For many Americans, living with neuropathy is one of the greatest challenges they face. Present in about 8% of people around the world, neuropathy - or peripheral neuropathy, to be more accurate - can affect anybody. In the United States alone, there are more than 40 million people with neuropathy, with health costs surpassing $4 billion each year. Approximately 10% of people over 40 years of age get neuropathy, as do 50% of diabetics and 20% of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. In fact, the number of people with neuropathy is only increasing as diabetes becomes more common, the population ages and people with HIV/AIDS live longer.
While some patients have a higher risk of developing specific types of peripheral neuropathy, it does not discriminate between race, sex, age, personal circumstances, or medical history. Fortunately, neuropathy awareness is growing, and by proxy, so are new treatment options. If you've been suffering from the symptoms of neuropathy and are in search of a solution, Kennedy Health Clinic can help with our doctors preferred treatment for neuropathy in legs and feet in Fairfax, DE. From advanced therapies to state-of-the-art technology, we utilize the latest advancements in pain management to help you regain your quality of life.
But to truly understand how neuropathy treatment can help, it's important to first understand the disease and how it affects your nervous system.
Peripheral neuropathy is a term used to describe nerve disorders that affect a specific part of your nervous system. There are several conditions that can lead to peripheral neuropathy, resulting in a variety of symptoms. The symptoms and the body parts affected by peripheral neuropathy depend on the underlying cause.
Peripheral neuropathy can manifest in a variety of ways. It has the potential to impact a single nerve, a group of related nerves, or numerous nerves in several areas of the body. The specific symptoms will vary based on which type of nerve signals are affected, and it is possible for multiple signal types to be involved.
Symptom types include the following:
Now that we've covered some of the most difficult symptoms to live with when you have neuropathy, you're probably wondering how Kennedy Health Clinic can help. Before recommending treatment, your neuropathy doctor will suggest one or more diagnostic tests for a full-body analysis. Doing so will help our team provide better neuropathy treatment for both short and long-term needs.
People living with neuropathy have to deal with difficulties that most men and women in America don't ever think about. It's understandable, then, that they may become tired and even depressed because of their condition. That's where Kennedy Health Clinic steps in - to provide advanced neuropathy treatments and, ultimately, enhanced quality of life.
At Kennedy Health Clinic, we're dedicated to improving the overall health and well-being of our patients. We offer effective pain management treatments and holistic healing options to provide comprehensive care. Our commitment to our patients has made us a trusted partner in health and wellness - and we're ready to help you, too.
If you're suffering from nerve pain or other symptoms due to neuropathy, it's time to seek professional help. Our advanced neuropathy treatments are tailored to your body, your health needs, and your neuropathy goals. That way, we can give you the most effective and efficient care possible. When you trust our team of knowledgeable doctors, you're taking the first step toward a normal life without the painful surprises caused by neuropathy. Contact our office today to get started.
Peripheral neuropathy is a term used to describe nerve disorders that affect a specific part of your nervous system. There are several conditions that can lead to peripheral neuropathy, resulting in a variety of symptoms. The symptoms and the body parts affected by peripheral neuropathy depend on the underlying cause.
The nervous system in the human body is divided into two parts - the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system includes all other nerves present in the body. That includes those that travel from the spinal cord and brain to supply the face and other parts of the body.
Whenever there is any condition that affects the peripheral nerves, it is referred to as peripheral neuropathy. Healthcare providers often use the terms "neuropathy" and "polyneuropathy" interchangeably with "peripheral neuropathy." It is important to note that peripheral nerves, being the farthest from the central nervous system, tend to show the earliest and most severe effects of these conditions.
In order to comprehend the impact of peripheral neuropathy on your body, it's useful to have some knowledge about neurons - a crucial type of cell that forms your nerves. These neurons utilize electrical and chemical signals to transmit and relay messages throughout your nervous system. Each neuron in your body is made up of the following:
A cell body is the primary part of a cell.
An axon is a long, arm-like projection that extends from the cell body of a neuron. At the end of the axon, there are several finger-like extensions called synapses, which convert the electrical signal in the neuron into a chemical signal. These synapses then transmit the signal to other nearby nerve cells.
Dendrites are small, tree-like extensions on the cell body that receive chemical signals from nearby neurons' synapses.
This is a protective covering made up of thin, fatty chemical compounds that surround the axon of many neurons.
The development of peripheral neuropathy and how long it takes depends on its underlying cause. If the cause is an injury, it can develop instantly or within a few hours. However, some forms of peripheral neuropathy caused by toxins or inflammation may develop rapidly over days or weeks. In contrast, most other conditions that cause peripheral neuropathy take months, years, or even decades to develop. Regardless of the cause, modern advances in medicine give patients hope for recovery, using doctors preferred treatment for neuropathy in legs and feet in Fairfax, DE.
