Staying fit and healthy should be one of the prime goals for any adult. It’s the key to enjoying a full and active life and can help to ensure that you’re as free as possible from chronic health conditions in later life. Lifelong good health can be promoted by following a balanced diet that’s rich in essential nutrients and vitamins while undertaking a regular program of exercise that keeps your body fit and strong.
However, it’s an accepted part of life that health problems can and do occur during a person’s existence. Thankfully, with advances in modern healthcare, many health conditions that were once life-threatening can now be managed effectively. In this article, two common health conditions are described, along with the treatments that are put into place to manage or resolve them.
1. Chronic back pain
Chronic back pain affects millions of Americans during their lives. It can be caused by poor posture (such as sitting at a desk for extended periods without back support) or because of sustaining a back injury after a road traffic accident or a fall. Chronic back pain can dramatically reduce a person’s quality of life and can make exercising and general movement painful and less enjoyable.
Thankfully, there are a range of treatments available that can effectively alleviate back pain. Pain killers can be prescribed as an effective way to eliminate the discomfort of back pain. However, many people choose to visit a chiropractic and wellness center to treat the condition. At such healthcare facilities, trained chiropractors can assess the level of pain and use natural therapies such as spinal manipulative therapy which can be used to treat acute lower back pain. This is often seen as a preferred option for many people with chronic back pain as they don’t need to rely on prescription pain relief to treat the problem. Some higher strength forms of pain relief have been demonstrated to have addictive properties when used for extended periods of time, so non chemical forms of treatment may be more suitable.
2. Stroke
It’s estimated that 795,000 Americans will experience a stroke every year. This is a recognized medical emergency that occurs when there’s a blockage in one of the blood vessels that supplies oxygen to the brain or because of a haemorrhage in these vessels.
One of the most effective ways to recognize and diagnose a stroke is to conduct a FAST test. Paramedics and doctors typically administer this test which evaluates a patient’s facial muscles (to look for signs of drooping on one side of the face), if they have lost strength in one of their arms and if their speech has been affected (stroke patients may slur their words or struggle to communicate).
When a stroke is diagnosed, it’s vital that the patient receives emergency treatment, often in a dedicated stroke center. Here, trained healthcare staff may administer clot-busting drugs that are used to clear the blockage to the blood vessel in ischemic stroke patients. In addition, aspirin may be administered as it can help to thin the blood and may reduce the likelihood of experiencing a subsequent stroke.
