Paul Petersen

Recovery from addiction is no easy task and the consequences of relapse can be devastating, even deadly. 2nd Chance Treatment Center provides Gilbert addiction medicine to help patients jump-start their journey toward sobriety. However, to fully recover, each person should take control of their condition by having the desire to be clean. Here are five other essential elements for a successful recovery.

1. You must have a plan for recovery

The odds of staying clean and sober decrease significantly if a patient lacks a solid plan. Triggers for cravings are everywhere and so you would not want to navigate a minefield without a plan; instead, you require a specific strategy, good tools, and much support. Simply wanting to be clean and sober is not sufficient. You must develop a solid recovery plan to increase your odds of success.

2. You must follow the plan every day, whether you feel like it or not

Addiction disrupts the reward section of the brain, which is why the condition is an illness. Your brain has been hijacked to believe that the substances you abuse are necessary as for survival as breath itself. Your brain eventually becomes dependent on these substances to feel okay, which is why addiction is so difficult to beat. However, there is hope. In time, your brain will heal with sobriety; but it takes many months, while you must strictly follow your plan, to protect your healthy brain from being manipulated into relapsing.

3. You build a support system for sobriety

Support might include working with sponsors, outpatient mental health treatment facilities, or family and friends who back your decision to be clean. If you are used to being alone, you must overcome your social fears and reach out to others for support. Attending regular group meetings can be a major part of the structural routine of your recovery. So, you need to know where you need to be and what you need to be doing every hour of every day to avoid wandering off into the ‘mine fields’ that trigger a relapse.

4. It would be best if you seriously considered outpatient addiction treatments to learn about the disease and why sobriety is the treatment

Many addicts feel like outsiders; therefore, group therapy can build a sense of belonging, vital for recovery and good mental health. It is essential to know where you should be and what you should be doing at all times so you can avoid triggering relapse.

5. You must learn relapse prevention skills by identifying the triggers that produce your cravings and developing a specific strategy for each trigger

For example, if boredom is a trigger, then how do you deal with boredom without relapsing? If getting a paycheck is a trigger, then how do you handle payday without using it? You must also develop skills and strategies for dealing with cravings because you will experience them. Therefore, you must have a plan for preventing a slip from turning into a relapse.

If you would like help in creating your recovery plan, contact the 2nd Chance Treatment Center to learn more about addiction’s available treatment options.

Have you ever thought of having a plastic surgery procedure? What would be your reason for having it? People carry out plastic surgery and reconstructive procedures for various reasons including enhancing your beauty, restoring your appearance after medical treatment, and as a health condition treatment. Whatever your reasons are, it is essential to choose the best and most qualified plastic surgeon. It is critical to ensure the success of the procedure and excellent results. Alexis Furze MD specializes in providing otolaryngology services, facial and reconstructive plastic surgery, and head and neck plastic surgery. The practice offers many techniques including septoplasty Newport Beach. Call or book online to learn more about their treatments.

The practice led by Alexis Furze, MD offers authentic and quality care to promote health and better lives. The patients benefit from outstanding results from the highly experienced specialist. The private practice focuses on improving the body’s functions and life quality through quality and effective treatments. Dr. Furze uses the latest and advanced techniques to offer the best care for various treatments including septoplasty. Visit the practice today for guaranteed excellent results.

What is septoplasty?

Septoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct a deviated septum problem. The septum is the cartilage and bone inside your nose separating your nostrils. The septum is usually straight, but it can occur bent or deviated, blocking the nose.

It is normal to have different-sized nostrils due to a crooked septum. However, in some cases, the misaligned septum may lead to:

•  Headaches
•  Snoring
•  A runny nose
•  Sleep apnea
•  Facial pain
•  Frequent nosebleeds
•  Difficulty breathing
•  Postnasal drip
•  Recurrent or chronic sinusitis

The extent of the symptoms depends on the degree of the misalignment. However, a severely deviated septum can have a demeaning effect on your life quality.

A septoplasty treatment is the only effective procedure for a deviated septum.

What to expect during a septoplasty?

After examining your nasal cavity, the highly skilled doctor creates a surgical treatment plan to address your problem. Each septoplasty is different from the other; hence, a qualified surgeon is critical. Dr. Furze has plastic surgery qualifications that add to his knowledge. He can also address your cosmetic concerns while treating your septum for excellent results.

During the procedure, Dr. Furze administers anesthesia depending on your treatment. He then makes an incision in the mucosal lining of your septum to reach the cartilage and the bone below. He then straightens and repositions your nasal septum by cutting and removing some parts of the structure before placing them in a new position.

Dr. Furze works on leaving enough cartilage bone intact to maintain the structural integrity of your nose.

What does a septoplasty recovery involve?

It is possible to return home after your septoplasty procedure. Dr. Furze uses splints and internal sutures to stabilize your septum after some time and removes them later. A septoplasty is a noninvasive procedure compared to other nasal surgeries. However, it is advisable to observe the following.

•   Apply cold compresses
•   Keep your head elevated when sleeping
•   Avoid strenuous activity when on recovery
•   Taking pain medications as advised
•  Refraining from blowing your nose for a week

For successful results, Dr. Furze evaluates your progress every step of the way. The treatment should be working after three to six months.

