Are you one of the 1.5 billion people worldwide who suffer from chronic pain? If so, don’t feel like you have to suffer through it – find treatment options in your area. There are dozens of spinal rehabilitation specialists that can offer advice, and if you end up needing surgery they are usually minimally invasive. Here are a few things to know and remember about back, neck, and headache pain:
1. Back Pain – You may be wondering “who is affected by low back pain?” Believe it or not, over 26 million Americans ages 20-64 say that they experience frequent back pain. That is more than the entire population of Texas! If you have ever endured back pain then you know how much it can affect your life. It seems as though we use our backs, in some way, for everything we do throughout the day. Back pain is so common in the United States that there is an estimated $50 billion spent on it each year.
2. Neck Pain – Current statistics show that around 15% of the population experiences neck pain. Are you one of those people? Neck pain affects nearly half (45%) of today’s workers, and is the second most common chronic pain reported in the United States. Neck pain shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you are experiencing neck pain or even general neck discomfort that seems constant consult with a doctor as soon as you can. Don’t be worried that your neck pain will absolutely call for neck surgery – in many cases your doctor will look at other treatment options first.
3. Headache/Migraine Pain – If you or someone you know has ever experienced a severe headache or migraine you probably understand the toll that it can take. Migraines can affect people’s vision, hearing, and balance and they should be taken seriously. If you find that you have several migraines each week or month, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor for help. No one should have to suffer through daily or weekly migraines. In many cases, if you suffer from migraine you may also fall into the group who is affected by low back pain.
In a National Institute of Health Statistics survey, respondents indicated that low back pain was the most common type of chronic pain (27%), followed by severe headache pain (15%), and neck pain (15%). So the answer to your question of “who is affected by low back pain” is: a lot of people. In fact, you probably know someone who is currently dealing with chronic back, neck, or migraine pain. Find a specialist in your area today who can provide you with treatment options to end your chronic pain for good.
The American media loves to use the word epidemic, but when it comes to heroin addiction in the United States, “epidemic” is the only way to describe it. In every major city, in the suburbs, in rural counties, countless Americans are struggling with the life-ruining effects of opiate addiction. To make matters worse, heroin is now cheaper, more potent, and easier to find in 2015 than when it was sold legally in stores in the 19th century.
Millions of parents, siblings, spouses, friends, and medical professionals are doing everything they can to help their loved ones get off heroin. Unfortunately, heroin has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most addictive substances on Planet Earth. Not only does it create an intense physical dependency, but it has unbearable withdrawal symptoms.
So if you or someone you love is struggling to detox from heroin and opiate addiction, what kind of treatment programs are available in 2015? Here are some options:
Cold Turkey
Doctors no longer advise patients to go off opiates cold turkey, as the effects are not only excruciatingly painful, but potentially deadly. Sadly, this “man up” mentality keeps many addicts in pain, as they try and fail to detox on their own.
Inpatient Treatment Programs
Many addicts turn to inpatient rehab facilities to get sober. These programs have had mixed results in the United States, and many have been criticized for providing little more than 12-step meetings and unproven therapies. However, many addicts and alcoholics have gotten sober with the help of inpatient treatment programs.
Ibogaine Treatment Programs
Although Ibogaine is not legal in the United States, it is legal in most countries. It’s also helped many addicts experience a withdrawal free detox from opiate addiction. You can find ibogaine treatment for opiate addiction at clinics in Mexico and overseas. Although ibogaine treatment centers often cater to a high-income clientele, they’re becoming a popular choice for opiate addicts seeking detox programs.
12-Step Groups; Group Therapy
No one can dispute the fact that Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous have helped millions of people all around the globe get and stay sober. Critics say the group is “faith healing” and relies on religious beliefs about addiction. In either case, these groups provide help to millions of people seeking to avoid relapse. For those in need of medical detox or suffering form acute opiate withdrawal, 12-step groups cannot provide medical support.
Buprenorphine, aka Suboxone
Suboxone maintenance treatment is now the standard of care for addicts trying to detox from heroin. This opiate analgesic blocks the effects of other opiates while also reducing cravings. Since being approved by the FDA in 2002, it has quickly become the long-term treatment of choice for opiate addicts seeking long-term treatment programs.
Companies are constantly on the search for new ways that they can optimize their business. Now in the computer age, more and more companies are looking towards automated processes. By removing the need for employees in some operations, businesses are able to produce goods quicker, more consistently, more efficiently, and of better quality.
Even processes involving administration are beginning to become automated. Many people are turning to human resources software solutions to keep multiple facets of their company running with little involvement necessary. HR management software can take over scheduling duties, managing employee benefits, and even contacting consumers or parties to open lines of communication.
