What Can Blood on Toilet Paper but Not on Stool Mean?
It’s one frightening experience: You wipe yourself after pooping, glance at the toilet paper and see red or pink smeared in with the poop stain.
Your heart races; your breathing stops; your eyes don’t blink as your mouth hangs open. You wonder if it’s colon cancer. (more…)
How Harmful Is Two Weeks with No Bowel Movement in Adults?
Don’t you just hate it when you’re looking forward to a delicious meal and you realize you can’t taste or smell due to your cold?
And no matter how hard you blow your nose
Can Gerd Cause a Yellow Orange Coated Tongue?
Have you opened your mouth lately to discover, to your alarm, a yellow orange color to your tongue? Could GERD be the cause?
After all, you haven’t been sucking on any lemon or orange popsicles or candy, so what can this strange symptom possibly be from? (more…)
Can GERD Block a Eustachian Tube and Cause Ear Problems?
Many things, including a brain tumor and sinus cancer, can cause ear pain.
And believe it or not, GERD can block a Eustachian tube.
What exactly is the Eustachian tube?
It’s a canal-like structure that connects one’s middle ear to the nasopharynx.
The nasopharynx is the upper throat and back of the sinus cavity.
The Eustachian tube controls pressure within your middle ear, making the pressure equal to that outside of your body.
And acid reflux can actually get up there.
“GERD can cause a blocked Eustachian tube, including symptoms of a ‘clogged ear,’ as well as possible middle ear infections,” says Dr. Edward Brettholz, MD, with with Vanguard Gastroenterology in NYC, NY.
Dr. Brettholz explains, “If stomach acid refluxes into the back of the throat, it can cause inflammation of the Eustachian tube opening and blockage of that area.
“In addition, the acid can sometimes be found in the tube itself, causing inflammation and swelling.”
If you’re experiencing ear pain, stuffiness, a blocked sensation or some other kind of discomfort, and there’s also new-onset hearing loss or worsening of hearing, and/or tinnitus (a constant hissing or buzzing noise in an ear), you should see an ear, nose and throat specialist. GERD does not affect hearing or cause tinnitus.
If ear symptoms are accompanied by nosebleeds and/or any of the following: a lump under the inner corner of an eye, thick discharge from the eye, excessive tearing in one eye or a reduced sense of smell, this strongly points away from GERD as a possible cause – and instead suggests a problem originating in a sinus cavity or the tear drainage system.
A brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma can cause a sensation of a clogged ear and possibly ear pain.
Often it causes tinnitus and hearing loss, but not always, especially if it’s very small.
The bottom line is that if you have persistent discomfort with one ear, do not ignore this.
It potentially has MANY causes, and the likelihood that it’s cancer in a sinus cavity is very exceedingly low.
Dr. Brettholz lectures extensively and is involved in cutting edge research trials. He has special interests and expertise in liver diseases, GERD, inflammatory bowel disease and hemorrhoid treatment. Dr. Brettholz lectures extensively and is involved in cutting-edge research trials.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Causes of BOTH Constant Loud Stomach Noises & Bad Cramping
The symptom pair of constant loud stomach noises with severe cramping can be caused by one of multiple different diseases, including a very serious one.
The thing about loud or noisy stomach sounds is that usually they are caused by hunger or gas from certain foods. (more…)
Air Bubbles from Pooping that Rise to the Surface and Pop
As your poops plunge into the toilet water, you notice something odd: Bubbles form and rise to the surface and then pop. Can this mean a disease?
Or is it more of a mechanical issue involving something with the texture of bowel movements falling into an enclosed space of water, creating natural bubbles?
What’s Really Going On
“Air bubbles that are in feces are gasses that are produced from the normal colonic bacteria,” says Dr. Edward Brettholz, MD, with Vanguard Gastroenterology in NYC, NY.
“Since the gasses are less dense and lighter than water, they will rise to the surface and bubbles will pop.”
And there you have it: A perfectly logical and benign explanation.
What’s more important to take note of is the color of your poops, as certain colors can indicate an assortment of problems with the colon, liver, pancreas or gallbladder.
Dr. Brettholz lectures extensively and is involved in cutting edge research trials. He has special interests and expertise in liver diseases, GERD, inflammatory bowel disease and hemorrhoid treatment. Dr. Brettholz lectures extensively and is involved in cutting-edge research trials.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/laymanzoom
Why Does GERD Cause Severe Ribcage Pain? Or DOES It?
Many people wonder if GERD causes the severe pain they get in their ribcage.
If they have not been diagnosed with GERD or acid reflux, they may hope that an acid problem is the cause of their intense ribcage pain – since acid reflux is a much more inviting diagnosis than is heart disease or cancer. (more…)
Cause of Burping After Swallowing Food and Prevention
Are you embarrassed by all the belching you do after swallowing food?
Do you hesitate to eat out because you know the burps will be coming soon after you swallow? (more…)
The GERD & Pounding Heart Connection: It’s Real, Not Imaginary
Have you noticed that when your GERD acts up, your heart also goes into pounding mode?
Or do you worry that something is actually wrong with your heart? (more…)
Why Seated Calf Raises Always Make You Feel Like Peeing
You pee every last drop RIGHT before the seated calf raises, but doggone it, just one set makes your bladder feel full.
Now of course, the action of calf raises (weighted) doesn’t increase urine production, but the resulting bladder pressure sure feels that way. (more…)
