Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of Mouth Ulcers

A mouth ulcer is the loss or erosion of part of the delicate tissue that lines the inside of the mouth (mucous membrane). 

There are many things that cause mouth ulcers. The most common cause is injury (such as accidentally biting the inside of your cheek). Other causes include aphthous ulceration, certain medications, skin rashes in the mouth, viral, bacterial and fungal infections, chemicals and some medical conditions. 

An ulcer that won’t heal may be a sign of mouth cancer.

In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve by themselves within 10 to 14 days without the need for treatment. 

Aphthous ulcers

Aphthous ulcers are recurring ulcers which affect around 20 per cent of the population. Although in most people there is no known cause for aphthous ulcers, in a small number of people these ulcers may be due to an underlying Vitamin B, folate or iron deficiency.

Mouth ulcers that won't heal

See your dentist or doctor if your mouth ulcers don’t clear up within 2 weeks, or if you get them frequently.

It’s important not to ignore an ulcer that you have had for more than 2 weeks, especially if you use tobacco products and drink alcohol regularly. This is because tobacco use and drinking alcohol increase your risk of mouth cancer.

Symptoms of mouth ulcers

The symptoms of a mouth ulcer depend on the cause, but may include:

• One or more painful sores on part of the skin lining the mouth.
• Swollen skin around the sores.
• Problems with chewing or tooth brushing because of the tenderness.
• Irritation of the sores by salty, spicy or sour foods.
• Loss of appetite.

Aphthous ulcers generally occur on the softer mouth lining of the lips, cheeks, sides of the tongue, floor of the mouth, back of the roof of the mouth and around the tonsil area. These ulcers are usually no larger than 5mm. You may develop more than one aphthous ulcer at a time, and sometimes these ulcers are joined together.

Causes of mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be caused by a wide range of factors including:

• Accidentally biting the inside of your cheek.
• Injury from a toothbrush (such as slipping while brushing).
• Constant rubbing against misaligned or sharp/broken teeth.
• Constant rubbing against dentures or braces.
• Burns from eating hot food.
• Irritation from strong antiseptics, such as a mouthwash.
• Viral infections such as the herpes simplex viral infection (cold sore).
• Reaction to certain medications.
• Skin rashes in the mouth (for example, lichen planus).
• Autoimmune diseases.
• Underlying vitamin or iron deficiency.
• Underlying gastrointestinal disease such as Crohn’s disease or coeliac disease.
• Mouth cancer.
• Ulcers may become worse during periods of stress, illness or extreme fatigue.

When to seek treatment for mouth ulcers

If ulcers are interfering with your normal daily activities, or have persisted for 2 weeks, see your dentist or an oral medicine specialist.

In some cases, you may need blood tests if it’s suspected that you have an underlying deficiency (such as an iron, folate or vitamin B deficiency) or an inflammatory condition.

If your oral health professional can’t determine the cause of your mouth ulcers, or if the ulcers don’t respond to the normal treatments, you may need to have a biopsy of part of the ulcer and some of the surrounding tissue. A biopsy is a procedure where a tissue sample is taken for examination and diagnosis.

Treatment for mouth ulcers

Most mouth ulcers are usually harmless and resolve by themselves within 10 to 14 days. Other types of mouth ulcers, such as the aphthous variety or those caused by herpes simplex infection, need topical treatment (such as a mouthwash, ointment or gel).

It’s not possible to speed up the recovery of ulcers, but the symptoms can be managed and the risk of complications reduced.

Treatment options for mouth ulcers include:

• Avoid spicy and sour foods until the ulcers heal.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Keep your mouth clean.
• Apply antiseptic gel to the ulcers.
• Regularly rinse your mouth out with warm, slightly salted water, keeping the rinse in your mouth for up to 4 minutes at a time.
• Use an alcohol-free medicated (preferably containing chlorhexidine gluconate) mouthwash twice daily.
• Use a topical alcohol-free steroid mouthwash or ointment – this is generally prescribed by your dentist or oral medicine specialist.
• If required in severe cases, immunosuppressant medication may be prescribed by your oral health professional.

Prevention of mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be avoided in some cases by:

• Brushing your teeth gently with a soft toothbrush, taking care not to slip with the brush.
• Eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
• Making sure that underlying medical conditions are well-controlled.