Human resources software solutions have proven to be so effective that businesses are implementing multiple types software into their systems. New research has shown that only 13% of organizations have a single human resource software system. Most companies have on average three or four different HR applications, each meant to carry on specific tasks, for example one for accessing payroll and benefits, another for training new employees, and even one for recruiting purposes. In just the next 18 months, 57% of companies plan to make some sort of major human resource software purchase.
It’s great and extremely important to still hire to people to operate tasks in a company, but it’s hard to argue that computer programs aren’t more efficient. Between 60 and 80% of current employees spend part of their workday “cyberloafing” on the job by surfing social media or finding the latest trending funny video, even if it is forbidden by the company’s policy. Software obviously doesn’t have the ability to cyberloaf and can in turn guarantee efficiency; not to mention being cheaper than paying wages for employees who don’t do their work.
Implementing human resources software solutions can greatly improve the efficiency of your company. When mixed with hard workers, software can help your business create better products while simultaneously reducing costs.
Urgent care centers have been springing up everywhere in America in recent years. They’re made popular by low cost, low wait time, and expert care. Their versatility in care options is astounding, and they have been incredibly helpful to innumerable people. Providing emergency room care provides relief to ERs who are usually overcrowded, and help to patients who can’t make it to appointments during normal times. Read on for just a few reasons you should consider trying urgent care if you haven’t already.
Sports-Related Injuries
Did you know that up to 20 million school days are lost by the 12 million kids who suffer a sports-related injury? In addition, sports injuries as a whole cost over $33 billion per year in health care costs! Urgent care will not only treat you faster so that you can get back into your life, but they will also help you save money in your care. It’s a win-win!
Strains, Sprains, Fractures
Over 80% of ankle sprains are due to an inward rolling of the ankle. Urgent care clinics can now treat not just sprains, but also strains and fractures. This gives the centers even more versatility, making them an even better option for emergency care. With some of the best doctors in each area served, urgent care with give you emergency care for these issues without the wait or cost.
Testing
Urgent care can also test for hazmat, STDs, and they can conduct physicals. This means that if you’re in need of care after your doctor’s office is closed, you don’t have to fret. Not to mention, if you’d like to just be able to walk in for care, these facilities are a much better option than say, going to the emergency room.
Have you been to any urgent care centers lately? What did you think about their care options? Would you recommend them? We would love to heard you thoughts, comments, and questions!
No one likes dealing with illness, but sometimes, you just have to. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make yourself feel better, and get over your sickness faster. Here are just a few of the best things family practice doctors recommend doing.
Quench a Sore Throat With Salt Water. – If your throat is bugging you, try adding half a teaspoon of salt to warm glass of water. The salt willd raw out the excess water in your throat’s tissues, which will help reduce the inflammation, while also clearing mucous and irritants from the back of the throat.
Get Rid of Pain the Way You Normally Would. – Feeling sore and achey? Get rid of the pain the same way you normally might — with an over the counter pain reliever. Children six months and younger should only get acetaminophen, while kids older than that can also have ibuprofen. However, be sure to ask your child’s doctor what the correct doage size is for their age and their weight. In addition to those two pain relievers, adults can also take aspirin.
Ease Sinus Pain by Flushing Your Nose Out. – If your sinuses are killing you, then you should consider using a saline spray or rinse to clear out the mucus and bacteria in your sinuses, which will help reduce pressure. Additionally, it’s also a good idea to take a decongestant that has pseudoephedrine, like Sudafed, which will shrink painful inflammation in no time. As for the headache that often accompanies sinus pain, you should use ibuprofen. Do not, however, rely on antibiotics or steroid nasal sprays, because those work just as well as anything else, if not less.
If you know of any other ways to get over an illness faster, feel free to share in the comments.
If you’re a worrier with a history of skin problems, then “treatment skin cancer” is probably a saved Google search on your toolbar. But googling “treatment skin cancer” every time you think you have an issue is a really good way to drive yourself crazy. (And let’s be honest, “treatment skin cancer” is kind of already defining the problem and skipping about 20 steps in the diagnostic process). We totally understand the instinct. After all, we fear what we don’t understand, and very few of us qualify as a trained dermatologist. Below are a few ACTUAL risk factors for skin cancer and some concrete measures you can take to prevent it:
The Risk: Lots of Moles
We’re not talking about the benign mole you’ve had on your left toe ever since you were a baby. Most people have something like that, and usually it doesn’t present a problem. However, you are at a much greater risk of developing some sort of mole-based skin cancer if you have more than 50 moles on your body.
The Prevention: Oversight
If you’re one of these people with a constellation of moles, then it is very important that you have regular appointments at a dermatologist clinic. A dermatologist can take a mole map of your body and help you keep track of any changes. Changes in moles or an atypical mole is often an early warning sign of skin cancer, and catching it early is very important for treatment.
