Conditions We Treat in Newton & Hackettstown

Diabetes (Diabetes mellitus) is a chronic health disorder in which the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that converts glucose into energy, and as a result of diabetes, glucose accumulates in the blood, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness.
Though many types of diabetes are identified, the principal types include Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and Type 2 results from cells failing to accept the insulin and use it. Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women who have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

Arthritis is a condition that describes pain, stiffness and inflammation in one or more joints or muscles of the body. Different forms of arthritis are identified, and the most common form is osteoarthritis, which happens as a result of joint pain, age or infection.
Though there is no cure for arthritis, many techniques, including physiotherapy, medication, and exercise, are available to manage the condition.

GERD, also known as Gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric reflux disease or acid reflux disease, is a digestive disorder that affects the muscle connecting the esophagus with the stomach, causing the stomach’s contents to back up into the esophagus.
The backwash of stomach contents into the esophagus occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter is very weak or when it inappropriately relaxes, causing heartburn, a burning sensation in the throat or chest. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is an extremely common condition, and up to ten percent of all adults complain of daily symptoms.

Heart failure, also known as Congestive Heart Failure, does not mean that the organ has failed to function. It refers to a structural or functional disease of the heart that impairs the organ's ability to supply sufficient blood to the body to meet its needs.
Though this develops slowly, heart disease is a chronic and long-term condition that gradually results in heart failure.
Common causes of heart failure include forms of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy and hypertension.

Heart disease includes a range of illnesses that affect the efficiency and normal functioning of the heart.
The heart is the muscular pump in the chest that pumps blood with oxygen and nutrients to the whole body's tissues and organs. Ultimately, this disrupts the heart's pumping action, resulting in vital organs like the brain and kidneys suffering. The whole body depends on the operation of the heart, and a seizure of the heart would result in death within minutes.

Cholesterol, commonly referred to as high blood cholesterol, is a major health problem in many countries. High levels of cholesterol in the blood lead to disease, which is partly determined by genetic factors and the amount of cholesterol in the diet.
The condition is related to the vital human organ, the heart, and has been identified as one of the four significant risks for coronary heart disease. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the blood cholesterol level every five years starting at the age of 20.

Chronic cough refers to the mysterious dry cough that doesn’t go away and is not regarded as a disease. This condition is generally considered to be a symptom of other disorders such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, sinus problems and the esophageal reflex of stomach contents. Also, there are a few rare occasions in which aspiration of foreign objects into the lungs results in chronic coughs.
Also, certain medicines are known to cause a chronic cough as a side effect. In most instances, medications don’t seem to improve this disease, and eventually, some cases are cured with surgical treatments.

Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea is a feeling of difficulty in breathing or uncomfortable breathing which results in insufficient airflow for your daily respiration needs. Dypnea is considered a worrisome symptom of a range of sensitive or chronic diseases and disorders.
The severity of this condition depends on the underlying causes, including obstruction of the air passages, heart diseases, and emotional distress, such as anxiety. Specific causes of shortness of breath include disorders such as lung disease, asthma, coronary heart disease, pneumonia, inhalation of foreign objects, allergies, obesity, compression of the chest wall, panic attacks and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a chronic and obstructive disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs that makes it harder to breathe. In COPD, the airways that transfer air in and out of the lungs are partly obstructed, resulting in breathing difficulties.
There are two forms of the disease: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Common symptoms of the disease include shortness of breath, cough and increased mucus. Though the common cause is smoking, long-term inhalation of other irritants into the lungs can also result in COPD. This is identified as the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, affecting more than a million people and resulting in 100,000 deaths annually.

Lung disease includes a range of disorders or diseases that affect the efficiency of the lungs, causing the organ not to work properly. These disorders can be grouped based on the area they affect as follows:
● Airways diseases (including asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema) which affect the airways that carry oxygen and other gases to and from the lungs, causing a narrowing or blockage.
● Lung tissue diseases (including sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis), which affect the structure of the lung tissue and make it unable to expand fully.
● Pulmonary circulation diseases that affect the blood vessels in the lungs, such as clotting or inflammation of the vessels. These diseases will have an impact on the function of the heart.

