Is Poor Digestion Making You Fat?

New research is showing that a slow or sluggish digestive system can cause you to have problems losing weight, feel easily tired, have feelings of depression, and cause indigestion and irregular bowel movements.

(PRWeb) January 15, 2007 -- The recently released "Zymelite" enzyme diet claims that your digestive system is key to healthy weight loss. Despite the unending list of diets and diet products out right now, it seems like current research is lending validity to the enzyme push. But can people really lose weight with an enzyme pill instead of following the standard diets?

With a sea of options for dieters, it seems like every website and magazine has a different take on the safest way to lose excess pounds. With glycemic index diets, high protein diets, all veggies diets, pills, teas and no real authority that can definitely answer the question "which one works?" What's even harder to gauge is whether or not they are realistic enough that you can stick to it for the long term.

Tragic event about stomach cancer

In a tragic event of unfortunate misdiagnosis, The Daily Mail is reporting that teen Stacey Stephenson died of stomach cancer after repeatedly being diagnosed with acid indigestion. At the beginning of summer, Stephenson began having digestive problems related to eating. When she visited the doctor, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion and given a prescription to combat acid indigestion.

However, several weeks later, when the young woman of 19 noticed her symptoms had not improved, she returned to see the doctor again. Again, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion. Shortly after, she went with friends to Greece on holiday. During holiday in Greece, the stomach pain became severe and she sought medical attention. An X-ray revealed a stomach tumor and this is when her stomach cancer diagnosis was made.

Dealing with gastric ulcers

It is widely believed that eating chilli causes gastric ulcers in some people and they are adviced to avoid the spice and eat bland food. But an epidemiological survey conducted in Singapore in 1994 shows that the incidence of gastric ulcers is more common among the Chinese than among Indians who eat far more chillis.

In 1984, ulcer patients in a Delhi hospital were given 1gm chilli powder/meal in the three meals consumed per day along with a healing agent, showed no adverse effect of chilli on healing as observed by endoscopic examination.

Peptic (gastric and duodenal) ulcers are the most common afflicting humans all over the world and considered to be caused when there is an imbalance between the rate of gastric secretion and level of protection. Smoking causes ulcers because it stimulates nerves involved in gastric secretions.

Low-Carb Diet Cures Severe Case Of GERD

Nothing proves the health benefits of livin' la vida low-carb better than real people sharing their own experiences following this amazing lifestyle change. That's exactly what I found in this Spokesman-Review Q&A health column featuring syndicated health columnists Joe and Teresa Graedon.Interestingly, I've featured the Graedon's before at my blog when another one of their readers told them how the low-carb lifestyle not only helped control his weight and blood sugar, but completely eliminated his heartburn.This latest letter featured someone who used to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. He said the condition was so bad that it forced him to take Prilosec every single day."Even so, I had severe heartburn, and often food got lodged in my esophagus, even after it was surgically stretched," he wrote

Easy-to-stomach pain relief

THE gastrointestinal tract is quite amazing. Measuring about 23ft from the lips to the anus, its responsible for the digestion and absorption of the food we take in everything that we eat has to pass through this organ.

Essentially we are what we eat; and absorb. But inadequate or faulty digestive processes can lead to a variety of disorders. And these gastrointestinal disorders have a major impact on health.

Some common gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are bloating, belching, burning, flatulence, indigestion, diarrhoea and constipation. This complex host of symptoms can be due to a variety of reasons.

In the course of treating patients both young and old, great care needs to be practised so that the root of the gastrointestinal problem is correctly diagnosed and addressed.

Relief from Heartburn without the Risk

If you're one of the more than 100 million Americans who suffer from symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, flatulence or burping and irregular bowel movements, maybe it's time to take a natural approach to digestive health.In addition to causing discomfort that can range from annoying to debilitating, digestive disorders keep your system from absorbing and assimilating nutrients, which means you're not getting adequate protein, fats, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants which your body needs to sustain optimal health. Digestonal is a natural digestive aid that relies on time-tested traditional remedies like artichoke leaf extract, mastic gum, DigeZyme and Lactospore to boost the body's ability to absorb and assimilate nutrients without harmful side effects.

