The Causes Of Acid Reflux - Causes Of Heartburn

Those people who suffer with the extreme discomfort caused by acid reflux will ask the obvious question, "what causes acid reflux?" Yet the answer to this question is not so simple for each person is different.

common causes of acid reflux:
- lower oesophagus sphincter
- hiatal hernia
- esophageal contractions
- emptying of the stomach
- over production of acid

The common name for acid reflux is heartburn and this is experienced by the burning sensation behind the breast bone. This pain is caused by the acid in the stomach seeping into the oesophagus. The acid is allowed to reflux into the oesophagus. Even a very slight opening into the oesophagus will allow acid to creep in and the pain were commence. The level of pain depends very much on how much acid is released.

There are several medicinal remedies to control acid production in the stomach. These medicines may very well prevent the production of acid in the gut but the fact remains that whatever liquidity is in the stomach will seep into the oesophagus. There may be no acid to reflux yet reflux will continue.

The lower esophagus sphincter has a specific function and that is to open when a person swallows. Mind you however, the opening should only last for a few seconds it is then meant to close to prevent reflux from taking place. He weakened muscle in this area will allow acid reflux to continue. Another problem is that the lower esophagus sphincter may open for too long. Against this allows acid reflux to happen.

Herniated Hiatal Muscles and its effects on the Diaphragm

The diaphragm is situated on the same level as the lower esophagus sphincter. An hiatal hernia will allow a small section of the stomach to pass through the diaphragm and unfortunately this were forced acid once again into the oesophagus and initiate a horrendous pain associated with the condition.

Many patients who experience problems with the lower oesophagus find that they take longer to empty stomach contents than the average person. The more time it takes for the stomach to empty the more time there is far acid to reflux into the oesophagus.

Over eating can also trigger acid reflux pain. When you over eat when you fill the stomach and there is no room in it. Therefore the acid has to go somewhere and yes you guessed -- it goes back into the oesophagus. A person who suffers into chronic pain of acid reflux will find that over eating and ending and sitting forward while the stomach is full, that they once again experience untenable pain of acid reflux.

Statin Drugs (Cholesterol Fighters) and New Side Effects Revealed?

More than 40 million people in the United States take Statin Drugs every day. The purpose is to lower your LDL (BAD) Cholesterol. Statin drugs along with penicillin, and aspirin, may well be the three greatest drugs ever developed. These cholesterol fighting drugs have been known to lower your bad cholesterol by as much as 25% to 40% depending upon your unique body chemistry, and the actual dosage that you take.

Statin drugs are the most profitable drugs manufactured by the major drug firms. The five principal drug companies and their respective statin drugs are:

Name of Drug Company: Merck
Generic Name: Zocor
Brand Name: Simvastatin

Name of Drug Company: Merck
Generic Name: Mevacor
Brand Name: Lovastatin

Name of Drug Company: Pfizer
Generic Name: Lipitor
Brand Name: Atorvastatin

Name of Drug Company: AstraZeneca
Generic Name: Crestor
Brand Name: Rosuvstatin

Name of Drug Company: Kos Pharaceuticals
Generic Name: Advicor
Brand Name: Lovastatin

Research has shown that half the people in this country who suffer heart attacks have NORMAL Cholesterol levels at the time of their attack. That's right; half the heart attack victims are NORMAL. This implies that your Total Cholesterol level is not the MAGIC KEY that doctors are looking for. We also know that if you drive your LDL (BAD) Cholesterol level down to 60, heart disease seems to stop dead in its tracks. LDL Cholesterol is a subset of your Total Cholesterol. It is just one component of your Cholesterol, but obviously a very important one.

Here's the Potential PROBLEM

We know that all drugs have side effects. Manufacturers attempt to measure and quantify these side effects during the FDA approved clinical trials. These trials take place prior to a drug's mass distribution to the public. Sometimes, certain side effects do not become apparent until years after the drug's release.

Dr. Ralph Edwards is the director of the drug-monitoring center of the World Health Organization (WHO). He possesses a data base containing 4 million people, the drugs they take, and the side effects they report. He has found 172 people in that data base who developed Lou Gehrig's disease or something similar. All 172 had been taking prescription drugs. Of these, 40 had been taking statin drugs, which is the subject of our discussion.

Statistically, no more than ten patients should have been taking statin drugs and reported this type of result. It is a statistically unexplainable event. In other words too many people taking statin drugs are reporting the development of Lou Gehrig's disease, or similar type illnesses. We are not saying there is a direct correlation between the use of the statin drug and the onset of these crippling diseases. There is without question, cause for immediate and further study.

