An apple a day is 100 million bacteria for your gut. But it is not all bad news
Next time when you eat an apple for extra fibre, flavonoids and flavour, remember that you are also gulping down about 100 million bacteria, and whether these are good or bad microbes may depend on how the apples were grown.
Most microbes are inside the apple but the strains depend on which bits you eat, and whether you go organic, say researchers, adding that organically-grown apples harbour more diverse and balanced bacteria which make them healthier and tastier than conventional apples.
“The bacteria, fungi and viruses in our food transiently colonise our gut. Cooking kills most of these, so raw fruit and vegetable are particularly important sources of gut microbes,” said Professor Gabriele Berg from Graz University of Technology in Austria.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, compared the bacteria in conventional store-bought apples with those in visually-matched fresh organic ones.
Stem, peel, flesh, seeds and calyx — the straggly bit at the bottom where the flower used to be — were analyzed separately. Overall, the organic and conventional apples were occupied by similar numbers of bacteria.
“Putting together the average for each apple component, we estimate a typical 240-gram apple contains roughly 100 million bacteria,” Berg informed.
The majority of the bacteria are in the seeds, with the flesh accounting for most of the remainder.
So, if you discard the core, your intake falls to nearer 10 million.
The question is: Are these bacteria good for you?
“Freshly harvested, organically-managed apples harbour a significantly more diverse, more even and distinct bacterial community, compared to conventional ones,” explained Berg.
Specific groups of bacteria known for health-affecting potential also weighed in favour of organic apples.
“Escherichia-Shigella — a group of bacteria that includes known pathogens — was found in most of the conventional apple samples, but none from organic apples. For beneficial Lactobacilli — of probiotic fame — the reverse was true,” said the researchers.
Methylobacterium, known to enhance the biosynthesis of strawberry flavour compounds, was significantly more abundant in organic apples, “especially on peel and flesh samples, which in general had a more diverse microbiota than seeds, stem or calyx”, said the researchers.
The results also mirrored findings on fungal communities in apples. “Our results agree remarkably with a recent study on the apple fruit associated fungal community, which revealed specificity of fungal varieties to different tissues and management practices,” said Birgit Wasserman, lead author of the study.
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How to maintain Healthy Digestive System!!
Are you a healthy person?
You’d possibly like to answer this in the affirmative and one guess as to how you would arrive at that answer is by thinking about how many times you have visited the doctor. Correct? So, if you think you are a healthy individual, then congratulations, that’s what most people want. But, let’s pause for a moment and ask: are you really as healthy as you think you are? If you want to determine the absolute right answer to this question, then only a doctor can help you, but even without going that distance, here are a few situations for you to determine the state of your digestive system’s health. Let’s see what your answers to the following questions are.
1. You are at a party. All the chicken/fancy stuff calling out to you at the buffet seem to put you off at the very thought of consuming them? Why? Do you have a burning sensation in your food pipe?
2. You are getting late for work, but your bowels just don’t seem to be in a mood to cooperate with you. Do you try, but ditch the exercise?
3. Let’s see. Your bowels do cooperate, but the aftermath leaves a stinging sensation in your rear-side. Does this happen often?
4. Does your shirt come around a bit too tight near your belly? You’ve not gained weight, but it’s a feeling of being bloated, isn’t it?
5. You’ve just finished eating. Does it feel like a thousand pins are pricking you on the inside?
There are several more situations that can become an infinite list, but, if you have nodded your head silently to even one, then you must know that your digestive system is not too happy with you, which in turn means you are not actually as healthy as you believe you are.
Why is a healthy digestive system so important?
Your food is the fuel to your body and digestive problems bring associated risks. Just like a cycle, problems in digestion prevent you from eating well, further aggravating the problem you began with. Therefore, to avoid several gastrointestinal issues leading to further problems like fatigue, it’s essential that you keep your digestive system happy. If you are wondering how that can be achieved, worry not, here’s a crisp guide for you that will keep your GI tract happy.
1. Eat Healthy
At the risk of sounding like a grandmother, this is most essential. If you are someone who likes to think that fries are awesome and even better when washed down with insane amounts of aerated drinks, then well, you are in for some trouble, Not just do these drinks make you feel like your nose is going to blow up every time you burp, they also mess around with your digestive system like it’s nobody’s business. So, what do you do? Listen to your mother and grandmother and stick to more of ghar ka khana than ordering poison from all the online apps occupying your smartphone’s memory. Also, more greens and stuff rich in proteins, please!
2. Clock It Up
Listen up. The clock is your best friend. Not just does it get you to your meetings in time, it also prevents you from all those annoying digestive system problems. Imagine letting out a nasty burp when you are just about to get your client sign the deal. Doesn’t sound comfortable at all, right? So, if you want to avoid any of the uncomfortable perils of GI problems, eat in time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner – please plan your meals well and be punctual. Also, by meals, we don’t mean that the combo that your favourite burger joint is dishing out. We mean a proper meal at a decent time.
