REVIVE ZONE PHARMACY

2. Minor heart attack: There are times when one confuses a minor heart attack with acidity, and this is common occurrence these days. ‘A minor heart attack can at times present like a severe acidity and this could be fatal as one might not reach out for help in the right direction,’ says Dr Kotecha. In such a case it is important to know the difference between heart attack and acidity. If the pain from your abdomen also radiates to your left arm and jaws, probably an antacid won’t be able to help you. Also, if the pain gets you all of a sudden like early in the morning or sometime during the day when you didn’t indulge in a heavy or spicy meal, it could be a sign of heart attack.

3. Gall bladder stones: Pain due to acid reflux and that due to gallbladder stones are totally different. But most of the time the two are confused. Pain due to gall stones happens in the upper right quadrant of the stomach and at times radiates to the back or the sides. ‘Because acidity pains are similar to this that happens in the upper part of the abdomen, one might confuse the pain due to gallstones with acidity,’ says Dr Kotecha.

5. Stomach ulcers: These are caused due to a bacterial infection usually Helicobacter pylori or H. Pylori in the gut which erodes the inner lining of the stomach [2]. However, these are treatable when the symptoms are picked up soon, saving one from the pains and complications. However, one sign of stomach ulcers is acidity or pain in the upper abdomen followed by bloating, heartburn and uneasiness after having a full course meal. In fact, treatment of stomach ulcers is very necessary as the bacteria can predispose one to gastric cancer.

Here is what untreated acidity can do to you:

4. Unhealthy pancreas: ‘Most of the times it is thought that alcohol is the prime culprit that leads to deteriorating pancreas health. However, untreated acidity can also lead to the same due to inflammation and erosion of the inner lining,’ informs Dr Kotecha. When this happens, acidity might become a regular occurrence. And if you keep treating just the symptom by popping antacids, you ignore the health of a major organ – pancreas. It might be too late before you realise the damage.

6. Problems with the oesophagus: Untreated acidity can erode the oesophagus as the gastric acid strikes it often and the lining is acid-permeable. Also, there are studies that suggest that continuous usage of acid-suppressing medicines can make one prone to oesophagus cancer in the long run [3]. So instead of popping acidity pills it is better to pay a visit to a doctor to get your condition checked.

When to seek help to treat acidity?

Here are few signs that say your acidity isn’t just treatable with antacids, and you need to take a doctor’s appointment:

References

[1] 1: Pulkowski G, Majer M, Budzyński J, Swiatkowski M. [Gastroesophageal reflux disease and coronary heart disease--coexistence or interrelationship?]. Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2006 Jan;20(115):104-8. Review. Polish. PubMed PMID: 16617748.

[2] 1: Calam J, Gibbons A, Healey ZV, Bliss P, Arebi N. How does Helicobacter pylori cause mucosal damage? Its effect on acid and gastrin physiology. Gastroenterology. 1997 Dec; 113(6 Suppl):S43-9; discussion S50. Review. PubMed PMID: 9394759.

[3] Rodriguez, L. G., Lagergren, J., & Lindblad, M. (2006). Gastric acid suppression and risk of oesophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma: a nested case control study in the UK. Gut, 55(11), 1538-1544.

Image source: Shutterstock

Since 1969 when Lassa Fever was first experienced, cases of its attack on humans has been deadly and ranges between 300,000 to 500,000 yearly, with approximately 5,000 deaths according to “Wikipedia”. The name “Lassa” was gotten from the town where the first attack was experienced in Borno State, Nigeria, following the death of two missionary nurses. Lassa fever has now become a dreaded disease to some West African homes due to the widespread of the virus. Some of the countries in West Africa currently under the attack are; Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and some other neighbouring countries. This virus attack is prone to death, that’s why the “WHO” advices that ‘any individual with some symptoms pertaining to the virus should be reported to them’.
 CAUSES OF LASSA FEVER The virus is an animal-borne/animal disease which can be transmitted to humans by rats and rodents. When this virus hits these rats/rodents, they don’t exhibit any symptom of its infection yet, the virus is then given off in their excreta such as urine and faeces, which can also act as a particulate matter in a gaseous or airborne cloud (solid, liquid and gas). Below are the summary;
Edited Sources and Mentions: Wikipedia, CDC, WHO‎ 

Vitamin C rich foods like oranges, lemons and mosambis have long been recommended for prevention of common cold. Although some of you might have found it to be helpful, others might not agree with it. The role of vitamin C in preventing cold has always been debatable.

Unfortunately there is no evidence that vitamin C can totally prevent cold but there are a few studies showing that vitamin C can reduce the severity of cold symptoms and the duration of cold. A randomised controlled trial by Sasazuki S and colleagues found that vitamin C may significantly reduces the frequency of the common cold but had no apparent effect on the duration or severity of the common cold. Another study by Hemilä H and colleagues suggested that it may be worthwhile for people with common cold to eat citrus fruits due to its individual therapeutic effect. A review of 21 clinical studies, it was found that vitamin C reduced the duration of cold episodes and the severity of cold symptoms of by an average of 23%.  Overall, there is still a lot of inconsistency and no single study has come up with clearly defining results as to whether vitamin C can really be helpful in treating or preventing cold. But that should not affect your choice about eating citrus fruits because vitamin C helps in a lot of other ways to boost your health. It is a natural antihistamine and helps in controlling allergies by reducing the levels of histamine. It is anti-inflammatory and helps control diabetes and prevent heart disease. Here are a few more health benefits of vitamin C

Stroke is an emergency situation in which you need to immediate take the affected person in a hospital because it is very important to realize the exact time of the occurrence of symptoms in order to get emergency help, because it depends on the entire treatment.