Pituitary tumors are among the most common skull base disorders, affecting as many as 7,000 people each year and causing a number of physical ailments that can significantly impact the quality of life for patients. In order to understand the problems that pituitary tumors can cause, it is first necessary to understand the role of the pituitary gland within the body.
What is the pituitary gland?
The pituitary gland is a small organ about the size of a pea located in the center of the brain. This central location allows it to distribute hormones throughout the endocrine system, and in fact, the pituitary gland produces hormones necessary for reproduction, growth, lactation and many other aspects of the body’s normal function. Because of its extreme importance in a wide range of physical systems, the pituitary gland is often regarded as the primary organ in the endocrine system. Glands in the endocrine system include the hypothalamus, thyroid and liver, among others.
How do tumors affect pituitary function?
Pituitary tumors are classed according to their effects on the function of the pituitary gland. Functioning pituitary tumors work with the pituitary to secrete too much of a particular hormone, causing the body to react negatively to this imbalance. Nonfunctioning pituitary tumors, by contrast, typically cause damage or press against the pituitary gland in a way that prevents it from producing the correct amount of certain hormones, causing negative effects in the opposite direction. Because pituitary tumors cause the release of too much or too little hormonal stimulus to the body, patients may suffer from growth disturbances, reproductive system disorders and other ailments due to these abnormal hormonal levels.
What are some of the symptoms?
Some of the most common symptoms of pituitary tumors include headaches, nausea, vision loss, unusual growth patterns or unexplained weight gain, brittle bones and sexual dysfunctions. Acromegaly, unexplained lactation and seizures may also occur in advanced cases. The presence of any of these symptoms should prompt a visit to a physician.
Are there treatment options for pituitary tumors?
In some cases, targeted radiation therapy or drug therapy may be useful in treating smaller tumors or tumors with a slower rate of growth. These therapies may be tried alone or in combination with other treatment methods, including surgery. Surgical treatments for pituitary tumors differ depending on the type and the size of the tumor. While open-brain surgery was once the norm for these disorders, newer, minimally invasive methods for pituitary tumor removal are preferred since they cause less damage to surrounding tissue and reduce recovery time for patients.
It has been proven that lack of movement for long periods of time is bad for your health. One of the reasons is because there aren’t many calorie burning opportunities when sitting still. In this age of computers and instant access it is essential to figure out creative ways to exercise while sitting at your computer.
One way to maximize your time in front of the computer is by stretching your muscles. Stretching is important because it provides more flexibility in the muscles and increase blood flow which helps to prevent stiffness. A good start to exercising at work is to take a short walk every 30 minutes. This will increase blood flow to your body while burning a few calories. A daily stretching regimen every few hours should be included in each work day and should include your entire body.
Neck stretches can be completed by rotating your neck back, forth and side to side. It is important not to rotate your neck because it may cause damage in the joints. Shoulders can be stretched by rotating them in a circular motion. Arms, chest and even your abdominal muscles can be stretched with a few easy movements.
To stretch your arms just reach out in front of you like you are trying to grab something that’s just within your reach. Similar to the arms, the chest can be stretched by extending the arms out in a hugging motion while rotating the thumbs and pushing back your shoulders. To work out your abdominals, simply contract the abdominal and gluteal muscles, hold it for a few seconds then release.
Working out the wrist and ankles are similar. The wrists should be rotated about 10 times clockwise and counterclockwise. Stretching your ankles is similar in that you rotate them a few times one way and then the other. One advantage to stretching the ankles is that it helps to increase blood circulation, which decreases the possibility of blood clots.
Lifting up on the ball of your feet until you are comfortably tired can work out the calve muscles. Holding a heavy object in each hand and raising your arms in an arc over your head 8 to 12 times is a great way to work out as well. Working at a desk for multiple hours a day doesn’t mean you are limited to not exercising. Creativity is the key to transforming all work day movements into productive work out movements.
Samantha is an accomplished certified Nutritionist and a foodie, living in Philadelphia, working for Digital Realty Trust, a Datacenter Solution company.
One of the greatest challenges in caring for an aging parent is a loss of mobility, especially when the parent is in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are intended to provide greater access to activities outside the home, but the challenges of moving from the chair into a vehicle can limit a person’s mobility.