Guide to heartburn helps ID types, treatments

According to the British medical journal The Lancet, heartburn is pretty common. In fact, 25 percent of Americans report experiencing heartburn at least once a month, 12 percent at least once per week and 5 percent daily. So what is heart burn? And what about gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? Well, here's a guide to provide a bit more understanding of that burning sensation in your chest.
Read More...

Easy-to-stomach pain relief

THE gastrointestinal tract is quite amazing. Measuring about 23ft from the lips to the anus, its responsible for the digestion and absorption of the food we take in everything that we eat has to pass through this organ.
Essentially we are what we eat; and absorb. But inadequate or faulty digestive processes can lead to a variety of disorders. And these gastrointestinal disorders have a major impact on health.
Some common gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are bloating, belching, burning, flatulence, indigestion, diarrhoea and constipation. This complex host of symptoms can be due to a variety of reasons.
In the course of treating patients both young and old, great care needs to be practised so that the root of the gastrointestinal problem is correctly diagnosed and addressed.

Hidden Symptoms of GERD

Nearly half of all Americans suffer from gastroesphageal reflux disease, with the biggest symptom being heartburn. But there are other symptoms of gerd that may cause misdiagnosis. KPLC's Laila Morcos has more on the disease and what to look for.
General Vascular and Thoracic Surgeon Ronald Kober is the answer to many patient's prayers. "At least 40 to 50 percent of Americans suffer from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease," says Dr. Kober.
Heartburn is the most common symptom of gerd. But about 20 percent of people with acid reflux have no symptoms of heartburn. "Frequently they're misdiagnosed as having upper respiratory tract infections, asthma and sinusitis," says Dr. Kober, which can be very dangerous. He says, "It can lead to significant complications, ulcerations and internal bleeding.")) Dr.

That's not heartache, it's a hiatal hernia

THE DIAPHRAGM is a muscular sheet that separates the chest cavity (containing the heart, lungs, esophagus and other organs) from the abdominal cavity (containing the stomach, large and small intestine, and other organs).
A hiatal hernia refers to the abnormal passage of a portion of the stomach upward into the chest through a hiatus (opening) in the diaphragm.
The vast majority (about 90 percent) of hiatal hernias are of the so-called "sliding" type, in which a portion of the stomach passes upward into the chest through a diaphragmatic opening that the esophagus normally passes through on its downward course to the stomach.
A sliding hernia tends to move in and out of the thoracic cavity across the diaphragm, although the diaphragm itself is normal.
Sliding hernias are of particular importance because they are associated with gastroesophageal reflux (the passage of acid-containing stomach contents into the esophagus).

If heartburn takes you you by throat, sip liquids

According to the British medical journal The Lancet, heartburn is a common ailment. In fact, 25 percent of Americans report experiencing heartburn at least once a month, 12 percent at least once a week and 5 percent daily. What is heartburn? And what about gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? Here's a guide to provide a bit more understanding of that burning sensation in your chest.
• Why is it called heartburn? ''Heartburn is often sensed as a burning feeling behind the middle of the lower to middle of the chest, giving the sense that it may be coming from the heart,'' said Dr. Philip Jaffe, an associate professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.
• What is happening, biologically speaking? According to Dr. David Peura, a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia Health System: ``Acid that's normally produced by the stomach is washing back up into the esophagus [the swallowing tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach] and irritating [burning] its lining.

Tragic event about stomach cancer

In a tragic event of unfortunate misdiagnosis, The Daily Mail is reporting that teen Stacey Stephenson died of stomach cancer after repeatedly being diagnosed with acid indigestion. At the beginning of summer, Stephenson began having digestive problems related to eating. When she visited the doctor, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion and given a prescription to combat acid indigestion. However, several weeks later, when the young woman of 19 noticed her symptoms had not improved, she returned to see the doctor again. Again, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion. Shortly after, she went with friends to Greece on holiday. During holiday in Greece, the stomach pain became severe and she sought medical attention. An X-ray revealed a stomach tumor and this is when her stomach cancer diagnosis was made.

How to manage reflux disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is one of the most common digestive disorders. It is a condition where stomach acid refluxes upward into the esophagus.
Usually, the acid in your stomach is retained by a muscular valve at the end of the esophagus, known as the lower esophageal sphincter. The LES is supposed to remain closed, except when swallowing. If it opens at other times, stomach acid can flow upward (reflux) into the esophagus, causing heartburn. Typical symptoms include an uncomfortable feeling of burning, warmth, heat or pain just behind the breastbone, which is commonly referred to as heartburn. Other symptoms can include nausea, increased belching, regurgitation of food and even chronic cough.
Occasional heartburn does not necessarily mean you have reflux disease. In GERD, the symptoms last longer and occur more often.

