HealthCare

What are some practical strategies to manage arthritis in aging adults?

Practical strategies for arthritis in aging adults: motion, strength, weight, and diet

All right, so this is a question, I'm very passionate about, what are some practical strategies to manage arthritis and aging adults? So, for me, this is very passionate because I could make concern is helping people deal with a problem that seems to have no answer except for surgery. And there are many ways to handle this, especially what we call a multi-modal approach or using different strategies at the same time to treat a problem. The first thing you have to do is embrace the idea that motion is lotion, move it or lose it. Arthritic joints gets Stiff. So you talk about your knee, or your hip, or even your spine motion is important to keep the fluid in those joints. Moving to keep the tissue pliable and stretchy and so that can help support weight and load number two is building strength. We recommend as it is 150 minutes of exercise a week. For everybody. We also recommend two days a week of strength training. So the more strength you have, let's say around your knee with your glutes, and hamstrings and quads getting stronger, the more weight that those muscles can unload. Off your joint putting less pressure in your knee. Number three is also managing your weight because it's basic physics. Basic physics equation, Force equals mass times acceleration, and acceleration is gravity. So the force on your joints is equal to your body mass times gravity. So the less Mass, you have less force on your joints. Number four would be managing symptoms with anti-inflammatories. Especially topical anti-inflammatory is on certain areas. So I need joints, for instance, I like using anti-inflammatories like Voltaren gel that you can rub on the knee to avoid irritating, your stomach. So those ethnic other approach to it. The better approach though is to change your diet, stool a more anti-inflammatory diet, avoid processed foods, avoid things that can provoke inflammation, that will help keep your joints continuously inflamed hurting and swollen, the less less information you create from your diet, the better, your joints will feel

To manage arthritis and aging adults, a multi-modal approach is best. This includes motion (move it or lose it), building strength, managing weight and utilizing anti-inflammatories. Additionally, changing one's diet to avoid processed foods and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet can help reduce inflammation and swelling in the joints.

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When it comes to managing arthritis in aging adults, there are practical strategies that can be implemented. One effective approach is a multi-modal approach, which involves using different strategies simultaneously to address the problem.

Firstly, it's important to embrace the concept that motion is lotion. Keeping arthritic joints moving is crucial to prevent stiffness. Regular movement helps maintain fluid in the joints, keeps the tissues pliable, and supports weight-bearing.

Building strength is another key strategy. The general recommendation is 150 minutes of exercise per week, along with two days of strength training. Strengthening the muscles around the affected joints, such as the glutes, hamstrings, and quads, can help unload weight and reduce pressure on the joints.

Managing weight is also essential. The force on the joints is determined by body mass multiplied by gravity. By maintaining a healthy weight, there is less force exerted on the joints, alleviating stress and strain.

Managing symptoms can be done through the use of anti-inflammatories. Topical anti-inflammatory gels, like Voltaren gel, can be applied directly to the affected areas, such as the knee, to minimize stomach irritation. However, a better approach is to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet. This involves avoiding processed foods and other dietary triggers that can cause inflammation. By reducing inflammation in the body, joint pain and swelling can be minimized.

By implementing these practical strategies, it is possible to effectively manage arthritis in aging adults and improve their overall quality of life.

How do you diagnose overtraining syndrome?

Identifying Overtraining Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Recovery

Great question, how do you diagnose overtraining syndrome? Most folks think of overtraining syndrome is something where you have symptoms. You have a decrease in performance, we call that overtraining but to be more specific, we have things called overreaching and overtraining. So, over regions where you start seeing in a few days or a week of excessive training, a decrease in performance. And this is Hallmark by the ability to get better and recover with a few days of rest. Now long-term over tray over reaching can be seen in with people who are doing excessive training for weeks to months and they start seeing a decrease in performance and usually takes a little bit more recovery. Time to get better overtraining is usually more severe you have at least 2 months of decreased performance, but usually have a whole host of symptoms. Chronic pain, fatigue, weight loss, anorexia a high heart rate, high blood pressure depression, a lot of these things can be happening at one time, so they get the diagnosis right, you take the history and everything, the athletes going, Through and then you'll do work UPS to make sure that there's nothing else going on. So testing for other conditions and make sure there's nothing else. Masking these symptoms. So you put all that together and that's how you get the diagnosis of overtraining syndrome.

OTS is diagnosed by taking a history of the athlete's performance, and then doing tests to make sure nothing else is causing their symptoms. Symptoms include chronic pain, fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, high heart rate, high blood pressure, depression and decreased performance that can take weeks to months to recover from.

