Chronic Pain

Back Issues for Equestrians

Low back pain is common among horseback riders. These are mostly the aches and pains of strained muscles from excessive riding or improper posture while on the horse.

Controlling and riding a large animal like a horse requires the same strength and effort as is required for many other sports. In a nutshell, horseback riding requires body control similar to that used by athletes when skiing, or as can be seen in the martial arts, and even dancing.

To avoid back problems, you need to learn how to balance your body correctly while riding your horse.

Here is the list of the riding habits that can lead to back pain:

1. Slouched Shoulders. Slouched shoulders = lousy posture, which in turn hurts your spine with every step your horse takes. A horse’s gait is not that far off from humans, but when your shoulders are rounded it makes it difficult to control the horse and maintain your balance. This can easily lead to back pain and sore muscles that can last for days.

2. Leaning Forward During Turns. A good rider knows how to keep their posture centered even as they take turns and swerve their horses in different directions. Take tight turns and keep your weight focused, allowing it to fall inward as you make your turn. This will avoid a possible muscle strain in the process

3. Hollow Back. Another bad habit horseback riders have is sitting up too straight or too stiffly, then overcompensating by hollowing out the lower back. This affects the space you take on top of the horse, which can influence your balance and how well you can control the horse. The position puts undue strain on your lower back and can cause you to fall off your horse if not corrected.

4. Pinching Your Knees Together. For new riders, this is especially common. The amateur equestrian might resort to pinching the knees together in an effort to stay on the horse. However, this action affects how you are positioned atop the saddle and makes it more difficult to balance, apply leg aids, and to properly post the trot (when you rise out of the saddle, which can smooth the ride when your horse is trotting).

Preventing Low Back Pain

Experts suggest using proper posture while horseback riding to help eliminate low back pain associated with the activity. You should also wear the appropriate equipment and protective gear while you ride. This can help constrain and protect your back muscles, as well as protect against other injuries. In addition, riding in moderation can help lessen the likelihood of lower back pain related to your horseback riding.

Well-Equipped Family Medicine Provider in Wellington

If you have lower back pain from prolonged horseback riding, visit Advanced Medical Clinic to get it treated. Request an appointment now or call us at (561) 434-1935 for more details and to schedule a checkup with one of our licensed family medicine providers today.

Treating COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable but treatable condition that affects over 16 million Americans who have been diagnosed with the disease. Many others suffer from it unknowingly.

The acronym COPD is an umbrella term that covers any disease affecting airway obstructions, especially emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Let’s take a look at the causes, symptoms, and ultimate treatments of the various disorders included in COPD.

Causes and Symptoms of COPD

The primary cause for COPD in developed nations like the United States is cigarette smoking. In underdeveloped nations, it tends to occur when people are overexposed to burning fuel for cooking or to heating elements in poorly ventilated homes and buildings.

The main types of COPD in the U.S. are chronic bronchitis and emphysema:

Chronic Bronchitis

This condition occurs when there is inflammation of the bronchial tubes, causing the bronchial tubes to narrow and produce excessive mucus. The narrowing and extra mucus together block airflow to and from the lungs, and sufferers develop a chronic cough while trying to breathe.

Emphysema

This is a condition whereby the smallest air passageways in the lungs are destroyed, causing shortness of breath. Emphysema is a result of exposure to damaging substances from smoking, irritating gases, or other particulate matter that gets trapped in the lungs and causes damage. Smaller airways can collapse when exhaling, further impairing breathing.

Treatment for COPD

Any of the COPD health conditions are manageable. They do require certain changes in lifestyle. The best way to manage your COPD symptoms is to stop smoking and to avoid secondhand smoke whenever possible.

Medical treatments for COPD include a bronchodilator, which comes in an inhaler. This medication can help relax the muscles of the airway, relieving coughing and making it easier to breathe.

Inhalant forms of steroids can also help with the symptoms of COPD, although they do have certain unpleasant side effects. You and your family medicine provider can discuss whether the benefits outweigh the effects of COPD.

Oxygen therapy can also help considerably. There are modern ways of carrying around a portable oxygen tank that make it less obvious than before. Portable oxygen has indeed proven to extend the lifespan and improve the quality of life of a person with COPD.

Diagnosis of COPD

To get a diagnosis, your family medicine provider will first review your family history. Up to 30% of people with COPD were never smokers, so the family medicine provider will be checking for a genetic predisposition to lung issues. The family medicine provider will also discuss any potential exposure to lung irritants like cigarettes, or exposure to harmful fumes in the workplace.

