INSAF

Hip and knee pain can keep you from the activities you love, as well as make routine tasks difficult. But there are many ways to get you moving again pain-free, without surgery. Here are some of the treatments that can help. Ultrasound, phonophoresis, and iontophoresis Therapeutic ultrasound is a simple procedure that uses sound waves to increase blood flow, relax muscle spasms, and aid healing. The therapist applies gel to your skin and moves an ultrasound wand over your skin around the painful area. In a special ultrasound technique called phonophoresis, medication (often hydrocortisone) is added to the gel. In a survey of orthopedic physical therapists, more than half said they would use ultrasound and phonophoresis to reduce soft-tissue inflammation (in tendinitis or bursitis, for example). These techniques are also used to manage pain, heal tissue, and help muscles stretch. Iontophoresis uses electrical currents to speed the delivery of medication to damaged tissue, or s

Over the past decade, we’ve learned a great deal about what causes heart attacks and how to prevent them. But many people have misconceptions about the risk factors for heart disease, or heart disease itself. Here are five commonly held but mistaken beliefs, plus the facts that will put you on the path to a healthy heart. MYTH 1: If you have heart disease, you need to take it easy. “For the vast majority of people with heart disease, being sedentary is a bad idea. It can lead to blood clots in the legs and a decline in overall physical condition,” says cardiologist and Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Richard T. Lee. Physical activity helps strengthen the heart muscle, improves blood flow to the brain, and improves overall health and well-being. What you can do:   Ask your doctor what kind of exercise would be right for you, and how much you should do. Most people can walk, and any amount of walking is good for your heart. MYTH 2: It’s okay to have higher blood pressure

POSTED AUGUST 28, 2014, 8:44 AM Daniel Pendick ,   Executive Editor,   Harvard Men's Health Watch A heart attack in progress is a medical emergency. Blood flow must be restored to a blocked coronary artery, or one so narrowed by fatty deposits that it triggers intense chest pain and other symptoms at rest. Every minute the heart is starved of oxygen means more damage. “It’s time for quick action, because that could help save more heart muscle,” says Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. The leading way to nip a heart attack in the bud is artery-opening angioplasty. But not all angioplasties are 911s. About one-third are done to lessen chest pain that appears with physical activity or stress. This is the chest pain known as stable angina. Sometimes the prospective patient has no symptoms at all — just test results that indicate one or more clogged arteries. Cardiologists continuously debate

When a man reaches about age 25, his prostate begins to grow. This natural growth is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and it is the most common cause of prostate enlargement. BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to prostate cancer, though the two problems can coexist Although 50% to 60% of men with BPH may never develop any symptoms, others find that BPH can make life miserable. The symptoms of BPH include a hesitant, interrupted, or weak urine stream urgency, leaking, or dribbling a sense of incomplete emptying more frequent urination, especially at night. As a result, many men seek treatment. The good news is that treatments are constantly being improved. Patients and their physicians have more medications from which to choose, so if one doesn’t do the trick, another can be prescribed. And thanks to some refinements, surgical treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects than ever before. But there are some things men dealing with BPH

Howard LeWine, M.D. ,   Chief Medical Editor Internet Publishing, Harvard Health Publications Screening is an important part of routine medical care. Screening means checking a seemingly healthy person for signs of hidden disease. It is routinely done for various types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Common cancer screening tests include: mammogram for breast cancer PSA test for prostate cancer colonoscopy for colon cancer Pap smear for cervical cancer Screening makes sense when finding and treating a hidden condition will prevent premature death or burdensome symptoms. But it doesn’t make sense when it can’t do either. That’s why experts recommend stopping screening in older individuals, especially those who aren’t likely to live another five or 10 years. Yet an article published online in   JAMA Internal Medicine   shows that many doctors still recommend cancer screening tests for their older patients. Many don’t benefit, and some

If opening jars becomes more difficult because of painful hands, or if climbing stairs produces pain in your knees, “arthritis” is often the first thing that comes to mind. The two most common forms of arthritis—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—can cause similar aches and pains, but there are a few key differences between them. For example: Onset.   Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage (tissue in your joints that cushions your bones) wears away. Pain occurs when bone rubs against bone. This type of arthritis pain tends to develop gradually and intermittently over several months or years. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an inflammatory condition in which your immune system attacks the tissues in your joints. It causes pain and stiffness that worsen over several weeks or a few months. And joint pain isn’t always the first sign of rheumatoid arthritis—sometimes it begins with “flu-like” symptoms of fatigue, fever, weakness, and minor joint aches. Location.   B

Knowing the risk factors for diabetes is key to preventing the disease. Find out if you should talk to your doctor about a screening. " https://www.mylifestages.org/tools/diabetes/diabetes_quiz.page?utm_source=newsletter_men_q3_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mho_news_pamf " (courtesy: pamf newsletter)

Every food group provides some essential nutrients, and certain foods (cereals and milk, for example) are fortified with specific nutrients as well. Vitamin and mineral supplements from a bottle simply can’t match all the biologically active compounds teeming in a well-stocked pantry. By focusing on the big picture — eating a balanced diet that contains a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, dairy products, seafood, lean meats, and poultry — it’s easy to get enough vitamins and minerals. Here are some tips. Choose healthy fats.   Fish, nuts, and vegetable oils contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Eat these foods regularly and in moderation. But do limit consumption of saturated fat and stay away from trans fats, found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (often used in spreads, baked goods, and fast foods). Don’t forget fiber.   Good sources include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and dark chocolate. Fiber from g

Think you know a lot about skin and skin care? You might be surprised at how much “common knowledge” about how to keep your skin clear and healthy is simply not true. Here, we debunk 10 common myths about skin. 1. The right skin cream can keep your skin looking young. There are hundreds of skin treatments that claim to help you look younger or slow the aging process. For reducing wrinkles, the topical treatment with the best evidence behind it is retinoic acid (as in Retin-A). Many over-the-counter products contain retinoic acid as well, but it’s difficult to say if one is better than another. But the best ways to keep wrinkles at bay are using sunscreen and not smoking. 2. Antibacterial soap is best for keeping your skin clean. Skin normally has bacteria on it. It’s impossible to keep your skin completely free of bacteria for any amount of time. In fact, many experts are concerned that the use of antibacterial soap could lead to more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibact

Alive Inside: A Story of Memory and Music, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennet, is a moving multifaceted documentary about music’s ability to awaken seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other debilitating types of dementia. It follows the journey of Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization  Music and Memory , whose mission is simple — see to it that every nursing home resident has an MP3 player pre-loaded with their favorite music. At the same time,  Alive Inside  effectively delves into the deep themes of aging, mortality and the state of U.S. nursing homes. Music and Memory Cohen is a believer in music’s ability to improve lives. We meet Cohen in   Alive Inside   not as a stodgy academic, or even a by-the-book music therapist, but as someone tuned in to the fact that magic can happen when you play music — someone who has applied this knowledge to people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. These conditions seem to steal the soul of the victim as much as th