The Burden of Arthritis

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis collectively affects nearly 43 million Americans–or about 1 in 5 adults. Another 23 million have chronic musculoskeletal symptoms that suggest they, too, may have arthritis. This makes arthritis one of the most common illnesses in the United States and a leading cause of disability. As the population ages, the CDC says that the number of Americans affected will increase dramatically.

“People ignore arthritis both as public and personal health problems because it doesn’t kill you,” says Capt. Charles G. Helmick, M.D., a medical epidemiologist at the CDC. “But what they don’t realize is that, as people work and live longer, arthritis can affect their quality of life and lead to limitations in activities and work and eventually disability.”

link to long descriptionArthritis limits everyday activities for 8 million Americans, according to statistics compiled by the CDC. Each year, arthritis results 경북건마 in 750,000 hospitalizations and 36 million outpatient visits. In 1997, medical care for arthritis cost over $51 billion. The disease affects people of all ages. Nearly two-thirds of those with arthritis are younger than 65. Arthritis may affect people of all racial and ethnic groups. It is more common among women and older Americans.

Arthritis symptoms include joint pain, stiffness, inflammation, and limited movement of joints. When a joint is inflamed, it may be swollen, tender, red, or warm to the touch. In a healthy joint, the ends of the bones are covered by cartilage, a spongy material that allows almost frictionless motion between bones. In fact, Birbara says the amount of heat produced when bones normally meet is less than when two pieces of ice are rubbed together. The joints are enclosed in a capsule and lined with tissue called the synovium. This lining releases a slippery, lubricating fluid that helps the joint move smoothly and easily. Muscles and tendons support the joint and help it move. With arthritis, the cartilage may be damaged or worn away by degenerative processes or by inflammation, making movement painful and difficult. If left undiagnosed and untreated, arthritis may progress to cause irreversible damage to the joints.

Some rheumatic diseases are systemic, meaning they can affect the whole body. Diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause arthritis as well as damage to virtually any bodily organ or system, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, skin, and brain, and may result in debilitating, and often life-threatening, complications.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the most common form of the disease–osteoarthritis (OA)–affects about 21 million people in the United States. Also called “degenerative joint disease,” OA is caused by the breakdown of cartilage and bones from the wear and tear of life, resulting in pain and stiffness. OA usually affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips, but an inherited form commonly affects the hands and spine. Pain and stiffness are the earliest symptoms in OA, which affects both men and women and usually occurs after age 45. Other risk factors include joint trauma, obesity, and repetitive joint use. In most cases, OA can be detected by X-rays. Treatments include medications, education, physical activity or exercise, heat or cold, joint protection, pacing activities, weight loss if overweight, self-care skills, and sometimes surgery.

Shirley has the second most common type–rheumatoid arthritis (RA)–an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the synovium and can lead to damage of both cartilage and the adjacent bone. RA may affect any joint but most commonly starts with inflammation in the hands and feet.

While the cause remains elusive, doctors suspect that genetic factors are important in RA. Recent studies have begun to tease out those specific genetic characteristics that make a person susceptible to developing RA. However, the inherited trait alone does not appear to fully account for the development of the illness. Researchers think this trait, along with some other unknown factor–probably in the environment–triggers the disease.

But RA can be difficult to diagnose early because it may begin gradually with subtle symptoms that usually wax and wane. According to the Arthritis Foundation, this form of arthritis affects more than 2 million people in the United States and is more common in women than men. Ironically, even when the disease appears to be relatively inactive–as measured by the patient’s pain, swelling, and stiffness–joint deterioration is likely to be progressing.

In early disease, most of the disability that patients experience is due to inflammation. In later disease, however, it is the loss of joint integrity that creates disability. This often necessitates surgical joint reconstruction or replacement procedures. Treatments for RA also include medications, exercise, rest, joint protection, and self-care skills.
Managing Arthritis and Rheumatic Conditions

For years, the pain and inflammation of arthritis have been treated using medications, local steroid injections, and joint replacement–all with varying success. Seldom did the therapies make the pain go away completely or for very long, nor did they affect the underlying joint damage.

