Managing Liver Health

Dr. Arivarasan, Dr. Dinakar Mani, and Dr. Kumaragurubaran of Kauvery Hospital help us understand how to keep the liver healthy and prevent liver disease. The liver acts as production, storage, cleaning, and filtering organ in our body. It is essential for digesting food and ridding our body of toxic substances. 

What causes liver disease?

Common causes include fatty liver (caused by fatty buildup in the liver), liver hepatitis (inflammation of your liver in reaction to alcohol, chemicals, drugs, etc.), and liver cirrhosis (caused by liver diseases like hepatitis and chronic alcoholism). If these problems are not addressed in time, it can lead to liver failure. 

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Preventing liver disease

· Eat foods that can help keep the liver healthy like nuts, leafy vegetables, paneer, plenty of eggs, soya, nuts, lean meat, fish.

· Avoid salty, baked, processed, and deep-fried foodstuff.

· Eat small meals 5 times a day.

· Have a high-calorie snack at night.

· Avoid alcohol

Managing liver disease symptoms

There are three common problems with liver disease.

1. Swelling in the abdomen and legs is one of the first symptoms. Treatment includes diuretics, albumin injection, and finally, an abdominal tap.


2. Hepatic encephalopathy is a decline in brain function because your liver can't adequately remove toxins from your blood, leading to sleepiness, lethargy, lack of focus, and blood poisoning. An enema will be given to rid the body of toxins


3. Bleeding problems like bleeding in gums, increased clotting time, vomiting blood, and blood in faeces. Endoscopy will be done to help deal with it.


If liver disease is severe, a liver transplant may be the only option.

Diseases of the Digestive System and Treatments

Dr. Arivarasan, Dr. Dinakar Mani, and Dr. Kumaragurubaran of Kauvery Hospital help us understand what causes digestive problems and how to deal with it. 

Common digestive problems

GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the esophagus. This can irritate the lining of your esophagus.

Gastritis

Irritations to the stomach can cause indigestion, constipation, ulcers, burning sensation, and bloating.

IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome can cause diarrhea, constipation, pain in the stomach, and bloating.

Causes of digestive problems

Stress is one of the leading causes of digestive complaints, and during the pandemic, stress levels have been alarmingly high, and patients presenting with digestive problems have increased. The doctors comfort patients with the advice that, most times, digestive problems are not symptoms of a major disease but can be eased with some lifestyle changes.

Managing digestive problems

· Lower stress with meditation/yoga

· Avoid spicy/oily food

· Eat a light meal at dinner

· Instead of 3 big meals, have 5 smaller meals

· Be more active

· Avoid smoking/drinking

· Identify your triggers and avoid them

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When to see a Doctor

If your symptoms are long-lasting, chronic, or are causing other complications, see a doctor. You may need to have tests done, which may include:-

Diagnostic endoscopy – a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person's digestive tract.

Therapeutic endoscopy - an endoscopic procedure that can diagnose as well as treat the disease.

Colonoscopy - used to detect changes or abnormalities in the large intestine and rectum.

ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) - used to diagnose diseases of the gallbladder, biliary system, pancreas, and liver.

Most times, digestive problems can be managed and eased with small lifestyle changes.

Functions and Diseases of the Liver and how to keep it Healthy

Dr. V.S. Hemamala, gastroenterologist, liver specialist, and liver transplant physician at Kauvery Hospital, explains the importance of good liver health.

Liver overview

The liver is an organ that sits under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen. It regulates chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile. This helps carry away waste products from the liver. All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines pass through the liver. It is essential for digesting food and ridding your body of toxic substances. 

Common Liver Problems

Fatty Liver - caused by fatty buildup in the liver.

Liver Hepatitis - Inflammation of your liver in reaction to certain substances to which you're exposed, like alcohol, chemicals, drugs, or nutritional supplements.

Liver Cirrhosis - Scarring of the liver is caused by many liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. 

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Preventing liver disease

The liver is a regenerative organ. It can heal itself. Most of the liver problems are caused by some abuse of the liver. If avoided, the liver gets better. Here are some ways to prevent liver disease:-

· Maintain a healthy weight

· Eat a balanced diet

· Exercise regularly

· Avoid toxins

· Use alcohol responsibly

· Avoid contaminated needles

· Practice safe sex

· Follow directions on all medications

The Importance of Salt in Your Diet

For World Salt Awareness Week, February 29th to March 6th, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam helps us understand the importance of regulating salt in our diet.