They will also perform a series of diagnostic tests, such as the following:

  • Spirometry is a machine with a tube that measures how much air you can inhale and how quickly (and how much) air you can exhale.
  • A chest X-ray can show the presence of emphysema and rule out other potential problems.
  • A CT scan can detect emphysema and determine whether surgery could be beneficial, while it also screens for lung cancer.
  • An arterial-blood gas analysis will test how well the lungs bring oxygen to the blood and filter out carbon dioxide.

Family Medicine Provider in Palm Beach County

COPD is a serious illness that requires management and medical supervision in order to continue enjoying life. If you are in the Wellington or Royal Palm Beach area, contact our team to schedule an appointment at Advanced Medical Clinic.

Call us today at (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online now, and let us help you get back to better breathing!

Diabetes

There are more than 100 million Americans who have diabetes or pre-diabetes – encompassing almost a third of the country’s entire population. About 84 million have pre-diabetes, and 30 million do have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to process glucose (sugar). Glucose provides the energy necessary for the cells in our muscles and tissues to work properly, but diabetes leads to high sugar levels which can cause serious health problems.

In 2015, diabetes was among the top 10 causes of death in this country, ranking at #7. That is why it is so important to catch the disease early, at the pre-diabetic stage, before it turns into type 2 diabetes.

Types of Diabetes

There are several different types of diabetes. Let’s take a look at the most common forms of this condition:

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs only in pregnant women. If a woman develops this condition, it usually first appears in the middle of pregnancy. This condition normally disappears after the baby has been born.

If gestational diabetes is ignored, it can cause the baby to be too large. This can create problems during delivery, and the baby can develop nerve damage because there tends to be too much pressure on the baby’s shoulder during the birthing process.

A woman with gestational diabetes also has a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes later. Therefore, it is important for the woman to continue following a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise.

Pre-Diabetes

If a person has pre-diabetes, it is necessary for them to modify their diet in order to avoid developing type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise that the person enjoys and a healthy diet comprising foods the person likes are essential to maintaining a healthy body going forward.

If you have pre-diabetes and you continue to follow an unhealthy lifestyle, eating high-fat foods and being notably overweight, you are likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five years. That is the dangerous stage of diabetes, so it should be carefully avoided.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a serious form of this disease, and its exact cause remains unknown. It is believed to be either an inherited disorder or caused by a virus.

This type of diabetes causes a person’s pancreas to release very small amounts of insulin or no insulin at all. Without insulin, sugar levels will continually build up in the bloodstream, causing severe side effects.

Insulin is a hormone that enables glucose to enter our cells for energy. We get glucose from the foods we eat after the food is processed by the digestive system.

This form of the disease was previously called juvenile diabetes. It usually appears during childhood or adolescence, and it requires daily insulin injections to stay alive because the pancreas is not providing the proper insulin support.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, and it can develop at any age in a person’s life – but it usually affects people over the age of 40. With type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use insulin properly, even though it still produces it.

This form develops over many years, and symptoms may not be obvious. With proper nutrition, daily exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight, the development of type 2 diabetes can be delayed and even prevented.

Complications from Diabetes

Having diabetes dramatically raises the risk of many cardiovascular problems, such as a heart attack or a stroke. The presence of excessive sugar in the bloodstream can lead to nerve damage, especially in the legs – which, if left untreated, can cause a loss of all sensation in the affected limbs.

Complications often affect the feet and legs of diabetic patients. This can lead to the need for amputation of the foot, leg, or both in order to keep the diabetic person alive.

Kidney damage can also be caused by diabetes. Severe kidney damage can lead to kidney failure, which may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina, potentially leading to issues in the eye. This can cause glaucoma, cataracts, and even blindness.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach

Our skilled and experienced medical team at Advanced Medical Clinic is here to assist you in all of your health care needs. We practice family and internal medicine – and if you have any risk factors for diabetes, we can provide a full evaluation and treatment if necessary.

Call us at (561) 434-1935 today, or request an appointment online right now. Let us help put your mind at ease about diabetes.

Managing Diabetes: 6 Tips for Type 1 Diabetes

Contrary to popular belief, type 1 diabetes is not only a childhood disease. Although it usually strikes in people under the age of 20, it can occur at any age, in every race, and to people of every shape and size.

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, a sugar that is used as a source of fuel for the body. Normally, the hormone insulin helps glucose enter the cells where it is used for energy.  People with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin. As a result, glucose does not get into the body’s cells and stays in the bloodstream. Too much sugar in the blood makes people ill and can result in medical complications. Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes have to monitor their blood glucose levels constantly and appropriately administer insulin every day of their lives.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, but there are many things you can do that will help you manage your condition in order to live a long and healthy life.