In addition, if you are taking any of the statin drugs listed in this article, and you are experiencing any type of side effects at all, INFORM YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. Call him TODAY, not TOMMORROW.

Throughout the decades the major drug companies have attempted to downplay drug side effects. This explains the FDA's policy for decades of keeping drug side effects quiet. They were not published in the media. The World Health Organization is under no such requirement. Over the last couple of years, the FDA in response to public demand has published their drug findings on the Internet on a quarterly basis.

PATIENT BEWARE

Most of us were taught the term caveat emptor, which means BUYER BEWARE. We now must use the term PATIENT BEWARE. We have a responsibility to our loved ones, and ourselves to be aware of the adverse effects of the drugs we are using. In the 21st century, we are in a period of information overload. There is simply too much information coming at all of us to digest. This includes doctors. We as patients can not be completely reliant on our doctors being 100% knowledgeable about the adverse events that can be produced by the drugs their patients are taking. You must be informed yourself.

LASIK Eye Surgery - See The World More Clearly

LASIK is one of the most common surgical procedures performed by an eye surgeon nowadays. It has become very popular because of it's pain-free operation and because of its more or less instantaneous results. This is the major advantage that LASIK has over other surgical procedures to correct imperfect vision. After a couple of days rest you will soon see a definite improvement in your eyesight.

The surgical procedure itself is quick and virtually painless, and is performed under local anaesthetic. It consists of the eye surgeon cutting a hinged flap in the cornea which is then folded back to expose the lens of the eye. A laser from an instrument called a 'microkeratome' is used to vaporize aberrations and reshape the cornea so that the image focuses on the correct part of the retina, therefore improving the vision. The hinged flap in the cornea is then folded back into place for healing.

You will see two main types of LASIK surgery being advertised. Traditional LASIK surgery and Wavefront LASIK. Conventional LASIK surgery corrects the focusing power of the eye by remodelling the shape of the lens with the aid of laser. Wavefront LASIK is a variation of the traditional procedure and produces a spatially varying correction based on readings from a wavefront sensor. A wavefront sensor measures the eye itself by detecting any aberrations on the cornea. It achieves this by sending a weak laser source into the eye, and by measuring and processing the reflection off the retina. The Wavefront laser procedure is carried out using computer aided equipment and doctors have reported improved eyesight results from Wavefront over traditional LASIK surgery.

Although beneficial to thousands of patients, as is usually the case there can also be some disadvantages to LASIK eye surgery. Firstly, it can be an expensive treatment and prices can vary from area to area and from doctor to doctor. Secondly, as in all surgical procedures, there can be post-surgery complications. Common complications include patients developing glare and halos and possibly double vision which can affect night time vision capability. Others develop severe dry eye syndrome which may need to be treated with drops or cream for the rest of your life. However, complications in LASIK surgery are rare and the vast majority of patients benefit from almost perfect vision without eyeglasses or contacts after surgery.

If you decide to proceed with LASIK surgery you should carefully research the subject to find out as much as possible about the procedure. You should also research the eye surgeons that perform the surgery and if possible act on personal referral. Keep in mind that when pricing the surgery that not all advertisements for LASIK quote the full and final price and many have add-on costs. Finally, before proceeding with the surgery, make sure to have a thorough conversation with your eye surgeon so that you are fully aware of all the benefits and risks.

I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis And Have Heard About Cimzia... What Is It?

Biologic therapy has revolutionized our approach to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Less than 10 years ago, the best we could hope for was to “modify disease” or slow it down and also help with symptoms. Now the goal is to not only control symptoms, it is to get RA into complete remission. Biologics are protein-based medicines that are synthesized in a laboratory. They act like laser beams to target the immune abnormalities that are felt to cause RA.

First generation biologics such as etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira) are known as TNF-inhibitors and have done wonders for many patients. Second generation biologic such as rituximab (Rituxan) which acts against B cells and abatacept (Orencia) which works on T cells are both welcome additions to the arsenal of weapons available to combat RA.

Cimzia (certolizumab) is an investigational TNF-inhibitor. It differs from the current crop of TNF-inhibitors since it is “pegylated.” This means that a substance called polyethylene glycol has been attached to the molecule. This pegylation lengthens the half-life of the drug- meaning the drug stays in the system longer. Cimzia also has had a piece of protein removed from the molecule. The piece of protein that has been removed contained a small amount of mouse protein (yes... these drugs are often created using mouse proteins). By removing the piece of mouse protein, it is hoped that Cimzia will cause fewer adverse reactions.

A recent presentation on June 14, 2007 at the annual meeting of the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) described data on Cimzia.

