Best Treatment For Arthritis

There's no remedy for arthritis as yet, but you'll find various treatments which can help alleviate symptoms and reduce the likelihood of your arthritis becoming worse. Painkillers help with pain and stiffness, but they do not affect the arthritis itself and will not repair the damage to your joint. Painkillers are best used sometimes when you are in pain or when you are likely to be exercising. Paracetamol is generally the best and most well accepted analgesic, but ensure you take the right dose because a lot of people take not enough - attempt 1 g three or four times a day.

Combined analgesic contains paracetamol and another codeine like drug, in order that they may be useful for more severe pain. Since they are stronger than analgesic, they are more prone to cause adverse effects like dizziness and constipation. Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, for example, ibuprofen or naproxen, may be advocated if irritation is contributing to the pain and stiffness. You can tell within several days whether they are going to help with your pain. Capsaicin cream is produced from the pepper plant along with is an efficient and well tolerated painkiller. The pain alleviation begins following a day or two and you need to check it out for at least fourteen days before discovering when it is helped.

Stronger painkillers, for example, opioids/anti inflammatory, may be prescribed if you have severe pain and other medications don't work well enough. More powerful analgesic are more inclined to possess adverse effects, particularly nausea, dizziness and confusion, so you will need to see your doctor on a regular basis and report any issues. Some opioids might be given as a plaster patch to wear on the skin, which may give pain alleviation for a number of days. Stronger analgesic are only available on prescription. Since these treatments work in various ways, you may combine them for greater pain alleviation. Steroid injections are occasionally given directly into an especially painful knee joint.

The shots may start working inside a day or so and might improve pain to get several weeks or months. They are mainly used for very painful arthritis, for sudden attacks due to shedding calcium deposits and also to assist you through important events. Arthritis Research UK has awarded a grant to get the PROMOTE trial, a report into whether methotrexate, a drug widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, may be utilized to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. Applying heat or cold to your knee may relieve pain and stiffness. Acid hyaluronic injections, that assist to lubricate your knee joint, are occasionally given when steroid injections do not work.

Obstetrician And Gynecologist

An obstetrician, also commonly called an OB/GYN, usually offers a variety of women's health services, such as annual Pap tests. Obstetricians will also be trained to handle complications during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. An obstetrician is a medical professional who focuses on the managing of pregnancy, labour and birth. In addition they receive specialized instruction in the field of the female reproductive system and operative care. Much of their instruction focuses on the detection and managing of obstetric and gynecological issues. The services offered may vary depending on the specialty and advanced training of the OB/GYN. Some doctors choose to exercise only obstetrics, others might choose to practice only gynecology.

Most OB/GYNs choose to practice the specialty and offer a variety of services. Many obstetricians exercise in a personal office, without or with several doctors. They can also exercise in a hospital or clinic setting. Some experienced OB/GYNs maintain teaching positions in university hospitals. Obstetricians must complete the prerequisites determined by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After completion of residency training, OB/GYNs must pass a test administered by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology to be board certified. Some OB/GYNs may choose to further pursue a sub specialty such as infertility or maternal/fetal medicine. One reason many women choose a midwife for their pregnancy is because they are comfortable with their current OB/GYN. Other women choose to use an OB/GYN because they are experiencing a high pregnancy risk.

Spine Treatment

Arthroscopic vertebral column operation is a laser treatment done for vertebral column illnesses. This operation is minimally invasive along with requires only local anesthesia. The operation procedure includes using lots of fiber optic apparatus to examine the contaminated vertebral column region. The procedure followed is totally outpatient and requires minimal incisions. Arthroscopic vertebral column operation is performed by making a small incision whereby a small tube is inserted to test the damaged parts. Additional tubes are entered throughout the same incision, and the last added pipe has a diameter of 18mm. The operating surgeon moves out all of the other added pipes once the last inserted tube is put into right position.

Slowly enlarging the pipes may make the muscles and skin to expand with reduced injury. The surgery is conducted by the last inserted tube, whereby the surgeon add the fiber optic lasers along with camera to execute the procedure. They're foraminotomy, laminotomy, percutaneous arthroscopic discectomy, along with facet thermal ablation. Foraminotomy is a treatment performed for sciatica, spinal arthritis, bone spurs, foraminal stenosis, pinched nerves, nerve root retention, scar tissue formation, and herniated disks. This procedure is performed to take away the tissue and bone that squeezes the spinal origin. Laminotomy procedure is performed for managing spinal arthritis, bone spurs, pinched nerves, herniated disks, spinal stenosis, scar tissue formation, and ligamantum flavum removal.