3. Stay Hydrated
This is absolutely necessary. Water intake is critical to your overall health, but it impacts your digestive system in particular. So, do yourself a favour and stop imagining that you are in a desert that has no water. Water conservation is an important cause, but you might want to save water by not washing your car with four buckets of them, but not drinking enough water isn’t the right way to do it, just so you know. However, while we are at it, it’s important you understand that you shouldn’t be gulping too much water while you are eating. Let your digestion do its job.
4. Drink Water, Not Other Stuff
While it’s important to stay hydrated, please use the right liquids to do so. Alcohol and aerated drinks are not the way anyone wants you to ‘stay hydrated’. The impacts of aerated drinks have already been mentioned in the first point and the only thing to keep in mind is the fact that not does just alcohol make you do some questionable things, it also harms your digestion. It really does. It’s not good for anything in your body, including your wallet. So, stay smart, stay rich and stay healthy by avoiding getting tipsy!
5. Get Your Beauty Sleep
If this point misleads you into believing that sleep is only important for your looks, then, sure enough, you know better than that. Your sleep cycles determine the state of your health to a great extent. They also decide the cycle of your day. This means that if you sleep late, you also wake up late, tossing your routine diet out of the window. Not getting enough sleep is also known to have an impact on your appetite, sometimes making you binge eat and sometimes, killing your hunger completely. So, tuck yourself into your bed in time and save yourself a couple of trips to the doctor.
6. Be Up And Running
How many times has your dad asked you to stop being a couch potato and get things done? Many times, right? Turns out, he’s been right all along. Sitting in the same place even if it’s in office, puts you at the risk of obesity among many other things. It might also be the right time to mention that physical activity is the best way to kick up a good appetite and also burn some calories for all the cheat snacks that you have been munching on. Plus, like dad says, it’s actually the best way to get things done. So, if you are able to kill three birds in one stone, that doesn’t sound like too shabby a plan now, does it?
7. Kick The Stress Away
If you think stress doesn’t play a part in influencing your digestive system, think again. Your state of mind can force you into making some unfortunate dietary and lifestyle decisions. From indulging in unhealthy eating to not eating at all, from deprived sleep to just being holed up in a place, stress can be counter to all the tips mentioned above. A happy person has a happy gut, so find ways to relax and don’t let it get the better of your digestive system, ok?
With these oh-so-easy tips to have a happy digestive system, do you think there’s anything that stops you from being healthy? Not really. An occasional visit to the doctor won’t hurt though!
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Heart Disease – A Silent Killer
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), which claims the lives of both men & women, is a disease in which cholesterol deposits on the inner wall of heart blood vessels. These blood vessels carry oxygen to heart. When plaque builds up, the oxygen does notreach heart in adequate amount resulting in chest pain & heart attack. CAD can also cause heart failure, arrhythmia (electrical abnormality) and sudden death (SCD).
Women tend to have CAD 10 years later than men but it remains as number 1 killer in women, next only to malignancy. Women are more prone to small disease where in tiny vessels of the heart are diseased or damaged without major cholesterol deposits.
It is thought that fall in oestrogen levels during menopause along with conventional risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, hiugh cholesterol and strong family history of heart disease cause microvascular disease in women.
Ways To Healthy Heart
– Follow a healthy lifestyle
– Exercise regularly and include 30 minutes of walk for atleast 5 days a week
– Maintain a healthy weight: Height in cms minus 100 will give a person’s ideal weight
– Quit smoking and cut down on alcohol consumption
– Go for regular health checkup after 30 years of age
Dr. Rajeshwari Nayak
Senior Consultant,
Interventional Cardiology,
Chennai
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Stents no better than drugs for many heart patients: U.S. study!!
CHICAGO: Many patients with severe but stable heart disease who routinely undergo invasive procedures to clear and prop open clogged arteries would do as well by just taking medications and making lifestyle changes, reported U.S. researchers.
If adopted into practice, the findings could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year in healthcare costs, researchers said.
The $100 million government-backed study, presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in Philadelphia, is the largest yet to look at whether procedures to restore normal blood flow in patients with stable heart disease offers an added benefit over more conservative treatment with aspirin, cholesterol-lowering drugs and other measures.
At least two prior studies determined that artery-clearing and stenting or bypass surgery in addition to medical treatment does not significantly lower the risk of heart attacks or death compared with non-invasive medical approaches alone.
Many cardiologists are reluctant to change practice in part because patients who get stents to keep the artery open report feeling better right away, experts said.
NYU Langone cardiologist Dr. Judith Hochman, who chaired the study, estimated that some 500,000 new patients a year are diagnosed with stable coronary artery disease, in which heart arteries narrowed by fatty deposits cause periodic angina, or chest pain, typically after exercising or emotional distress.
