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Commonly referred to as heartburn, acid reflux occurs when stomach acids flow back up the “food pipe” and causes a noticeable and uncomfortable burning sensation. Some people with acid reflux experience an uptick in symptoms when eating certain foods, including dairy. This could occur if you are lactose intolerant, although simply being lactose intolerant doesn’t automatically mean you’ll develop acid reflux or vice-versa. Here’s what you need to know about dairy and acid reflux.

A Link between Milk Allergies and GERD

Researchers studied children with acid reflux, which is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), when it becomes chronic. Nearly 30 of the participants did not show significant improvements when given medication. However, they all experienced fewer instances of acid reflux when dairy products were eliminated from their diet. This led researches to conclude that there is a link between milk allergies and acid reflux.

But Don’t Be So Quick to Ditch Dairy Products

There are some notable benefits associated with dairy products, including the fact that they are a good source of probiotics (beneficial live bacteria). Dairy is also a reliable source of calcium, which is good for your bones. Calcium, in turn, helps your body absorb another important nutrient, vitamin D.

Additionally, probiotics may minimize issues with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea. Because of these benefits, it’s best to see a doctor to determine if your acid reflux is truly associated with dairy. Diagnosis of a milk/dairy allergy usually involves a skin test and a blood test combined with results from a physical exam and a review of your medical history.

Consider Dairy Substitutes

If it’s believed dairy products may be contributing to your acid reflux, you may be advised to consider dairy substitutes. These substitutes typically include soy, almond, flax, rice, and similar ingredients. You should also be able to find suitable non-dairy alternatives to use for drinking, eating, and cooking. Just be sure to get into the habit of reading labels to make sure you aren’t consuming any true dairy products.

If you are not fully certain dairy products alone are contributing your acid reflux symptoms, you may be advised to keep a diary or journal for a short period of time. The purpose of doing so is to track your acid reflux episodes with the foods you are eating. If a connection between dairy and your symptoms is found, you may benefit from a combination of medication and diet changes.

Treatment for acne scars is one of the most popular reasons that people seek out the care of a dermatologist. Acne is an extremely common skin condition that affects many teenagers and young adults. Although it usually resolves itself in time, acne can leave unwelcome reminders in the form of lingering acne scars. If you are embarrassed about your acne scars, you will need some solid information about your treatment choices. This will allow you to proceed with confidence and make an informed decision about your scar treatment.

Laser Treatments

This treatment for acne scars involves the use of a medical laser that transmits focused wavelengths of light under the surface of your skin affected by acne scars. The light is converted into thermal energy that safely heats skin, prompting your body into removing old, damaged skin tissue and replacing it with fresher skin that displays minimized acne scars. One main advantage of laser acne scar treatment is that it offers real results without any need for downtime in many cases. The level of precision offered by the laser lets us target a very specific area of the skin, leaving neighboring skin intact.

Chemical Peels

A chemical peel is a type of treatment that involves applying a chemical liquid that encourages portions of the outer skin layer to slough off and reveal new skin tissue underneath. Typically, medium and deep chemical peels are employed for treating acne scars. A medium peel normally involves the use of a chemical known as TCA to remove portions of the epidermis layer of skin and boost the formation of new skin tissue. It may require some sedation and downtime. Deep chemical peels containing stronger chemicals like phenol or carbolic acid can be used in the case of deep acne scars that are unresponsive to other types of treatment.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a treatment for a multitude of conditions, including acne scars. After numbing your skin with a topical agent, we smoothly glide a microneedling hand piece over your skin to form thousands of microscopic injuries in its surface. This will boost your body’s natural production of collagen to lay down a fresh collagen matrix and minimize unsightly acne scars. Many patients benefit from having multiple microneedling sessions. You should see a continual improvement in the condition of your skin, provided you wait a few weeks between each treatment.

The digestive system doesn’t always function like it should, which can leave you with some frustrating symptoms and health conditions to deal with. Among the most common digestive diseases is acid reflux, which can cause you to experience a burning pain around your chest when the acid reflux is triggered. Since this disease can affect anyone at anytime, it’s important that you know how to avoid it now and in the future.

What Is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux is a very common disease in the digestive tract that occurs when bile or acid in your stomach causes irritation in the lining of the food pipe. While some individuals can suffer from chronic and severe cases of acid reflux, it’s a disease that can occasionally happen to anyone and is typically triggered by eating certain foods. The most common symptom associated with this disease is a burning feeling around the chest, which is also referred to as heartburn.

