TrendsWide
Contact US
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • NBA
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
TrendsWide
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • NBA
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
TrendsWide
No Result
View All Result
Home Trending

Dr MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions

by souhaib
September 29, 2020
in Trending
0
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT


QUESTION: My granddaughter, who is in her mid-20s, has always suffered from constipation. She sometimes goes for up to six days without using the toilet. What can she do to keep regular?

Name and address supplied.

ANSWER: The term ‘constipation’ can refer to different things, even among doctors. 

It may mean infrequent passage of stools, or that what is passed is too hard or too small. Some would say that a stool frequency of less than three in one week amounts to constipation.

An international committee recently outlined diagnostic criteria for what is called functional constipation — that is, constipation without sinister cause. 

Constipation may mean infrequent passage of stools, or that what is passed is too hard or too small. (Stock image)

These include a history of three months or more of at least two of the following symptoms: straining, hard stools, incomplete evacuation and fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements per week. 

This is the nearest thing to a general agreement among specialists about what constitutes constipation.

The best rule is to consider, over a period of time, what is normal for that person. 

If there is a pattern of one bowel motion every three or four days, occasionally extending to once a week, that might be normal, assuming that person is well and not complaining of pain, bloating, or worrying symptoms such as passing blood, weight loss, or loss of appetite.

Encouraging more regular bowel movements should focus on dietary change rather than using laxatives or enemas.

Enhancing fibre intake and ensuring a high enough fluid intake (a glass or two of water or any non-alcoholic drink with, or after, meals, and at least six a day) is a good start.

Dr Martin Scurr (pictured) examines how to deal with constipation

Dr Martin Scurr (pictured) examines how to deal with constipation

The recommended amount of fibre is 25g to 35g daily and you can get this by increasing your consumption of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread.

You might also like

What to Buy for Toddlers: 9 Gift Guide

Last minute of the war, live | Stoltenberg will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland to discuss the entry of the Nordic countries into the Alliance | International

Stores without returns, will allow the customer to keep the item | Video

Start with a small extra amount of fibre, such as adding grains or leafy green vegetables to your diet, and gradually work up the quantity over a period of months. Changing too quickly could lead to bloating and wind.

Another tactic is to focus on the gastrocolic reflex, which controls the movement of the lower bowel after eating and encourages emptying your bowels. Bowel function is most active after eating, and ignoring that reflex over time means those triggering signals eventually fade away. 

This can be re-established within a few weeks of deliberate focus on the urge to go and answering it.

I understand your concern, but could I suggest that perhaps your anxiety is rooted in the more rigid concepts of the past, when it was believed that nothing less than daily bowel movements was normal?

If your granddaughter’s general health and diet are good, then there may be no cause for concern.

QUESTION: I have glaucoma and have been called for a routine check-up at the local eye unit. The examination involves someone being inches from my face and I am concerned. 

Should I wear protective equipment to reduce the risk of catching coronavirus, or should I simply delay the visit until the R number has reduced?

Maureen Whittle, Bolton.

Even before Covid-19, great care has always been taken to clean and sterilise equipment. (Stock image)

Even before Covid-19, great care has always been taken to clean and sterilise equipment. (Stock image)

ANSWER: Most cases of glaucoma are caused by a build up of pressure in the eye when fluid is unable to drain properly. Once it has been diagnosed you need treatment for life to prevent damage to the optic nerve and loss of sight.

It’s also vital you have frequent check-ups to ensure that the treatment — usually the regular use of eyedrops — is effective.

During the consultation there is normally a sight test, a check on the pressure in each eye, an examination of the visual fields and an inspection of the optic disc, the point where the optic nerve (which sends messages from the eye to the brain) can be seen on the retina at the back of the eye.

The check-up is conducted by a trained technician, an optometrist, or by an ophthalmologist (a doctor who diagnoses and treats eye disorders).

The pressure measurement is typically carried out by shooting a puff of air at the front of the eye while you are seated at a slit lamp, a microscope with a bright light that provides a greatly magnified view of the inside of the eye.

The specialist can then inspect the optic nerve and check for any damage. During the whole examination you are close to the doctor or technician.

Even before Covid-19, great care has always been taken to clean and sterilise equipment.

True, the examining technician will be close to you, but careful protocols have been put in place to minimise the possibility of infection for both technician and patient.

There is a risk of infection but, in this case, I believe it is minuscule.

Set against the considerable importance of ensuring that your glaucoma treatment is effective, unless you are particularly vulnerable (for example having immunosuppression for the treatment of another medical condition), I believe the benefits very much outweigh the risks in this case.

Apart from wearing a clean mask, there are no other protective measures to be taken.



Source link

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Telegram
  • Email
Tags: dailymail
Share30Tweet19
Previous Post

Patek Philippe Complications Steel 5212A-001 with Silvery Opaline dial

Next Post

Best critical illness insurance: What you need to know before taking out cover

souhaib

Recommended For You

What to Buy for Toddlers: 9 Gift Guide

by souhaib
June 27, 2022
0
What to Buy for Toddlers: 9 Gift Guide

Source: Pixabay Educational toys are a great way to amuse toddlers while enhancing their development. A toy out there will make your little one happier than any other...

Read more

Last minute of the war, live | Stoltenberg will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland to discuss the entry of the Nordic countries into the Alliance | International

by souhaib
June 27, 2022
0

What has happened in the last hours On the 124th day of the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine, these are the key data at 2:00 p.m. on...

Read more

Stores without returns, will allow the customer to keep the item | Video

by souhaib
June 27, 2022
0

Posted at 11:25 ET (15:25 GMT) Monday, June 27, 2022 playing 0:45 Posted at 06:33 ET (10:33 GMT) Monday, June 27, 2022 6:33 Posted at 22:10 ET (02:10...

Read more

in the United States, the digital giants face the danger linked to personal data

by souhaib
June 27, 2022
0

THE WORLD “Those who seek, offer or facilitate access to abortion must now assume that all data they leave on the Internet or elsewhere can be searched by...

Read more

Iran’s nuclear program .. Washington agrees to attend a new round of talks, and Tehran is likely to hold it in Doha | Politics news

by souhaib
June 27, 2022
0

The Washington Post quoted a senior US official as saying that the United States had agreed to attend the new round of talks with Iran, at a time...

Read more
Next Post

Best critical illness insurance: What you need to know before taking out cover

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • What to Buy for Toddlers: 9 Gift Guide
  • NBA: Six more months of pre-trial detention in Russia for Brittney Griner
  • Last minute of the war, live | Stoltenberg will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland to discuss the entry of the Nordic countries into the Alliance | International
  • Stores without returns, will allow the customer to keep the item | Video
  • in the United States, the digital giants face the danger linked to personal data

Browse by Category

  • Australia
  • Automotive
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Deals
  • Economie
  • Education
  • Euro
  • Forex
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • NBA
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Sports
  • Switzerland
  • Trending
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized

Categories

  • Australia
  • Automotive
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Deals
  • Economie
  • Education
  • Euro
  • Forex
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • NBA
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Sports
  • Switzerland
  • Trending
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized

Pages

  • Contact US
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

© 2021 - TrendsWide

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Contact US
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trending
  • U.S.
  • Economie
  • Deals
  • Reviews
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • NBA

© 2021 - TrendsWide