Overactive Thyroid Produces Too Much Thyroxine Hormone
When your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) occurs. The condition known as hyperthyroidism can accelerate your body's metabolism, causing a rapid or irregular heartbeat and unintentional weight loss. Hyperthyroidism causes the thyroid gland to be overactive which leads to excessive amounts of thyroid hormone. Located in the front of your neck, the thyroid gland is an organ that releases hormones that control your metabolism (the way your body uses energy). These hormones also control your breathing, nervous system, heart rate, body temperature, weight, and many other functions in the body.
Overactive Thyroid Symptoms
You may experience nervousness, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, hand tremor, excessive sweating, weight loss, and sleep problems, among other symptoms, when the thyroid gland is overactive. It can be difficult for your doctor to diagnose hyperthyroidism as it can mimic other health problems. Hyperthyroidism can also cause a wide variety of signs and symptoms, including an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), which may appear as a swelling at the base of your neck, fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulty sleeping, skin thinning and fine, brittle hair.
Other signs of hyperthyroidism may include rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) — commonly more than 100 beats a minute, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and pounding of your heart (palpitations). You might also experience unintentional weight loss, even when your appetite and food intake stay the same or increase, increased appetite, sweating, increased sensitivity to heat and changes in menstrual patterns. Hyperthyroidism might also produce changes in bowel patterns, especially more frequent bowel movements, as well as nervousness, anxiety and irritability.
If you have symptoms of an overactive thyroid contact your doctor who will check for an enlarged thyroid gland, rapid pulse, moist skin, eye changes, and a slight tremor in your fingers or hand. Your doctor also will do a blood test to measure the amount of thyroid hormone in your blood which confirms the diagnosis. Your medical practioner may do a thyroid scan to help find the cause of your hyperthyroidism. It is possible that if your entire thyroid is affected you could have Graves’ disease, or the doctor will look for thyroid nodules or an inflammation.
Additionally your doctor may do a radioactive iodine uptake test which measures your thyroid’s ability to take up iodine. Your thyroid gland may be producing too much hormone if a high uptake of iodine is indicated. Such an result could indicate Graves’ disease or a hyperfunctioning thyroid nodule, while a low uptake of iodine indicates thyroiditis as the cause.
Treating an Overactive Thyroid
The best of several treatments for hyperthyroidism depends on your age, health, cause, and how severe your condition is. Your doctor's goal is to control your thyroid levels and make them normal as doing this relieves symptoms and prevents future health problems. One option is radioactive iodine therapy to damage the cells that make thyroid hormones. It can also be treated with anti-thyroid medications that interfere with the production of thyroid hormones. In rare cases in which women do not respond to or have side effects from these therapies, surgery to remove the thyroid (either one part of the entire gland) may be necessary.
Your doctor may also prescribe beta-blockers to block the effects of thyroid hormones on your body as beta-blockers help slow down a rapid heart rate and reduce hand tremors. The severity and underlying cause of your symptoms, your age, whether you are pregnant, other conditions you may have, and the potential side effects of the medication can all be factors in your choice of treatment for hyperthyroidism.
Dr. Carly Carrion Olmeda is a Board Certified Endocrinologist with Fellowship training in Diabetes and Metabolism. He treats a wide range of conditions.
OFMC Plaza
2135 SW 19th Avenue
Suite 103
Ocala, FL 34471
Phone: 352-237-4133
Fax: 352-873-4581
To attain their desired number of children and determine the spacing of pregnancies many couples seek the services of family planning. The practice of family planning is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of infertility. Ensuring access to preferred contraceptive methods for women and couples is essential to securing the well-being and autonomy of women. The promotion of family planning supports the health and development of communities.
Family Planning
The ability to choose if and when to become pregnant has a direct impact on a woman’s health and well-being. The spacing of pregnancies and delay of pregnancies in young women at increased risk of health problems and death from early childbearing demonstrates family planning's benefits to those who practice it. Family planning prevents unintended pregnancies. This would include those of older women who face increased risks related to pregnancy. Women who wish to limit the size of their families are enabled by family planning to do so. Research suggests that women who have more than 4 children are at increased risk of maternal mortality. Family planning also reduces the need for unsafe abortions by reducing rates of unintended pregnancies
There are myriad benefits of family planning including empowering people and enhancing education. It has been noted that family planning represents an opportunity for women to pursue enhanced education and increased participation in public life. This would further include paid employment in non-family organizations. Furthermore family planning helps people make informed choices about their reproductive and sexual health. Family planning is also responsible for saving children's lives as there are strong links between family planning and improvements in child health and survival.