Today’s researchers are working to improve diagnostic tools and develop treatments to forestall joint erosion. Even people whose joints are already damaged by arthritis can benefit from the knowledge generated by today’s research. Patients should consult with their doctors to determine which treatments are the most appropriate for their conditions.

Most arthritis medications fall into three categories: those that relieve pain; those that reduce inflammation or the body process that causes swelling, warmth, and redness; and those that slow the disease process and limit further damage to the joints–so-called disease-modifying agents.

Pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) and NSAIDs such as Motrin (ibuprofen) are used to reduce the pain caused by many rheumatic conditions. NSAIDs have the added benefit of decreasing the inflammation associated with arthritis. But a common side effect of NSAIDs is stomach irritation, which can often be reduced by changing the dosage or medication. Even acetaminophen has risks when taken in large doses, Kweder says.

Before safety concerns about Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra emerged in December 2004, these newer COX-2 NSAIDs were used primarily to reduce gastrointestinal side effects and offered an additional option for treatment.

Depending on the type of arthritis, a person may use a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). This category includes several unrelated medications that are intended to slow or stop disease progress and prevent disability and discomfort. DMARDs include Rheumatrex (methotrexate), Azulfidine (sulfasalazine), and Arava (leflunomide).

Someone diagnosed with RA today is likely to be prescribed a DMARD fairly early in the course of the disease, as doctors have found that starting these drugs early can help prevent irreparable joint damage that might otherwise occur.

Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, cortisone, methylprednisolone, and hydrocortisone, are used to treat many rheumatic conditions because they decrease inflammation and suppress the immune system. The dosage of these medications will vary depending on the diagnosis and the patient. Corticosteroids can be given by mouth or by direct injection into a joint or tendon sheath.

For Shirley, any minor relief he 경남오피 experienced over the 25 years was due to injections of corticosteroid preparations into his joints. The injections would relieve his pain, stiffness, and swelling temporarily. Unfortunately, corticosteroids given orally and for prolonged periods and at higher doses may carry side effects such as brittle bones, cataracts, elevated blood sugar, and an increased susceptibility to infections throughout the body.

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Public-Key SSH Login

SSH is a popular system allowing a remote shell (command interpreter) to be used over a secure connection. By secure, here, I mean that the connection is encrypted, authenticated and integrity checked. The encryption prevents attackers reading the contents of the data being transmitted, the authentication allows both the client and the server to be sure that they are connected to the other, and not to some intermediate system in a man-in-the-middle attack, and the integrity checking ensures that the data is not being changed during transit. Together, these three features provide a secure connection.

Even so, the password based login feature transmits your 명품레플리카사이트 password through this link, to the remote server, where it is hashed and compared with the stored value in the password file. To many, even though the connection is encrypted, this is not satisfactory. SSH allows the use of public key authentication to login to a server. Here, you upload your public key to the server, and keep your private key on the client machine, optionally password protected so that no one can steal your private key file and use it to gain access without a password.

Now, when the SSH connection is established, the server will need to check the authentication of the client; that is, make sure it is you logging in. This was previously done by requesting your password, and comparing it against the stored password hash. Now, the server encrypts a randomly generated token against your public key, and sends this to you. The private key associated with your public key, stored in a file to which only you have access, either by password protection, filesystem permissions or other means, is the only key able to decrypt this message. Now, your SSH client will decrypt the message and send it back to the server, which compares it against the original value. In reality, the authentication is often also checked in the opposite direction, using the servers public key, which may be stored by the client. Once the server knows you hold the private key which corresponds to the public key, it grants you access.

So, you may ask, what is the security benefit here? Well, no secret information is being transmitted. You are no longer transmitting a password, nor are you transmitting any of your private key file. You are using the keys to encrypt and decrypt a piece of random data, which works one time only. Anyone who did somehow manage to listen in on this data stream would not be able to regain access by playing back your password, or even by playing back the same data transaction, as a different value would be encrypted the next time you login, and only the private key itself can decrypt that.