Get the Right Support

Every person who has diabetes should have a personal plan and a health care team. You’re in charge of putting that plan into action, but you don’t have to compile it on your own. Speak to your family medicine provider about setting up the right support for you. This should include an endocrinologist, a nutritionist, or a dietitian, and you may even want to include a podiatrist and an ophthalmologist and a diabetes educator to explain to you how to live better with the condition.

Get Regular Checks with Your Health Care Team

Talk with your health care team regularly, and keep them in the loop on your condition. High blood sugar can affect organs and tissues throughout your body. Even if your diabetes is controlled well, health problems can still arise – so it is important to get checked out regularly and watch for warning signs such as sores that don’t heal, swelling, tingling, or numbness in your hands and feet, and blurred or double vision. You should report these concerns early on so they can be treated quickly before getting worse. You can slow or even stop the damage if you act quickly.

It is vitally important to see your endocrinologist at least every 90 days and have your longer-term blood sugar levels checked. A Hemoglobin A1c test tells you and your family medicine provider what your blood sugars are doing over a 90-day period and helps tremendously in managing the disease.

Watch What You Eat and When You Eat

It is a good idea to have a healthy meal plan in place which includes complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber, lots of green, leafy vegetables, and limits to the amount of fat in your diet – especially saturated fats such as bacon, sausage, and full-fat dairy. Saturated fat raises your chance of heart disease, and with diabetes this increases your risk further. Making smart food choices can lower that risk.

Carbohydrates are found in many foods including grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and sugars. They are your body’s main source of energy, but they raise your blood sugar levels faster than any other food – so knowing how many and what type of carbs you can eat can affect how well you manage your diabetes.

It is a good idea to work with your family medicine provider or dietician to establish a personalized eating plan to figure out how many grams of carbs you should be eating throughout the day and try to ensure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Eating little and often rather than the usual three meals a day is more likely to keep your blood sugar levels stable than going long periods without eating.

Get Active

Regular physical activity can help you lose extra weight, keep blood sugar levels healthy, and lower your blood pressure. It can also improve your sleep, mood, and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, which can all negatively affect blood glucose levels.

Just 5 minutes of walking can dramatically reduce your blood glucose levels. Try to find a form of exercise you enjoy, whether this be individually or in a group.

It is important to keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels before, during, and after exercise, because it can raise or lower your levels and can even trigger hypoglycemia.

Take Advantage of Advancements

Diabetes management has come a long way. Be sure to take advantage of the tools and technology that exist to help aid in the daily management of the disease.

Make sure you have a blood glucose monitor and that you do regular checks (at least four per day). Most monitors use a very small drop of blood and display the results very quickly. There is even a monitor available that requires no finger sticks at all.

Consider getting a CGM as well. A CGM is a continuous glucose monitor. The device is a small sensor you wear on the skin that reads and displays blood sugar results every 5 minutes automatically. This allows you to know what your blood sugars are doing 24 hours per day. The results display through your smartphone, and alarms signal an oncoming low or high, allowing you to stay ahead of blood sugar changes.

Instead of injections, consider an insulin pump. An insulin pump can help you manage your diabetes by matching your insulin to your lifestyle, rather than getting an insulin injection and matching your life to how the insulin is working. Insulin pumps deliver short-acting insulin 24 hours a day through a catheter placed under the skin. You then deliver insulin through the pump based on the number of carbohydrates you will eat at mealtime or to correct a high blood sugar. There is even a wireless pump available that allows you to wear it discreetly on multiple places on the body as well as swim and shower with it.

Be Kind to Yourself

Living with diabetes and its daily demands can be stressful, so it’s really important to focus on and feel good about your achievements. Don’t be overly critical of yourself if you fall short of a goal, and give yourself credit when you are successful at managing your blood sugar. Remember to do the best you can do and keep a positive attitude.

At Advanced Medical, PA, we pride ourselves in providing personal and individualized, quality health care. Our experienced medical staff take the time to get to know our patients, and we are here to help you manage diabetes and other chronic conditions. To learn more about us and the services we offer, or to arrange a visit, call us at (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about our practice and the primary care services we provide.

