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When Arthritis Attacks Your Big Toe!

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  You’re sound asleep when suddenly you wake up to a burning pain in your big toe. It’s intense – your toe feels hot, swollen, and so tender that even the touch of a bedsheet is unbearable. The likely culprit is gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis that loves to strike the big toe. Here’s why it happens, how to get quick relief, and how to prevent future attacks. Gout – The Usual Suspect in Sudden Big Toe Pain Gout is caused by uric acid crystals depositing in a joint, triggering fierce inflammation. Uric acid is a normal waste product, but when levels run high or the kidneys don’t clear it well, sharp urate crystals can form – especially in cooler, stressed joints like the base of the big toe (the first MTP joint). An acute gout attack often starts suddenly at night, peaking within 24 hours with extreme pain, redness, warmth, and swelling. Even light touch can hurt. Without treatment, the worst pain fades over days, but stiffness may linger. Risk Factors and Triggers for...
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What Does It Mean When Your Heart Flutters?

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  You’re sitting quietly when suddenly you feel it – a strange flutter in your chest, like your heart just did a little flip or skipped a beat. Many people describe this sensation as their heart “fluttering,” “palpitating,” or “skipping a beat.” If it’s happened to you, you might wonder: what’s going on? Is it dangerous? In this friendly guide, we’ll demystify palpitations – common causes, when they’re usually harmless, when to seek help, and how to keep your heartbeat steady and strong. Understanding Heart Flutters (Palpitations) “Heart flutter” usually means palpitations – being aware of your heartbeat. You might feel pounding, fluttering, skipping, or an irregular beat for a moment. Often this is due to a brief rhythm hiccup, like an extra beat (premature atrial or ventricular contraction) or a transient speed-up. These minor rhythm blips are common, even in healthy hearts, and often relate to stress or adrenaline. Common Causes of a Fluttering Heart Stress and anxiety...
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Location: Gauteng, South Africa
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How to Finally Get Rid of Warts!

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  Warts have a way of showing up uninvited and stubbornly overstaying their welcome. These small, rough bumps on the skin are usually harmless, but they can be annoying, embarrassing, or even painful – and if you’ve had one, you know that some warts seem almost impossible to get rid of. Many of us have tried countless remedies, from pharmacy wart removers to old-time tricks like duct tape, often with mixed results. So, what actually works to banish warts for good? In this friendly guide, we’ll explain what causes warts and why they can be so persistent. More importantly, we’ll walk through the most effective ways – both DIY and dermatologist-proven – to finally evict those pesky warts from your skin. What Exactly Are Warts and Why Do We Get Them? Warts are common skin growths caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infecting the top layer of skin through tiny breaks. The virus triggers excess skin-cell growth, creating a hard, rough bump that may show tiny black dots (clotted ca...
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Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
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Unpacking Fad Diets: Keto, Paleo, Fasting – Do They Work?

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  Fad diets come and go, but a few trendy eating plans have dominated conversations in recent years. Chances are you know someone who swears by the ketogenic (“keto”) diet, sings the praises of the paleo diet, or schedules their meals around intermittent fasting. These diets promise weight loss and health benefits by breaking the mould of conventional eating. But do they really live up to the hype? In this article, we unpack the keto, paleo, and intermittent fasting diets – how they work, what the science says about their effectiveness, and whether they’re truly the magic bullets for weight loss and health that some proponents claim. We’ll take a warm, accessible look at the evidence so you can make informed decisions about these popular diet trends. The Ketogenic Diet: Carbs Out, Fat In The ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. By drastically cutting carbs and upping fat intake (often 70–80% of daily calories from fat), the goal is to push the body into ke...
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Location: Midrand, South Africa
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Finding Relief from Sciatica Pain

By Midrand Medical Centre
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    Sciatica pain can strike suddenly, sending a lightning bolt of agony down your leg or causing a deep, unrelenting ache in your lower back and buttock. “Sciatica” isn’t a disease in itself but a term for the symptoms caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve – the largest nerve in the body that runs from the lower spine through the buttocks and down each leg . Most often, a herniated disc in the lower spine pinches the nerve roots, leading to pain, tingling, or numbness radiating along the nerve’s path. The good news is that in the majority of cases, sciatica improves within a few weeks without surgery . In this article, we explore effective strategies to find relief from sciatica pain and get back on your feet. Understanding Sciatica and Its Symptoms Sciatica typically affects one side of the lower body. Common symptoms include sharp or burning pain in the buttock, thigh, or calf; numbness or tingling down the leg; and sometimes muscle weakness in the affected leg or foot....
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Location: South Africa
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Managing Yeast Infections

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  Most women know the tell-tale signs: that persistent itch, irritation, and sometimes a cottage cheese-like discharge – classic symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection. Yeast infections are extremely common; about 3 out of 4 women will experience at least one in their lifetime. Though they’re not usually serious, they can be very uncomfortable and inconvenient. The good news is that yeast infections are generally easy to treat once you recognize what you’re dealing with. In this article, we’ll discuss how to identify a yeast infection (and not confuse it with other issues), effective treatments – including medications and home care – and ways to prevent those pesky infections from coming back. Is It Really a Yeast Infection? The vagina has a delicate balance of flora, including the yeast, Candida. A yeast infection happens when something upsets that balance (like antibiotics, hormonal changes, or diabetes) and yeast overgrows, leading to irritation. However, other infe...
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Location: South Africa
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