Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Kidney disease (or nephropathy) can refer to a number of conditions affecting the kidney. Acute kidney disease is usually caused by an infective agent and is generally of relatively short duration. It often needs antibiotics if caused by infection. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as loss of 1/3 of kidney…

Viral Hepatitis – Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver with viral, toxic, pharmacologic, and immune-mediated causes. Viral infection is the most common cause of hepatitis.  Hepatitis B affects around 1% of the population while it is estimated that more than 250,000 people are suffering from Hepatitis C. Recent pharmaceutical medications…

Chronic otitis media also known as glue ear occurs when fluid accumulates in the middle ear as a result of poor drainage of the Eustachian tubes. It often occurs in children after recurrent bouts of acute ear infections where the mucous membrane continues to produce fluid. Over time the fluid may become thick and glue-like,…

Glandular fever, also known as infectious mononucleosis is an acute infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and characterised by fever, pharyngitis, swollen glands, often spleen enlargement, and severe fatigue that can continue for months. It mostly occurs in adolescence and young adulthood. Glandular fever can be a debilitating illness for many teenagers, often contracting…

Gastritis refers to acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa.  It is a condition caused by a variety of conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.  Food allergies, gut pathogens, bacterial overgrowth and poor digestion are all commons causes.  Once gastritis is present, we find most patients become sensitive to many foods with bloating, fatigue, skin…

Flatulence is the accumulation of gas in the digestive tract. The intestine produces about 500-2000 mL of gas per day, mostly as a result of swallowed air and bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates in the GIT. The passing of gas via the rectum is normal in humans and the amount can vary from individual to individual.…

GERD Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Indigestion and reflux is caused by impaired digestion. It is a common problem and is frequently associated with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and more commonly known as heartburn. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease is a disorder resulting from repeated reflux of acid and gastric contents into the esophagus, mainly caused by lower…

Diverticulosis is the condition of having diverticulae in the colon, which are out-pouching’s of the colonic mucosa and submucosa due to weakness of muscle layers in the colon wall. Basically, raised pockets of your bowel wall that are weak and inflamed. These are more common in the sigmoid colon, which is a common place for…

Causes, Symptoms & Treatments for Diarrhea Diarrhea is characterised by unformed, watery stools and increased bowel movement frequency. Diarrhea may be acute or chronic. Acute diarrhea is often due to infectious agents and is accompanied by fever, chills and malaise. Gastroenteritis is caused by infectious agents (bacteria, virus, parasite, protozoa etc.) from contaminated food, water…

Detoxification is a process that is vitally important to our overall health and wellbeing. We are bombarded by a multitude of toxins in our everyday life through our environment, the foods we consume, the products we put on our skin and the water we drink.