 

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Fats Deficiency: Signs That Show You Don't Have Enough Fats In Your Body (2)

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY…

Vitamin deficiencies

Your body needs dietary fat to help it absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Not getting enough of these essential nutrients can, among other things, increase your risk of:

• night blindness
• infertility
• swollen gums
• easy bruising
• dry hair
• loose teeth
• depression
• muscle pain
• blood clots under your nails

Dermatitis (skin inflammation)

ResearchTrusted Source has found that fat is an essential part of the structure of your skin cells and helps your skin maintain its moisture barrier. If you don’t get enough dietary fat, it could affect the health of your skin and lead to dermatitis.

“Dermatitis” is a general term to describe inflamed skin. Dermatitis caused by a dietary fat deficiency often presents itself as dry, scaly rashes.

Slow wound healing

According to researchTrusted Source, your body needs fat to create many important molecules that control your body’s inflammatory response. Low dietary fat intake could disrupt this response and lead to slow wound healing.

Deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin D can also cause wounds to heal more slowly than they should.

Hair loss

Fatty molecules in your body called prostaglandins promote hair growth. Consuming too little essential fat could change your hair texture, and researchTrusted Source suggests it could also increase the risk of hair loss on your scalp or eyebrows.

Frequent sickness

Severely restricting fat intake can weaken your immune system and lead to more frequent illnesses.

Your body needs dietary fat to produce several molecules that stimulate the activity of your immune cells.

Essential fatty acids are also important for the growth of immune cells. In particular, your body needs the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid for this purpose.

Tips for creating a more balanced diet

The USDA recommends getting up to 35 percent of your calories from fat. This means:

• up to 97 grams of fat per day in a 2,500-calorie diet
• up to 66 grams of fat per day in a 2,000-calorie diet
• around 50 grams of fat per day in a 1,500-calorie diet

But not all fats are created equal. It’s best to avoid eating foods that contain trans fats whenever possible.

It’s fine to include some saturated fats — such as eggs, meat, or dairy — in your diet. But try to get most of your fat intake from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources such as:

• olives and olive oil
• nuts and seeds
• fatty fish and fish oil
• avocado

The bottom line

Your body needs dietary fat for many biological processes. If you don’t get enough fat in your diet, you may notice symptoms such as dry rashes, hair loss, a weaker immune system, and issues related to vitamin deficiencies.

To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. These fats are typically found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and avocados. 

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Beware Of Killer Vegetable Oil In The Market, NAFDAC Warns Nigerians

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the consumption of vegetable oil and drugs that are injurious to health.

The Director General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning when she flagged off of the sensitization campaign in the North Central zone held in Ilorin on Thursday.

While speaking after the sensitization campaign to major markets and roads in Ilorin metropolis, the NAFDAC boss said the aim was to protect them against negative effects of unwholesome food, fake medical products, harmful cosmetics, poor water and other substandard regulated products.

According to her, some market men and women in the attempt to make profit mixed palm oil with “Azo dye” which is capable of causing cancer.

“If you see any vegetable oil that ‘sleeps’ in that market, that is a potential killer because NAFDAC will never license any vegetable oil with that characteristic.

“They also use sniper on meat, fish and beans to prevent fly from perching and eradicate weevils. Such products are dangerous when they are consumed. The vegetable oil that has been transported with kerosene tanker is hazardous and using potassium bromide to bake bread kills slowly. Consumption of excessive oil and use of formalin on food has its associated health hazards”, she warned.

Represented at the event by the Director, North Central of the agency, Mrs. Bolaji Abayomi, Adeyeye warned on dangers of buying medicines from hawkers, recommending only licensed pharmacies and medicine stores.

She said the campaign intends to address public health challenges such as abuse of Codeine and self-medication, especially among youths.

She encouraged mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding for two years for good health of their children, adding that low level of exclusive breastfeeding practice by lactating mothers will make the child susceptible to various diseases and low IQ.

  

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Fats Deficiency: Signs That Show You Don't Have Enough Fats In Your Body

Dietary fat tends to have a bad reputation. Despite what you may have heard, eating fat doesn’t make you fat — as long as you eat it in moderation. In fact, fat is an essential part of a balanced diet.

Your body needs dietary fat for many different biological processes. Not getting enough fat can make it harder for your body to function the way it should and can lead to health issues.

In this article, we’ll look at  signs that shows you may not be getting enough fat — in particular, the healthy kind — from the foods you eat. We’ll also explore the role fat plays in your body and how to go about creating a balanced diet.

Why do you need fat in your diet?

