Shoulder Replacement Surgery Results in Old vs. Young Patients
An oddball discovery is that older people experience better results from shoulder replacement surgery than do young patients.
At first, you’d think that the opposite would be true, that the younger people would have more favorable outcomes. (more…)
Finger Tingling from MS vs. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Both multiple sclerosis and carpal tunnel syndrome can cause tingling in the fingers.
However, the tingling of MS is more likely to occur in the forearm when it’s in an upper extremity. But carpal tunnel syndrome can also cause some tingling in the forearm. (more…)
Can ALS Cause Hand Symptoms that Mimic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Unfortunately, early symptoms of ALS can masquerade as symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you wait long enough and have ALS, you’ll eventually suffer the progressive symptoms of this neurodegenerative disease. (more…)
The Worst that Can Happen if Carpal Tunnel Is Never Treated
If you don’t get treatment for your carpal tunnel syndrome, it may spontaneously improve, OR, you may end up with permanent pain and grip weakness.
The tricky thing here is that you can’t tell for sure which category you’ll end up in.
So why take the chance? (more…)
Weightlifting Guidelines for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Pulling
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome you’ll need to follow some guidelines if you want to do weightlifting that involves pulling like deadlifts, rows, pull-downs and pull-ups. (more…)
Can Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cause Fingers to Twitch?
A twitching finger makes a person fear they have ALS because this disease causes twitching, so they’re hoping that the real cause is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Finger twitching is common. It can come out of the blue for no apparent reason, however, making a person wonder if it’s the first sign of ALS. (more…)
Can Growth Hormone Injections Make a Short Child Tall ?
Will enough growth hormone injections cause a short child to grow enough to actually be tall for their age?
After all, why stop at just “not as short” when you can achieve “taller than average,” as some parents may wonder.
“The risk of long-term complications of growth hormone therapy in children has not been well-studied,” says Dr. Lisa Lewis, MD, a board certified pediatrician in Fort Worth, Texas, and author of “Feed the Baby Hummus, Pediatrician-Backed Secrets from Cultures Around the World.”
“For this reason, growth hormone treatments should only be reserved for children who are medically classified as short stature and deficient in growth hormone.
“If growth hormone is given to normal children with no growth hormone deficiency, the child is at risk of side effects from the treatment.
“Possible side effects of growth hormone given to a child who is not deficient in growth hormone include diabetes, high blood pressure, organ malfunction (heart, kidney, liver) and atherosclerosis.”
Healthy but Short Children’s Height Increase with HGH: Study
The “more is better” approach does not work when it comes to human growth hormone treatments for children of short stature.
A short child cannot be made tall with growth hormone treatments because the maximum height increase is about three inches.
This information comes from a study, published in 2007, led by Jackie Bryant, a researcher at the University of Southampton in England.
The study pertains to kids whose short height has no medical or other known cause; they are otherwise healthy.
For the study, 10 randomized controlled trials were analyzed, involving 741 kids who were very short but otherwise healthy.
Despite the multitude of injections required, the kids’ ultimately ended up still short, near the lower range of normal, relative to their same-age/gender peers.
According to the report, a final height increase of three inches may cost between $108,000 and $216,000.
One of the reviewed studies included a psychological comparison between the kids who were treated with GH and the control group.
The kids who were treated with growth hormone had reported no improvement in their quality of life.
It’s fair to wonder if they’d report a jump in quality if the height increase actually made them taller than average, vs. merely just not as short.
Growth Hormone for Kids with GH Deficiency: When Is It Too Late for Treatment to Be Effective?
Dr. Lewis explains, “It is too late for treatments to be effective when an adolescent has stopped growing.
“The growth plates in the bone are fused at this point, and no further growth can occur.”
Having 25+ years’ experience, Dr. Lewis completed her pediatrics residency at Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Scott and White Memorial Hospital. For two years afterward she was assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Texas A&M University Health Science Center.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/aekkorn
Source: cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004440/abstract
Can Elderly with Broken Hip Recover without Physical Therapy?
What if an elderly person refuses to do the prescribed physical therapy following replacement for a hip fracture?
Are they doomed to spending the rest of their life hobbling along in a walker or sitting in a scooter? (more…)
Why Pain in Both Legs Can Mean Heart Attack within Five Years
Pain in both legs that won’t respond to standard treatments or exercise may be a sign of a pending heart attack or one a few years later.
It’s quite simple to understand: The process that causes arteries to clog up in the heart can also cause arteries in the legs to clog up. (more…)
How to Tell when a Cancer Patient Is About to Die
There are ways you can tell when a cancer patient in the latest stages of disease is about to die.
These signs are an alert that death is very imminent.
“Cancer patients who are at the end of their life tend to be tired and weak, resulting in an increased requirement for sleep,” says Jonathan Stegall, MD, an integrative oncologist and medical director for The Center for Advanced Medicine, an adult cancer treatment center in Alpharetta, GA.
“They often lose the desire for food and drink, and frequently stop seeking interaction with others,” continues Dr. Stegall.
The aversion to eating even a small portion of their favorite foods is because their body, all its systems, is shutting down – and therefore has no need for any sustenance.
There will also be a reduced response to verbal stimuli.
In addition, according to a study (Hui et al), there is a reduced response to visual stimuli.
There may be a drooping of the so-called smile lines, along with grunting, hyperextension of the neck with the head tilting off the bed, eyes that do not close and pupils that do not react to changes in lighting.
These latter signs are not a 100 percent guarantee of imminent death (within three days), but the study says that very few patients who had these signs were alive more than three days later.
The study authors point out that due to the small number of subjects in this research, the results cannot be generalized to apply to illnesses other than cancer, nor to terminal cancer patients in all possible settings such as the patient’s home.
General Signs that Death Is Near for a Cancer Patient
Shutterstock/CandyBox Images
“Depending on the cancer type, pain levels can increase, resulting in a need for additional pain medication,” says Dr. Stegall.
“Breathing changes can also occur, ranging from more rapid breathing to some periods of apnea [paused breathing].
“Dying patients will sometimes become anxious, agitated and restless.
“They might see or hear things that aren’t there [or at least perceivable to family members], including loved-ones who previously died.
“Finally, patients who are close to death might lapse into a coma, where they are completely unresponsive.
“Although they are not responsive, it is believed that they continue to hear and perceive things around them.”
When a cancer patient is close to death, about to die, the process is actually pretty similar to that from other illnesses such as kidney failure, heart failure, systemic infection and COVID-19.
Whether caused by cancer or other conditions, the body shuts down pretty much the same across the board.
This is why the narrative of the dying process, that’s provided by hospice care services, is in template or general form rather than specific to a particular medical condition.
When cancer patients in movies and TV shows are shown dying (in bed), they’re typically talking and making good eye contact to a loved-one.
Then suddenly they cease talking and close their eyes, and for dramatic effect, the director has them move their head slightly away from the family member at the bedside.
In the end stage of a chronic, progressive disease (whether cancer or another illness), it certainly can happen that someone weakly speaks, then passes.
But in general, there’s a phase between their last spoken words, last open eyes – and when they take their last breath.
In acute injuries such as a stabbing or gunshot wound, a person can be talking quite a bit and then abruptly lose consciousness and die.
Jonathan Stegall, MD,