Public Key authentication is supported in OpenSSH, and also in PuTTY and many other SSH systems. Check your systems documentation for details on how to use public-key based logins.

Slovakia Casinos

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Slovakia is the other half of the Czech Republic, which used to form Czechoslovakia before 1993 when it was split into two different countries. Slovakia has been a member of the European Union since 2004 and is proud to welcome a large number of tourists from all over the world by air, land, and by cruises on the famous river Danube which links it to Vienna and Budapest.

Slovakia casinos are placed in all major cities of interest including Bratislava, the capital, with two casinos, the Casino Caf Reduta and Regency Casino; Kezmarok with the Admiral Club Casino; Kosice with two casinos, the Casino Kosice and Casino Sport; Piestany with the Casino Piestany, and Zilina with Casino Admiral Zilina. Gambling is legal in Slovakia, as long as you are 18 years of age or more, and the same rule applies for the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Slovakia casinos feature all international games such as poker, roulette, and blackjack, as well as slot and other video gambling machines. Casino Caf Reduta in Bratislava offers twelve table games, of which there are six for American roulette, four tables of blackjack, two of mini-baccarat, and one for draw poker. The only other casino found in Bratislava is the Regency Casino, which is a hotel, as well, and entertains its guests with 17 table games that include American roulette, blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Mini Punto Banco, poker, and standard Punto Banco.

Besides the casino in the Regency, you can also find restaurants that offer national and international cuisine, a coffee shop, and shopping arcade with local souvenirs. Most Slovakia casinos are open between 1 pm and 4 am every day of the week. However, there may be some exceptions, and therefore it is advised to check the opening schedule beforehand.

The official language in Slovakia is Slovak; however, English is widely spoken, especially in places such as hotels, casinos, restaurants, and shopping, where tourists are expected to visit. To travel to Slovakia and enjoy the charm of their casinos and culture, you can either go by air, land or even take a cruise on the beautiful Danube River and experience the scenery and other beautiful places along the way. Slovakia has one other type of gambling which is legal and widely enjoyed by locals and tourist alike and that is horse race betting. While in Slovakia you might want to try both forms of gambling, as you never know which one you may win.

Teens Just Can’t Get Enough Sleep!

Some people just can’t get themselves to sleep even if they want to. Teen-agers are not exempted from getting sleep problems not only because they are usually overloaded with school projects which take most of their sleeping time. Even with all the hustle and bustle that comes with school, teenagers’ normally have enough adrenalin to last them till the wee hours of the morning.

Still, frequent sleep deprivation can cause problems even for the most healthy and vibrant youngster. Young people who experience sleep deficit have difficulty concentrating, studying, and working effectively. Long-term sleep deprivation can actually lead to emotional problems like depression.
According to recent studies, teenagers need 8 to more than 9 hours of sleep every night. However, during the stage of adolescence, the body’s internal biological clock, also known as circadian rhythm, is reset. The changes in the circadian rhythm makes them fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. Experts attribute this change in the circadian rhythm to the fact that the brain hormone called melatonin is produced later at night in teens. Melatonin is released earlier in the night among kids and adults. Also, the delay in the sleepwake cycle can worsen and possibly affect a person’s daily performance at school or at work. This is called the delayed sleep phase syndrome.

Aside from changes in their body clocks, young people may also lose sleep due to insomnia, or the inability to fall asleep or staying asleep, which is commonly caused by stress. But there are other factors which may cause insomnia. These include physical discomfort such as stuffy nose due to colds or headaches; emotional problems like family issues or relationship troubles; and uncomfortable sleeping conditions, such as lying in a room that is too hot, cold, or noisy. Trying to sleep in a cramped bed or using pillows that are too soft or too firm also contributes to sleep deprivation.

