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 ...
- 8,852
9
votes
Accepted
How does removal of the gallbladder affect life expectancy?
This is very good and pragmatic question. I will answer no.
First of all, there are no studies to date which would have investigated the life expectancy after cholecystectomy. Of course this ...
- 2,312
7
votes
Accepted
How to increase my gut bacteria? Are there any drugs available?
You have no lack of gut bacteria, that much is very safe to say. Everyone has gut bacteria in spades. The gut bacteria that you do have may not be the optimal, but no one even knows what the optimal ...
- 8,852
7
votes
Can GERD be caused by too little stomach acid?
Increased levels of stomach acid aren't actually listed as causes for GERD anywhere I could find. It is listed as a cause for ulcers, but not GERD:
Increased levels of gastrin can cause increased ...
- 7,001
7
votes
Accepted
What are effective lifestyle modifications for people with gastric acid reflux?
It sounds like you know that some lifestyle modifications have been shown to be beneficial with patients who have mild to moderate GERD and that these interventions are typically preferable to ...
- 211
7
votes
Accepted
How do anti-gas remedies work?
I cannot speak of all possible gas medicines. But there is a class of them which is indeed low risk and over the counter. These are silicones, and they work in a purely mechanical way, not getting ...
- 2,770
6
votes
Accepted
Does tea cause gags?
I haven't found any studies that would directly link retching and the consumption of tea. However, this would be a rather narrow research, so the lack of it is no surprise. Your doctor told you that ...
- 2,823
6
votes
Accepted
Does fried food cause gastritis and other gastrointestinal tract illnesses?
There are many reasons why fried food can be harmful. The chief reason is related to the oil content in these foodstuffs.
It has high oil content which may not be good if consumed in large amounts. ...
- 297
6
votes
What are the causes of Chronic Diarrhea?
Chronic mouth ulcers are relatively common, especially in young people. It's called apthous stomatitis, affects at least 20% of the population, and its natural course is one of eventual remission. By ...
- 8,852
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, ...
- 3,194
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 ...
- 9,564
5
votes
Methods for dealing with gas pains?
Yes, there are ways.
First, make sure the stomach is not squeezed by a tight belt or similar.
One can support gas movement by massaging the belly.
Since some gases tend to move upwards, changing ...
- 304
5
votes
Accepted
Gastrointestinal effect of EC/DR vs. plain naproxen
Summary: There are studies showing a difference in gastrointestinal problems and studies where no difference was observed. At least some of the effect it has on the stomach is not related to whether ...
- 7,001
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):
...
- 15.7k
5
votes
What health information does saliva contain?
Many substances that can be found in blood are distributed into saliva (but in different concentrations) so saliva as a biological material can be used for a wide range of tests. All of these have ...
- 2,823
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
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 ...
- 15.7k
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 ...
- 2,341
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 ...
- 6,827
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) ...
- 15.7k
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 ...
- 866
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 ...
- 1,163
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
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, ...
- 12.9k
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
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
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 ...
- 3,770
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 ...
- 6,827
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 ...
- 6,827
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