Archive for February, 2008

Causes of Abnormal Foul Smelling, Bad Odor, Unusual Looking or Floating of Your Poop Stool(s)

It is normal for your poop or stool, whichever your prefer, to have an unpleasant odor. The normal look of poop is brown, soft and formed.

The look and foul smell of yours is fairly recognizable by you because of your dietary routine. Diet is the most notable cause of short term smell and look stool poop changes.

Anytime you consume food that is out of your ordinary diet, your poop may come out looking and smelling unfamiliar, with a possible floating lightness. This may just be a passing phase. After the stuff, causing the unusual look and smell, clears your digestive system, your toilet bowl deposit should return to that recognizable normal foul odor.

However, if your stools have an extremely foul smell, out-of-the-ordinary bad odor, not looking normal or float with regularity, this may be sign of a medical conditions.

Some conditions that may be the cause of your highly unpleasant smelling, looking and/or floating dietary excretions include:

  • hepatitis
  • liver disease
  • celiac disease
  • cystic fibrosis
  • malabsorption
  • crohn’s disease
  • ulcerative colitis
  • infectious colitis
  • Whipple disease
  • pancreatic cancer
  • chronic pancreatitis
  • cholangiocarcinoma
  • short bowel syndrome
  • disaccharidase deficiency
  • bile duct disorders ~ biliary atresia
  • fatty stools without a known cause

If your stool look and smell does not return to “your normal” after a dietary caused change, or they are not routinely brown, soft and formed looking, get with your doctor to check out what the poop is going on.

Healthy, Cheap and Quick Snack Food Idea Made by Wal-Mart

Who hasn’t noticed the big jump in food prices right along with our gas price increases. So when a healthy, quick snack with a cheap price tag is discovered ~ gotta share.

Pictured is a sauce sized bowl full of toasted corn cereal. This cup full of snackin’ goodness chimes in at 110 calories, 2 grams of protein and no fat whatsoever. The rest of the calories are of the carbohydrate type with a gram of fiber. This is not all.

This healthy “4″ you snack food offers 50% of your daily requirement in iron and folic acid. It also includes 25% of your thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 & 12, zinc daily needs. And to top all this off, it has 10% of your calcium and vitamin A, vitamin C & vitamin D recommends.

The first ingredient on this box of toasted corn cereal is corn meal, and for some, this is a helpful bowel mover.

The price rang up to about half of brand named cereals, as such, tasting good was not an expectation. However, turns out to be a great tasting snack food. Suggest you give it a try on your next trip to Wal-Mart.

Control Chain Reaction Cues for Healthy Diet and Weight Loss

Do you know your social or environmental cues that cause your chain reaction into an unhealthy diet realm? If you don’t know, you are paying a very high price for this admission.

Cues are the leads you follow which inevitably end in undesired eating. A repetitive consumption of this diet take you to the highly populated overweight-ville or the vast and far reaching disease land of opportunity. Neither of which are worth it.

You can avoid your cued eating chain reactions by identifying that which has you end up there and then stop doing it. This self-monitoring method is your freest way out.

Take a third person’s view during those times you are over consuming or consuming “junk” food. Track back to what was going in moments beforehand. Whatever you were doing is your out of control cues that need adjustment.

If you your third party observer self catches you eating a bag of chips while watching T.V., your cue control is to stop watching T.V.

Think this cue chain reaction control solution is too easy and thus can’t possibly work. Oh it works, but it ain’t easy!

Two Types of Non-Diabetic Hypoglycemia, Causes, Symptoms and Diet

Hypoglycemia is the term used to describe when your blood sugar (glucose) level drops below your body’s energy requirement needs. Glucose fuels your body, and carbohydrates are its main dietary source.

There are two types of hypoglycemia that can occur even if you don’t have diabetes. They are reactive and fasting hypoglycemia, and their symptoms are essentially the same as diabetic medication induced hypoglycemia, which include:

  • dizzy
  • shaky
  • sleepy
  • hungry
  • nervous
  • confusion
  • perspiration
  • light-headed
  • feeling anxious
  • trouble speaking
  • weakness/fatigue

These two types of hypoglycemia may share common symptoms, but they part ways on when they present and their underlining causes.

Reactive Hypoglycemia
If you have reactive hypoglycemia, your symptoms will appear within the first 4 hours after you eat. Two unproven causes relate to the normal release of epinephrine hormone and glucagon secretion deficiencies. The jury is still out on these.

However, a few certain uncommon causes are gastric surgery and some rare enzyme deficiencies. Both of which apply in very few cases.

Even though the cause is not really known, these are the recommended diet and lifestyle changes involved with your management of reactive hypoglycemia:

  • exercise regularly
  • eat a variety of foods
  • eat about every 3 hours
  • choose high-fiber foods
  • avoid/limit high sugar foods, especially on an empty stomach

Studies have not proven the effectiveness of a “high protein, low carbohydrate” diet for reactive hypoglycemia.

