Laguna Niguel Medical Center

Time For The Change - “Menopause”

lnmc — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:04:22 +0000

Every women has probably had at least one monthly period that seems to have were gone on forever.
Saying goodbye to pads, tampons, cramps and bloating may sound appealing. But when menopause comes it can bring symptoms and emotions that can leave us frustrated. Menopause is a gradual process that can take several years.
You are not really “IN” menopause until you have had a full year, 12 consecutive months of period-free months. A woman goes through menopause at about the same age her mother did.
Women who have both ovaries removed will go though “surgical menopause” at the time of their surgery.
If the uterus is taken out but the ovaries are left, a women won’t have periods but she will go though menopause later in life.
The common signs and symptoms of menopause are
1- Change in your menstrual cycle, you may skip a period or they may come closer together.
2- Hot flashes which can disturb sleep or make you anxious.
3- Vaginal dryness which can make sex painful.
4- Urinary tract infections
5- Change in appearance like gaining weight, thinning hair, adult acne .
6- Emotional symptoms like mood swings, sadness and anxiety
7- Trouble sleeping and concentrating.
Managing menopause depends on the severity of the symptoms. While medication, soy products and certain herbal supplements may help ease some menopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy involves taking either estrogen alone or estrogen combined with another hormone called progestin called combination hormone therapy .
Short term hormone therapy can relieve hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Hormone therapy does seem to offer protection against osteoporosis and slightly decrease the risk of colorectal cancer however its not for every one because it may increase your risk of cancer, blood clots, heart attack and stroke.

You Can Still Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

lnmc — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:37:41 +0000

If you have just found out you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, you may feel anxious and overwhelmed.
Diabetes can lead to serious problems with your eyes, blood vessels, nerves and kidneys.
BUT when teaming up with you doctor and managing it effectively, many of the problems caused by diabetes can be prevented or delayed.
The goal in treating diabetes is to keep the level of blood sugar in your body as close to normal as possible.
So know your diabetes ABC’s
A: For the A1C, the blood test that can tell you how well your blood sugar has been in the last 3 months.
B: Blood pressure
C: Cholesterol
D: Diet, steer away from empty calories, there isn’t one “diabetes diet” your doctor may recommend working with
a registered dietitian.
E: Exercise which can help lower your blood sugar, control your weight and feel better about yourself.
Eye exam which should be done annually
F: Foot exam which should be done annually.
Flu vaccine.

Call us today to schedule an appointment with our providers.

Primary Care Physician

lnmc — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:50:08 +0000

Primary Care Physician is a physician /medical doctor who provides both the first contact with an undiagnosed health concerns as well as a continuing medical care of various medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system or diagnosis.
Your primary care doctor also coordinates care between your different specialists. For example if your Cardiologist gives you a medicine for irregular heart beat your PCP will monitor you for possible side effects, some might effect your thyroid gland which can be managed by your PCP or if needed he or she will refer you to an Endocrinologist (Endocrine glands specialist) .

Hypertension?

admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:13:41 +0000

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a common condition that can lead to serious complications if untreated. Hypertension is diagnosed when 2 office based readings are more than or equal to 140/90 systolic/diastolic.

Over 90 % of people have essential hypertension while the rest could be because of rare conditions like hormonal in-balance, tumors and medication induced. Nonpharmalogic measures like, dietary changes, weight loss, stopping smoking, reducing stress, reducing alcohol consumption and exercising regularly can be very effective and it can improve the effectiveness of high blood pressure medication.

Reducing sodium intake lowers blood pressure, when sodium intake is lowered from 4000 mg to 2000 mg blood pressure falls by 2 to 3 mmHg and over several years the reduction maybe as great as 10 mmHg.

People who have more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day have a one to two fold increase in the incidence of high blood pressure.

Eating more fish, low saturated fat and more fiber on an average of 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day could have a significant reduction in blood pressure.

Chronic caffeine can cause a small elevation in blood pressure.

Weight loss can reduce blood pressure by about 1mmHg for every 2.2 pounds of weight loss.

Because no two patient are exactly alike its is important to schedule an appointment with our providers to discuss your particular medical condition.

“A Pain on the Neck”

admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:12:12 +0000

Neck pain can present typically with symptoms including pain, stiffness, and tightness in the upper back or shoulder. It can be caused by a number of factors, including

1-cervical discogenic pain which is the most common cause of neck pain it is caused by changes in the structure of the intervertebral discs

2-cervical muscle strain which result in spasms of the cervical and upper back muscles, mainly secondary to physical stresses of everyday life, including poor posture, tension from physiologic stressor and poor sleeping habits.

3-cervical spondylosis is a condition caused by abnormal wear and tear called degenerative changes which causes narrowing of the disc space, a loss of the normal square –shaped bone, and growth of the edges of the bone (bone spurs) which can increase pressure on the surrounding tissue causing numbness in the arms and hands (a pinched nerve)

In addition there are many other causes of neck pain such as whiplash injury that result from a traumatic event like motor vehicle accident, cervical myofascial pain that result from psychologic stress, depression or insomnia.

Evaluation by a health care provider is recommended if the pain is moderate to severe, numbness in arms or legs or inability to control the bowels or bladder or if it recurs or does not subside.

Treatment: with over the counter medication, ice, heat and massage.

Muscle relaxants combined with stretching exercises, reducing stress and posture training.

A neck pillow can provide comfort.

Trigger point injections and electric stimulation are other forms of treatment.

Surgery does have a role in relieving symptoms related to a pinched nerve caused by a herniated disc.

Because no two patients are alike its important to schedule an appointment to discuss your condition with our providers.