Month: October 2012

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that generally affects adults over the age of 20. Although the full effects of MS might not be experienced until the patient reaches an elderly age, the first symptoms start to appear between ages twenty and forty.

Just like with any medical condition, it’s important to learn how to spot the early warning signs of multiple sclerosis. That way, if multiple sclerosis is affecting you, then you can receive effective medical treatment as soon as possible.

Early warning signs of multiple sclerosis include all of the following:

-Tingling and numbness throughout the body, or in the extremities: Tingling, numbness, and ‘pins and needles’ are all common symptoms of multiple sclerosis. As the condition progresses, tingling might turn into muscle spasticity, where the muscles in the legs and arms frequently spasm. Some MS sufferers also experience stabbing pains throughout the body and other abnormal sensations.

-Loss of balance: The loss of balance that many MS sufferers experience is due to a combination of factors. First, cognitive difficulties make it hard for the body to balance itself. And second, the muscle weakness caused by MS can make it difficult to walk or even stand up straight.

-Blurry vision: Up to 55% of MS sufferers report having vision problems. These vision problems include blurry vision, ‘graying’ vision, and even blindness in one eye. Fortunately, blindness is rare in MS sufferers.

-Weakness throughout the body or in the arms and legs: Weakness is the most commonly experienced symptom in those who suffer from multiple sclerosis. This involves both physical exhaustion as well as mental exhaustion. After sleeping for long periods of time, MS patients still report feeling excessively tired. As the disease progresses, many MS sufferers will be forced to use a wheelchair or cane due to muscle weakness.

The symptoms listed above are the most common early warnings signs of multiple sclerosis. However, some patients experience less common symptoms, including:

-Mental fuzziness and general cognitive difficulties

-Slurred speech

-Lack of coordination and difficulty walking

-Muscle spasms

-Sensitivity to heat

-Sudden paralysis

How to treat multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is caused by the deterioration of the protective sheaths around nerve endings in the body.  This process is called ‘demyelination’ and it can occur in any part of the brain or spinal cord. Depending on the part of the body in which demyelination occurs, symptoms of MS can vary widely.

For that reason, multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease, and there is still plenty of research to be done in the field. A cure for multiple sclerosis has not yet been developed. Today, doctors treat MS in a number of different ways, including:

-Administration of disease modifying drugs, also known as DMDs, in order to slow the spread of the disease

-Use of steroid drugs to improve the body’s natural recovery following an MS attack

-Drug-free treatment of multiple sclerosis is also available, and often preferred due to the risk of side effects

-Support groups and counseling

Ultimately, multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disease, nor is it contagious. Families with a history of MS are more likely to develop the condition than the general population, although this correlation isn’t strong enough to label MS as a hereditary condition.

If you have noticed any of the above symptoms, then it’s a good idea to seek treatment. Visit your family doctor or an Atlanta urgent care clinic like WellStreet today for effective medical treatment.

Millions of people around the world suffer from diabetes. Sometimes, diabetes is caused by poor lifestyle choices – like an unhealthy diet and the lack of exercise. In other cases, diabetes is a hereditary problem.

In any case, it’s important to recognize the early warning signs of diabetes so that you can seek treatment as soon as possible. Diabetes might not be a reversible condition, but it can be managed with the assistance of a doctor.

Types of diabetes

First, it’s important to understand the distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes requires regular injections of insulin and it is generally passed down genetically. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, affects 90% of diabetes sufferers and is caused by a combination of an unhealthy lifestyle and family history.

With both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the body cannot effectively manage its own insulin levels. Insulin regulates blood sugar, and when the body’s blood has too much sugar, it can poison the body.

There is also a third type of diabetes called gestational diabetes which affects women during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition and it is relatively common, occurring in approximately 3% of all pregnancies. Gestational diabetes increases the risk that both the mother and the child will develop diabetes in the future.

Finally, a diabetes-linked condition called prediabetes is often noticed by doctors before the patient actually develops diabetes. With prediabetes, blood glucose levels are significantly higher than normal, although they’re not quite high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.

