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Educating our Patients is a Priority at Beverly Hills Urgent Care
High Cholesterol
There are two major types of cholesterol: High-density lipoprotein, or "good cholesterol" and low-density lipoprotein, or "bad cholesterol". When you have high levels of LDL, plaque begins to form in the arteries. Also known as atherosclerosis, this process makes it difficult for blood to flow freely in the arteries, causing many complications. High cholesterol has many causes including family history, unhealthy dietary and overall lifestyle habits including but not limited to smoking and drinking alcohol, stress, and others. Since high cholesterol has no immediate symptoms, it is important to see your physician to make sure your cholesterol levels are normal.
In terms of the best diet to keep your cholesterol levels normal and healthy, it is important to have a diet filled with foods that contain high fiber, whole grains, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You should try to minimize the consumption of foods that have high levels of saturated and trans fat. For more information of what kinds of foods fall in either category, you may visit a dietician or ask your physician. Exercise can also reduce cholesterol content and improve your overall well-being. If necessary, there are many prescribed medications that can lower your cholesterol levels. Usually, a balanced approach leads to successful treatment of high cholesterol.
High Blood Pressure
With high blood pressure, blood is pushing against your artery walls with too much force. This force may cause plaque to form, or can cause other changes of the physical makeup of your arteries. This makes it difficulty for blood to flow freely to vital organ systems; high blood pressure is typically a warning sign of a high risk for heart attack and stroke. For example, a heart attack happens due to a blockage of a coronary artery following a sudden breaking of plaque. This causes the heart to not receive sufficient blood supply, leading to a death of heart cells and other complications including death. Like high cholesterol, high blood pressure has no symptoms. So if you have a family history of high blood pressure, or have risk factors including but not limited to: obesity, lack of exercise, binge drinking, and a poor diet, please visit your physician to see if you are at risk for high blood pressure. Simple lifestyle changes like no longer smoking, losing weight, and regular physician exercise are common ways to treat high blood pressure. There are many medications that can also keep your blood pressure in check to prevent any major complications such as a heart attack. Please visit your physician for the best possible personalized treatment.
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Stress Management
All of us have some of it. All of us want less of it. With a few changes in your lifestyle, this hope can turn to a reality. Reducing stress never happens overnight; like most things, it?s a process that you keep working on. Stress can affect your body, your mind, and your actions. It is important to recognize your stressors, and learn how to react to them. An active lifestyle and healthy diet can put you on the road to a calmer mind and healthier body. There is no one right way of reducing stress; the key is to do what works for you. Whether that is exercising, meditating, spending more quality time with close ones, or taking a vacation, your goal should always be to feel good and happy.
Acid Reflux Disease (GERD)
Acid Reflux Disease is defined by the involuntary and untimely relaxation of the sphincter muscle, which causes acid stored in the stomach to return to the esophagus. Common symptoms are heartburn, chest pain, acidic taste buds, burning sensations in the throat, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and irregular and constant burping. Not all of these symptoms occur but if any of these symptoms occur for many times in a week, please visit your physician as you may have Acid Reflux Disease. Some common causes of GERD are obesity, binge drinking, smoking, and high levels of anxiety. Other risk factors are present. GERD may be painful in itself, however the key to treatment is to alleviate the symptoms to ensure that the esophagus sustains any future damage to prevent other complications. There are many forms of medication to treat Acid Reflux. Furthermore, to alleviate symptoms and treat GERD, it is important to eat smaller and more frequent meals, reduce anxiety, and give up poor habits like smoking and drinking. Many times patients with GERD report chest pains and fear heart disease or heart failure; see your doctor as those symptoms may actually be a sign of GERD.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IBS has no identifiable cause. Because of this, it is important to visit your physician if you experience any of the following symptoms for a long period of time:
Pain in your abdominal region, mucus in your stool, transformations in the makeup of your stool, diarrhea/constipation, bloating, and others. These symptoms are commonly triggered by stress, large meals, and certain foods that your body is particularly sensitive to. It is important to note these triggers to move forward with treatment. These triggers are what cause the muscles in your small intestine and colon to contract with more force, resulting in either constipation or diarrhea. While IBS is a chronic condition, it can be treated. Eating more smaller meals in the day with a heavy in fiber diet, reducing stress levels, getting the optimal fluids in the day, and maintaining a steady exercising routine are just some lifestyle changes that will help you cope with IBS and reduce its symptoms. Various forms of medication are available to complement the lifestyle changes in treatment. The key with IBS is to learn to understand the dietary and external triggers that cause your symptoms, and move forward with simple changes to minimize pain.
Diabetes
Insulin, a hormone that regulates metabolism, helps transfer glucose from the blood to the fat, liver, and muscle cells. Insulin may not be bountiful enough in patients with Diabetes or the insulin present may not function properly. In either case, the failure to transfer the sugar content to the cells of the body creates a situation where the blood has too much sugar. This condition is called hyperglycemia. In response, the pancreas tries to make up for the lost insulin in the cells by producing more and more insulin. This insulin however is resistant to function properly. The failure of the cells to receive optimal amounts of glucose results in the organ systems not having enough energy to sustain themselves. This causes many complications and organ failures. Family history plays a large role in increasing one's vulnerability to Type I and Type II Diabetes. Minimal physical activity, a poor diet, and obesity are some of the many environmental factors that may cause insulin to be resistant to function properly. Some signs of Type II Diabetes are: Frequent urination, frequent thirst, chronic fatigue, large appetite, and others. It is important to control your weight, exercise regularly, and to regulate your blood sugar content daily. See your physician for prescription options such as insulin shots and other forms of medication to supplement these lifestyle changes.
Heart Attack and Stroke
Arteries carry blood from the heart to other organ systems. A heart attack occurs when the coronary artery is damaged due to the build up of plaque. Plaque can form from high levels of LDL (Bad Cholesterol). Plaque buildup restricts easy blood flow. If the plaque cracks or ruptures, blood clot can form and block blood flow to your heart. Oxygen fails to reach your heart, damaging and possibly killing off heart tissue. IF YOU FEEL ANY CHEST DISCOMFORT for MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
Obesity
While most Americans are worried about cancer, obesity is what many should focus on. As the content of foods are more and more fatty, Americans are gaining weight uncontrollably. It is important to manage your weight to live a healthy life. This can best be done by dropping all of the quick fixes and diet programs. If they worked, you would have felt great about your body by now. Instead, the key is to change your attitude and understand that it?s a work in progress. Self-acceptance and a change of your lifestyle to include healthier habits reduce weight and increase your overall well-being. Like most things, losing weight is a process. Remember, the key is to feel good about your body through it all!
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