If you have a blood cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma, it is natural to feel some degree of stress or anxiety. These feelings may be caused by worry about the future, financial or family problems, or day-to-day issues such as getting to the cancer center or remembering to take medications. No matter what the cause, stress can have an impact on your health and possibly even on the outcome of your treatment....
Surfer’s eye, otherwise known as pterygium, is a condition characterized by a pink, fleshy, wedge-shaped growth on the white part of the eyeball. It most commonly forms in the corner of the eye closest to the nose and extends across the surface of the eye towards the pupil. In more severe cases, surfer’s eye can cover the cornea and pupil, resulting in blurred vision. Surfer’s eye may look scary, but the good news is that it’s benign and totally treatable....
Sometimes the best way to relieve hip pain is to start moving more. Although rest and recovery can be necessary to heal an injury, sitting for too long puts added stress on the hips. The right types of exercises build strength, alleviate pain, improve your range of motion, and help protect your hips in the long haul. Stretching Relieves Hip Pain Stretching may relieve hip pain by improving circulation and reducing stiffness....
Rinsing, or flushing, your sinuses involves using a saline, or salt water, solution to help clean out debris that may be causing symptoms like sniffling and sneezing. It can also moisturize your nasal passages and help to thin mucus so it can be more easily expelled. You can flush your sinuses by using: A neti potA saline spray or rinseSaline drops followed by suctioning with a bulb syringe Some sinus rinses come with pre-made saline solutions, while other choices may require you to make a saline solution using provided or replacement salt packets, which are available at drugstores....
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are two major ligaments in the knee that work together to provide stability. They are also common sites of serious tears, particularly in athletes. Although ACL and PCL injuries may initially appear to have similar symptoms such as knee instability and pain, the ligaments have unique characteristics that make them differ in terms of who is affected, extent of injury, and treatment guidelines....
Even for people with optimal adherence to therapy, some degree of HIV drug resistance is expected to develop over time due to natural mutations of the virus. In other cases, resistance can develop rapidly when suboptimal adherence allows for resistant HIV populations to thrive, leading eventually to treatment failure. When treatment failure does occur, alternative drug combinations must be selected in order to suppress this new population of resistant virus. Genetic resistance testing helps facilitate this by identifying the types of resistant mutations in a person’s “viral pool,” while ascertaining how susceptible those viruses are to possible antiretroviral agents....
When a person is sleeping at night and their blood glucose falls below 70 mg/dL, this is called nocturnal hypoglycemia. This is a common occurrence that can be very dangerous. Studies have shown that more than half of low blood glucose episodes happen during sleep at night. Although this condition is known to have dangerous outcomes, it can be prevented with planning and education. It is important to work with your healthcare provider to create a plan and understand how to manage the condition....
Hydroxyzine is a prescription medication used for treating allergy symptoms, especially itching and rashes. It is sold under the brand name Vistaril and it’s also available in generic form. Hydroxyzine is used for adults and for children aged six and older. This medication is an antihistamine, which is a category of medications that quickly suppresses some aspects of the body’s immune response, relieving allergy symptoms. The drug has many medical uses, including as a pre-anesthesia sedative, and as an anti-anxiety treatment....
Malaria is caused by a parasitic infection, which enters the body through a mosquito bite. As the parasite goes through several life stages in the body, it causes the symptoms of malaria and can lead to the contagious transfer of the disease to other people if you get bitten by a mosquito again while you’re infected. Your risk of infection can be increased by certain environmental and lifestyle factors. Explore the common and less common risk factors—they may help you prevent contracting malaria....
Different from the slight sweating that may occur during deep sleep or from sleeping in a hot room, night sweats may cause you to sweat through your pajamas and soak your sheets to the point you may need to change them. Some people who menstruate experience night sweats during their periods. They are usually harmless and are, in fact, treatable. This article will cover night sweats during menstruation, including why they happen and how to manage them, as well as other potential causes and when to see a healthcare provider....
