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No one wants to take chances with their health but that is what you might be doing if you make major medical decisions without seeing what is behind door number two. Do you know your rights when it comes to getting a second opinion? Why You Might Need a Second Opinion Doctors may have years of training but they are only human. That means they make mistakes. Diagnostic errors happen in the outpatient setting 5% of the time, affecting as many as 12 million people each year....

Talking with a child whose grandparent has Alzheimer’s disease may be particularly challenging. Even well-educated adults have trouble understanding the disease, the behaviors that often accompany it, and the best ways to communicate with their affected loved ones. To a child, seeing their grandparent with Alzheimer’s disease may be frightening, depressing, confusing, and embarrassing. With other diseases that affect the elderly, what a child sees happening to their grandparent may be more concrete and easier to understand: hearing and visual loss, COPD causing shortness of breath or coughing, arthritis causing pain or trouble walking, or Parkinson’s causing shaking and balance problems....

While researchers are not certain of the exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it is believed to have a genetic link and tends to run in families. Once believed to be just a reproductive condition in women of childbearing ages that can cause infertility and immature follicles referred to as “cysts”, PCOS is now known to affect the majority of a woman’s lifecycle. This article discusses how PCOS changes through a woman’s lifecycle....

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the 10-year average for deaths due to lightning is 25 people, making these flashes of electricity more deadly than hurricanes. Between 2010 and 2019, hurricanes caused about 5 deaths per year on average. Floods and tornadoes were responsible for more deaths across the same 10-year period, killing about 99 and 91 people every year. Lightning Facts from the NWS: Lightning can heat its path five times hotter than the surface of the sunAbout 20 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in the United States each yearThere are about 100 lightning strikes around the world in any given secondOne ground lightning stroke can generate between 100 million and 1 billion volts of electricityOne lightning strike could light a 100 watt light bulb for 3 months Knowing where to go when thunderstorms approach is the best defense against lightning....

When you have arthritis, it pays to do what you can to avoid arthritis flares (times when symptoms are significantly worse). While flares can be managed, the best course of action is to try to prevent them. The following tips don’t guarantee you’ll never have another flare. However, they’re practical steps that can lead to fewer flare-ups. This article explains six day-to-day strategies for keeping arthritis flares at bay. Stick With Treatments Once your healthcare provider has established a treatment regimen for you, stick with the plan....

If your triglyceride levels are elevated, your healthcare provider may decide to try and lower your levels by changing up your lifestyle. This includes making your diet healthier, losing weight, or addressing medical conditions—such as uncontrolled diabetes—that could be causing your triglyceride levels to be too high. If these changes don’t work or if your triglycerides are extremely elevated, your healthcare provider may decide to add medication. This is when medications like Vascepa may be prescribed to you....

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a viral illness that affects the upper respiratory tract. Several viruses can cause common cold symptoms, including hMPV. With hMPV, symptoms such as runny and stuffy nose are common. People may experience more serious effects in some cases, but most don’t develop serious symptoms. This article will take a closer look at the symptoms of human metapneumovirus, including frequent and rare symptoms and potential complications. It will also discuss when it might be time to seek medical help....

When living with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), pacing is key to managing your symptoms. With the busy lives most of us lead, that’s easier said than done! Still, with some effort, you can learn to pace yourself. And you’ll be glad you did. Why Pacing Is Important FMS and ME/CFS can really sap your energy. When your energy is low, everything you do takes a greater percentage of the whole....

During pregnancy, the placenta moves as the womb stretches and grows. Early in the pregnancy, it’s common for the placenta to be low in the uterus. Normally, the placenta moves toward the top of the uterus as the pregnancy goes along. Ideally, the placenta will be sitting at the top of the uterus by the third trimester, allowing the cervix to remain open and available for labor. However, when the placenta takes up space in the bottom of the uterus, the baby may rest with their head toward the top....