This procedure helps in eliminating a laminar section, a plate that covers nerves along with spinal canal on every vertebra. The main objective of this operation can be to create more space around the spinal cord along with also to reduce the pressure created on the nerves. Percutaneous arthroscopic discectomy can be a treatment for herniated disks and spinal bulging. In this procedure, the bulge along with herniated disc can be removed to reduce the retention on the backbone and nerves. The laser utilized in this treatment evaporates the affected part. Facet thermal ablation can be a treatment for degeneration facet, facet joint syndrome, facet arthritis, along with facet hypertrophy. Arthroscopy is an extremely streamlined treatment for spinal disorders.

Therefore, this treatment helps in gentle handling of tissue along with skin near the affected region. The incision made is little, and so it doesn't leave any trace of operation.

Stem Cell Technology

Stem cell treatment has proved to be successful for organs and tissues restoration, as well as for fight against the terminal and obstinate disorders. Stem cell treatment allows for reaching effects which are far beyond the capability of any modern method. Stem Cell Therapy that uses the patient's own stem cells in the method is called Autologous Stem Cell therapy. With today's advances on medication, these cells are gathered from fat deposits, blood as well as bone marrow of the patient's own body. Autologous Stem Cell Treatment shows encouraging leads to managing leukemia, lupus, arthritis, cardiomyopathy, mind harm, diabetes mellitus, spinal cord injury along with other types of degenerative and auto immune diseases.

Unlike Allogeneic Stem Cell therapy that uses Stem Cells from other human body, Autologous stem cell therapy does not trigger the patient defense system to attack the recently transplanted stem cells since they came from the patient's own body. The entire procedure of reintroducing Autologous Stem Cells inside the body requires only 4 hours. One hour for harvesting as well as 3 hours for incubating exciting as well as reintroducing the cells to the patient's own body. Following the re infusion of stem cells to the patient's body, it may take about 10-2 weeks before patients will notice favorable results.

Stem Cell Treatment

One thrilling strategy to wound healing, variously explained as Regenerative medicine or Tissue engineering continues to be the utilization of platelet rich plasma either alone or in combination with stem cells. PRP got latest notoriety when it was described that Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steeler's superstar wide receiver had obtained this treatment for an accident prior to the Super Bowl. As it happens, PRP continues to be used for a relatively good time now, especially at our middle, to help increase the healing of problems like tendonitis, ligament strains, muscle strains, arthritis, synovitis, and cartilage defects. Platelet rich plasma is used as a matrix graft, frequently referred to as an autologous tissue graft.

This platelet rich plasma matrix is defined as a Tissue graft incorporating autologous growth factors and\/or autologous undifferentiated cells in a cell array where design depends on the receptor website and tissue of regeneration. The reason PRP is so helpful is that platelets, that are a regular blood cell, contain numerous growth factors that stimulate tissue growth. Especially, PRP encourages the growth of collagen that is the primary element of connective tissue like tendons and cartilage. These components contain transforming development factor-, fibroblast development factor, platelet derived development factor, epidermal development factor, connective tissue development factor, and blood vessel endothelial growth factor.

These growth components recruit undifferentiated cells to the website of injury and stimulate their growth. Another component of platelets, stromal cell derived element I alpha causes newly recruited cells to comply with the area. When used with stem cells gathered from the patient bone marrow, PRP Fires off the stem cells to multiply rapidly. To utilize an analogy, PRP- especially when utilized in association with stem cells- sends the process of healing into Warp drive. PRP needs to be ready in a way to ensure a maximum amount of platelets along with a high concentration of development components.

Clearly, the more growth factors that may be delivered to the website of injury, the much more likely tissue healing takes place. This regenerative strategy is diametrically opposed to the traditional approach to healing tissue injuries that has been to make use of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs as well as steroid shots, which, while reducing irritation, also substantially hinder the process of healing. PRP is usually utilized in conjunction with percutaneous tenotomy. That is a procedure where there's purposeful needle discomfort of the affected region utilizing ultrasound assistance after which it PRP is then slowly inserted into the site.

Primary Care

Address the confronts many challenges, but primary among them is coping with ongoing health care concerns. From the decrease in physicians due to Baby Boomers retiring, to changes in health care legislation and health care reforms, members of Generation X must pay particular attention to health care plans as well as the state of the medical industry. As Baby Boomers retire, the number of doctors inside the country is declining. This is partly due to the population typically, there are 77 million Baby Boomers, compared with 46 million Generation X ers, as well as partly due of the fact that numerous Generation X doctors are choosing to specialize rather than working in a general practice.