Fasting Hypoglycemia
The causes associated with fasting hypoglycemia include:

  • alcohol
  • critical illnesses
  • certain medications
  • hormonal deficiencies
  • some kinds of tumors
  • certain infant/childhood conditions

Medications are the most common cause of fasting hypoglycemia, such as:

  • quinine used to treat malaria
  • sulfa medicines used to treat infections
  • salicylates, such as large doses of aspirin
  • pentamidine treats a very serious type of pneumonia

Drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking, can cause hypoglycemia because alcohol breakdown alcohol interferes with your liver’s efforts to raise blood glucose.

Some illnesses that affect the liver, heart or kidneys can also cause fasting type hypoglycemia. Sepsis and starvation are other causes.

Hormone deficiencies may cause hypoglycemia in very young children, but not adults. Hormone replacement therapy may help with this cause.

Very rare insulin-producing tumors can raise insulin levels too high, resulting in hypoglycemia in relation to your blood glucose level.

For fasting hypoglycemia cases, treatment of the underlying cause usually corrects the low blood sugar level issue.

Healthy Benefits of a Daily Spoonful of Cod Liver Oil

There is evidence supporting that dietary fish or fish oil (Omega 3) supplements has the healthy benefits of:

  • stroke risk reduction
  • lowering triglycerides
  • reducing heart attack risk
  • slightly lowers blood pressure
  • slows the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques

Also, multiple randomized controlled trials report beneficial improvements in morning stiffness and joint tenderness associated with rheumatoid arthritis with the regular intake of fish oil supplements for up to three months.

A daily (tea)spoonful of cod liver oil packs a healthy Omega3 benefit fish oil punch.

Shellfish Poisoning Caused by Toxins Contamination

Poisoning from shellfish occurs after you eat toxin contaminated mollusks or crustaceans, such as oysters, clams, cockles, scallops, mussels, crabs, and lobsters.

Several small marine organisms produce the toxins responsible and this type of poisoning is rare.

Shellfish either eat or filter these marine organisms and concentrate the toxin in their bodies. Contaminated shellfish are usually found along the coasts of countries with temperate and tropical marine waters, warm weather areas.

After eating toxin contaminated shellfish, a variety of symptoms will present within a few minutes to a couple of hours. Generally your symptoms will range from tingling or numbness of the face, arms, and legs at the beginning, followed by headache, dizziness, nausea, upset stomach, vomiting and loss of muscle coordination.

In most cases of shellfish poisoning, the symptoms are mild and last only a few days.

Cooking or freezing does not destroy shellfish toxins.

Cranberry Antioxidant Benefits for Its Potential Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections

Some studies have shown that cranberry may have the ability to prevent urinary tract infections, but not conclusively.

This potential is a huge benefit for those women who experience reoccurring infections or for those women who don’t want to start sliding down that urinary tract infection slope.

Promising results is enough to include a regular regime of cranberry juice consumption into your diet. Ah, I should of had a cranberry juice!

Cranberry juice not only is recommended for preventing and treating urinary tract infections, but it may also prevent H. pylori bacteria from causing stomach ulcers and prevent plaque build up on your teeth.

Cranberry has antioxidant and anticancer activity power, as well.

In the past, cranberry products were used for issues, such as:

  • wounds
  • diarrhea
  • diabetes
  • liver problems
  • urinary disorders
  • stomach ailments

As for now, cranberry products have not conclusively been proven to help treat an existing urinary tract infection. Research does show that components found in a cranberry may prevent bacteria from clinging to the cells along the walls of the urinary tract and causing infection. Studies are continuing.

If you suspect (here are urine signs) that you may have a urinary tract infection, see a health care provider for proper diagnosis and treatment. In the meantime, couldn’t hurt ~ may help, incorporate cranberry products into your diet by way of food, juice, or if can’t stand the taste ~ cranberry supplements.

Cranberry drinkers be aware that excessive amounts could cause gastrointestinal upset or diarrhea.

Heartburn Relief and How (Ways) to Stop Its Painful Burning

Heartburn is a painful burning you feel in your chest or throat when stomach acid comes back up into your esophagus. And if you experience this acid created painful burning sensation more than a couple times a week, you may have GERD.

Typical causes that bring on heartburn are:

  • alcohol
  • pregnancy
  • certain foods
  • some medications

It is very important to treat your heartburn because stomach acid has the potential to damage your esophagus. OTC antacids or medications that stop acid production can be extremely helpful in stopping the painful affects of heartburn.

Antacids neutralize the acid in your stomach and are usually the first drugs recommended to relieve heartburn and other mild GERD symptoms. Brand name examples are Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, and Riopan.

If your take Tums, Titralac, and Alka-2 antacids for stopping your burn, then you get an added bonus of a calcium supplement, plus possibly constipation.

Foaming agents work by covering your stomach contents with foam to prevent reflux. Gaviscon is an example.

