37
votes
Accepted
Why should I avoid milk when on antibiotics?
Products high in calcium and magnesium should not be taken at the same time as antibiotics of the tetracycline (tetracycline, doxicycline, etc.) class, and milk should also be avoided with the ...
- 10.1k
24
votes
Is it possible to survive your appendix bursting without surgical intervention?
Edited to add: This is a useful paper to understand appendicitis, general and best treatment approaches, interval appendectomies, and other aspects referred to in this answer. Please note: I think ...
- 10.1k
13
votes
Is it possible to survive your appendix bursting without surgical intervention?
I had a dig through the literature, specifically looking for papers prior to the main advent of antibiotic therapy, which, as I am sure you know, significantly reduces mortality from bacterial ...
- 3,490
6
votes
Is it possible to regain lost lactose tolerance?
First, here is a small background on lactose intolerance:
Lactose is a disaccharide present in high quantity in mammalian milk. Once in the intestine, it is hydrolysed into glucose and galactose, ...
- 3,204
6
votes
Why should I avoid milk when on antibiotics?
This is most commonly a precaution to prevent Mal-absorption. Milk has copious amounts of calcium which bond with the antibiotic in the gut. Once the tetracycline (antibiotic) bonds, it creates a ...
- 324
6
votes
Accepted
What check is done to diagnose GERD?
GERD is usually diagnosed based on history and signs and symptoms. If you complained of frequent heartburn or told your doctor you often take antacids, it's possible he based it on that. Confirming ...
- 9,935
5
votes
Why stomach ulcer need more than one antibiotic at the same time?
The aim of taking two antibiotics at the same is to prevent an overgrowth of the H. pylori strains that could be resistant to a single antibiotic. The antibiotic choice depends on the individual ...
- 15.9k
5
votes
Is Pentasa an immunosuppressive drug?
Pentasa is one brand name for a drug called mesalazine (or mesalamine). While immunosuppressant drugs are often used on the management of Crohn’s disease, this is not one of them. It is in a group of ...
- 3,414
5
votes
Can ulcer pain be distinguished from gallstone pain?
Even a gastroenterologist may not be able to reliable differentiate between the stomach ulcer and gallstone pain just from history/physical examination.
This is typical (but not obligatory):
...
- 15.9k
5
votes
Does the digestive disorders affect the location of aorta beat around navel?
During my last course called "Physical Examination of the Abdomen" (at medical school), we learned to palpate the abdominal aorta, which can be easily palpated in +/- lean patients.
This ...
- 882
5
votes
Accepted
Hitler's physician Morrel prescribed a drug that contained e. coli -- was this unusual in those days?
During the First World War many German soldiers on the Western Front suffered from dysentry. The physician Alfred Nissle compared sick and healthy soldiers and figured that the intestinal bacteria ...
- 6,918
5
votes
Accepted
Effect of laxatives on pre-existing hard stool
Hard stool that stays in the colon for more than a couple of days is called "fecal impaction." Most medical sources recommend treating it with manually removing the stool (by a doctor, if necessary) ...
- 15.9k
5
votes
Accepted
How can a ruptured ulcer all the way in the duodenum, cause kidney failure?
Your stomach may contain bacteria that are harmless as long as they are in your digestive tract, but are potentially lethal if they get into other organs. A ruptured ulcer means that it's possible for ...
- 949
4
votes
Eating egg shells: advantages v.s. disadvantages?
Not allowed to comment, so just a partial answer from my part:
Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in the excrements of birds and egg shells are usually contaminated with them, and even let them ...
- 101
4
votes
Do proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) shut down all the proton pumps in all cells across our body?
First of all, if you found papers that suggest certain unexplored side effects, it means the research is underway and it can very well be that in the next years we get new information about how drugs ...
- 709
4
votes
Do proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) shut down all the proton pumps in all cells across our body?
"Proton pump" is a broad category of proteins rather than a specific pump.
The drugs called "proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)" to reduce stomach acid target a specific proton pump, ...
- 14.3k
4
votes
Can a person eliminate lactose intolerance through extended exposure?
Very generally speaking I would say it depends on the cause of the intolerance - if it is a primary intolerance (i. e. genetic problem with lactase persistence deficiency, the enzyme for digesting ...
- 1,161
4
votes
What is alkaline food's actual impact on internal ph regulation?
Yes, there is evidence that alkaline food affects internal pH, but it is important to note that the regulation of internal pH (acid-base homeostatis) has other contributing factors, which is why the ...
- 286
4
votes
Accepted
Loperamide POM Medication
As Don_S mentioned in comments:
Probably the overall mass of Loperamide in the package. The POM has 60 mg total of Loperamide, while the OTC has 36 mg at most (18 capsules being the largest package ...
- 6,918
4
votes
Why does gas cause pain?
Try this: poke your tongue out of your mouth and, holding your hand in front of your mouth, jab your hand (finger, palm, whatever) a little with your tongue. Push at your hand. I predict your hand ...
- 3,979
4
votes
Accepted
Lactulose and dental decay
This saccharide is of very minute risk, absolutely, and even more so if compared with glucose, fructose or saccharose.
Two reasons:
Caries is the result of microbiota producing acids which dissolve ...
- 6,918
4
votes
Accepted
Colorectal examinations
Various terms exist.
Proctoscopy is a collective term for the examination of the anus, rectum and sigmoid colon (one or all of them).
Anoscopy is the investigation of the anus (only) using an ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Elderly Father Takes Prevacid for last 20 years, seems to do more harm, how to stop
First, we can't give advice specific to an individual on Health SE. See rules.
BUT what I CAN do is help guide your next discussion with his doctor. (Those are great diagrams and will help your ...
- 5,814
3
votes
Accepted
How does gallbladder removal affects fat digestion?
The bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, fats trigger gallbladder contraction, which results in the release of the bile into the small intestine. The bile helps ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
Can a CT scan of the abdomen help find unhealthy mucosal lining in the small intestine?
Yes, an abdominal CT scan can reveal abnormal mucous lining in the small intestine, for example, in Crohn's disease (PubMed Central), lymphoma, etc.
Additional investigations, such as capsule ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Can your rectum atrophy after a long time of inactivity?
The premise is incorrect. The internal anal sphincter is in a state of chronic contraction and is not under voluntary control. When defecation occurs the sphincter relaxes allowing the passage of the ...
- 13.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Is an annual stomach x-ray (barium meal) an acceptable radiation risk for a resident of Japan?
Update version of the Japanese Guidelines for Gastric Cancer Screening (Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2018)
Radiographic screening is recommended for population-based and
opportunistic ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Preventing NSAID-associated GI bleeding
There is convincing evidence that measures, like crushing the tablets before use, taking them with food or water, lower doses and temporary discontinuation of use, are associated with the lower risk ...
- 15.9k
2
votes
What are effective lifestyle modifications for gastritis?
To treat gastritis naturally there are some lifestyle changes you can do.
1. For starters, stop smoking and limit drinking.
2. Avoid trigger foods and eat smaller meals more frequently to avoid ...
- 130
2
votes
Causes of GERD when not responding to weight loss or PPIs
I would first and foremost attempt to lose weight; nevertheless, Endoscopy is not really the the optimal test to diagnose hiatal hernia. You should do a double-contrast Esophagus-Stomach-Duodenal X-...
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