Consequently, many states face a scarcity of primary care doctors and general practitioners, that causes delays in treatment while new patients wait around for primary care physicians. Due to this challenge to find a primary care doctor, Generation X members need to plan ahead. Generation X and health care challenges require that Gen X members select a primary care physician promptly upon relocating or changing health care plans, or run the possible danger of being with no physician when sickness strikes. Generation X members need to be quite identifying with health care plans, due to rising health care costs and the possible challenge of finding a health care plan to cover specific services.

As increasingly more providers become accessible, health plans decrease to pay for sets from Lasik eye surgery to optional mental wellness services. Due to this difference between providers accessible and providers covered, Generation X members need to shop cautiously for healthcare plans. Challenges faced in Generation X and health include getting a plan that covers the providers that the Generation X member needs, as well as determining when to compromise and once to keep searching for a health plan that covers specific solutions. Health Care reform is just a watchword for every political party in every selection, as well as Gen X members need to be particularly aware of health care reform as it relates to Generation X as well as health concerns. Universal health is just one possibility that Generation X members face, as well as whether that could be an asset or a tragedy depends upon who you ask. Members worried about Generation X and health must write local and state authorities to discuss legislation around improving access, decreasing cost, and increasing the array of healthcare professionals available for services.

Gummy Bear Breast Implants

While you might be aware of more traditional saline along with other liquid filled breast implants, you may not have heard about the most recent innovation in breast enlargement which is more commonly known as Gummy bear breast implants. These special high strength silicone gel systems get their name from the fact that whenever they're cut they resemble the popular gummy bear candies in persistence. These devices are manufactured from a particular very dense, high strength silicone. Gummy bear implants are included of a solidified gel. So there are not any chances of leakage in the case of rupture causing connective tissue disorders.

The gummy bear choices are getting increasingly more popular as the choice for females looking for breast augmentation. The explanation for this is the newer improvements are made to maintain their form better than those that use saline. They're not as likely to change, wrinkle, fold or ripple with time that may otherwise occur with saline implants. Gummy Bear breast implants maintain their form a lot better than saline and therefore remain in a more vertical position with time. Which implies that you’ll see much less sag with time? You will not have to cope with any sloshing sound which sometimes happens with the saline choice.

It is indeed a promising option to the conventional silicone and saline filled improvements, but being cohesive in nature you'll find limited incision options connected with the procedure. The likelihood of frightening are greater with the gummy bear choice, but the long term aftereffects of the implant to preserve and keep breasts erect is worth it. The newer gummy bear kind chest implants feel quite natural to the touch. Where saline implants when overfilled may feel hard, the newer gel models do not need this issue. Ladies that had them installed report which they feel quite natural and are much closer in sense to a natural breast.

The maker of those brand new devices, Slimed, holds an ISO 9001 certification which suggests that they meet business requirements for manufacturing these medical devices. They also have an ideal FDA rating for safety to date. The common consensus between cosmetic surgeons is the new devices are effective and safe for breast augmentation. The new improvements are available in all sizes up to a far cup size of DDD. By working with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon you may determine the right size for the requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions: Pregnancy

Even a healthy pregnancy can be a difficult and confusing time. Your body goes through so many changes, some of which can catch you off guard! Friends and family, thankfully, have lots of advice. However, some questions can be a bit embarrassing and, when you’re at the OBGYN, you may be too overwhelmed to remember every question. Don’t worry! We have answers to your women’s health questions.

How do I tell if I’m pregnant?

Early signs of pregnancy include:

1.       Fatigue

2.       Nausea

3.       Frequent urination

4.       Change in appetite

5.       Morning sickness

6.       Breast swelling

7.       Missed period

How are due dates calculated?

The average pregnancy is 266 days from your last ovulation cycle. That is about 40 weeks. If you aren’t sure about your due date, ask your OBGYN! They will be able to tell you.

Can I have sex while pregnant?

Unless your OBGYN has specifically told you not to have sex during your pregnancy, it is absolutely safe to do so. Your baby is protected by an amniotic sac, uterus, and mucus plug in the cervix.

Do I have to take prenatal vitamins?

Yes! Pregnancy is rough on your body. You will need additional vitamins and minerals to protect your body and support your baby. It’s important that you talk to your OBGYN about what vitamins are best for you. There are many options so take some time to find what’s right for you.

Is this heartburn normal?

