The beginning of the digestive process starts with the smell and sight of food which activate the salivary glands. The mouth is the point at which food enters the digestive tract and continues the digestive process by chewing food. The food is then broken down into pieces and moistened by salivary glands which turn food into a bolus. The bolus goes down the pharynx into the esophagus which connects the pharynx to the stomach. The stomach is an organ that mixes food and secretes gastric juice. The bolus, once in the stomach, is mixed into a semiliquid mass called chime. The stomach is close together with the liver and pancreas but does not get assistance from these organs. The chime then enters…
But that doesn’t stop people from trying. In 2010, the American College of Physicians estimated that of the more than 133 million courses of antibiotics prescribed in the United States each year, as many as 50% are prescribed for colds and other viral infections. What’s more, many patients who are prescribed antibiotics for bacterial infections use them improperly. Taking only part of a prescribed dose, for example, can spare some harmful bacteria living in the body, and those bacteria that survive are often heartier and more resistant to the antibiotic than the ones that were killed. Such overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to an epi- demic of such antibiotic-resistance, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “one of the world’s most pressing public health problems.”…
Fecal incontinence (FI) is a medical condition that can be socially crippling and devastating. It is defined as the recurrent uncontrolled passage of stool for at least 1 month. (1) This condition will cause patients to literally stay locked in their homes and can be a major deciding factor for placing loved ones into a nursing home. (2) It true incidence of this condition varies greatly due to the negative stigmata and loss of autonomy associated it. The median prevalence of FI is 7.7% with a range of 2 – 21%. It affects both males and females equally and it increases with age. (3) Risk factors for developing FI include parous females, patients with cognitive or…
Every year millions of Americans get an infection in the stomach called Clostridium difficile (aka C-diff). There are antibiotics that can cure it but in the past they haven’t worked as well as expected. They kill off the infection but in the process it destroys good bacteria too. This can cause another infection in the future because your body isn’t powerful enough to prevent it. There are other cures to C-diff too, like fecal transplants. This is the process where stool from a healthy donor is inserted in the colon to prevent another infection. It also restores good bacteria to the body. The only downside is that this procedure is expensive and is a very uncomfortable process. To solve this problem, Dr. Thomas Louie and…
He contracted Clostridium difficile and survived the initial infection, but lost most of his intestine. his waste empties into a ileostomy bag now. He came back to the states from China with some intestinal pain, where his doctor prescribed him with CIPRO, a broad range antibiotic. Nevertheless, the drug effectively cleared out all his natural bacteria, letting the Clostridium difficile become unopposed space-decently in his gastoral intestine. His doctors realized how fast the infection was growing, so they put him in a month long coma as they tried and failed to treat it. In the end, they took out his massively swollen intestine and left him with a tiny bit. Corresponding, Mariana Bridi Costa from Brazil was living a dream, traveling the world trading her beauty for a career in modeling, while lifting her family out of poverty. Except during a tour of contests, she contracted Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multiresistant urinary tract infection. It worsened rapidly, and turned into septic shock. In desperate attempt by surgeons they amputated her hands, legs, and some stomach. She sadly died the next day after she completely stopped breathing. These deadly scenarios are prevalent all over the world now, and a quick saviour is nowhere in…
Clostridium difficile is a major problem that is a growing concern in health care treatment facilities. Clostridium difficile is a type of bacterial infection that affects the intestines. Clostridium difficile is not really an infection, it is a very obnoxious bacteria. Clostridium is a bacterium that someone gets when their immune system is weak. Each year, more than half a million people get sick from Clostridium difficile, and Clostridium difficile has become very difficult to treat, severe, and more frequent in people.…
Fecal coliform is bacteria found in human and animal waste. It can enter our rivers and streams from direct discharge from animals, storm runoff, and human sewage. Some of the sources for human sewage include septic systems from waterfront property, boats that have improper plumbing, and municipal sewer systems that overflow. Water that contains fecal coliform can be harmful to the environment by reducing dissolved oxygen levels. This may reduce the oxygen level enough to kill fish and other aquatic life. In high concentrations, fecal coliform can also cause illness in people that consume the aquatic life.…
