Dr. Phil Hariram's Health Blog

Image via Wikipedia There has been numerous questions asked about the safety of mobile phone and so far no one has given conclusive proof that it is dangerous. What I do know, is that if there are dangers, it should not be used by the young simply because the skull is thinner than in adults [...]

Arthritis can affect your ability to drive. With Arthritis your joints can swell and become stiff. This could result in limitation on bending or other movements. It is, therefore, more difficult to apply brakes, turn the steering wheel, use the accelerator pedal, wear or clip seat belts or move your head to have a clear [...]

My son, in his teens, did not have acne but I noticed that when he went  off on Ice Hockey weekends, he always returned very spotty. At home his diet was controlled but when away he had lots of junk foods. I always suspected that that there is a strong relationship between diet and acne. [...]

Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis should benefit from the new range of drugs called Tumour Necrotic Factor Inhibitors (Anti-TNF). Tests on three of these new drugs slowed progression and reduced symptoms by up to 50%. Research at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, has shown that these three drugs are most effective in combination with the [...]

Image by dhyanji via Flickr Age is risk factor for acid reflux. This does not mean that as you grow old you are expected to develop GERD. Acid reflux is most common in the 60-70 age group. According to statistics complied by NHBA, more than 30% of women over 65 have regular acid reflux symptoms [...]

Omeprazole was the first proton pump inhibitor to be introduced for acid suppression. It inhibits the function of the proton pump which is the final pathway in acid secretion. It is inactive in neutral pH but acts specifically in areas of low pH such as at the parietal cells that produce acid. Other proton pump [...]

Image via Wikipedia Antacids are often the first line in acid reflux treatment when lifestyle changes have not produced satisfactory relief of symptoms. Antacids, when used as an acid reflux treatment, simply neutralise gastric acid in the stomach and by doing this, raise the pH level towards neutral. Pepsin activity stops when pH is 5 [...]

Once esophageal reflux has been clinically diagnosed you should put in place a plan of action. First you should look at lifestyle changes. This includes stopping smoking, avoiding heavy meals, weight reduction, raising the head of the bed by about 10cm, avoiding hot drinks and alcohol before going to bed, avoiding certain drugs, and not [...]

Antacids neutralise acid in the stomach. They do not prevent acid secretions or acid reflux into the esophagus. Antacids react with stomach acid, hydrochloric acid, and help to raise the pH from a low acidic level. Antacids are base compounds and the mode of action is same as I learnt at school. Acid + Base= [...]

GERD is common and increasing in the West. At least 20% of the population have symptoms weekly. A Gallup poll in USA showed that 44% reported symptoms on a monthly basis. 20% have frequent symptoms ie weekly. From a study in Sweden, from all endoscopies, 10 % had esophagitis. In Norway 8% of asymptomatic controls [...]