The peripheral nervous system in your body carries motor signals that originate in your brain and are sent to your muscles. These signals allow you to move around and carry out various physical activities. For your muscles to remain healthy and function properly, they require nerve connections to the brain. Some motor symptoms include:
Nerve connection loss causes your muscles to weaken and shrink. With peripheral neuropathy, this happens most often in your lower legs, feet, and hands. Occasionally, patients will experience deformities in their hands and feet due to muscle loss.
Muscle weakening is a common issue caused by nerve deterioration from peripheral neuropathy. This condition can result in paralysis, making it difficult to move toes or causing foot drop and hand weakness. Additionally, it can also affect muscles in other areas of the body, such as the thighs and arms.
When nerves lose a connection to your brain because of your neuropathy, they can become hyperactive, resulting in uncontrolled muscle movements and cramps.
Did you know that your body has several processes that happen automatically without your conscious effort? These automatic functions are known as autonomic processes, and they include things like sweating, digestion, and blood pressure control. Autonomic nerve fibers are responsible for carrying signals for these automatic processes. However, disruptions in these signals can cause your body's automatic processes to malfunction. Some of these processes may work intermittently, while others may not work at all.
Some autonomic symptoms of neuropathy include:
People living with neuropathy have to deal with difficulties that most men and women in America don't ever think about. It's understandable, then, that they may become tired and even depressed because of their condition. That's where Kennedy Health Clinic steps in - to provide advanced neuropathy treatments and, ultimately, enhanced quality of life.
Some of our most popular neuropathy treatments include:
This device is designed to improve blood and oxygen flow, which in turn promotes optimal nerve and nervous system functionality. As a result of the healthy, oxygenated blood, damaged or weak nerve endings receive a rejuvenating boost, which may be experienced as a slight tingling sensation.
Did you know that infrared lights have amazing benefits for our bodies? They can help repair cells and improve the circulation of oxygen-rich blood, which in turn promotes faster healing of deep tissues and relieves pain.
For individuals dealing with diabetic neuropathy, the primary objective is to either reverse diabetes or decelerate its progression. Functional medicine involves incorporating lifestyle modifications to maintain blood sugar levels consistently at a healthy range, which all but eliminates diabetes. Choosing functional medicine recommendations is almost always preferred over invasive and more complicated treatments, and our team is here to help you get started.
Our providers may suggest advanced cellular therapy as a final option for those who have tried other treatments without success and are suitable candidates. This therapy can assist in improving the healing and treatment process of individuals who are experiencing neuropathy.
Living a life free of neuropathy symptoms doesn't have to be a pipe dream - it can be an achievable goal with the help of our advanced neuropathy therapies. Contact Kennedy Health Clinic today to schedule your free initial consultation. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to long-term recovery and pain relief.
AstraZeneca sold its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax to Delle Donne & Associates in a deal valued at $50 million, but company officials insist the pharmaceutical giant is not going anywhere.On the same day it closed on the sale, the pharmaceutical giant signed a long-term lease agreement for two buildings on the 80-acre campus it has occupied for nearly two decades."AstraZeneca remains committed to the state of Delaware," spokeswoman Alexandra Engel said. "Selling the site and leasing back a smaller footprint wi...
AstraZeneca sold its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax to Delle Donne & Associates in a deal valued at $50 million, but company officials insist the pharmaceutical giant is not going anywhere.
On the same day it closed on the sale, the pharmaceutical giant signed a long-term lease agreement for two buildings on the 80-acre campus it has occupied for nearly two decades.
"AstraZeneca remains committed to the state of Delaware," spokeswoman Alexandra Engel said. "Selling the site and leasing back a smaller footprint will allow us to more efficiently use our office space while lowering ongoing operational costs."
The drugmaker, which recorded $23 billion in revenue last year, declined to disclose terms of the lease it signed with Delle Donne, the development company owned by the family of WNBA star Elena Delle Donne.
Ernie Delle Donne, president and chief executive officer of the Stanton-based company, said AstraZeneca signed on for enough years to make him "extremely comfortable."
"Having AstraZeneca remain in place was extremely important to our future plans for the property," he said. "Them, along with JPMorgan, Nemours and DuPont's Experimental Station all being nearby will be a major selling point as we begin to market the site to future tenants."
The sale and leaseback contract was finalized on June 30, but only became public this week. The deal completes a plan AstraZenca first revealed last summer when it put the property on the market.
"It's definitely a fair price," said John Kaczowka, senior vice president at the brokerage firm CBRE. "It's a great location that's just outside the city and accessible from two major roadways. I think [Delle Donne] will be very successful with that property."
