Gallstone The Counterattack - A Low Fat Diet

Although cholesterol is most commonly known to cause heart disease, it has been found that the bile of obese people is super-saturated with cholesterol, leading to the growth of gallstones and predisposing them to gall bladder illness. Diabetes and low-functioning thyroid have also been found to cause the formation of gallstones. The latest research points to a link between excessive and sudden weight loss and the onset of symptoms.

So what should be YOUR major counterattack in dealing with gall bladder disease?

• Avoid fatty or fried foods and red meat. On salads, substitute commercial dressings with vinegar - and olive oil - a 'good' fat.
• Instead of large meals, eat small amounts of food during the day, and especially avoid any large meals at bedtime.
• Avoid carbonated drinks, which can trigger the movement of the stones causing even more pain.
• Don't go on binge and purge diets. Slow, steady weight loss—or maintaining a healthy body mass index to begin with—is the best news for every organ in your body... including your gall bladder!

Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements

• Many experts recommend that you start with a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.
• Vitamin E - best known as a general healer and aid in circulation. (If you are currently taking an anticoagulant you should not take vitamin E.)
• Fish Oil Capsules - Omega 3 oils are known to block cholesterol formation in bile.

From the Kitchen Cabinet

• Tumeric - enhances the flow of bile.
• Ginger - aids in digestion of fats.
• Eat more fiber! - in the form of vegetables, fruit and grains, but be mindful of of beans, oranges, onions, corn and nuts - which may initiate an attack in some people with allergies to these foods.

Finally, always seek your doctor's advice about the best diet regimen for keeping gallstones under control.
Having gallstones doesn't always mean surgery. You can be virtually symptom free by watching what you eat - and launching a counterattack - with a low-fat diet.

This information is intended as reference and not as medical advice.
All treatment decisions should be made by medical professionals.

taken from : http://www.chiff.com/a/gallbladder-diet.htm

Do people need their gallbladder?

Fortunately, the gallbladder is an organ people can live without. Your liver produces enough bile to digest a normal diet. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile flows out of the liver through the hepatic ducts into the common bile duct and directly into the small intestine, instead of being stored in the gallbladder. Because now the bile flows into the small intestine more often, softer and more frequent stools can occur in about 1 percent of people. These changes are usually temporary, but talk with your health care provider if they persist.

Points to Remember:-

• Gallstones form when bile hardens in the gallbladder.
• allstones are more common among older adults; women; American Indians; Mexican Americans; people with diabetes; those with a family history of gallstones; people who gaare overweight, obese, or undergo rapid weight loss; and those taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.
• Gallbladder attacks often occur after eating a meal, especially one high in fat.
• Symptoms can mimic those of other problems, including a heart attack, so an accurate diagnosis is important.
• Gallstones can cause serious problems if they become trapped in the bile ducts.
• Laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most common treatment.

How are gallstones treated?

Surgery

If you have gallstones without symptoms, you do not require treatment. If you are having frequent gallbladder attacks, your doctor will likely recommend you have your gallbladder removed—an operation called a cholecystectomy. Surgery to remove the gallbladder—a nonessential organ—is one of the most common surgeries performed on adults in the United States.

Nearly all cholecystectomies are performed with laparoscopy. After giving you medication to sedate you, the surgeon makes several tiny incisions in the abdomen and inserts a laparoscope and a miniature video camera. The camera sends a magnified image from inside the body to a video monitor, giving the surgeon a close-up view of the organs and tissues. While watching the monitor, the surgeon uses the instruments to carefully separate the gallbladder from the liver, bile ducts, and other structures. Then the surgeon cuts the cystic duct and removes the gallbladder through one of the small incisions.

Recovery after laparoscopic surgery usually involves only one night in the hospital, and normal activity can be resumed after a few days at home. Because the abdominal muscles are not cut during laparoscopic surgery, patients have less pain and fewer complications than after “open” surgery, which requires a 5- to 8-inch incision across the abdomen.

If tests show the gallbladder has severe inflammation, infection, or scarring from other operations, the surgeon may perform open surgery to remove the gallbladder. In some cases, open surgery is planned; however, sometimes these problems are discovered during the laparoscopy and the surgeon must make a larger incision. Recovery from open surgery usually requires 3 to 5 days in the hospital and several weeks at home. Open surgery is necessary in about 5 percent of gallbladder operations.