The team studied 2 dose regimens, which patients received subcutaneously as add-on therapy to methotrexate.

In a phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, the investigators recruited 992 patients with RA who received either the study drug or placebo. The investigators wanted to know the rate at which people had a 20% improvement, as defined by the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 20).

The patients, who had previously been treated for at least 6 months with methotrexate, were randomized to treatment with either pegylated certolizumab or placebo. Those on treatment received 3 400-mg doses every 2 weeks, followed by 200 or 400 mg doses of certolizumab pegol every 2 weeks. The patients continued methotrexate as usual. The investigators assessed the efficacy and safety parameters at 2-week intervals.

In an early analysis at 24 weeks, the investigators found that 581 patients completed the study: 259 of the 397 on 200 mg of the drug, 278 of the 394 on 400 mg, and 44 of the 201 on placebo. The ACR20 response rate was 59.2% in the 200 mg group, 61.2% in the 400 mg group, and 13.5% of those who received methotrexate and placebo. The proportion of patients who experienced a significant side effect was 74.0% in the 200 mg group, 76.1% in the 400 mg group, and 57.7% in the placebo group. The majority of adverse events were mild to moderate.

"Pegylated certolizumab adds significant benefit in reducing the signs and symptoms of RA in combination with methotrexate, compared to using methotrexate alone," said lead investigator Edward C. Keystone, MD, professor of medicine at the University in Toronto, and director of the Rebecca MacDonald Centre for Arthritis and Autoimmune Disease, in Ontario.

Bottom line: Pegylated certolizumab works like a TNF blocker and appears to treat the signs and symptoms of RA. Whether it’s better than the TNF blockers that are currently available is still no known. It is better than placebo.

Online Pharmacy - The Cutting Edge Alternative

Online Pharmacy is perhaps entering a new era of cost saving measure. A Study conducted by the National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation data analysis results concluded that retail sales and individual prescription drug spending rose 18.8% from 1999 and 2000 from $111.1 billion to $ 139.9 billion.

Their studies also indicates that about half (51.4%) of the $20.8 billion in retail drug spending in 2000 occurred among just eight categories of medicines-arthritis, treating cholesterol, chronic pain, depression, ulcers, high blood pressure, diabetes, predisposition to seizures and other stomach ailments.

The spending on prescription drug had a steady climb in recent years. It has played a big part on the health care cost and health insurance premiums. This trend continues up to this day and even if people, who already have a health plan as part of their health insurance, could still feel the impact of the raising cost on which is being passed onto them indirectly, through higher insurance premiums and co-pays.

There are a lot of factors that contributes to the soaring cost it could be the increase in the number of prescription drugs written, the used of more prohibitive drugs, price increase and the used of Advertising and Marketing campaigns.

You can still go to the traditional route of getting out patient prescription drug from drug stores, discount stores, pharmacies at food stores but come to think of it, it will save the you---the consumer a lot more you order your medicines online.

Why online? It saves you on prescription cost. It is more convenient as you can order it even if you are in a remote area as long it has internet connection. You can make price comparisons. You have the power to choose from generic drugs to brand named drugs, a choice of medications. You get the same assistance and you can also enjoy discounts.

It is best that you choose not just any online pharmacy, but a pharmacy with reputation such as Drugstoretm.com. Most pharmacies out there makes outrageous claims of instant fixed it or quick cure of all imaginable maladies. We have more butalbital tramadol, generic fioricet and cheap online soma medicines.

From brick-to-mortar setting, making the transition to online purchasing is safe. Like any E-commerce site Drugstoretm.com complies with drug safety and demand to give consumers access to drugs in a faster and simpler way. This also contributes to patient care, getting the right medicines where ever you are.

Online Pharmacy is the latest in electronic prescription adoption. We give no complex medical information. Everything is as straightforward. Our technology is enough to satisfy our customers changing needs quality top selling drugs like prescription tramadol.

You can save the money on car gas, time and energy from making a purchase at a drug store when all you have to do is order it online and the medicine can be delivered right at your doorstep. This is one convergence in online pharmacy that you can enjoy.

Healthy Cooking for a Healthier You

You love to cook, and you love to eat. But you feel like you're not doing it right. Somehow you know you need to change the way you cook. You eat and you gain weight. Yet there are others out there who eat such lavish dishes yet never seem to put on the pounds. You need to learn the secrets of healthy cooking. Don't fret, you can learn these easy healthy cooking techniques and cook you way to a better diet, better health and a better life.