The combination of increased progesterone and a growing uterus can cause heartburn. There are some ways to try to prevent this however.

1.       Smaller, frequent meals

2.       Walk after meals

3.       Elevate your head and chest while sleeping

4.       Wear loose clothes

5.       Drink ginger root tea

6.       Take antacids

How do I prevent stretch marks?

Stretch marks are incredibly common in pregnancy. Around 90 percent of pregnant women develop them! If you want to avoid being part of that majority, then make sure to drink lots of water, eat a diet high in skin-supporting vitamins, and massage your stomach daily with a moisturizer.

Can I exercise while pregnant?

Unless your obstetrician specifically tells you not to, you can remain active during your pregnancy. Low impact exercises are fine. This includes things like aqua aerobics, walking, tai chi, and yoga. Exercises that involve jumping and contact sports, however, should be avoided.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a temporary type of diabetes which develops in some pregnant women. It is caused by the placental hormones. In most cases, a pregnant mother’s pancreas produces around three times as much insulin as normal. This is necessary because the pregnancy hormones impact blood sugar levels. If the pancreas can’t keep up, gestational diabetes can develop.

Anyone pregnant can get gestational diabetes. However, there are some risk factors that increase your odds of developing it. These risks include:

1.       Age

·         Over 25 years old

2.       Race

·         African American

·         Native American

·         Hispanic

·         Pacific Islander

3.       Family history

·         Relative with diabetes

4.       Weight

·         Overweight

·         BMI over 30

5.       Past medical history

·         Had gestational diabetes before

·         Had a precious big baby (macrosomia)

·         Has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Why can’t I control my bladder anymore?

Urinary incontinence is very common during pregnancy. Your baby takes up a lot of space in your torso and can put a lot of pressure on your bladder. This pressure can cause an overwhelming urge to go to the bathroom. Additionally, as the muscles around your uterus stretch out, you can lose some control. Weakened pelvic muscles can cause minor leaks for a few months after giving birth as well.

What is the difference between a gynecologist, obstetrician, and an OBGYN?

Gynecologists deal with a wide range of women’s health concerns. These range from pap smears to STD screenings to breast exams. Obstetricians deal specifically with pregnancy. They will care for you from your first prenatal testing to follow-up after delivery care.

Thinking of getting CoolSculpting? Here's what you should know

Cryolipolis or CoolSculpting is a procedure performed by doctors and aestheticians to freeze fat cells at specific targeted areas in your body from where these frozen and dead cells are removed naturally. This is considered to be a better option than liposuction as it is way cheaper and gives good results without any incisions. It also, has no downtime and you can easily revert back to your office or to physical activities. The results of CoolSculpting can be seen after a few weeks and sometimes they may take up to three months.

Despite regular exercise and eating healthy, we all have the 'troubled areas' on our bodies. In fact, a lot of people have pockets of fat stored in certain regions of their body which is genetically determined.

By body contouring the size and appearance of certain parts of your body will reduce permanently. This is achieved by killing all the fat cells that exist in the problem area. Now, if there are no fat cells, they cannot expand and make the body part look bigger and out of proportion. But, it is important to note that body contouring only reduces about 20 to 25 % of fat cells from that portion of your body and around 70% of the cells are left unaffected. The fat cells that have been treated will not grow back but the remaining fat cells may expand and cause you to gain weight if a good diet and exercise regimen is not followed.

Coolsculpting is considered to be better than ultrasound and other heat-based fat reducing treatments as it explodes the targeted fat cells to remove them permanently without causing any bruising and soreness.

The CoolSculpting treatment should not be assumed to be a weight loss treatment. It is aimed at people who live an active and healthy lifestyle and require a treatment aiming at certain parts of their body and not the entire body.

Here are some important things you should know about CoolSculpting.

1.       CoolSculpting cannot be used to improve your skin laxity. If you skin is lose, this treatment will not help it, in fact, removing fat cells may cause more sagging of skin.

2.       It is one hour procedure for one part of your body. In case, of fat cells removal from the arms, it will take two hours targeting each arm separately.

3.       This procedure is not pain-free, as marketed and can be very uncomfortable during the first five to fifteen minutes of the procedure when vacuum grabs on to your fat and skin.

4.       The treated area appears to be like a stick of butter or a piece of salmon underneath your skin, right after the treatment. It gets weirder as this can easily be massaged down.

5.       To achieve a reduction of 20-25% fat from a body part only one treatment is required but if you opt for more, an additional 20-25% fat reduction can be observed each time, from that area of your body.