The most common complication in gallbladder surgery is injury to the bile ducts. An injured common bile duct can leak bile and cause a painful and potentially dangerous infection. Mild injuries can sometimes be treated nonsurgically. Major injury, however, is more serious and requires additional surgery.

If gallstones are present in the bile ducts, the physician—usually a gastroenterologist—may use ERCP to locate and remove them before or during gallbladder surgery. Occasionally, a person who has had a cholecystectomy is diagnosed with a gallstone in the bile ducts weeks, months, or even years after the surgery. The ERCP procedure is usually successful in removing the stone in these cases.


Nonsurgical Treatment

Nonsurgical approaches are used only in special situations—such as when a patient has a serious medical condition preventing surgery—and only for cholesterol stones. Stones commonly recur within 5 years in patients treated nonsurgically.

• Oral dissolution therapy. Drugs made from bile acid are used to dissolve gallstones. The drugs ursodiol (Actigall) and chenodiol (Chenix) work best for small cholesterol stones. Months or years of treatment may be necessary before all the stones dissolve. Both drugs may cause mild diarrhea, and chenodiol may temporarily raise levels of blood cholesterol and the liver enzyme transaminase.

• Contact dissolution therapy. This experimental procedure involves injecting a drug directly into the gallbladder to dissolve cholesterol stones. The drug—methyl tert-butyl ether—can dissolve some stones in 1 to 3 days, but it causes irritation and some complications have been reported. The procedure is being tested in symptomatic patients with small stones.

What are the symptoms of gallstones?

As gallstones move into the bile ducts and create blockage, pressure increases in the gallbladder and one or more symptoms may occur. Symptoms of blocked bile ducts are often called a gallbladder “attack” because they occur suddenly. Gallbladder attacks often follow fatty meals, and they may occur during the night. A typical attack can cause

• steady pain in the right upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours
• pain in the back between the shoulder blades
• pain under the right shoulder
• Notify your doctor if you think you have experienced a gallbladder attack. Although these attacks often pass as gallstones move, your gallbladder can become infected and rupture if a blockage remains.

People with any of the following symptoms should see a doctor immediately:

• prolonged pain—more than 5 hours
• nausea and vomiting
• fever—even low-grade—or chills
• yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes
• clay-colored stools

Many people with gallstones have no symptoms; these gallstones are called “silent stones.” They do not interfere with gallbladder, liver, or pancreas function and do not need treatment.

Gallstone - Who at risk?

People at risk for gallstones include:-

• women—especially women who are pregnant, use hormone replacement therapy, or take birth control pills
• people over age 60
• American Indians
• Mexican Americans
• overweight or obese men and women
• people who fast or lose a lot of weight quickly
• people with a family history of gallstones
• people with diabetes
• people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs

Gallstone (Karang Dalam Hempedu)

What is Gallstone?

Gallstones are the most common type of gall bladder problem. Gallstones are made up of crystallized cholesterol and bile salts.

Gallstones are small, pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped sac located below your liver in the right upper abdomen. Gallstones form when liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid—called bile—helps the body digest fats. Bile is made in the liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs it. The gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube—called the common bile duct—that carries it to the small intestine, where it helps with digestion.

Bile contains water, cholesterol, fats, bile salts, proteins, and bilirubin—a waste product. Bile salts break up fat, and bilirubin gives bile and stool a yellowish-brown color. If the liquid bile contains too much cholesterol, bile salts, or bilirubin, it can harden into gallstones.

The two types of gallstones are cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are usually yellow-green and are made primarily of hardened cholesterol. They account for about 80 percent of gallstones. Pigment stones are small, dark stones made of bilirubin. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. The gallbladder can develop just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or a combination of the two.

Gallstones can block the normal flow of bile if they move from the gallbladder and lodge in any of the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine.

