We have all been there. You polish off a hearty meal, lean back with satisfaction and then comes that all-too-familiar burn in your stomach. For most people, the quick fix is to blame the food and pop an antacid. But what if that nagging pain is not just about what you ate?

According to Dr Akash Chaudhary, Clinical Director and Sr Consultant Medical Gastroenterology at Care Hospitals, Hyderabad, “That familiar burn after a meal might seem harmless at first. But when it starts showing up regularly, especially during long gaps between meals or waking you up at night, it could be your body signalling something more serious, like a peptic ulcer.”

What Is a Peptic Ulcer?

A peptic ulcer is basically a sore that develops on the inner lining of your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine. These sores form when the protective lining of the stomach wears down. “This kind of damage is often due to an H. pylori infection or the regular use of pain-relief medication like NSAIDs,” Dr Chaudhary explains. Without that protective cushion, the very acid that digests your food ends up irritating and damaging your stomach instead.

Unique Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer You Might Miss

Ulcers do not always announce themselves with big warning signs. Dr Pavan Reddy Thondapu, HOD of Medical Gastroenterology at Arete Hospitals, says that what often begins as “minor digestive discomfort, a burning sensation, early satiety, or bloating after meals can sometimes signal something more serious if ignored.”

Other tell-tale but easily overlooked signs include:

• Upper abdominal pain that keeps coming back, often worse after meals
• Unexpected nausea or changes in appetite
• Feeling unusually full too quickly (early satiety)
• Black, tarry stools or vomiting blood in advanced cases
• Unexplained tiredness, weight loss, or loss of appetite

Most people dismiss these symptoms as routine acidity or indigestion. But as Dr Chaudhary warns, “When the real cause goes unnoticed, ulcers can quietly progress, sometimes leading to bleeding or even a tear in the stomach lining.”

Why Antacids Do Not Always Cut It

Reaching for an antacid may calm the discomfort for a few hours, but it does not solve the underlying issue. “It is not uncommon for patients to self-medicate and ignore early symptoms, but that often delays recovery and increases risk,” Dr Thondapu points out. Antacids mask the pain, but the ulcer continues its work quietly in the background, setting the stage for bigger problems.

When to See a Doctor

The golden rule, if the burning pain keeps returning, especially after meals or early in the morning, is to not wait it out. According to Dr Chaudhary, “If someone experiences persistent burning pain after meals, they shouldn’t delay medical attention. What feels like a routine gastric issue may be a more serious condition silently progressing in the background.”

Red flag symptoms that warrant immediate medical evaluation include:

• Vomiting blood or black stools
• Difficulty swallowing
• Severe, persistent upper abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss or fatigue

How Doctors Get to the Bottom of It

Thankfully, diagnosing a peptic ulcer is not as scary as it sounds. “We usually diagnose peptic ulcers through simple procedures like an upper GI endoscopy or a breath test for H. pylori,” says Dr Thondapu. An endoscopy gives a direct look at the stomach lining, while non-invasive tests can quickly confirm an infection.

The Road to Healing

Ulcers are highly treatable once detected. Treatment usually involves:

• Acid-suppressing medications to give the stomach lining a chance to heal
• Antibiotics if H. pylori is detected
• Stopping or adjusting long-term NSAID use
• Simple but powerful lifestyle shifts

Dr Chaudhary emphasises that “with the right medicines and a few mindful shifts in daily eating habits, most people begin to feel better within weeks.”

Important Lifestyle Tweaks

Treatment is not just about pills; how you live day to day plays a big role in preventing recurrence. Dr Thondapu recommends:

• Eating meals on time instead of long gaps or binge-eating sessions
• Cutting back on alcohol and tobacco
• Avoiding overly spicy, oily, or processed foods
• Managing stress through exercise, yoga, or mindfulness

These shifts help protect the stomach lining and keep acid levels in check, making ulcers less likely to return. In a nutshell, stomach pain after meals does not always mean you overdid it on the food. Sometimes it is your body’s way of flagging a deeper issue. As both experts stress, ignoring persistent burning pain or bloating is not worth the risk. Early diagnosis makes ulcers easy to treat, while delay can lead to serious complications.

