Latest news with #PeptoBismol
Health Line
9 hours ago
- Health
- Health Line
Should You Be Concerned about White Stool After Diarrhea?
While white stools can result from certain over-the-counter medications, they can also be a symptom of a more serious condition. The color of your stool can tell a lot about your health, so any time you see a different color in the toilet bowl, it's natural to wonder why. If you've recently had a bout of diarrhea, you may have pale or white-colored stool. These light-colored stools can be the result of various factors, so it's important to note your symptoms and get a diagnosis from a doctor. Keep reading to learn about the more serious causes of white stool, including symptoms and treatments. Antidiarrheal drugs If you've been taking large doses of certain antidiarrheal drugs, such as bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate), this could result in very light stools. Your stool color should return to brown after you stop taking the medication, so you don't have to do anything. However, if you continue to have white poop after a few days, you may need to consult a doctor. Blocked bile duct A lack of bile can often cause white stool or stool with a claylike consistency, which can indicate a more serious problem. What is bile? Bile is a digestive fluid. Your liver produces it, and it's stored in your gallbladder. During the digestive process, bile is excreted into your small intestine to break down fats into fatty acids. Among other important functions, bile helps eliminate cholesterol and waste products, such as bilirubin. Bile also gives your stool its typical brownish color. A lack of bile in your stool is often the result of a blockage in the bile duct, which is a tube that delivers the bile to the small intestine. A number of conditions can cause a blockage, including: Symptoms of bile duct obstruction Along with white stools, you may also experience symptoms such as: jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes, or both) abdominal pain (upper right side) nausea vomiting fever dark urine Treatment for a blocked bile duct Your doctor will recommend treatment based on the underlying cause. For example, for gallstones, your doctor might suggest a cholecystectomy, which involves surgery to remove the gallbladder. For liver flukes, your doctor may prescribe albendazole or praziquantel. Liver disease White stool can sometimes be a symptom of liver disease. There are many causes for liver disease, including: infection, such as: hepatitis A hepatitis B hepatitis C cancer (and other growths), such as: liver cancer bile duct cancer liver adenoma genetic conditions, such as: alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (a condition where the body doesn't produce enough of the AAD protein) hemochromatosis hyperoxaluria and oxalosis (when oxalate build ups in urine, blood vessels, bones and organs) Wilson's disease immune system abnormality, such as: autoimmune hepatitis primary biliary cirrhosis primary sclerosing cholangitis (a rare liver disease that affects the bile ducts) other conditions, such as: chronic, heavy alcohol use nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Symptoms of liver disease Along with white stools, you may also experience symptoms such as: jaundice abdominal swelling and pain chronic fatigue nausea vomiting swelling in the ankles and legs dark urine bruising skin itchiness loss of appetite Treatment for liver disease Your doctor will recommend treatment based on the specific diagnosis. While some liver problems require medication or surgery, many can be addressed with lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a moderate weight or stopping alcohol use. In all cases, treatment for liver disease should include careful monitoring of your liver function. Liver disease that leads to liver failure may ultimately require a liver transplant.
