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Cervical cancer used to be one of the major causes of cancer death in American women. That has changed with the widespread availability of cervical screening. When caught early, cervical cancer is often highly treatable. Unfortunately, cervical cancer screening is not always available. This is particularly true in many developing countries, and in areas with few financial resources for medical testing and treatment. Pap smears are considered the gold standard of cervical screening....

Boogers are one of those things we all experience daily. But what are boogers and where do they come from? They may seem gross, but boogers are an essential part of your body’s immune system. As we grew up, we were taught a little bit here and there about mucus, a primary booger component. But for most adults, the only part we really seem to remember being taught is “don’t pick your nose, and don’t eat your boogers....

Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology. Culture How to say it: Culture (cull-t-yer) What it means: Growing organisms or tissues to study them. Where it comes from: From Latin, cultura, “growing, cultivated land” Where you might see or hear it: If you have an infection, your provider can order a type of test that figures out what germs are causing it. A sample of your blood, spit, or another fluid is taken to a lab....

Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology. Etiology How to say it: Etiology (eye-tee-oh-low-gee) What it means: The cause of a disease or condition. Where it comes from: From Greek, αἰτιολογία, “causes.” Where you might see or hear it: You might see “etiology” written in a note by your provider about your medical condition. For example, they might explain that the reason you have the flu is that you caught the influenza virus that is going around this year....

The next step of the COVID-19 booster rollout will involve a “bivalent” vaccine that targets the ever-evolving Omicron variant. The vaccine isn’t here yet, but will likely be available in September. Key Takeaways Pfizer and Moderna have plans to release bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in September.Bivalent vaccines are vaccines that stimulate an immune response against more than one antigen, or in this case, viral strain. What is a bivalent vaccine? And how is it different from current boosters?...

Maybe you have heard of someone whose spleen was enlarged while they had a mono infection, or maybe one of your friends injured their spleen in a car accident. Many people, however, don’t even know where it is located. Your spleen is located in the upper left side of your abdomen. The stomach and one end of the pancreas (called the tail) are very close to it. Normally, the spleen is unable to be felt on exam, as it is tucked under the ribcage....

If you’ve noticed that your voice doesn’t sound quite like it used to, it’s probably not your imagination. It is most likely due to a condition called presbyphonia in which the larynx (voice box) undergoes changes as part of the aging process. What Is Presbyphonia? Presbyphonia is characterized by aging-related changes to the vocal cords that notably alters a person’s voice. It is one of several types of a condition called dysphonia in which a person’s voice and voice quality can change for any number of reasons....

As we get older, many people find that they are taking an increasing number of medications with blood pressure medications being some of the most common. Unfortunately, all medications come with some risks. While blood pressure medication side effects may be mild, there are some more serious concerns to be aware of. Benefits and Risks of Blood Pressure Medication Blood pressure medications help control your blood pressure levels. This reduces the risk of serious health concerns such as:...

Engraftment syndrome is a complication that can occur after a bone marrow transplant, a procedure also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Engraftment is the part of the transplant process when the body accepts transplanted bone marrow or stem cells and begins to produce new blood cells. Engraftment syndrome is an inflammatory response in the body that is not fully understood, though it has been known to occur after both main types of a hematopoietic stem cell transplant: autologous (transplant from self) and allogeneic (from another, often related donor)....

If you’ve had an ultrasound, you may have learned that there’s fluid in your cul-de-sac area. The cul-de-sac sits just behind the vagina. This article explains why fluid can sometimes collect there, and how your healthcare provider might diagnose the reason for it. Anatomy On either side of the uterus sit two small pouches. These are called the cul-de-sacs. The anterior cul-de-sac is the space between the bladder and the uterus....

No one wants a headache after a peaceful slumber. But unfortunately, a number of headache disorders occur during or right after sleep. In fact, it’s sort of like the chicken versus egg dilemma — which comes first, the headache or the sleep problem? It can be tricky to distinguish. For one, various sleep disturbances like loss of sleep, oversleeping, or a change in your sleep schedule are triggers for acute migraines and tension-type headaches....

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is one of a number of non-drug nutritional supplements found to be effective in preventing migraines. As with other “natural” migraine preventives (such as riboflavin), CoQ10 is considerably less likely to cause side effects than prescription drugs. That is one of the reasons for its growing popularity among people with frequent migraine headaches. CoQ10 has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for migraine prevention....

Getting exposure to sunlight in the morning can help you sleep at night because it helps reset your body’s inner “sleep clock.” Light is an important cue for your body’s sleep cycle. The light you are exposed to during the day helps your body figure out when it’s time to go to bed (and when it’s time to wake up). Exposing yourself to light for its health and sleep benefits is called light therapy....

Recovery from colectomy is going to depend largely upon the patient’s health prior to the surgery. There are a number of factors that contribute to how quickly someone is back up and running after major surgery. If possible, talk to the doctor beforehand to learn what you should expect. The doctor should be able to estimate their recovery time and help you prepare for your loved one’s homecoming. If your loved one has an extensive medical history or a history of diabetes, lung disease, or heart disease, their post-operative recovery might take a little longer than the average healthy adult....

Meckel-Gruber syndrome, also known as dysencephalia splanchnocystica, Meckel syndrome, and Gruber syndrome, is a genetic disorder that causes a variety of severe physical defects. Because of these severe defects, those with Meckel syndrome typically die before or shortly after birth. Genetic Mutations Meckel syndrome is associated with an autosomal recessive mutation in at least one of 13 genes. Mutations in these eight genes account for approximately 75% of Meckel-Gruber cases. The other 25% are caused by mutations that have yet to be discovered....

Headaches can be used as a reason to postpone sex, “not tonight honey, I have a headache.” However, in rare circumstances, sex can be the cause of a headache. These sex headaches happen moments before or at the peak of sexual excitement, the orgasm. They can happen during solo sex or sex with a partner. Sex-related headaches are more likely to occur in people who experience migraines and tend to affect more men than women....

You can now order a second round of free at-home COVID-19 tests from the government, but make sure you read the directions correctly and store them out of reach from children. Poison control centers are warning against ingesting a chemical inside some testing kits. Key Takeaways Most at-home COVID-19 rapid tests contain a small amount of a liquid chemical called sodium azide.The chemical can be harmful if a large amount is ingested or exposed to the skin and eyes....

As if patients, providers, and healthcare organizations didn’t have enough to worry about with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), and other hospital-acquired infections. Now, another nosocomial infectious agent has made an appearance in U.S. hospitals: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). CRKP is a type of gram-negative bacteria that have developed antibiotic resistance to a class of antibiotics known as carbapenems and can cause infections in healthcare settings such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis....

Allergic rashes caused by shoes can affect the feet, especially the dorsal (top) surfaces. Contact dermatitis from an allergy to shoe material can also involve the feet. Rashes on the feet are a common problem, with most people experiencing athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) as a cause of their symptoms. Tinea pedis may involve all surfaces of the feet, but most commonly involve the area between the toes. Symptoms include itching, burning, and stinging, but tinea pedis can also be asymptomatic....

Having nasal congestion, a cough, and a sore throat can leave you miserable. It’s natural to look for a possible quick fix for the common cold, including sweating it out. While light exercise or inhaling steam might help alleviate symptoms temporarily, there’s no way to get over a cold quickly. The common cold will take seven to 10 days to resolve for most people. This article will outline symptoms of the common cold....