This week, we examined the similarities and differences between IBS and diverticulitis, learned that early treatment in MS delays diagnosis, discussed methods to improve tinnitus symptoms, and much more.
Diverticulitis vs. irritable bowel syndrome: Causes, symptoms, risk factors, and complications
Diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are health conditions that affect the gastrointestinal system and, more specifically, the colon. Diverticulitis is brought on by infection or rupture of diverticula, which are bulges forming in the lower part of the large intestine or colon.
The risk of developing diverticula is usually higher for people over 40. Diverticula themselves do not cause many problems, but once the condition progresses into diverticulitis, it can be quite severe, leading to pain, nausea, and changes to bowels.
IBS is a functional disorder, which means, it is not a disease per se, so the symptoms don’t have an identifiable cause. Those affected show no clinical signs of a disease and often have normal test results. IBS is often referred to as spastic colitis or mucous colitis, but that’s an erroneous nomenclature, as itis signifies inflammation, and IBS does not cause inflammation. Continue reading…
Beginning multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment as soon as the early symptoms appear may extend the time until a definitive diagnosis or a relapse. The study found that those who received early treatment intervention were one-third less likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, compared to patients with delayed treatment. Early symptomsinclude numbness and vision or balance problems.
Those in the early treatment group also experienced 19 percent lower annual relapse rate.
Dr. Ludwig Kappos, the study author, said, “The surprise is that after 11 years, we were still able to detect a difference favoring early treatment, although the delay in starting treatment in the delayed treatment group was only 1.5 years on average. The most astonishing observation was that relapse rates remained lower in most of the years after both groups had equal access to treatment.”
Roughly 85 percent of those who experience early multiple sclerosis symptoms will go on to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Continue reading…
Magnetic therapy treatment may significantly improve tinnitussymptoms. Already being used for patients with depression, transcranial magnetic therapy (TMT) may also benefit those with tinnitus.
Researcher Dr. Murali Rao said, “Tinnitus could be for a number of reasons. Once all has been done to rule out the common causes of tinnitus, such as blood vessel problems and anything to do with the nervous system, we then look at the chronic tinnitus sufferers where no cause or remedy has been found. There has been a close association between psychological disorders, like anxiety and depression, and tinnitus.”
“TMS [transcranial magnetic stimulation] has an effect on the neurocircuitry of the brain. It’s a way of modulating the connectivity within the brain, and we use that for treatment of depression. What we are trying to find out is how much the treatment has an effect on depression, and we will see what happens with tinnitus at the same time,” added Dr. Rao. Continue reading…
High cholesterol is a serious problem as it can increase one’s risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. The good news is, knowing which foods to eat and which foods to avoid, you can manage your cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is produced by the body and is also found in the foods we eat. Consuming foods high in LDL (bad) cholesterol, along with foods high in saturated and trans fats, can bring your cholesterol levels up, along with some serious health risks. You should opt for foods low in cholesterol and in unhealthy fats in order to boost your HDL (good) cholesterol for the optimal health of your heart. Continue reading…
Urethritis is inflammation of the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder to be expelled from the body. It is commonly triggered by infection, but there are other causes as well. The condition may also go by the name non-gonococcal urethritis, when it is not caused by gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease.
Both men and women can develop urethritis, although diagnosis is more common in men. This may be due to the fact, though, that many women with urethritis do not experience any symptoms. Continue reading…