More than 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy, and this number is projected to increase along with other related chronic diseases. Neuropathy has many causes but the most common is from complications associated with diabetes. Signs of neuropathy are numb, tingling, or burning feet, one-sided bands of pain, and numbness and weakness on the trunk or pelvis. Therapies for neuropathy include antidepressant medication, anti seizure medications, local anesthetic injections and injections called nerve blocks, anesthetic patches and creams, opioids and surgery for some.
Arthritis impacts over 30 million Americans and is projected to increase significantly. In fact, joint pain is one of the top reasons people see their physicians. Signs of arthritis are joint misalignment, lack of joint mobility, morning stiffness, joint swelling, joint line tenderness, bony enlargements and pain with exercise in some cases. Most therapies for arthritis include patient education, over-the-counter analgesics (acetaminophen) and anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), a walking or light exercise program, weight management or nutrition program and many times a referral to a physical therapist or chiropractor to help with symptom management.
From time to time, it is not unusual to have loose stools or diarrhea when going to the bathroom. However, excessively painful, urgent and recurring diarrhea, which may include blood or excessive mucus, is a red flag potentially indicating a more severe issue. One possible cause of those symptoms is an inflammatory bowel disease called ulcerative colitis (UC).
