Sunday, August 17, 2008

Understanding your poop :)

Poop is a fairly disgusting topic to discuss. It seems that we have no problems talking about the color and consistency of baby poop, but when it comes to our own poop, the topic is forbidden. Poop is a byproduct of anything and everything we put into our body. It is also a barometer for our health. A lot about a person's health can be said about the type of poop he/she exhumes. The color of your poop can say a lot about you and your health condition.
There are various types of poop colors that can be harmless, or alarming.

Brown is the typical color that appears in the toilet when someone poops. The color is naturally produced by a variety of factors. First of all, there is a pigment called bilirubin(idk what's this suppose to mean) that is formed when the red blood cells in the liver and bone marrow break down. When the bilirubin ends up in the intestines, bacteria begins to form and eat. This is turns the poop brown. Another reason for the brown poop color is the iron found in the red blood cells. Brown poop is completely normal and should be no cause for concern.

Tarry black poop is reason for concern. Although an excess of iron in a diet can cause poop to appear black, the tarry quality is caused by something else entirely. Tarry black poop can mean there is a bleeding ulcer or bleeding in the intestines. If you see this type of poop in the toilet, contact a physician as soon as possible.

Yellow poop can have two causes. One is harmless while the other is serious. The harmless cause of yellow poop is something called Gilber's Syndrome. As stated earlier, brown poop gets it's color from the breakdown of red blood cells. Someone with Gilbert's Syndrome doesn't break down as many red blood cells when they process food. This is a harmless condition that is normally found in teenage males. The more serious cause for yellow poop is a Giardia infection. This is called by tiny parasites in the intestines that cause yellow diarrhea. This disease is extremely contagious and dangerous.

What colour is your poop? :D

What causes hiccups?

"Hic!" You've just hiccuped for what seems like the tenth time since you finished your big dinner.
Wonder where these funny noises are coming from?
The part to blame is your diaphragm (say: die-uh-fram). This is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here.
The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. When you inhale, it pulls down to help pull air into the lungs.

When you exhale, it pushes up to help push air out of the lungs. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated. When this happens, it pulls down in a jerky way, which makes you suck air into your throat suddenly.
When the air rushing in hits your voice box, you're left with a big hiccup.
Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited.

Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes.
Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual, and it's usually a sign of another medical problem.
You've probably heard lots of suggestions for how to get rid of hiccups, and maybe you've even tried a few.

Holding your breath and counting to 10 is one way some people can get rid of their hiccups. Other people say that drinking from the "wrong" side of a glass of water is the way to become hiccup-free.
Putting sugar under your tongue might work, too. And maybe the most famous treatment - having someone jump out and scare you when you're not expecting it.