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A COVID-19 vaccine that targets the Omicron variant will be ready in March 2022, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Key Takeaways Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has said an Omicron-specific vaccine will be ready in March.Some experts fear the vaccine will arrive too late and the focus on a fourth shot could bring about challenges in global vaccine distribution.Pfizer said the company is continuing to assess the need for an Omicron vaccine as well as vaccines for other variants....

While an increased awareness about sun safety has led many away from tanning beds, the desire to achieve that copper-toned glow is still in high demand. To address this need, entrepreneurs have begun to cash in by creating a wide range of sunless tanning solutions. Among them are commercially available tanning pills that promise to give you a healthy glow without the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. How Tanning Pills Work Under normal conditions, we get a tan when skin cells are exposed to the sun....

Menstrual cramps are a throbbing, dull pain in the lower abdomen that occur every month before and during a woman’s monthly menstrual period. This happens because during your period your uterus contracts in order to shed its lining (which is why you bleed). Prostaglandins, a group of lipids that have hormone-like effects cause these contractions and with it, some discomfort or pain. The higher level of prostaglandins you have in your body, the more cramping you may experience....

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is a rare condition of platelet mismatch between a mother and her infant. During pregnancy, the mother produces antibodies that attack and destroy platelets, resulting in severe thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and bleeding in the fetus. It is similar to hemolytic disease of the newborn, a disorder of the red blood cells. NAIT should not be confused with neonatal autoimmune thrombocytopenia. Neonatal autoimmune thrombocytopenia occurs in mothers with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) or lupus....

The anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of four major ligaments in the knee. ACL tears may require surgical treatment to reconstruct the torn ligament. Many patients are given a knee brace after ACL reconstruction surgery. How necessary are the knee braces used after ACL reconstruction? What if you didn’t get a knee brace after ACL reconstruction, should you be wearing a knee brace? Is Bracing Necessary? In most cases, the answer is no....

If you have Parkinson’s disease (PD), you probably notice that people ask you to repeat what you just said more than they used to. In addition, speaking clearly and intelligibly becomes a little more difficult when you have PD. While the majority of people with PD experience some type of speech problems, few get treatment for those speech problems. This is unfortunate as research shows that effective treatments are available for speech, voice, and language problems in PD....

A dislocation of the kneecap occurs when the patella comes completely out of its groove on the end of the thigh bone (femur), and comes to rest on the outside of the knee joint. Kneecap dislocations can occur with or without significant injury the first time the injury occurs, and the kneecap may dislocate much more easily thereafter. Kneecap Dislocation Symptoms A kneecap dislocation causes significant pain and deformity of the knee joint....

Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology. Analgesia How to say it: Analgesia (an-ul-jee-see-ah) What it means: Something that keeps you from feeling pain without putting you to sleep. Where it comes from: From Greek/Latin, analgēsía, “lack of feeling.” Where you might see or hear it: Analgesia is a treatment, like a medication, that prevents you from feeling pain while you are awake (conscious). It’s different from treatments that make you unable to feel pain because they put you to sleep (unconscious), like anesthesia before a surgery....

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can be very painful. So for many people with MS, it’s difficult to believe that as recently as the 1980s, MS was considered a painless condition. In fact, it’s estimated that around 80% of people with MS experience pain related to their disease at some point in their life. Pain in MS is complicated. To better understand it, let’s divide it into the following three categories: Neuropathic painMusculoskeletal or secondary painParoxysmal pain Neuropathic Pain Neuropathic pain is the most common kind of pain in MS and is caused by demyelination, which is the loss of the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers....

Peptic ulcer disease is a condition in which there are one or more sores (ulcers) in the stomach lining or in the lining of the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum). In some cases, an ulcer can bleed. The bleeding can be minimal or severe. Treatment can help with symptoms and eventually cause the ulcer to go away. This article looks at the symptoms, causes, treatment, and complications of bleeding ulcers....

