You have tried eating like a baby in the name of ‘dieting’, spent hours in your local gym in the name of ‘workouts’, wasted hundreds of dollars on weight loss pills and supplements, and have even gone to the extent of procuring those attractive but useless exercise gadgets that claim to burn your fat effortlessly; yet, you are unable to lose a single pound of fat.

If this is you then weight loss surgery is the only way to go. While there are many types of weight loss surgeries available out there, most people seem to go for the gastric bypass. The gastric bypass surgery, even though it helps you lose weight, is risky. In this article I will tell you about the complications you can possibly encounter after undergoing the surgery.

Celebrities and Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass has always been more or less popular, but it was made even more popular with celebrities such as Al Roker and Carnie Wilson going for it and losing weight successfully with its help. Now it is your turn to try it out.

It is a known fact that the key to successful weight loss lies in reducing your food intake. If you eat less than your normal diet, you would get rid of the extra pounds. However, it is easier said than done. Try as you might, you would never be able to reduce your food intake to the desired level because the constant hunger pangs won’t let you do so.

The only solution available to you is that of reducing the size of your stomach so that you don’t feel hungry even after reducing your food intake drastically. This is exactly what the gastric bypass surgery does for you, and this is the reason why it is so popular among the masses and celebrities alike.

Gastric Bypass Risks

Now let’s talk about the possible risks associated with the surgery. While weight gain can trigger a host of diseases such as heart strokes, kidney problems, digestion problems, sleep apnea, cancer, gout, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, psychological problems, etc., weight loss achieved through gastric bypass can also cripple you.

Known complications associated with gastric bypass surgery are stones in gall bladder (or gallstones), anemia, hair loss or thinning of hair, osteoporosis, blood clotting, infections, ulcers, stomach stenosis, incisional hernia, and even possible death.

Your decision on Gastric Bypass

Now the ball is in your court. You have to take the decision about whether to go for the gastric bypass or not. Weigh the risks of obesity with those of the gastric bypass surgery, and then take the decision. You may also want to consult with your doctor or a health specialist, preferably someone specializing in bariatric surgery.

If you ask me though, I would suggest that you try losing weight with diet and exercise once again. Lots of people have lost weight this way, so there is no reason why you cannot. Both of them are not only risk-free, you would also gain a lot of extra weight loss benefits that are not available to those losing weight through gastric bypass. In short, you should consider gastric bypass only as your last resort.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Al Roker, anemia, Asthma, bariatric surgery, cancer, Carnie Wilson, diabetes, food intake, gallstones, Gastric bypass, Gastric Bypass Gastric bypass, gastric bypass surgery, gout, health specialist, high blood pressure, hypertension, Incisional hernia, obesity, osteoporosis, sleep apnea, strokes, surgery, weight loss surgeries, weight loss surgery

Some allergies are widely thought to be outgrown. Usually kids will outgrow egg and milk allergies but do not outgrow nut allergies. A recent couple of studies by John Hopkins.

The prognosis for a child with a milk or egg allergy appears to be worse than it was two decades ago, said Robert A. Wood, M.D., a co-author of both studies, and colleagues. Rather than outgrowing the allergies by the time they start school, only about 20% to 40% of children do so with milk and about 4% to 26% with egg. Twenty percent of patients with milk allergies and 30% of those with egg allergies don’t develop tolerance till age 16, found the researchers.

“We may be dealing with a different kind of disease process than we did 20 years ago,” Dr. Wood said. “Why this is happening we just don’t know.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergic rhinitis, allergies, allergy, Asthma, atopic dermatitis, co-author, counseling, eczema, egg allergies, egg allergy, food allergies, food allergy, infants and young children, john hopkins, milk allergies, milk allergy, nut allergies, pediatric allergy, Robert A. Wood

Causes of Respiratory Allergies

Doctors don’t know for sure why some people get allergies or allergic asthma. However, they have identified some factors that make a person more likely to develop these conditions:
• Family history-the tendency to develop allergies may be inherited
• Exposure to air pollution
• Being exposed to certain substances in the workplace
• Exposure to secondhand smoke
• Having certain health conditions, such as respiratory infections during childhood or being overweight

Diagnosing Allergies
Some allergies are easy to identify, because there is an obvious pattern of symptoms following exposure to certain substances. For example, if a person always sneezes around cats, that points to an allergy to cats. Someone who gets a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes every spring may be allergic to pollen.