Clostridium Difficile is an infectious disease that is healthcare related requiring immediate attention by hospital staff. If left untreated this disease can become fatal. The mortality rate for patients that are diagnosed with severe Clostridium Difficile is 30 to 85 percent of patients that h better education for staff about the symptoms and means of spreading , prescribing fewer antibiotics unnecessarily, and introducing ways to help the patient deal with the antibiotics, and berrer hand washing for all staff ("Clostridium Difficile Infection," 2010). By making sure, that all health providers clean their hands with soap and water before and after caring for a patient, we can prevent the spread of this infection ("Clostridium Difficile Infection," 2010). Treatment for Clostridium Difficile can depend on the severity of the symptoms that are presented (Keske & Letizia, 2010).…
A.“Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that may develop due to the prolonged use of antibiotics during healthcare treatments.” 1…
After some research I firmly believe colon cleansing doesn’t improve our general health and is voodoo science. I will soon give evidences of the reasons.…
A rectal prolapse happens when the inside of the final section of your large intestine (rectum) pushes out through your anal opening. This can result from weakened muscles that attach the rectum to the inside of your lower belly. Then, the lower part of your rectum turns inside out.…
Though this may not be the most popular topic to discuss, one of the latest wellness treatments available is a coffee enema. It is important to discover what this treatment offers to the body, and also what type of effects it will have.…
Children are influenced relatively easily, and these influences can sometimes lead to a desire for a future career. As a child, I spent a good two and a half weeks in hospitals with a very low hemoglobin and an unknown cause for vomiting blood. During these weeks I met surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and specifically Gastroenterologists. Every day that I was in the hospital I fell in love with the idea of becoming a surgeon.…
Clostridium difficile (C-difficile) is a common bacterium that is a frequent cause of infection in the colon and effects numerous patients. Clostridium difficile increases the hospital costs associated with inpatient care, including identification of the organism as well as treatment. The most common cause of C-difficile infection is the elimination of normal intestinal flora caused by antibiotic use. Standard treatment of C-difficile infection includes the use of oral (Flagyl) and intravenous (Vancomycin) antibiotic therapy. The use of fecal transplantation to treat C-difficile infection is increasing in popularity. Research regarding fecal transplantation dates back to 1958; however, the efficacy of fecal transplant for the treatment of C-difficile are rapidly emerging with noted benefits for patients. The mere thought of presenting fecal transplantation for the treatment of a C-difficile infection is often dismissed because of limited available evidence and the concerns about using someone else’s stool to treat the infection. The necessity to educate patients with C-difficile is an additional challenge. Potential donors and recipients need to be assured of minimal risks associated with the screening and transplantation process. The ability to educate society on the results of evidence-based practice regarding the treatment of C-difficile with fecal transplantation should minimize concerns and enhance patient outcomes. The creation of a patient education programs is increasingly beneficial when multiple health care professionals and interdisciplinary teams are involved. Thus, a project objective in implementing an educational patient program for fecal transplantation is the creation of an informative brochure for potential use in the Endoscopy Department at Sharp Memorial Hospital by December 2014. The…
Intestinal malrotation is a birth defect affecting 1 in 500 individuals. 75 to 90% of individuals diagnosed with intestinal malrotation are babies under the age of one year. Most of these cases needs medical emergency treatment. These babies experience pain resulting in a constantly crying baby that places a severe physical and emotional stress and anxiety on their carers. Some babies will die from medical complications as a result of that birth defect. The lesser percentage of intestinal malrotation cases will reach adulthood with varying degrees of clinical symptoms such as painful abdomens bloating, constipation, vomiting and other agonising gastrointestinal signs. Modern diagnostic technology and the less invasive surgery techniques are…