Tinea nigra is a fungal infection marked by ring-shaped brown or black patches on the soles of the feet and palms. It is most common in tropical or coastal areas. Tinea nigra is caused by black mold called Hortaea werneckii, which is found in soil. Tinea nigra is a “superficial” fungal infection affecting the epidermis or top layer of skin. Tinea nigra is uncommon; however, it can be confused with other conditions....

Tinea unguium is a fungal nail infection that most commonly affects the toenails. The condition impacts up to 14% of the population. Like other fungal infections, fungi, which enter the skin through cracks in your nail and surrounding skin, cause tinea unguium. This article explains the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of tinea unguium. Tinea Unguium Symptoms Initially, nail fungus is painless; however, if left untreated, it can lead to pain, especially when you wear shoes....

Meghan Fitzgerald, RN, MPH, DrPH, is an adjunct associate professor with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a private equity investor. She has decades of experience working in the healthcare field, ranging from frontline patient care to advising prominent healthcare firms. Here, she explains why vaccine inequity worldwide is a major issue for everyone. If a virus finds a vulnerable host, it will continue to mutate and launch new variants....

Trench mouth, also known as acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, is a severe form of gum disease. It’s also sometimes referred to as Vincent disease or Vincent’s stomatitis. While it’s more common in people under 24, it’s a fairly rare condition overall. The name for the disease, trench mouth, originated during World War I, when the condition was common among soldiers in the trenches. This article looks at the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for this serious stage of gum disease....

Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) is an effective and commonly prescribed antiarrhythmic drug, but it has some marked differences from many other drugs. If your healthcare provider prescribes this medicine for cardiac arrhythmia, you need to understand the idiosyncrasies—and the risks—associated with it. Unusual Features Amiodarone has several characteristics that make it unique among the antiarrhythmic drugs, and even among drugs in general. Long Loading Time When taken by mouth, amiodarone takes weeks to achieve its maximum effectiveness, and for a very unusual reason....

Implant rupture or deflation is among the top five reasons women may require a secondary surgery (breast revision surgery) after breast augmentation. Implant rupture can happen for many reasons, but often it’s just a matter of the implant’s outer shell weakening with age. Breast implants are not lifetime devices, which is why implant warranties last only 10 years. On average, breast implants last anywhere from 10 to 15 years. Although it is conceivable they could last (and have in some women) a lifetime, it is unlikely....

It’s that time of year again when many of us will be swapping out our swimsuits for sweaters. Whatever you may be doing to transition to the fall and winter, health experts say you may also want to brace yourself for another surge of COVID-19 cases. Key Takeaways Health experts are expecting another COVID surge this fall and winter due to waning immunity from vaccines and more people spending time indoors....

Although each person with Alzheimer’s disease is different, most progress through a series of stages, each characterized by more serious Alzheimer’s symptoms. As the disease advances, it leads to personality changes, memory loss, intellectual slowing, and other symptoms. Researchers and healthcare providers developed the following seven stages to describe how you or your loved one will change over time. Your healthcare provider might collapse the seven stages into early/middle/late or mild/moderate/severe, so these classifications are provided as well....

When conservative treatments for osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis fail to satisfactorily relieve pain in the affected joint, it may be time to consider joint surgery. It’s important to learn about the various types of joint surgery and understand your options. When most patients think of joint surgery, they think of a total joint replacement. But there are other procedures you should know about, including arthrodesis. Arthrodesis Explained Arthrodesis is a surgical procedure that fuses the bones that form a joint, essentially eliminating the joint....

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies, you may be doubly miserable if you wear contacts. Allergens are attracted to the surface of contact lenses, making your eyes a veritable magnet for irritants like pollen and ragweed. The good news is that there are plenty of options for dealing with seasonal allergies, including antihistamine pills or nasal sprays. Medicated eye drops can also provide much-needed relief so long as you use them as directed....

Cardiomegaly is a medical condition that is also known as an enlarged heart. If you have been diagnosed with cardiomegaly, you most likely have questions about how you developed this condition and you are probably concerned about how cardiomegaly will affect your life and whether there is any cure. Your heart is a muscle that continuously pumps blood with a regular rate and rhythm to send oxygen and nutrient rich blood throughout your body....