Early warning signs of diabetes

-Excessive, unquenchable thirst

-Frequent urination

-Blurred vision

-Mild fatigue

-Females may suffer from recurring vaginal yeast infections

-Weakness throughout the body

-Tingling in the extremities, including the hands, les, and feet

-Easy weight loss without trying

-Skin that is dry and itchy

Keep in mind that diabetes sufferers rarely experience all of these symptoms. If you are experiencing two or more of these symptoms on a persistent basis, then you’ll want to visit a doctor to understand what is going on.

Unfortunately, many of those who suffer from diabetes can experience these symptoms for years without seeking treatment. Type 2 diabetes is considered a gradual onset condition, which means that its symptoms creep up slowly on sufferers.

Seeking medical treatment

Those seeking medical treatment for any of the symptoms listed above are encouraged to visit their family doctor or an urgent care center in their area. Urgent care centers like WellStreet are open for longer hours than family clinics, and they also stay open during weekends and holidays.

Once at a medical clinic, doctors can administer a simple blood test to check for diabetes. This blood test will require a fasting period to determine where your blood glucose levels sit when the body is not digesting food.

If a doctor determines that the patient is suffering from diabetes, then the doctor will recommend a number of different treatment options, including physical activity, a healthy diet, medication, and lifestyle management tips to lower blood pressure.

The medical professionals at WellStreet can help ensure your diabetes treatment proceeds as smoothly as possible with a minimal amount of discomfort. Visit WellStreet urgent care Alpharetta or urgent care Buckhead today for treatment in North Atlanta.

We’ve all felt pain at some point in our lives. But when pain strikes, what can you do to minimize its effects? Sometimes, managing pain is as simple as taking a pill. In other cases, the pain from a chronic condition will never go away.

In any case, there are a number of tips and tricks anybody can use to reduce pain. Here are some of the most effective management methods for patients experiencing chronic pain:

Learn to meditate

Meditation isn’t for everybody, but those who practice meditation and deep breathing techniques find that it helps them ignore pain in any part of their body. Meditation also allows your body to release tension from the muscles.

Eliminate stress in your life

This tip might be the hardest one to implement. However, it can also be the most effective way to manage pain. Identify the factors in your life that are causing stress. Whether it’s a bad relationship, anxiety about work performance, or one of hundreds of other factors, reducing stress can allow you to focus on managing your own chronic pain. And, once stress has been reduced, many people find that the worst symptoms of chronic pain will disappear. Try taking reduced hours at work, for example.

Exercise

If you’re experiencing pain in any part of the body, then you might think you’d want to avoid exercise as much as possible. However, evidence has suggested that endorphins – which are created through exercise – are an excellent pain management tool. They boost your mood while simultaneously blocking pain signals in the body. Along with reducing the risk of heart disease and obesity, regular exercise builds muscles, which prevents further injury. Try going out for a short jog every day to see if that reduces your pain.

Keep a ‘pain journal’

The term ‘pain journal’ might sound frightening, but it’s not nearly as scary as you might think. Keep track of how bad your chronic pain is throughout the week. Does pain spike on certain days? Does it disappear on others? Once you’ve kept careful track of your pain through the pain journal, you can take that information to your doctor before narrowing down the factors that cause pain.

Chronic pain won’t go away?

If you’ve been experiencing pain in any part of your body for more than two to three days and are unsure what is causing that pain, then you will want to seek the advice of a medical professional. If the pain is sharp and extremely uncomfortable, then you may want to visit the emergency room or call 911, as that could be the sign of a number of serious symptoms.

If the pain is dull but persistent, then an urgent care Atlanta clinic will be able to get you back on your feet in no time at all. Urgent care Atlanta clinics like WellStreet are staffed with professional, courteous doctors who can treat and diagnose whatever pain you may be experiencing. Urgent care clinics also feature significantly shorter waiting room times than emergency rooms, making them an ideal choice for those who don’t want to spend more time in the hospital than necessary.