Obesity is a complex disease primarily caused by an imbalance between the calories you consume and the calories your body uses. Besides obesity Valhalla being a cosmetic concern, it is also a medical problem that increases your risk of other health problems like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and certain cancers. Obesity is mainly a result of lifestyle choices like poor eating habits and lack of enough physical exercise. However, people can be predisposed to obesity due to other factors, including genetics and certain medical conditions. Read on to learn about the risk factors for obesity.

Genes

You are more likely to be heavier if you have first-degree relatives who are obese; these include your parents or siblings. Some genes influence your metabolism – how efficiently your body converts food to energy. Genes can also affect your appetite level and the amount of calories your body expends during physical activity. As such, obesity tends to run in families; besides the genes they share, family members tend to have similar eating and activity habits.

Lifestyle choices

Lifestyle factors such as consuming too many calories and not engaging in physical exercise predispose you to obesity. You can quickly gain weight if your diet consists of fast food and high-calorie beverages but lacks fruits and vegetables. Eating oversized portions also contributes to weight gain. Liquid calories from alcohol and sugary soft drinks can also contribute to significant weight gain.

As previously mentioned, obesity primarily stems from an imbalance between the calories you consume and the ones your body burns. Therefore, having a sedentary lifestyle puts you at risk of being obese because you can easily take in more calories than you burn through exercise and everyday activities. You want to minimize the hours you spend in front of a screen since it is highly associated with weight gain.

Certain medical conditions and medications

While obesity is typically related to diet and exercise levels, sometimes it can be traced to certain diseases such as Crushing syndrome, Prader-Willi, and other conditions. Medical problems like arthritis make your joints painful and stiff, leading to a decreased activity which may cause weight gain. Other health conditions that may cause weight gain include insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, menopause, and hypothyroidism.

Several medications can cause you to gain weight, especially if you do not watch your diet or exercise. Examples of medications associated with weight gain include antidepressants, antihistamines, corticosteroids like prednisone, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, and diabetes medications.

Age

You are more likely to gain extra weight as you age due to hormonal changes and a less active lifestyle. Additionally, your muscle mass becomes low, causing a decrease in metabolism. All these changes reduce the body’s calorie needs, making it harder for you to keep off excess weight. Therefore, you will likely gain weight if you don’t consciously watch what you eat.

If any of the above factors apply to you, it is best to take action to address the cause. Fortunately, even small adjustments to your diet and lifestyle add up eventually.

For tips on how to reduce your risk for obesity, consult your provider at Advanced Surgeons.

Receiving news after being diagnosed with a heart or vascular condition can be frightening. The reason is that most people view these conditions as fatal and more likely to result in death. However, it is not the case because there are various therapies available to improve heart and vascular functioning.

A good diet and exercise can prevent these conditions and serious complications such as stroke and heart attack. You can therefore seek Prime Heart and Vascular services to help in early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions before serious complications develop. Below are some common heart and vascular conditions you should know about.

Heart failure

It is a condition characterized by a weak heart that can no longer pump enough blood to other body parts. Generally, your heart comprises muscles that contract and relax to push blood into veins and arteries. The blood in arteries supplies oxygen and nutrients to other body parts.

The veins return blood to your heart and the cycle continues. Common symptoms of heart failure include chest pains, shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue, or loss of appetite. Some of the causes of heart failure include tumors in the heart, arrhythmia, valve disorders, lung disease, or structural abnormalities.

Heart attack

Myocardial infarction or heart attack occurs when blood flow to your heart gets blocked. The blockage may be due to the accumulation of cholesterol, fat, or other substances that form plaque in the arteries leading to the heart. As time goes by, the plague breaks and forms a clot.

The clot interferes with blood flow or destroys a part of the heart muscle. Common heart attack symptoms include sudden dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, cold sweat, and tightness in the chest. You should seek emergency care after experiencing these symptoms because a heart attack is often fatal.

Peripheral artery disease

The accumulation of a plague in your arteries commonly causes peripheral artery disease. As a result, it affects blood circulation in various body parts. It commonly restricts blood flow in your feet, legs, and toes. Reduced blood circulation can lead to leg pain with exertion or rest.

In other cases, you might also experience skin discoloration and wounds that fail to heal for weeks. You might also feel cold, weakness, and numbing in your legs. Common peripheral artery disease risk factors include heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

Hypertension

It is a common condition when the blood your heart is pumping exerts a lot of pressure on your blood vessels. Hypertension puts undue stress on your blood vessels and heart as well. When the stress is exerted for a very long time, it damages your blood vessels leading to plaque formation.

