Normal healthy individuals can consume 700-800 milligrams of phosphorus everyday however for those with kidney problems; the limit should not exceed 400 milligrams per day. It is important to monitor your kidney functions yearly especially when are over 45 years of age. Those with kidney disease should get these tests done more frequently. This will help in giving a clear picture of kidney’s health status. People with chronic kidney disease should also get their “Serum Phosphorus” level measured after every few months.

Here’s a list of food items that are rich in phosphorus and should be avoided by patients with kidney diseases:
-Dairy Products: Milk is rich in phosphorus and hence patients with kidney diseases should use unfortified milk instead. As another alternative to milk, you can also use low fat cottage cheese. Other than milk, dairy products like ice cream, curd etc. should be avoided too.
-Meat: Lean and Red meat is protein rich also rich in phosphorus.
-Wholegrain & Nuts: Cereal, pasta, rice, wholegrain bread contain lot of phosphorus. Kidney patients should instead eat refined grains like white bread etc. Also cut down on biscuits, waffles & muffins. Nuts like cashews, almonds should be avoided.
-Colas and aerated drinks: Have ice tea and fresh lime instead of soda, beer and coke.
-Beans & Peas: Lentils, peas and beans (black, kidney etc.) should not be consumed by patients with chronic kidney disease.

People with kidney problems should always take care of the phosphorus level in their food. So before you start the medication for your kidney make sure you are following a low-phosphorus diet.

What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms are:
1) Difficulty in swallowing (Dysphagia)/ Painful swallowing
2) Heartburn, which is characterized by pain in chest while eating
3) Nausea and Vomiting (often after food)
4) Mouth ulcers

What causes Oesophagitis?
1) Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is the most common cause
2) Drugs - like ibuprofen and aspirin, antibiotics, and other anti-inflammatory medicines
3) Smoking and Alcohol
4) Infection - fungal infection (Candida) or viral infection (Cytomegalovirus and Herpes)
5) Food allergies
6) Radiation

Diagnosis and Complications
The condition can lead to some serious complications if not treated on time. The condition is usually diagnosed by doing a endoscopy. Barium X-ray and Biopsy are also used in case endoscopy fails. If untreated, the inflammation can lead to:
1) Constricted Oesophagus, leading to oesophageal stricture
2) Development of abnormal tissue along the lining of Oesophagus, known as oesophageal rings
3) Barrett’s Oesophagus, is a rare condition which occurs due to chronic exposure to acid. The condition is characterized by changes in cells of the lower part of the oesophagus

How is it treated?
The condition is usually treated by suppressing the acid reflux. In some cases the underlying cause of Oesophagitis may need to be treated like Obesity.
1) Medicines: that inhibit acid production like proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, antacids, pain killers, antibiotics (where the cause is infection).
2) Elevating the upper body while sleeping: by elevating the bed angle, this decreases the acid reflux during night when the person is sleeping
3) Dietary changes: small meals preferred, spicy and fatty food should be avoided
4) Surgery: is not very common and is usually done when medical treatment fails

What are the common symptoms?
1) Appearance of painful white or red rash and blisters on chest or back
2) Itching and burning around the rashes
3) Fever, malaise and general weakness
4) The virus effects the sensory nerves, sometimes causing severe pain
5) Complications can result in facial paralysis, neurological disorders and even blindness

Who can get it?
It is a common viral infection, which usually affects people in their 40s and 50s. Pregnant females and new born babies are also at risk. People with low immunity are prone to getting Shingles like:
1) Those who have had chickenpox in the past
2) Cancer patients
3) Tuberculosis and Diabetes patients
4) Chronic kidney disease
5) People taking steroids or any other immune-suppressants

How can we treat it?
1) Like any other viral infection, the infection starts subsiding in few weeks on its own. Antiviral drugs (mainly acyclovir to be taken within three days in infection outbreak ), ointments and painkillers are usually given for symptomatic relief. However it might take sometime before the pain completely subsides.
2) Vaccine against chickenpox (during childhood) and Shingles (during adulthood) can prevent the infection, however the high cost of these vaccines is a cause of concern.

Keeping your immunity level high can protect you against this infection. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly can prevent you against Shingles.