Axios
5 days ago
- Climate
- Axios
Chill recipes for these hot, hot Midwest days
🥵 As near record-high temperatures continue to broil the Midwest, many are turning to pools, lakes and cooling centers for relief. But don't sleep on using food to beat the heat. Why it matters: Chilled soups, salads and other cold delicacies offer a way to turn down your body temperature without heating your kitchen. Dig in: Axios reporters have compiled some of our favorite hot weather recipes featuring a variety of cooling foods. Monica Eng in Chicago travels to Spain in her mind by whizzing a peeled and seeded cucumber with two cloves of garlic, half an onion, a sweet pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and jug of tomato juice in a blender for cold gazpacho. 🍉 Monica also turns to her mint garden to make an ultra-easy watermelon salad topped with olive oil, mint, and crumbled feta. And she blends watermelon chunks, mint, lime juice and ice for a healthy slurpy. Up in the Twin Cities, Geoff Ziezulewicz avoids his dad's cold beet borscht, known as chlodnik, but Monica loves making this Polish-Lithuanian blend of beets, yogurt, dill, cucumbers and more. Looks like Pepto Bismol but tastes like a dream. Delano Massey, our Midwest managing editor, swears by the cooling power of a mint julep, essentially a "cold front in a glass." In Cleveland, Troy Smith's kids are all about the old school freeze pops. Yes, the same ones we all had as kids. However, they only eat the good colors — red, purple, blue — leaving Troy with a fridge full of green and orange no one wants. 🍋 Troy's Cleveland compatriot, Sam Allard, opts for the original Lemon Chill — not only a tart and refreshing summer treat but historically one of the best bargains at Progressive Field. 🧊 Arika Herron in Indianapolis switches to cold brew when temps climb above 90 (and swears by these Trader Joe's coffee bags to make it at home). Consider adding a hint of cinnamon or cardamom to boost the cooling effect. Out in Pittsburgh, Chrissy Suttles cools down with vegan ceviche made with hearts of palm instead of fish. 🍌 Alissa Widman Neese in Columbus offers a popsicle alternative: She used to freeze half a banana on a popsicle stick when working at an ice cream shop in her hometown. (Those were dipped in a chocolate shell, but they're good on their own!) It's a perfect use for those just-a-little-too-ripe bananas when you can't turn on the oven to make banana bread. 🥒 Justin Mack is a sucker for pickle-flavored everything when the hottest months of the year roll around in Indianapolis.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Gastroenterologist shares 3 effective remedies to relieve farting
Experiencing embarrassing gas? Gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph Salhab suggests remedies like simethicone to break up gas bubbles and peppermint tea for abdominal relief. Pepto Bismol can also reduce odor. The article further advises eating slowly, limiting gas-producing foods, avoiding gum and carbonated drinks, and quitting smoking to manage excessive flatulence. Farting is a natural byproduct of a healthy digestive system, but in some occasions it can be embarrassing. Dr Joseph Salhab, a gastroenterologist has recently shared some effective remedies to relieve farting. He was reacting to a woman's video on 'the most diabolical behaviour on the plane'. The woman complained about a fellow passenger 'farting' in the plane, and the passenger getting restless. 'Try this remedy if you or someone around you has bad gas,' the doctor shared. Simethicone Dr. Salhab's top recommendation is simethicone. This is an over-the-counter medication to relieve gas. 'It breaks up the gas bubbles in your gastrointestinal tract,' the gastroenterologist explained in his Instagram video. This medication works by reducing the surface tension of gas bubbles, allowing them to combine and pass more easily. It can be used as a quick relief, especially in situations like air travel, where bloating and gas can worsen due to cabin pressure changes. Peppermint One home remedy for gas is sipping peppermint tea. 'It will help with abdominal pain and spasms,' the doctor said. Peppermint tea can help relieve bloating and gas. It contains menthol, which has antispasmodic properties that relax the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, it will reduce cramping and ease the passage of gas . Peppermint tea also provides in calming effect on both the stomach and the discomfort associated with excessive flatulence. King Charles' Cancer CONFIRMED As 'Incurable'? Royal Health Secret Finally Revealed | Shocking Update Pepto bismol The third remedy on Dr. Salhab's list is Pepto Bismol. 'You can take something like Pepto Bismol. It binds to the sulfur within your gastrointestinal tract, and makes it less smelly,' he said. The active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, reacts with sulfur compounds in the gut, and thereby decreases the foul smell of gas. This medication is available in liquid, tablet, or chewable forms. How to reduce farting naturally Farting is absolutely harmless. A healthy individual farts around 14 times a day. Though it may sound like a lot, most farts are odorless and relatively undetectable. What you eat also plays a crucial role in farting . Here are five tips to control excessive farting. Eat slowly Limit gas-producing foods such as certain carbohydrates, complex sugars, and insoluble fibres Avoid chewing gum Avoid soda, beer, and other carbonated drinks Quit smoking If excessive farting persists, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying medical conditions. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
The Star
09-06-2025
- The Star
Petal power in the High Atlas
