Thursday 20 October 2011

What is a Bland Diet

An answer to a question, what is a bland diet, is that it is a simple treatment for people suffering from any one or more gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic gastritis, ulcer, esophagitis and dyspepsia.

Bland diet is a dietary regimen for people suffering from stomach disorders. Hence, it is quite understood that ingredients of a bland diet are soft food items, which are easy to digest with a capacity to keep the acidity to low levels. Questions about diet may be asked to your physicians and he/she can suggest the diet or recommend a dietician to do it.

Diet medical questions may include the queries about the food stuffs to eat and food stuffs to avoid during the time while a person experien ces any gastrointestinal disorders. However, before a dietician could decide the bland diet for a person, he/she needs to seek answers to several medical questions related to the person such as any food allergies or irritations associated with any food items and emotions medical questions of people.

Bland Diet:

The diet prescribed as a bland diet will include food items that are easy to digest and low in fiber and acid contents. Even giving up alcohol and smoking is advised while patient is on bland diet. Also a patient is advised to have 4 to 6 light meals after regular interval to avoid heavy and large meals.

Chewing food properly and eating slowly helps in the digestion of the food. Adequate sleep, avoiding smoking and controlling anxiety are supportive treatments for the standard treatment of the problem.

Allowed Food Items:

• Dairy Products
Milk, cheese, yogurt with low-fats and other dairy products are easily digested and hence, can be included as a part of bland diet. However, there is no restriction on ice-creams and one may consume even ice creams during bland diet, but it should not have any product such as nuts that are not allowed in bland diet.

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh vegetables and fruits are allowed to a bland dieter. However, while carrot, squash, green peas are good to eat in a bland diet, broccoli, onions and green peeper should be avoided as it forms gas. In fruits, oranges, grapefruits, and bananas are allowed.

• Proteins
Protein requirement of the body, while on a bland diet should be met with soy products and meat. Fried chicken and greasy hamburgers are not allowed to be consumed, while grilled and baked chicken is allowed.
Low-fat peanut butter and eggs are also efficient to meet the body’s protein requirement in a bland diet.

• Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are contained in whole grain breads, pasta, oatmeal, corn flakes, white rice and sweet potatoes. All these food items are allowed.

Bland diet is designed for treating certain medical circumstances such as gastrointestinal problems. Hence, to answer what is a bland diet, we can say that this is a diet that aims at improving the digestion with the help of a timed-routine diet and soft to digest food items. Once the problem is controlled patients can return to their normal diet.

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Friday 14 October 2011

What is Skin Allergy and Infections

A laymans answer to a question, what is skin allergy can be any unwelcoming response of the body which is confined to skin after it gets in contact with any substance such as environmental irritants or any food items.

Skin allergy can show up various signs such as hives, rashes, or blisters in response to any substance that the skin or body is allergic or sensitive to. Hence, skin allergy is an over-active immune system’s response to a certain allergen.

You may have to undergo a thorough examination to detect a particular allergen that causes such reactions in you. Physician may ask allergy medical questions or specific skin allergy questions so that the cause may be determined.

You may ask yourselves questions about allergy as in, when do you see any skin irritations or changes,  how long does it take for the reaction to disappear etc. The best treatment as well as prevention of any skin allergy is to avoid the allergens identified to cause this unwelcoming response in the body.

Skin Allergy Causes:

The only underlying cause for an allergic reaction in skin is that it is a result of incorrect response of the bodys immune system to any substance. Immune system is responsible to arrest any foreign bodys invasion and hence, avoid complications.

However, in some cases, over-active immune system of the body misunderstands any food item or non-dangerous items as skin infections and gets ready to attack by initiating the sensitization process. This process takes a few weeks time span to bind the allergen to the mast cells that further release histamines and prostaglandins. These chemicals are responsible for causing skin redness and inflammation.

Skin Allergy Symptoms:

The symptoms of skin allergy may be mild or moderate and usually take 48 hours to show up, following an exposure of the skin or body to the allergen. Following are some of the most commonly noticed symptoms of skin allergy:

• Rashes – A non-infectious rash over the skin is the most common symptom of skin allergy and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. Rashes may appear with itching.

• Itching – There can be itching sensation without any rash over the skin. However, if itching shows up alone then there may be other causes such as internal disorder of the body or any other skin problem.

• Swelling - In a few people suffering from skin allergy condition, swelling may appear in isolation or in combination with itching sensation.

• Skin Redness – This is common allergy symptom that appears immediately after the skin has come in contact with the allergens.

• Weeping or oozing may occur from some blisters and rashes especially after they are scratched.

Skin allergy is a response of an immune system for a false alarm that misinterprets a particular substance such as food items, metal, medicine, herbs or environmental irritants as invaders or foreign bodies and accordingly triggers antibodies to release chemicals that cause skin irritations, swelling and rashes. Now that you know what is skin allergy, understanding the symptoms can be easier.

Friday 7 October 2011

What are Symptoms of Appendicitis

Appendicitis is a disorder that is characterized by moderate or severe pain in the upper abdomen or tummy. This disease is characterized by severe inflammation of the tubular appendix that extends from the bowel.

Appendix is an organ involved in the digestive system and is responsible for producing and releasing certain antibodies. The condition comes under medical emergency and the appendicitis treatment includes removal of the appendix to relieve the symptoms.

Blockage of appendix may be one of the major causes for the disease and the condition may appear due to cancerous growth in the organ or blockage due to stool or foreign body clogged in it, also ask medical questions.

Symptoms of Appendicitis:

The symptoms of the disorder may be categorized into two types, such as classic symptoms and rare symptoms. As it is self explanatory most of the patients with this condition show up classic symptoms. Given below are the symptoms and signs of the condition:

• Abdominal Pain – This is the classic and the most prominent symptoms linked with the disorder. The pain may be characterized as feeling of indigestion that prompts you to empty the bowel. The pain may be moderate to severe and usually surrounds the belly button.

• Abdominal Swelling – Along with belly button pain, abdomen may show up swelling related to the appendicitis disorder. Swelling may appear suddenly and disappear in few days. Usually, the lower right abdomen swells with the condition.

• Bowel Habits – There may or may not be any prominent changes in the bowel habits. If any signs show up then it may be diarrhea or constipation. Patients may complain about feeling of nausea and vomiting.

• Fever – Patient suffering from appendicitis may have fever between 990 F to 1020 F. However, not every individual suffering from the disease may develop this symptoms and also it is a low grade fever, but if it elevates than the above range, it may indicate rupture of the appendix.

• Loss of Appetite – This is the most constant and common symptom of the disease. Patient suffering from this condition may lose the appetite or urge to have food over a period of time with the disease.

People may also feel the urge to empty after having meals. Patients may actually vomit after meals. However, the vomiting feel or vomiting should follow abdominal pain and if it does not then probably vomiting may not be related to appendicitis.

Appendicitis is a condition illustrated by inflammation of the appendix organ. Causes of appendicitis are not clear but it may cause symptoms such as irritation of the bladder. An answer to the question, what are symptoms of appendicitis is change in bowel habits, abdominal pain and swelling, fever, and loss of appetite.

It is advisable to seek appendicitis treatment as condition may worsen with appendix rupture or the appendix may perforate.