Nicole Krupa: Core exercises strengthen your core muscles, including the muscles in your abdomen and back. You can do many core exercises with a fitness ball. Let’s try the plank.
Lie on the fitness ball on your stomach, with your feet touching the floor behind the ball. Lean forward until you touch the floor with your hands.
Walk your hands away from the ball until you feel the ball reach your upper thighs. Your feet will be suspended above the floor, and you’ll be balancing on your hands and the ball. Keep your shoulders directly above your hands.
Tighten your abdominal muscles, and hold for three deep breaths or as long as you can maintain your balance and form. Then return to the starting position.
If you’re just starting out, repeat the exercise five times. To make the exercise more challenging, work the ball down to your shins.
Remember to breathe freely and deeply throughout the exercise, and keep your abdominal muscles nice and tight. As you get stronger, gradually increase to 10 to 15 repetitions.
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Neutropenia (noo-tro-PE-ne-uh) is an abnormally low count of neutrophils, white blood cells that protect your body from bacteria and fungi. You have several types of white blood cells, and between 45 and 70 percent of all white blood cells are neutrophils.
The threshold for defining neutropenia varies slightly from one medical practice to another. Neutropenia in adults is generally defined as a count of 1,700 or fewer neutrophils per microliter of blood. The cell count indicating neutropenia in children varies with age.
The lower your neutrophil count, the more vulnerable you are to infectious diseases. If you have severe neutropenia â fewer than about 500 cells per microliter of blood — bacteria normally present in your mouth and digestive tract can cause infections.
Insomnia or sleeplessness as it is commonly known is a little understood affliction. In fact, you will find that sleep disorder is both a symptom and a malady by itself - and hence, its diagnosis is a bit troublesome. There have been so many myths and fables connecting to insomnia. If you are suffering from this condition, it is really very important to get the right information on insomnia to understand and treat your condition well. If you have been suffering from lack of sleep and do not have any idea what to do about your situation, it would be a good idea to seek information on sleep disorder from reliable sources such medical journals, your doctor or from websites of reputable organizations.
When you consult your doctor about your sleeping problems, you should ask him or her to discuss the different aspects of this disorder. When discussing information on insomnia with your doctor, you should also ask about the different options of treating the disorder. Note that natural treatments are generally preferred over the sleeping drugs available in the market. The natural treatments do not have the unwanted side effects like those of the pharmaceutical drugs. The natural treatment process is cost effective too. Another way of getting reliable information on sleep disorder is to go online and browse through some websites. When you do this, make sure that you only use websites of organizations that are authoritative on the topic.
Insomnia or lack of sleep can be of two types, i.e. (i) transient and (ii) intermittent. The former is when one experiences sleeplessness for a period of maximum 2-3 weeks while the intermittent insomnia is when this gets repeated every now and then. This will mostly be a projection of an underlying problem, such as anxiety, depression, drug abuse, etc.
Childhood Insomnia
Sleep disorder is something that affects the old and young alike. Studies have shown that childhood insomnia has continuously risen all over the United States in the past few years. Experts attribute the increase in cases of childhood sleep disorder to many factors at home, school and the neighborhood. If you have a child who is struggling with childhood insomnia, you should try to help your child get some sleep. The first thing that you need to do to help your child get some sleep is to find out what is keeping him or her awake at night. If your child could not sleep because of some unfounded fear, you should try to be patient with him.
Children have very rich imaginations and the things which you think are so unreasonable and unreal, could be very real for them. Never for one moment belittle your child’s fear. One of the best ways to put a child to sleep is to read them some gentle and soothing bedtime stories. The soothing sound of your voice actually helps cure childhood insomnia. The human body responds well to schedules and rhythm. To help your child overcome childhood insomnia, you should set a specific time for your child to go to bed.
Hyper Insomnia
Generally speaking, there are two major types of insomnia, i.e. acute sleep disorder and chronic insomnia or hyper insomnia. You will know that you are suffering from acute insomnia when you cannot sleep because of some apparent reason like noise, bright light, too much of heat or cold, incoming illness, recovering from illness, uncomfortable bed, and so on. The other causes of acute sleep disorder are erratic sleeping schedules, i.e. working on night shifts, working late night, watching TV which interferes with the body’s normal biological clock. Normally, removing the irritants and minor home remedies would be sufficient to cure this type of insomnia.
The hyper insomnia or chronic insomnia is quite difficult to manage or cure. This is usually the result of a serious underlying problem, or a disease by itself triggered by some anxiety or serious health problem (which could be neurological, medical and/or psychiatric). Most of the times, the hyper insomnia would be connected with some psychiatric problem or other and hence would require long and careful tests for proper diagnosis. Reports show that hyper insomnia accounts for more than 45 percent of the cases.
The other major cause for hyper insomnia is drug abuse, not necessarily narcotics. There are many drugs some as innocent as decongestants and antidepressants that can cause long term insomnia. The other culprits could be coffee (and any caffeine consisting drinks), steroids (prescribed by the doctor), beta blockers, and even sleeping pills (withdrawal symptoms when they are discontinued). It is best to take medical advice and treatment for hyper insomnia.
Chronic Insomnia
Chronic sleep disorder is a complicated condition in which the patient has difficulty in sleeping or getting refreshing sleep for more than a month. Depression is a major cause of chronic insomnia. Other causes include diseases like arthritis, heart problems, kidney problems, respiratory diseases, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, sleep apnea, and several other conditions. Constant experience of mental stress and excessive use of stimulants like caffeine (coffee, tea etc.) are also responsible for causing chronic insomnia.
Treatment of chronic sleep disorder consists of diagnosing and eliminating the underlying medical/psychological disorders. Stopping or minimizing behaviors that aggravate sleep disorder are also part of the treatment plans. Sleeping pills may be prescribed by the physician for temporary use but they are not allowed for long-term use. Different behavioral techniques are employed to treat chronic insomnia. These include techniques like relaxation therapy, sleep restriction therapy, reconditioning, and using bright light.
