Health Topics
Congratulations you have survived another winter in North Dakota! If you are like most you have experienced a significant decline in your physical activity over the past five to six months. The side effects of this reduced activity include mild to moderate weight gain, decreased flexibility, decreased muscle strength, higher fat diets, and a decrease in the quality of your sleep. Well enough of that. It is time to move! And it is so simple.
Meningitis - Symptoms and Prevention
While many of us parents are in the midst of helping our families fight cold and flu germs this time of year, we should all be aware of another potential illness that can affect our children. Meningitis, while less common than a cold or stomach bug, can be very serious for children from infanthood through young adult years.
As an expectant mother, you inevitably will have several forms to fill out and information to take in during and after your baby’s delivery at the hospital. Being prepared for some of the common questions can make your time in the hospital less stressful.
One routine injection given to your newborn is vitamin K. In the moment, many parents are not sure what the vitamin K shot is, and why it is recommended.
Below are some helpful questions and answers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can help inform you ahead of time:
Rhabdomyolysis and Extreme Exercise
In today's busy world, you may find yourself cramming in a few intense work-out sessions here and there around your hectic schedule. You might have joined a fitness class or started a video work-out program designed to push your body to its limits, all in the name of burning the most calories in the shortest amount of time possible. If this sounds like you, there’s a rare but serious condition you should be aware of: Rhabdomyolysis, or “Rhabdo” for short.
“Growing pain” is a term used to describe a type of benign (non-serious) limb pain in children. This pain usually occurs in children aged 3 to 12. Growing pains are the most common type of limb pain in children. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of children will have these pains at least once. These pains occur in both boys and girls.
Symptoms of growing pains:
Anterior Approach to Hip Replacement
Joint replacement surgeons are increasingly using the anterior approach to hip replacement surgery in an attempt to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction.
The anterior approach to total hip replacement is becoming more popular because it can be less invasive, hospital stays can be shorter, and recovery and rehabilitation tend to be quicker for patients. Over the past 10 years, there have been several new and less invasive approaches to hip replacement surgery. The anterior approach is one of these “minimally invasive” procedures.
Palliative Care Improving Quality of life
Palliative care represents a different model of care, focusing not on cure at any cost but on relief and prevention of suffering. The priority is supporting the best possible quality of life for the patient and family, regardless of prognosis. Although palliative care is provided in tandem with curative treatments, most people associate it with end-of-life care.
Cutting and Other Self Harm Behaviors
There have been an increasing number of reports from parents that their high school aged children are engaging in cutting or other self-harm behaviors. As a clinician in the Bismarck area, I have observed that this is, indeed, a relatively common issue affecting adolescents and young adults. Self-harm is the act of deliberately harming one’s own body. Usually it is not intended to be a suicide attempt but is an unhealthy way to cope with psychological pain and strong emotions. This can be a mixture of worthlessness, loneliness, anxiety, anger, self-hatred and other emotions.