Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes
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Dr. John Fritz, the owner of a family practice in Jersey City, New Jersey, has treated patients with diabetes for a long time. In addition, Dr. John Fritz of Jersey City has lectured and taught on topics related to diabetes care at the local, regional, and national levels.

Type 2 diabetes develops when a patient’s body loses the ability either to produce sufficient insulin or to effectively use it to regulate blood glucose. Medical science has not yet identified the exact cause of this process, although research has revealed a few key risk factors. Excess weight, particularly around the waist, appears to be the most influential. However, it is possible to develop the condition at a normal weight.

Individuals over 40 and those from certain ethnic backgrounds also have a higher chance of developing diabetes, as do those with a sedentary lifestyle. Elements of a person’s medical history, including heart disease and high blood pressure, can increase risk, as can a family history of the condition. Prediabetes, or higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, marks a person at greater risk as well.

Patients with a higher risk of diabetes, regardless of reason, can often mitigate this risk by increasing the amount of exercise they get and by adopting a more healthy diet. Losing excess weight may also be a protective factor, although a physician is best qualified to determine the preventive measures each individual patient should take.

Link Discovered Between Asthma and Chronic Migraine

Asthma and Chronic Migraine
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As the owner of a private family practice in Jersey City, New Jersey, Dr. John Fritz has welcomed many patients with asthma. Dr. John Fritz of Jersey City also stands out as an expert in the treatment of migraine, having developed an in-depth knowledge of therapies for acute and chronic cases.

According to a recent study, published in the journal Headache, asthma may be a predictor of chronic migraine for patients with existing episodic migraine. The study followed 4,500 patients beginning in 2008, at which time all study volunteers had 15 or fewer headache days per month. The following year, 5 percent of volunteers with asthma had developed chronic migraine, as compared to 2.5 percent of volunteers without asthma.

Lead study author Dr. Vincent Martin, codirector of the headache and facial pain program at the University of Cincinnati, noted that these statistics are significant enough to indicate a link between asthma and chronic migraine. The study’s coauthor, Dr. Richard Lipton of New York’s Montefiore Headache Center, pointed out that the activation and inflammation of smooth muscle tissue, present in both conditions, may be the source of the link. Researchers suggest that these findings may allow physicians to implement preventive measures for patients with asthma and episodic migraine, thus potentially decreasing a patient’s chance of developing chronic migraine.

Examples of Simple Preventative Techniques against Arthritis Pain

Arthritis Pain Prevention
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Dr. John Fritz is a longtime Jersey City physician who maintains a respected family and osteopathic medicine practice. In caring for Jersey City patients, Dr. John Fritz helps address issues such as bladder control, irritable bowel syndrome, and arthritis pain. Experienced by more than 50 million people throughout the United States, arthritis is a chronic condition that can last a lifetime.

One way in which the pain associated with arthritis can be managed is to protect and reduce strain on the joints. Many techniques are preventative. For instance, patients may be advised to avoid wearing high heels, which place several times the stress on the feet and knees than shoes without heels.

For people working in an office setting, varying between sitting and standing is of critical importance. When working at a desk, stand up every half hour or so to give your body the chance to regain flexibility and prevent from locking into a single position. Devices such as hands-free telephones and document holders are also an ally, as they reduce the necessity of repetitive motions that can lead to strain in the neck and other arthritis-prone areas of the body.

Scientists Discover Potential Source of Migraines

A board-certified family and osteopathic physician, Dr. John Fritz owns and operates a primary care practice in Jersey City, New Jersey. At his Jersey City practice, Dr. John Fritz draws on an in-depth knowledge of migraine treatments to offer patients access to any available therapy.

In early October of 2015, researchers from New York University and New Zealand’s University of Auckland released findings indicating that a certain neuropeptide may prompt the onset of migraine symptoms. These neuropeptides, PACAP and VIP, act as dilators on blood vessels in the brain, a process that before this study was widely thought to be a primary contributing cause of migraine headaches. However, study researchers found that rats who received PACAP experienced an increase in neuron activity and the onset of migraine-like symptoms. Rats who received VIP displayed no such symptoms.

These findings suggest that it is not blood vessel dilation that is the likely cause of migraine, but rather the activation of PACAP receptor PAC1. This receptor causes a firing of the pain signal in the brain’s trigeminovascular neurons, which in turn causes migraine’s characteristic symptoms. Researchers tested this theory by injecting subject rats with chemicals that blocked the PAC1 receptor, and doing so was found to inhibit the firing of the trigeminovascular nerve. Scientists see these findings as a potential jumping-off point for research into PAC1 blockers as a migraine treatment.