The ducts include the
• hepatic ducts, which carry bile out of the liver
• cystic duct, which takes bile to and from the gallbladder
• common bile duct, which takes bile from the cystic and hepatic ducts to the small intestine

Bile trapped in these ducts can cause inflammation in the gallbladder, the ducts, or in rare cases, the liver. Other ducts open into the common bile duct, including the pancreatic duct, which carries digestive enzymes out of the pancreas. Sometimes gallstones passing through the common bile duct provoke inflammation in the pancreas—called gallstone pancreatitis—an extremely painful and potentially dangerous condition.

If any of the bile ducts remain blocked for a significant period of time, severe damage or infection can occur in the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas. Left untreated, the condition can be fatal. Warning signs of a serious problem are fever, jaundice, and persistent pain.

The Gall Bladder - What Is It? (Hempedu)

The gall bladder is a small, pear-shaped organ situated underneath the liver. The gall bladder and liver work in tandem - the gall bladder storing bile produced by the liver, and then releasing it as needed in the digestive process.

When partially digested food passes from the stomach into the small intestine, the gall bladder goes to work expelling bile to aid digestion. Bile is greenish-yellow in color and contains cholesterol, lecithin, and bile salts. If the gall bladder is not working as it should, digestion can be seriously impaired.

Two main conditions in the gallbladder are cholecystitis (inflammation, with severe pain in the upper right abdomen, fever, nausea and vomiting) and gallstones which may cause no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, it’s often after eating fried or fatty foods, causing pain, nausea and vomiting. If you suspect cholecystitis, see a medical doctor immediately.


http://www.chiff.com/a/gallbladder-diet.htm
http://www.health4youonline.com/nutrition_facts_gall_bladder.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder

10-Year-Old Girl Dies Of H1N1 In Perak

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- The post-mortem report of a 10- year-old who died in Perak yesterday (July 31) showed that she was Influenza A(H1N1) positive.

Director general of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said tests on phlegm taken from the girl by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) showed that the girl from Bagan Serai, Perak had the H1N1 virus.

"The latest case brings the number of deaths due to influenza A (HINI) to five. According to information received, the girl was since July 27 but she did not suffer from any breathing problems when she received outpatient treatment at a private clinic," he said in a statement here tonight.

Dr Mohd Ismail said on the night of July 28, the girl had complained of breathing difficulties and received treatment at a Bagan Serai health clinic the next day (July 29) and while receiving treatment, she was in stable condition and did not complain of breathing difficulties or cyanosis and was given outpatient treatment including antibiotics and cough medicine.

However, yesterday morning at 3am, she complained of breathing difficulties, fever and cough before arriving at the Bagan Serai Health Clinic for treatment but while receiving treatment, she passed out and pronounced dead at 5.30am while the post-mortem done at the Alor Setar Hospital yesterday revealed that she died of severe pneumonic changes.

He added the girl's parents had also undergone tests and cleared of any disease while her five other siblings had slight breathing difficulties but were in stable conditions.

Dr Mohd Ismail added that initial investigations revealed that there were no reports of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) in the area, including the school where the girl was from but the district Health Department had been asked to monitor the situation closely.



-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=429652


p/s: ha ni camne nie yg korg bising2 kate i ni berpolitik la.. ape la.. ble dah kes mati camni cane?? dah ramai mati weh psl H1N1.. bangun la.. pk2 la skit.. ni bukan mslh politik ni mslh negara berapa ramai lg nk mati baru korg nk amik tindakan baru nk pk kan perpaduan?? tolak la smue ketidakfahaman tu meh kite same2 doa.. meh bace ayat kursi .. nape xbuat ?? takut kna batang hidung sendiri ke??

Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak: No postponement of school exams

2009/07/29

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examinations will not be postponed despite the spread of Influenza A(H1N1).

Director-general of Education Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said all national school examinations including UPSR in September would proceed and held in hospitals if necessary.

"We can't change the examinations dates as we like. Candidates under treatment will have to sit for examinations in hospitals or in schools without the presence of non-candidate students," he told Bernama here today.

Alimuddin said the Education Department would discuss with the Health Ministry and National Security Council soon on the best way to conduct the examinations.

Ten primary and secondary schools nationwide were closed for one week to contain the spread of the H1N1 virus.