Pregnancy
Family planning promotes the prevention of HIV and AIDS by lowering the risk of unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV.This results in fewer infected babies and orphans. Also male and female condoms protect against unintended pregnancies as well as STIs including HIV. Family planning also works to prevent children having children. Complications in pregnancy are the leading killer of girls and young women aged 15–19 throughout the world. Because their bodies are not ready to bear children each year 50,000 teenage girls and young women die during pregnancy or childbirth. Even if the young mothers survive their babies are also at far greater risk than those whose mothers are older.
Preconception care is another method of family planning. This is care before pregnancy and many women of reproductive age can benefit from it. Defined as a set of interventions designed to identify and reduce risks to a woman’s health, preconception care also improves pregnancy outcomes through prevention and management of health conditions. A significant reduction in birth defects and disorders caused by preterm birth can be attributed to family planning.
At Ocala Family Medical Center we strive to offer high quality, compassionate women's healthcare services. We offer a wide range of services that satisfies the unique needs of female healthcare.
Phone: 352-237-4133
Fax: 352-873-4581
The condition known as galactorrhea happens when one or both breasts make milk or a milky discharge. Galactorrhea is not related to the production of milk in breastfeeding. In cases of galactorrhea the breasts may leak only when touched, or on their own. This issue may occur in women or in men, but is less common in men. Though rare it can occur in newborns. Be aware that galactorrhea itself is not a disease, although it could be a sign of an underlying problem.
Usually it is found in women, even those who have never had children or after menopause. Medication side effects, excessive breast stimulation, or disorders of the pituitary gland all may contribute to galactorrhea. In many cases galactorrhea results from increased levels of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production. However there are times when the cause of galactorrhea cannot be determined and the condition may resolve on its own.
Galactorrhea signs and symptoms include erectile dysfunction in men, decreased sex drive, acne, headaches or vision problems, and an increase in hair growth on the chin or chest. Persistent or intermittent milky nipple discharge may occur and one or both breasts may affected. Nipple discharge involving multiple milk ducts can happen as well as spontaneously leaked or manually expressed nipple discharge. Absent or irregular menstrual periods have also been noted.
Diagnosing the underlying cause of galactorrhea can be a challenging and complex task because there are so many possibilities including excessive breast stimulation, which may be associated with sexual activity, frequent breast self-exams with nipple manipulation or prolonged clothing friction, and birth control pills. Other possible causes of galactorrhea include medications, such as certain sedatives, antidepressants, antipsychotics and high blood pressure drugs and cocaine, marijuana or opioid use. Also indicated as causes are a noncancerous pituitary tumor, underactive thyroid, chronic kidney disease and use of herbal supplements, such as fennel, anise or fenugreek seed.
Your doctor may test you by physical exam, during which they may try to express some of the fluid from your nipple by gently examining the area around your nipple while also checking for breast lumps or other suspicious areas of thickened breast tissue. You could be subject to analysis of fluid discharged from the nipple, to see if fat droplets are present in the fluid, which can help confirm the diagnosis of galactorrhea. An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) may be called for to check the brain for a tumor or other abnormality of your pituitary gland, if your blood test reveals an elevated prolactin level.
The treatment of galactorrhea depends on the cause. If tumors are benign they can be treated with medicine or surgery. Also medication can be useful if your body is producing too much of a hormone, such as prolactin. Medicines as well help treat problems such as hypothyroidism. If it is discovered that certain medications cause galactorrhea your doctor may prescribe a different medicine. Doctors sometimes cannot determine an exact cause of galactorrhea and in such a case they might recommend treatment anyway if you have bothersome or persistent nipple discharge. In such an event you might be given a medication to block the effects of prolactin or to lower the amount of prolactin in your body as reducing the prolactin level in your body may eliminate galactorrhea.