In the event that you experience acid reflux more than two times each week, you’re likely suffering from GERD, which is the chronic form of acid reflux. Some factors that make you more likely to suffer from acid reflux include:

• Being overweight or obese
• Suffering from diabetes
• Smoking regularly
• Being pregnant
• Eating foods that are high in fat or eating spicy foods

How to Properly Prevent Acid Reflux From Occurring

The best way to prevent the occasional case of acid reflux is to eat the right diet and to make certain lifestyle changes. If you notice that you have a propensity of being affected by acid reflux, make sure that you stop smoking and that you lose any extra weight. To lessen the amount of pressure placed on your abdomen, it’s recommended that you wear looser clothing. Another great way to substantially reduce your risk of being affected by acid reflux is to eat smaller meals during the day. You also shouldn’t lie down for at least three hours after you’ve eaten. Some of the many foods that have been known to trigger cases of acid reflux include:

• Tomato sauce
• Garlic
• Chocolate
• Soda and other carbonated beverages
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Fatty foods or foods that have been fried
• Peppermint

More than 100,000 bariatric surgeries are performed annually in the United States. If you recently had a procedure designed to reduce the size of your stomach and facilitate the weight loss process, you may think the hard part is behind you. However, continuing to lose weight beyond the pounds you initially shed can present some challenges. If you’re looking to extend your success with weight loss surgery, here are some tips to help you out.

Get the Right Post-Op Support

Sticking to your weight loss goals post-surgery doesn’t have to be a solitary goal – nor should it be. One option is to find a support group with individuals going through the same process and facing similar challenges. If you can’t find an existing group that’s right for you, create your own support group or team with friends, family members, and co-workers willing to offer encouragement. Another way to get support is to find a “fitness buddy” to provide an added incentive to stick to your post-surgery exercise recommendations.

Identify Your Eating Triggers

It’s common for one of the reasons for weight gain to be eating triggers such as turning to food for emotional comfort or when stressed from work or personal issues. If you didn’t fully discover whether or not you have certain eating triggers before your surgery, doing so now could make it easier to avoid returning to your old eating patterns and habits.

Form a Healthy Relationship with Food

Once you fully understand what contributed to your weight gain in the first place, you should find it easier to form a more productive and healthy relationship with food. Weight regain often occurs if you fail to shift your thinking about food from being a solution to an emotional reaction to being fuel your body needs to keep running efficiently. This might involving seeking separate assistance for underlying emotional issues and employing strategies such as purposely not having comfort foods around that can be easily accessible.

Create Fun, New Eating Habits

Attempts at dieting often fail because there’s a tendency to think of changing eating habits as a temporary inconvenience. However, if you want to boost your odds of putting weight back on post-surgery, make an effort to form permanent new eating habits. Some of your new diet habits can even be fun and involve things like discovering tasty new recipes that are also low in calories and high in essential nutrients. Or you might have festive, casual cooking parties where the only rule is that whatever ingredients are brought must be healthy.

If you reach a point where your weight loss tapers off, don’t consider this to be a sign that you’ll start regaining weight. In fact, it’s perfectly normally to hit a weight loss plateau before reaching your goal weight. But if the tips discussed here aren’t helping you stay on track, however, talk to your doctor to get some recommendations more specific to your situation to help you regain your focus.

Whether it’s sneaking downstairs late at night to have those last few slices of leftover pizza or giving into the urge to stop at McDonald’s on the way home, we’ve all experienced food temptations at one time or another. Normally, it’s perfectly fine to give into occasional indulgences.

If you’ve recently had weight loss surgery, however, it’s not such as good idea to do anything that could have you going back to old eating habits. Luckily, there are some things you can do to avoid food temptations as you adjust to a healthier lifestyle.

Change Your Mental Focus
This is sometimes easier said than done, but there are some techniques you can use to shift your thoughts from foods you shouldn’t be eating to other things. One method is what’s called mindful meditation, which basically involves taking a deep breath and getting yourself back in the moment so you don’t act on impulses. Another technique is to visualize your goals and remind yourself that giving into food temptations will only make it harder to get to where you want to be.

Get Rid of In-Home Food Temptations Before Surgery
There’s something to be said for out of sight, out of mind. Before you have your weight loss procedure, set aside some time to go through your home to get rid of food you know you won’t be able to have after your weight loss surgery. If you have other people in your household without weight issues, politely ask them not to bring certain foods into the home while you are still adjusting to your new diet habits.

