News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

Autopsies indicate that 10 per cent of our population has gallstones, most of which consist largely of cholesterol though a few are formed from bile pigments. Cholesterol stones have been produced in rabbits in a single week by substances causing the walls of the gall bladder to become inflamed; in three weeks their gall bladders were completely filled with stones. The inflammation apparently injured the mucous membrane lining the gall bladder, causing cells to slough off upon which cholesterol could deposit.

When hamsters have been given a diet deficient in vitamin E, all developed cholesterol stones, though no stones occurred in animals receiving the vitamin. It has been generally believed that diets high in fat and/or cholesterol produced stones, but animals given large amounts of cholesterol or saturated or unsaturated fats developed no stones as long as vitamin E was adequate. Conversely, hamsters fed no fat or cholesterol whatsoever all formed stones without vitamin E. The stones developed before any signs of a vitamin-E deficiency could be detected and while the amount of cholesterol in the bile and blood was the same as that in animals having no stones.

Moreover, when animals were kept on a vitamin-E-deficient diet until all had stones and the vitamin was then given them, the stones dissolved. Even a diet still deficient in vitamin E but containing yeast and generous amounts of fat (natural lard) caused half the stones to dissolve; the remainder were small and contained little cholesterol. Yeast and soy flour, added to the stone-producing diet, prevented stones from forming; and the addition of natural grains, peanuts, and minerals decreased the number of stones to half.

The reasons why stones form or are prevented from forming by these diets are not yet clear. It is known that vitamin A is quickly destroyed in the absence of vitamin E; that without vitamin A, millions of dying cells from mucous membranes covering the walls of the gall bladder slough off into the bile; and that stones form around a base of organic material. It would therefore appear that dead cells may catch and hold the cholesterol. Foods such as yeast, nuts, and unrefined grains, containing B vitamins and/or oils, increase the production of lecithin; and they as well as lard stimulate the emptying of the gall bladder. Because lecithin breaks cholesterol into tiny particles and keeps it in suspension; a high lecithin content of bile would appear to be vitally important in preventing stones. Population groups living on refined foods have far more stones than those eating only unrefined products.

Can human gallstones be dissolved?

The general medical opinion is that gallstones cannot be dissolved and that sooner or later surgery is required. Many people with stones, however, have no digestive or gallbladder disturbances; and others apparently have had stones for years without knowing it until a chance x-ray revealed them. There are situations, of course, where surgery is imperative, but if a physician’s decision is to postpone surgery, it is worth the effort to try to dissolve such stones.

Investigators have pointed out that the low-fat diets customarily recommended can actually cause stones by preventing the gall bladder from emptying vigorously. The longer bile remains in the gall bladder, the more concentrated it becomes. When the gall bladder fails to empty, thick stagnant bile high in cholesterol may slosh about with each body movement for days or weeks. Cholesterol and bile pigments are thus constantly brought into contact with any dead cells present. Under such circumstances it would be strange if stones did not form.

Human gallstones, implanted in a dog’s gall bladder, dissolve quickly. This fact indicates that some constituent in bile keeps cholesterol from settling out; therefore the bile of persons who had had stones removed was studied after various nutrients were given them. Cholesterol settled out quickly when saturated fats were eaten. A teaspoon (3.5 grains) of arachidonic acid–the essential fatty acid in peanut oil–or linoleic acid with 20 to 60 milligrams of vitamin B6 increased the cholesterol-holding capacity of bile as much as 200 per cent. Vitamin B6 is necessary before linoleic acid can be changed into arachidonic acid, 25 needed to produce lecithin.

The diet to prevent gallstones or to help them dissolve, therefore, must be high in vitamins A and E to keep cells from sloughing from the mucous membranes. It should contain sufficient oil and B vitamins to stimulate the gall bladder to empty vigorously during each meal; and it must supply all nutrients known to increase lecithin production so that cholesterol can be held in suspension. Saturated fats should be kept to a minimum, and hydrogenated fats and excess carbohydrates, which change into saturated fat, should be avoided.

Large gallstones cannot enter the bile duct, and tiny ones pass readily through it; hence only medium-sized stones may become troublesome. Possibly because many nutrients aid relaxation and decrease sensitivity to pain. The discomfort lasts only a few hours, and as soon as the stone is forced through the bile duct, it is gone forever. The over-all pain and certainly the expense is considerably less than that incurred by surgery.

When you are suffering from an adverse health condition, especially a severe illness or disorder, you should seek immediate medical attention. However, even when you do that, doctors’ negligence can result in delayed treatment. During this time you can become even sicker and perhaps past the ability to even respond to treatment.

On the other hand, there is a thin line between waiting for a second opinion and delayed treatment. In some cases, if you are misdiagnosed, the treatment that you receive for your supposed condition can be dangerous no matter if you receive it immediately or if it is delayed. Thus, when you are diagnosed with a serious health condition, you should always consider taking the time to get a second opinion rather than push forward to get treatment as soon as possible.

Once you are sure of your diagnosis, though, you should receive the proper treatment immediately. Doctors undergo years of education and training so that they can correctly identify disorders and prescribe the proper care. This is important because some powerful treatments, like chemotherapy or strong antibiotics, can weaken your body even as they attack the source of your problem.