A visit to the doctor’s office for a physical exam¬ination is important. When the allergy trigger is not obvious, the doctor may recommend a specialist called an allergist who will likely do a series of skin tests to identify the allergens that are causing the problem.

Treating Allergies

Avoiding the allergen is the best way to prevent an allergy attack, but this isn’t always possible. Someone who is allergic to pollen, for example, can’t hide in a closet during allergy season. However, there are some steps people can take to reduce their exposure to allergens. If pet dander is the trigger, it will help to limit the areas of the home that family pets are allowed to be in. If dust is the problem, regular cleaning will help to keep it from accumulating. Avoiding damp areas will help if mould is the culprit.

Medications can help ease the symptoms. Some can be bought over-the-counter; others require a prescription. Allergy medicines fall into several different categories:
• antihistamines
• decongestants
• corticosteroids
• bronchodilators
• mast cell stabilizers
• leukotriene modifiers

When medications don’t provide enough relief, a doctor may recommend immunotherapy (allergy shots) to reduce sensitivity to the allergy triggers.

Not every treatment is right for all allergy sufferers, so it is very important to discuss possible treatments with your doctor.

Anaphylactic Shock

Sometimes the sensitivity to an allergen is so extreme that the body goes into anaphylactic shock (also known as anaphylaxis). This is a sudden, severe allergic reaction that affects various systems in the body. The result is:

• difficulty breathing
• swelling of the face, throat, lips, and tongue
• rapid drop in blood pressure
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness
• unconsciousness.

If it is not treated rapidly, it may lead to death. Anaphylaxis can happen within seconds of being exposed to a triggering substance, or it might happen up to two hours later. Among the most common causes of anaphylaxis are peanuts, seafood, and insect stings.

Anaphylaxis requires immediate treatment. People who know they have severe reactions should carry medication (epinephrine) with them at all times. The medication comes in a small syringe that may look like a pen, and it must be injected. Highly allergic people, their family members, and their friends should know how to give the injection in an emergency. This knowledge could save a life. Medical treatment is important even after the shot is given, because a single injection is not always enough.

Your pharmacist will be happy to answer any questions you have about allergies or allergy treatments and to help you select products to ease your family’s symptoms.

Tags: air_pollution, allergic reaction, allergies, allergy, allergy_attack, allergy_medicines, allergy_season, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, Asthma, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, dizziness, epinephrine, family_pets, immunotherapy, itchy_watery_eyes, nausea, pet_dander, pharmacist, respiratory infections, respiratory_allergies, sneezes, unconsciousness, vomiting

People with allergies are super-sensitive to things that most people find harmless, including pollen from plants, mould, dust, cockroaches, pet dander (tiny skin flakes), and food.

When a super-sensitive person comes in contact with the substance that causes the allergy (called an allergen), the immune system overreacts and releases a large amount of a chemical called histamine. Large amounts of histamine cause tissue swelling (inflammation) and tightening (constriction) of muscles and other tissues, including those in the breathing passages.

Allergies can affect many different parts of the body. For example, some allergies affect only the skin; others affect more than one body system. Respiratory allergies are those that affect the organs and airways that help us breathe.

Symptoms
Not all people with respiratory allergies are allergic to the same things. One person’s allergies may be triggered by pollen, while someone else may react to dust. However, most people who suffer from respiratory allergies share the same symptoms, which may include:
•    itchiness
•    watery or red eyes
•    coughing
•    sneezing
•    stuffiness in the nose

More serious symptoms may include shortness of breath or wheezing. In severe cases, the airways may become so constricted and swollen that breathing becomes difficult or impossible. This is a serious condition called anaphylactic shock, and it requires immediate medical attention.
Common Allergies that Affect the Respiratory System

•    Hay fever (allergic rhinitis): According to The Canadian Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Foundation, hay fever affects 20% to 25% of Canadians. It can be seasonal, if it is caused by the pollens of grasses and flowers, or chronic (long-term), if it is triggered by things such as dust, animal dander, or mould.

