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Every year it seems we are faced with rising costs of health insurance. So when it comes to choosing the right health insurance plan, it’s very tempting to choose the plan that has the smallest monthly premium. However, those plans with the smallest monthly premiums are also the plans that have the highest out-of-pocket costs, too. Depending on your family’s health, they may be a smart choice, or they may be a health and/or financial disaster for you....

A Hill-Sachs injury to the shoulder can occur due to a shoulder dislocation, resulting in a Hill-Sachs lesion or a Hill-Sachs deformity of the head of the humerus bone (the upper arm bone) As the bones in the shoulder joint dislocate, the round humeral head (the ball on the top of the arm bone) can strike the edge of the glenoid bone (the socket) with force. This creates a compression fracture in the humeral head....

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is highly curable. In most cases, the complete removal of the tumor, called surgical resection, leads to a prompt resolution of symptoms without the need for chemotherapy or radiation. This article discusses the treatment options for PA. Lifestyle Changes No lifestyle risk factors have been singled out as a cause of PA. In fact, efforts such as reducing environmental exposures to ionizing radiation from cell phone use and occupational exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals have not proven to lower the incidence of PA....

The hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) is the brain lesions found on the cerebrum and the cerebellum. Your cerebellum is located in the lower back area of your brain, behind the top part of your brainstem, where your spinal cord connects with your brain. This area helps control coordination, posture, and balance, as well as speech and a number of important mental processes. Hence, when MS lesions affect this region of the brain, these abilities are often compromised....

Imodium is often the go-to treatment for diarrhea and traveler’s diarrhea. Loperamide, the active ingredient in Imodium, relieves diarrhea symptoms by slowing the digestive system back down to its normal rhythm. Imodium starts to relieve diarrhea symptoms within one hour. It is available in capsule as well as regular and quick-dissolving tablet forms. Imodium is not suitable for everyone, though, including people who are younger than 12. This article explains how Imodium works, what dose you should take depending on your age, and the side effects that can occur....

Aspiration has two meanings in medicine describing either the drawing in of a fluid with the sucking motion or the drawing out of a fluid with a suction. The first usage commonly describes the accidental ingestion of a fluid or solid into the trachea (windpipe) and lungs. The second describes the extraction of fluid from the body, either for the purpose of treatment or diagnosis. Airway Aspiration Airway aspiration refers to the drawing in of a foreign substance into the lungs....

Is ongoing neck pain in women a possible sign of early Parkinson’s disease? Neck pain can accompany Parkinson’s disease, a condition characterized by tremors, stiffness, and bradykinesia (slow movements)—but it is not a symptom of early-stage Parkinson’s disease. There are many possible causes of neck pain, regardless of whether you’re a woman or a man. Neck pain is common, especially in older adults, and it can result from muscle strain, injury, arthritis, a more serious cause (such as cancer spreading to the cervical spine), and several different diseases....

There’s little more personal than your health information. While patients are often tasked with navigating their treatment plans, until October 2022, their information was held ransom by their health providers. But a recent change to federal regulations opened the doors for patients to access their medical records digitally—for free. Key Takeaways New regulations require healthcare providers to give electronic access to medical records for free.Providers can still charge for printing at a per-page rate established by HIPAA....

Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine discovered that the human body actually recognizes two seasons, not four. While recent studies found that cellular composition of blood changed according to the time of year, the scientists wanted to identify seasonal biological patterns based on blood molecules, instead of calendar dates. Key Takeaways Scientists are learning more about the influence of seasons on humans.A team of researchers found our body recognizes two seasons, not four....

A stroke, or cerebral vascular accident (CVA), is an abrupt interruption in the brain’s blood supply. The interruption could be caused by an occlusion of the arteries that supply blood to the brain (ischemic stroke) or from bleeding within the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). The effects of a stroke depend on the location of the brain affected and the severity of damage to the brain tissue and range from little to no residual effects to death....