Current guidelines recommend patients with severe narrowing of their arteries have heart bypass surgery or a stent implanted to restore blood flow. Stents are tiny tubes that keep the artery open after blockage-clearing angioplasty.
“There’s always been a fear that if you don’t do something quickly, they will have a heart attack or drop dead,” Hochman said.
The 7-year, 5,179-patient ISCHEMIA study did not show a significant benefit from that course of action.
“For those with mild or no chest pain, there’s really not a role for immediately stenting,” Hochman said.
Just eliminating unnecessary stenting procedures could save the U.S. healthcare system $570 million annually, said Stanford University School of Medicine cardiologist and study co-chair Dr. David Maron. He estimates the cost per stenting procedure at about $25,000 and bypass surgery at $45,000.
“I would hope this would change practice,” said Dr. William Boden of the VA New England Healthcare System, another study author. “We are wasting a lot of money.”
The main goal of the trial was an overall reduction in deaths, heart attacks, hospitalization for unstable chest pain or heart failure and resuscitation after cardiac arrest.
On these measures, the addition of stenting or bypass surgery to reroute blood flow around the arterial blockage was no better at reducing the adverse events than medical therapy alone. The invasive treatments did result in better symptom relief and quality of life in those who had frequent chest pain.
The trial, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, involved patients with moderate to severe but stable ischemia – a condition in which clogged arteries are not able to supply the heart with enough oxygen-rich blood.
Everyone received medicines and lifestyle advice, while half also had one of the invasive procedures.
Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen was convinced. “We can reserve these interventions for people who truly fail medical therapy,” he said.
Experts said the study was well done, and its findings will be hard to ignore. But it may take several years for the changes to filter into practice, especially in community settings, said Dr. Ashish Pershad, an interventional cardiologist at Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute in Phoenix.
The findings do not apply to all heart patients, including those with blockages in the left main coronary artery, Hochman said. And, she added, “if you’re having a heart attack, stents save lives.”
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Why long drives in automatic cars may be dangerous for you?
Do you drive an automatic car? And do you go on long drives?
If the answer to both questions is yes, here’s an advice: stop after one to two hours to relax your legs, wear comfortable clothes and keep yourself hydrated while driving.
Not doing so may lead to a health scare similar to what happened with 30-year-old Saurabh Sharma from west Delhi.
Sharma nearly died last month when the immobility of his left leg, while driving a luxury automatic car from Delhi to Rishikesh and back, caused a clot in the veins of his leg. It is also referred to as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The clot then travelled to his lungs through the bloodstream causing pulmonary embolism — blockage in one of the arteries of the lungs due to the blood clot — which led to decreased blood flow to the vital organs, including his heart and brain.
Sharma suddenly developed breathing difficulty, became unconscious and collapsed.
Medical examination at a local hospital revealed his blood pressure and pulse rate were so low they couldn’t be recorded, after which he was rushed to Max super-specialty hospital in Shalimar Bagh for suspected cardiac arrest.
There, the doctors managed to revive him after 45 minutes of continuous CPR. Meanwhile, echo conducted while the CPR was still on showed the right chambers of Sharma’s heart were dilated. “He didn’t have any history of heart disease. So we explored further to find the cause of his fatal condition and it was revealed that he suffered from DVT in his left leg, which led to pulmonary embolism,” Dr Naveen Bhamri, director and head of the department of cardiology at Max said.
He added that drugs to dissolve the blood clot were administered in high dosage on immediate basis. “We also administered medications several times the normal dosage to increase his blood pressure. Finally, after 24 hours, Sharma regained consciousness and his blood pressure became stable,” Dr Bhamri said. Due to low BP over a long period, Sharma’s kidneys weren’t functioning properly and he was put on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.
“It’s a miracle he survived. His story has a message for people who drive for long hours. They should take regular breaks,” said Dr Yogesh Kumar Chhabra, consultant, nephrology at Max Shalimar Bagh.
“Smokers, obese persons, people who have undergone surgery recently or those suffering from prolonged illnesses are a at higher risk, but it can happen to anyone,” said Dr Devendra Kumar Agarwal, senior consultant, cardiology at Max.
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Reasons to Get a Second Opinion!!
The Value of Second Opinion
People make mistakes every day, and doctors are not immune to this fact. What’s more, some doctors are more conservative while others tend to be more aggressive. So their findings and recommendations can vary dramatically. For this reason, more and more patients are getting second opinions after a diagnosis. Whether your doctor recommends surgery, makes a cancer diagnosis or identifies a rare disease, there are many benefits to getting a second opinion. These benefits include everything from the peace of mind and confirmation to a new diagnosis or a different treatment plan.