"H1N1 preventive tools like mouth and nose masks, germicides and thermometers will be distributed to all schools soon to check the spread of the virus," he said.

The UPSR would be held from Sept 8-10, PMR from Oct 7-9, SPM from Nov 19-Dec 16 and STPM from Nov 18-Dec 10. - BERNAMA


NST Online : http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20090729182815/Article/index_html

The Star - H1N1 cases

Friday July 31, 2009

36 more influenza A (H1N1) cases recorded in the country

Reports by AUDREY EDWARDS, YUEN MEIKENG, ANTHONY TAN, TAN SIN CHOW, IVAN LOH, RUBEN SARIO and SIMON KHOO

PETALING JAYA: There are 36 new influenza A (H1N1) cases in the country, and all are local transmissions.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 32 were from seven new clusters while three cases were from SM Agama Kota Kinabalu.

“The remaining sporadic case is a 22-year-old woman who has been admitted to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. She had fever a week ago and tested positive for the flu after a throat swab was taken,” he said in a statement on the ministry’s website yesterday.

As of yesterday, the total number of cases stood at 1,302 and 98% of the patients have recovered, while 1%, or 19 patients, were undergoing anti-viral treatment in hospitals. No new deaths were recorded.

“Another 1%, or 11 patients, are being treated in their respective houses,” he said.

The seven new clusters include SM Khir Johari in Beranang, SM Teknik in Sepang, Sekolah Seri Cahaya in Shah Alam and SK Serendah.

Dr Ismail said the ministry was confident that the influenza would be contained with co-operation from all parties.

In Ipoh, the Perak government confirmed 45 cases, with more institutions of learning being closed.

State Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon there were 2,589 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases in the state.

Two other institutions of learning closed on Wednesday were SMK Gerik and the Jiwa Murni National Training Camp in Kerian.

Other institutions closed were the Tangkas Kendiri PLKN camp in Sauk, SMK Agama Bidor, SMK Lasah Sungai Siput and the Royal Malaysian Navy KD Pelandok training centre in Lumut,

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Health and Medical Services Department director Dr Yusof Ibrahim said 10 schools have been temporarily closed after some of their students tested positive for the A (H1N1) virus.

Among the latest were the SK Stella Marris Primary School in Tanjung Aru and Yu Yuan Secondary School in Sandakan.

In Pahang, three schools — SM Abdul Rahman Talib in Kuantan, SM Sains Tengku Abdullah in Raub and SM Clifford in Kuala Lipis — have been closed for a week from today.

In Penang, the number of places closed has risen to 19.

The three more places ordered closed for a week from yesterday were the Tuanku Bainun Teachers Training College in Bukit Mertajam, SMK Permatang Pasir in central Seberang Prai and the Al Iqan religious school in Teluk Kumbar.


The Star : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/31/nation/4428170&sec=nation

influenza A(H1N1) or Swine Flu

"It’s true that you can’t get swine flu from eating cooked pork, and the disease is now passing from human to human. But the virus’s genetic signature does suggest that it originated in pigs."

By Jacob Goldstein

Not surprisingly, pork companies aren’t so keen on the term “swine flu.”

It’s true that you can’t get swine flu from eating cooked pork, and the disease is now passing from human to human. But the virus’s genetic signature does suggest that it originated in pigs.

President Obama and other federal officials this morning referred to the disease as the “H1N1 flu virus” Here’s what that means.

All flu viruses — human, bird, pig — have an “H” and an “N” in the name, each followed by a number (the avian flu strain that has been worrying people is H5N1, for example).

The letters refer to two proteins (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase) on the surface of the virus. The numbers refer to slight variations in the form of each protein. The variations are important, because our immune system hones in on those proteins to attack the virus.

As it turns out, human strains of H1N1 flu are also pretty common. In fact, the vaccine used for the flu season that’s just ending protected against a strain of human H1N1 virus. But unfortunately, because of differences between the human and swine versions of the flu, the human vaccine doesn’t appear to protect against swine H1N1.

Update, April 30: The WHO now says it will refer to the virus as influenza A(H1N1).


From site : http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/04/29/swine-flu-h1n1-whats-in-a-name/

More Info : -
Related site : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H1N1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influenza