The number of women choosing reconstruction following a mastectomy has grown dramatically since the 1998 Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Law mandating that reconstruction is covered under private insurance. In the past several years, a small but growing number of women are choosing tattooing as a cosmetic choice following a mastectomy or bilateral mastectomy. Women having reconstruction may opt for a 3-dimensional nipple(s) created by a professional tattoo artist. Tattoo artists are now playing a new role in breast reconstruction by creating 3-Dimensional Tattoos....

Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of ending the COVID-19 national state of emergency, which was declared back in March 2020. Almost immediately, the White House has pledged to veto the bill should it reach President Joe Biden’s desk. Key Takeaways The U.S. Senate recently voted in favor of ending the emergency declaration due to COVID-19, and the White House has pledged to veto it.Ending the emergency declaration now would be premature, experts said....

Helping to prepare a child for surgery (along with choosing a great surgeon) is one of the most important things a parent can do when their child needs a surgical procedure. As a parent, it is up to you to make sure your child is properly prepared for the procedure, without being terrorized or traumatized by inaccurate information. Your surgeon may participate in getting your little one ready, but you will be responsible for explaining the information in a way that will prevent your little one from being terrified by the idea of surgery....

Recent evidence strongly suggests that regular aerobic exercise can help reverse the “stiffening” of the heart muscle caused by diastolic dysfunction. Diastolic dysfunction often produces a significant reduction in exercise capacity and can lead to a type of heart failure known as diastolic heart failure. A program of aerobic exercise can improve the symptoms of diastolic dysfunction and enhance the quality of life. Overview The beating of the heart is divided into two phases—the beating phase (when the heart muscle contracts and ejects blood into the arteries), and the relaxation phase (when the heart fills with blood to prepare for the next heartbeat)....

Hysteroscopy provides a way for your healthcare provider to look inside your uterus. A hysteroscope is a thin, telescope-like instrument that is inserted into the uterus through the vagina and cervix. This tool often helps a healthcare provider diagnose or treat a uterine problem. Hysteroscopy is minor surgery which is performed either in your healthcare provider’s office or in a hospital setting. It can be performed with local, regional, or general anesthesia—sometimes no anesthesia is needed....

Studies have shown that people often experience chronic pain and obesity together, though the exact reasons are still unclear. Evidence has suggested that obesity is common in chronic pain patients, while people affected by obesity tend to report higher levels of pain. Key Takeaways Scientists are still working to understand how chronic pain and obesity are connected. A new study suggested that changes to the brain’s reward system may be related to disrupted eating behaviors in chronic pain patients....

Most people with COVID-19 aren’t contagious for more than 10 days after symptom onset. If you have COVID-19, self-isolation during the contagious period is the best way to avoid passing the virus on to others. Key Takeaways How long COVID-19 stays in the body varies from person to person. Generally, people are no longer contagious about 10 days after the onset of symptoms. Infectious disease experts reaffirm that the best defense against COVID is vaccination....

Just like COVID-19 vaccinations, a previous COVID infection provides a high level of immunity against infection. But it’s never 100%, and it wanes over time. Infection also confers high levels of protection against symptomatic COVID-19 illness. Key Takeaways The natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection with Omicron likely lasts about four to six months, similar to other variants.The Omicron variant is more capable of evading natural immunity, and the interval between infection and reinfection with COVID-19 may be shorter....

Sleep is a crucial part of health and wellness. Without adequate restful sleep, you can feel irritable, foggy, hungry and unable to function. Women with PCOS are much more likely to suffer from a variety of sleep disturbances including insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. Scientists are still trying to learn exactly why people need sleep, but animal studies show it is necessary for our nervous systems to work properly. Without it, neurological functioning actually starts to decline, making us feel moody or unable to concentrate, and as if our memory was impaired as well....

Creeping fat is a phenomenon found in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (two types of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD) that is still not well understood by the medical community. In fact, it has not yet been studied extensively, even though its existence in patients with Crohn’s disease has been known for several decades. Crohn’s disease is named for Burrill Crohn because he was the one who first described the disease that was formerly known as regional ileitis....