Managing Your Weight with Diabetes

For more than 30 million Americans, diabetes or prediabetes is a fact of life. Being overweight is a major factor that can make a person susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, the body either resists the effects of insulin or it doesn’t produce enough insulin for the cells to maintain proper levels of glucose (sugar). Insulin is a hormone that regulates the sugar in your body’s cells, and being overweight puts excess pressure on your body in regulating these levels.

If you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, losing weight can make a significant positive impact on your health and diabetes management. Let’s take a look at how your weight affects – and can be affected by – diabetes.

Weight Gain and Diabetes

Obesity is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, but actually any amount of excess weight makes you more likely to have diabetes. In fact, 90 percent of people diagnosed are overweight. In addition, fat that is concentrated around your waist (belly fat) carries an even greater link.

For those who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, excess weight can make your body become resistant to insulin. Your pancreas therefore makes more insulin in response to this resistance, and the pancreas can eventually lose function from being overworked.

How Weight Loss Can Help

According to the American Diabetes Association, losing just a few pounds can make diabetes more manageable. Plus, obesity is also linked with heart disease, so losing weight truly improves your overall health.

Losing weight therefore reduces the need for insulin medication, decreases feelings of depression, and can reduce or eliminate obstructive sleep apnea.

Why Diabetes Can Make Losing Weight More Difficult

Maintaining your weight after losing it successfully is hard for everyone, but these are some additional hurdles you may face if you have type 2 diabetes:

  • Medication to lower blood sugar can cause weight gain.
  • People who are treated for depression or other psychiatric disorders (which are common with diabetes) may take medicine that causes weight gain.
  • Peripheral nerve damage (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) can affect the body’s ability to maintain weight.
  • Changes in metabolism related to diabetes can make weight loss more difficult.

Strategies for Weight Management

It is important to remember that weight loss is a long-term process, and patience is important. Dramatic changes in eating habits may cause you to lose weight right away, but this is virtually impossible to maintain.

Below are some excellent ways for those dealing with diabetes to manage their weight:

  • Evaluate your lifestyle. Are you eating out of habit and not when you’re hungry? Are you including physical activity in your daily routine?
  • Stick to your plan. Developing a safe weight-loss plan with your primary care provider will help with accountability, and your family medicine provider will make sure the plan will work for your lifestyle.
  • Make good food choices. Set realistic expectations for the foods you eat; complete deprivation of the foods you love can lead to failure. Your family medicine provider  can advise you about good snacks, too.

Family Medicine Provider in Palm Beach County

Working with a trusted primary care provider is one of the best things you can do for diabetes management – and for your overall good health. Advanced Medical Clinic in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach offers continuity of care throughout our patients’ lives.

Our experienced medical staff take the time to get to know our patients at their wellness exams, and we are here to help you manage diabetes and other chronic conditions. We will help you set realistic goals and keep you on track for success.

Call (561) 434-1935 for an appointment at Advanced Medical Clinic today, or fill out our online appointment request form. We offer same-day appointments for your convenience. We look forward to serving you and helping you live an active, healthy lifestyle you enjoy.

What Does Being a Pre-Diabetic Patient Mean?

Being diagnosed as pre-diabetic may seem like a serious sentence, but it really is more of a warning that your condition need not become permanent if you are committed to making some lifestyle changes. Here is what being pre-diabetic means, and what you can do about it.

Two Types of Diabetes – Type 2

There are two different types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. While Type 2 can be alleviated and possibly even backtracked with proper diet and exercise, Type 1 diabetes cannot. As opposed to Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin, the hormone necessary to process the sugar your body takes in. Pre-diabetes refers to the stage before your body is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and occurs when your blood sugar level is higher than what is deemed normal, but has not yet reached the level of Type 2 Diabetes.

In these cases, your body may not be properly processing sugar, or glucose, after you ingest it. This means the sugar begins to accumulate in your body instead of fueling your muscles and tissues as it normally should. So, each time you consume food, for instance, a sandwich, the sugar from it will enter your bloodstream. Without insulin, it will not enter the cells and you will not feel the energy from said sandwich.

Patterns to Watch

So, what kind of patterns should you be keeping track of that could put you at risk for pre-diabetes? For starters, check your diet. What you’re consuming could be impacting how you continue processing sugar. Red and processed meats make your body work very hard to process it. Also, sugary drinks like juices, sports drinks and sodas are big culprits that elevate your sugar levels, putting you at a higher risk of pre-diabetes. You should also monitor your weight regularly; being overweight puts you at a higher risk of getting diabetes.

