I have found most people know about Rheumatoid Arthritis (and if you haven’t, learn more here & here) and a lot of people may even know someone with Psoriasis, but not many people have heard of Psoriatic Arthritis. Understanding what psoriatic arthritis is, who can get it and what to look out for can help you know when it’s time to see the doctor.
[Read more…] about Psoriatic Arthritis: The BasicsBack pain: when to worry
Back Pain is everywhere! Most of us will likely experience it sometime during our lifetime and many of us will never know why. In fact, for most of us, when we see our doctor, we may be given pain relievers and told not to worry about it. But when SHOULD we worry about it? There are signs that doctors are trained to look for. Thinking about whether or not you have any of these will help you decide if and when it’s time to see your doctor.
[Read more…] about Back pain: when to worryFinding motivation to stay healthy
Finding motivation to do anything can be difficult. Especially when you don’t see any value in what you are trying to do or achieve. Although most of us would say that staying healthy is a top priority, why do we find motivation to make the necessary healthy changes difficult to find?
This New Year, as we turn the page on 2020 and get ready to face whatever 2021 has in store, I’m offering up some food for thought about how we approach our health and why we may be having problems staying motivated. This advice is made based on years of observation and working with a lot of patients struggling with all kinds of health issues. No one has it all figured out and everyone struggles with motivation at certain points. But what keeps one person going while another finds it hard to even get started is something I’ve been interested in my entire career.
[Read more…] about Finding motivation to stay healthyFibromyalgia Treatment: the basics
Getting a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia can be relieving, yet terrifying, all at the same time. For those dealing with unexplained symptoms, just to know it has a name can be reassuring. However that relief can replaced by overwhelm as we enter into the world of fibromyalgia treatment. There are currently only 3 FDA approved medications for fibromyalgia, all of which focus on the nervous system. For many, these types of medications are new and can come with scary sounding side effects. Why are these the medications approved and what do they do? What do they not do?
[Read more…] about Fibromyalgia Treatment: the basicsI love Physical Therapy
The lessons we can learn from Physical Therapy about our own body and our movement, can, literally, be life changing. Having persistent joint pain or body pain can be frustrating and demoralizing. It can have a profound impact on ALL aspects of our lives, as we may find we can no longer do the things that brought us joy or stress relief. At first, this may seem like a small annoyance, but with time the tension can build and our mental health can suffer. Naturally, we think that this deserves a trip to the doctor, and of course it does. But all too often I have seen the looks of disappointment when I suggest the treatment is physical therapy. What? No shot?? No medication?
[Read more…] about I love Physical Therapy