Watch this video to learn more about Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

What causes mouth ulcer?
Almost 70-80% of all mouth cancers are linked to tobacco consumption and smoking. Other than tobacco, alcohol also increases the risk of oral cancer. The other risk factors are:

- Leukoplakia, which are white patches that occur in mouth, lips and surrounding area. They are commonly associated with tobacco consumption.
- The Human Papilloma virus (HPV) has been associated with mouth cancer
- Constant irritation due to ill-fitting dentures, fillings or rough teeth
- Exposure to sun can be a risk factor for lip cancer

Oral cancer commonly presents as Leukoplakia or Erythroplakia (bright red colored patches). It may also present as:

- An ulcer which doesn’t heal
- Problems in chewing
- Painful swallowing of food
- Bleeding in mouth
- Difficulty in speaking
- Swelling in the neck
- Weight loss

Of course it may present in various other forms as well. The various treatment options for oral cancer includes: radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. The prognosis is better when the cancer is detected at an early stage. So your doctor or dentist should examine your mouth thoroughly during routine checkups to pick up any sings of oral cancer. You can also request them to examine your mouth tissues during one of the checkups.

Though mouth ulcers usually heal within a period of 10 days, they cause a lot of trouble. So here are some home tips/remedies that can help in relieving the pain:

-The first thing would be to stop eating oily and spicy food. The pain will only intensify when you consume such food items. Also, avoid drinking coffee and tea. Your diet should consist mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Include more of buttermilk, yoghurt in your daily diet. Increasing the intake of dairy products will ease out the pain.
- Increase the amount on Vitamin C in your diet. You can either drink orange juices or eat vitamin C rich fruits or simply take Vitamin C tablets.
- Chewing basil leaves everyday can help.
- Drink herbal/green tea after meals.
- Boil some coriander seeds and then use that cup of water for gargling.
- Don’t eat chocolates or drink fizzy drinks until your ulcers have healed completely.
- Avoid eating non-vegetarian food like fish and meat till the time you have these mouth ulcers. The reason behind this is that such food is acidic in nature and will increase the pain.
- Raw onions and raw tomatoes are said to be beneficial for mouth ulcers.
- Gargle your mouth with cold and hot water alternatively.
- A paste made up of turmeric and one teaspoon of glycerin can have a healing effect on the ulcers. Apply the paste on the ulcers and leave for about 15 minutes.
- If you experience severe pain after consuming food, eat a banana with yoghurt. This will ease out the pain.

These home remedies are handy and easy to follow. So try these to ease out the pain while you wait for the mouth ulcers to heal.

Migraine attacks are usually recurrent in nature and can be triggered by a number of factors. One such factor is the food that you consume. So if you are suffering from migraine, here is the list of food items that you should avoid:

1. Ice creams and other cold stuff: Migraine attacks are often triggered by eating ice creams or other such similar items. Your migraine headache is likely to get worse if your body temperature is already on the higher side, either due to hot climate or post exercise.
2. Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol increases the flow of blood to brain. This is supposed to trigger migraine attack. So avoid drinking red wine, champagne, beer or whisky if you are suffering from this disease.
3. Tyramine containing food: All food items which contain tyramine like aged cheese, alcoholic beverages, red wine, processed meat etc. should be avoided. Tyramine is bi-product of protein breakdown and has been found to trigger migraine.
4. Peanuts: Few nuts have been found to be associated with migraine attacks. One such nut is the brazil nut. So avoid having brazil nuts and peanuts if you have migraine. Other than nuts, some seeds also trigger migraine attack like sesame and pumpkin seeds.
5. Food preservatives and additives: Food additives like artificial sweeteners, nitrates, sulfites are found in a number of packaged items these days. They are also found in soy sauce, bacon, pepperoni etc. These preservatives are responsible for triggering migraine attacks and should be avoided.
6. Caffeine, potato chips, dried or smoked fish

A bad migraine headache can spoil your whole day. Observe things which trigger the attack for you, it may be the sun or something else. Make a note of those things, and try to avoid them as much as you can. You have to be careful with that you do and what you eat if you want to minimize the occurrence of migraine attacks.

Hepatitis A
• Also, known as “infectious hepatitis”, it is caused by Hepatitis A virus (HAV)
• It is an acute infection which is most common in children
• It is spread through ingestion of contaminated food and water
• It is present in stools of those infected with the Hepatitis A virus

Hepatitis B
• Also known as “serum hepatitis”, it is caused by Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
• Hepatitis B infection spreads through sexual contact with a person infected with HBV, blood transfusions, infected needles and also from mother to child
• Infection is spread through various body fluids like tears, urine, saliva, semen etc.
• Infection with this virus leads to chronic liver disease and can also lead to cirrhosis and liver failure

Hepatitis C
• Also known as “non-A, non-B hepatitis”, it is caused by Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
• The infection spreads through blood transfusion, sharing of infected drug needles, unsterilized instruments used for tattooing
• HCV is mainly responsible for causing transfusion associated hepatitis
• Infection with this virus can lead to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis

Hepatitis D, E and G
• Hepatitis D infection co-exists with Hepatitis B infection and causes chronic liver disease. The hepatitis D virus (HDV) cannot cause infection on its own
• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute infection of the liver and is transmitted though fecal-oral route
• Infection with Hepatitis G virus (HGV) often co-exists with other hepatitis infection

Symptoms: A person infected with these viruses (especially with A, B and C) may present with one or all of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite, general body weakness
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Dark colored urine etc.

