The gall bladder is a pear-shaped organ that has an important role in the digestion of fat. The liver produces bile and the gall bladder stores it, releasing it when partially digested food is absorbed inside the small intestine. Gall bladder disease mostly occurs due to formation of gallstones inside the gall bladder. Gallstones are formed from cholesterol, calcium and bile salts. When they grow in size, they block the bile ducts and obstruct the normal release of bile. Gallstones are difficult to eliminate and in large amounts they can cause inflammation, swelling and even infection of the gall bladder. In serious forms of gall bladder disease, immediate surgery is required in order to prevent the occurrence of complications.

After the gall bladder is surgically removed, the process of digestion is slowed down, as the liver has to produce more bile when food enters the stomach and small intestine. Due to this fact, gall bladder surgery is recommended mostly to people who suffer from serious forms of gall bladder disease. Gall bladder surgery is considered to be the last resort in the treatment for gall bladder disease and it is performed only when the patients don’t respond well to drugs.

Gall bladder disease can be either chronic (chronic cholecystitis) or acute (acute cholecystitis). Chronic cholecystitis mainly causes inflammation of the gall bladder, while acute cholecystitis also involves bacterial infection and it can lead to serious complications. Acute cholecystitis often requires gall bladder surgery.

Fortunately, gall bladder surgery is uncomplicated and involves very few risks. Traditional gall bladder surgery (open cholecystectomy) is performed through a wide abdominal incision. The complications that can occur in traditional gall bladder surgery are internal bleeding or infection, but they are extremely rare. Due to the wide abdominal incision, the open cholecystectomy can leave post-operatory scars.

Modern gall bladder surgery can reduce the scars by making smaller abdominal incisions. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a new generation medical procedure and it usually leaves no visible marks. This form of gall bladder surgery is performed with the aid of a laparoscope, a tube-shaped medical instrument that is introduced inside the body. The laparoscope has a camera attached to it and the progress of the entire medical procedure can be viewed on a TV screen. For this reason, laparoscopic surgery involves smaller abdominal incisions and minimizes the risk of infection. This form of gall bladder surgery allows patients to recover rapidly and most of them don’t need more than a few days of hospitalization.

Although gall bladder surgery is uncomplicated, doctors recommend it only for serious forms of disease. Patients need to respect a medical treatment and a strict diet after gall bladder surgery, until the body gets used to the absence of the organ. People who have suffered gall bladder surgery need to eat less fatty foods and take bile salts tablets in order to help digestion and absorption of fat. Gall bladder surgery is effective, but has to be considered as a last resort medical procedure.

By: Groshan Fabiola

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For anyone who is trying to eat healthier it is important that what you do eat is the best choice. Sometimes products may look healthy but are actually packed in sugar syrup or high in salt. Here are some tips to help make sure what you are eating really is healthy.
Yogurt is a good source of calcium but double check how much sugar is in each serving. Many types of yogurt are packed full of sugar so that the nutritional value is lost. Fresh fruit versus canned fruit. Fresh fruit is always the best choice. Canned fruit has be boiled, canned and processed most times canned with heavy syrup. Stick with fresh fruit for the best option. Frozen fruit would be second best. Fresh vegetables versus canned. Again go with fresh as much as possible as the canned variety has been processed and lost some nutritional value. Avoid boxed meals or frozen meals. They may seem like a quick and easy meal but are high in calories and salt. By preparing your own version at home it will be healthier and better for your family. Fruit juice. When buying fruit juice make sure it is 100% juice. Some juice is actually only 30-40% juice and the rest is sugar, corn syrup and water. Read the label before you buy.

A great general tip for buying healthy food is to avoid the middle aisle of the grocery store. This is where you will find processed foods. The outside walls of the store are where you will find the healthiest and freshest selection of food. We all want to live healthy and happy lives and making sure what we eat is the best quality, is a great start.

By: Debbie Madson

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In the last decade, medical tourism has grown exponentially as thousands travel to other countries for medical procedures. In 2008 alone, statistics show that over 200,000 United States’ citizens traveled abroad for healthcare, especially for elective surgeries and plastic surgeries.

Why are individuals doing this on such a broad scale?

As insurance rates rise and people find it harder to get the treatments they need within the U.S. healthcare program, this segment of tourism is expected to increase rapidly over the next few years.

So, why would a person want or need to go abroad for medical procedures? There are several reasons that come to mind immediately.

Many procedures are less expensive abroad. Less expensive does not imply inferior quality treatment. Costs may be tied to salaries, costs of insurance, or even government subsidies, making medical costs naturally less expensive in these countries. The quality of healthcare facilities abroad has improved a lot in recent years. Numerous countries have built state-of-the-art medical facilities specifically with medical tourism in mind. Many of their doctors have specialized training in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Going abroad may be the only way to get certain treatments. Some medical providers in other countries utilize treatments that, although medically sound, have not been approved yet for widespread use in the U.S. You can tie your health care needs to a well deserved vacation. Medical travel facilitators like Patients Without Borders, MedRetreat and Medical Nomad provide complete medical and travel packages for their clients.

What do you need to know before considering expatriate medical treatment?

What countries have a program for the medical need you have? Most countries, although they can do many procedures, specialize in specific ones for the medical tourist. Are the doctors and hospitals accredited by an international accreditation program such is offered by the Joint Commission International (JCI)? The organization has a multi-step accreditation process with well over 200 facilities outside of the U.S. having already received their accreditation. Is the doctor or hospital associated with a prestigious American hospital like Johns Hopkins Medicine International? An example of this would be Panama City, Panama’s Punta Pacifica Hospital. Does your insurance cover any of the treatments? Although most overseas procedures are not covered by U.S insurance, there are a few like Companion Global Healthcare, that work with a network of JCI-accredited hospitals in several different countries. The customers of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina, for example, participate in this program. Remember, Medicare can not be used outside of the U.S. and its territories. You need to know how long recovery will be for your procedure. You do not want to overstay your visa time limits, and you will need a place to stay during recuperation.

If you do your research carefully before you go, you will most likely find that the medical procedures abroad will be less expensive and will fulfill your medical needs as professionally as any doctor or hospital in the United States.

By: Lamar Ross

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