Your body needs dietary fat for many biological processes. You wouldn’t be able to live a healthy life without it. Here are some of the essential roles dietary fat plays in your body:

• Helps you absorb vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning your body can absorb them only when you consume them along with fat. A lack of fat in your diet can cause deficiencies in these vitamins, which can lead to a variety of health issues.
• Supports cell growth. Fat provides structure to the outer membrane of every cell in your body.
• Supports brain and eye health. The omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help maintain the health of your brain, central nervous system, and retinas. Your body doesn’t make these fatty acids — you can only get them from your diet.
• Wound healing. Essential fatty acids play a key role in wound healing and blood clotting.
• Hormone production. Your body needs dietary fat in order to make specific hormones, including the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen.
• Source of energy. Each gram of fat you consume provides you with about 9 calories of energy. For comparison, each gram of carbohydrate or protein yields only 4 calories of energy.

Types of dietary fat

Dietary fats can be divided into four categories: trans fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.

Trans fats

Trans fats, which are found primarily in partially hydrogenated oils, are the least healthy type of fat for your body. Hydrogenated oils are often used to improve the taste and shelf life of processed foods.

Your body doesn’t need trans fats. Eating a lot of this type of fat can raise your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Trans fats may be found in:

• processed foods (such as microwave popcorn, frozen pizzas, and crackers)
• baked goods (such as store-bought pie crusts, cakes, and cookies)
• fried foods (such as doughnuts and french fries)
• margarine and vegetable shortening

To find out if a food product contains trans fats, you can read the ingredient list on the package. If partially hydrogenated oil is listed as an ingredient, it’s best to avoid the product.

Saturated fats

Saturated fats are found mostly in animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. These fats tend to be solid at room temperature.

The USDA recommends getting less than 10 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats. Current researchTrusted Source suggests that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

Monounsaturated fats

According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats can help reduce the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in your blood. This can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Unlike saturated fats, monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Foods that are a good source of this type of fat include:

• plant-based oils (such as olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, and safflower oil)
• nuts (such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and cashews)
• nut butters (such as peanut butter and almond butter)
• avocados

Polyunsaturated fats

Your body can’t make polyunsaturated fats — that’s why you need to get them from the food you eat. These fats are also known as “essential fats.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are a specific type of polyunsaturated fat that can help reduce your risk of heart disease, protect you against irregular heart rate, and help lower your blood pressure.

You can find omega-3 fatty acids in the following foods:

• fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines)
• oysters
• flax seeds
• chia seeds
• walnuts

To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Top of FBottom of Form

How to tell if you’re not getting enough fat in your diet

Dietary fat deficiency is rare in healthy people who eat a balanced, nutritious diet. However, some conditions can put you at risk for fat deficiency, such as:

• eating disorders
• large bowel resection (colectomy)
• inflammatory bowel disease
• cystic fibrosis
• pancreatic insufficiency
• an extremely low fat diet

If you’re not getting enough dietary fat, some biological processes in your body may not work as well.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the signs that you’re not getting enough fat in your diet… TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW 

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COVID Vaccines: Moderna Creates More Than Twice Anti-bodies As Pfizer - Study

 

Moderna Inc.’s Covid vaccine generated more than double the antibodies of a similar shot made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in research that compared immune responses evoked by the two inoculations. 

The study is one of the first to compare levels of antibodies produced by the two vaccines, which are thought to be one of the important components of the immune response. It didn’t examine whether the antibody differences led to a difference in efficacy over time between the two shots, which both were more than 90% effective in final-stage clinical trials.

The research looked at antibody levels against the coronavirus spike protein in about 1,600 workers at a major Belgium hospital system whose blood samples were analyzed 6 to 10 weeks after vaccination. The participants hadn’t been infected with the coronavirus before getting vaccinated. Levels among those who got two doses of the Moderna vaccine averaged 2,881 units per milliliter, compared with 1,108 units per milliliter among those who received two Pfizer doses. 

The results, published Monday in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested the differences might be explained by the higher amount of active ingredient in the Moderna vaccine -- 100 micrograms, versus 30 micrograms in Pfizer-BioNTech -- or the slightly longer interval between doses of the Moderna vaccine -- four weeks, versus three weeks for Pfizer-BioNTech.  

The antibody response to vaccines among >1600 health care workers:
--@Moderna_tx significantly exceeded Pfizer
(median titer 3836 vs 1444 U/mL)
--Prior covid higher than no prior infection
(median titer 9461 vs 1613 U/ML)https://t.co/QurRfa68Xi… @JAMA_current pic.twitter.com/x0DhN95thI

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol)August 30, 2021

Outside researchers said it was premature to conclude that the difference in antibody levels was medically important. 

