Every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease, making it the 6th leading cause of death in the country. Alzheimer affects the functions of your brain because the brain shrinks dramatically over time, leading to nerve cell death and tissue loss.

It is a continuous and permanent disorder that damages your brain. The cortex in your brain shrivels up making it difficult to think, plan, and remember. The most severe shrinkage is in the hippocampus, where memories form. The ventricles in the brain grow larger. These all impair memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out simple tasks.
For most people the symptoms for Alzheimer’s disease appear in the mid-60s. Some of the ones you might experience are memory loss, confusion of time and place, problems with speaking or writing words, misplacing things, and poor judgment. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet but some ways to help you cope with it are treatments to maintain a healthy mental function, manage the behavioral symptoms, and slow down the growth of symptoms.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, contact us for a second opinion that can help you have peace of mind.

Based on the data collected by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 33,000 people in the United States live with cystic fibrosis, 3,000 in Canada, and 20,000 in Europe. Cystic Fibrosis happens among all races but is most common among white people from Northern Europe. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that progresses with time which causes lung infections and limits the ability to breathe. This affects the cells in your body that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices.

Some of the symptoms someone with cystic fibrosis might experience are persistent cough with thick mucus, wheezing, constant lung infections, and having a hard time breathing. Other symptoms they might experience are no weight gain or growth, and smelly, greasy stools. Treatments include medications to help with lung infections, swelling in the airways of the lungs and drugs to help cough up mucus. Some of the goals of the treatments are to prevent and control infections in the lungs and prevent intestinal blockage.

If you or someone you know would like a second opinion on what are the best treatments to follow contact us and we’ll have one of our American Board Certified doctors give you a second opinion that will give you peace of mind.

May is High Blood Pressure Education Month. High Blood pressure is when the pressure in the arteries is higher than what it should be. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your blood vessel walls. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg, 120 being systolic, the pressure when the heart beats and 80 being diastolic, the pressure when the heart rests between beats.

The danger of high blood pressure is that it normally doesn’t show any signs or symptoms. According to the CDC about 75 million American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Some factors that can put you at risk of developing high blood pressure are diabetes, being obese or overweight, high cholesterol, unhealthy diet, smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, physical inactivity, family history.

Having high blood pressure puts you at risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke. If you have high blood pressure and are aware of it, it is important to take your medications, along with avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and being physically active. Contact us if you would like a second opinion about your diagnosis, to help you live a healthy life and have peace of mind.

Arthritis is a disease that affects 54.4 million people in the United States, according to the CDC. Arthritis covers more than 100 diseases and is an inflammation of one or more of your joints and can also affect other connective tissues and organs. Some of the symptoms you might experience are stiffness, pain, and swelling in your joints, which tend to be stronger in the morning.

The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid. Osteoarthritis is when the cartilage of your bones wears off. Rheumatoid happens when the body’s immune system attacks its tissues. Some factors to why arthritis happens are family history, age, joint injury, obesity, and sex because it is more common in women.

Arthritis cannot be cured but treatments are available. Treatments vary depending on the type of arthritis you suffer, which are meant to alleviate the pain and help you live a better life. If you have any concerns or questions with the treatment you are currently receiving, get in contact with us to have one of our American Board Certified professionals give you an opinion that can help you live a healthier life.

According to the CDC, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke and every 4 minutes someone dies, making it the fifth leading cause of death in the country. A stroke happens when a blood vessel that carries oxygen to the brain becomes blocked, which then causes brain cells to die. This can be caused by an artery that becomes blocked (ischemic stroke), a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke), or transient ischemic attack caused by a temporary clot. Someone might suffer a stroke for various factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes. Some ways to prevent having a stroke are by having a healthy diet, exercising, avoiding drugs, and drinking alcohol in moderation.

The treatment for stroke depends on the type of stroke you suffered. If you suffered from an ischemic stroke, one of the treatments is an injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which is given through a vein in the arm. For a hemorrhagic stroke, treatment can be surgery to repair blood vessels. Recovery and rehabilitation come next, which its main purpose is to help you recover as many functions possible to help you live an independent life. Some professionals that help with your recovery are neurologists, physiatrists, nurses, and physical therapists.

If you suffered a stroke and want a second opinion on the recovery treatment you are taking please visit SecondOpinions.com for your peace of mind.

April is Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month. During this month it is very important to raise awareness on how to protect and treat yourself. STDs, also referred to as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are diseases/infections transmitted through sexual contact, through the passing of blood or other fluid liquids from person to person. They can also be transmitted from a mother to a child during pregnancy or childbirth.

