According to statistics, a significant percentage of men and women snore at one point in their life. The boisterous, raspy snoring sounds might not be a serious condition. However, if you or your partner cannot sleep due to chronic or loud snoring, it can be bothersome. At Houston Sinus Surgery, Cecil Yeung, MD, one of the most experienced ENT physicians in the Houston area, provides innovative diagnostics and treatments for snoring in Houston. The team is dedicated to helping you find out the cause of your snoring and providing effective relief. For a more peaceful night’s sleep, call or book a snoring consultation online today.

Why Do You Snore?

When we fall asleep, the muscles of the roof of our mouth, throat, and tongue relax in such a way that they might, to some extent, block our airway. Snoring is the vibration sound that results when air vibrates against the overly relaxed airway soft tissues.

Does Everyone Snore?

No! However, most people snore sporadically. Loud or chronic snoring might signify a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. If not treated urgently, sleep apnea can result in serious complications. Some of the factors that make one more likely to snore include:

•         Being a man.
•         Having a narrow airway.
•         Being overweight.
•         Drinking alcohol.
•         Having tonsils, a large tongue, or additional oral tissues.
•         Having a family history of sleep apnea or snoring.
•         Being chronically congested.
•         Having structural abnormalities such as a deviated septum.

When Does Snoring Require Treatment?

You should consider seeking medical consultation and treatment if snoring affects your quality of life or that one of your loved ones. You should also book an appointment with the doctor if; you have chest pains, gag, gasp, or choke when asleep, stop breathing at night, have high blood pressure, or experience sore throats or morning headaches. Snoring often disrupts your sleep, preventing your body from getting the rest it requires to keep healthy. Dr. Yeung can also help patients with sleep deprivation symptoms, including excessive sleepiness, brain fog or forgetfulness, moodiness, and trouble concentrating.

Is Snoring in Children Serious?

Snoring occasionally is normal for your child. However, if your child has sleep apnea symptoms or stops breathing at night, you should take your child for medical evaluation. Children with sleep deprivation can also have poor school performance, behavioral issues, and poor attention span.

How Is Snoring Treated?

When you visit a snoring specialist, the provider starts by diagnosing the primary cause of snoring.  The doctor might then recommend lifestyle changes such as weight loss, sleeping on your side for mild snoring cases, or medications such as nasal decongestants. For severe snoring, you might require to undertake therapies such as automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) or a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask to improve your breathing or custom-made oral appliance therapy (OAT) that helps prevent obstruction of your airways. If the condition does not improve, you may be required to go for surgery.

In conclusion, if your snoring has sleep apnea symptoms or is interfering with your sleep or that of your bedmates, you should seek medical help. For the best treatment, call or schedule an appointment online today at Houston Sinus Surgery.

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a condition that causes the accumulation of sugar in the blood. This metabolic disease affects insulin, which is a hormone that helps in the conversion of sugar to energy. With Farmers Branch diabetes, the patient’s cells will either not respond to or produce enough insulin, and thus sugar accumulates in the body. If left untreated, the accumulated sugar can harm your kidneys, liver, nerves or cardiovascular system.

What are the different types of diabetes?

There are four different types of diabetes mellitus:

•         Type 1 diabetes

This condition is of an autoimmune origin. The immune system may attack cells in the pancreas, specifically those responsible for insulin production. As a result, there is insulin deficiency which causes blood sugar to increase.

•         Type 2 diabetes

Patients with this type of diabetes mellitus are resistant to insulin effects even though they have sufficient amounts in their system.

•         Prediabetes

Some patients have significantly high amounts of blood sugar. However, the levels are not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. For this reason, doctors diagnose these patients as having prediabetes.

•         Gestational diabetes

Pregnant women have this type of diabetes because the placenta produces insulin-blocking hormones that inhibit insulin production.

What are the symptoms of diabetes mellitus?

Although the symptoms are hard to spot at the beginning, high blood sugar may cause a patient to experience mild symptoms like:

•         Increased hunger and thirst
•         Chronic fatigue
•         Frequent urination
•         Weight loss
•         Blurry vision
•         Sores that take long to heal

There are symptoms specific to women with diabetes. For example:

•         Yeast and urinary tract infections
•         Dry and itchy skin

Most women with gestational diabetes do not experience symptoms. Doctors usually detect this condition between 24-28 weeks of gestation upon performing a blood sugar test that is routine during prenatal visits. Frequent urination is a symptom of gestational diabetes.

