Transforming Healthcare: A Blog By Gwinnett Medical Center

Don’t let fear keep you from getting the exercise you deserve. To show you there’s no reason to be “gymtimidated,” we will shed some light on the common reasons people fear the gym.

A common scenario - A guy goes to his doctor and tells him he’s experiencing pain all over his body. His doctor asks him to be more specific, so with his index finger, the man points out the painful areas. His knee. (Ouch!) His back. (Doh!) His stomach. Even his earlobe hurts when he touches it. The doctor pauses, then deadpans, “Your finger’s broken.” 
OK, sure, it’s a goofy joke, but when you live with chronic pain from an old injury or a degenerative condition like osteoarthritis, getting the right treatment—and lasting relief of the noncomic variety—can be difficult. All joking aside, many Americans are in this same boat. 
According to a recent report from the Institute of Medicine, 116 million of us—more than all the people with heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined—suffer from chronic pain. While pain management is starting to get the national attention it deserves, you need relief now. We’ll help you make informed decisions about dealing with your chronic pain by understand…

You’re recovering from an injury or just had surgery. As you pack your bags to go home, your doctor prescribes six to eight weeks of rehabilitation therapy. “Ugh, what’s the point?” you ask. Well, we’ll tell you. Before you assume that rehabilitation is a painful waste of time, it’s important to understand its purpose and the realities of what to expect.

Here are the most common types of rehabilitation and what you can expect from each, so you can stop dragging your feet—and start feeling better.

Every year, approximately 581,000 knee replacement procedures are performed across the United States. The procedure is designed to help those suffering from arthritis and other forms of knee pain that can inhibit everyday life and keep them from doing what they love. Sometimes medication and changes in activity level aren’t enough. If that is the case, a total knee replacement procedure at Gwinnett Medical Center –Duluth can offer a long-term solution.

Whether it’s a race around the world, an exercise in living with strangers or a desperate (and let’s face it, unseemly) attempt to pair off on a deserted island, reality shows capture our attention. If you watch reality shows, and statistics suggest you probably do, you might identify with the common personality types and the attributes that put them at risk for heart problems. See if you recognize any of these personalities from your own life—and learn what you and your loved ones can do to help improve their heart health.

Does the man in your life avoid going to the doctor like, well, the plague? It’s not uncommon for men to skip routine visits. But the consequences of ignoring their health could be detrimental. Half of men between ages 18 and 50 don’t even have a primary care physician, and one-third haven’t had a checkup in more than a year, according to a 2011 survey commissioned by Esquire magazine. Honor dad this Father's Day by giving him the gift of health. And just in case dad would rather be anywhere but the doctor, here are four common excuses, and a game plan to counteract them.

About 200,000 women have prolapse surgery each year in the United States.1 Risk factors for prolapse include: AgeObesityHysterectomyCollagen qualitySmokingMultiple vaginal deliveriesOne in nine women who undergo a hysterectomy will experience vaginal prolapse and 10% of these women may need surgical repair of a major vaginal prolapse2. 
Vaginal prolapse occurs when the network of muscles, ligaments and skin that holds the vagina in its correct anatomical position weakens. This causes the vagina to prolapse—slip or fall—from its normal position.

Uterine prolapse occurs when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments stretch and weaken, reducing support for the uterus. The uterus then slips or falls into the vaginal canal. Typically, prolapse of the vagina and uterus gradually worsens over time and can only be fully corrected with surgery. Learn about treatment options, which include a minimally invasive technique using a robot.

In your role as wife, mom and career woman, your health may have fallen on your priority list to somewhere between cleaning the garage and detailing your dryer’s lint trap with a toothbrush. Well, give the toothbrush a rest. It’s time to give your well-being VIP status. Starting today, use this handy, by-the-decade guide to good health. The dryer lint can wait. Your well-being? Not so much.

Nutritional supplements can help balance your diet, but get the facts on what works, what doesn’t—and when they could be downright dangerous. About half of all Americans take dietary supplements, whether to patch nutritional holes in their daily diet or in an attempt to bolster their brainpower, boost their mood or keep the spring in their step.

Popping a pill with breakfast is far easier than preparing three square meals a day, but experts emphasize that the products are called supplements for a reason—they’re best used as an addition to a well-balanced diet, not a replacement for one.

The Office of Dietary Supplements, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sponsors dietary research and summarizes scientific literature about supplements for health professionals and consumers. Free consumer fact sheets run through the benefits of, recommendations for and warnings about dozens of supplements, including these popular ones.

Suspicious lumps and bumps don’t always mean cancer. Have you ever had “a scare”? Maybe you were doing a breast self-exam or merely lotioning up after a shower. Whatever you were doing, it was no less than a shock when you felt a lump. You ask: “Is that what I think it is?” “How long has it been there?” “Oh my goodness, I have cancer.” Because of effective breast cancer awareness campaigns—which have done wonders in helping increase mammogram prevalence and breast cancer survival rates—when women feel changes in their breasts, they may automatically assume it’s cancer. But that’s far from the reality. About 80 to 85 percent of all breast lumps are not cancer, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. So if a lump isn’t cancer, then what is it?