Even if your second opinion just confirms what you already know, it can still be beneficial. Afterward, you will know that you have done everything you can to ensure that you have the correct diagnosis and a treatment plan that feels right to you. A second opinion also can offer insight into additional treatment options that the first doctor may not have mentioned. As a result, you become more informed about what is available to you and can make an educated decision about your healthcare and your treatment plan.
What Does Research Say About Second Opinions?
A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic found that as many as 88 percent of patients looking for a second opinion will leave the office with a new or refined diagnosis. Meanwhile, 21 percent of the people will leave with a “distinctly different” diagnosis. Conversely, the study, which was published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, discovered that 12 percent of patients will learn that the original diagnosis was correct. This means that one out of every five patients they saw was incorrectly diagnosed.
During the study, researchers reviewed records of 286 patients referred from primary care physicians to Mayo Clinic’s General Internal Medicine Division in Rochester. The study took place from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2010. The factors that motivated people to get second opinions included getting confirmation of their diagnosis, being dissatisfied with a consultation, wanting more information, and dealing with persistent symptoms.
Why should you get a Second Opinion?
- If you have a bit serious or life-threatening disease.
- Where the treatment is little risky or toxic.
- Where the treatment is expensive.
- Where the diagnosis is not clear, the treatment is experimental.
- If you’re considering participating in a trial for a new drug.
When Should You Get a Second Opinion?
While you do not need a reason to get a second opinion, there are times when getting a second opinion may be the best course of action. What’s more, if the two doctors you see vastly disagree, then it might be wise to get a third opinion. Keep in mind, too, that the second opinion is not necessarily the right opinion. The key is to keep digging until the diagnosis and treatment make sense to you:
Get a second opinion if you have undergone treatment but your symptoms continue. No one knows your body better than you do. And if your symptoms are persistent even after treatment, it may be time to seek the advice of different doctors and specialists. Too often, people do not advocate for themselves. Instead, they assume that they will always have to live with chronic pain or uncomfortable feelings. But remember, the only way you are going to get the treatment that works is if you get the right diagnosis. So if you are not feeling better and your symptoms are not going away, do not settle for that. Reach out to other doctors for their opinions.
Get a second opinion if you are diagnosed with a rare disease. Sometimes diseases are so rare that there is very little research behind them. When this happens, it can be frustrating and frightening to discover you have been diagnosed with something so rare. But you are not alone. Approximately 1 in 10 Americans is diagnosed with a rare disease. What’s more, there are nearly 7,000 known rare disorders with more discovered each year according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Because there is so little information available regarding rare diseases and disorders, it is important to do your research, because the risk of misdiagnosis is significant. Look for doctors and specialists who have treated your disorder and get their opinion. You want to be sure you are getting the best treatment possible for your condition.
Get a second opinion if the recommended treatment is risky, involves surgery, is invasive or has lifelong consequences. It is never wise to agree to surgery or another invasive procedure without exploring your options. Yet, some people feel that if a doctor suggests a procedure, they have to agree to it. But remember it is your body and your life. You absolutely have a say in what treatments you agree to. As a result, it may be wise to get a second opinion if your doctor is recommending something as serious as surgery. Being proactive and gathering more information will give you a greater degree of control over your treatment in the end.
Get a second opinion if you are diagnosed with cancer. With something as serious as cancer, having the input from another expert simply makes sense. Not only can a cancer diagnosis be confusing and overwhelming, but it also is a life-changing event. Therefore, it is important to be as informed as possible about your prognosis and the possible treatment options available to you. Keep in mind that no one doctor is completely informed about the findings from every single study and clinical trial in the country. Doctors are only human. That’s why you need to advocate for yourself. Getting additional opinions just improves the likelihood that you will walk away with the best treatment plan possible, What’s more, some insurance providers require a second opinion when it comes to a cancer diagnosis.
Get a second opinion if your gut reaction tells you something is off. By all means, if you are not comfortable with the diagnosis or the recommended treatment, get a second opinion. You should never agree to a procedure or treatment plan when you don’t feel good about it. Trust your gut and gather more information. Ask questions about your prescriptions. Talk to friends. Meet with a new doctor. And read about your condition. No one should ever feel like they have to follow the doctor’s orders without asking questions and gathering more information. Very few healthcare decisions have to be made on the spot. So if something doesn’t feel right, then, by all means, research your situation and talk with another doctor.
Conclusion
Remember, you are not being difficult nor are you in denial about your situation when you ask for a second opinion. You are being smart and empowered. You should always take an active part in your health care, and getting a second opinion is an important part of that process. What’s more, most doctors expect and encourage second opinions. So, be upfront with your physician about your desire to gather more information. And if he doesn’t support you or gives you a difficult time, it might be time for a new doctor.
Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/top-reasons-to-get-a-second-opinion-4144734
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