What factors increase your risk of developing diabetes mellitus?

•         Type 1 diabetes is a common condition affecting children or teenagers. Moreover, a patient can develop this type of diabetes because it is specific to genetics.
•         The risk for type 2 diabetes increases for overweight, physically inactive, high blood pressure, or above 45.
•         Pregnant women are at risk of developing gestational diabetes if they have a family history of type 2 diabetes, have polycystic ovary syndrome, have given birth to a baby over nine pounds, or over 25 years.

What is the treatment for diabetes?

There are different kinds of medications specific to the type of diabetes a patient has. For example, a doctor may recommend injections or oral medicine.

What is the treatment for type 1 diabetes?

The primary option doctors will recommend is artificial insulin to replace the insufficiency hormone in your body. Depending on your condition, you will require an insulin type that starts to work after and lasts for a specific period.

What is the treatment for type 2 diabetes?

Maintaining the proper diet and remaining physically active by incorporating exercise into your daily routine are lifestyle changes that can help lower your blood sugar. Moreover, medications can help provide the same effect.

What is the treatment for gestational diabetes?

Some women may need additional insulin to help lower their blood sugar levels, primarily since diet and exercise cannot provide optimal results.

Contact Redwood Family Health Center to learn more about diabetes and which treatment is best for your condition.

Hormone therapy has always been a useful treatment for the symptoms of menopause, but clinical studies show that it also involves some side effects. Whether hormone therapy is the right choice for you or not is a debatable matter. First, understand what you are going to deal with.

Fit Life MD provides excellent med spa services in San Antonio, Texas. They are one of the best providers of San Antonio growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Francisco Cardona, MD. is a certified physician with a specialization in hormone replacement therapy. He makes personalized treatment plans for his patients and supervises the treatments.

Different Kinds of Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is a treatment for imbalanced hormones in both men and women. The common types of hormone therapy are:

• Systemic Hormone Therapy: It has a high dose of estrogen to treat most symptoms of menopause. You absorb the estrogen in the whole body to get the desired result.
• Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogen Product: These products reduce the absorption of estrogen in your body. Therefore, you can use it only to treat symptoms of urinary and vaginal problems during menopause.

What Is the Purpose Of Hormone Therapy?

Hormone therapy has a different use for women and men. It can treat various conditions in women such as:

• Fatigue
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Mood swings
• Sleep problems
• Low sex drive
• Low bone density
• Loss of memory and concentration problems

Among men, it addresses issues like:

• Exhaustion
• Irritability
• Depression
• Increase in body weight
• Erectile dysfunction
• Decreased stamina
• Infertility
• Gynecomastia (enlarged male breast)
• Loss of face and body hair
• Muscle loss

Irrespective of gender, you can utilize growth hormone replacement therapy if you have less than normal growth hormone levels. You can go online to search for a San Antonio clinic or med spa and book an appointment to consult whether you can utilize this therapy.

Are There Any Risks Involved?

Hormone therapy can put you at the risk of developing blood clots, heart diseases, stroke, and even breast cancer depending on the following factors:

• Medical history: Your family and personal medical history are important in determining your possibility of having health risks.
• Age: Hormone therapy after 60 years of age or 10 years after the onset can make you more vulnerable.
• Type of therapy: Things like dosage, estrogen type, and whether it is in combination with progestin determine the extent of risk you are facing.

Ways to Reduce the Risks

To get the most benefit out of hormone therapy and reduce the risks, you must select the most suitable products. Along with it, a healthy lifestyle supports the treatment and keeps your body fit. Make sure that you get regular follow-up so that you can keep your dose in check.

Not all stress testing yields the same high-quality findings. Nuclear stress testing with a heart PET scan is the benchmark for accurately diagnosing coronary artery disease. If you have further concerns, contact the Tomball stress testing experts at Northwest Houston Heart Center. Call your nearest office within Texas, or use the online booking option to make an appointment soon.

When Should I Consider Stress Testing?

A stress test is a diagnostic process that examines how your heart works when made to work harder than usual. Northwest Houston Heart Center conducts stress testing to diagnose the source of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and palpitations. Stress testing can aid in the diagnosis of:

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart valve disease
• Heart failure
• Cardiomyopathy
• Heart arrhythmias

Your doctor may also urge you to take a stress test to see how effective your current treatment is or to see whether you’re ready to start exercising again after a heart attack.

