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September 2019

The liver is a very crucial organ of our digestive system. It carries out some essential functions like blood purification, protein-synthesis, production of bile, albumin & bilirubin, metabolization, vitamins & minerals storage, prevents clotting of blood. Hence, maintaining liver health should be practiced to have a good digestive system or else it might lead to many liver ailments and would eventually require liver surgery to treat them. To maintain a healthy liver, adapt the tips mentioned below:

Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol can destroy the liver, so aim to stop it as soon as possible.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is extremely harmful to your lungs and liver. Stop smoking altogether.

Eat A Well-Balanced Diet

Your diet should contain lots of fruits, plenty of vegetables, whole grains, lean meats like fish, healthy oils and nuts. Make sure to get more fiber and less saturated fats in your food.

Liver-Friendly Foods

Detox your body with warm water mixed with freshly squeezed lemon. Have spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, grapefruits, blueberries and cranberries, pears, fatty fishes like salmon, tuna and mackerel etc. Also include garlic, olive oil, papayas, melons, avocados, oatmeal, tea, green tea, and coffee in your diet chart.

Stay Away From High-Calorie Rich Food

Eat less fatty foods to avoid fatty liver disease. These include fast foods like pizza, burgers, pasta, takeouts from restaurants, deep-fried food, oily snacks. Also avoid eating packaged and processed food like packaged chips and nuts, ready-to-eat meals.

Ensure Both Mental And Physical Health

Exercise regularly to maintain healthy body weight and to reduce liver fat. Live a stress-free life, have healthy food and an adequate amount of rest.

Take Vaccination

Immunize yourself from viral infections like Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B that can damage the liver.

Don’t Go For OTC Drugs

Always take medicines as per the prescription. Never ever experiment with your health by taking over-the-counter medicines suggested by a friend/family or from the internet. Don’t take medicines without the doctor’s approval.

Get Regular Health-Care Check-Ups

Do get basic annual health check-ups to scan for health issues. Get tested for liver ailments in case you had liver infection in the recent past.

Liver diseases like cirrhosis, liver cysts, liver cancer, and liver failure require immediate medical supervision where the doctor may opt for liver surgery. As one of the best hospital in Varanasi, we offer surgery and other forms of treatment for liver illness.

Gallbladder Stone Surgery

Gallstones are not something any living person on earth can ever desire. These symptom-less small stones occur in the gall bladder of a person due to excessive cholesterol and bilirubin deposition. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose it because during the initial stage often it does not show adequate symptoms that prompt people to go seek a doctor. Usually, people rush to the hospital only when they encounter severe and intolerable pain in the right side of their abdomen.

Once a person is diagnosed with gallstones, the best option to get rid of these stones is by undergoing a gallbladder stone surgery. While it is understandable that not everyone prefers surgery, hence medications are available for the same to terminate gallstones. In a gallbladder stone surgery, the surgeon removes the patient’s gallbladder altogether as it is a known fact that gallstones have a probability of recurring again. Thus, the gallstones can be treated permanently only with a surgery.

However, until the gallstone operation is carried out, following a proper diet is very crucial. The food items that a person with this condition should strictly avoid at all costs include:

  • Highly processed and fried foods: Foods like cookies, French fries and anything that is deep-fried and comes inside a tinned can must be avoided. It also includes products that are commercially baked (cookies, biscuits, cakes, etc).
  • High-fat meats: It is no-brainer that meats with high-fat content such as red meat etc need to be avoided as it strains the digestive system of the patient suffering from gallstones.
  • High-fat dairy products: Milk products such as milk, butter, cheese and anything that contains milk are prohibited for the person having gallstones.
  • Refined white foods: Foods like white sugar, white bread, white pasta, refined white flour, white rice, etc also comes under the category of “forbidden food” for a gallstones patient.
  • Alcoholic beverages and tobacco: Consumption of alcohol and tobacco causes irreparable damage to one’s liver, so it should be ensured that the patient who has gallstones avoid it at any cost.
  • Spicy foods:We all crave spicy foods once in a while, but it is really harmful for people having gallstones. So, stop adding chillies and spices to your meals. Specifically, avoid it post your gallstone operation.

So, try to avoid the aforementioned food items, if you are dealing with gallstones. . Also, you must include fresh citrus fruits and green vegetables, whole grains, healthy nuts, tofu, lentils, low-fat dairy, healthy fats, fiber like beans, poultry and lean protein like sardines and shellfish, olive oil etc in your diet. The mentioned diet is also suitable for patients after their gallbladder stone surgery. Varanasi Hospital offers gallbladder stone surgery. For more information, get in touch with us.

Laparoscopic Surgery

Whenever we hear the word “surgery”, we get frightened. Anyone would be, because who wants themselves to be cut open and have an everlasting ugly scar in their bodies. Thankfully, we have laparoscopic surgery as an alternative for traditional open surgery. But some people still wonder if it is a safe and beneficial option. So, today, we will explain the same in details.

