Your eye is swollen and red, indicating a case of conjunctivitis, known commonly as pink eye. The clear conjunctiva that covers the sclera (the white part of the eye) is inflamed. The blood vessels are swollen, making the eye appear pink. You’re not sure exactly what to do about this. Is this something you can count on to clear up on its own? In a word—usually. However, treatment is sometimes used to help pink eye resolve....
Music therapy is a well-established and risk-free technique for using musical interaction to help individuals with a wide range of cognitive and emotional challenges to improve their ability to function. By interacting with adults and children on the autism spectrum, musical therapists can build skills, lower anxiety, and even develop new communication skills. It’s important to note that music therapy is not the same as musical instruction. If your aim is to have your child build vocal or instrumental skills, you’ll need to find an instructor instead of or in addition to a music therapist....
For many men undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, the ability to conceive a child is a top concern. Though many men will be able to father children naturally following surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, there is no way to predict who may or may not experience impaired fertility or infertility after treatment. To preserve their chances of conceiving, many men explore the option of sperm banking, in which samples of semen are collected and frozen until such time as they decide to have children....
There have long been stories circulating on social media claiming that the freezing of water in plastic bottles can increase your cancer risk. On the surface, some of these facts seem pretty convincing. Originally there seemed to be supporting references from the likes of John Hopkins, and the American Cancer Society. But if you take a moment to look a little closer, you start to wonder if any of the claims hold water....
While it is possible for a person to have a red dye allergy or other food coloring allergy, this is rare. I often see patients in my clinic who report allergic reactions after consuming food coloring, although this is often difficult to prove. Allergy testing is possible for food colorings, although extracts of the various food colorings may be difficult to obtain; the reaction to a food coloring can be either IgE mediated (allergic) or non-IgE mediated (cell-mediated)....
While testing people for COVID-19 has been a critical issue during the pandemic, its importance seems to be on the downslide as vaccinations take precedence. But that’s a mistake, health experts say. Key Takeaways COVID-19 testing seems to have fallen by the wayside as vaccine supply increases.Experts say testing is still crucial to monitoring and curbing the pandemic. Federal funding for testing and more at-home testing options should help keep testing part of the U....
Millions of Americans suffer from various types of allergies. Sometimes symptoms are so severe that they become debilitating, interfere with your quality of life, or can even increase your risk of dying from an anaphylactic reaction. If other treatments have been unsuccessful, you may be considering allergy shots (also called immunotherapy). But do allergy shots really work? Are they worth the risk? Here’s what you need to know before choosing immunotherapy....
What Is Douching? Douching is the act of cleaning the vagina. It is not external cleaning of the vulva. Douching involves internal cleansing of the vagina itself. People from different cultures use different techniques and products to douche. Some use plain water, others water and vinegar. Still, others employ various antiseptics or other solutions. Douching may involve simply rinsing with the cleaning liquid. It could also include forcing liquid at high pressure into the vagina using a bag or other device....
FOLX, the first-ever digital healthcare platform designed for the queer and trans community is launching on December 3. The platform’s goal is to meet the specific health needs of LGBTQIA+ people—a demographic that is seldom acknowledged and respected in traditional healthcare settings. Key Takeaways FOLX, the first telehealth platform for the queer and trans community, is set to launch on December 3, 2020.The platform aims to improve the healthcare experience for LGBTQIA+ people by proving queer and trans-specific medical products and services....
Food allergies occur when the body mistakenly identifies a food as a threat, triggering an immune system response. An estimated 26 million adults and 5.6 million children have food allergies. Food allergies in children increased by about 50% between 1997 and 2011. This article highlights important facts and statistics you should know about food allergies. Food Allergies Overview A food allergy occurs when your immune system reacts to specific proteins in food, called allergens....
One of the more common symptoms of HIV is lymphadenopathy, a swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpits (axillary nodes), groin (inguinal nodes), neck (cervical nodes), chest (mediastinal nodes), and abdomen (abdominal nodes). While the swelling may be directly related to HIV, particularly in the early stages, it can also be a result of both HIV- and non-HIV-associated infections in later disease. Anatomy of Lymph Nodes Lymph nodes are small, bean-sized organs distributed throughout the body that are part of the immune system....
Bloodborne pathogens are viruses and bacteria that are found in the blood and can be transmitted via blood. Not all infections are transmitted in this way. Some, like herpes and HPV, are spread from skin to skin rather than through blood and other bodily fluids. Others can be transmitted through coughing and sneezing or through contact with contaminated food. Some bloodborne pathogen may also be transmitted in other ways, such as by exposure to semen, urine, or saliva....
While some people need to be hospitalized for treatment of their COVID-19 symptoms, the majority of cases are mild and can be handled at home. Whether you are sick or are caring for someone who has COVID-19, here’s what you need to know about recovering while isolated at home. Common Symptoms The symptoms of COVID-19 are not to be taken lightly, but for the most part, they can be managed at home....
If you’re wondering how to cleanse your colon, you may be looking for information on popular methods such as taking supplements, using laxatives, or visiting a colon cleansing clinic. However, at best, these methods may not be necessary and, at worst, they can potentially be harmful to your health. If you like the idea of “cleansing” your body, and of course, doing so safely, you need look no further than the produce and bulk food aisles of your local grocery store....
To the untrained eye, prescriptions can be pretty hard to decipher. The various notations used on prescriptions have very specific meanings. Let’s consider a hypothetical prescription for penicillin written as follows: Rx Pen VK 250/ml 1 bottle iiss ml qid X 7d Here is what the notation on this prescription means: The medication is Penicillin VK and your healthcare provider ordered one 250 milliliter (ml) bottle, which is about 8 ounces....
An intestinal pseudo-obstruction is an uncommon condition where the intestines have all the signs of being obstructed, but there is not a true mechanical obstruction present. Unlike a true bowel obstruction, there is no actual blockage of the intestinal tract in a pseudo-obstruction. This is why it is known as a “pseudo” obstruction: pseudo means “imitation.” This is not to say that it is not a real condition, or that it is something that a person makes up....
Chronic bronchitis is an ongoing condition characterized by a cough that occurs on most days of the month, at least three months out of the year, and lasts for at least two years. It is considered a diagnosis of exclusion meaning that your healthcare provider needs to make sure that your coughing symptoms are not being caused by another condition like asthma. Symptoms are caused by inflammation and irritation of the airways in the lung....
Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is a rare genetic bone disorder where at least two vertebrae in the neck are fused together from birth. Due to this fusion, patients with KFS have limited neck mobility along with neck and back pain and often chronic headaches. The syndrome was first discovered in 1912 by French physicians Maurice Klippel and Andre Feil. It’s estimated that KFS occurs approximately in one out of 40,000 to 42,000 births, with female newborns more commonly affected than males....
Scleroderma is a medical term for a disease that causes hardening and thickening of the skin or the connective tissues (the fibers that support your skin and internal organs). There are two main types of scleroderma: localized and systemic. While localized scleroderma only affects your skin, systemic scleroderma affects not only your skin but also your blood vessels and internal organs (such as your heart and lungs). Natural Remedies for Scleroderma There’s little scientific evidence to support the use of alternative medicine in the treatment of scleroderma....
Having elevated cholesterol levels can increase your risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions, but there are some lifestyle changes that you can make to help keep your levels under control. Key Takeaways Having high cholesterol can lead to chronic health problems, but your diet and lifestyle choices can help lower your levels. A new study has provided more evidence that milk is not linked to high cholesterol.Milk’s unique nutritional components can make it part of a heart-healthy diet....