Keep Healthy Foods Handy
Food temptations often occur because you see something on the table or when you open the fridge. Reduce your odds of grabbing for something loaded with empty calories by putting healthy things like seasonal fruits, yogurt cups, and bite-size veggies in places where they can easily be reached. Further reduce your odds of overindulging by cooking your own meals and making your own healthy lunches when you’re able to get back to work following your surgery. If you need some help changing your cooking methods, consider taking a healthy cooking class in your area.

Opt for Healthy Alternatives
You may reach a point where you can have certain comfort foods or favorite snacks in moderation. The problem here is that sometimes it’s not easy to stop yourself after having a small serving or a single slice. Therefore, a better option is to find healthy substitutes for treats you know you shouldn’t have. For instance, you might consider the following substitutions:

• Air-popped popcorn instead of potato chips
• Dried fruit or trail mix instead of candy
• Dried fruit or trail mix instead of candy
• Frozen bananas or Greek yogurt instead of ice cream

Lastly, avoid doing any post-surgery grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Research shows that people tend to make unhealthy food choices when shopping with a rumbling belly. Instead, treat yourself to a light, healthy filling snack or meal before you head to your local grocery store. Foods that tend to be the most filling also happen to be ones that are often recommended for weight loss surgery patients – things like fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans and lentils, and yogurt.

Weight loss surgery can drastically change your life in ways you never imagined were possible. The surgery is not a miracle solution for becoming thin–instead, it is a tool to help you get started down the path to a healthier and better life. Many people struggle to lose weight and some might consider the option of bariatric surgery. For those that are on the fence, there are some important reasons to take it into consideration.

Effective Solution

You could have tried all the fads, diets and weight-loss pills available on the market today. However, even with hard work and dedication, losing enough weight to be healthy is still difficult for some people. The reasons behind this can be a variety of reasons such as emotional issues or lack of energy. Bariatric surgery is an effective tool to make losing weight easier for those that have exhausted all other options. It should be noted that patients will still need to make changes to their diets and lifestyle in order for the best results. The surgery is not a cure to obesity. It will take determination to be successful for the long run.

Safe Procedure

A lot of people might shy away from receiving bariatric weight loss surgery because they are afraid of the risks involved. All procedures come with some degree of risks, and weight loss surgery is no different. Your doctor will discuss the risks with you and determine if the surgery is a good option for you. Some of the more common risks of bariatric surgery are acid reflux, infection, vomiting, and chronic nausea. It should be noted that the risks associated with this type of surgery often outweigh the risks associated with being obese.

Healthier Life

Aside from losing weight, the surgery can also offer some other health benefits. Many of these come with major loss of weight. Many patients who lost weight after surgery saw improvements in symptoms from chronic and degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Others may notice an improvement in other conditions such as degenerative joint disease, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease and asthma. Losing weight may also help to improve your mental health. Many patients have seen vast improvements in conditions such as depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. There may also be an increase in your overall happiness and attitude towards life.

Weight loss surgery can be your best option for losing both pounds and fat. As helpful as this surgery is, it does require that you prepare for it accordingly. Here are some general tips that your doctor might recommend before your surgery.

Quit Smoking

All weight loss surgical patients are required to stop smoking and using tobacco products at least three months prior to their surgery dates. Smoking and using tobacco products increase the risk of complications both during and after surgery. If you want to undergo and recover from the operation as well as possible, you will be advised to stop all tobacco use before you can undergo the surgery.

If you need help with smoking cessation, you should ask your doctor for patches or other medications that can help you quit.

Confront Your Food Addiction

Before you undergo weight loss surgery, you also will need to confront any addictions you have to certain foods. You may need to mentally and psychologically scrutinize what it is that compels you to eat these foods. You also will need to realize that some of these foods will probably be off limits to you once you undergo the surgery.

When it comes to preparing for weight loss surgery, you also will need to realize that your food intake limits will be severely restricted. Your serving portions will be much smaller than you are accustomed to, and you will need to eat slowly in order to help your system digest thoroughly. You will not be able to overeat after the weight loss surgery. Your doctor may suggest nutritional counseling to help with this step.

Adjust Your Medications

You might be advised to adjust the use of certain medications before weight loss surgery. You and your doctor will discuss all of the medications that you are currently taking and for what reason. Your doctor will then advise you on what ones you need to stop taking to reduce complications in the surgery and what ones you can keep taking as normal.