In laparoscopic surgery or “keyhole surgery”, the laparoscopic surgeon make small incisions on a patient’s abdomen to insert an instrument called “laparoscopy” to diagnose and operate the damaged organ. The “laparoscope” is a tiny device with an attached camera and light at one end which send images of the patient’s abdomen to the high-quality video monitors placed inside the surgery room for the doctors to make them operate the patient with more accurate images.

It is called “minimally invasive surgery” because it only requires few cuts in the body unlike open surgeries, where the surgeon makes near about twelve-inch long incision for treating the same organ. Keyhole surgery is very convenient and safe as it causes less scars and very little blood loss as the cuts are very few and small. Even the risk of infections is low compared to open surgery. Hence, the patient recovers very quickly and has to stay only for a few days in the hospital. The scars heal quickly and the patient can return to his or her normal life hopefully in a matter of weeks.

Laparoscopy is used to diagnose and treat numerous health conditions related to gastroenterology (concerned with digestive system), gynaecology (female reproductive system), urology (deals with the urinary system). Laparoscopic procedures is used to treat appendicitis, gallstones, hernia, stomach ulcers, ovarian cysts, tumors and infections, endometriosis, infertility and removing fibroids.

During the surgery, the patient is kept under general anesthesia. The laparoscopic surgeon then fills the patient’s abdomen with carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to get more vivid images of the inside of the patient’s body and to create some working space for the procedure. Few incisions are made through which the doctor inserts the laparoscope and views the pictures on a computer screen and carries out the operation. After the surgery, the surgeon releases the carbon dioxide from the patient’s stomach and stitch the incisions and bandages them. It is normal for the patient to feel drowsy post-surgery, but it gets better in no time.

Some precautions are to be followed post-surgery to ensure much faster recovery. These include, avoid smoking, keeping the stitches covered from the sun, avoiding overexertion due to heavy lifting etc. Also the patients must eat plenty of healthy foods and fluids and take rest as much as possible. Following up with the doctor for further recovery is important too.

Thus, laparoscopic surgery is safer than outdated open surgeries as the former causes less pain and fewer scars and contains almost no risks. Keyhole-surgery is a cost-efficient option as well, as it requires shorter hospital stays and also promises fewer complications with a speedy recovery. Varanasi Hospital offers laparoscopic surgery for a wide range of illnesses.

hernia surgery

A hernia is a very common medical condition that thankfully can also be treated very effectively with hernia surgery. Here, we have answered the common questions asked by people in the simplest way.

What is Hernia?

A hernia is the abnormal swelling generally found in the abdomen or groin area. It occurs when fatty tissues compress and make their way through a weak spot or opening in a muscle wall.

What are the symptoms of Hernia?

Mostly hernia is just a bump that initially causes no discomfort or pain to the patient. The first and foremost symptom to look for is a bulge in the problem area. Look for other symptoms like pain in the affected area while coughing and lifting something, having heavy stomach, burning sensation around the bulge. Severe symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and heartburn.

What are the causes of hernia?

The common causes of hernia are as following:
• Poor nutrition
• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking, as it weakens muscles
• Chronic constipation
• Chronic cough and sneezing
• Lifting heavyweights
• Enlarged prostate
• Genetics

What are the different types of Hernia?

There are different types of hernia. Some of them are as follows:
1. Inguinal hernia: Occurs in the groin.
2. Umbilical hernia- Soft painless swelling near the (mostly baby’s) navel.
3. Hiatal hernia: The upper part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm. It mostly happens in old and overweight people.
4. Incisional hernia: Happens when a past abdominal surgery’s wound does not heal properly.

How hernia is treated?

The only permanent treatment available for hernia is surgery. The two preferred methods for operating hernia include open hernia surgery and laparoscopic hernia operation. The surgical method depends upon the individual’s case.

Which surgical method would be the best for treating hernia?

An open hernia surgery causes a permanent scar in the affected area and it takes longer to heal the surgical wound. It is sometimes suggested for people having a hernia either very large in size or if it has been left untreated for long.

Laparoscopic hernia surgery which is also known as keyhole hernia surgery or a microscopic hernia operation causes less complications and pain than an open procedure. This surgical method gives no scar, reduces the chance of getting infections, requires less hospital stay and speedy recovery. Laparoscopic surgery offers numerous benefits like shorter hospital stay and faster recovery and so on. Thus, it is preferred by most patients seeking hernia surgery.

How can hernia be prevented?

A hernia can be prevented by adopting a few required changes in our lifestyle. The tips for preventing hernia are as follows:

– Don’t carry heavyweights, or do it with caution.
– Quit smoking.
– Maintain healthy body weight.
– Do the right exercise.
– Avoid constipation.
– Maintain good body posture.
– Eat fiber-rich foods.
– Stop overexertion.

We hope all your queries about hernia are answered. Do not try to treat hernia on your own. A hernia does not go away on its own, it can only be treated surgically by medical practitioners. For more information, get in touch with us at Varanasi Hospitals.

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