Never Give Up—Fight Illness With Strength And Science
What is Dialysis? Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) usually progresses to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). When that happens, dialysis has to be done to remove the waste materials, salt, and water from the body that cannot be removed by any other means. Hemodialysis Dialysis can be done in two ways. Hemodialysis is when a shunt is…
This article lists the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Anyone with three or more of the following five conditions—hypertension, high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, low HDL, and obesity—qualifies for a diagnosis of MetS. Any single condition in the five components of MetS produces many other reactions that interact with the effects of the…
Glaucoma happens when fluid builds up in front of the eye according to the American College of Ophthalmology. It is a leading cause of blindness in the over 60-year-old age group. Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) occurs when the fluid in the front part of the eye does not drain well. It is usually painless at first….
The pain of renal colic is one of the most severe pains in the emergency department. Kidney stone pains are agonizing and relentless. Usually, the patients are writhing in pain and vomiting and sweating profusely. Kidney stones are formed in the kidney. As the stone travels down the ureter to get to the urinary bladder,…
Hair loss can be a sign of a future heart attack. Hair loss affects 50 million men and women in the U.S. The most common pattern is Androgenic Alopecia (AGA). For this article, androgenic alopecia will be referred to as hair loss. Patterns of hair loss differ between men and women. In Male Pattern Hair…
The underlying problem in Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is not routinely tested but can manifest in the skin. Read on to see if someone you know may be at risk for diabetes. Many are unaware that they have the beginnings of Type 2 diabetes. Years before a person is…
Insulin resistance is the linchpin of many diseases of modern life like metabolic syndrome, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. Knowing about how insulin resistance develops provides a better understanding of the familiar and deadly diseases that may be affecting you or someone you know. Normal Glucose Metabolism All the cells in the body need a…
caption id=”attachment_2147″ align=”aligncenter” width=”293″] Acanthosis Nigricans in the Armpit[/caption] The dark discoloration in the skin could be Acanthosis Nigricans (AN). AN is typically a dark raised area and can be velvety. It can show up anywhere in the skin. Common locations are the armpits, the face, elbows, knuckles, back of the neck, chest, and groin….
This article is to raise awareness about why acne may be a sign of early diabetes. The Teenage Years During the teenage years, the body needs to produce more cells to grow fast. Insulin is necessary to help build-up the body. Insulin stores and uses the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to make more cells. Insulin…
That dry and scaly skin patch may be psoriasis, which can be a warning sign for other conditions. Why is this article relevant? Because psoriasis affects 1-4% of the general population (125 million worldwide) A person with psoriasis is 2 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than a person without metabolic syndrome. Having…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive and severely disabling disease that affects both wrists, fingers, hip, knees, and ankles. 1.3 million U.S. adults have RA. While no definite cause of RA has been found, RA is associated with body-wide inflammation, similar to metabolic syndrome (MetS). Epidemiological studies have shown that MetS can be present in…
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of joint inflammation. OA is commonly attributed to aging, overuse, and joint degeneration from increased mechanical loading of the neck, lower back, hips, knees, and feet in obesity. Recently, there is an interest in the association of OA and MetS. This makes sense, considering that there has been an…
The article, Physical Activity Correlates with Life Span, discussed the longer life expectancy associated with physical activity. The article How Does Exercise Prolong Life? Explained the different biological processes that are activated that lead to a longer life. In contrast, a sedentary lifestyle is chock full of diseases. Clinical Consequences of Inactivity: Metabolic Diseases Obesity Risk…
Loose teeth may be periodontitis, and they may have Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Conversely, if someone has poorly controlled diabetes, they may have periodontitis. Periodontal disease is a disease of the mouth caused by germs that weakens the attachment of the tooth to the gums that ultimately leads to loss of teeth. Signs and symptoms…
There is a dose-response relationship between physical activity and length of life. The more and vigorous the movement, the longer the life. That was the topic of Physical Activity Correlates with Life Span. The more powerful the movement, the longer the life. So how does the body do that? How can movement and exercise make…
This article was a continuation of a post about the story of GS when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. While in the hospital, she was seen by a hospitalist and she was advised to be mindful of gluten intake too. GS was told that gluten can also cause symptoms similar to CD Knowing that…
Crohn’s disease (CD) is of particular interest to me because I know someone close to me that was diagnosed with CD. It was a scary time. During medical school about 30 years ago, we were taught that CD is only seen in young Caucasian males in their 20s. Presently, as people adopt a “westernized…
This post is a continuation of the previous article, Metabolic Syndrome and the Pancreas. The recent post described the progression of the pancreatic disease from fat infiltration, nonalcoholic fatty pancreas disease (NAFPD) to nonalcoholic steatopancreatitis (NASP) characterized by chronic inflammation resulting in scarring and even pancreatic cancer in some patients. The pancreas serves a vital function in…
What is the Pancreas? The pancreas is a vital organ located behind the stomach. It makes digestive enzymes and the hormones insulin and glucagon. It is connected to the gallbladder system and intestines by small tubes that conduct the bile and digestive enzymes to go to the duodenum to digest fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. Insulin…
G.M. is a 61-year-old male who decided to do intermittent fasting after I discussed with him the benefits of fasting. He started out weighing 172 lbs with a waistline of 36 inches. At that time, he was also having frequent nonspecific vague abdominal pains. He saw his primary care physician and several specialists and had…