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If you suffer from osteoarthritis, should you apply for disability benefits? After all, osteoarthritis is a painful, degenerative type of arthritis that can make prolonged physical activity and work difficult or impossible for patients. Sometimes the condition becomes so severe and limiting that people with osteoarthritis are forced to stop working. But if you leave the professional world, how can you make ends meet, especially if you’re a single person or your spouse or family members don’t make enough money to support you?...

Let’s start by stating the obvious: kissing is considered among the most ineffective means of transmitting HIV from one person to another, with risk considered anywhere from negligible to non-existent. To date, there has really been only one, rather dubious case where an HIV-negative woman was said to have been infected by her HIV-positive male partner, who reportedly deep kissed her on a regular basis over a two-year period—often with bleeding gums....

In early December 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortened its COVID-19 quarantine period from 14 days to as low as seven days with a negative test result, “based on local circumstances and resources.” Key Takeaways Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that if a person with COVID-19 leaves quarantine early, they might still be able to spread the virus to others.The CDC initially advised a 14-day quarantine....

Claritin is an over-the-counter medication used to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Claritin is the brand name for the drug loratadine. It is available for adults and children over age 2. Active Ingredient Loratadine As an antihistamine, loratadine is approved to treat allergy symptoms and hives. Uses Antihistamines are medications that reduce the effects of histamine, a natural chemical released by the immune system in response to a “threat.” Histamine causes allergy symptoms....

Disease management is an approach to health care that teaches patients how to manage a chronic disease. Patients learn to take responsibility for understanding how to take care of themselves. They learn to avoid potential problems and exacerbation, or worsening, of their health problem. Example: One step in teaching disease management to a diabetes patient is to show her how to keep her blood sugar levels within a healthy range....

The biceps tendon is the attachment of the biceps muscle to the bone. The biceps muscle is named because there are two tendon attachments (therefore, “bi”-ceps) in the shoulder, and there is also a tendon attachment of the muscle below the elbow. The biceps muscle is important both in bending the elbow (flexion) as well as turning the forearm upwards (supination). Biceps tendon tears can diminish the strength of these movements and can also cause a deformity of the biceps muscle....

If you have had a total hip replacement surgery, there are certain precautions you need to take while you are recovering. This is especially true if your surgery was done via a posterior approach (at the back of the hip, near the buttocks). These precautions are important in order to avoid a hip replacement dislocation. When this happens, the artificial ball of the upper leg (femur) slips out of the artificial hip socket....

To get the best treatment for acne, you have to know what type of acne you have: mild, moderate, or severe. This will help you customize treatment for your skin, and get your skin clearing more quickly because you won’t waste time with treatments that won’t work for your grade of acne. This is especially true if you have moderate acne. This type of acne generally won’t get better with over-the-counter products, but since it doesn’t seem “bad” enough to warrant a trip to the dermatologist many people with moderate acne struggle for years trying to get their skin under control....

Heat stroke is a medical emergency that can occur as a result of extreme heat exposure. It can cause a person to become confused and pass out. Heat stroke is typically sudden, worsens quickly, and may lead to a coma, irreversible brain damage, and death. Heat stroke can affect anyone, but there are some circumstances when it is more likely. For example, children, people who are disabled, or pets left in a hot car are particularly susceptible to it....

At times, it can be challenging to get your irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) under control. You may find it helpful to learn about some herbs and other natural remedies thought to be good for digestive symptoms. As compared with prescription medication, herbal remedies offer the potential benefits of fewer side effects and concerns about the safety of long-term use. However, prescription medications have to undergo rigorous safety testing before being made available to the general public....

If you are considering hormone therapy, or hormone replacement therapy, to manage menopause symptoms, you may be feeling anxious about the risks associated with this treatment. It is completely normal to feel this way. There is a lot of misinformation and confusion about the pros and cons of using hormones to manage menopause. This article explains what studies have found regarding the safety and effectiveness of hormone therapy for menopause and the different types of hormone therapy....

Psoriasis is a relatively common skin condition caused by an immune system overreaction that involves making too many skin cells. Psoriasis affects millions of Americans and about 2%-3% of the global population. It is most common in White people. This article discusses how common psoriasis is and other demographics. How Many People Have Psoriasis? According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, more than 8 million people in the United States have psoriasis....

One of the greatest unknowns about COVID-19 is how long natural immunity can last—and how susceptible people might be to reinfection. But researchers are working to clear up some of the mystery. New data show that, if you’re unvaccinated, protection against the virus after infection may not last very long. Key Takeaways A study conducted by Yale University researchers found that people who have been infected with COVID-19 have a 5% risk of being reinfected three months after initial infection....

Considered a “temperature treatment,” ice is usually recommended for acute injuries, while heat tends to help out more with chronic problems involving muscle spasm. But is ice really better for an acute back injury, and just how does it do its job? How Ice Works to Relieve Pain and Reduce Inflammation Ice narrows the blood vessel lumen (space inside), which limits blood flow to your soft tissues. The control of blood flow helps in pain control by reducing the flow of irritating chemicals that can flood the injury site....

Leg length discrepancy after hip replacement can occur due to the size of the implants used and the measures your surgeon needs to take to ensure they are securely in place. When one leg ends up longer than the other, it’s most often the leg on the side that the hip was operated on. This article discusses why hip replacement surgery sometimes causes a leg length discrepancy, the issues this can cause, and how it can either be prevented or corrected....

Limit-setting insomnia is one of the two types of behavioral insomnia of childhood. It occurs when parents lose control of their child’s behavior with resistance around bedtime and during awakenings from sleep. This condition often occurs in preschool-aged toddlers and school-aged children who stubbornly challenge their parents, especially at bedtime. Discover more about the symptoms of limit-setting insomnia and what can be done to ease bedtime resistance. Overview Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep, and it may result from behavioral causes....

Preliminary research presented ahead of the American Academy of Neurology’s 73rd Annual Meeting suggests that loss of smell and taste—one of the most specific COVID-19 symptoms—can last for up to five months after infection. Key Takeaways Loss of smell and taste is one of the most specific symptoms of COVID-19.While many people recover these important senses within a few weeks of the infection, others have noted the symptoms persist for much longer....

Monovisc is a single injection viscosupplement used to treat knee joints affected by osteoarthritis. It is an intra-articular injection, meaning it is injected into the affected joint. Monovisc was developed by Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and received marketing approval from the Food and Drug Administration on February 25, 2014. Monovisc is marketed by DePuy Synthes, Mitek Sports Medicine under a license agreement with Anika. The hyaluronan (a complex sugar of the glycosaminoglycan family) in Monovisc is a high molecular weight, ultra-pure derivative of natural hyaluronan from a non-animal source....

According to a new study, eating one avocado a day can help keep the microbes in your gut healthy, diverse, and balanced. The study’s findings were published in August in The Journal of Nutrition. Key Takeaways A new study found that eating one avocado every day for 12 weeks had a positive effect on the diversity of the gut microbiome.A less diverse gut microbiome has been linked to the development of obesity and many health problems....

People who are immunosuppressed, including those who have undergone a solid organ transplant, could be at risk for COVID-19 even after vaccination, according to a study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Key Takeaways A new study has shown that the COVID-19 vaccine may not completely immunize immunosuppressed people who have received an organ transplant.The researchers believe that a specific class of immunosuppressant drugs was responsible for the patients’ poor response to the vaccine....