemia) does cause constipation (1).

Constipation as a Side Effect of Calcium Containing Medications

The following calcium containing medications mention constipation as a possible side effect:

• Calcium supplements, like calcium carbonate or citrate (oral), or calcium chloride (intravenous)
• Acid lowering drugs (tums): calcium carbonate

continue reading Do Calcium Rich Foods or Calcium Supplements Cause Constipation?

A popping or cracking noise emanating from the sternum (breastbone) is usually associated with the joints between the breastbone and ribs. These bones are connected to each other by a length of cartilage (costal cartilage) that extends from the rib and attaches to the sternum.

The cartilage of the first seven ribs articulate with the sternum at the sternocostal joints. These cartilages also articulate with the ribs at the costochondral joints. The clavicle also articulates with the sternum at the sternoclavicular joint although this is less likely to be associated with any audible clicking. The popping or cracking noise may be accompanied by breast bone pain, tenderness and/or joint swelling.

continue reading Popping, Cracking, Clicking Sternum (Breastbone) Rib Joint

Recommended Diet to Lower High Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure, your diet should contain (1):

• Less than 1.5 g of salt (NaCl) and sodium (Na) per day
• About 4.7 g of potassium (K) per day
• Low amount of cholesterol and saturated fats (your doctor should tell exact amount)
• No more than 2 drinks of alcohol per day (your doctor should tell)

Foods to LIMIT in High Blood Pressure

1. Salt and Sodium

Reducing sodium (Na) and salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) in your diet can lower blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, aim to limit salt intake to 1.5 g/day. You can achieve this by avoiding salty foods, especially commercial (packaged, tinned) foods, not adding salt during cooking and at the table.

continue reading Foods That Cause and Foods That Lower High Blood Pressure

Hip replacement surgery can be considered similar to an organ transplantation. The body needs time to adjust to the artificial hip joint, which functions a little differently than the original. A person also needs to be aware that, even if the joint is metallic and has a strength several times that of a normal joint, the connection between the joint and human bone is not. So it is very prudent to consider having an artificial joint as a potential weakness and not increased  strength. This along with the added stress of surgery, substantially increases the overall recovery time required to resume normal daily activities. Another hurdle which greatly modifies the lifestyle of a post-replacement patient are the physical restrictions. Recent advances in the equipment and surgery have imparted greater mobility and longevity to the artificial joints as well as the people using them.
continue reading Hip Replacement – Recovery time and Restrictions

The different types of arthritis are often confusing for a layman. Even though the word “arthritis”, is frequently associated with stiff and painful joints. Some arthritis can have much more disastrous and disabling consequences. Some other arthritis are a part of major diseases elsewhere in the body, like gout, ankylosing spondylitis, and so on. Each type of arthritis has an affinity for some particular joints and some peculiar features, which distinguish it from the other types.
continue reading Types of Arthritis – Symptoms

Optimal Cholesterol Levels

Optimal amounts of cholesterol (in one dL of the blood) are:

• Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg
• LDL cholesterol: less than 100 mg
• HDL cholesterol: more than 60 mg 

Foods to Avoid or Limit to Lower Cholesterol

continue reading Diet to Lower Cholesterol in Vegetarians