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To diagnose overtraining syndrome, there are a few key factors to consider. Overtraining syndrome is often associated with a decrease in performance, but it's important to differentiate between overreaching and overtraining.

Overreaching occurs when there is a temporary decrease in performance after a few days or a week of excessive training. However, with a few days of rest, the individual is able to recover and improve.

Long-term overreaching is seen when someone engages in excessive training for weeks to months, resulting in a sustained decrease in performance that requires more time to recover.

Overtraining syndrome is typically more severe, with at least two months of decreased performance and a range of symptoms. These symptoms may include chronic pain, fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, high heart rate, high blood pressure, and depression.

To diagnose overtraining syndrome accurately, a thorough history of the athlete's training and symptoms is essential. Additionally, medical workups may be conducted to rule out other conditions that could be contributing to or masking these symptoms.

By considering the individual's history, symptoms, and conducting appropriate testing, a diagnosis of overtraining syndrome can be made.

Is there anything new to suggest for chronic migraine for prevention?

New Drugs Show Dramatic Results in Preventing Chronic Migraines

So our question is, is there anything new to prevent migraines? So hopefully if you've tried other medications and hopefully they've been successful, Propanolol, which is a beta blocker, Topamax, which is a neurologic agent, also Botox injections, which you do every 12 weeks. There are lots of other older methods to help prevent migraines. Making sure your neck is checked out as well. But the newer class of drugs to help prevent migraines is calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists. So these medications are newer now, almost like one or two years old now. And these medications have been very effective in preventing the onset of migraines. So folks who have like four to five episodes of migraines a week go down to a one a week or one every other week. So it's been pretty dramatic. The side effects are nausea, constipation, and fatigue. So make sure you talk to your doctor about these new medications if you're interested in trying them.

New medications such as Topamax, Botox injections and calcitonin Gene related peptide receptor antagonists have been found to be effective in preventing the onset of migraines. Side effects include nausea, constipation and fatigue, so it is important to consult a doctor before taking any medication.

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Regarding prevention of migraines, there are various options to consider. If you have already tried other medications successfully, options such as Propranolol (a beta blocker), Topamax (a neurologic agent), and Botox injections (administered every 12 weeks) can be effective. It's also important to have your neck checked out and explore older methods of migraine prevention. However, a newer class of drugs known as calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists has emerged. These medications have been shown to be highly effective at preventing migraines. Individuals who previously experienced four to five migraine episodes per week have reported a significant reduction to just one episode per week or even one every other week. Potential side effects include nausea, constipation, and fatigue. If you're interested in trying these new medications, it's best to discuss them with your doctor.

What are the health risks associated with bulimia? 

Bulimia: Vomiting Food & Health Risks - Tooth Decay, Organ Damage, and More!

So there are many different health risks associated with Bulimia, which is typically, when you person is consuming food, and and calories, and then purging it out of the body usually, through Forest MSS, or vomiting. So, the process of vomiting of food can cause health risks. Such as tooth decay, Dental damage damage to the esophagus the throat, the stomach you can get ulcers bleeding. Sometimes, this also leads to pancreatitis the process of deprive your body of of energy can lead to dehydration and fatigue. A lot of times leads to depression as well losing your period or having a regular periods. Can also be a problem, but you also don't have enough electrolytes which is your sodium potassium. Those kind of things that regulate your heart. So you have kidney damage liver damage from this, your heart can start showing signs of arrhythmia. You can even go into cardiac arrest and sometimes it can even lead to death.

Bulimia can have many health risks such as tooth decay, damage to the esophagus and throat, ulcers, bleeding, pancreatitis, dehydration, fatigue, depression, irregular periods, kidney and liver damage, arrhythmia, and even death.

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Bulimia, which involves consuming food and then purging it through forced vomiting, poses various health risks. Vomiting can lead to tooth decay, dental damage, and harm to the esophagus, throat, and stomach. Ulcers and bleeding may occur as well. Depriving the body of energy can result in dehydration, fatigue, and potential kidney and liver damage. Electrolyte imbalances, such as low sodium and potassium levels, can affect heart function. Other risks include pancreatitis, depression, irregular periods, and cardiac issues like arrhythmia or even cardiac arrest. In severe cases, bulimia can be life-threatening.

What benefits can endurance athletes get from an Omega-3 supplement?