Northwest Houston Heart Center is one of just a few centers in the Houston area with a dedicated cardiac PET scanner (positron emission tomography). These scans are among the most modern and accurate diagnostic methods for coronary artery disease, surpassing standard nuclear stress testing.

Northwest Houston Heart Center was the third facility in the Houston Metro area to offer cardiac PET scans, and it has been doing so for more than ten years. Dr. Aslam is a member of the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology, and the PET Scan facility at Northwest Houston Heart Center is an Intersocietal Accreditation Commission-accredited facility.

What Happens During Stress Testing?

You pace on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike to raise your heart rate during an exercise stress test. Your physician will place electrodes on your chest and link them to an EKG machine before the test so that they may examine your heart’s electrical activity.

You begin slowly, and your provider gradually increases the intensity at regular intervals. The test continues until your provider determines a peak heart rate or you get symptoms and need to stop.

You can still take a stress test if you are unable to exercise. Your doctor may prescribe medications to raise your heart rate instead of exercise.

What Is Nuclear Stress Testing?

A nuclear stress test is a special treatment that combines your stress test with a heart PET (positron emission tomography) scan. You get two scans, one just after your stress test to get an image of your heart when it’s working hard, and the other right after your stress test to get an image of your heart when it’s not working hard.

What Is a Cardiac PET Scan?

Your provider injects a radioactive material called a radiotracer into your veins during a cardiac PET scan (tracer). These tracers bind to blood cells and make their way to your heart. This PET scan is a type of sophisticated imaging that uses the energy emitted by the tracers to create an image of your heart.

Call Northwest Houston Heart Center or schedule an appointment online today if you have questions regarding stress testing.

According to research statistics, about nine million Americans experience sports injuries annually. Unluckily, if left untreated, these sports injuries can result in more severe problems, including being disabled. But you don’t have to worry. At StatMD, Ravinderjit Singh, MD, is an urgent care and family medicine specialist who has years of experience in diagnosing and effectively treating sports injuries. Contact the office or use the online scheduling tool today for a consultation about the best treatment for your Bakersfield sports injuries.

What Exactly Are Sports Injuries?

These are injuries that result from physical activity. Anyone can get a sports injury, but various factors escalate your risk, including not warming up before exercise, playing contact sports, or engaging in a new type of exercise after living a sedentary lifestyle. Many sports injuries resolve with simple at-home treatments such as rest, ice, or over-the-counter pain medication. However, if the symptoms persist or affect your life quality, you should consider scheduling an appointment with a sports injuries specialist.

What Are the Common Sports Injuries?

Various sports can cause a variety of sports injuries depending on the most engaging parts. Some of the common sports injuries include:

• Fractures
• Strains
• Knee injuries
• Sprains
• Dislocations
• Swollen muscles
• Achilles tendon ruptures and tears

Individuals with a rotator cuff injury can also benefit from the treatment.

What Should You Expect During Sports Injuries Diagnosis?

When you go for a sports injuries consultation, the specialist starts by conducting a physical examination and inquiring about your symptoms, including severity, when the injury occurred, and the events resulting from your injury. During the initial examination, you might be needed to perform a range of easy workouts to assess your range of motion and strength. If these tests are not sufficient in diagnosing the source of your discomfort, your provider might request diagnostic imaging such as an MRI or X-rays. These will provide detailed photographs of your soft and hard tissues and help check for severe issues such as fractures.

What Are the Available Sports Injuries Treatments?

After diagnosing your type of injury, your ideal treatment will depend on their location, severity, and effect on your day-to-day life. The team at StatMD starts by recommending conservative treatments, including the RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). If the condition does not improve, the specialist may recommend a splint, cast, or physical therapy. In severe cases, you might be required to undertake surgery.  The treatment is aimed at relieving pain and improving your mobility to avoid further complications.

How Can You Reduce Your Risk of Sports Injury?

The best way of reducing your risk of sports injury is practicing appropriate form during physical exercises. For instance, if you enjoy exercising in the gym, it is essential to lift weights with your legs rather than your back. More so, putting on proper safety equipment for a particular sport such as mouthguard, elbow pads, or helmets and warming up before exercise can reduce your risk of sports injury.

In conclusion, don’t let a sports injury affect your quality of life. Schedule an appointment at StatMD by contacting the office or clicking the online booking tool today to get the best treatment for sports injuries.