Sepsis that happened by a lick from a pet dog led to a woman losing all four of her limbs. Health and Me had previously reported that a Birmingham based woman, 56-year-old pharmacy worker Manjit Sangha caught sepsis from the lick of her pet dog. She spent her night in coma in the hospital and had to lose all her limbs. This happened because bacteria from dog's lick entered her body through a cut or a scratch. This led to sepsis, where the immune system's reaction to infection damaged the body's own tissues and organs.

This has brought a lot of attention on what sepsis is and what are the symptoms one must be aware of. As per the Sepsis Alliance, one must know about TIME to be aware of sepsis.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis

TIME stands for temperature, infection, mental decline and extremely ill. If you notice these symptoms, rush to the hospital.

• T for Temperature: If you notice your body temperature rising or falling
• I for Infection: If you see signs or symptoms of any infection
• M for Mental Decline: If you feel confused, sleepy and difficult in rising
• E for Extremely Ill: If you feel severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis: What To Know About Temperature

Your body temperature normally stays steady at about 98.6°F (37°C), with small changes based on activity, surroundings, and time of day. A reading of 100°F (37.7°C) or higher is considered a fever. During infection, the body often heats up to help fight germs. However, some people experience an unusual drop in temperature instead. Because of this, both a spike and a fall in temperature can be warning signs of sepsis.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: How To Know If You Have An Infection?

When an infection stays in one area, its symptoms usually match the site involved. A urinary tract infection may cause burning while urinating or frequent urges, pneumonia can bring cough and chest pain, and an infected cut may show redness or pus.

Read: Where You Get Your Rabies Shot Matters: Doctor Explains Why Rabies Vaccines Should Not Be Given In Buttocks

If the infection spreads through the body, broader symptoms like fever, tiredness, and body aches can appear. In some cases, an infection may not cause obvious symptoms at all. This is especially important to remember after surgery, medical procedures, skin injuries, or close contact with someone who is sick.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: What To Look Out For Mental Decline?

Sepsis can also alter how the brain functions. Some people, particularly older adults, may not develop the usual infection symptoms. Instead, they might suddenly become confused or show a sharp worsening of existing dementia. Marked drowsiness or unusual sleepiness is another common sign.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: Signs That You Are Extremely Ill

Many sepsis survivors recall feeling sicker than ever before. They describe overwhelming symptoms such as the most severe sore throat or abdominal pain they had experienced, along with a frightening sense that they might not survive.

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis In Children

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis In Adults

• High blood cell count
• Immature white blood cells in circulation
• Elevated plasma C-reactive protein
• Elevated procalctonin (PCT)
• Low blood pressue
• Low central venous or mixed venous oxygen saturation
• High cardiac index
• Low oxygen level
• Low urine output
• High creatinine in the blood
• Coagulation or clotting abnormalities
• Absent bowel sounds
• Low platelets in blood
• High bilirubin levels
• High lactate in blood
• Decreased capillary filling or mottling

Mounjaro, a popular weight loss drug that helped many lose weight, however, in this one case, a woman, who was on the same drug noticed something different. While she lost weight, she noticed that her breasts continued to grow. The 30-year-old Tianna Moon of East Anglia, a region in eastern England first realized something was not normal with her chest in 2024. This was when she started to use Mounjaro.

She was losing weight, but her breasts continued to grow. This is when Moon's doctor diagnosed her with a rare disease call gigantomastia, which causes breast tissue to grow rapidly and in excess.

Also Read: 15 States Sue Trump Administration Over Revised Vaccine Schedule

Woman Lost Weight On Mounjaro But Her Breasts Didn't Stop Growing: What Happened To Her?

Moon said that the doctors had thought that she had macromastia, a less severe, however, a similar condition. "But when I broke down medical history, the weight loss on Mounjaro and the increased growth and side effects, he was point-blank like, 'This is gigantomastia'," she said.

Moon also told that her breasts currently weight 39 lbs, which is approximately 20 per cent of her overall body weight.

Moon also said that while her large breasts are "normal" at this point in her life, she said the rare condition still comes with challenges.

"The side effects are having numb arms quite a lot and having quite severe indentations on my shoulders. I have some light scarring under my breasts where bras have rubbed and ripped the skin open."

She also said that laying on her back is something she cannot do for a long time, as it restricts the amount of airflow she can get in. She also said that when she goes out she tries to make her breasts look smaller than they are and strap them up. "I [still] get stares and double takes."