Being the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, lung cancer is caused by the uncontrolled division and growth of abnormal cells lining the airways and other lung regions. The lungs are the main organ of the respiratory system that exchanges gases with the environment. Generally, many other cancers of the body also migrate to the lung, like breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Smoking tobacco is the most important cause of developing lung cancer, which includes both active and passive smoking. Lung cancer is usually found in the mature population and is rare among small children. Two types of lung cancer are recognized: primary lung cancer, which starts in the lungs and secondary lung cancer, which starts somewhere else and spreads to the lungs and infects.

Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is an inflammation of the pleural membrane that surrounds and protects the lungs. This condition generally arises from an existing respiratory infection or disease, such as pneumonia or a viral infection.
There are two types of pleurisy: dry pleurisy, in which the inflamed pleural membranes rub each other and wet pleurisy, in which fluid oozes from the membranes. Wet pleurisy may compress the lungs and result in difficulty breathing.

Asbestosis (also known as asbestos exposure) refers to lung fibrosis caused by the inhalation of asbestos, which causes scarring in the lungs and pleural membrane surrounding them. Heavy exposure to asbestos results in significant asbestosis within an individual's lifespan.
People with asbestosis are subject to severe breathlessness, chest pains, general weakness and in severe cases have an enlarged heart. Lung cancer has also been identified as an outcome of asbestos exposure, even at a lower level.

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that is also the second leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. The disorder is also accompanied by a series of auxiliary symptoms.
Primary symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness, hallucinations, sleep attacks and sleep paralysis. People with narcolepsy tend to fall asleep suddenly anywhere, anytime, and the sleep attack could last for a few seconds to more than an hour. Some people tend to function outwardly, such as continuing a conversation or putting things away, which will not be in their memory once they wake up.

Periodic leg movement syndrome, also known as periodic limb movement disorder (PLM and PLMD), is a sleeping disorder that involves involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements during sleep, typically occurring every ten to sixty seconds and sometimes throughout the night. This may also occur along with other sleep disorders, and at least 80% of people with restless legs syndrome have PLMD.
Symptoms of the disease include repeated awakening, severely disrupted or poor sleep and subsequent daytime somnolence.

Snoring is a loud and rough breathing sound that occurs during sleep when the airways collapse occasionally. The sound is caused by vibrations in the pharynx. Snoring is a common condition in adults and is considered a symptom of the sleeping disorder apnea.
Though snoring is regarded as a common disorder, it is an important social problem as it develops sleeping difficulties for the people you share the bed with. Snoring results in sleep deprivation, daytime drowsiness, irritability, lack of focus and decreased libido in the snorers.

Insomnia is a very common sleeping disorder and the most common in the United States, where around one-third of the adult population has experienced it.
Insomnia tends to occur more often in women and older adults and arises when people are unable to get enough restorative sleep due to various factors. Common symptoms of insomnia include daytime sleepiness, fatigue and decreased mental clarity.
Insomnia is categorized into transient, short and long-term insomnia. The transient and short-term insomnia doesn’t last for more than a few days, while the long-term or chronic insomnia lasts for more than three weeks. Despite the transient insomnia, short-term insomnia requires a greater disturbance.
For information on the treatment of Insomnia: www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/diagnoses-treatments/

Excessive daytime sleepiness, also known as EDS, is a neurological disorder in which there is a sudden, recurrent, uncontrollable compulsion to sleep. The disorder is also accompanied by a lack of energy even after adequate sound sleep. Excessive daytime sleepiness is considered a symptom of one of the two forms of sleep disorders: hypersomnia and prolonged nighttime sleep.
Symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness generally appear in a person’s teens and early twenties, but this could vary significantly. Over 100,000 Americans are affected by excessive daytime sleepiness, which strikes both genders and people of all races.