Quick and Easy Long-term Fixes for Pre-Diabetes

Again, being diagnosed as a pre-diabetic patient doesn’t have to be permanent if you take serious steps to make a change. Committing to lowering your sugar levels, eating more whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly to keep your weight down will all make a significant difference in bringing your sugar levels back to normal.

The Importance of Regular Diabetic Screenings

It’s important to talk to your family medicine provider and have regular health screenings if you do believe you could be at risk for pre-diabetes, as the condition itself displays almost no obvious signs or symptoms. You may feel sluggish due to your body’s inability to properly process sugar, but it can vary. The more diligent you are with regular monitoring and healthy living, the more likely you are to prevent the long-term effects that come with full-on Type 2 diabetes.

The friendly staff at Advanced Medical welcomes your call and looks forward to serving you for any primary care services, including diabetes screening and care. For a full medical workup, to check your body’s sugar levels and to learn your risk for pre-diabetes or developing Type 2 diabetes, speak to the medical experts at Advanced Medical Clinic. Call us at (561) 434-1935 to schedule an appointment, or you can use our secure online appointment request form.

How Your Family Medicine Provider Can Help You Manage Your Pain

Chronic pain can wear you down and further degrade your physical and mental health. Your family medicine provider can work with you to reduce your pain and improve your ability to carry on with your everyday activities.

Approaches to pain management have evolved over the last decade. Medical professionals increasingly put you at the center of all aspects of pain management, and that is a good thing. A common misconception is that pain medications such as opioids are the go to for pain management, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many ways your provider can help you manage your pain.

Encourage Communication

Your family medicine provider can help you best by getting you actively involved in your treatment. By communicating openly with you, your provider will involve you with decision-making and problem solving. Living better with chronic pain is the goal (after all attempts to correct the painful condition, of course), and this requires excellent communication between you and your family medicine provider, and your medical team. Communicative and caring family medicine providers can empower you as a person, not just as a patient.

Listen and explain

Your provider will ask you about how you experience your pain, and specifically, to describe your pain in everyday language. Because there are no specialized tests to assess where and how you feel pain, you are the primary source of information. Don’t hold back. You are your best advocate. Everybody has a different pain threshold, so it’s important to get a unique understanding of each patient.

In turn, your family medicine provider can help you understand that even if your chronic pain has no specific cure, there are ways to manage it. Your family medicine provider can provide you with resources such as easy to read information, referrals for physical therapists, and other therapeutic experts.

Provide options

You family medicine provider will talk with you about these and other options for your pain management plan:

  • Medications including analgesics such as acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can be of help with mild to moderate pain.
  • Stronger pain medications, including opioids, provide important relief for patients who have strong or severe pain. You family medicine provider will work with you to ensure that you receive the appropriate and safe type of medication.
  • Pain management procedures such as electrical stimulation, acupuncture, nerve blocks, or surgery may be appropriate if pain is not controlled by medications.
  • Non-invasive treatments such as biofeedback, behavior modification, and psychotherapy are all important tools.
  • Alternative or complementary medicine (CAM) include treatments such as acupuncture, massage, Tai Chi, mindful meditation, and relaxation techniques, all of which have been shown to be helpful.

Advise and support

Your family medicine provider can suggest healthy lifestyle changes that will help you better manage your pain and improve your quality of life. Some suggestions your provider may make include:

Exercise: Chronic pain caused by certain conditions such as arthritis shouldn’t stop you from engaging in physical activity. Natural painkillers or endorphins released by your body after exercise help reduce perception of pain, and exercise has been shown to boost mood. Of course, first discuss any exercise plans with your provider to make sure they are safe and appropriate for you.

Diet: Eating regular meals rich in antioxidants and nutrients will help your body best deal with pain and stress. Eating fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean protein ensures you have the best fuel to repair and restore your health.

Reach out to us with any questions you have about how to manage your pain. call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or you can request an appointment online.

How Walking Can Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy, and those with diabetes have problems metabolizing it.

When someone is diabetic, the pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, does not produce enough insulin, which is what helps glucose get into the cells of our bodies. Diabetes can also interfere with your body’s ability to fight infection. Therefore, exercise is crucial in helping keep your immune system healthy and help prevent other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and strokes.

If you have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes, and would like to prevent it from developing, physical activity is crucial. It is also important to maintain your blood glucose levels with a healthy meal plan and lifestyle. Exercising has many benefits, which include:

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Controls weight and keeps weight down
  • Increased level of good cholesterol (HDL)
  • Leaner, stronger muscles
  • Stronger bones
  • More energy
  • Improved mood
  • Better sleep
  • Stress management

Walking is the best medicine and form of exercise to prevent diabetes. Research has shown that walking can dramatically boost energy levels, burn fat, and protects your heart. In other words, if you have high blood sugar, or if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, walking can be a lifesaver. An active lifestyle can help perpetuate a total body wellness, where more of a focus goes towards diet and exercise.