Winners of the Miss Rose beauty pageant joining a parade during the annual Rose Festival in Kalaat M'Gouna. The small town in the High Atlas mountains comes to life each year during the International Rose Festival, now in its 60th year. — AP GLOVED and armed with shears, women weave through thorny brambles, clipping and tossing their harvest into wheelbarrows. 'Thank God for the rain,' said rose picker Fatima El Alami. 'There are roses elsewhere, but there's nowhere like here.' She's right. Mild temperatures, steady sunlight and low humidity make the fields around Kalaat M'Gouna in Morocco a perfect cradle for growing its signature flower: the Damask rose. Abundant precipitation and several desert downpours this year have bestowed Morocco with an exceptional yield of the flower, used for rosewater and rose oil. Pink and pungent, the roses are set to come in at 4,800 tonnes this year, a bloom far beyond the 2020-2023 average, according to the Regional Office for Agricultural Development, in nearby Ouarzazate. The small town in the High Atlas mountains comes to life each year during the International Rose Festival, which is now in its 60th year. From the rose-shaped monuments at Kalaat M'Gouna's entrances to the Pepto Bismol pink taxis, nearly everything here adheres to the theme. Teenagers sell heart-shaped rose dashboard ornaments along the roadside where wild briars bloom into pink tangles. Children whirl around a rose-themed carousel. Roadside placards advertise rose products in at least six languages: English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese and Amazigh, a tongue indigenous to the region. Outside the town, roses span 1,020ha across the region this year. One hectare of roses requires little water and provides more than 120 days of work in a local economy where opportunities are scarce. Regional officials say the rose industry is a prime example of sustainable development because the flowers are well-adapted to the climate and rooted in the culture – music, dance and celebrations like weddings. 'Roses here are perfectly adapted to the region and to the conditions we're living in now,' said Abdelaziz Ait Mbirik, director of the local Agricultural Development Office, referencing Morocco's prolonged drought conditions. The value of a kilogramme of roses is five to six times higher than it was several years ago. And unlike some other agricultural products that Morocco exports, Kalaat M'Gouna's roses are largely grown by small-scale farmers and nourished with drip irrigation. Though roses are broadly considered a lifeblood to the local economy, women toiling in the fields make an average of 80 to 100 Moroccan dirhams (RM37 to RM46) a day during harvest season. From the fields where they labour, the roses are bundled into potato sacks and sold to local distilleries like Mohammed Ait Hamed's. There, they are splayed onto tables, sorted and ultimately poured into copper cauldrons known as alembic stills, where they're steamed and filtered into fragrant water and precious oil. The two are packaged into pink bottles, tiny glass vials or spun into soaps or lotions. Long seen as a natural remedy for a variety of ails in Morocco, rose-based products are increasingly high in demand worldwide. Rosewater and oil are often incorporated into perfumes, toners or facial mists and marketed for their sweet and soothing smell as well as their anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Elixirs, tonics and balms were flying off the shelves recently at festival booths staffed by local cooperatives from all over the region. The demand has spurred local officials to find ways to incentivise farmers to expand rose production in the upcoming years. At the festival parade, as drummers tapped their sticks in cadence, Fatima Zahra Bermaki, crowned this year's Miss Rose, waved from a float draped in petals. Fatima said she hoped the world could one day know the beauty of Kalaat M'Gouna and its desert roses. But amid the commotion, she remembered something: 'The ladies who pick the flowers are the important ones in all of this. If they weren't here, none of this would be,' she said. — AP
CBS News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pepto Bismol didn't prevent travelers' diarrhea compared to placebo, small CDC study found
How gut health can impact more than just the stomach Bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto Bismol, is often used to treat and prevent diarrhea while traveling — but a new study found it may not help with prevention. In the study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "no significant difference" was found for symptoms of loose stool or diarrhea between groups who took the medication for prevention and those who took a placebo. Since 1939, bismuth subsalicylate has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, nausea and upset stomach. But, as the authors note, it's also used off-label for the prevention of diarrhea, especially among international travelers. The study issued questionnaires before, during and after travel to the 270 participants, who had a median age of 32 and planned to travel to Southeast Asia, south central Asia, North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa for 7 to 21 days. Participants were recruited from clinical sites in New York in Massachusetts. The group given the medication took 4 tablets twice daily during their trip. The study did have limitations, including not reaching the target sample size. But it did provide the first new data since the 1980s on the potential use of bismuth subsalicylate in diarrhea prevention, according to the study's authors. "Despite this study not reaching the targeted sample size, there are nonetheless important considerations for healthcare providers conducting pretravel consultations for international travelers," the authors wrote. The authors also noted further studies are needed to determine if there is a benefit in certain traveler groups or under certain circumstances. "A larger study might show benefit, although the benefit may be small given the results of this study," they wrote. Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Pepto Bismol, provided the medication for the study but did not participate in any procedures, the authors noted.