Do you sometimes get no relief from allergy medication? Or do your hay fever symptoms stick around all year? If so, it might not be your allergies causing all of your symptoms—you may have a condition called non-allergic rhinitis. About half of the people who have allergies have this as well. Allergies are common in the general population, and studies show they’re even more common in people with fibromyalgia (FMS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as or myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS....
In the past, many descriptions of Parkinson’s disease didn’t mention pain as being a significant symptom, the standard explanations usually focusing on the motor aspects of the disease. Of course, these definitions are not incorrect, but this disease challenges us in many ways and dealing with pain is no exception. And it is one issue that often significantly affects the quality of life, which is something none of us want to lose....
Premonitory symptoms, which occur during the prodromal phase of a migraine, are the first indications of an impending migraine episode. These can occur a few hours or several days before a migraine reaches its peak. About 60% to 80% of people who have recurrent migraines experience premonitory prodromal symptoms at least sometimes, and they tend to be associated with more severe attacks. When these symptoms do occur, they are followed by a migraine aura (if you have one) or by the migraine itself....
The gums consist of the pink tissue in the mouth that holds the teeth in place and protects the root of the tooth. Gums are also called gingivae. Receding gums occur when the gums pull back from the teeth exposing more of the tooth than is typical; sometimes even the root of the tooth is exposed, which can lead to serious problems. The gums are attached to the jaw bone, and problems with the jaw bone (such as thinning) can be associated with receding gums....
Traces of plastics have found their way into fast-food meals. Key Takeaways A new study found plastic-making chemicals in fast foods like chicken nuggets and hamburgers.Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to learning and behavioral problems in children.Policy changes and regulations are necessary for reducing exposure to harmful industrial chemicals. A new study found that phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics softer, are often present in foods like pizzas, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets....
Flagyl is a type of antibiotic and an antiprotozoal medication that is used to treat bacterial infections in the body. The generic name for this antibiotic is metronidazole, and it also may be sold under names such as Metrogel, Metrolotion, Noritate, Nuvessa, and Vandazole. Flagyl may be used to treat infections occurring in the skin, reproductive organs, and the digestive tract. It is often taken as a capsule, but it can also be applied topically or vaginally, or administered as an IV in a hospital or healthcare provider’s office....
While orthodontists use traditional retainers to prevent teeth from shifting after treatment, spring retainers (spring aligners) can correct teeth that have slightly shifted. They are also a treatment option for people receiving orthodontic care for the first time whose teeth need only minor adjustments that don’t require braces. This article explains spring retainers’ uses, advantages, and disadvantages for straightening teeth. How Does a Spring Retainer Work? Unlike the retainer you get after your braces come off, which holds your teeth in a corrected position, spring retainers work to straighten teeth....
Enlarged tonsils caused by tonsillitis can cause snoring and sleep apnea or worsen current sleep disorders worse. Tonsillitis is especially common in children who suffer from sleep apnea and is a common reason that tonsillectomies are performed in the United States. While more rare, enlarged tonsils may also cause sleep apnea or snoring in adults as well. It should be noted that while snoring can be associated with sleep apnea, not all people who snore have sleep apnea....
All foods provide our bodies with energy, but so-called “superfoods” have the added potential of helping protect against disease. Here are some top superfoods to lower cholesterol, plus tips on how to incorporate them into your diet. Oatmeal Why It’s a Superfood: Whole grain oats contain cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Multiple studies have shown that the β-glucan (fiber) in whole oats can help to lower LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and may be helpful in the reduction of risk for cardiovascular disease....
The term consciousness is one of those things that seems obvious until you actually try to define it. Many people use the term differently. Psychologists don’t necessarily mean the same thing when they say “consciousness” as when a Vedic yogi says it. Partially because of the difficulty agreeing on what the word means, consciousness is an elusive phenomenon to understand. Like so many other things in life, consciousness is perhaps best understood when it is lost....