Obesity is an epidemic that affects more than 35 percent of people in the United States, and is one of the biggest factors leading to type-2 diabetes. Walking shrinks your abdominal fat, reducing your risk of diabetes. Excess fat around your abdomen causes inflammation in cells, making them even more resistant to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar; this increases your odds of developing the disease. According to everydayhealth.com, walking for 30 minutes a day, can reduce your risk of diabetes by 30 percent.

To learn more about how regular exercise and activity can help prevent diabetes, call Advanced Medical PA at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.

Pre-Diabetes: When to See Your Family Medicine Provider?

Prediabetes is also known as borderline diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, a condition that develops before someone receives a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. It occurs when there is a glucose intolerance, meaning your blood sugars are at a higher level than normal, but not enough to be put in the diabetes diagnosis category.

Fortunately, during the prediabetes phase the pancreas still produces insulin, but your blood sugar still remains too high, because the insulin doesn’t remove the sugar out of your bloodstream. This is a condition called insulin resistance, and requires a visit to your family medicine provider.

Someone who has prediabetes may not even know that they have it, as symptoms are not always present, and if they are, they can be mistaken or misdiagnosed for another condition. It is often the case where someone who struggles with insulin resistance may develop type 2 diabetes, if not treated properly. That’s why going to see your provider to get tested is important, especially if some common symptoms are present. Symptoms of prediabetes include:

  • Obesity
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Having a family history of diabetes
  • Lack of exercise
  • Blurry vision
  • Increased thirst
  • Tiredness/fatigue
  • Cuts that won’t heal
  •  Inflammation in your gums

As mentioned before, prediabetes is a silent condition, so getting a checkup is important in early detection and diagnosis. If left untreated, other systems in your body will be affected. If there is concern, your provider will perform the following tests, to see if the insulin in your body is doing what it should. These tests include:

1. A fasting blood glucose test: This test measures your blood sugar before you eat, and after you drink something sugary.

2. A1c (HbA1c) test (Hemoglobin)

3. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

Being on a proper diet plan and exercise regimen will help you reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To learn more about prediabetes, call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.

Chronic vs. Acute Pain

Pain, from the perspective of the medical professional, is often divided into two main categories: acute pain, and chronic pain. Acute pain is the type of pain that we feel as the immediate result of an injury (for example, your finger hurts after getting hit by a hammer when you are trying to drive a nail). Chronic pain is a pain that is more lasting or frequent in nature. Chronic pain, for example, might be more along the lines of having a back or joint pain that is either constant or comes and goes on a fairly regular basis. There are many different conditions linked to chronic and acute pain. These include autoimmune disorders, spine and nerve damage, neurological conditions like migraines, broken bones, nerve damage, burns, blunt trauma and lacerations, and much more.

The fact is that even minor pain caused by stubbing a toe, is seldom pleasant. Nor is it meant to be – pain is, after all, your body’s way of signaling you that something is wrong. Nature has hard wired us to feel pain when our body is injured or compromised in some way. The problem is though, that much like an alarm system that keeps blaring and refuses to shut off, your body can continue to send signals when you already know the issue exists. Acute pain is most often treated by treating the underlying cause of the pain. A broken arm for instance, normally begins to decrease in pain after the bone is set and the healing process has begun.

Chronic pain is often difficult to manage, becoming a quality of life issue. The degree of pain may vary from mild to debilitating, and in many cases, it is accompanied by other symptoms such as ongoing fatigue, depression or anxiety, irritability and an inability to concentrate. This is completely understandable. Some recent studies have also shown that chronic pain may actually alter brain chemistry, especially in the area of the brain that controls how emotions are processed.

Chronic pain conditions include:

  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Cancer
  • Back or spine injuries
  • Neuropathy or other nerve damage
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • AIDS or HIV
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Migraines

When treating chronic pain, family medicine providers may employ a variety of treatments ranging from targeted injections to surgery, physical or occupational therapy, prescription medications, bracing, and other pain management treatments.

At Advanced Medical Clinic, we understand pain. We treat people from all walks of life, and we know how to deal with both acute and chronic pain. If you are concerned about how chronic pain is affecting your quality of life, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene of Advanced Medical Clinic can answer all your questions. To make an appointment with us in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.