Between 30 million and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, meaning they lack an enzyme needed to digest the main sugar in milk, and African-Americans, Asians, and American Indians are most likely to have the condition. Ranging in severity from person to person, symptoms include cramping, bloating, gas, nausea, and diarrhea. These usually occur 30 minutes to two hours after one drinks or eats a dairy product. Continue reading
The digestive system is an intricate system that can be disrupted by disease, diet, and emotional stress. Common digestive problems such as heartburn/GERD, IBD, and IBS cause millions of Americans to suffer daily and limit quality of life. Digestive problems often result in symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, gas, stomach pain, and stomach cramps. Learning more about the digestive system may help with managing these problems. Continue reading
Caffeine may be viewed as an energy source, a drug, or a social beverage. If you are like 90 percent of the American population, then you consume coffee on a regular basis according to nutrition author Daniel M. Korn. This may be in the form of coffee, tea, a carbonated soda or an energy drink. Even many prescription pills contain caffeine. What you may not realize is that some people are actually allergic to caffeine. As with any food allergy, an allergic reaction to caffeine can have devastating consequences. Continue reading
If one knows the difference between the words “anti-biotic” and “pro-biotic,” then the immediate  need for acidophilus while taking antibiotics is made clear. An anti-biotic means “against life” while a pro-biotic means “for life.” If you take something that is against life, then you better well take a countermeasure such as a pro-biotic, i.e., acidophilus, to assure a balance. Continue reading
Gastroenteritis (also known as gastric flu, stomach flu, and stomach virus, although unrelated to influenza) is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water. The inflammation is caused most often by an infection from certain viruses or less often by bacteria, their toxins (e.g. SEB), parasites, or an adverse reaction to something in the diet or medication. Continue reading
In one large study among children aged 15-85 months, the seasonal nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®) reduced the chance of influenza illness by 92% compared with placebo. In a study among adults, the participants were not specifically tested for influenza. However, the study found 19% fewer severe febrile respiratory tract illnesses, 24% fewer respiratory tract illnesses with fever, 23-27% fewer days of illness, 13-28% fewer lost work days, 15-41% fewer health care provider visits, and 43-47% less use of antibiotics compared with placebo. Continue reading
Bowel obstruction is a condition wherein your intestines may be blocked either completely or partially. This makes your bowel move in an abnormal manner, which makes it very difficult for those who have it. The patient may experience diarrhea (partial obstruction), constipation (complete obstruction), vomiting, bloating (gas accumulation), and abdominal cramping. This is a very inconvenient health problem to have that may be caused by cancer, severe constipation, (IBS) inflammatory bowel disease, intussusception, hernia, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, surgical scars, and tumors. Continue reading