•    Food and drug allergies: Eating fish or shellfish may cause allergic reactions such as stomach upset or skin reactions, or it may cause severe breathing problems. Some other foods such as peanuts, milk, and eggs may also cause this type of reaction. Medications, too, can cause allergic reactions. It is important to speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies and are taking any medicines.

•    Insect allergies: Cockroaches can be a major household allergen, especially in densely populated city areas. This may be why there is a higher rate of breathing problems among children who live in inner cities. Bee stings can cause severe, life-threatening reactions in people who are allergic to them.

•    Allergic asthma: Asthma is one of the fastest growing diseases in this country, affecting between 15% and 20% of all Canadians. It is the leading cause of hospital admissions in children. Most of the cases of moderate to severe asthma are linked to allergies.

Tags: allergic reactions, allergic rhinitis, allergies, allergy, anaphylactic shock, anaphylactic_shock, and Immunology Foundation, animal_dander, Asthma, breathing_passages, Canadian Allergy, chemical called histamine, drug allergies, food, Hay fever, hay_fever, histamine, inflammation, itchiness, mould, pet_dander, pharmacist, pollen, respiratory_allergies, shortness of breath, stomach upset, wheezing

Healthday News had this article on urban exercise based on a report by the The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..

Your intentions may be good, but exercising outdoors in a city may be riskier than you think, one expert says.

Outdoor activity can cause serious damage to a person’s health because of elevated air pollution levels. Those especially at risk are those who exercise by running, bicycling or skating.

According to Dr. Joseph T. Cooke, associate professor of clinical medicine and patient safety officer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the danger lies in the components of air pollution. The three main culprits are fine particulate matter, (the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air), ozone (a gas composed of three oxygen atoms) and carbon monoxide.

These components of air pollution irritate the lungs, making it harder to breathe and worsening problems initially caused by asthma, bronchitis, cardiopulmonary maladies, and emphysema.

“The pollutants affect the lungs by causing inflammation or irritation of the airway lining,” Cooke explained in a prepared statement. “More mucus and phlegm is produced, and small muscles surrounding the airway respond by squeezing down. The work of breathing increases, and it becomes more difficult to get oxygen into the body,” he said.

The three pollutants are located in cities around the world. Fine particulates are emitted from the diesel engines of buses and trucks. Carbon monoxide arises from cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust, and it has the ability to force oxygen out of a person’s circulatory system.

For those exercising, overexposure to carbon monoxide can lead to dizziness, confusion, headaches and dangerously high body temperatures. Ozone, which is the largest component of smog in cities, adversely affects breathing patterns and decreases the size of airways, making the lungs more resistant to oxygen.

For those determined to work out outdoors, Cooke offered the following tips:

Do not run on or near roads where there is heavy truck or bus traffic.
Work out in the early morning or later in the evening.
Exercise indoors if possible.
If you experience any difficulty breathing, stop exercising immediately and see a doctor.

Tags: associate professor, associate professor of clinical medicine and patient safety officer, Asthma, bronchitis, dizziness, headaches, inflammation, irritation, Joseph T. Cooke, medicine and patient safety officer, New York, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, professor of clinical medicine, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

My wife has been taking high dosages of aspirin tow or three times a day for the last few months as she had some clots show up on her legs and the doctor, after having me give her injections to thin her blood, gave her this prescrition for a generic type of aspirin derivative that she is taking. As always I scoured the internet to find more information on taking aspirin and I have copied the following info from both Wikipedia and the FDA in case you have a simeilar interest. The wiki info is an outline on aspirin itself and the FDA info is a bunch of questions and answers about aspirin.

Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. It has also an anticoagulant (”blood-thinning”) effect and is used in long-term low-doses to prevent heart attacks.

Low-dose long-term aspirin irreversibly blocks the formation of thromboxane A2 in platelets, producing an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation, and this blood-thinning property makes it useful for reducing the incidence of heart attacks. Aspirin produced for this purpose often comes in 75 or 81 mg dispersible tablets and is sometimes called “Junior aspirin”. High doses of aspirin are also given immediately after an acute heart attack. These doses may also inhibit the synthesis of prothrombin and may therefore produce a second and different anticoagulant effect.

