Patient Education

Dr. Trista Marshall would like to be your partner in health care. Feel free to ask your questions and share your concerns with us. We will work with you to develop a wellness program for the care and treatment you need.

We welcome you to our practice and look forward to caring for you.

Dr. Trista Marshall provides a full range of medical services including the following:

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a severe degenerative neurological disorder that is, unfortunately, always fatal. ALS attacks and destroys the nerve cells (neurons) that control voluntary movement. As muscles atrophy, patients lose motor control, progressively losing the ability to walk, to move their extremities, to swallow and to speak. Eventually, patients with ALS become completely paralyzed and require a ventilator to breathe. In the vast majority of cases of ALS, the cause of the disease is unknown. Patients with ALS usually die within 3 to 5 years of diagnosis, although a small percentage survive for a decade or more. ...

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of intellectual and social abilities; it affects memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia, interfering with the functioning of more than 5 million people in the United States alone. With the aging American population, Alzheimer's is expected to affect as many as three times that number during the coming decades. While aging is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's, severe memory loss is not a natural part of the aging process. ...

Autism

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), encompasses a range of pervasive developmental disorders. These disorders vary in degree from mild forms like Asperger's syndrome to severe impairment.

Autism is characterized by difficulties with communication and social interaction and by repetitive behavior patterns. The disorder has become very common, occurring in more than 1 percent of children. Autism is four times more likely to occur in males. Besides Asperger's syndrome, there are several other types of ASD, including pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett's syndrome. ...

Pain Management

An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain is a major medical condition distinctly different from and more complex than acute pain. Whereas acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert the body to possible injury, chronic pain is a state in which pain persists, for many months or years, beyond the normal course required by healing. The effects, both economic and personal, associated with chronic pain can be significant. They include loss of income; debt from costly medical treatment; impaired mobility; and anxiety and depression. ...

Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a disorder that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The inflammation is usually found in the small intestine (the ileum), but can occur in any area of the GI tract, which stretches from the mouth to the anus. Crohn's is an inflammatory bowel disease, which, like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis, causes swelling of the intestines. ...

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that results in recurrent seizures caused by disturbances in brain activity. Epilepsy may develop as a result of abnormal brain wiring, an imbalance in nerve signals, or changes in brain cells. In many cases, the cause of epilepsy is unknown. Sometimes, however, its origin may be traced to genetic predisposition, head injury, tumor, stroke, certain diseases, or prenatal brain damage. Symptoms of epileptic seizures may vary and only individuals who have experienced two or more seizures are considered to have epilepsy. Although seizures may be mild, all forms of epilepsy should be treated, as seizures may put individuals in danger during certain activities. ...

Hospice Care

Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support and various other resources to a patient who is in the last stages of a terminal illness. Hospice care also provides the patient's loved ones with the support they need to deal with the difficulties inherent in caring for a terminally ill patient. The primary goal of hospice care is to provide patients with the ability to die without pain and with dignity. ...

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating condition that affects the central nervous system, and disrupts the communication between the brain and other parts of the body. MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease that causes the wearing away of the myelin sheath, the protective covering of the nerves, resulting in a slowing or stoppage of the transmission of nerve impulses. Symptoms of MS may vary depending on the amount of damage and the specific nerves that are affected, but it can can gradually affect vision, speech, movement, walking, and memory. MS commonly affects women more than men and is typically diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 40. ...

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive motor system disorder that occurs when certain cells within the brain begin to degenerate or break down. In individuals with Parkinson's disease, the cells that produce a chemical called dopamine, gradually breakdown or die. Dopamine is a chemical that sends signals to the brain to control movement. As these cells diminish and the dopamine levels decrease, the disease progresses and patients gradually lose control of their movements. While there is no cure currently available for Parkinson's disease, there are treatments available to control symptoms and improve quality of life. ...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition triggered by a traumatic event during which great physical harm occurs or is threatened. While almost everyone experiences trauma at one time or another, for most people the feelings of terror and helplessness subside over time. For patients with PTSD, symptoms may appear later, last longer and be much more severe than for the average person. There are many reasons an individual may develop PTSD, none of them under the individual's control. ...

Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is the most common blood disorder that affects hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. In patients with sickle cell anemia, abnormal hemoglobin causes the red blood cells to become misshapen, so that instead of being round, they are shaped like crescents, or sickles. While round cells travel easily through the blood vessels, sickle-shaped cells get stuck, resulting in impeded blood flow, pain, increased risk of infection, and possible organ damage. ...