The Risk: Sun Exposure
Millions of people both with moles and without are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, and most dermatologists point to exposure to UV rays as the single greatest risk factor. Contrary to popular belief,there is NO safe amount of time to be out in the sun, and every sunburn is damaging to your skin even if you can’t see that damage with the naked eye.
The Prevention: Limiting Sun Exposure
This seems obvious, but we would bet that whatever you’re doing on this front now isn’t enough. For example, it’s a good idea to apply sunblock even on a cloudy day, as UV rays can penetrate cloud cover. Pay special attention to areas chronically exposed to sunlight, such as the face, nose, and back of the neck. And of course always wear sunblock and/or protective clothing during the summer months and avoid tanning beds!
The Risk: Family History of Skin Cancer
It turns out that some DNA is more susceptible to cancerous mutation than others, and since DNA is passed down through genes, you are far more likely to be at risk for skin cancer if your relatives are.
The Prevention: Research and Mindfulness
Knowing that skin cancer runs in your family might actually be a blessing in disguise, since it could move you to take other risk factors like the sun more seriously. Ultimately, one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in their lives, but early detection is vital to a good prognosis, so if you know this is a problem your family struggles with, keep a watchful eye out and have a regular dermatologist in the phone book.
When was the last time you had to find a doctor for yourself, or someone else in your family? Having a physician for every member of your family is imperative to your family’s health and wellness. Making and keeping regular appointments with a physician can help you monitor basic health indicators and possibly prevent major health issues.
One of the best reasons to find a doctor and schedule regular visits is to monitor annual health indicators like weight, height, blood pressure and cholesterol. In the years 2012 and 2013, the leading causes of death remained the same:
- heart disease
- cancer
- chronic lower respiratory diseases
- unintentional injuries
- stroke
- Alzheimer’s disease
- influenza
- pneumonia
- kidney disease
- suicide
Many of these diseases and conditions can be prevented and monitored if patients find a doctor they trust and visit for regular appointments. Realizing the importance of regular check ups should be a priority for anyone trying to live a healthy life.
Take weight loss for example. A family doctor can help patients monitor their weight and suggest guidelines for a healthier lifestyle. Since one in every three Americans is obese, weight loss education is an important health issue for many.
Finding a physician is also important so that patients can be preventative in avoiding heart disease. Every year about 600,000 people die of heart disease in America. With one in every four deaths being related to heart disease, it is the leading cause of death for both males and females. More specifically, coronary heart disease is the most common and it kills nearly 380,000 people a year. Every minute two people in the United States die from some kind of cardiovascular disease. In fact, more people die of heart disease than of AIDS and all kinds of cancers combined. In total, an estimated 80 million Americans have some type of heart disease. Finding a doctor to help you monitor your heart and and other heart disease factors is both crucial and preventative.
Preventative medicine and office visits not only help you monitor health conditions like weight and heart disease indicators, it also helps save money. If doctors and clinics help patients monitor their basic health numbers on a regular basis, crisis health issues are less likely. For example, if a doctor discovers that you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, you can begin taking medicines to help control those conditions. Controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol can keep many patients from later developing heart disease and requiring expensive emergency surgeries.
If you are serious about your health, and the health of your family, schedule an appointment with a doctor and begin the discussion about the importance of routine check ups. You will be glad you did.
The baby boomer population is increasingly creeping over the proverbial hill at age 65 and up. With this large influx of senior citizens, the need for eldercare is more pressing than it ever was before. But with the proliferation of negative ideas of eldercare in senior living facilities in the media and beyond, it can be difficult to know if assistance living is right for you or your loved one. Luckily, this article exists to spread the truth about elderly homes.
By definition, a convalescence home is a form assisted living centers that provides 24 hour, seven day a week care for individuals who need it. Typically, this includes the elderly, the terminally ill and the sick. According to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, there are over 16,000 assisted living facilities in the United States.
While many think that convalescence homes rob residents of their independence, that could not be further from the truth. Rather, assisted living affords seniors with opportunities to connect with people their age and engage in activities that stimulate both their bodies and their minds. Many assisted living centers even offer field trips, taking residents to places such as baseball games and museums.
In addition to activities, many assisted living centers often offer different kinds of living situations for more independent residents, such as apartments and incorporated villages. While 24 hour care is still made available to these residents, they allow for them to lead more active, and self sufficient lives.
It is also important to remember that no two assisted living facility is the same. Before deciding on one, be sure to do your homework and arrange visits to see which center is right for you or your loved one. Choosing assisted living can be a scary decision, but ultimately, it can be one that enriches your life for the better.