H2 blockers decrease acid production, provide short-term relief and are effective for about half of those who have GERD symptoms. Tagamet, Pepcid, Axid, Zantac are examples in this burn pain relief category

Proton pump inhibitors are more effective than H2 blockers and can relieve symptoms and heal the esophageal lining in almost everyone who has GERD. Prilosec is a brand that is available in over-the-counter strength.

If your heartburn is experienced after eating, you may want to try taking an antacid along with a H2 blocker. The antacids goes to work right away neutralizing the existing acid in the stomach while the H2 blocker stops further production. Gives the one-two punch to the “present & future” painful burning producers.

And that is a quick blurb on how to get relief from the painful burning in your stomach, commonly referred to as heartburn!

What is Celiac Disease (Sprue) and Why Gluten Free Diet Stops Intolerance

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, or barley. For some, their body’s immune system responds to gluten by damaging the lining of the small intestine. This reaction is commonly known as gluten intolerance, sprue or Celiac Disease for technical.

The lining of your small intestines have small finger-like growths called villi. Under normal conditions, these villi absorb nutrients from the food you eat. However, if these villi are damaged by your immune system’s reaction to gluten, you body may fail to be properly nourished.

Malnutrition is a very serious consequence of a gluten intolerance (Celiac Disease), despite consuming a well-balanced diet. A gluten free diet will be required for life after a doctor diagnosed blood test establishes your intolerance.

Some common clues you may be suffering from Celiac Disease include:

  • gas
  • tired
  • diarrhea
  • weight loss
  • slow growth
  • stomach pain
  • mood changes
  • itchy skin rash with blisters

Don’t delay seeking a possible gluten intolerance diagnosis from your doctor if you experience any digestive discomfort following ingestion of wheat, rye or barley food stuff, such as bread or cereal.

What are Electrolyte(s) Sodium, Calcium, Potassium Mineral Balance

Electrolytes are electrical charged minerals in your body. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate and magnesium are all electrolytes. These charged up minerals are in your blood, urine and body fluids.

Electrolyte levels in your body can become too low or too high when the amount of water in your body changes, creating an imbalance . Your body’s changing water levels may be caused by:

  • diarrhea
  • vomiting
  • sweating
  • medications
  • kidney problems

Unbalanced electrolytes usually occur with levels of sodium, potassium or calcium. Maintaining the right mineral balance of electrolytes helps your body’s blood chemistry, muscle action and other processes.

Sources of electrolytes come from a variety of foods and fluids. Maintain a balance of your electrolytes by drinking plenty of fluids to “avoid dehydration” and consume a diet rich in a balance of nutrients.

Dehydration Symptoms, Signs and Causes for Thirst, Fatigue and Headache Treatment

Every living creature requires ingestion of water. How much you need depends on your size, activity level and weather.

Failing to ingest more water than your body uses leads to dehydration. Even mild dehydration can reduce your energy level, making you feel tired.

Common causes of dehydration include:

  • diarrhea
  • vomiting
  • strenuous activity
  • excessive sweating

Signs and symptoms of dehydration are:

  • thirst
  • fatigue
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • dry mouth
  • muscle weakness
  • feeling lightheaded
  • little/no urinary output

Severe cases of dehydration can be life-threatening, and treatment via replacement fluids or electrolytes may require intravenous delivery. Otherwise, treatment is drink and include liquid regularly throughout your healthy diet daily routine.

When dehydration causes thirst, drink to avoid these signs and symptoms.

What is Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Tips and Differences

Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are two very different eating disorders. One is self-starvation with life threatening consequences, while the latter is binging resulting in associated health problems.

Both are serious if left untreated, and both have manifested signs for tips in the behavior of either under or over eating. Anorexia has the potential twist of “overeating with a binge” at times.

Anorexia Nervosa is a mental illness manifested by a person who severely restricts food intake with the result of becoming extremely thin. These individuals have an intense fear of gaining weight.

When viewing themselves in a mirror, they have a distorted perception of their weight and body shape. They sincerely believe they are fat, although it is obvious to others they are not.

This practice of starvation is not new, but anorexia nervosa is more common today because thin is attractively in. More than 90 percent of cases are diagnosed in females and the mental disorder typically begins in the teenage years.

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder with a persistent concern with body weight and shape. This concern leads to repeated episodes of binging.

Binging is consumption of large amounts of food in a short time followed by induced vomiting, laxatives, fasting, and/or excessive exercise for the purpose of controlling weight. However, bulimia alone does not cause severe weight loss.

Bulimia Nervosa can cause:

  • gastrointestinal problems
  • serious potassium depletion
  • damage to teeth due to acidic nature of the regurgitated food

Bulimia usually develops during adolescence as a result of various psychological pressures. Our societies’ slimness emphasis is the most common pressure.

Sometimes bulimic behavior of binging coupled with vomiting is observed in individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa.

If you are a parent of a teenage girl, keep these tips of unusual eating behavior and distorted self perceptions in the back of your mind.

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