FROM A CLINICIAN'S BIOSCOPE

Stomach Acid Inhibitor Drugs May Mask Cancer Symptoms

Tuesday, December 1, 2009,

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Cancer Of Stomach

“New dyspepsia in old” is a warning symptom of underlying more serious disease like cancer stomach.
Free availability of medicines from the organizations, little learning and “It will not happen to me” are some of the dangerous notions. Stomach cancer affects insidiously without much clear cut symptoms; often mimic acid related problems. All the above notions add fuel to fire, in delaying consultation with the appropriate health care personnel.
A doctor friend of a bureaucrat, accidentally discovers proton pump inhibitor drugs used to suppress stomach acid, in the drawer of his friend; and inquires the cause of the use. He is a habitual chewer of tobacco in betel. He defends: since long he is using the drug for acid problem and feeling good, but recently there is a little aggravation in spite of its use. The doctor friend of his advises for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy; and eventually a much advanced cancer of stomach was detected. Needless, to to say that, only a food bypass surgery was possible; the patient passed away some six months later. So, this is the worst result of self medication and self diagnosis. Another patient was virtually dragged and subjected to endoscopy by his wife, but still it was late; a resection of stomach was done and perhaps he survived for some three to four years.
Frequently, symptoms pertaining to stomach cancer like pain abdomen, vomiting, vomiting of blood and obstruction to passage of food come later; than more ambiguous symptoms like dyspepsia, acidity and heart burn etc., which are suppressed by acid inhibitors. “New dyspepsia in old” should be viewed suspiciously and a very affordable and accessible investigation like endoscopy is to be advised. If accompanied by anemia, weight loss, black stool, lymph nodes (above the left collar bone in the neck and near umbilicus) are present; cancer of stomach is a presumptive diagnosis, unless proved otherwise.
H. Pylori infection present in areas with no access to safe drinking water, has been seen to be associated with it. That causes atrophic gastritis, a form of damage to the stomach inside lining called mucosa; and gradual transformation to cancer. Nitrosamines in contaminated food, cigarette smoking, some genetic predisposition and ingestion of hot spicy food are advanced as possible causes; in absence of knowledge of exact cause for it. More cases are seen in Japan where people are accustomed to taking smoked fish.
A very skeptical doctor and a cautious patient may contribute to the early diagnosis of many cancer stomach patients.

HDL Fat and Niacin + Ezitimibe

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Chemical Structure of Niacin

Niacin, a “B” group vitamin, widely distributed in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet; is responsible for many vital metabolisms in the body. It is available as an insoluble compound in maize. Those primarily depending on maize as staple diet may suffer from its deficiency. In its deficiency people suffer from Pellagra; characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis and dementia. There may occur reddish to blackish dis-colorization of the exposed parts of the skin of the extremities, called dermatitis. Dementia is marked by forgetfulness. If not treated adequately, death may ensue.

Stages of Atherosclerosis

It has property of raising high density lipoproteins(HDL) the good fat in the body; which protects heart from atherosclerosis. This a good fat is responsible for mobilizing bad fat, the low density lipo-proteins(LDL). This requires administration of niacin in higher doses. To minimize the adverse reaction to highly dosed rapidly absorbed niacin, sustained released types are available. Combining niacin with ezitimibe, a lipid lowering drug has been seen to have synergistic action; say researchers.

Saw Palmetto, May Be Effective In Prostate Hyperplasia

Saturday, November 28, 2009,

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Some pharma companies are coming with preparations containing extracts of saw palmetto. The quote below from the researcher say in affirmative regarding its use. In India, some times some herbal products are used for benign prostatic hyperplasia, and patient sometimes feels some response; but we heavily depend on allopathic drugs and surgery.

clipped from www.sciencedirect.com

Serenoa repens: The Scientific Basis for the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Fouad K. Habib ^,^a^,

^aProstate Research Group, School of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Medical therapies derived from natural sources have been used for centuries. Many are as effective as synthetic medications. The use of plant-derived medications for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is no exception. In particular, extracts of Serenoa repens (SrE), the fruit of the American dwarf palm, are widely available, and their use is rising throughout the world.

Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) extracts are complex mixtures of compounds that act simultaneously on several biologic pathways known to be associated with the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in man. Reversal of the prohyperplastic pathways by the drug accounts for its clinical efficacy in the treatment of BPH.

Dirt can be good for children

Monday, November 23, 2009,

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Acute dermatitis.

"Dirt can be good for children,

say scientists."

Children should be allowed to getdirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal.

Normal bacteria living on the skin trigger a pathway that helps prevent inflammation when we get hurt, the US team discovered.The bugs dampen down overactive immune responses that can cause cuts and grazes to swell, they say.Their work is published in the online edition of Nature Medicine.

Experts said the findings provided an explanation for the "hygiene hypothesis", which holds that exposure to germs during early childhood primes the body against allergies.

Many believe our obsession with cleanliness is to blame for the recent boom in allergies in developed countries.

This is the story published in the BBC, quoted above. It is quite possible that immunity develops to a particular agent if one is exposed to it, somewhat like vaccines act. It has been seen that, allergy is less in the home, where there are cats. But that does not mean hygiene of babies will not be looked after.