O.K. So what are they?

Uterine Fibroids (leiomyomas) are common noncancerous (benign) tumors that occur within the muscle walls of the uterus (womb). Uterind fibroids can be the size of a pinhead and show no signs or symptoms that they are there, or they can be very painful and grow to a 10 inch diameter.

There are four types of uterine fibroids:

Subserosal Fibroids, develop under the outside uterine covering. Intramural Fibroids, develop within the uterine wall. Submucosal Fibroids, develop under the uterus lining. Pedunculated Fibroids, develop on a “stalk” or stem-like structure attached to the inside or the outside of the uterus.

Fibroids may grow as a single nodule or in clusters. They may range in size from 1 mm to more than 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. Fibroids in the uterus are a common cause of heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain and pressure in women. During pregnancy, fibroids can greatly increase in size.

What are the Symptoms?

Some women with uterine fibroids experience no symptoms at all. Symptoms may include excessive and prolonged menstrual bleeding, pain, abdominal mass effect, frequent urination or urgency or constipation and many others.

When symptoms appear, they can vary greatly, depending on the size and exact location of the fibroid tumors. Women sometimes underestimate the impact of their symptoms because they have become accustomed to the excessive bleeding, pain and the pressure that fibroids can cause. Also, for some reason African-American women develop symptoms faster and with greater severity than other women.

What does one do about them?

Uterine fibroids often do not require treatment, but when they are problematic, they may be treated surgically, non-surgically, with medication or with alternative treatments. The very heavy menstrual bleeding, clotting and pelvic pain, that fibroids sometimes cause leads many women to seek treatment.

What about treatment?

There are several different types of treatments:

Hormonal: Uterine fibroid tumors require estrogen and progesterone to grow, and without these hormones, fibroid tumors usually shrink in size. Hormonal treatments (such as birth control pills) may help control excessive menstrual bleeding caused by fibroids in some patients.

Non-surgical: Uterine Fibroid Embolization, UFE – Known medically as uterine artery embolization, approaches the treatment of fibroids by blocking the arteries that supply blood to them causing them to shrink or disappear. Uterine fibroid embolization is a more permanent solution than hormone therapy. When hormonal treatment is stopped the fibroid tumors usually grow back. UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) isn’t considered to be surgery, but it is generally done at a hospital or specialized clinic. This uterine fibroids treatment procedure usually takes between 1 and 3 hours, depending on how long it takes to position the catheter and how easily the catheter can be positioned in the arteries to the uterus.

Although uterine artery embolization has been in use for two decades to treat bleeding after childbirth, it wasn’t until early 1997 that the technique was introduced as a potential treatment for uterine fibroids.

Follow-up studies have shown that nearly 90 percent of women who have their fibroids treated by uterine fibroid embolization experience either significant or complete resolution of their fibroid-related symptoms.

Surgical: Surgery for uterine fibroids involves either removing the fibroids (myomectomy) or the entire womb (hysterectomy). Surgery has risks, including bleeding and infection. About a third of the more than 500,000 hysterectomies done in the U.S. each year are done because of fibroids. Most of the women having these operations are said to be unaware of the non-surgical options.

Alternative treatment: Alternative treatments for uterine fibroid tumors also abound. Naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and other alternative health care providers have treatments to offer as well. While some of these are not as well supported by scientific studies that prove effectiveness, the treatments are usually safer and provide a less invasive alternative than surgery.

Remember that some medical treatments for uterine fibroid tumors can affect your fertility. For this and other reasons it is very important to seriously investigate and consider alternative treatments for uterine fibroids.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Jorge Chavez is a researcher, writer and student of natural health. For more information about dealing with uterine fibroids treatment and what to do about fibroids in uterus, follow the link in this sentence.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/uterine-fibroids-here-are-the-basics-1382852.html

Low back complaints result in millions of dollars of lost work and untold suffering every day. Many factors are responsible. According to back expert, Dr. Chris Heeb: “Improper sitting or lifting, overexertion, trauma, or inherited spinal abnormalities may contribute to the cause of back pain.”

The chiropractic approach is to help restore a more normal motion and position of affected spinal bones with specific chiropractic adjustments. The simplicity and success of this approach has been documented in numerous research projects and has helped many patients avoid risky surgery, which is typically no help to the patient.

In the past, treatment has involved pain medications, muscle relaxers, and even surgery. The chiropractic approach is to use carefully directed and controlled pressure to remove the interference from spinal structures. These chiropractic adjustments can be quite effective in reducing nerve irritation and its associated pain.

Chiropractors help millions of patients regain control of their lives every year. According to Bridgeton MO Chiropractic doctor, Dr. Chris: “treatments are designed to eliminate pain, increase flexibility, improve mobility and function, increase strength, enhance balance, and increase the overall quality of one’s life.”

At Dr. Heeb’s Bridgeton MO Chiropractic clinic, he and his staff will often consults with neurologists, radiologists, and orthopedic specialists when designing care programs for patients.

Once Dr. Heeb consults, examines, and reviews any diagnostic tests, he will correlate his clinical findings and establish a trial treatment plan at his Bridgeton MO chiropractic clinic. Typical plans range from 6-12 visits over a 4-6 week period with complete resolution of symptoms within 2 weeks.

If you think your back pain is a chiropractic case, then check out this link for a great New Patient Special , and enjoy the positive results that millions of patients have discovered.

Get started today!

Resource for this Article:

To learn more chiropractic care and to watch informative videos check out Dr. Heeb’s website: http://www.drheeb.me

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/bridgeton-mo-chiropractor-dr-chris-heeb-explains-the-truth-about-chiropractic-care-for-back-pain-1756796.html

Back pain is perhaps the most common ailment suffered by adults in this country.  It seems to afflict more and more people each year, so many people in fact, that it is one of the most common reasons that people call in sick to work.  The spine is so intricate that even minor injuries can have disastrous effects.