STDs/STIs can cause vaginal bleeding, penis discharge, pain during sex, painful urination, and many other symptoms. The causes to these symptoms are bacteria, such as gonorrhea, parasites, and viruses, such as HIV and human papillomavirus. There are many ways to prevent, some ways of prevention are getting tested, abstaining from sex, getting vaccinated, using condoms, and not sharing needles.

Depending on the type of infection, treatment can consist of antibiotics and antiviral drugs. Some infections can be treated but not all can be cured. If you or someone you know has STI/STD, visit SecondOpinions.com to get a second opinion from our experts to help you receive the best treatment for your health.

March is Sleep Awareness Month, which is meant to educate and motivate you to sleep better. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report more than one third of American adults do not get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep leads to a lower quality of life and not functioning properly on daily activities.Getting a good night’s sleep can help you perform better and live a healthier life. There are many sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome, which are treatable once you have been diagnosed. When you don’t sleep enough for a few days, sleep deprivation takes place, which means your body will demand for those hours.

Suffering from sleep deprivation has many negative effects. The negative effects can be impaired judgement, slow reaction time, and an impairment to other functions. Sleep deprivation can also cause memory problems, depression, a weak immune system and it increases stress. If a good sleeping habit is not attained, later in life you could suffer from health issues, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and mental impairments. In order to have a good sleep, it is important to stay active during the day and avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. At night, before bed it is important to sleep in a dark and quiet room, avoid large meals, and to not use electronics an hour before bed.

Having good sleeping habits is vital for a long and healthy life. An adult, 18-60 years of age should have at least seven hours of sleep every night. If you or anyone you know suffers from a sleeping disorder and would like a Second Opinion, visit SecondOpinions.com to help you live a restful, healthier, and happier life.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects over 2.5 million people worldwide, women being affected 2-3 times more than men. MS is a serious disease of the central nervous system, that disrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. In MS the immune system attacks myelin, which is the protective sheath that covers the nerve fibers, which causes the communication problems from the brain to the body. Depending on the amount of nerve cells that have been affected, the symptoms will vary.

This disease follows four courses, clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, Secondary-Progressive MS, and Primary progressive MS. It is important to detect any symptoms so that one can be checked to see if MS is present. The symptoms are many, some of them being:

• Numbness or weakness
• Tingling or pain
• Balance problems
• Double vision or blurred vision
• Slurred speech
• Bladder issues
• Walking difficulty

Unfortunately there is no cure for this disease yet, but there are treatments to help. The treatments available to help manage MS are medications and physical therapy. If you’d like a second opinion, visit SecondOpinions.com to help you and your loved ones have peace of mind.

A baby can be very vulnerable, especially one in the womb. If steps to prevent an infection are not taken, the baby can become seriously affected. There are many infections that can cause serious health problems to babies in the womb, some of them are cytomegalovirus (CMV), Group B Strep, zika, and listeriosis. Some of these infections can lead to miscarriages, life-threatening infections to the newborn, still-birth, and other serious problems such as hearing loss.

About 1 in 200 babies are born with CMV, which is usually passed from the carrier to others through body fluids, such as saliva and urine. The best way for a pregnant woman to prevent CMV is by not sharing food and utensils and avoid contact with infants and young children. Another infection that affects babies is Group B Strep. In the United States 1 in 4 women carry this bacteria. If you’re pregnant it is important to get tested to see if you have Group B Strep. Listeriosis is also a prenatal infection, which is caused by eating contaminated food with a bacteria called Listeria. You can prevent by not eating raw unpasteurized milk, raw or lightly cooked sprouts, among many other types of foods and the ways they are cooked. Zika is a virus that can be passed on to the baby during pregnancy or near time of birth. Zika can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites, not traveling to where Zika is present, and protect self if you have a partner that has traveled or lives in an area where Zika is present.

If you have been diagnosed with an infection and would like help, visit SecondOpinions.com to see if you are taking the necessary steps to have a healthy baby.

In the United States one in four deaths is caused by heart disease, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women. Anyone, including children could be at risk of heart disease if the heart is not properly taken care of. February is American Heart Month in which the focus is to raise awareness to take care of your health and avoid heart disease.

If you suffer from conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, or if you smoke you could be at risk of suffering from heart disease. In order to avoid heart disease it is important to have healthy habits, such as not smoking or to stop smoking, having a healthy diet, and staying active to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Your heart is important, take care of it. If you or anyone you know suffers from heart disease or any of the conditions mentioned above and would like a Second Opinion to see if the treatment being taken is correct please visit SecondOpinions.com. A second opinion will provide you with further understanding of your diagnosis for your Peace of Mind.