Although the office chair industry is a booming one, few people stop to learn what they need to know about fitting their seating equipment to their height, frame, or any condition they may have such as back or hip pain. Instead, most ergonomic chair customers base their purchase decisions on color, style, and price. Here are some tips to adjust your office chair so that it decreases your back and hip pain....
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is sometimes recommended to treat difficulty falling or staying asleep, the defining characteristics of insomnia. In fact, it is now recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, even before the use of sleeping pills. What is CBTI? Learn about this behavioral treatment and why it may be just the thing to help you get the rest that you need and help you to avoid the use of sleeping pills....
The term “65 roses” is a nickname for cystic fibrosis (CF). Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition which causes digestive fluids, sweat, and mucus to become thick and sticky—blocking up airways, digestive passages, and other ducts throughout the body. Because of the blockages caused by CF, the disease is eventually fatal. Nowadays, thanks to research and advances in medicine, many people with CF live well into their thirties and the average survival rate in 2016 was age 37....
The benefits of exercise during cancer treatment are well documented. Regular physical activity can help you beat the treatment blues and control certain side effects such as fatigue and pain. But, patients with blood and bone marrow cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma may have unique concerns when it comes to safe and healthy exercise. Here are a few things for you to think about before getting started or keeping up your exercise program....
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vivjoa, an antifungal medication that is designed to reduce recurrent yeast infections in women with a history of the condition. Key Takeaways The FDA has approved Vivjoa to treat recurrent yeast infections in infertile and post-menopausal people.Vivjoa is taken orally, via a capsule.The medication is available through a prescription. Vivjoa, which is a brand name for oral oteseconazole capsules, is designed for females with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) who are infertile or post-menopausal....
Life holds many wonderful surprises. Unexpected medical bills, however, are not one of them. Key Takeaways A “surprise medical bill” arises when a patient is charged for receiving care from an out-of-network health provider, even though the hospital or doctor’s office they visit is in-network.On Thursday, federal agencies implemented the first round of regulations for the No Surprises Act, which will take full effect in 2022.The rule protects patients receiving both emergency and non-emergency care....
Schools ban peanuts or tree nuts when there are severely allergic children enrolled because those children can react even to tiny traces of peanut or nut dust in the air, or to peanut or nut residue on a surface like a lunch table. In the worst-case scenario, these reactions can be life-threatening. Unfortunately, peanut and tree nut allergies aren’t like other allergies. Most people with food allergies—even severe allergies—can manage their allergies by simply not eating foods that contain those allergens....
Using PET scans for colon cancer staging is very common. It is one of the tests that healthcare providers use to learn how extensive your colon cancer is – known as staging and grading cancer. You may have already been “poked and prodded” with blood tests, filmed with radiographic exams or undergone surgery for histological (tissue) exams and biopsies. Unlike screening exams, which primarily find cancer in the colon, these staging exams help your healthcare provider check the rest of your body for cancerous cells that may have metastasized, or spread, outside of the colon....
If you have suffered a lower-extremity fracture, you may need to undergo open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) to repair the break. This involves non-removable, internal hardware like metal pins, plates, rods, or screws to help support and stabilize the bone. There are times, however, when these “permanent” fixtures need to be removed, such as if they are causing pain, there is a severe infection, or the bone hasn’t healed as hoped....
After the Omicron variant wreaked havoc on public schools during the month of January, cases are finally starting to recede. Now, some schools are reconsidering their mask mandates. Key Takeaways Some states have moved forward with plans to end school mask mandates.Public health experts warn that we should wait for case numbers to further decline and vaccination rates to increase before ending masking in schools.There are ways to help keep your kids safe as guidelines begin to shift....
Sharon Osbourne, known for her role as the heavy metal mom on MTV’s “The Osbournes” reality show and the daytime TV show The Talk, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002. Her family rallied around her and she took the diagnosis in stride. Reportedly, she encouraged daughter Kelly to return to New York City for recording sessions and husband Ozzy to continue with his Ozzfest tour. The reality series went on as scheduled for a second season, and cameras followed Sharon as she underwent treatment....
A sports hernia happens when the lower abdominal muscles, ligaments, and tendons get weak, which can lead to painful strains or tears. This can happen when people engage in repetitive physical movements, like twisting or bending, that are common when playing sports. Making a proper diagnosis of groin pain in an athlete has become a challenge for healthcare providers and athletes. Not long ago, most groin pain in an athlete was diagnosed as a muscle strain....
A surrogate typically refers to a person who carries a pregnancy for another person or couple. After birth, the intended parent or parents are listed as parents on the birth certificate and raise the child as their own. In most cases, surrogate refers to someone formally known as a “gestational carrier.” Technically, a surrogate is someone who uses their own eggs for pregnancy, while a gestational carrier may use the eggs of a donor or the intended parent....
What is the purpose of clinical trials and what do you need to know if you are considering one of these studies? Clinical trials are surrounded in a bit of mystery, and many people become anxious about enrolling. Learn about the different types of trials, the goals of phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, and phase 4 trials, and how clinical trials are changing with advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapy so that sometimes an early stage clinical trial may be the best option for survival....
Urinary incontinence is a problem for millions of Americans. While it is most common in the elderly, incontinence can occur in people of all ages. Women are twice as likely as men to experience urinary incontinence. What Is Urinary Incontinence? Urinary incontinence is characterized by the inability to control the flow of urine. During an episode of incontinence, a small amount of urine (just a few drops) is passed, or a strong and extremely sudden urge to urinate is sensed followed by losing a large amount of urine....
Intestinal villi are tiny, finger-like projections made up of cells that line the entire length of your small intestine. Villi absorb nutrients from the food you eat and then shuttle them into your bloodstream so they can travel where they’re needed. If you don’t have functioning intestinal villi, you will experience malabsorption. This is when your body isn’t able to absorb and make use of food. You can become malnourished or even starve, regardless of how much you eat....
We all complain about eye strain from time to time, but what does eye strain really mean? How do our eyes become strained? As an eye doctor, I hear the complaint of eye strain every day, often several times per day. Eye strain is a symptom felt by people when their eyes feel tired and achy. Some people state that they just want to close their eyes and go to bed when they have eye strain....
Anemia is a condition in which, depending on the type, your red blood cell (RBC) count is lower than normal or there is a problem with the hemoglobin protein inside those cells. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to your tissues, so anemia can make you feel weak and tired. There are a variety of causes, from blood loss to deficiencies, and which type of anemia applies to you will determine the treatment you need....
It isn’t entirely clear why weather affects people with arthritis, but the link between weather and arthritic pain has been extensively studied. People with arthritis may experience pain in places where temperature changes are more extreme and in damp climates. They also experience pain in response to climate factors like humidity, air pressure, and wind speed. Temperature and barometric pressure have also been noted as contributing factors to joint pain. Understanding how different weather patterns affect pain can help people with arthritis find the best climate for them....
Bradykinesia is a medical term used to describe the abnormal slowness of movement. It’s one of the three characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease alongside tremors and rigidity that occurs in everyone who has Parkinson’s. This slowness of movement is most obvious when a person with Parkinson’s is starting or performing activities that require several successive steps. These can include all kinds of activities of daily life, like getting dressed, making a sandwich, or opening a padlock....