Transferring a person from a wheelchair to a vehicle requires strength and training in specific techniques for ensuring a safe move. However, even under the best of circumstances, the transfer process can create anxiety, possibly making your parent reluctant to travel in a vehicle.
• Lifting a person from a wheelchair to a vehicle requires upper body strength, because the person’s weight must be carefully supported as the move is made.
In addition, some parents resist being lifted because it highlights the dramatic role reversal between parent and child, and the subsequent new vulnerability.
• For people who experience pain with movement, the extra movement required to use a transfer board can create additional discomfort.
Some people also dislike transfer boards because the board has the potential to slip, creating a feeling of insecurity during the move from chair to vehicle.
• Even partial assistance into a vehicle is difficult and awkward. Unlike assisting the move from a wheelchair to a commode or armchair, a vehicle assist does not allow you to brace yourself in a single stable position.
People who have some mobility sometimes move in unexpected ways—either in an attempt to help or in an effort to protect their head as they are maneuvered into the vehicle. This can hamper your efforts, or worse, interfere with your balance and stability as you perform the assist.
The challenges of vehicle transfer can make disabled parents reluctant to travel outside the home. Wheelchair vans can eliminate vehicle transfers, but many families feel they cannot afford such a purchase.
However, there are a wide variety of wheelchair vans for sale at a range of prices. Many used handicap vans can be purchased for less than $50,000; some even go for less than $30,000. If you already have a van, you can adapt it with one of the several available types of wheelchair lifts for vans, which can be installed on side or rear doors.
These practical options make purchasing a wheelchair van or adapting an existing van a worthwhile investment in improving quality of life for a parent in a wheelchair.
Finding an office chair to fit your needs can be difficult, especially if you carry a little bit of extra weight around. Sitting all day can be taxing physically to anyone, but if you are bigger than most, you may need to take even more care to find something that will be comfortable for the long haul. Here are some helpful tips on how to identify the best bariatric office chairs.
1) Look for ergonomic chairs to support your back.
One of the first tenets of finding the ideal office chair is to look for models that are touted as the best chairs for back pain. Even if you don’t regularly suffer from back pain, it can still be wise to support your back and lumbar, because it will increase your overall comfort while sitting for long periods of time. Are you already dealing with back pain, or do you find that an ergonomic chair design just isn’t enough to alleviate your aches? Consider investing in back support pillows for some extra padding.
2) Check for a weight rating.
Another thing to do in order to select a great office chair is to browse those that have a high weight rating. Most weight rated chairs come in three categories: up to 300 pounds, 350 to 500 pounds or 500 pounds and above. Searching for a chair that is made to accommodate a number well above your weight maximum can ensure that you will be most comfortable. Also, chairs that are built for big and tall users will be less likely to warp or break in the future. You can often search for office chairs using weight rating criteria as opposed to price or color.
3) Forgo constrictive design.
Although many chairs are designed for those that are the larger among us, they may still be uncomfortable due to certain unnecessary features. If the chair that you want has close-set arms, you may want to skip it. Chair arms may constrict and squeeze you while you sit, making you uncomfortable. Consider looking for a chair with wide-set arms or better yet—no arms at all. It’s also a good idea to look for chairs that are adjustable in terms of their height. Look for one that moves up and down and has adjustable angles for the back and/or arms.
4) Seek a sturdy and durable build.
Of course, even if you purchase an ergonomic chair that has a high weight capacity and a common-sense-based design, it may still fall apart before its time if it isn’t sturdily built and designed. Look for a wide, thick seat, durable materials such as leather, a strong metal base and lots of padding for a chair that will serve you well through years of comfortable sitting.
A healthy body and a healthy mind is what everyone wishes to have. And a healthy living requires that you are in good shape. And this is where the trouble begins for most people. Often, despite their best efforts, people find layers of fat that refuse to budge from where they are stuck. It is here that liposuction procedures come to the rescue. However, for some, even this is not a feasible solution, as the procedural costs are beyond their means. But, there are places which promise low cost liposuction treatments. And this is what is commonly referred to as affordable liposuction.
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