Insomnia is also one of the most common problems associated with sleep deprivation. This sleeping problem lasts for a long period of time without relief. Chronic insomnia can be caused by a number of different problems, including medical conditions, mental health problems, medication side effects, or substance abuse. In extreme cases, chronic insomnia may lead to psychophysiologic insomnia — a condition where a person’s mind and body are severely affected by sleep deprivation. Sufferers of chronic insomnia are advised to seek help the help of physicians, therapists, or counselors for their condition.
A nightmare is a common experience among teens which can disrupt sleep patterns. Certain medications can trigger nightmares. Drugs and alcohol can also cause sleep altering patterns. However, stress and anxiety can also trigger nightmares. If nightmares interfere with sleep, it’s time to talk to medical health professionals. Other conditions that can affect sleep in young people include Periodic Limb Disorder, Restless Legs Syndrome, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Reflux, Narcolepsy, and Sleepwalking.

When there’s a feeling of fatigue even after getting enough rest, a consultation with your doctor is advised. Excessive fatigue can be due to a number of health reasons, not just a sleep disorder. Doctors can do a physical examination and may review a person’s medical history when they suspect the presence of other conditions that interfere with sleep.

Some sleep disorders can be treated with over-the-counter sleeping pills while others can be addressed through special therapy meant to reset a person’s body clock. Teens are encouraged to make lifestyle changes that promote good sleeping habits such as avoiding playing video games or watching TV before sleeping, as well as drinking too much coffee at nighttime.

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Why My Muscles Won’t Grow? Cortisol Stress Hormone Destroy Muscle

Why My Muscles Won’t Grow? Cortisol Stress Hormone Destroy Muscle Tissues

There are many reasons why your muscles wont grow or why your muscle growth is retarded. One main culprit for your muscle tissue to in a catabolic and not in an anabolic state is the stress hormone called cortisol. This stress hormone, cortisol, is produced by your body when you are under stressful situations.

Yes, any type of stress, whether they are mental stress, physical stress or just emotional stress will trigger off an increased in the production of cortisol hormones. A high level of cortisol is always a bane for bodybuilders and that in itself, is creating more stress.

When you exercise or especially weightlifting body building exercises, you are placing a tremendous stress on your body. This in turn will cause the cortisol hormone in your body to rise to unacceptable level which may destroy your muscle tissues, bone density and causes weight gain especially abdominal fat. Ohhh…that abdominal fat that would not go away.

This hormone hates your muscles and wants you to grow fat. It takes away protein from the muscles. However to be fair to this hormone, the cortisol hormone has its positive functions.

Cortisol is produced by the adrenal cortex and is commonly known as a stress hormone because the level of cortisol in your body rises sharply when you are under stress. This hormone plays an important role in your bodys metabolic function, it facilitates cardiovascular function, carbohydrate metabolism and controls inflammation. After all, it is a steroid hormone.

As more cortisol is being produced, your muscle tissue breaks down further since the amino acids from your muscle protein is being converted into glucose for energy. This hormone also blocks new muscle tissues from growing because it interferes in protein synthesis in your muscles.

How to lower cortisol level?

Get enough sleep Let your body recuperate from the days stress and let the body rebuild its wears and tears. A lack of sleep will put your body under further stress and thus increasing cortisol levels.

Avoid stress Take up yoga, read a book, take a break from whatever you are doing. Learn meditation and breathing techniques to reduce everyday stress. Take a week or so break from your exercise routine after 6-8 weeks of regular training. As your body learns how to relax, the level of cortisol hormone will fall correspondingly.

Do not over train Over training is a common issue amongst athletes of all types. This is especially so in bodybuilding and weight lifting. You are already damaging your muscles when you lift weights, dont let cortisol hormones rob your muscles of the much needed proteins and preventing muscle repair and growth.

Once your body and mind is free from stress, your cortisol production will be at a healthy level and you 동탄출장안마 will once again see your muscles growing, provided that you are doing other things that are conducive to getting your muscles to grow.

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