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reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more.
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Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them (motor neurons).
Motor neurons transmit electrical signals that cause muscles to contract. An EMG translates these signals into graphs, sounds or numerical values that a specialist interprets.
An EMG uses tiny devices called electrodes to transmit or detect electrical signals. During a needle EMG, a needle electrode inserted directly into a muscle records the electrical activity in that muscle.
A nerve conduction study, another part of an EMG, uses surface electrodes — electrodes taped to the skin — to measure the speed and strength of signals traveling between two or more points.
EMG results can reveal nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction or problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission.
Ropper A, et al. Electrophysiologic and laboratory aids in the diagnosis of neuromuscular disease. In: Adams and Victor’s Principles of Neurology. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3641085. Accessed June 15, 2010.
Patient information. American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. http://www.aanem.org/education/patientinfo/patientInfo.cfm. Accessed June 15, 2010.
Electromyography and nerve conduction velocities. Muscular Dystrophy Association. http://www.mda.org/publications/quest/q75ss.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
Peripheral nervous system and motor unit disorders: Introduction. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec16/ch223/ch223a.html. Accessed June 16, 2010.
Carpal tunnel syndrome fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm#115143049. Accessed June 16, 2010.
Horowitz SH. Overview of electromyography. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Access June 16, 2010.
Sorenson EJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 16, 2010.
Insomnia is a condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. Some people with insomnia may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Other people may have the opposite problem, or they have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep. The end result is poor-quality sleep that doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed when you wake up.
Insomnia can affect any person, of any age, at any time in their life. While insomnia is often a fleeting or “transient” condition, many people experience chronic insomnia. When left untreated, insomnia can have many dramatic effects on the body, including physical, psychological and emotional.
Types of Insomnia
There are different classifications of insomnia: transient, intermittent, and chronic. Transient insomnia is short term insomnia. It can last from a single night to a few weeks. Intermittent Insomnia is insomnia that occurs on and off. Chronic insomnia is insomnia that occurs constantly, usually most nights and lasts for a month or more.
Symptoms
Insomnia symptoms can vary and may be different from person to person. Insomnia is a medical condition characterized by the inability to sleep. People who suffer from insomnia typically have a hard time falling asleep; they lie in bed for hours in frustration, tossing and turning. Because of the poor quality of sleep they are getting, insomniacs are tired for most of the day.
The following symptoms indicate possible insomnia:
€¢Â difficulty falling asleep at night • inability to get adequate sleep at night • feeling tired after sleep •   waking up at early hours • waking up through the night.
Causes
You might be surprised at the vast range of factors that can cause sleep problems. Health and lifestyle issues such as stress, illness, or sleep environment might be at play. Or you might have a sleep disorder that interferes with the quality of your sleep. Whatever the cause or causes of your insomnia, there are effective solutions.
Insomnia stems from 4 main causes:
1. Psychological
2. Â Lifestyle
3. Environmental
4. Insomnia as a secondary illness
Treatment
Treatment of insomnia often depends on the cause. If insomnia is a secondary condition or symptom to another problem, healthcare professionals prefer to treat the primary condition whether it be depression, long term anxiety, or a medical condition that is leaving the patient awake at night. Some antidepressants, such as SSRI’s, can cause insomnia, however, others have a sedating effect. These include: Elavil, mirtazapine, trazodone and doxepin.
The antidepressant trazodone (Desyrel) also may help with insomnia. Over-the-counter sleep aids contain antihistamines that can induce drowsiness. They’re OK for occasional sleepless nights, but they, too, often lose their effectiveness the more you take them. Many sleeping pills contain diphenhydramine, which can cause difficulty urinating and a drowsy feeling in the daytime.
Dr. Martha Grogan is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. She is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Grogan has been on staff at Mayo Clinic since 1995 and is a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
Dr. Grogan is a noninvasive cardiologist specializing in heart failure, adult congenital heart disease and echocardiography. She has witnessed firsthand the importance of patient education in the treatment of diseases such as congestive heart failure and is excited about the tremendous educational opportunities now available through the Internet.
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Can poor oral health cause heart disease? Will taking care of my teeth help prevent heart disease?
Answer
from Martha Grogan, M.D.
Poor oral health — not regularly brushing or flossing — is unlikely to be the primary cause of heart disease. But poor oral health combined with other risk factors may contribute to heart disease.
Bacteria on your teeth and gums could travel through your bloodstream and attach to fatty plaques in your arteries (atherosclerosis), making the plaques become more swollen (inflamed). If one of the plaques bursts and causes a blood clot to form, you can have a heart attack or stroke.
It’s possible that swelling in gums leads to swelling in other parts of your body, including your arteries. This swelling can also contribute to heart disease.
Regardless of whether you have heart disease, it’s important to take care of your teeth and gums. Steps to good oral hygiene include:
Brushing your teeth at least twice daily
Flossing your teeth daily
Replacing your toothbrush at least every three months
Getting regular dental checkups, as recommended by your dentist
Friedewald VE, et al. The American Journal of Cardiology and Journal of Periodontology editors’ consensus: Periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Journal of Periodontology. 2009;80:1021.
Gum disease links to heart disease and stroke. American Academy of Periodontology. http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm. Accessed June 21, 2010.
Humphrey LL, et al. Periodontal disease and coronary heart disease incidence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2008;23:2079.
Mustapha IZ, et al. Markers of systemic bacterial exposure in periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Periodontology. 2007;78:2289.
Cleaning your teeth and gums. American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/2624.aspx#. Accessed June 23, 2010.
Martha Grogan, M.D.
