Article by Paul Edward Cox

Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes. Some people do not even know they have anxiety when they get it, because it can be disguised so well with a myriad of symptoms.

Some of the most common symptoms of anxiety are heart palpitations, a ‘worrying’ feeling (for no good reason), dizziness, tense muscles, trembling, chest pain or tightness, headache, back or neck pain, numbness or “pins and needles” feeling, and nausea. These symptoms can come out of nowhere and really scare the heck out of you if you do not know what you are dealing with.

When dealing with anxiety symptoms, it is important to make sure that what you actually have is, in fact, anxiety. Many of these symptoms could be caused by something else, and you will want to rule this out by talking to your physician. Heart palpitations and chest pain in particular are two symptoms that you want to get checked out immediately to avoid any potential serious health risks.

There is no ‘right’ way to deal with anxiety symptoms. While there are many medications on the market for anxiety, many people choose to deal with them in a natural manner. Breathing techniques, exercise (aerobic and anaerobic), meditation, yoga, and other stress reducing exercises have been proven very powerful in the fight against depression and anxiety and should be explored. “Living in the now” has long been a natural way to control anxiety. what this means is that you try not to worry about anything happening in the past or future, because you cannot control it. instead, focus on what you are doing at this exact moment. If you are walking down the street, for example, focus on new things that you have not seen before. When you are eating food, savour every bite. this is helpful because it takes your mind off of the anxiety at hand, since your mind can only focus on one thing at a time.

While anxiety can be very scary and inconvenient, it is not life threatening and can be very manageable with the correct techniques. Do not let it control your everyday life any longer; take the corrective and preventative steps to free yourself anxiety for good.

Paul Cox is an entrepeneur and online marketer, focusing mainly on promoting products that help people. for more help with anxiety attacks visit immediateanxietyrelisf.info

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Public release date: 22-Mar-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Simi Singersimi.singer@cshs.org310-435-9435Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

LOS ANGELES (March 22, 2011) when physical therapy and drugs fail to relieve back or neck pain, patients often turn to spinal fusion surgery as a last resort, but two new studies show that in certain situations, especially when several discs are involved, artificial disc replacement may give better long-term results at lower cost.

Hospital costs for artificial disc replacement were 49 percent lower, and four years out from surgery, artificial disc patients were four times less likely to need additional surgery than those who had fusion operations, according to two recently published studies.

“Back pain is the fifth leading cause of hospital admission and the third most common reason for surgery,” said orthopaedic surgeon Rick B. Delamarter, M.D., co-director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center. “Estimates vary and are probably understated, but health care expenditures for back pain top $91 billion a year, not including indirect and societal costs such as time lost from work and worker’s compensation.It is crucial that we develop surgical procedures that are cost effective without sacrificing high-quality results.”

Delamarter is a lead author of the two studies, which were published recently in the SAS Journal of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

Both studies compared disc replacement surgery with the more common fusion operation to treat degenerative disc disease ? deterioration caused by aging and wear and tear. One study looked at 209 patients with damaged neck discs who received either minimally invasive disc replacement or the more complex spinal fusion surgery. these patients were followed at regular intervals for four years. a separate group of 136 who received an artificial disc two years after the first group also were part of the study. All patients were assessed on their satisfaction with the results of the procedure. the other study focused on 53 patients suffering from three-level, lower back disc disease and looked at cost comparisons for length of hospital stay, resources used and other factors.

Discs act as cushions between the bones (vertebrae) of the spine. when healthy, the discs have enough “give” to allow the back to be flexible but are firm enough to provide stability. with age or injury, they lose their pliability and density. Nerves may become pinched between the bones, causing pain not just in the spine but in other parts of the body.

Fusion surgery seeks to relieve symptoms of the degenerative disease by removing the damaged disc and replacing it with bone. Studies show this procedure often can be effective but there can be drawbacks: in some cases, fused spinal sections can lose flexibility, impeding normal movement and stressing adjacent discs, often leading later to more fusion surgery. Artificial disc replacement, which has been performed in the United States since 2000, tends to cause less tissue injury than fusion surgery, and the discs are designed to maintain natural spine movement and reduce need for follow-up surgery.

In their study of patients suffering neck (cervical) disc disease, Delamarter and his colleagues found both disc replacement and fusion surgery acceptable options providing good long-term outcomes. But four years out from surgery, fusion patients were four times more likely to need more surgery. half of these secondary operations were needed to treat new disc problems occurring adjacent to fused sections.

Patients in the study had imaging scans to measure before-and-after flexibility and range of motion; were evaluated for physical and neurological improvement; and completed self-assessment questionnaires on neck disability, neck and arm pain intensity. Improvements were seen in all categories, regardless of the surgical procedure, but results tended to be at least slightly better in patients with disc replacements.

An important area, according to Delamarter, was patient satisfaction with the procedure. four years after surgery, nearly 88 percent of disc replacement patients reported that they were very to completely satisfied, compared with 76 percent of fusion patients. when asked if they would undergo the same surgery again, 89 percent of disc replacement patients and 81 percent of fusion patients said yes.