Thus, you can suffer from delayed treatment if a doctor fails to recognize your disorder. Additionally, if a medical facility refuses to take you, it can cost you time in getting the treatment you need. Lastly, if you go to the emergency room for treatment, the nurses must correctly triage your injuries and determine if you actually need emergency treatment or not. In cases like this, if you are sent to the wrong unit, it can also take more time before you are treated.

Delay in treatment may not be too dangerous in the case of something like a mild cough or cold. Often, these are caused by viruses that can’t be treated with medication. However, with more serious issues such as strokes and brain trauma, the few hours of delay in getting treatment can result in permanent health issues. For instance, if you hit your head and the doctor diagnoses brain trauma, he should monitor the swelling inside and perhaps administer medications or even perform surgery to keep the blood from pooling up inside your skull. The problem with pooled blood is that it puts pressure on your brain. Prolonged pressure can kill off areas of brain tissue, resulting in lifelong brain damage.

Even when a traumatic brain injury (or TBI) is handled in the most ideal approaches, such as immediate care in a neurosurgical emergency ward, there are often a set of subsequent conditions and complications that can remain with a patient throughout the remainder of their life. Some of the problems can come directly from the injury itself, but can also be more directly related to issues that developed immediately after the injury too. For instance, pooling of blood and intracranial pressures can lead to the death of brain tissue that brings about a bevy of disorders afterward.

The most common complications are related to behavioral, emotional, and cognitive issues. While the most severe will include the patient remaining in what is known as a “persistent vegetative state” or a minimally conscious one, there are lesser but still serious issues like:

• Tremors;
• Ataxia;
• Post-traumatic seizures and Epilepsy;
• Development of Parkinson’s Disease;
• Impairment of the senses including loss of sight, hearing, or smell;
• Changes in hormonal balance that can lead to problems with the pituitary gland;
• Development of Diabetes;
• Memory loss;
• Damage to cognitive skills such as processing speed, distractibility, problems with multi-tasking and problem-solving;
• Inability to process speech; and
• A large assortment of emotional and behavioral changes of a dramatic kind.

The last on the list tends to be one of the most prevalent issues, and can often lead to a TBI patient being diagnosed with secondary conditions such as depression, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), substance abuse issues, and more. These problems, it is believed, are due to damages sustained in specific regions of the patient’s brain. For instance, a patient who has received temporal lobe damage is one prone to development of aggression disorders in the post-recovery period. On the other hand, it is the frontal lobe region that tends to create problems with childlike behavioral issues or a tendency for “dis-inhibition” to develop in the patient.

Subsequently, there is now a great deal of overall support available to the patient and any family or caregivers who are working to recover from the injury. Not only will someone who has sustained any sort of TBI require rehabilitative care, but the damages may have created radical shifts within their families too. A parent may now need more care and understanding than was ever anticipated, especially if they have developed subsequent cognitive or personality issues. This is the reason that entire families are on the receiving end of as much support and assistance as possible after someone sustains TBI.

If you are exercising or if you work in a hot environment, heat injuries can be over looked easily which is an extreme health risk to the person involved.

There are many ways to categorize heat injuries but we will discuss them in 3 major heat induced classes:

Heat cramps are crippling contractions of muscles, usually following exercise.

These usually happen to people who are not acclimatized to the specific environment. There is no research to say what causes them specifically but some have shown a depletion of electrolytes is responsible. Thankfully these craps usually subside once the person is completely acclimatized to the environment.

Heat exhaustion is a more serious injury which results from dehydration and a lack of electrolytes.

The person affected might feel dizzy, light-headed, fatigued, or develop a headache. If heat exhaustion is in fact suspected, the person should be moved to a cool place and allowed to sip fluids to replace those that have been lost.

Heat stroke is a serious injury that is life threatening. This occurs when the person body is unable to regulate their core temperature. If their core temperature is greater than 104f, it can cause irreversible injuries to vital organs and possible cause death if not treated immediately. Even people who are well hydrated can be affected by heat stroke. Headaches, vomiting, loss of consciousness, confusion, and light-headedness are a few symptoms to watch out for.

There are many drugs and influential drinks which can promote dehydration and should be avoided in hot environments.

If you suspect someone is suffering from a heat related injury, it is important to get help immediately.

Antioxidants are usually referred to a group of chemicals that are naturally found in vegetables, plants and fruits. They can also be synthesized in our body. Antioxidants are essential for the prevention of the human diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

They also have anti-aging effect and they fight against the free radicals that are associated with aging related diseases. This disease includes Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Anti-oxidant suppresses the formation of free radicals thereby protecting the body from various diseases. Antioxidants are responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system.

The immune cells produce certain free radicals for normal defense function, if the number of free radicals increases beyond the fixed level it affects the immune system to a greater extent. When these conditions prevail antioxidants fight against the free radicals and promote the immunity. They also play a main role in cellular metabolism, gene activation, signal transduction and transcription.

Antioxidants also control the cholesterol level and remove the bad cholesterol content from the human body. Some of the examples of dietary antioxidants are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, chlorophyll, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Some of the chemicals along with the antioxidant activity produced in a human body are uric acid, amino acids and high density lipo proteins.

The rich sources of natural antioxidants are fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, herbs and whole grain cereals. Some of the fruits that have high antioxidants are apple, blackberry, blueberry and grapes. Some of the vegetables that have powerful antioxidants in excess are carrot, tomato, potato, garlic and beans. Green tea, black tea, ginger and herbal tea are the other important sources of antioxidants.