Acid reflux and GERD: Are they the same thing?

Acid reflux is one cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a disease in which stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back (refluxes) into your food pipe (esophagus).
Because GERD may also be caused by bile reflux, the term "acid reflux disease" is more specific in describing the cause. But it doesn't describe the body part affected by the acid reflux.
Most doctors prefer "GERD" because it's a more comprehensive term. Drug companies that market and sell acid-suppressing medications, however, often prefer to use "acid reflux disease."

Esophagectomy Safe for Obese Patients

A special type of surgery to remove the esophagus in patients with esophageal cancer is safe for people who are obese, say U.S. scientists.
Since the obesity epidemic of the last 20 years has increased the incidence of reflux disease, which has produced a 350-percent increase in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma, the researchers think this information is good news for thoracic surgeons and oncologists.
John Alexander and his colleagues at the University of Michigan Health system studied 133 profoundly obese patients with a body mass index of 35 or more who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) at the University of Michigan Health System between 1977 and 2006.

Read More...

Hidden Symptoms of GERD

Nearly half of all Americans suffer from gastroesphageal reflux disease, with the biggest symptom being heartburn. But there are other symptoms of gerd that may cause misdiagnosis. KPLC's Laila Morcos has more on the disease and what to look for.
General Vascular and Thoracic Surgeon Ronald Kober is the answer to many patient's prayers. "At least 40 to 50 percent of Americans suffer from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease," says Dr. Kober.
Heartburn is the most common symptom of gerd. But about 20 percent of people with acid reflux have no symptoms of heartburn. "Frequently they're misdiagnosed as having upper respiratory tract infections, asthma and sinusitis," says Dr. Kober, which can be very dangerous. He says, "It can lead to significant complications, ulcerations and internal bleeding.")) Dr.

Read More...

Prilosec as Effective as Expensive Prescriptions, Study Finds

A widely available nonprescription drug -- Prilosec OTC -- is as effective a treatment for heartburn and acid reflux disease as prescription drugs costing almost 10 times more, according to an analysis from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, a public education project of Consumers Union.
"Many people with heartburn and acid reflux could save $1,000 to $2,000 a year by taking an over-the-counter drug that's just as effective as high-priced prescription drugs," said Gail Shearer, director of the project.
"These are dramatic savings, and illustrate why consumers should talk to their doctors about identifying effective, lower-cost medicines," Shearer added.
The over-the-counter drug Prilosec costs $19 to $26 a month on average nationwide, and can be even cheaper at large discount stores.

Read More...

Dealing with gastric ulcers

It is widely believed that eating chilli causes gastric ulcers in some people and they are adviced to avoid the spice and eat bland food. But an epidemiological survey conducted in Singapore in 1994 shows that the incidence of gastric ulcers is more common among the Chinese than among Indians who eat far more chillis. In 1984, ulcer patients in a Delhi hospital were given 1gm chilli powder/meal in the three meals consumed per day along with a healing agent, showed no adverse effect of chilli on healing as observed by endoscopic examination. Peptic (gastric and duodenal) ulcers are the most common afflicting humans all over the world and considered to be caused when there is an imbalance between the rate of gastric secretion and level of protection. Smoking causes ulcers because it stimulates nerves involved in gastric secretions.

Read More...

How to manage reflux disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is one of the most common digestive disorders. It is a condition where stomach acid refluxes upward into the esophagus.
Usually, the acid in your stomach is retained by a muscular valve at the end of the esophagus, known as the lower esophageal sphincter. The LES is supposed to remain closed, except when swallowing. If it opens at other times, stomach acid can flow upward (reflux) into the esophagus, causing heartburn. Typical symptoms include an uncomfortable feeling of burning, warmth, heat or pain just behind the breastbone, which is commonly referred to as heartburn. Other symptoms can include nausea, increased belching, regurgitation of food and even chronic cough.
Occasional heartburn does not necessarily mean you have reflux disease. In GERD, the symptoms last longer and occur more often.

Read More