Performing Breast Self-Exams

Dr. John Fritz operates a private practice in Jersey City. Through his Jersey City office, Dr. John Fritz advises patients of the significance of regularly undergoing routine health screening, including the importance of performing breast self-exams to check for signs of breast cancer.

Doctors recommend that women check for lumps in the breasts monthly, or more frequently. This allows a woman to become familiar with the breasts and therefore be able to quickly identify any changes that may occur. If the woman notices a change, such as a lump, she can then seek medical attention to determine whether the change presents a serious concern.

Doctors recommend that women perform breast self-exams in the shower by making circles across the surface of the breast with the fingers. The woman should identify areas of that seem to have thickened or have formed into a knot or lump.

Additionally, using a bathroom mirror to perform a visual self-examination is another good idea. A woman should examine her breasts with her arms held up and also down by her side, keeping an eye out for dimpling, swelling, and other changes. She should also look for differences in how the nipples look.

Finally, a woman should periodically perform a breast-self exam while lying down and with an arm stretched up by her head. She should make small circles with varying levels of pressure and then switch sides. A doctor can provide additional instructions and advice on how to perform these self-examinations.

Potential New Biomarker Discovered for Episodic Migraine Headaches

Dr. John Fritz dedicates much of his Jersey City family practice to the treatment of patients with migraine headaches. To this end, Dr. John Fritz of Jersey City maintains an up-to-date knowledge of migraines, their pathology, and their potential treatments.

According to recent research, levels of a certain lipid in the blood may indicate whether a patient is suffering from episodic migraines or from headaches with another cause. The study in question followed 52 women with 15 or fewer headache days per month, as well as 36 women who did not experience headaches. Researchers recorded each participant’s body mass index and analyzed a blood sample to test for a class of lipid known as ceramides.

Investigators discovered that participants with migraines had approximately 4,500 nanograms per millimeter fewer ceramides in their blood as compared to headache-free participants. Furthermore, the study confirmed that each increase in standard deviation of blood ceramide levels represented a 92 percent lower risk of having migraine headaches. Researchers tested these results by analyzing blood samples of 14 participants for ceramide levels. Using this data, they were able to correctly identify which of these individuals suffered from migraines, thus indicating the potential for ceramide analysis as a test for episodic migraines.

Understanding the Difference Between Headache and Migraine

Jersey City medical professional Dr. John Fritz currently runs a family practice, having previously spent 12 years as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Dr. John Fritz provides an array of services at his Jersey City practice, including various migraine treatments and therapies.

In common conversation, the terms headache and migraine can be used almost interchangeably. In the medical profession, however, the two conditions are vastly different in regard to their respective symptoms as well as origins. Almost every individual experiences a headache at some point in their life, as the causes are virtually endless. Too much caffeine, not enough water, and lack of sleep are just a few of the common causes of a normal headache. A headache can be painful, but in most cases the pain is bearable and can be lessened, if not altogether dissipated, by over-the-counter medication.

A migraine, meanwhile, is a specific condition resulting from blood vessels that constrict and dilate. This creates intense and painful pulsations throughout a person’s head. The symptoms of a migraine go well beyond those of a headache and can include vomiting, blurred vision, light sensitivity, dizziness, and even fever. While a migraine can occur as a one-time event, some people suffer from recurrent migraines. In this case, a person must contact their primary care physician in order to determine how to prevent future migraines and how to mitigate the pain and other symptoms of a migraine.

Doctors Without Borders in Nepal

For more than 10 years, Dr. John Fritz has operated a private practice in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he provides general family care and specializes in treating patients with diabetes. A lifetime resident of Jersey City, Dr. John Fritz has participated in several medical missions to Southeast Asia with Doctors Without Borders.

Since 1971, Doctors Without Borders has been providing medical aid in countries affected by war and natural disaster. The organization is active in more than 70 countries, including Nepal, which was affected by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015. Doctors Without Borders mobilized to provide medical assistance and food by helicopter, as well as to provide emergency medical transportation from remote villages to hospitals in Kathmandu.

In the wake of several more earthquakes, Doctors Without Borders established a temporary field hospital in Arughat that treated an average of 100 patients daily for ailments such as diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, and wounds. The hospital also saw an average of 15 emergency room patients with fractures and more complex wounds sustained in the earthquake.