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Medical research studies Medical research studies alabama Phase 1 clinical trial alabama

What Makes Clinical Studies So Important

Phase 1 clinical trial

Medical research studies are an important way of advancing our medical knowledge. Medical research studies are done to ensure that any new treatment is both effective and safe, and there are a number of reasons why they are critical to our understanding.

Medical Research Studies Are About Probability

It may seem strange to hear, but no study can prove with complete certainty that one thing causes another. Instead, clinical trials help us understand what things are most likely linked. As an example, most people probably believe that smoking causes cancer, and that this is a proven fact. Actually, no medical study has or could ever prove this to be a fact. But medical studies can show that the links between two things–such as smoking and lung cancer–are so tight and so consistent that there is a very high probability that the first is influencing the second.

You may have seen or heard reference to something called a “p-value” in a report about a clinical study. The p-value is how researchers estimate the likelihood of something being due to chance. If a p-value is less than 0.05, for example, that means the likelihood that the outcome is due to simple chance is less than 5%.

Medical Research Studies Usually Evaluate Relative Risk, Not Absolute Risk

As a simple example, many people believe that eating red meat is dangerous because they see headlines saying that a study showed meat eaters’ risk of developing cancer was, say, 45% higher than that of non-meat eaters. These headlines are actually describing relative risk, not absolute risk; and relative risk is meaningless if you don’t know the absolute risk. Say that one out of every 10,000 people who flies dies in a plane crash. If you fly once per year, we could say your absolute risk of dying in a plane crash is 0.01%. Now say that you fly twice a year. Your absolute risk is still only 0.02%. That’s so small that few people would worry about taking that second flight. Yet since .02 is twice as large as .01, we could write a headline saying that those who fly twice a year increase their risk by 100%. This would be scary unless you knew the absolute risk numbers.

Medical Research Studies Deal With Confounding Factors

One of the very reasons for a Phase 1 clinical trial, followed by a Phase 2 and so on is to try to minimize the confounding factors. As a clinical drug development or other medical study progresses, it will attempt to weed out as many confounding factors as possible by putting similar people into groups of similar sizes and adjusting data to compensate for the inevitable differences that confound the results. A confounding factor is any issue that might make it more difficult to work out exactly which is causing what.

In the meat example above, the death rates of those who eat the most meat are usually being compared with those who eat none at all–such as vegetarians. The problem is working out confounding factors. People who eat a lot of meat are usually not nearly so concerned with their health as vegetarians. This means they are also much more likely than vegetarians to smoke, drink heavily, ignore their doctor’s advice, and fail to exercise. They are also more likely to eat processed foods and larger amounts of sugar and refined grains. They also tend to be older and are more likely to have diabetes. It is very difficult, then, to work out whether–out of all those differences between these two groups–the one primary factor driving the increased rate of death for the first group is actually meat.

It is precisely because of these issues with probability, confounding factors, and the need to differentiate between absolute and relative risk that medical research studies are so vitally important. Without them, it would impossible really advance medicine, since every advancement would be a blind shot in the dark. With clinical trials, we can make much more informed and educated guesses that can lead to real breakthroughs.

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How to choose the right treatments for hyperhidros Hyperhidrosis Iontophoresis machine

Preventing Sweating Certain Situations and a Condition

Help with excessive sweating

During exercise, it is often a struggle to find the right balance between sweating too much and sweating too little. Within cardiovascular activity and sometimes even weightlifting, a person will judge their performance due to how much they sweat; in other words, how much their body is being stressed.

It is perfectly normal to sweat during cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is the type where the heart rate speeds up, the lungs draw in air quicker and quicker, and the sweat glands begin to pour out sweat in an ability to cool off the body. Cardiovascular exercise then seems to cause a great deal of sweating.

Of course, the amount of sweating depends on the activity, which depends on numerous factors. An activity that is consistently done, for instance, might lead to less amount of sweating than an activity that is performed at the same or less intensity but has not been done before.

Muscle memory plays a significant role in the amount of sweat expended per cardiovascular exercise workout sessions, no matter the amount of calories burned. This leads to what some people call a plateau. They are working the same machines or exercise over and over again but it’s leading to fewer results.

Weightlifting also leads to sweating, because the body is heating up and the sweat glands are pouring out fluid to help with the body heating. Sweat glands are there to make sure that the body does’t overheat, which can lead to dizziness, faintness, or collapsing. The body heats up during weightlifting because the heart rate speeds intermittently.

There are, of course, situations where someone will sweat more than usual just because of the circumstances. A person will sweat significantly in situations that cause nervousness, such as a public speech or a presentation or a first date. For that person, remaining calm is the key to alleviating his or her stress issues, and therefore their sweating issue.

Another situation where people would stress more is during really fearful situations. One situation that people would fear is extreme sports, such as skydiving or scuba diving. Both situations may involve an increase in sweat due to the fear involved in those situations.

Another situation where people would stress more is if they are presented with an extremely hot temperature, as during a drive or walk in the sun or a heat lamp pressed up to their face, which happens during certain situations. There are other instances of heat being pressed up against a person. Hot oils would do that as well.

Then there is the person who has a condition that requires their sweat glands to act in an excessive manner. This is a condition that afflicts 8 million Americans, and it causes distress for those that have it do it the excessive nature of the sweating and the social discomfort that brings. There are some statistics about this.

  • The most common cause of excessive sweating is called primary focal hyperhidrosis; it affects about 1% to 3% of the population.
  • The average person has two to four million sweat glands working as the body?s coolant system to protect it from overheating.
  • The average person has two to four million sweat glands working as the body?s coolant system to protect it from overheating.

There is a treatment that is done to prevent or reduce the frequency of the sweating. It if called Iontophoresis. There are some statistics about this as well. It has many positive characteristics for those who are suffering from hyperhidrosis. It is considered one of the hyperhidrosis treatments and also how to treat hyperhidrosis.

