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People who suffer from migraines and can’t find relief from over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers or other methods may have another alternative: nerve blocks. A nerve block involves getting an injection of a local anesthetic close to a nerve to decrease pain. Nerve blocks are a common treatment option for pain in many body parts, including the legs, arms, buttocks, back, neck, and face. Fortunately, nerve block treatments can also help relieve migraine pain....

Alzheimer’s disease can only be definitively diagnosed after death, leading doctors to make a presumed diagnosis while a patient is still alive. But a large team of researchers recently developed a blood test that can diagnose the disease with up to 96% accuracy. Key Takeaways A new blood test may help doctors accurately and inexpensively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.The test could be ready for clinical use in 2 to 3 years.Doctors say it should not be used as an early screening tool....

The digestive system relies on the colon to pull water, nutrients, and electrolytes from partially digested food, leaving the rest as waste. Diverticulitis occurs when sacs form throughout the colon and push through weak spots of the colon wall, leading to inflammation and infection. Diverticulitis is most commonly found in the S-shaped part of the intestines, known as the sigmoid colon. This article discusses the colon, how it works, and how diverticulitis can affect this part of the digestive system....

Stasis dermatitis (also known as gravitational dermatitis, venous eczema, and venous stasis dermatitis) causes a red, itchy, scaly rash on the lower extremities. The condition most often occurs when there’s insufficient blood flow and decreased circulation to the veins in one or both of the legs. Obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, older age, and multiple pregnancies are risk factors, though there are others. Symptoms Stasis dermatitis usually occurs on the lower body....

Two disorders that are frequently confused, although they are completely different conditions, are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as IBD). Although IBS and IBD sound similar because of their acronyms and might cause similar symptoms, they are totally distinct conditions with very different disease courses. In addition, they are treated quite differently and the medications used for one are not going to be helpful for the other....

The hyoid bone is a small horseshoe-shaped bone located in the front of your neck. It sits between the chin and the thyroid cartilage and is instrumental in the function of swallowing and tongue movements. The little talked about hyoid bone is a unique part of the human skeleton for a number of reasons. First, it’s mobile. This means that other than its attachment site to the thyroid cartilage (which is part of the larynx and discussed below) it floats....

Oncology nurses are very important members of your healthcare team. In fact, nurses are often the first, last, or possibly the only healthcare professional you see on your hematology appointments. There are many different types of nurses, and it may be hard to know the role that each one of them plays in your care. Here is a breakdown of the different types of oncology nurses. Registered Nurses Registered nurses (RNs) are the most common type of nurse, and likely the ones that you will see most frequently on your cancer visits....

The spinal cord is made up of grey matter and white matter. If you were to cut it cross-sectionally, you would see the grey matter in the shape of a butterfly surrounded by white matter. The grey matter is made up predominantly of neurons (specialized nerve cells which transfer messages to other nerve cells) and glial cells (which surround and insulate the neuron cells). The grey matter forms the core of the spinal cord and consists of three projections called “horns....

It may sound like a condition caused by the sun’s UV rays, but uveitis (yoo-vee-eye-tis) is actually an inflammation or swelling of the eye’s uvea. The uvea is located in the center of the eye, between the sclera and the retina, and is responsible for supplying blood to the retina. Uveitis is a rare disease that usually occurs in young and middle-aged people. Vision loss may occur when scars develop on the choroid and retina....

Omicron has become the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the U.S. Our understanding of the variant continues to evolve, but we know more about Omicron now than we did when it first appeared—including its symptoms. Key Takeaways Omicron symptoms can look like flu and cold symptoms and cause headache, sore throat and runny nose.Omicron appears to cause milder symptoms than previous variants—especially in fully vaccinated people.People need to get their booster shots for the most protection....

