Aching Back

Have you had back pain for more than six months?  Tired of taking over-the-counter pills, rubbing on ointments, or using a heating pad?  Consider something new.

Alternate Therapies

Why not try an approach that combines both traditional medicine and alternate techniques/  talk with your doctor about how acupuncture or chiropractic treatments could help your condition.  together, you can discuss the pros and cons and decide if one is right for you.

More about Acupuncture
A Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries, acupuncture is based on the theory that there is energy flowing through your body.  Acupuncturists believe a blocking or imbalance of the flow of energy at any point on a pathway may result in illness.  Treatments usually involve putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body.  Sometimes, heat, pressure, or mild electrical current is used to stimulate energy flow.

More about chiropractic
Many chiropractors use spinal manipulation, or spinal manual therapy, to relieve back pain.  People learn, or are forced by injury or stress, into unnatural ways of moving or holding their bodies.  This unnatural movement or posture changes the natural alignment of bones that can cause discomfort and may contribute to health problems.  A chiropractor's goal is to realign and reposition the body to allow natural movement, which it is believed to reduce stress and ease pain.

Talking with your doctor

It can be hard to start a talk with your doctor about your health concerns.  But your doctor wants to know about your symptoms, emotions, treatment preferences, and general well-being.  Think of your doctor as your partner.

Build a relationship with him or her.
Tell him or her what you want from your care and that you'd like to be partners in your health.
Be fully present in each visit.  Listen carefully.  If you do not understand something, ask questions.
If you have doubts about following through on a treatment plan or suggestion, speak up.  Often there is more than one option for treating a condition.  By being a partner in your care, you can help choose the option that best fits your values, beliefs, and lifestyle.  You also will feel more certain about following your doctor's recommendations when you make the decision together.

Write down the topics and questions you want to discuss with your doctor. 
Bring your medicines or a list of them with you even if they are over the counter medicines, herbal remedies, or vitamins.  You and your doctor can review how much of each medicine to take and when to take each one.
If you have seen a doctor before for a similar problem, even if the visit was many years ago, take the record from the visit with you.
Tell your doctor about your main concern first.
Describe any past experiences with the same problem.
Take notes.

Make Changes

Sometimes your doctor may suggest that you make changes you're not ready to make.  If you're not ready, tell your doctor.  He or she can help you get ready or the two of you can discuss other options that may work.  When considering a change, think about its benefits.  Could it improve your health, life or relationships?  Imagine your life after you make the change.  Would it be better?  For example, if your doctor asked you to be more physically active, can you imagine how it could help you feel better, sleep better, or have more energy?  Can you imagine how you might spend more time with friends because you have more energy?  Consider how the benefits of making changes can be worth it.  Ask your doctor what has worked well for other people.  Keep in touch with your doctor about your progress.  Having a plan for getting past what gets in your way will help you feel confident that you can make changes to improve your health and your life.

Urinary Incontinence

Have you ever been afraid to go out because you might leak urine? If so, you are not alone.  Urinary incontinence is the accidental loss of urine.  Leaking urine happens to many people.  It can happen when you cough, sneeze, laugh or jog.  Or you may have to suddenly go to the bathroom and can't get there in time.  There are two common types of persistent or chronic loss of bladder control;

Stress incontinence occurs when small amounts of urine leak out when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise.  It's the most common type of bladder control problem in women.

Urge incontinence happens when the need to urinate comes on so quickly that there is not enough time to get to the bathroom.  Some people may have no warning before they accidentally leak urine. 

When incontinence lasts longer, it may be due to:
weak bladder muscles
overactive bladder muscles
damage to nerves that control the bladder from diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease
diseases such as arthritis that may make it difficult to get to the bathroom in time
blockage from an enlarged prostate in men
Don't let urinary incontinence embarrass you.  Take charge and work with your doctor to treat any underlying condition that may be causing the problem.  Some common causes of urinary incontinence are certain medicines, urinary tract infection and constipation.
Your doctor will examine you and may ask questions like how often and how much you urinate and leak.  He or she will also want to know about how much and what you drink.  The good news is that most bladder control problems can be improved or cured.

Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure is the force of blood flow on the arteries and veins that carry blood through your body.  High blood pressure ( hypertension) occurs when the force is too strong.  Blood pressure is measured by an upper number and a lower number.  You may see "mm Hg" written after the numbers.  It means "millimeters of mercury".  The top number of your blood pressure is the systolic pressure.  This measure is the pressure in your blood vessels with each beat.  The lower number is the diastolic pressure.  This measure is the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart is resting between beats.  High blood pressure makes your body work harder to get the blood it needs.  This can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and or kidney failure.  Because high blood pressure often doesn't create symptoms that you can feel, it's important to check your blood pressure at every doctor's visit to make sure your blood pressure is at goal.  Some causes of high blood pressure are being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, family history of high blood pressure, eating too much salt (sodium), and age.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

The genetic blood disorder affects 1 in 500 Africans Americans.  Once you get too much iron in your blood it has to deposit somewhere, then it deposits in your tissue.  For many who live with SCD, blood transfusions are oftentimes part of their care, that having too many can lead to a buildup of iron in the body.  The biggest thing about iron is that it can deposit into the heart and you can get irregular heart rhythms, heart failure, and you can die-that's why iron overload is a big deal.  The doctors should make sure that all of their patients  know their iron levels.  If you have to get a blood transfusion, ask for a serum ferritin test, and get tested each time you get blood transfusions.  People everywhere that have 10 or more transfusions can lead to iron overload and that iron levels over 1000mcg/L are cause for concern.  Please talk to your doctor about serum ferritin screenings.

DaTscan/Parkinson

The US Food and Drug Administration, on January 17, approved the use of DaTscan, a novel imaging technique that can be used to help diagnose Parkinson's disease in its early stages.  The technique, which combines the injection of an iodine-based radioactive chemical with an imaging process (known as "SPECT")  that detects and measures the presence of dopamine, has been used successfully in Europe for more than a decade.  A machine similar to but smaller than an MRI machine, called a "single photon emission computed tomography machine," or Spect scanner, measures the amount and location of the drug in the brain.  These scans are used to help a doctor confirm a diagnosis.  A DaTscan can be used to help rule out other diseases that may have clinical symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson's, such as essential tremor that do not show the deficiency in dopamine that marks Parkinson's disease.  Among some individuals, there have been reports of headache, nausea, vertigo, dry mouth, and mild to moderate dizziness.  There have also been cases of hypersensitivity reaction and pain at the site of the injection.  No other major side effects have been reported.