6.       In a number of cases, the first time of CoolSculpting may not give you visible and desired results and you might need to go for the second round of CoolSculpting to get what you want.

7.       Recovery time may vary between a few days to a few weeks depending on the patient and is accompanied with soreness and a little bit of bruising, tingling and swelling.

8.       The complete results may take up to a few months to show up varying between a few days to four to six months. This again depends on from patient to patient.

It is important to keep following a healthy diet and exercise regime even after the treatment. If you gain weight after undergoing CoolSculpting, the fat cells already present in the area where the procedure was performed may swell up and reduce the visibility of the results.

The Established Benefits of Stem Cell Transplants

The human body is made of billions of specialized cells that form specific parts of the body like muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones. Each day, as older cells die, new cells are born from stem cells, which possess the unique capability to create multiple types of other cells. However, when tissues are injured the structures become weaker, resulting in pain and decreased function. One of the ways to help your body to regenerate these cells and stop the pain is through a stem cell transplant.

The stem cell transplants treat joint pain, joint and tendon degeneration, and soft tissue injury. Stem cells are a unique type of cell in the body that can expand in number (self-renewal) without becoming a tissue cell. In addition to that, they can also differentiate into various cells found in mature tissue, like cartilage or tendons. Stem cells are vital to maintaining tissues in the body. Otherwise, our bodies would wear down with every step, until we fell apart.

Although many people may think of a transplant as a way of replacing a diseased organ with another one, cells can also be transplanted. Stem cells have an important, often lifesaving use for treating disease. A stem cell transplant doesn't involve surgery in the same sense as an organ transplant would. The injections are significantly less invasive and the procedure is simple by comparison. Its benefit, however, can be enormous.

Through regenerative medicine, a person can take advantage of their body’s ability to heal itself by using their own adult stem cells, which are found throughout the body. The stem cell transplant is a procedure that is commonly used on the hips, knee, shoulder, elbow, the back and spine.

The procedure consists of extracting healthy stem cells from your bone marrow and injecting them into your body to replace damaged cells. To extract the cells from the bone marrow, patients lay face down as the doctor thoroughly cleans the area before numbing the skin and bone. Later on, a special needle is inserted into the bone to withdraw marrow blood, which contains the stem cells. This procedure is not like a bone marrow biopsy. This harvesting procedure is well tolerated by patients and many feel it is not painful. Once the stem cells are injected back into the body, the healthy replacement stem cells will integrate and give rise to more cells that can all take on the necessary functions for a specific tissue.

One of the advantages of adult stem cell transplants over other types of transplants is that the patient functions as his or her own donor. There is no need to find another matching donor, which eliminates the risk of incompatibility and helps avoid long waiting lists. Autologous transplants, when cells taken from a patient and returned to that patient, are relatively safe procedures. There are low rates of complications and infections compared with allogeneic transplants, where cells are taken from a donor and often are manipulated before they are given to a patient. In many instances, much of the procedure can be done on an outpatient basis and the mortality rate is only 2% to 3%.

If you pay attention to the news, stem cell therapy may seem like magic. However, there are very established, approved medical procedures that are commercially available today. One of the most common injuries treated with stem cell therapy is regenerating cartilage in the knees and the shoulders. Knee pain is a common problem that can originate in any of the bony structures.  Damage to the knee joint or the ligaments and cartilage is not unusual as we age.

These non-surgical stem cell injection procedures happen within a single day and may offer a viable alternative to those who are facing surgical treatments, like joint replacement. Patients are typically able to walk away from the procedure, recovering in an outpatient setting. This simplicity of the stem cell injections allows patients to avoid the lengthy rehabilitation periods that are typically required to help restore strength, mobility and range-of-motion following invasive joint surgeries. Lastly, patients are far less vulnerable to the risks of surgeries, such as infection and blood clots. While any medical treatment involving injections has possible complications, the risks are significantly less when compared to more invasive options provided to patients with serious joint damage.

Frozen shoulder is another disease that is very common. It is a condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. Nobody knows for sure what causes it, yet it can turn a fully functional shoulder into one that can’t move at all in a matter of months. Today, the alternative for surgery is the stem cell transplant. Patients easily recover and are able to return to their regular activities in a much shorter time than they would with regular surgery.

If you have a condition that you want treated with stem cell therapy, it is incredibly important to ensure you see qualified medical professionals. Patients in the San Antonio, Texas area should consider the Stem Cell Orthopedic Institute of Texas. Their qualified professionals can perform your injections precisely and cleanly.