Dr. Carly Carrion Olmeda is a Board Certified Endocrinologist with Fellowship training in Diabetes and Metabolism. He treats a wide range of conditions.
OFMC Plaza
2135 SW 19th Avenue
Suite 103
Ocala, FL 34471
Phone: 352-237-4133
Fax: 352-873-4581
A decreased number of circulating red blood cells in the body is a condition known as anemia. Physicians will sometimes describe someone with anemia as having a low blood count and a patient who has anemia is called anemic. Among the general population anemia is the most common blood disorder and this malady currently affects more than 3 million Americans and an estimated 1.62 billion people all over the world. The various symptoms of anemia may include pale skin, headaches, and chest pains. Anemia is often the result when other diseases interfere with the body's ability to produce healthy red blood cells or abnormally increase red blood cell breakdown or loss.
Our blood is made up of two parts, the liquid called plasma and a cellular component. This cellular composition contains several different cell types. Significantly the most important and the most numerous cell types are known as red blood cells. Other cell types include the platelets and the white blood cells. Red blood cells function to deliver oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
All types of anemia have as their most common symptom a lack of energy and a feeling of fatigue. There are other common symptoms which may include light-headedness, headache,
paleness of skin, shortness of breath, fast or irregular heartbeat, and chest pain. Sometimes in milder cases there might be fewer or even no symptoms.
There are some forms of anemia which can have symptoms specific to their type. The condition of sickle cell anemia is often marked by painful swelling of the feet and hands, fatigue, and jaundice. Aplastic anemia can cause fever, frequent infections, and skin rashes. Jaundice, dark colored urine, fever, and abdominal pains can be signs of Hemolytic anemia. And Folic acid deficiency anemia may produce a smooth tongue, irritability and diarrhea.
Anemia is typically a clue to another underlying disease and therefore it needs to be fully evaluated by a doctor. Certainly all proper testing needs to be undertaken to determine the cause. In all cases if the signs and symptoms of anemia are present, one should contact his or her physician for evaluation. Your physician can simply detect anemia by obtaining a blood sample for a complete blood count. This complete blood count might be done as part of a routine general check-up. Or it could be based upon the presence of signs and symptoms suggestive of anemia.Through the results of the test and thorough physical evaluation your medical practitioner could order more tests to determine the exact cause of anemia.
For the convenience of our patients, our full-service lab is on-site at OFMC. Our lab is COLA Accredited and offers comprehensive testing to diagnose and treat many different medical problems.
Phone: 352-237-4133
Fax: 352-873-4581
Spine doctors specialize in conditions which affect your back condition and the surgical options available. These medical professionals are trained in the latest techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of disorders, conditions, and injuries of the spine. These experts are specially qualified to determine the source of your pain and treat it as effectively as possible.
Back pain in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar areas is generally first treated with some combination of physical therapy and medication. Following these if a patient's pain does not improve after some months of these treatments then spinal surgery can become an option. Arm and leg pain, spondylolisthesis, back pain, spinal stenosis, herniated discs and neck pain are all afflictions in which surgery can help.
Treatment of your spinal cord may be indicated. Your spinal cord is a highway of nerves that travels from the brain down to the back. In the event that the nerves of your spinal cord are damaged you can be left with severe pain, disability or even paralysis. Spinal cord specialists can diagnose spine injuries and care for patients with surgical and nonsurgical treatments.
Selection of the most appropriate type of health professional—or team of professionals—largely depends on the nature, severity, and duration of a patient’s symptoms. If the patient's back pain is resistant to initial treatment then the services of a spine specialist may be necessary. Many spine conditions can be treated non-operatively, but when spine surgery is necessary, you will want to seek treatment from a doctor who has the most spinal knowledge.
If you are suffering from painful back and neck issues it is important to make an appointment with a spine specialist for assessment and diagnosis.Spine specialists and doctors are dedicated to providing surgical and nonsurgical approaches to treating your acute and chronic spinal conditions for the betterment of your health. Most spine injuries and conditions can be effectively treated.
Phone: 352-237-4133
Fax: 352-873-4581