A plague consists of waste products and cholesterol circulating freely in the blood. The plaque accumulates inside your artery wall, causing it to narrow. Common causes of hypertension include smoking, some medications, and many others.

Heart and vascular conditions have become common due to most people’s sedentary lifestyles. Usually, they do not exercise and like high cholesterol diets, which increases your risk for such conditions. Therefore, diet and lifestyle modification can greatly reduce your risk of heart and vascular conditions.

You can schedule your appointment at Prime Heart and Vascular today and undergo screening for heart and vascular conditions. The care providers usually use imaging tests to confirm some conditions because most heart and cardiovascular conditions may present with the same symptoms. Ensure you seek immediate help on the onset of any of the above symptoms.

Pregnancy ushers in many physiological and endocrinological changes as the body prepares to create a conducive environment for the developing baby. Postural adaptations, pelvic changes, a protruding belly, and an increased back curve are some of the changes that can cause a misaligned spine or joints. All these changes can cause pain and discomfort. However, reaching out to a chiropractor Houston will help make your journey flawless. Moreover, chiropractic care helps ease the symptoms of fatigue, nausea, and back pain prevalent among pregnant women. Other reasons to consider chiropractic care include;

1. Easier Labor and Delivery

Regular chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy ensure that your spine, pelvis, and hips are well-aligned and that the nerves are optimally functional. The nerves control your contractions and cervical dilations during labor. As such, optimal nerve health ensures that you experience a quick and easier delivery with less pain and discomfort. For women wanting to go through the natural birthing process, chiropractic care alleviates the risks of prolonged labor.

2. Optimal Baby Positioning

When a baby is not in a position to be delivered head first during labor, this is known as breech positioning. A breech position can cause a host of issues, including highly difficult vaginal birth, cord prolapse, and even C-section delivery. Chiropractic care during pregnancy ensures healthy pelvic balance, creating enough space for the baby to move into a head-first position during labor. For the eighth month of pregnancy, you should increase your chiropractic visits to ensure that the baby attains optimal positioning.

3. Relief from Back Pain

Back pain is a common complaint in pregnant women. It often results from loosened joints and ligaments as the body prepares for labor. The hormone relaxin induces laxity in the muscles, joints, and ligaments in the pelvic area as the body adjusts to the growing baby. Regular adjustments throughout pregnancy offer relief from the pain or injury that result from spinal instability of loosened joints and ligaments.

4. Posture Support

The growing belly can cause you to attain a poor posture and an arched back. This can happen unknowingly as the body tries to adjust to the growing baby, and you may suffer from spine misalignment. However, routine chiropractic adjustments help with posture correction and will also ease your back pain. Additionally, during the sessions, you will learn ways to keep a straight back to prevent strain on your back.

5. Continued Wellness even after Pregnancy

If you frequent your chiropractor’s office, chances are the benefits of chiropractic care will last beyond your delivery period. Proper spinal alignment helps moms avoid injury, especially when breastfeeding, lifting the baby, or when holding the baby for extended periods. Moreover, your body can heal and bounce back quicker if you have been receiving routine chiropractic adjustments.

Chiropractic care helps expectant mothers move in harmony with their changing bodies. This helps reduce stress, pain, and injuries that occur as the body adjusts to the developing baby. Through the care, you can experience improved overall health for you and the baby and help ward off complications that may present before and after birth. Moreover, prenatal chiropractic care warrants a safe, comfortable, and healthier pregnancy.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory illness of the gastrointestinal tract. Alongside ulcerative colitis, it is one of two inflammatory bowel diseases. It usually affects the small intestine but can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. It causes irritation and swelling, which may result in symptoms like rectal bleeding, weight loss, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Unfortunately, Crohn’s disease is a lifelong medical condition with no certainty. Nonetheless, Huntersville Crohn’s Disease care can help you manage your symptoms and avoid the complications that may arise from them. These complications can include the following: 

Kidney and Liver Problems

While uncommon, Crohn’s disease can affect your liver and kidneys. This is because they are located close to the small intestine, which, when inflamed, may swell and exert pressure on these organs. When Crohn’s disease affects your kidneys, you may experience complications like uric acid stones, kidney stones, and hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis is a medical condition characterized by dull pain near the kidney and blood in the urine. In terms of the liver, the problem is usually caused by inflammation of the organ due to Crohn’s disease or its treatment. You may experience prolonged periods of fatigue or more serious medical conditions like pancreatitis, hepatitis, gallstones, or fatty liver disease.