 “I would urge caution in making the conclusion that because Moderna demonstrated a slightly higher peak on average that its efficacy will be slower to wane,” said David Benkeser, a biostatistician at Emory University, in an email. “Such a conclusion requires a host of assumptions that have not yet been evaluated.” 

Both vaccines produce high levels of antibodies, he noted, and other studies have shown even relatively low levels of antibodies are protective.

Still, it’s possible that higher initial antibody levels might correlate with longer duration of protection against mild breakthrough infections, said Deborah Steensels, a microbiologist at Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, a large hospital in Belgium, who was lead author on the study.  Also, if higher antibody levels are confirmed to be important, then the Moderna vaccine might be better for immunocompromised people who don’t respond well to vaccines, she said.

Pfizer said in a statement that its vaccine “continues to be highly efficacious” in preventing Covid-19, including against severe cases and hospitalization. A continuing analysis of its final-stage study has shown a decline of efficacy against symptomatic infection over time, the drugmaker said, but initial trial data also show that a third dose of the existing vaccine at least six months after the first two significantly raises neutralizing antibody levels.

Moderna’s vaccine was associated with a two-fold risk reduction against breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to Pfizer’s in a review of people in the Mayo Clinic Health System in the U.S. from January to July. The results were reported in a separate study released ahead of publication and peer review on Aug. 9.

  

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Don't Consume Herbal Liquids After 14 Days Of Preparation, NAFDAC Warns

The National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control has warned Nigerians to avoid taking herbal liquids after 14 days of preparation as this could be risky to their health. Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, its Director General, gave the advice in a statement issued to commemorate the World Herbal Medicine Day which holds annually on Aug. 31.

Adeyeye advised Nigerians to use herbal medicines with caution to prevent avoidable deaths and complications.

According to her, for safety reasons, no liquid herbal formulation should be ingested after days of preparation and such medicines should always be kept refrigerated.

“After 14 days, if it is liquid, it may start to develop bacteria that can make people sick.

“The general public should use herbal medicines with care because you don’t know the quantity that you are supposed to take.

“The fact that it is natural doesn’t mean it is not toxic,’’ she stressed.

She explained that toxicity was not about the volume consumed, but that something could be in micro quantity and could kill.

“Just because you prepared the concoction in your house doesn’t mean you can drink it like water. It may be dangerous,’’ she cautioned.

Adeyeye noted that the problem associated with herbal medicines was that many people did not understand that it should be scientifically driven.

“If you prepare herbal medicine in liquid form you don’t know how stable the medicine will be in water. If it is not stable and it is degrading to another thing, it may hurt.

“Those who engage in hawking herbal preparations on the streets under the scorching sun, the heat generated by the sun may have a way of causing decomposition of the active ingredients in the medicines being sold.

“This may pose significant health risks to those buying and consuming these preparations.

“That’s why herbal medicines in Nigeria have to be handled with care. Some people take herbal medicines like vaccines.

“Herbal medicines are derived from plants mostly, sometimes from animals in few cases while vaccines are from human or animal cells that have been programmed to elicit immunologic effects in the body.’’ She added

Adeyeye also advised against simultaneous use of both herbal and conventional medicines by members of the public.

“If someone is using herbal medicine and a conventional medicine simultaneously, there may be a problem.

“Let’s say that a medicine is supposed to lower blood pressure or lower sugar level for diabetes and a person takes conventional medicine and the sugar level is lowered and he then takes herbal remedy, that person may go into a shock.

“This means that the level of sugar in the blood is too low because the two are now working synergistically.

“Sometimes herbal medicines may actually reduce the effectiveness of the conventional medicine. That’s why studies need to be done because there is drug-herbal medicine interaction that may cause a lot of harm.

“Whoever is taking herbal medicine should talk to his or her pharmacist and medical doctor for professional advice,’’ she stated.

Adeyeye, however, called for collaboration between herbal medicine practitioners and medical researchers to achieve rapid development of the herbal medicine industry in the country.

The D-G noted that NAFDAC in March 2019 set up herbal medicine product committee before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out to advance research in herbal medicines.

According to her, the goal of setting up the committee is to make sure that the herbalist and the researcher are collaborating.

“So, whatever the herbalist knows from ancestral history that does not have research to back it up, collaboration with researchers will enable that herbal medicine to be advanced to be listed by NAFDAC if it’s deemed safe.

“Right now, there is no single herbal medicine that has gone through full clinical trial the way clinical trial is supposed to be done.

“There could be herbal medicines that have been used to treat a symptom of COVID-19 or whatever, but it has not been published in which case, it is not an official clinical trial,’’ she said.

  

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