The Health Blog

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) offers brief information about this disease which affects millions of people worldwide. Here are the things that you should know about heartburn.

• Heartburn occurs when excessive amounts of stomach acid reflux into the esophagus, according to the ACG.
• Besides being uncomfortable, heartburn can also be a sign of a serious problem called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Symptoms of GERD include burning chest pain, regurgitation of bitter or sour liquid, difficulty swallowing, and excessive clearing of the throat.
• Left untreated, persistent heartburn/GERD symptoms can lead to severe complications such as esophageal strictures or a precancerous condition called Barrett’s Esophagus. In rare cases, people with persistent heartburn/GERD develop esophageal cancer.
• Eating smaller meals, controlling your weight and avoiding tight-fitting clothes are all ways of reducing heartburn symptoms. Don’t lie down after meals, because that makes it easier for stomach contents (including acid) to back up into the esophagus. Do not eat for three to four hours before you go to bed.
• Common heartburn triggers include: smoking, caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, fatty and spicy foods, and tomato sauces.
• Pregnancy increases the risk of heartburn/GERD symptoms. That’s because pregnancy puts greater pressure on the stomach and causes increased production of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, which can allow more acid to reflux into the esophagus.
• See a doctor if you: have heartburn two or more times a week; don’t get lasting relief from medication; have difficulty swallowing; have unexplained weight loss; experience reflux symptoms lasting more than a year.

Because of the recent incident of food poisoning at this years Chicago Food Festival, parents were alarmed about the seriousness of this case, thus continue to seek immediate care for food poisoned patient. Here are some useful tips or home remedies while waiting for medical attention:

Short episodes of vomiting and small amounts of diarrhea lasting less than 24 hours can usually be cared for at home. Do not eat solid food while nauseous or vomiting but drink plenty of fluids.

• Small, frequent sips of clear liquids (those you can see through) are the best way to stay hydrated.
• Avoid alcoholic, caffeinated, or sugary drinks, if possible. Over–the–counter rehydration products made for children such as Pedialyte and Rehydralyte are expensive but good to use if available.
• Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are fine for adults if they are diluted with water because at full strength they contain too much sugar, which can worsen diarrhea.

Reuters - More than 100 students and teachers from a school in Bangladesh have been admitted to hospital after suffering convulsions, police said on Saturday.

The cause of their sudden illness was being investigated.

The victims fell ill at Adiabad School and College near Narshingdi district town, 55 km (34 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, a police inspector said.

Twenty-three people died in Bangladesh in 2004 from a mysterious disease later diagnosed as an encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain caused by a viral infection. Dozens more were infected with the disease, which some had feared was bird flu.

Eating lots of sugary, starchy foods may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), America’s top cause of vision loss - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

AMD typically starts late in life. It affects the retina, located in the center of the eye. AMD can cause vision loss. Previous research shows that diets rich in antioxidants might help prevent AMD.

The new study adds one more diet tip: Go for carbohydrates that don’t make your blood sugar spike quickly.

Doing so might help prevent AMD, note the researchers. They included Chung-Jung Chiu, DDS, Ph.D., and Allen Taylor, Ph.D.. They work in Boston at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

WebMD reports about the recent food poisoning incident at this year’s Tase of Chicago Food Festival held from June 29 to July 2, which sent at least 10 people to the hospital and sickened more than 100 others. At least nine festival-goers were infected with salmonella, presenting as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody.

Most people recover from salmonella infection within a week. But some cases may be severe and even life-threatening. Babies, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness from salmonella infection.

Food poisoning incidents can happen everywhere, at a family reunion, at a festival, at a restaurant or even at home. The good news is, it can be avoided if people were cautious enough. Experts suggested ways to prevent food poising:

A new children’s book written by award-wining writer Debjani Chatterjee encourages young people to follow their dreams and also provides self-management tips on asthma.

Funded by Asthma UK through the Challenge Fund, the book, entitled ‘A Special Assembly’, tells the story of a young south Asian boy called Raj, who has asthma and wants to follow in the footsteps of his favourite cricket player.

The book was commissioned by the Asian People’s Disability Alliance (APDA), a voluntary organisation managed and run by Asian people with disabilities. Alongside the story it provides information on managing asthma in a south Asian cultural and social context, with guidance notes for parents in English, Gujarati, Urdu and Bengali.

A breathing technique known as the Papworth method can cut asthma symptoms by a third, a new study finds.

The Papworth method is a sequence of breathing and relaxation exercises developed in the 1960s. The training involves a diaphragmatic breathing technique, emphasizes nose breathing and the development of a breathing pattern to suit current activity. The breathing exercises are accompanied by relaxation training and education focused on helping people integrate the exercises into their daily life and recognize the early signs of stress.

The study, published online ahead of print in Thorax, included 85 people with mild asthma. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either five sessions of treatment by the Papworth method in addition to their medical care, or to continue to rely on their usual drug therapy.

Healthday News - Pets can help build your child’s self esteem and self-confidence, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

They can also enrich your child’s emotional development by:

• Offering your child important exposure to issues like reproduction, birth, illness, accidents, death and grief.
• Teaching your child responsibility.
• Providing a connection to nature and teaching respect, empathy and patience for other living things.
• Offering unconditional love, loyalty, affection and comfort.