Several hundred fatal overdoses of aspirin occur annually, but the vast majority of its uses are beneficial. Its primary undesirable side effects, especially in stronger doses, are gastrointestinal distress (including ulcers and stomach bleeding) and tinnitus. Another side effect, due to its anticoagulant properties, is increased bleeding in menstruating women. Because there appears to be a connection between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome, aspirin is no longer used to control flu-like symptoms in minors.[1]

Aspirin was the first discovered member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), not all of which are salicylates, though they all have similar effects and a similar action mechanism.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: A. Consumers, A. Patients, acetyl group, aches, allergy, angina pectoris, angioplasty, arthritis, Arthur Eichengr, Arthur Eichengrun, aspirin, aspirin products, Asthma, Bayer, body systems, British Columbia, bypass, Cerebral Ischemia, Charles Frederic Gerhardt, chemical, chemical structure, chemist, chest pain, chills, coronary artery disease, Cox, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Derek W. Gilroy, diarrhea, Egypt, fda, fever, first discovered member, Friedrich Bayer & Co., Gerhardt, Germany, Glasgow, headaches, hearing loss, heart attack, heart attacks, Henri Leroux, Heyden Company, high blood pressure, Hoffmann, hydroxyl functional groups, ibuprofen, ISIS, John Robert Vane, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ketoprofen, kidney disease, London, Michigan, myocardial infarctions, osteoarthritis, pain, pains, pharmaceuticals industry, pharmacist, physician, pleurisy, Raffaele Piria, research assistant, researcher, Reye's syndrome, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, Royal College of Surgeons in London, selective inhibitors, spondylarthropathies, stroke, Stroke Prevention, strokes, Sumeria, systemic lupus erythematosus, thrombus, tinnitus, transient ischemic attack, treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, United Kingdom, United States, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, unstable angina, Walter Sneader

Any decision you make about your health care is important–including deciding whether to use acupuncture. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has developed this fact sheet to provide you with information on acupuncture. It includes frequently asked questions, issues to consider, and a list of sources for further information. Terms that are underlined are defined at the end of this fact sheet.

Key Points
Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world.

It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any treatment that you are using or considering, including acupuncture. Ask about the treatment procedures that will be used and their likelihood of success for your condition or disease.

Be an informed consumer and find out what scientific studies have been done on the effectiveness of acupuncture for your health condition.

If you decide to use acupuncture, choose the practitioner with care. Also check with your insurer to see if the services will be covered.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: acupuncture, acupuncture points, Alternative Medicine, Asthma, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, chemotherapy, China, Complementary Medicine, complex chronic, cramps, energy, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headache, health care systems, insurance plans, irritable bowel syndrome, James Reston, Japan, Korea, Massage, meditation, meridians, muscle pain, National Center for Complementary, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institute of Health, nausea, negative energy, New York Times, Office of Alternative Medicine, osteoarthritis, pain, physician, placebos, positive energy, reporter, stroke, surgery, tennis elbow, traditional Chinese medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United States, vomiting, Web search engines

No way, is it really true? Next time you are about to unwrap a chcolate bar or pop open that pop think about this list by Nancy Appleton, a PHD that wrote the book Lick the sugar habit. .I thought I knew why sugar was bad but here are well over 100 reasons why you should avoid it.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: adhd, alcoholism, Alzheimer�s disease, appendicitis, arthritis, Asthma, atherosclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bacterial infection, biliary tract cancer, bowel disease, breast cancer, cancer, cancer of the rectum, Candida Albicans, carcinoma, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, central reward systems, chromium deficiency, colon cancer, constipation, copper deficiency, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes, dizziness, drowsiness, duodenal ulcers, eczema, endometrial cancer, epileptic seizures, excessive food intake, food, food allergies, gallbladder cancer, gallstones, gastric cancer, gout, headaches, heart disease, hemorrhoids, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, infectious diseases, intravenous feedings, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney stones, laryngeal cancer, learning disorders, liver tumors, lung cancer, memory loss, metabolic syndrome, migraine, multiple sclerosis, myopia, Nancy Appleton, nearsightedness, neural tube defects, obesity, osteoporosis, pancreatic cancer, Parkinson�s disease, periodontal disease, peripheral vascular disease, polio, prostate cancer, schizophrenia, stomach cancer, sugar, sugar habit, Sweet food items, toxemia, travel time, ulcerative colitis, varicose veins, yeast infections