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repeated involuntary movements and vocalizations called "tics." Although not medically dangerous, it causes serious social and psychological difficulties for those who have it because of its unusual, often disabling, symptoms. Typical onset for Tourette's is between the ages of 3 and 9, with males 3 to 4 times more likely to be affected than females. ...

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a severe degenerative neurological disorder that is, unfortunately, always fatal. ALS attacks and destroys the nerve cells (neurons) that control voluntary movement. As muscles atrophy, patients lose motor control, progressively losing the ability to walk, to move their extremities, to swallow and to speak. Eventually, patients with ALS become completely paralyzed and require a ventilator to breathe. In the vast majority of cases of ALS, the cause of the disease is unknown. Patients with ALS usually die within 3 to 5 years of diagnosis, although a small percentage survive for a decade or more. ...

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of intellectual and social abilities; it affects memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia, interfering with the functioning of more than 5 million people in the United States alone. With the aging American population, Alzheimer's is expected to affect as many as three times that number during the coming decades. While aging is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's, severe memory loss is not a natural part of the aging process. ...

Autism

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), encompasses a range of pervasive developmental disorders. These disorders vary in degree from mild forms like Asperger's syndrome to severe impairment.

Autism is characterized by difficulties with communication and social interaction and by repetitive behavior patterns. The disorder has become very common, occurring in more than 1 percent of children. Autism is four times more likely to occur in males. Besides Asperger's syndrome, there are several other types of ASD, including pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett's syndrome. ...

Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a disorder that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The inflammation is usually found in the small intestine (the ileum), but can occur in any area of the GI tract, which stretches from the mouth to the anus. Crohn's is an inflammatory bowel disease, which, like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis, causes swelling of the intestines. ...

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that results in recurrent seizures caused by disturbances in brain activity. Epilepsy may develop as a result of abnormal brain wiring, an imbalance in nerve signals, or changes in brain cells. In many cases, the cause of epilepsy is unknown. Sometimes, however, its origin may be traced to genetic predisposition, head injury, tumor, stroke, certain diseases, or prenatal brain damage. Symptoms of epileptic seizures may vary and only individuals who have experienced two or more seizures are considered to have epilepsy. Although seizures may be mild, all forms of epilepsy should be treated, as seizures may put individuals in danger during certain activities. ...

Hospice Care

Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support and various other resources to a patient who is in the last stages of a terminal illness. Hospice care also provides the patient's loved ones with the support they need to deal with the difficulties inherent in caring for a terminally ill patient. The primary goal of hospice care is to provide patients with the ability to die without pain and with dignity. ...

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating condition that affects the central nervous system, and disrupts the communication between the brain and other parts of the body. MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease that causes the wearing away of the myelin sheath, the protective covering of the nerves, resulting in a slowing or stoppage of the transmission of nerve impulses. Symptoms of MS may vary depending on the amount of damage and the specific nerves that are affected, but it can can gradually affect vision, speech, movement, walking, and memory. MS commonly affects women more than men and is typically diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 40. ...

Pain Management

An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain is a major medical condition distinctly different from and more complex than acute pain. Whereas acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert the body to possible injury, chronic pain is a state in which pain persists, for many months or years, beyond the normal course required by healing. The effects, both economic and personal, associated with chronic pain can be significant. They include loss of income; debt from costly medical treatment; impaired mobility; and anxiety and depression. ...

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive motor system disorder that occurs when certain cells within the brain begin to degenerate or break down. In individuals with Parkinson's disease, the cells that produce a chemical called dopamine, gradually breakdown or die. Dopamine is a chemical that sends signals to the brain to control movement. As these cells diminish and the dopamine levels decrease, the disease progresses and patients gradually lose control of their movements. While there is no cure currently available for Parkinson's disease, there are treatments available to control symptoms and improve quality of life. ...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition triggered by a traumatic event during which great physical harm occurs or is threatened. While almost everyone experiences trauma at one time or another, for most people the feelings of terror and helplessness subside over time. For patients with PTSD, symptoms may appear later, last longer and be much more severe than for the average person. There are many reasons an individual may develop PTSD, none of them under the individual's control. ...

Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is the most common blood disorder that affects hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. In patients with sickle cell anemia, abnormal hemoglobin causes the red blood cells to become misshapen, so that instead of being round, they are shaped like crescents, or sickles. While round cells travel easily through the blood vessels, sickle-shaped cells get stuck, resulting in impeded blood flow, pain, increased risk of infection, and possible organ damage. ...

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repeated involuntary movements and vocalizations called "tics." Although not medically dangerous, it causes serious social and psychological difficulties for those who have it because of its unusual, often disabling, symptoms. Typical onset for Tourette's is between the ages of 3 and 9, with males 3 to 4 times more likely to be affected than females. ...