“While the results of this 13-center study are preliminary, it appears that artificial disc replacement surgery compares favorably as an effective procedure, is preferred by patients and slows the rate of adjacent-level disease,” Delamarter said.

Spinal fusion has been recognized as one of the more expensive surgical procedures. the second study looked at costs and is believed to be the first to compare those of three-level disc replacement with three-level fusion. It evaluated itemized billing records of 53 patients undergoing surgery for three consecutive discs of the low back (lumbar spine) at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., where Delamarter practiced before joining Cedars-Sinai.

Total hospital costs for patients undergoing disc replacement surgery averaged 49 percent lower than those for fusion patients

The number of fusions for low back pain is rising rapidly, but Delamarter urges hospitals, insurers and surgeons to consider alternatives, including total disc replacement.

“After safety and effectiveness of a procedure have been documented, cost is an important consideration,” he said. “Artificial disc replacement technology appears to offer a promising, cost-saving alternative to fusion, especially for patients with disease at three levels.”

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Citation: SAS Journal, December 2010 “Results at 24 months from the prospective, randomized, multi-center Investigational Device Exemption trial of ProDisc-C versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with 4-year follow-up and continued access patients,” and “Cost comparison of patients with 3-level artificial total lumbar disc replacements versus 360-degree fusion at 3 contiguous lumbar vertebral levels: an analysis of compassionate use at 1 site of the US investigational device exemption clinical trial.”

The artificial discs implanted in these studies ? the ProDisc-C and ProDisc-L ? were manufactured by Synthes USA Products. Delamarter and his colleagues have evaluated outcomes and written about the devices since the FDA approved them for research and limited use in the United States. Delamarter is a consultant for Synthes and receives royalties on the ProDisc devices. However, he does not receive royalties on devices used for his patients or any other patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

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What are the Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms? March 3rd, 2011 – No Comments – Category: Types of back Pain

When the cartilage and bones of the neck experience wear and tear, a disorder known as cervical spondylosis occurs. the disks like structures between the vertebras of the spine also face degeneration along with the bones of the cervical spine. Cervical spondylosis symptoms are prevalent in aged people above the age of 60 years in both men and women. Severe arthritis, surgery in the spine and injury of the neck are some of the other factors which can lead to the development of this condition.

If the signs of the condition are ignored initially, the degeneration can progress to the spine. By this stage, the functioning of the arms and legs also get affected. the spine contains nerves of the nervous system through which the signals of motor functions are sent to the brain for their processing.

Cervical Spondylosis Symptoms:

• Stiffness of the neck which worsens with the passage of time
• Neck pain which can spread to the arms and shoulders
• Lack of sensation in the limbs
• Abnormal sensation in the shoulders and limbs
• Headache at the back of the head
• Weakness of the arms and in very rare conditions it can be felt even in legs
• Loss of balance
• Loss of control over the bowels as the spinal cord gets compressed

The diagnosis of the above mentioned symptoms is done through physical examination. the patient reports of pain in turning the head towards the shoulder or rotating it. Reflexes are reduced. Weakness or loss of sensation implies that the nerves of the spinal cord or the roots of its nerves may be damaged.

The doctor may enquiry about the medical history of the patient to learn whether any injury was suffered in the location in past. after this initial diagnosis, other diagnostic tests are carried out to nail down the suffered condition to precision.

Conclusion: Spine magnetic resonance imaging, CT scan, EMG and X-rasy are some of the advanced diagnostic techniques to find cervical sponsylosis symptoms.

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Many people suffer from neck pain and pain in shoulders. these simple symptoms can be due to Cervical Spondylosis. Cervical spondylosis is the commonest disorder of the cervical spine. so do not ignore such symptoms and try to know more about cervical spondylosis, so that you can find out early if you are suffering from cervical spondylosis or not.

Cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease. there are degenerative changes in the vertebral column which give rise to symptoms of cervical spondylosis. there is hypertrophy of the edges of vertebrae. there is degeneration of the joints of vertebrae and formation of osteophytes. Osteophytes are bony overgrowths that usually occur around the edges of bones in old age. Cervical spondylosis can be called as osteoarthritis of the joints of the cervical vertebrae.

Pain in the neck is the presenting symptom. there is slow progression of symptoms in cervical spondylosis. there is gradual progression in the intensity of neck pain after which it becomes noticeable and later on it can become severe. Pain in neck is usually aggravated in the morning when you are getting up from sleep.

Pain is of radiating type and it radiates to back of the head above the neck called as occiput. it may also radiate to the region of head above the eyes called as frontal region. Radiation of pain is common to shoulders and down one or both arms. Tingling numbness, and partial loss of sensation in the one or both upper extremities is common. it is due to compression of the cervical nerves originating from the spinal cord by the osteophytes.

Other symptoms like weakness of upper extremities and clumsy finger movements are also present. in early stages, pain is complained while moving the neck to the right or left extreme. saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with neck movements causes pain. in later stages, there is restriction of movement of neck. Neck movements cause a lot of pain. Severe pain can make the person suffer a lot in later stages.

Hot fomentation is very useful in such cases. Gentle massage to the neck with warm oil also helps to relieve pain. in severe pain, neck movements need to be restricted. so use of cervical collar is recommended.

