This is it. In 30 days of lessons to improve your sleep, this is the one you print out and hang above your desk. This is the one you e-mail to your family and share among your social networks. This is the lesson that, once mastered, will guarantee you sleep better for the rest of your life. It is simple, common sense, and the heart of it all: Don’t lie awake in bed at night....
Caffeine is a stimulant that’s found in many different foods and beverages, and it affects the body in several ways. Most people know that caffeine is found in coffee, tea, and cola drinks, but it can also be present in chocolate, coffee-flavored ice cream or frozen yogurt, energy drinks, snack, and some medications (over-the-counter painkillers in particular). As many as 85 percent of adults in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis....
A mixed-race woman has become the third person to be potentially cured of HIV. The patient received a new transplant of stem cells from an infant’s umbilical cord blood that carries a mutation resistant to the virus. Key Takeaways A woman is potentially cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant that used a mixture of blood from an umbilical cord and from a relative.The patient has been HIV-free for 14 months and has had no serious complications....
Scoliosis is described in two ways, depending on the direction the spine curves: levoscoliosis (spinal curve to the left) or dextroscoliosis (spinal curve to the right). You can have one or more curves of the spine of varying curvature, and each curve can involve a small or large area of the spine. Scoliosis can affect the cervical, thoracic, and/or lumbar portions of the spine. Dextroscoliosis vs. Levoscoliosis To diagnose the direction of your lateral spinal curve, your healthcare provider will determine the direction of the spinal column deviation from the midline of your body....
Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited disorder affecting the heart’s electrical system. It is one of the conditions associated with sudden death in young athletes. The life-threatening arrhythmias seen with LQTS are more likely to occur during exercise, so in many people with this condition, exertion must be limited. However, there are several types of LQTS, and the risk of participating in exercise varies among them, as well as among different individuals....
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is an autoimmune disease that has some characteristics of three other connective tissue diseases—systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and scleroderma as well. Cause About 80 percent of people diagnosed with MCTD are women. The disease affects people between ages 5 to 80, with the highest prevalence among adolescents or people in their 20s. The cause of MCTD is not known. There may be a genetic component, but it’s not directly inherited....
As the U.S. adds to its COVID-19 vaccine arsenal and distribution increases, calls to make the process equitable are being made far and wide. Despite a growing supply, more vaccines don’t automatically translate to equal access for all, especially for folks in the disability community. Key Takeaways Many people with disabilities are reporting challenges in accessing COVID-19 vaccine appointments and sites.Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, vaccination sites must be accessible....
If you’ve had a heart attack, you’re at high risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest. Dying from sudden cardiac arrest after a heart attack is, unfortunately, all too common. When a person goes into sudden cardiac arrest, they need electric shocks to the heart with a defibrillator immediately because the chances of survival decrease with every minute, eventually leading to sudden cardiac death, which claims the lives of around 325,000 adults in the United States each year....
The American Red Cross is calling for blood and plasma donors to help fill critical blood product needs. While the winter months of the year are typically slower for donation, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for blood products. Key Takeaways The American Red Cross is urgently seeking blood and plasma donors to address critical blood shortages.The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand, but donation tends to be lower in the winter months....
After most of the world went into lockdown last March, many people were forced to change their lifestyle. If yours took a turn for the worse, you’re not alone. Key Takeaways A new study found that participants’ healthy behaviors have declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.People are exercising less, drinking more, and eating fewer fruits and vegetables.It’s never too late to start caring for yourself by engaging in physical exercise and getting a good night’s sleep....
There are health benefits to sun exposure—improved mood and vitamin D, as well as warmth. But many people don’t realize that radiation therapy, as well as chemotherapy, can cause sensitivity to the sun. There are a few things you should know about staying safe in the sun after cancer treatment. Effects Certain chemotherapies are known to increase the damage the sun’s rays can do to your skin. During chemotherapy, it is best to avoid direct exposure to the sun as much as you can to avoid burning of the skin....
The Food and Drug Administration on August 16 approved the first online visual acuity test made by the telehealth company Visibly. This clearance will allow adults ages 22 to 40 to evaluate their vision from the convenience of their homes. Key Takeaways The FDA approved an at-home visual acuity test for people to evaluate their vision online.This test will allow people to renew their prescriptions if they’ve had a comprehensive eye exam recently and know that their vision hasn’t changed....
While many people have heard of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and her “DABDA concept” of the five stages of grief experienced by the dying, other grief-related theories involving stages, phases, or tasks exist. Explore summaries of two grief-related concepts involving the four phases of grief and the four tasks of mourning. Your reaction to the death of a loved one is deeply personal and everyone will experience their grief response differently. You might move through the phases quickly, for example, or relatively slowly; you might move through them in a different order, or you might skip a phase or task altogether, or experience one more than once....
Genetics may play a role in the risk of endometriosis. Research is shedding light on how endometriosis may run in families and which genes might be responsible for an increased risk for developing this painful condition. What Is Endometriosis? Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the endometrium that lines the uterus (womb) grows in other places like the fallopian tubes and ovaries. Endometriosis affects about 6.5 million women in the U....
CNN’s segment on how inflation is affecting American families went viral after the Stotlers, a family of 11, revealed how much milk they buy every week—12 gallons. Key Takeaways A news story went viral after a family said they bought 12 gallons of milk each week.Current USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend adults consume three cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy per day, but that’s too much dairy for most people.Milk offers certain essential nutrients, but the same nutrients can be found in fruits and vegetables....
Can a prior COVID-19 infection adequately protect a person against reinfection? It’s a question that has sparked debate among researchers, public health officials, and beyond. Some legislators have even proposed bills to require federal agencies to take natural immunity into account when creating regulations to protect against COVID-19. Key Takeaways Vaccination induces a more consistent and reliable immune response, compared to natural infection, according to a CDC science brief.Protection from both natural infection and vaccination appears to last for at least 6 months....
To most people today, chemotherapy refers to a type of cytotoxic, or cell-killing, a medication used to treat cancer. Originally, however, chemotherapy was a term coined by German chemist Paul Ehrlich, who used it to mean simply the use of chemicals to treat disease. So technically, chemotherapy can include anything from antibiotics or even complementary, natural herbal remedies, since they contain chemicals and are being used to treat disease. Today, some consider the “targeted cancer therapies” among those with the fewest side effects....
Particle pollution, also known as particulate matter, is a mixture of tiny particles and droplets made up of dirt, dust, soot, smoke, and liquid compounds. These particles are a type of air pollution, and they can be particularly damaging to your health. This article explores the health risks of particle pollution and the types that are the most harmful. Plus, it includes things you can do to protect yourself. Health Risks of Particle Pollution When you inhale particle pollution, it can harm your lungs, especially if you have lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma....
If you think that you’ve been accidentally exposed to HIV, either through sex or other high-risk modes of transmission, there are medications you can take—called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—that can significantly reduce your risk of infection if started in a timely manner. Examples of high-risk exposure include: Unprotected sex A condom that has slipped or burst Shared needles or other drug paraphernalia Rape or sexual assault What Is PEP? PEP consists of a 28-day course of antiretroviral drugs that must be taken completely and without interruption....
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has had its fair share of good news and bad news over the past week. The good: clinical trial results show it’s quite effective at preventing COVID-19 infection. The bad: health organizations are questioning those results, and people are associating it with blood clots. Key Takeaways There is no association between the AstraZeneca vaccine and developing blood clots. Blood clotting is a rare event reported in less than 1% of people who are currently vaccinated in Europe....