Before we had instant messaging, Skype, and texting, hearing impaired people had to rely on a device called the telephone typewriter, or TTY. The TTY came into being because of a deaf man named Robert Weitbrecht, the device’s inventor. Life Weitbrecht was born in 1920 and died in 1983. Born deaf, he had difficulty learning to talk and was teased for his disability. He grew up to become an astronomer, physicist, and a licensed ham radio operator....

Septic arthritis is an infection in a joint. The infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Joint infection caused by fungi or parasites is much less common than that caused by bacteria or viruses. Typically, septic arthritis affects a single large joint, such as the knee or hip, but it is possible for several joints to be infected. Septic arthritis is also referred to as infectious arthritis. Septic arthritis is considered a medical emergency because of the serious damage that can occur to bone and cartilage....

If you struggle with cardiovascular issues, you likely won’t have to give up your daily cup of coffee. A February research article published in the Heart Failure Journal Report found that drinking more coffee is associated with decreased heart failure risk. Key Takeaways For people who consume coffee who have cardiovascular issues, it is likely safe to continue to drink coffee.Studies that look at the association between coffee and cardiovascular issues often fail to consider the types of coffee people drink and what people add to it, like sugar....

What is the sound of yellow? What color is the number 3? For most people, these questions may seem whimsical, nonsensical, or maybe poetic. Other people can answer from their own experience. People with synesthesia have an automatic and involuntary blending of senses. The term synesthesia comes from the Greek for syn (together) and anesthesia (sensation). Acoustic information may become olfactory, for example, so that music has a certain smell. While almost any type of sensory blending is possible, some forms are more commonly reported than others....

The Recombinant ImmunoBlot Assay (RIBA) is a blood test that detects antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It was used for many years as a secondary confirmation test if a first-line screening test for HCV (called the ELISA hepatitis C antibody test) came back positive or indeterminant. As other tests became more sensitive and accurate, this test was discontinued for detecting HCV and other tests are now used instead. However, if you’ve had it in the past and see it in your medical chart, you might want to know what your results mean....

It’s getting easier to have prescriptions delivered to your doorstep: Uber just announced a partnership with pharmacy delivery service NimbleRx. Key Takeaways Uber has partnered with NimbleRx to do same-day, contactless prescription medication deliveries.The deliveries are especially helpful during the pandemic and with ongoing mail delays.While the partnership is limited to Dallas and Seattle, there are plans to expand. NimbleRx helps independent pharmacies offer online delivery options to patients. According to an August 20 press release from Uber, their partnership allows NimbleRx to give customers safe, contactless prescription deliveries in Seattle, Washington and Dallas, Texas....

White matter in the brain is found in the deeper tissues known as the subcortical area. The brain is made up of a mixture of grey matter and white matter. If you think of the brain as a computer system, the gray matter is the hardware, and the white matter is the cables connecting the network and transmitting signals. White matter contains nerve fibers (axons), which are surrounded by a protective fatty covering called the myelin sheath....

Orange stools are likely caused by foods that are orange in color (either natural or artificial color, which tends to last much longer and have deeper color). Orange poop can also happen after taking certain medications. While it is less common, a medical condition, such as a problem with the gallbladder, could also be the cause of orange poop. Why Poop Changes Color Stool can come in a variety of colors....

A rape kit is a medical kit used to collect evidence from the body and clothing of someone who has been the victim of a rape or other kind of sexual assault. This kit typically contains bags and paper sheets, a comb, documentation forms, envelopes, instructions, materials for blood samples, and swabs. How Rape Kits Are Used A rape kid contains a variety of swabs that are used on the genitalia, cervix, and the inside of the mouth to collect bodily fluids such as saliva and semen, which can help identify the perpetrator of the rape....

When someone is hyperventilating on TV or in a movie, you often see them take out a brown paper bag and begin breathing into it. You may have even seen someone use the paper bag method in real life—maybe you’ve tried it yourself. While a TV character might get relief from the symptoms of hyperventilation using the method, it doesn’t always work in real life. It’s possible that the trick can work in some cases of true hyperventilation, but it’s not the ideal treatment....