Treating back pain

Because back pain is so common, most people generally attempt to self-treat the injury at home first before ever even calling a doctor.  There are so many different types of pain medications on the market today; some are targeted specifically for the relief of back pain.  The fact that people are willing to self-treat minor back pain is understandable given the high cost of healthcare coupled with missing time from work for a seemingly insignificant injury.

When over the counter medications fail to produce positive results, people will generally make an appointment with their doctor.  More often than not, the doctor will ask a few general questions and send them home with a prescription for stronger pain medication.  If this works, the problem is solved.  However, if the stronger drugs fail to produce results, the physician will often order some more involved tests to see if there is any major injury that is causing the back pain.

When drugs don’t work

If the injury to the back is bad enough that drugs and rest don’t heal it, it may be time to think of a physician’s help to get it back to normal.  Depending upon the particular injury, a doctor may suggest surgery.  While surgery may indeed solve the issue, it is very aggressive, involves a large amount of time to recover from, and can be very dangerous, not to mention the fact that millions of people are simply scared to have the procedure performed on them.

Thankfully, for any people who are nervous about having surgery performed on their spine to eliminate back pain, there is a procedure called decompression.  This is performed in a chiropractor’s office, doesn’t involve surgery of any kind, and can fix many of the common back issues including bulged and herniated discs.  

Does decompression work?

In a word, yes.  Decompression does work to alleviate pain caused by back and neck pain.  The concept is fairly simple and straightforward and basically involves stretching the spine to alleviate any pressure that is built up, allowing the discs to heal naturally.  While this sounds simple enough, it is important to know that this can take several visits that may be spread out over several months.  These visits take place in the chiropractor’s office and are performed with the patient fully clothed.

Words of caution about decompression
It is important to know that if decompression is the chosen course to stop back pain, that most insurance companies don’t cover it as it is often considered an alternative type of medicine.

However, if you can afford to pay for it out of pocket and your back pain is one that decompression can help, this may be the route to get you healthy and back to work pain free and well worth the money.

Do you suffer from chronic low back pain, headaches, spinal surgery, or want to lose weight? The Incorporation of Progressive Rehabilitation with latest in chiropractic care will help. Use of non-surgical spinal decompression, nutritional counseling, weight loss with the Triple Pledge Satisfaction. For more info, go to http:// South_Carolina.HealthSourceChiro.com/City/Hartsville

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/chiropractor-in-hartsville-sc-is-a-chiropractor-the-right-choice-for-back-pain-1470634.html

Neck pain comes from a variety of sources, and understanding where it stems allows you to treat it properly.  Whether your pain stems from arthritis, disc issues, whiplash or muscular strains, you need to address the underlying pathology to be successful in treatment.  Each type of neck pain has specific treatment modalities, here you will find a primer on these options.

Whiplash
The most common source of whiplash injuries is a motor vehicle accident.  When your car is struck by another vehicle, your neck is whipped back and forth, resulting in strains or tears to the muscles on the front of the spine as well as the rest of the neck.  Symptoms can include stiffness, headaches, nausea, difficulty swallowing, paresthesis and shoulder and back pain.  

Whiplash doesn’t always present immediately, it can creep up on you in the days, weeks and even months following the accident, which sometimes makes it difficult to make the connection.

Treatment usually includes NSAIDS, ice and heat, muscle relaxants and massage or physical therapy.  If pain continues for more than a few weeks, x-rays are in order to check for spinal damage.  Most people have a successful resolution.

Disc Issues
If you have a herniated disc in you neck you may experience numbness and tingling in your arms and hands as well as neck pain.  The discs are gelatinous structures that provide cushioning between the vertebrae of the spine.  When damaged they can protrude and put pressure on nerves that run through and near the spinal column.

A number of treatment options exist, and you and your doctor will come up with a plan that is best for you.  Chiropractic treatment can help alleviate your symptoms with adjustments.  Massage can ease the pain of straining muscles that try to maintain the appropriate spacing between vertebrae.  

Over-the-counter medications and prescriptions can help manage the pain and inflammation and injections can work as well.  Physical therapists can provide relief through a variety of techniques and exercises.  A final option is surgery to relieve the pressure caused by the bulging or herniated disc.

Arthritis
Arthritis is defined as the inflammation of a joint.  There are two causes of inflammation.   In Osteoarthritis the cartilage between two bones has worn away causing an increase in friction.  In Rheumatoid arthritis,, an autoimmune disease has attacked the joints.  Early diagnosis of either of these conditions improves your odds of successful treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis needs to be treated aggressively.  Specific drugs can help reduce the autoimmune response of the body.  Other, biologic drugs are particularly effective in reducing the inflammation that RA produces.  Each person’s response to the medications is unique, so treatment is a process of trial and error until the right combination is found.

With osteoarthritis anti-inflammatory medications, exercise, and massage are your best bets for continuing with a good quality of life.  Since there are no options to replace joints in the neck surgery like that performed for the hip or knee isn’t available.  Some supplements can help according to research studies.  Things like Glucosamine may help relieve some of your discomfort.

Neck pain is, well, a pain in the neck.  Proper treatment can help you resume normal levels of activity.

Do you suffer from chronic low back pain, headaches, spinal surgery, or want to lose weight? The Incorporation of Progressive Rehabilitation with latest in chiropractic care will help. Use of non-surgical spinal decompression, nutritional counseling, weight loss with the Triple Pledge Satisfaction. For more info, go to http://illinois.HealthSourceChiro.com/City/Naperville

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/chiropractor-in-naperville-il-treating-neck-pain-requires-knowing-the-source-1469917.html