The drugmaker says it now plans to consolidate its operations into the two office buildings closest to Concord Pike (U.S. 202), known as the Alapocas and Brandywine buildings. AstraZeneca said it will spend an undisclosed sum to renovate those structures, which collectively total about 380,000 square feet.
Once that move is complete sometime around late 2018, Delle Donne will invest another $50 million to renovate the other two buildings on the site, known as FOC and FOP. Those buildings collectively total about 500,000 square feet of office space.
The campus is approved for another 900,000 square feet of development, and Delle Donne said his company is weighing the best use for that land.
"We're contemplating a mixed use that could involve housing, retail, office space and possibly even a hotel," he said.
Delle Donne & Associates is developing a similar mixed-use project on 16 acres of the University's of Delaware's Science, Technology and Advanced Research Campus off South College Avenue in Newark – the former site of a Chrysler Assembly plant.
The developer said he sees the AstraZeneca site as the second piece of major redevelopment projects in opposite ends of New Castle County. Delle Donne & Associates also paid $55 million to purchase the 450,000-square-foot Christiana Executive Campus near the Christiana Mall in late 2016.
"A location with this kind of geography, physical plant and incredible infrastructure doesn't come around very often, at least not in my lifetime," he said of the AstraZeneca site. "This is really something special."
AstraZeneca built its North American headquarters in Delaware in the late 1990s after state leaders, led by then-Gov. Tom Carper, lured the company with what remains one of the largest incentive package in the state's history.
The state ponied up a $41 million package of grants and tax credits, along with $70 million in road improvements near the campus, in exchange for AstraZeneca's pledge to increase its workforce at the site from 2,400 to 4,000 by 2004.
The pharmaceutical company met that obligation and more, reaching an employment peak of 5,000 workers in 2005, only to have patent losses and a global recession lead to a major restructuring that has gradually reduced the company's local workforce ever since.
Following a round of layoffs last December, AstraZeneca now has about 1,500 workers in Delaware spread across its headquarters campus and a packaging facility near Newark.
"Ultimately, that deal made a whole lot of sense," Carper said Thursday. "Do I wish they still had 4,500 employees? You bet. But I'm glad they still have 1,500. Not a lot of employers in Delaware have that many."
As AstraZeneca's headcount has shrunk so has its need for office space.
AstraZeneca has demolished several buildings on the campus in an effort to reduce its Delaware footprint, including 450,000 square feet of research space — accounting for 35 percent of the property's total square footage. That move came after the drugmaker phased out its entire Delaware-based research development, cutting 500 jobs in Fairfax and 600 more throughout the United States.
In 2013, the pharmaceutical giant also sold the 15-story Rollins Building in Fairfax to a company affiliated with the owner of Applied Bank for $10.5 million. Less than a year later, AstraZeneca sold two buildings totaling 357,000 square feet on its south campus to JPMorgan Chase for a reported $44 million.
AstraZeneca is only the latest in a string of major companies that have consolidated space in Delaware over the last year.
Capital One announced in April that it plans to move all 2,200 of its Delaware employees into two adjacent office buildings in downtown Wilmington. Bank of America said in February that it plans to move all of its 1,200 Wilmington employees to a single building in its three-structure downtown Wilmington complex.
Kaczowka said those moves likely have as much to do with office design, as efforts to save money.
"Gone are the days of large private offices," he said. "Companies today are trimming the size of their work stations and creating tighter, collaborative environments. That means they need less space for their employees."
Engel, the AstraZeneca spokeswoman, said the new design for the company's office space in Fairfax will offer room specially designed to support "concentrated individual work, one-on-one meetings, private phone calls, socialization and formal meetings and presentations," giving employees "freedom to exercise personal preference over which space they want to work."
"This strategy has proven within the AstraZeneca community to foster more vibrant and collaborative working environments for its employees," she said.
While AstraZeneca has vowed to remain in Delaware for the foreseeable future, some see the company's gradual move to sell off its real estate holdings as a troubling sign.
"To me, it says impermanence," said Lawrence Hammermesh, a professor of corporate law at Widener University's Delaware Law School.
"Maybe they just don't want to be in the business of owning real estate and would rather hand that over to someone with a specific expertise in that area," he said. "But I can't help think that it's a lot easier to pack up and leave when you rent than when you have to sell a building."
State Sen. Greg Lavelle, R, Sharpley, represents the district where AstraZeneca is based. He said he sees the deal as an opportunity for Delaware.
"AstraZeneca by their own account is going through a transitionary period, and I'm hopeful they will be able to execute their vision," he said. "But you can't wring your hands forever. This deal opens the property back up to multiple, good-paying employers, and I'm optimistic we're going to get good results."