The average intake of salt in a day for a person should be 10-14 gms. We ingest much more than that. Why is that not good for health? Let’s find out. 

Why do we need salt?

It helps balance our fluid levels, helps our nerves transmit impulses, and enables our muscles to contract and relax.

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What happens when you ingest too much salt?

It can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure (hypertension) is a significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Too much salt can also affect our brain, heart, kidney, and blood vessels.

What are different ways to reduce salt intake?

• Eat less junk food

• Add salt at the table

• Avoid unprocessed food

• Don’t buy ready to eat foodstuff

• Incorporate more fresh, leafy vegetables and fruits

• Avoid eating out

• Use more spices instead of salt

On World Salt Week, it is crucial to becoming aware of how much salt we take daily and find a way to reduce it. This can help prevent many health problems and complications.

Bone Health and Osteoporosis | Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Chief Ortho Surgeon

On October 28th, 2020, World Osteoporosis Day, Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj and Dr. Kathir Azhagan of Kauvery Hospital discuss the importance of raising awareness of osteoporosis.

Dr. Aravindan feels that in India, the diagnosis of osteoporosis is made very late. This is because people find out that they have osteoporosis only after returning to the hospital with a fracture. He stresses that the disease can be managed better with an earlier diagnosis. All it would take is a simple blood test and a scan. 

Understanding osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes the bones to become brittle, and due to this, the chances of a fracture increases. It is common among post-menopausal women but can affect men too.

Causes

• Vitamin D deficiency
• Calcium deficiency
• A decrease in estrogen (in post-menopausal women)

Diagnosis 

• Physical examination
• Blood test
• Dexa Scan or bone densitometry

Prevention

Keeping the bone strong and healthy is essential. This means having foods rich in calcium and Vitamin D. If there is a deficiency, supplements need to be taken to ensure that optimum levels are maintained.

It is essential to be aware of osteoporosis, get a yearly bone density test done, and maintain good bone health. Once you have osteoporosis, it is difficult to manage as it can lead to multiple fractures and related complications.

Treating Spinal Cord Injuries – Spine Care

The spine performs an integral function in our body. It supports our body and protects the network of nerves that connect the brain to the different parts of our body. A spinal cord injury could disrupt the system and have cataclysmic results in our body and our quality of life. 

Causes

• Vehicular accidents
• Violent trauma 
• Bad fall from a height 
• Sports injuries 
• Diving injuries 

Symptoms

Pain in back or neck

• Weakness
• Paralysis
• Loss of sensation
• Urinary problems
• Toilet problems
• Sexual problems

After an injury, if any of the above symptoms manifest:-

Do’s

• Call 108
• Make injured lie flat on the back
• Perform basic first aid
• Move to one side if nauseous

Dont’s

• Don’t give food or water
• Don’t let them sit up
• Do not take off the helmet

Importance of time to treatment

In any spine injury, the time to treatment is crucial. With spinal injuries, quick treatment is essential, but the early stages of recovery are equally critical. It may involve long-term hospital care and, sometimes, follow up surgery. So it is crucial to find a hospital that not only has the best doctors and medical care facilities, but where follow up care and rehabilitation facilities are equally good.

Kauvery Hospital’s Advanced Spine Centre comprises a dedicated team of stalwart neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, physiotherapists, and neuroradiologists that is complemented by a team of nurses specialized in spine care.

Treating Rare Medical Conditions – Autoimmune Encephalitis

Imagine how terrifying it would be to walk into a room and find your daughter having a seizure. This is what happened to the parents of a 14-year-old girl. Here, they share their experience and the help and support they got during this crisis.

                                     

The terrified parents rushed the child to Kauvery Hospital. They decided on Kauvery Hospital since they have one of the country's best intensive care and emergency units. They were glad they did because their daughter had another seizure as soon as they reached the hospital. True to form, the intensive care unit jumped into action, assessed the situation, and treated her.

The parents were updated on the condition of their daughter right through. She was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, a very rare disease. The family was advised on the best way to tackle this illness and lifestyle changes that had to be made to cope with it.

The thankful parents are full of praise for Dr. Bhuvaneshwari Rajendran, neurologist, and neurophysiologist, and the extended team of rheumatologists, dieticians, physiotherapists, speech therapists, intensivists, nurses, and staff at Kauvery Hospital, who not only took such good care of their daughter but continue to do so in her follow up visits.