The statistics are in the following section.

  • Those suffering from severe hyperhidrosis may need two to three iontophoresis treatments per week when starting out.
  • Iontophoresis, or a “no-sweat machine,” needs about six to 10 treatments to shut down the sweat glands.
  • Iontophoresis therapy lasts about 10 to 20 minutes.
  • Iontophoresis was introduced over 50 years ago as a treatment for excessive sweating.

Iontophoresis is a treatment designed to prevent sweating. It is a method to prevent sweating that uses a “no-sweat machine” that shuts down the sweat glands. A method to prevent sweating helps 50% of those with hyperhidrosis emotionally. A method to prevent sweating helps with confidence, as they are usually bothered by their condition.

These are all helpful tips.

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Englewood urgent care Local urgent care Urgent care express

Four Ways to Get the Most Out of your Health Insurance

Memorial urgent care

Many health insurance benefits started over with the New Year. With a new year, it is time to plan your healthcare routines and ensure that you are not only getting the most out of your health insurance, but that you are also living the healthiest life possible. Follow these health steps to ensure that you are setting yourself up for a healthy year.

Get to know your insurance benefits
Many people opt in for health insurance, but do not actually understand their plans. If they require medical services, they simply go to the nearest medical provider and hope that it is covered by their insurance. If it is not, they are left with hefty bill. Some insurance carriers change their policies and procedures with the new year, so it is important to evaluate your plan every year. Understand your copays, your deductibles, and what types of services are covered. This can prevent you from receiving a high medical bill, while also keeping you prepared for any emergency medical care.

Choose your primary medical providers
Some insurance providers require that you choose a preferred medical provider, or a primary care physician. If you do not have one of these, it can be difficult to get specialist referrals or to coordinate your medical care when visiting emergency departments or local urgent care centers. If you do not know how to choose a primary physician, work with your insurance company. Schedule an initial consultation with a couple of physicians in your area and then choose the one that you like best.

Know your emergency medical care options
Emergency medical care is usually what gets people into medical debt. They do not know where to go or what is covered with their insurance, but they do know that they require immediate medical care. When you are faced with a medical emergency, you will not want to research the best medical care options. Instead, evaluate your options ahead of time. Know where the nearest emergency room is and keep track of local urgent care centers. Know when you should choose emergency care or when local urgent care will work.

Local urgent care centers are a underutilized medical care option. Roughly 60% of all urgent care centers have a wait time of less than 15 minutes to see a physician or mid level provider. About 65% of the next care urgent care centers have a physician on site at all times. There are even advanced urgent care options for patients that need imaging or other types of testing. Having this information ahead of time can help you make an informed medical care decision. It is also important to know which local urgent care centers are covered under your current insurance plan.

Keep up with routine medical care
Most insurance plans offer free preventative medical care. The idea is that if you keep up with these medical care routines, you will not require as high cost of medical care throughout the year. Make sure you are taking advantage of these routine medical care options. You are paying for them already and they can end up saving your life. Find a physician?s office that is able to work around your schedule to ensure that you keep up with these preventative appointments. Remember that a physician, or group of physician?s, owns approximately 50% of urgent care centers. Urgent care centers are a convenient way to keep up with medical needs. Many of them are also open late into evenings and some on weekends. In fact, more than 66% of urgent care centers open before 9AM during the week, with significant proportions doing so on Saturday (45.7%) and Sunday (31.1%).

With a new year come new possibilities. Make this year your healthiest year yet. Understand your health benefits and take advantage of them. Keep up with routine medical preventions and finally choose your primary medical care provider. Know when to choose local urgent care over emergency medical care. Get the most out of your health insurance, while also being the healthiest you can be.

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Joint pain treatment Scoliosis treatment Spinal tumors

You don’t have to Live with Back Pain! There are Options

Outpatient spine surgery

An estimated 1.5 billion people suffer from chronic pain in the world with lower back pain being the number one reported area of concern. Nearly 40% of adults in the United States refuse to seek help for that pain despite the fact that nearly 60% of people report that the pain negative impacts their quality of life.

One of the big sources of lower back pain is the sciatic nerve, which is actually made up of five nerve roots and is known to send pain shooting down the leg. Pain from the sciatic nerve is also known to cause people to fall as the shooting pain catches them by surprise and causes their leg to buckle. the nerve pain coming from the sciatic nerve can be very intense.

According to one report, 80% of adults will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. Aside from the sciatic nerve, lower back pain can also be caused by bulging discs, herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative disc disease is a condition that causes the discs in the back to slowly deteriorate starting with the lowest ones and working its way up the back. Roughly 30% of all adults between the ages of 30 and 50 have some disc degeneration.

There are several different treatment options, which will vary based on the source and cause of the pain being experienced. The only way to properly diagnose the pain is to see a doctor for a full work-up including x-rays and possibly an MRI. Once a doctor experienced in back pain has the chance to fully evaluate your condition, they can make a pain treatment recommendation tailored to your needs.

Back pain can be so debilitating because it impacts your every movement. It is impossible to move around, walk, sit, or stand without engaging your back. When dealing with back pain on a daily basis, seeing a doctor is the must-do first step to recovery. Often times, people attribute back pain to ageing and assuming they just have to live with it, but that is not the case.

Another reason people will avoid seeing a doctor about their back pain is that they are afraid of needing surgery. However, there are many non-invasive or minimally invasive options depending on the source and cause of the pain. Assuming a major surgery is the only option is short-sighted.

Sometimes the treatment comes in the form of orthopedic care, peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy treatment, or a minimally invasive spine surgery. It is impossible to predict what will need done until you see a doctor to explore your options.