I think there are some similirity between brain cancer and anxiety like if you feel dizzy, headache, some stings in your head and blured or double vision.

how can you know what exactly do you have without doing MRI. does there an easy way to know?

share your knowlege with me please.

how ever I think I have just anxiety , but it scares me when i feel dizzy and have a bit headaches and head stings and blured vision. I had panic attacks. i got cold hands and feet, a bout to vomit, back and neck pain and stretched chest . stomach and cheast pain. kind of senseless skin sometimes in my face and then goes to my back. hard time breathing, afraid to go out and specially in hug building with high ceilings, i used to feel dizzy when i enter this type of buildings. afraid to go out without someone i trust who can take me to a hospital when I feel that i am about to die. i use to put my hand close to my mouth when I am thinking and worried. can’t sleep without feeling that it might be the last time. afraid when I wake up. I feel there is no air and that I will stop breathing. i feel every muscle in my body is lifted. can’t keep eye contact for a long time. can’t concentrate when I am speaking or when i hear someone. people can’t understand me, and me too I feel i can’t get what people are saying once I feel my mind is farway and worried. very emotional, I hate to talk and feeling that i will faint in any moment. so depressed and anxious . want to be alone all the time. i feel my heart is not beating, and i feel me not me, life is like a nightmare. and living in a ship with this horrible dizziness. i use to hold things and close my eyes when it becomes so extreme. can’t read … i find it very bothering, becaue i have to focus and that what i really hate to do.. it makes me dizzy more. i hate places with too much noise and lights, I use to sit in a room with soft lights or non, get shocked when i hear loud voice suddenly i feel my heart beats fast and soemtimes it doesn;t beat. my body feels tired and becaue of my stomach pain and feelign about to vomit i don’t eat well.

anyway I really wish you can tell me what is the different between brain cancer and anxiety. and tell me some natural way to take my anxiety away, can dancing and singing help? can having so much feet massage and hands make me feel better..? even body? can changing your style and look makes your anxiety go away if you feel excided about it. what about the nice smells like fruits and flowers perfumes with candles….

by the way does dizziness cause you that you feel your feet can’t carry you or let you walk and you feel afraid to fall down, I always don’t trust my feet , so i don’t liek to go out like shopping for example. I feel I might fall down and the people may make fun of me. i am really tired

thanks anyway!

10 points for the full answer .

Before you suffer from neck pain, do you know what would be the symptoms which cause discomfort feeling in your neck? It would be better for you to know briefly about the symptoms of neck pain, especially knowing which one is serious and which one is not.

Neck pain is a common complaint in the medical world. Herniated or ruptured cervical disc is the common cause of discomfort feeling in your neck. Ruptured or herniated disc would also be the common cause of shoulder and arm pain.

In the series of articles about neck pain, now we provide you with information about symptoms of neck pain.

The information would be divided into three parts:

• Common symptoms of neck pain
• Symptoms of serious neck pain
• Will my neck pain get better?

Optimistically, the information given is convenient for you and your loved ones.

Wish you a happy learning!

Common Symptoms of Neck PainHere are the common symptoms of neck pain:

• Dull or severe pain in your neck
• Dull or severe pain between your shoulder blades
• Tingling in your shoulder or arm
• Numbness in your shoulder or arm
• Pain spreads to your arm, hand, or fingers

Specific movements or positions of your neck could intensify your neck pain.

There are other disorders that often resemble the symptoms of neck pain (cervicalgia or cervical herniated disc). The similar disorders are as follows:

• Gout
• Rotator cuff tendonitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

Symptoms of serious Neck PainIn specific cases, neck pain patients experience neck pain that lead to spinal cord compression. In this condition, spinal cord of neck pain patients being pushed by the disc material. when this happens, you require an immediate and aggressive neck pain treatment plan.

Symptoms of spinal cord compression would include:

“
• Shock” or tingling feelings from your neck and then down to either your torso or legs
• Trouble with your fine motor skills in both your hands and arms
• Stumbling gait

You should also seek medical advice immediately when you have the following symptoms:

• When you suffer from neck pain together with other problems, such as AIDS, cancer, or rheumatoid arthritis.
• If your neck pain gets worse constantly.
• When you feel ongoing numbness, clumsy, or weak feeling in your arms or hands, especially if these feelings do not disappear within four weeks.
• If a tender touch hurts your neck.
• If you have other symptoms or you feel ill, such as fever or weight loss.

Will My Neck Pain get better?Luckily, you should feel improvement and get better completely with you neck within several days. In a few weeks, you neck pain should disappear entirely.

Nonetheless, some studies showed that approximately 17 percent of women and 10 percent of men feel neck pain more than six months after onset of cervicalgia (neck pain).

When this happens, it means you suffer from chronic neck pain. Usually chronic pain will come and go, with “flare-ups” over the period of time.

In the next article, we will write about the treatments of neck pain.

You should consult with your doctor and other health care professionals to get a better knowledge and information about symptoms of neck pain.

Kindly bear in mind, this article is not solely intended as the only source of information about symptoms of neck pain.