Todays Health Concerns

Allergies

Allergies are an abnormal response of the immune system. People who have allergies have an immune system that reacts to a usually harmless substance in the environment. This substance (pollen, mold, animal dander, etc.) is called an allergen. Allergies are a very common problem, affecting at least 2 out of every 10 Americans.


Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, which causes thinking and memory to become seriously impaired and which usually begins after age 60. It is the most common form of dementia. (Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, poor judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities. Alzheimer's Disease affects about 4.5 million Americans.


Arthritis

Although Arthritis is often referred to as if it were a single disease, arthritis is actually a basic term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect nearly 46 million adults and 300,000 children in America alone. All of these conditions affect the musculoskeletal system and specifically the joints - where two or more bones meet. Arthritis-related joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures. These problems can lead to joint weakness, instability and visible deformities that, depending on the location of joint involvement, can interfere with the most basic daily tasks such as walking, climbing stairs, using a computer keyboard, cutting your food or brushing your teeth.


Cancer

Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells. Throughout your life, normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to form new abnormal cells. Cancer can affect any part of your body. There are many Different types of cancer & the different types can behave very differently. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Half of all men and one third of all women in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, for example, by quitting smoking and eating a better diet.


Depression

We have all felt depressed, sad, or blue at one time or another. Being depressed is a normal reaction to loss, life's struggles, or personal problems. Depression is going beyond these normal temporary feelings. When the feeling of sadness becomes intense, lasts for long periods of time and prevents a person from leading a normal life, those are signs of clinical Depression. Types of depression include: Major depression, chronic depression (dysthymia), bipolar depression, and seasonal depression (seasonal affective disorder or SAD). According to a report from the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 18.8 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from major depression.


Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way your body uses food for energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is used by cells for growth and energy & is the main source of fuel for the body. For glucose to get into cells, it needs Insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach. In people with diabetes, however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. There are three major types of Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, & Gestational Diabetes. Diabetes affects over 20 Million Americans or about 7% of the population.


Heart Disease

Heart disease is a general term that encompasses a variety of medical issues related to the Heart and Cardiovascular System. Heart and Cardiovascular disease includes a number of conditions affecting the structures or function of the heart. They can include: Coronary artery disease (including heart attack), Abnormal heart rhythms or arrythmias, Heart failure, Heart Valve Disease, Congenital heart disease, Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), Pericardial disease, Aorta disease and Marfan syndrome, Vascular disease (blood vessel disease). About 22 million people (or about 8% of the population) in the US suffer from some form of Heart or Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.


Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences poor sleep or has trouble sleeping. Insomnia can involve: Difficulty falling asleep, Difficulty staying asleep, Waking up too early and/or not feeling refreshed after a night's sleep. There are two types of insomnia: primary insomnia and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems that are not directly associated with any other health condition or problem. Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as a health condition (like asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn); pain; medication they are taking; or a substance they are using (like alcohol). Secondary Insomnia is the most common.


Lung Disease

Lung disease includes a variety of different conditions and they include lung cancer, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoiddosis, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. More than 35 million people in the United States are dealing with some form of Lung Disease.


Obesity

A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he or she burns. Being obese means having so much body fat that your health is in danger. Having too much body fat can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure , arthritis, sleep apnea, and stroke. Today 97 million Americans, more than one-third of the adult population, are overweight or obese. An estimated 5 to 10 million of those are considered morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight.