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The sublingual glands lie on the floor of your mouth, under your tongue. Shaped like almonds, they’re the smallest of the three pairs of salivary glands. The sublingual glands produce very little saliva—only between 3% and 5% of the total volume—and make secretions composed predominantly of mucus, a slippery liquid that lubricates and protects organs. The secretions produced by the sublingual glands aid in the earliest stages of digestion and keep the inside of your mouth moist....

Polycythemia vera, a myeloproliferative neoplasm, results from a genetic mutation which leads to the production of too many red blood cells (erythrocytosis). The white blood cell and platelet counts may also be elevated. This increase in the number of blood cells (without an increase in the liquid portion of blood) increases the risk of clot development. Learning you have been diagnosed with polycythemia vera can be distressing and naturally, you may wonder, “How can it be treated?...

Inflammation plays a role in PCOS. Compared to women of the same weight, women with PCOS have higher levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and white blood cell count. While dietary modifications can’t completely reduce inflammation in the body, diet plays a role in inflammation. Certain foods are part of an anti-inflammatory diet, while others have been shown to promote inflammation. Higher Inflammation and PCOS Some foods can induce high levels of insulin, oxidative stress, and cause weight gain—all of which stimulate an inflammatory response....

The Alzheimer’s Association notes that Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It also points out that out of the top 10 causes of death, it’s the only one without an effective treatment or cure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also highlights Alzheimer’s as a significant cause of death, pointing out that between 1999 and 2014, deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s rose by 55%....

Penicillin allergies are the most common drug allergy and a common cause of skin rashes, but it is hard to know if that’s what’s causing this rash. It might be caused by something else. Symptoms of a Penicillin Allergy A penicillin allergy can cause life-threatening allergic reactions, but fortunately, most kids with a penicillin allergy have more mild reactions, leading to simple skin rashes such as hives. Children with more severe symptoms will experience hives as well as wheezing, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling in their mouth or throat, as well as anaphylaxis—a serious allergic reaction....

Do you feel like you’re tired all the time, to the point that you are starting to worry that something is seriously wrong? Have you begun to wonder if you could have chronic fatigue syndrome? It’s difficult to say whether you could have chronic fatigue syndrome. Even for a healthcare provider experienced with it, this is a tough diagnosis to make, and it takes multiple steps. To answer the question of whether you might have this disease, first, you need to understand that there’s a difference between the symptoms of chronic fatigue (being tired all the time) and the illness known as chronic fatigue syndrome, which is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS....

You may have heard the term H3N2 in the news or read about it online. But chances are you don’t know much about what it is and how it’s different from other types of the flu. Anyone who was around in 2009 is probably familiar with H1N1—the strain of flu that caused a pandemic and sickened millions around the world. But H3N2 is a little different. Overview H3N2 flu is a subtype of influenza A....

The brain consists of material that generally is classified as either gray matter or white matter. Gray matter primarily consists of nerve cells, while white matter is mostly made of axons that transmit signals. The UC Davis Health System has a helpful way of understanding the difference. It suggests we use a computer analogy and imagine that the gray matter is the actual computer, while white matter is the cables that connect the computer to other devices....

Many supplements claim they can relieve aches and pains, improve overall joint health, build cartilage, and more. SierraSil is one such supplement. When looking for a supplement, you should try and read the labels. First, you must understand the ingredients present in the supplement, how you should take it, and what you should expect after taking it for a defined period of time. Many brand name joint supplements contain glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, or SAM-e or combinations of those active ingredients....

Dear Verywell Health readers, As a longtime supporter of Verywell’s work, I am honored to now serve as Chief Medical Officer of Verywell Health. I’m a board-certified OB-GYN. I’m also a mother. And like many of you, over the past year, I experienced a renewed need for approachable health information as we all struggled to understand COVID-19 and its impact on our lives. My role as a physician is to educate patients on how to address their overall health....

Your head is pounding, your nose is running, and your face feels as if it’s being squeezed in a vise. It seems like every other day or so a sinus headache lays you low. You down a couple of over-the-counter pain pills and try to soldier on, wondering if you should call your healthcare provider for another round of the antibiotics he may have prescribed the last time this happened....

Polymenorrhea, which is more accurately described as abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), is a menstrual cycle abnormality in which a woman experiences uterine bleeding at intervals of less than 21 days. To put this in perspective, a normal menstrual cycle for an adult woman is 21 to 35 days long, and some sources define it as 24 to 38 days long. Overview of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), abnormal uterine bleeding is defined as bleeding from the uterus that is abnormal in regularity, volume, frequency, or duration....

Panic disorder is a mental health condition that causes repeated episodes of intense fear called panic attacks. Although the disorder is not life-threatening, it can interfere with the quality of your life. Treatment can help you manage the symptoms of panic disorder. If you need treatment for panic disorder, your healthcare provider may suggest you see a specialist, such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist for care. They may recommend a combination of treatment options that include prescriptions, therapies, and other options....

Some people with Parkinson’s disease believe they might alleviate some of their symptoms—or even slow the course of their disease—by following the gluten-free diet. However, despite what you might have read online about the gluten-free diet, there’s, unfortunately, no medical evidence to back the theory that it might help with Parkinson’s disease. In fact, medical research indicates people with Parkinson’s disease are no more likely than other people to have celiac disease....

Procalcitonin is a substance your body produces in response to a bacterial infection. A procalcitonin test measures how much procalcitonin is in your blood. High levels of procalcitonin can mean you have a serious bacterial infection called sepsis. Sepsis is a potentially deadly condition in which the body overreacts to a bacterial infection by releasing chemicals that can cause damaging inflammation. If left untreated, sepsis can become severe enough to cause organ failure and death....

Pulmonary fibrosis is a rare, incurable lung disease in which the tissue of the lung becomes thickened and scarred. The scarred tissue is not able to function like normal lung tissue and leads to progressive loss of function of the lungs. Over time, as oxygen enters the lungs, the scarred tissue is unable to allow the oxygen to enter the bloodstream. This eventually leads to respiratory failure. An estimated 50,000 people are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis every year....

Salt has been used as a food safety aid since ancient times. While salt helps preserve food by reducing water content and disrupting microbial cells, it takes very high salt concentrations (around 10% or more) to prevent bacterial growth—much higher than what is found in most foods you eat. Beef jerky, pickles, and smoked salmon are just a few examples of foods that are preserved using salt. While it can keep them fresher longer, it doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility they can give you food poisoning....

You’ve probably heard the warnings that acidic foods and drinks can inflict erosive damage to your teeth. Today it’s difficult to go a day without someone putting a bottle of bubbly drink in front of us. Soda drinks, like cola or lemonade, deliver an acidic punch with a solid dose of sugar, widely known to be hazardous for our dental health. However, there’s an entire spectrum of acidic drinks that may also be causing erosion to the teeth....

A new study suggests that a heart-healthy diet can start with eating a handful of walnuts and that the nuts may reinforce healthy habits throughout life. Key Takeaways A new study found that regularly eating walnuts was associated with better cardiovascular and overall health later in life.Walnuts are an excellent source of key nutrients like plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, manganese, magnesium, and copper.The findings reinforce that walnuts can be an easy and accessible food choice for young and middle-aged adults working toward a heart-healthy diet....

Tophi are chunks of uric acid (monosodium urate) crystals that accumulate in and around joints and other parts of the body as the result of advanced gout. A tophus around a joint can cause it to become swollen and misshapen, and the skin that covers it to become stretched and taut, sometimes to the point of ulceration. Tophi can erode bone and destroy cartilage, leading to chronic inflammation that can be painful and debilitating....