Understanding and Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease Washington DC

Individuals who are newly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis may be upset and confused to learn that they have a diagnosis in the category of inflammatory bowel disease Washington DC.  In order to better understand how to manage this type of diagnosis, it is helpful to know a little bit more about how different variations of ulcerative colitis might look.

Ulcerative Colitis and IBD Treatment DC

Not all diagnoses of ulcerative colitis are created equal.  Inflammatory bowel disease doctors DC have categories that help to illustrate the severity of individual cases of ulcerative colitis.

• Ulcerative colitis is considered to be mild if it includes up to four incidents of loose stools per day, some blood in the stools and mild abdominal pain.
• Moderate ulcerative colitis can include four to six loose stools per day, some blood in these stools and moderate abdominal pain.  At the moderate stage, enough blood is being lost to result in testing that is clinically positive for anemia.
• When ulcerative colitis becomes severe, it can be expected that more than six bloody stools per day will occur.  Anemia will be present, along with other symptoms like a fever and a rapid heart rate.
• Potentially, ulcerative colitis can be fatal in the very severe stage.  This is also called the fulminant stage.  Loose, bloody stools may be almost constant, with a minimum of ten occurrences per day.  The abdomen becomes tender and distended.  Anemia may have progressed to the stage where a blood transfusion is necessary.  Fatal complications can include death from excessive blood loss, a perforated colon, or a very serious infection that becomes systemic.  It goes without saying that the patient is suffering greatly and fully disabled at this point in time. These factors make the need for IBD treatment DC absolutely necessary.

Treatment for ulcerative colitis depends partly on the stage of the disease.  Earlier stages may be well controlled with over-the-counter medications and some dietary and lifestyle adjustments.  Disease in the severe and fulminant stages may require surgery to remove all or part of the large colon in order to stop the blood loss and remove infected tissue.  Lifestyle changes and compliance to treatment in the earliest stages may lessen the chances of the disease advancing to life-threatening stages.

About Weight Management Washington DC

It seems like weight management Washington DC is a topic that is on everyone's lips these days.  In spite of all the talk and attention directed toward the topic, more than one in three adults in the United States remains obese.  The rate of obesity among children is about 17%.  Being overweight or obese does not simply impact the way an individual fits into an airplane seat, or what kind of clothing choices are available to them.  There are serious health consequences tied to carrying that extra weight.  The risks for kidney disease, fatty liver disease, stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, among other frightening health problems, increase more and more with each pound gained.

Why is Weight Management DC so Difficult?

This is probably a question for the ages.  Certainly, there is no lack of awareness about the problem.  It is impossible to turn on a television or log onto the internet without seeing some type of information about either the problems caused by obesity, or some proposed solution for bariatics and weight management Washington DC.  There is also no real mystery about how people who are overweight can become thinner.  It comes down to a simple equation of consuming less calories than are burned.  Two proposals have been made purporting to explain this apparent paradox.

• People have been becoming heavier since the 1990's.  Some social scientists propose a correlation between the advent of computer technology and video games with the expansion of waistlines, especially among younger people.  Kids who might have been playing outdoors most of the day started spending more time online.
• Food has changed a lot over the past century.  "Fresh and local" food is now seen as a novelty product, and access to it is an indicator of a higher socioeconomic class.  A hundred years ago, the only food that was available was fresh and local.  If it wasn't native to the area, it was eaten very rarely, if ever.  Today, food is imported from all over the world to create the cheapest and most convenient versions of "American classics" like the hamburger or pizza.  The nutritional content of these foods is very different from those that were/are fresh and local.

Weight management Washington DC tips and tricks

How weight management Washington DC works

Getting older and gaining weight are two of the things that people often have no control over. Though birthdays come and go each year like clockwork, when people are younger, their bodies often respond very differently to the foods and beverages that are consumed than the same body does when people get older. As metabolism changes and people’s lives take them in very different directions, having time to ensure that a careful diet is followed can be difficult, as can sticking to an exercise program. When things start to get out of control, or people simply want to make some healthier changes for their own benefit, the services of bariatrics and weight management DC professionals may become necessary. These doctors, nurses and nutritionists will help people come up with viable and valuable plans that can help people make changes and get a better handle on the way that their body looks. For more information about the ways that these professionals can help, visit http://www.medstarwashington.org/our-services/bariatrics-and-weight-management/why-choose-us/.

Weight management Washington DC options

1. Decrease portion sizes. This might seem like common sense, but a lot of people eat more than they think that they do each day. Taking the time to measure out portions, or choose not to have that second helping can make a big difference.

2. Choose foods that are good for you, not just the ones that taste good. Yes, we’re all entitled to our bad days when all we want to do is indulge in fried foods, sweets and that coffee with double cream and double sugar… but when these things become habits, weight can quickly increase, leading to decreasing health levels. Fresh fruits and veggies are good options, and so are lean meats like fish and poultry. The better food choices are, the healthier people will feel.

3. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Even for people that are severely overweight, simple exercises like stretches and walking short distances can help a lot. This will get the blood circulating, can improve strength, and can help to burn some excess calories. Making this a habit will also build people up to be able to go further, stand or move for longer, and add more weights as time passes.

4. Drinking water is an important part of weight management Washington DC, because keeping hydrated is essential to good health. Not only will the body’s muscles appreciate the added water intake, but keeping the stomach full of this liquid can help to keep people from making bad choices when it comes to drinking other things like soft drinks, sugary juices and specialty coffee drinks.

5. Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day can help people manage their weight. This may sound counterproductive, but it will keep the digestive system working, give people an opportunity to snack without overdoing it, and ensure that people do not overeat with each meal. For many, this is an effective form of weight management Washington DC that only involves a little bit of change when it comes to daily habits.