B symptoms may also be described as “systemic systems” or “general symptoms,” but in the case of lymphoma, the term refers to a specific set of three symptoms that may predict how the malignancy is likely to behave: Fever (i.e., temperature >38C [>100.4F]) for 3 consecutive daysWeight loss without trying, exceeding 10% of body weight in 6 monthsDrenching night sweats A person with lymphoma and any one of the three symptoms above is said to have B symptoms....

Neuropathic pain also called nerve pain, is one of the many classes of chronic pain. Nerve pain is complex and can be caused by nerve damage, irritation, or destruction. How Nerve Pain Can Feel Most people describe their chronic nerve pain with a similar set of words. Regardless of the cause, nerve pain can feel like any of the following: BurningTinglingShootingSharpStabbingPrickling Like other types of pain, nerve pain may vary in intensity....

Evidence indicates that the earliest confirmed use of flowers at the funerals/burials of human beings occurred in Raqefet Cave, located in Mt. Carmel, Israel, some 14,000 years ago. While the survivors there used flowers to line the graves of the deceased, the use of floral bouquets and arrangements at funeral and interment services has become ubiquitous today — to the point that some families now include the phrases “Please omit flowers” or “In lieu of flowers…” in published obituaries in order to limit the number of floral sympathy offerings received....

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), sometimes called vaginitis, is an inflammation or infection of the vagina that is common during the reproductive years. BV develops when too much of certain types of bacteria grows in the vagina. This bacteria exists normally in your vagina, and the inflammation only occurs if you have an imbalance. If you have BV, you may or may not have symptoms. Bacterial vaginosis is usually mild and doesn’t cause any health concerns, but it can occasionally lead to complications if left untreated....

Behavioral and psychosocial symptoms of dementia (BPSD), or neuropsychiatric symptoms, are general terms used in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia to describe the challenging behaviors of dementia. Isn’t Dementia a Cognitive Disorder? Yes. It’s a condition where the functioning of the brain deteriorates, causing impaired ability to think and interact appropriately with others and the environment. This brain deterioration frequently causes personality, behavioral, psychological, and emotional changes, which can be referred to as BPSD....

When kids get sick, pediatricians usually like to diagnose them with one single thing, so they usually wouldn’t diagnose strep and mono at the same time. Both strep throat and mono do have similar symptoms, including a sore throat, fever, and swollen glands. In most cases, though, mono is suspected in a child who tests negative for strep but has persistent symptoms. Strep vs. Mono Tests Tests can be done to evaluate a child for each infection, including:...

Popping joints can occur for any number of reasons, including normal fluid and gas in your joints, rubbing of bone or cartilage in your joints against each other, and movements of your tendons and ligaments. While this rarely causes pain, it can be unsettling, especially if it occurs frequently or is significant. In general, joint popping does not cause arthritis, is not a sign of a serious medical illness, and is not dangerous....

The cause of craniosynostosis is unknown, but the condition may be a result of genetic and environmental factors. In rare cases, craniosynostosis is caused by a known genetic condition. A mother’s health and medication use may also impact a baby’s risk of craniosynostosis. Common Causes It’s believed that craniosynostosis is caused by a defect in the hardening process of the skull (cranial) bones. The underlying cause of this defect is unknown and thought to be random....

The terms choking and strangulation both refer to restriction of air in the trachea (windpipe)—the tube that connects the larynx (voice box) to the bronchi (the large airways that branch off to enter each lung). However, each word describes a different mechanism by which air is restricted. When a person is choking, some sort of foreign object inside the body is blocking airflow. When someone is being strangled, an outside force is exerting enough pressure to impede movement of air....

Egg donation is a specialized treatment regimen where the eggs from either an anonymous donor or someone you know are retrieved surgically, fertilized in the lab with your partner’s sperm, and the resulting embryos are transferred back into your uterus. It is one option to consider if polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has made it unlikely for you to conceive a baby. The Donor Egg Plan Using donor eggs to conceive raises a lot of issues that can have a profound impact on both your family and the resulting child....