To sum up, a septoplasty procedure helps correct a deviated septum and allow proper breathing. Visit the Alexis Furze MD, practice for services you can trust.

Hip pain is common among people of all ages and usually resolves on its own. However, if the pain is persistent and makes walking difficult, you may need immediate medical attention. Fortunately, the medical team at Genesis Regenerative Sports and Aesthetic Medicine offer safe and effective treatments that will restore your ability to walk comfortably.

What triggers hip pain?

There several reasons why you are experiencing hip pain. Some of them include:

• Hip fractures

Older adults commonly experience hip fractures since their bones are weak and fragile, hence more prone to breaking when they fall upon severe impact. Hip fractures may also occur due to injuries during exercises or road accidents.

• Bursitis

Bursitis occurs due to inflammation and swelling of the bursae, the sacs of fluid located in your joints that are responsible for preventing friction between your muscles, tendons, and bones. Bursitis is usually caused by persistent strain injuries in the same area.

• Tendinitis

Tendinitis refers to the inflammation of your tendon, resulting in tenderness and pain in your joints. This condition is common on the knees, wrists, and shoulders. Persistent injuries are the common cause of this condition.

• Labral tear

The labrum is made up of cartilage responsible for protecting the hip joint and keeping the thigh bone within the hip socket. A labral tear occurs when the labrum separates from your hip socket, often due to repetitive strain on your hip.

• Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is one of the reasons for hip pain, especially in older adults. This condition leads to the wearing out of the cartilage responsible for cushioning your hip joint, revealing the ends of your bones. As this cartilage degenerates, friction occurs between the bones, then inflammation occurs and the symptoms continue worsening. Arthritic hip pains can cause stiffness and excruciating pain, limiting your mobility.

What are the treatment options for hip pain?

The treatment offered for hip pain depends on the root cause of the pain, making a professional examination paramount. The specialists at the facility offer effective therapies that relieve hip pain, including:

• Bone marrow Aspirate Concentrate
• Platelet Rich Plasma
• Tenet Tenotomy
• Lipogems: Adiposetherapy

These treatments are usually injections consisting of a solution of regenerative cells and growth factors or a safe irritant that triggers your body to start the healing process. These treatments have been proven to be effective and safe as they trigger your body to fully employ the restorative abilities to generate new tissues and repair worn-out tissues.

Will you require a hip replacement?

Hip replacements and surgeries have also been proven to treat hip pain, however, several risks are involved. The medical team recommends using injectable treatments over surgery unless surgery is the only alternative. Injectable treatments are safe and effective in relieving pain without the risks involved in invasive treatments.

If you are experiencing persistent hip pain that tends to interfere with your life, call the office or book an online appointment for more information on the treatment options available.

It is normal to feel achy and exhausted after a long day of social and work activities. However, these could be symptoms of an underlying autoimmune disease rather than daily stresses of life. Knowing the symptoms of most conditions is important because you will seek early treatment before the conditions progress. Book an appointment with Jeffrey Miller MD, a rheumatology specialist, if your condition is affecting your functioning. Below are answers about arthritis and other autoimmune diseases:

What are the types of autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases develop when an individual’s natural defense system cannot differentiate between their own cells and foreign cells. This makes the immune system attack all cells, including healthy ones. There are numerous autoimmune diseases. The main ones include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis: It is a form of arthritis that causes inflammation and stiffness of body joints. Untreated conditions could affect more than just your joints. It could lead to skin, lungs, blood vessels, and eye damage. Patients experience fatigue, swollen joints, stiffness, and loss of appetite.
• Lupus: Lupus is another autoimmune disease that causes swelling of knees and hand joints. However, it has other symptoms that make it difficult for doctors to diagnose the condition. These symptoms include mouth sores, hair loss, painful breathing, and sensitivity to light.
• Systemic sclerosis: This is an autoimmune condition that results in a buildup of collagen to cause a variety of symptoms that differ in severity. These symptoms include weight loss, stiffness, patches in the skin, and breathing problems.
• Thyroid diseases: Thyroid disease could make your body produce sufficient or deficient thyroid hormone. Its symptoms also have a varying severity depending on genetics, environmental factors, and an individual’s health.

What are the risk factors of autoimmune diseases?

Experts have not yet established the cause of autoimmune diseases but know factors that could increase the risk of the immune system attacking cells from an individual’s body. They include:

• Genetics: Some autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, have been proven to run in families. Therefore, you could develop autoimmune diseases if a member of your family has been diagnosed with a type of these conditions.
• Weight: Being overweight could increase the risk of developing psoriatic arthritis or rheumatoid disease. The reason is that obese people exert excess weight on fat tissues and lower joints.
• Smoking: According to research, smoking could increase your risk of developing lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases.
• Medications: Certain antibiotics and blood pressure drugs could trigger the development of lupus or myopathy. Myopathy is also an autoimmune condition that causes weakness in muscles.

Treatment of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases involve your immune system. Therefore, most treatment focuses on reducing pain, inflammation, and swelling. Doctors could prescribe immune-suppressing drugs or lifestyle modifications and observe your progress. The choice of treatment depends on your condition.

Before treatment, doctors need to examine your problem to establish what could be the main cause and severity. They then choose between physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, or surgery. Book an appointment today with the Osteoporosis and Rheumatology Center of Tampa Bay for a full consultation and treatment.