Also Read: Wegovy And Ozempic Will Cost Less In 2027, Novo Nordisk Slashes Weight Loss Drugs Prices By Half

Woman Lost Weight On Mounjaro But Her Breasts Didn't Stop Growing: What Is Gigantomastia?

As per Cleveland Clinic, it is a rare condition where your breasts become excessively large. It can also cause pain, infection, discomfort and issues with body image. It is also known as breast hypertrophy where one experiences rapid and disproportionate breast growth. The speed with which the breasts grow could vary depending on the person. It could take a few weeks to over several years. The tissue is almost never benign.

Gigantomastia is characterized by:

• Breasts that have an excess of at least 5 pounds of breast tissue.
• Extra breast tissue that equals more than 3% of your total body weight.

There are different types of gigastomastia:

• Juvenile gigantomastia: This type happens during puberty.
• Gestational gigantomastia: This is when gigantomastia occurs during pregnancy.
• Drug-induced gigantomastia (or medication-induced): This happens after taking certain drugs.
• Idiopathic gigantomastia: This is when the cause of gigantomastia is unknown or can't be determined. Idiopathic gigantomastia is the most common type.

Moon is now considering a breast reduction surgery. She has for now set up an account on OnlyFans. “I might as well try and reap the benefits of my medical condition rather than the negatives," she said.

The recent launch of the indigenous Td vaccine in India by Union Health Minister JP Nadda will boost immunity and reduce the risk of tetanus and diphtheria in children and adults, said health experts.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda formally launched the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine in Himachal Pradesh last week.

With the launch, the Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine has been replaced with the Tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine in India’s immunization program for all age groups, including pregnant women.

The move comes amid increasing numbers of cases of diphtheria amongst older age groups. Tetanus and diphtheria can lead to hospitalizations or even cause death. The Td vaccine will help to decrease diphtheria outbreaks.

“In keeping with global practice, India has shifted from TT, which covers for tetanus, to Td, which covers for both tetanus and diphtheria. This vaccine is indigenously manufactured and is expected to significantly reduce the risk of both these diseases in older children as well as adults,” Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Ex-President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, told HealthandMe.

What Is The Td Vaccine?

The Td vaccine, indigenously manufactured at the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, is a combination of tetanus and diphtheria with a lower concentration of diphtheria antigen (d), and is recommended for older children and adults.

The use of Td, instead of TT, is recommended during pregnancy to protect against maternal and neonatal tetanus and diphtheria during prenatal care.

Vaccination during pregnancy also serves to boost immunity and increase the duration of protection in pregnant women who have not received the full set of recommended booster doses.

The Td is a safe vaccine, and 133 countries are currently using it.

The Health Ministry, in a statement, said that the Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April 2026, with production expected to scale up progressively in subsequent years to further strengthen the Universal Immunization Program in India.

“India’s indigenous Td vaccine rollout marks a significant milestone in strengthening the nation’s immunization program by enhancing self-reliance, affordability, and supply stability,” Dr. Neha Rastogi, Senior Consultant - Infectious Diseases, Fortis Gurugram, told HealthandMe.

“Locally produced vaccines reduce dependency on imports, ensuring uninterrupted protection for adolescents and adults against tetanus and diphtheria. This initiative supports wider coverage, faster distribution to remote regions, and improved public health preparedness,” she added.

Tetanus And Diphtheria: Disease burden In India

As per the National Health Profile 2022, India has reported 1,586 cases and 22 deaths due to diphtheria in 2020, and 3,677 cases and 47 deaths in 2021.

Around 10 Indian states report the majority (84 per cent) of the cases.

As of 21 June 2024, Orissa has also reported six deaths and 21 suspected diphtheria cases. There has been more than 90 percent coverage of diphtheria vaccination in birth cohorts since 2014, but gaps in booster dose coverage are widely prevalent.

Plugging of gaps in the routine immunization, coupled with inclusion of booster doses in the national data on diphtheria vaccination, is the need of the hour.

“Diphtheria is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases known to man; it spreads easily through the respiratory route. It can cause death due to the bacterial toxin affecting the heart (Myocarditis). It is vaccine-preventable, but the immunity fades over time,” Dr. Jayadevan said.

Therefore, the Td booster shots at ages 10 and 16 are essential to maintain protection. Similarly, pregnant women should receive two doses to protect both mother and child.

Given the recent outbreaks of diphtheria in India and elsewhere, this transition is a public health priority, the expert said.