It is relatively easy to find healthy cooking techniques which you can apply to your daily life. Just look it up on the internet, and you will find hundreds. Look at books and videos, and you will find even more techniques for cooking healthy. Just remember that cooking healthy is simple and will not alter your life. One of the most immediate technique that you can use is as easy as replacing your salad dressing. Instead of the usual high-calorie fattening salad dressings, opt for low-fat or non-fat dressings available readily in the market. This basic change will assist in reducing your intake of calories. Many of us would think that eating salads would be a healthier choice compared to say a burger. However keep in mind that if we drench our salad with the fattening dressing, our salad will contain more calories than that burger!

Hey, those low-fat and non-fat dressing tastes funny, you say. Or they are tasteless. Well, this doesn't have to be so. Another option is to have salsa, which packs a punch. Salsa is a fantastic alternative to fattening salad dressings. The appetizing salsa can help dress up any dish you have. Instead of salsa, you can also choose marinade. These no fat low calorie marinades instantly add a burst of flavor. Or you could have some mustard mixed with some soy sauce. This homemade dressing is simply delicious. Be creative and bold and try out new recipes.

If you're a meat eater and love cooking meat, you can have ground beef or turkey as alternatives to a healthier diet. One healthy cooking technique that you can try is to basically cook the meat and once that is done, to use a spatula to hold the meat in place while you drain off the excess oil and fat. Once you drain off all the unnecessary oil and fat, you can now enjoy your meat without the excessive fat content and calories. Your food will taste lots better and you will not be dragged down by the lethargic feeling you'd normally get from eating a greasy, fattening meal.

Healthy cooking techniques when put to use can improve your diet, your health and your life. And if you cook for others, you will be giving them the great gift of these advantages too! You will be in for a great surprise when you realize how easy it is to utilize these healthy cooking techniques in your everyday diet, and make room for a healthier you. If you're a meat eater and love cooking meat, you can have ground beef or turkey as alternatives to a healthier diet. One healthy cooking technique that you can try is to basically cook the meat and once that is done, use a spatula to hold the meat in place while you drain off the excess oil and fat. Once you drain off all the unnecessary oil and fat, you can now enjoy your meat without the excessive fat content and calories. Your food will taste lots better and you will not be dragged down by the lethargic feeling you'd normally get from eating a greasy, fattening meal.

Healthy cooking techniques when put to use can improve your diet, your health and your life. And if you cook for others, you will be giving them the great gift of these advantages too! You will be in for a great surprise when you realize how easy it is to utilize these healthy cooking techniques in your everyday diet, and make room for a healthier you.

How to avoid headaches

If you always suffer from headaches for being cooped up in the office all day, you are not alone. Such headache is often accompanied by fatigue and tired eyes which is due more to the office environment than anything else. It makes you lose concentration and interest and you ended up feeling irritable and unproductive. But wait, before you start reaching for that painkiller tablet, try these 4 tips first and see if it helps.

1) More Fresh Air

Most office buildings are air-conditioned where supply of fresh air is poor. The air quality worsens with the chemicals released from the air-conditioning system, air fresheners, insecticides, pesticides and the pollutants already existing in the building. When we breathe in these harmful substances, it's no surprise that we have headaches.

The best way is to open the office windows regularly to let in fresh air, though this is near impossible in most high-rise office buildings. Alternatively, get out of the buildings at times for a breather. We can also help improve the air quality by installing air purifiers or/and filters and ensure regular cleaning and servicing of the air-con system in the offices.

2) Your Eyes Need to Breathe Too

If we overwork our eyes, it could lead to headaches too. This is because the muscles around our eyes get cramps which will stress the optic nerves connecting to our brain. Focus your eyes on a distant object from a high place for 5 to 10 minutes to rest your eyes. You should do this after every hour staring at the computer or the documents.

Perhaps it is time for a checkup visit at your optometrist to get a new pair of eyeglasses.

3) Mind Your Sitting Position

Many of us may not be aware that a poor sitting posture may hinder blood circulation, thereby causing headaches. As a rule of thumb, always keep the head aligned with the spine, and the wrists straight and aligned with the forearms. That's why our chairs are very important in giving us a good support for our backs to avoid slouching.

Avoid habits that could strain your muscles thereby causing headaches, e.g. we have the habit of typing on the keyboard and talking on the phone with it clamping between our shoulder and ear at the same time. Over-exertion of muscles for a long time could lead to headaches.

4) Stress is the Killer

Stress, coupled with exhaustion & anxiety, could easily lead to headaches or tension in the neck muscles. Though this is mostly unavoidable in our fast-paced environment, we should somehow learn to "spread out" our stress. We can stop work awhile to crack a joke or two with colleagues, or to enjoy a ten minutes tea break at the pantry. It benefits you to get away from your computer awhile.