Depression or possible thyroid disorders?

What is the thyroid gland?

The endocrine system is responsible all hormone production, and therefore all of functions that hormones regulate in the body. The endocrine system includes the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland, adrenal gland, pancreas, ovaries/testes, parathyroid gland and thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is at the base of the neck and is split into two lobes, one located on either side of the windpipe. It is responsible for producing three hormones that are important for regulating many metabolic processes in the body.

The main hormones produced by the thyroid gland are calcitonin, T3 (tri-iodothyrionine) and T4 (thyroxine). Calcitonin is involved in controlling the tightly regulated calcium levels in the blood.

Early Signs of Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a complex metabolic condition that causes people to have high blood sugar, also called high blood glucose and hyperglycemia. This happens because the body’s way of converting glucose into energy is not functioning properly.

Glucose comes from both digested carbohydrates and stored sites in the body, primarily your liver. With the help of insulin, cells throughout the body are able to absorb this glucose to use as energy to fuel the body and brain.

When blood sugar is high (post-meal) insulin is released to signal cells to absorb sugar, reducing the concentration in the blood.

Anemia - can it be prevented?

What is anemia?

Over 1.6 billion people worldwide are anemic. Anemia is a condition by which red blood cells do not carry and deliver enough oxygen to the rest of the body. This is either because there are not enough red blood cells or because the red blood cells available do not function properly. The four major types of anemias include iron-deficiency anemia, megaoloblastic anemia, pernicious anemia and sickle cell anemia. Of these, the most common is iron-deficiency anemia.

Iron-deficiency anemia is a condition that occurs when there is a lack of iron in the body. Iron is essential to make hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein, which binds to oxygen to carry and deliver it throughout the body.

Top reasons for emergency visits - can early detection help to lower the numbers?

Top reasons for emergency visits & hospitalization

In the United States, the Emergency Department (ED) sees around 136.6 million patients per year. Just over 50% of that number falls between the ages of 25-64, and within this age group, 40-55% of patients enter the ED with high blood pressure (>140/90). This high percentage is instrumental to the fact that so many of the conditions seen upon admittance to the ED are chronic diseases, as high blood pressure is a factor for many including heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.

The top five reasons for admission to the Emergency Department differs between age groups:

Importance of Patient History for Diagnosis

Why does patient history matter?

Using patient history is critical for an efficient and accurate diagnosis. The diagnostic process often involves taking medical history, performing a physical examination, prescribing diagnostic tests and interpreting the collective results. If a piece of patient history is missing, it may misguide the entire diagnostic pathway. Therefore, the information elucidated while taking patient history will ultimately enable the clinician to select the timeliest approach.

Obtaining a thorough patient history is also the first step to assure that the process is cost-effective. By being specific and selective, the amount of unnecessary tests can be significantly reduced. This can protect patients from extensive additional testing that may eventually provide a diagnosis, but at a greater cost to the patient.

HIPPA and Medical Apps - What is the Status?

The world of medicine is changing fast. Textbooks are no longer in vogue for medical information. Today, one can find almost  any type of medical information on the web.

Hospitals and healthcare providers have now gone one step further to compete for patients. Many of them now have apps available on mobile devices like androids and iPhones. There are medical apps which provide consumers with the latest developments in medicine, when the ER is not busy, what services are provided by a healthcare facility and so on.