Most patients with hepatitis infection recover on their own, especially those with acute infection. Chronic liver disease can occur in those suffering from HBV and HCV infection.

Prevention: To prevent yourself from hepatitis infection, you must:
a) Maintain and practice hygienic living conditions
b) Not drink water from any source, especially when you are unsure about its purity
c) Get yourself immunized against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B infection (Hepatitis A & B Vaccines)

- Pain in the abdomen
- Bloating up of the abdomen
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever, coughing
- Tiredness/Weakness

If left untreated, the patient may also suffer from neurological symptoms; especially with roundworms. Treatment options vary depending on the type of worm you are infected with. A single dose of Albendazole (400 mg) can kill worms in their adult stage. But did you know that freshly grounded coconut is also an effective treatment option for intestinal worms? Papaya seeds and garlic have also been used as home remedies for treating worm infections.

However most of worm infections can be avoided by maintaining personal hygiene:

- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking
- Only boiled/purified water should be used for drinking as parasites are easily killed off by standard methods of disinfection
- Avoid eating raw meat/fish
- Surfaces should be kept clean
- Keep your fingernails short and wash hands before and after eating food
- Avoid consumption of excessive antibiotics, friendly bacteria are killed by these antibiotics which makes parasite proliferation easier
- While you swim, make sure you do not drink or swallow the water in the pool
- Deworm your child every six months, if he/she is more than 2 years old

1. Lemon: It is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C. Lemon is known to increase the count of antibodies and white blood cells (WBCs) in the body. WBCs are essential for the body to fight infections. It is an antioxidant and other than that it also increases the level of interferon in the body. Interferons protect the body against viral infections by coating the target cells.
2. Yoghurt: It is rich in Lactobacillus bacteria which improves body’s immune response. Yoghurt is rich in zinc and its regular consumption results in more antibodies and cancer killer cells.
3. Sunflower seeds: They are rich source of selenium and Vitamin E. Selenium stimulates the production of cancer killer cells and vitamin E induces B-cell production. The B-cells are responsible for producing antibodies against antigens.
4. Tomato: It is an antioxidant and protects the body against environment pollutants.
5. Tuna: It activates phagocytes, the WBCs that engulf the bacteria during infections and thus improves body’s defense mechanism. Tuna is rich in omega 3 fatty acid which strengthens the immune system and also improves the blood flow in the body.

So, one’s immune system can be strengthened by bringing in simple dietary changes and consuming more of these food items!

If you are suffering from COPD, you are also likely to face weight problems. You may gain weight and become obese or lose weight leading to muscle wasting. If you lose weight, your breathing problems would become more severe. This is because muscles help in breathing and if you lose muscles, you will have more difficulty in breathing. On the other hand if you gain weight, your heart and lung will need to work harder thus leading to breathlessness.
Bronchodilators, steroids are used for treatment of COPD, but other than these medicines a good diet is equally important for its management. COPD diet should be carefully planned and well implemented in day to day life. Eating small but frequent meals work well for COPD patients. A good COPD diet should contain food rich in fiber like whole grains, cereals, rice, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

COPD diet plan:

1. Eat protein rich food: Protein is required for muscle building so your diet should contain food rich in proteins like meat, nuts, pulses etc. Mix protein supplements with water and that can be an ideal evening drink.
2. Eat food rich in antioxidants: Such food items like cherries, plums and apples will strengthen your immune system.
3. Decrease your salt intake: Too much salt will cause fluid retention. Excess fluid will worsen the breathing problems.
4. Avoid sour food: People suffering from COPD are often allergic to rice, curd and bananas. Consumption of these food items and caffeine can aggravate the symptoms, they should be avoided.
5. Limit your carbohydrate intake: Carbs with low nutritional value should be avoided like cake and white bread. Also, avoid food that leads to gas formation like beans. They lead to bloating of abdomen which further causes breathing problems.

Eating the right food in the right quantity can definitely help you to fight COPD in a much better way!