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Hospital Delirium in Seniors: A Hidden Risk You Shouldn’t Ignore

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  For an older adult, a stay in the hospital can come with an unexpected and frightening side effect: delirium. If you’ve ever visited an elderly parent or grandparent in the hospital and found them suddenly confused, disoriented, or not themselves, you’ve witnessed this condition. Hospital delirium is an acute state of mental confusion that happens to many seniors during an illness or after surgery. It’s often called a “hidden risk” because it’s not the illness that brought them to the hospital - it’s a complication that arises from the hospitalisation itself, and it can be easily overlooked or misattributed to something like dementia. However, delirium is usually temporary and treatable, and recognising it early can make a big difference. What Is Delirium? Delirium is an abrupt change in brain function that causes confusion and difficulty with attention and clear thinking. It develops over hours to a couple of days and fluctuates through the day. People may be disoriented, ...
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High Blood Pressure in Women: The Hidden Risks You Should Know!

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  High blood pressure - often called hypertension - is a well-known health risk, but many people don’t realise that it can pose unique challenges and dangers for women. We often think of heart disease or stroke affecting men, yet high blood pressure is very common in women and can be just as deadly. It truly is a “silent killer” because it often has no noticeable symptoms, yet over time it can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other organs. For women, there are some hidden risks and situations where high blood pressure can become especially important to recognise and manage. It’s Often Silent - So Don’t Assume You’d Know Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms at all. That’s why regular check-ups and knowing your numbers are critical. Pharmacies, clinics, and home monitors make it easy to track your pressure between visits. Birth Control and Hormones Can Raise Blood Pressure Oral contraceptives and some hormone therapies can increase blood pressur...
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Location: Gauteng, South Africa
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Iron Check: 10 Warning Signs You Might Be Deficient

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  Iron is an essential mineral that your body needs to function at its best. It’s a key component of haemoglobin - the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all your organs and tissues. If you don’t have enough iron, your body can’t make enough healthy red blood cells, leading to iron deficiency (and potentially iron deficiency anaemia). This condition is more common than you might think, especially in women of child-bearing age, vegetarians, and people with certain health conditions. Iron deficiency can sneak up on you because its symptoms can be subtle at first. Here are ten warning signs that you might be low in iron. If you recognise several of these in yourself, it may be time for an “iron check” with your healthcare provider. Extreme Fatigue and Weakness: One of the earliest and most common signs of iron deficiency is feeling overwhelmingly tired and weak. This isn’t just normal tiredness from a long day - it’s fatigue that doesn’t seem to go away even with go...
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Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
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Stop UTIs Before They Start: Smart Prevention Tips

By Midrand Medical Centre
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  Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common and uncomfortable health issue, especially for women. A UTI happens when bacteria enter the urinary tract (which includes the urethra and bladder), leading to symptoms like a burning feeling during urination and a frequent urge to go. The good news is that many UTIs can be prevented with a few smart habits in your daily routine. By taking proactive steps, you can stop UTIs before they even start and spare yourself the pain and inconvenience. Stay Hydrated Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, is one of the simplest ways to prevent UTIs. When you drink more water, you’ll urinate more often, which helps flush out bacteria from the bladder before an infection can take hold. Aim for at least 6–8 glasses of water a day (about 1.5–2 litres). Staying well-hydrated keeps your urine diluted and your bladder healthy. Don’t Hold It In Make a habit of emptying your bladder regularly and fully. Bacteria thrive in warm, stagnant urine...
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Location: Midrand, South Africa
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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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Location: South Africa
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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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