Eye Problems

Crohn’s disease and the inflammation it causes can affect your eyes. You may develop episcleritis, which is the inflammation of the area below the conjunctiva and the most common complication of the disease. While it usually affects one eye, it can affect both, causing intense redness, burning, itching, and pain. Episcleritis does not harm your vision, but it can cause constant pain that worsens when you move your eyes. Over time, this pain can become so severe as to affect your sleep.

Bone Loss

Bone loss is a common complication associated with Crohn’s disease. It can be caused by the disease itself but can also result from the medications used to treat Crohn’s disease. Whatever the cause, the processes that may lead to bone loss work by stopping your body from absorbing calcium, which is crucial for bone formation. They can also force your body to eliminate calcium when you urinate or promote the production of cells that help disintegrate bones, among other things.

Skin Problems

Skin problems associated with Crohn’s disease are rare but can occur. When they do, they can include pyoderma gangrenosum – a condition characterized by pus-filled sores that appear after skin trauma. You may also develop mouth ulcers or canker sores, or Erythema nodosum, which are small red nodules that appear on your ankles, shins, or arms. More commonly, Crohn’s disease can cause skin tags. These are small skin flaps that appear around the anus and can cause irritation.

Delayed Physical Development

This complication is more common in children diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. The condition may cause delayed physical development and slow growth, so your child weighs less or is shorter than their age mates. They may also experience delayed puberty.

You Can Manage These Complications

According to medical data, Crohn’s disease affects about 3.1 million adults in the US. The effects on children can be as serious as those on adults. And while there is not much your doctor can do to heal this condition, they can help you manage your symptoms. They can also help you assess and reduce your risk of these complications. To learn more, contact a qualified provider today.

Without a completely functional hipbone, standing, walking, running, or even dancing could be difficult. So, when you suffer from chronic hip pain and certain everyday activities suddenly become troublesome, it might feel like your life is at a standstill.

Unfortunately, hip pain is hard to self-diagnose as there are numerous causes of hip pain. Luckily, Dallas Mohammed Shaikh MD PA, can help by offering an accurate diagnosis and care plan. Meanwhile, here are some of the most common causes of hip pain you should know. 

1. Core Muscle Injury

If you experience discomfort in your groin, it may be due to a core muscle injury like a tear or strain of muscles or other soft tissues in your lower abdomen. This injury is prevalent in persons who engage in sporting activities, particularly those involving extreme turning and twisting.

Unlike pro athletes, core muscle injuries are common in weekend warriors because they are not as athletically conditioned as they should be. Resting the injured muscles for several weeks could help. You might also have to repair the torn muscle through surgery.

2. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition that makes your joints swollen and stiff because of the breakdown of cartilage and inflammation, resulting in deformity and pain. Being highly active, such as participating in high-impact sports or running marathons, raises your risk of osteoarthritis.

Coupled with obesity, traumatic injury, and aging, the pain could become disabling. Determining the underlying cause of your osteoarthritis is the best way to establish an effective care plan.

3. Bursitis

Bursitis may be to blame if it aches on the outside of your hip, buttocks, and/or thigh. Bursitis is the swelling of the pillow-like fluid sacs that keep muscles and tendons rubbing directly against the bone.

While climbing stairs or walking for prolonged periods can worsen bursitis, this condition is usually not associated with activity-related discomfort. Bursitis is more common as you age. If RICE therapy fails, your specialist may suggest cortisone injections to alleviate the swelling.

4. Labral Tears

The labrum is a cartilage ring surrounding the hip pocket that ensures the ball of your thigh bone remains in position. Once the labrum tears, it causes discomfort in the groin area or hip and restricts motion, creating a sensation that the hip is clicking, locking, or catching.

A labral tear is common in persons with anatomic anomalies that render their hips overly shallow or individuals with previous hip injuries. The discomfort from these labral tears often does not subside, so a professional consultation is necessary. 

5. Tendonitis

Tendons are the fibrous structure necessary for joining the muscles to the bone. Once the tendons in your hip become irritated, swollen, or inflamed, they can result in significant discomfort. Tendonitis can develop in any of the tendons surrounding the hip joint.

Common risk factors for tendonitis are overuse or injury of the tendons, which explains tendonitis is common in athletes. Tendonitis can also develop as you age due to the tendons gradually losing elasticity. Whatever the case, your specialist should provide the right solution.

Numerous conditions can cause hip pain. Some conditions are more severe than others. Therefore, it is crucial not to self-diagnose and instead seek professional treatment, especially if you experience chronic pain that limits your everyday activities.

The milder causes of hip pain are treatable with conservative treatments like heat and cold therapy, pain medications, physical therapy, and more. However, if your hip pain is chronic or ongoing, you can explore interventional treatments such as epidural steroid injections.