Stay away from stone!

Every day of your life, your kidneys are hard at work, cleansing your system, removing the toxic build-up of chemicals (that are the natural by-product of digestion) and keeping you fresh. Unfortunately, sometimes due to the kinds of food we eat and the nature of our own bodies, a hardened mass can form in our kidneys from the crystals that are naturally present in urine. These pebble-like 'stones' can hinder kidney function. They can also travel to the ureter (the tube that links the kidney with the bladder) and lodge themselves there. Eliminating this can be excruciatingly painful. "Kidney stone formation can happen to anyone and usually, 5-10% of our Indian population (over 50-100 million people) are affected by this condition," says Dr MG Rajamanickam, member of the Urological Society of India, Professor of Urology (Academic head), Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital, Porur, and Consultant urologist at St Isabel's Hospital, Chennai. "Men tend to be more vulnerable than women. Women are protected by the hormone estrogen which plays a vital role in preventing stone formation." But they too are at risk after menopause and sometimes, a family history can make you prone to the condition, regardless. Lifestyle factors too are to blame. For instance, lack of sufficient fluid intake, obesity, eating deep fried foods--all this can aggravate stone formation, especially if you have a tendency for it. Here's how you can fight the condition.

Fluid intake

"Dehydration remains a major cause," explains Dr Rajamanickam. "Chronic dehydration causes a super-saturated urine output, which can put you at risk. Everyone should drink at least 8-10 glasses of water and fluids (2-2.5 litres) a day. If you've suffered from stones before or have a family history, you require a daily fluid intake of 3 litres. Fluids can include fresh fruit juices, buttermilk and tender coconut." "It's best to keep a record of what you are drinking and use a small cup or glass," says Dr Nupur Krishnan, clinical nutritionist and Director of Bio-logics Nutrition Clinics, based in Mumbai. "Most of your fluid intake should be from water. Remember, the less concentrated the urine is, the better."

Food myths and misconceptions

Kidney stones are formed from the deposits of many different kinds of chemicals, but the most common one, making up nearly 80% of all stones, is calcium oxalate. For this reason, many people tend to think that cutting down on your calcium intake can help you prevent the formation of this kind of stone. "This is very widespread misconception and is just not true," says Dr Rajamanickam. "Cutting back on calcium can actually be harmful because inadequate calcium in your system (apart from causing other deficiencies) can have the opposite effect and even hasten stone formation. For this reason, be sure to make calcium (from natural sources) an important part of your daily diet, especially if you are over 50. Buttermilk (with minimal salt) is highly recommended. You can even have curd without the cream. Avoid animal proteins (from non-vegetarian food sources), junk foods, chat items, pickles, processed and packaged items, deep fried foods and salty fare." Vegetables and fresh fruit juices are ideal, but even here there are some restrictions. "I ask my patients to avoid the chickoo fruit and grapes that have seeds (the seedless kinds are alright). In all, home-made fresh foods are the best."

Another popular dietary recommendation for those with stones (and one that you may have heard of all too often) is the juice from the plantain stem (vazhathandu in Tamil). "Too much of this juice can actually cause the formation of oxalate, so the raw juice is best avoided," says Dr Rajamanickam. You can however, enjoy the lightly sautéed form of the vegetable.

Avoiding other ‘Oxalate’ foods

Some research suggests that limiting high oxalate foods may help reduce the risk of your forming oxalate stones. "Foods that are high in oxalate include: peanuts, tea, instant coffee (more than 8 ounces a day), rhubarb, beets, beans, beets, berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries), chocolate, Concord grapes, dark leafy greens, oranges, tofu, sweet potatoes and draft beer," says Dr Nupur Krishnan.

Risks from metabolic factors

If you have parathyroid disease, this will change the way your body metabolizes calcium. With such a condition, regardless of your diet or lifestyle, you will be at risk to developing calcium oxalate kidney stones. Nearly 15 per cent of kidney stones are the result of uric acid deposits. If you're affected by gout (an arthritic condition that affects the small joints of the body) you would be more prone to such uric acid stones. Obesity and diabetes can leave one vulnerable as well. "Treating these metabolic conditions and going in for regular screening for stones by taking an ultrasound of the abdomen and the kidneys every year is important," says Dr Rajamanickam.

Help at hand

Most smaller stones pass by themselves, but today, help is at hand for chronic sufferers and invasive treatment is kept to a minimum. "Open surgery for stone removal is now redundant," says Dr Rajamanickam. "The most preferred method of stone removal is called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). In this technique, small stones (less than one cm) are broken down into fragments by high energy shock waves from a device outside the body. For larger stones, treatment options include Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, (PNL) which involves making a small perforation or hole, inserting a tube to endoscopically disperse the stone, without affecting kidney tissue. But even as technology advances, prevention remains the best medicine!

Ref. The Hindu

Food Allergies

What is a food allergy?

When you have a food allergy, your body thinks certain foods are trying to harm you. Your body fights back by setting off an allergic reaction. In most cases, the symptoms are mild—a rash, a stuffy nose, or an upset stomach. A mild reaction is no fun, but it is not dangerous. A serious reaction can be deadly. But quick treatment can stop a dangerous reaction.

Allergies tend to run in families. You are more likely to have a food allergy if other people in your family have allergies like hay fever, asthma, or eczema.

Food allergies are more common in children than adults. About 7 out of 100 kids have them. Only about 3 to 4 out of 100 adults do.1 Children often outgrow their food allergies. But if you have a food allergy as an adult, you will most likely have it for life.

What are the symptoms?

Food allergies can cause many different symptoms. They can range from mild to serious. If you eat a food you are allergic to:

• Your mouth may tingle, and your lips may swell.
• You may have cramps, an upset stomach, or diarrhea.
• You may have itchy skin with red, raised bumps called hives.
• You may have a stuffy nose, wheeze, or be short of breath.
• You may feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Kids usually have the same symptoms as adults. But sometimes a small child just cries a lot, vomits, has diarrhea, or does not grow as expected. If your child has these symptoms, see your doctor.

Some people have symptoms after eating even a tiny bit of a problem food. As a rule, the sooner the reaction begins, the worse it will be.

The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis (say “ANN-uh-fuh-LAK-suss”). It affects your whole body. Anaphylaxis usually starts within an hour after you eat the food, and the symptoms can come back 1 to 2 hours later. If you have anaphylaxis:

• Your throat and tongue may swell quickly.
• You may suddenly start wheezing or have trouble breathing.
• You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.
• You may feel faint or pass out.

What foods most often cause a food allergy?

A few foods cause most allergies. A food that causes an allergy is called a food allergen. Usually it is the protein in a food that causes the problem.

Eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, soy, and fish cause most problems in children. Most kids outgrow allergies to milk, wheat, eggs, and soy by the time they are 5. But kids rarely outgrow an allergy to peanuts or fish.

Peanuts, tree nuts (like walnuts or almonds), fish, and shellfish cause most problems in adults.

If you are allergic to one food, you may also be allergic to other foods like it. So if you are allergic to peanuts, you may also be allergic to soybeans or peas.

How is a food allergy diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask questions about your medical history and do a physical exam. Your doctor will also ask what symptoms you have. He or she may want you to write down everything you eat and any reactions you have.

If your doctor thinks you could have a serious food allergy, you may have a skin test. The doctor will put a little bit of liquid on your skin and then prick your skin. The liquid has some of the possible food allergen in it. If your skin swells up like a mosquito bite, your doctor knows you are allergic to that food. Your doctor may also do blood tests to look for the chemicals in your blood that cause an allergic reaction.