You also may need to start taking a blood thinner prior to the surgery. The blood thinner will reduce the risk of you developing blood clots after the operation.

Weight loss surgery can lead to many improvements with quality of life. However, the benefits you’ll enjoy post-surgery will depend on how committed you are to making positive lifestyle changes. One of the steps you’ll be encouraged to take after your procedure is to get regular exercise. If you’re not sure how to safely and effectively exercise as you recover, use the following tips as a guide.

Start with Walking

The first form of exercise most people can safely do within the first week or so after weight loss surgery is walking. Start by walking around your house or into and around your yard. At this point, you’ll want to avoid anything too strenuous. Pace yourself and gradually increase how much walking you do based on what’s comfortable for you. Using a fitness band to track your steps can be a good way to gauge your progress.

Transition to Low-Impact Aerobic Exercises

After your wounds have sufficiently healed, include low-impact aerobic exercises into your regular routine. You may prefer water-based exercises like water aerobics or swimming since the water reduces resistance. These types of exercises also increase circulation, which can help with tissue healing, and speed up your metabolism to help with calorie burning. Low-impact exercises can also include:

• Stationary cycling
• Exercise walking where you steadily increase distance and pace
• Elliptical trainer use

Set Smaller, Achievable Goals

While you might be super ambitious about doing everything possible to keep the pounds off after surgery, setting the bar too high can lead to disappointments that may discourage you. Instead, set smaller goals with your exercise habits. For instance, you might aim for 20-30 minutes of mild-to-moderate exercise, at least, 2-3 days a week to start. Once you get to the point where you are regularly reaching your goals, increase the time you spend exercising, or add a few additional activities to your routine.

Drink Plenty of Water and Take Time to Recover

Your stomach will be smaller following weight loss surgery, which can make it difficult for your body to absorb water. Avoid the risk of dehydration by keeping a water bottle within easy reach as you exercise and work out. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, get into the habit of drinking water frequently as you exercise. Also, know when to take breaks to allow your body to recover. If, for example, you are getting back into a gym-based routine, take a day off to let your muscles and body recover before your next workout.

If exercise wasn’t a regular part of your life prior to weight loss surgery, you may benefit from working with a trainer or physical therapist to develop a routine that’s right for you. Keep in mind that exercise can also include enjoyable activities like walking your dog, playing with your children, gardening, and participating in your favorite sports. Finally, let your doctor know if you experience any unusual or recurring or sudden abdominal discomfort as you get more active following surgery.

Internal hemorrhoids can be difficult to get rid of with over-the-counter products. Because of their location, they often need more specialized treatment. You may eliminate your internal hemorrhoids and find permanent relief from distressing symptoms like itching, burning, and bleeding by undergoing sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids.

What is Hemorrhoid Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids is a procedure that is performed on an outpatient basis. During the operation, your surgeon will inject the hemorrhoids with a chemical solution. The solution then causes irritation in the lining of the tissue, which in turn will cause the hemorrhoids to collapse and disappear.

This procedure takes about an hour to complete and is relatively painless. You will be given a local anesthetic before the operation starts to minimize your discomfort. You can go home to recuperate a few hours after the surgery is finished.

Recovering from Sclerotherapy for Hemorrhoids

Once you are deemed stable enough to return home, you will be discharged from the surgical center or doctor’s office. Your doctor will provide you with in-depth instructions that you should follow to ensure your proper healing from the treatment.

You may experience mild pain and discomfort for the first two to three days after the procedure. You also may notice a small amount of bleeding from the anus. These side effects are normal and can be relieved by taking over-the-counter pain medications and by resting.

You should avoid heavy lifting for the next two to three weeks after the procedure to minimize tears and bleeding in the treated area. You also should take extra care to keep the area clean and free from debris that could cause an infection.

The Benefits of Sclerotherapy for Hemorrhoids

You may wonder why you should choose sclerotherapy for internal hemorrhoids. Patients who have undergone this procedure appreciate that it is relatively fast and painless. You spend only a few hours in the surgical center or doctor’s office before returning home to recuperate.

Sclerotherapy for hemorrhoids also has a high rate of success. Studies show that more than 97 percent of patients experience permanent relief from their internal hemorrhoids. They do not need further treatment for this condition.

Sclerotherapy can be an effective treatment for internal hemorrhoids. This procedure is relatively safe for most patients to undergo. You could experience the permanent relief from painful hemorrhoid symptoms like itching, bleeding, burning, and others by going through this fast and simple outpatient treatment.