Branched chain amino acids or BCAA are three essential amino acids namely valine, leucine, and isoleucine. These are called essential because these cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained from food. There is a total of 20 amino acids in our body. Out of these nine are essential. Out of these three […]
Health
Breast Engorgement: Causes, Prevention and Treatment
Breast engorgement is the painful condition of breasts that occurs after 2-3 days of childbirth when the breasts start producing a larger quantity of milk. It occurs due to both increased production of milk and increased blood flow to the breasts. The breasts become hard, firmer, fuller and painful. Physiology of Breast Milk Production The […]
Is Fructose Bad For your Health
Sucrose [glucose] and fructose are two different kinds of sugars that make part of our diet. Sucrose is the common sugar we consume, fructose is consumed in the form of sweetening syrup. Fructose consumption is part of Western diets but is on the rise in other parts of the world too. Apart from common sugar, […]
50 Iron Rich Foods You Can Add to Your Diet
Iron is a major constituent of blood and is one of the minerals we should eat regularly in our diet. There are many iron rich foods available across the food groups. [Read more about the dietary requirement of iron] Iron deficiency leads to anemia and oxygen carrying capacity of the blood is reduced. It leads […]
Dwarfism – Types, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment
Dwarfism is the term applied when the patient’s height is far less than normal for his age and sex. The generally accepted definition is a height less than 147 cm or 4 feet 10 inches. Most of these people have an average life expectancy and remain productive. The reported incidence is 1 per 25,000 births. […]
Myelophthisic Anemia: Causes, Features, Lab diagnosis and Treatment
Myelophthisic anemia is a type of anemia that is caused due to the replacement of normal bone marrow by nonhematopoietic or abnormal cells. These abnormal cells ( which could be either cancer cells, granulomas or fibrosis) result in disturbed hematopoiesis due to the following reasons: By physically replacing the native marrow cells By disturbing the […]
Metabolic Syndrome – Causes and Treatment
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic disorders which when present increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It arises from insulin resistance accompanying abnormal adipose deposition and function and is also a risk factor for diabetes, fatty liver, and several cancers. Metabolic syndrome occurs when a person has three or more of the following Abdominal […]
Palpitations Causes and Treatment
Palpitations are defined as abnormal perception of the heartbeat and are described by patients as a disagreeable sensation of pulsation or movement in the chest and/or adjacent areas. Normally, the activity of the heart is not perceived by the individual in resting condition. During or immediately after intense physical activity or emotional stress, one may […]
Enteral Feeding Indications and Complications
Enteral tube feeding or enteral feeding refers to the delivery of a nutritionally complete feed (containing protein or amino acids, carbohydrate +/− fibre, fat, water, minerals and vitamins) directly into the gut via a tube. The tube is usually placed into the stomach, duodenum or jejunum via either the nose, mouth or the direct percutaneous […]
Parenteral Nutrition Indications and Complications
Parenteral nutrition is the feeding of a person through intravenous route by providing nutritional formulae that contain nutrients. Parenteral nutrition could be total or partial. Total parenteral nutrition or total nutrient admixture is when no significant nutrition is obtained by other routes [entral]. Partial parenteral nutrition is used when nutrition is also partially enteric. Depending […]