Unlocking the Potential: Omega-3 Benefits for Endurance Athletes

What benefits can endurance athletes gain from Omega-3, supplements, Omega-3, supplements have been looked at a lot of research in the last five to ten years looking at things, like, using it for brain injury and concussions for heart disease. The American Heart Association has recommended the supplements for treating. Cardiovascular, or preventing cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. And folks who already have heart disease for endurance athletes, there seems to be a suggestion that the omega-3 fish oil supplements, help improve endurance. It's help decrease perceived exertion and some cases help build muscle. So folks seem to be getting some benefit from that. There are several studies out there that support this. There are other studies and other meta-analyses. That look at all, the studies that don't see, a lot of strong evidence for it, but it's a safe supplement. If it take really high doses, they have things like bleeding or even possibly ulcers occur, but in general is pretty safe. So if you want to try using for endurance, feel free to try it.

Omega-3 fish oil supplements have been studied for their potential benefits for endurance athletes. Studies suggest that it may help increase endurance, decrease perceived exertion, and even build muscle. However, there is not strong evidence to support these claims. Still, Omega-3 fish oil supplements are generally safe to use, so if you want to try it, feel free to do so.

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Endurance athletes can potentially benefit from Omega-3 supplements. Research conducted in the past decade has explored the use of Omega-3 supplements for various purposes, such as brain injury, concussions, and heart disease. The American Heart Association even recommends these supplements for preventing cardiovascular events.

For endurance athletes specifically, there is some suggestion that Omega-3 fish oil supplements can improve endurance, decrease perceived exertion, and aid in muscle building. Several studies support these findings. However, there are also studies and meta-analyses that do not find strong evidence for these benefits.

It's important to note that Omega-3 supplements are generally safe to use. However, taking very high doses may lead to side effects like bleeding or ulcers. If you're interested in trying Omega-3 supplements for endurance purposes, it is worth giving it a try as long as you do so responsibly.

My father suffers from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis that began at the age of 35. I am 45 and notice joint pain/effusions from time to time. Is there any way to screen for RA and are there any prevention strategies?

Detect and Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis: Family History or Concerned? Here's What You Can Do!

So, if you have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis or are you just worried that you have it, there are things you can do to detect it. Number one is the physical exam, a doctor, examine your joints to see if there's any swelling deformity of the joint. Deviations of the joint x-rays are very important looking for a roast of changes or degenerative changes in the joints, especially in certain joints. Lab work is very important looking for things like rheumatoid factor and a looking for route for C-reactive protein or SED rates, those are things that you can check for rheumatoid arthritis as well. If you want to try and prevent rheumatoid arthritis, several things you want to do. Number one, stop smoking number to lose weight because obesity and smoking are closely tied to require the brightest. Number three, avoid environmental pollutants and number 4. If you have any signs at all of joint, pain, swelling, get checked out immediately because early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can help save your joints from damage down the line.

To detect rheumatoid arthritis, a doctor can do a physical exam, use x-rays to look for changes in the joints and check lab work for rheumatoid factor. To prevent it, stop smoking, lose weight, avoid environmental pollutants and get checked out immediately if signs of joint pain or swelling appear.

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If you have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis or are concerned about having it, there are ways to screen for it. A physical exam by a doctor can assess your joints for swelling or deformities. X-rays are important for detecting any changes or degeneration in the joints, especially in specific areas. Lab work is also crucial, as it can check for markers like rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, or SED rates that indicate rheumatoid arthritis.

To prevent rheumatoid arthritis, there are several strategies you can follow. First, quit smoking, as it is closely linked to the development of the condition. Second, maintain a healthy weight, as obesity is also associated with an increased risk. Third, avoid exposure to environmental pollutants. Lastly, if you experience any joint pain or swelling, seek medical attention promptly. Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can help prevent long-term joint damage.

By being proactive in screening for rheumatoid arthritis and adopting preventive measures, you can take steps to manage the condition effectively.

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Sports medicine specialist Steven Karageanes, DO, FAOASM, uses a hands-on approach to diagnose and treat orthopedic/sports injuries. He specializes in complex problems without injury, such as anterior knee pain, low back pain, and hip pain. Treatments include osteopathic manipulative medicine, perineural hydro dissection, platelet-rich plasma, prolotherapy, diagnostic ultrasound, and Tenex (tenotomy). Dr. Karageanes is certified in performing arts medicine and works with dance programs at Madonna University, Wayne State University, University of Michigan, and ConteXture Dance Detroit. He has worked with Radio City Rockettes, So You Think You Can Dance, Pippin, Chicago, Bolshoi Ballet, and Brighton Dance Festival as well as numerous dance studios across Michigan. Dr. Karageanes is a frequent speaker and prolific writer, authoring numerous papers and media presentations.

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