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If you’re experiencing early signs of pregnancy like fatigue, sore breasts, nausea, or a period you could have sworn should have arrived by now, the most pressing question is when you can know for sure that you’re actually pregnant. The best time to take a pregnancy test is after you’ve missed your period or, to put it another way, when you know yours is late. It can be difficult to know exactly when that is if you have irregular periods, you don’t chart your cycles, or you’re not actively trying to conceive....

​Ulnar drift (a.k.a. ulnar deviation) is a deformity of the hand that occurs when your knuckles—called the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints—become swollen and cause your fingers to bend abnormally toward the ulna bone on the outermost side of your forearm. Ulnar drift is most commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but can occur in other inflammatory diseases, as well. The distortion caused by ulnar drift can be painful, aesthetically undesirable, and, over time, can make it hard for you to perform daily tasks that require gripping—such as opening a jar, twisting a doorknob, or using a zipper....

Hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) are a group of rare disorders characterized by high levels of eosinophils (eosinophilia) which cause damage to organs (skin, lungs, heart, gastrointestinal tract). The majority of people are over the age of 20 at diagnosis but it can occur in children. The majority of HES are considered benign (noncancerous) conditions but a subset are considered myeloproliferative neoplasms which can evolve into cancer. Definition Hypereosinophilia is defined as an absolute eosinophil count greater than 1500 cells/microliter on two complete blood counts (CBC) on two separate occasions separated by at least one month and/or confirmation of tissue hypereosinophilia on biopsy....

On Monday, Politico published a leaked draft opinion indicating that Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guarantees the right to access abortion, may soon be struck down. UPDATE On June 24, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Without federal protection for abortion, it is now up to individual states to regulate or ban the procedure. Key Takeaways The Supreme Court is poised to end the federal protection of abortion rights, according to a leaked opinion draft....

Hip replacement surgery is a treatment for severe hip arthritis. During a hip replacement surgery, the worn out ball-and-socket hip joint is replaced with an artificial joint. Most commonly, artificial hip replacements are made of metal and plastic. In a typical hip replacement surgery, metal parts are fixed to the bone of the femur (thigh bone) and pelvis. Between the metal components is a plastic liner in the artificial socket of the replaced hip....

When you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, it’s natural to want to know survival statistics. But it’s important to understand that a statistic is just an approximation—it does not take into account factors unique to you. It cannot tell you precisely how long you or your loved one will live with cancer. Cancer statistics are collected by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and by the National Program of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....

About 14% of the global population experience migraines, and women are twice as likely as men to have migraines, according to a recent analysis. Key Takeaways Dietary thiamine, or vitamin B1, is associated with a lower risk of migraine, according to a new study.Typically, vitamin B2—instead of vitamin B1—is used to prevent migraines.More research is needed to confirm the effects of vitamin B1 on severe headaches and migraines. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) might be able to reduce the frequency of severe headaches and migraines, especially in women, according to a new study....

Allergies occur when your body mistakenly thinks a harmless substance—called an allergen—needs to be “fought off” to keep you healthy. Carpet allergies are often caused by allergens that collect in your carpet. Less commonly, people are allergic to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals present in new carpeting materials, among other things. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of carpet allergies in this article. Carpet Allergies: What Causes Them?...

Age is the number one risk factor for colorectal cancer. Nearly 90% of people diagnosed with the disease are 50 or older. The median age for colorectal cancer diagnosis is 63 years for rectal cancer and 69 years for colon cancer. By the time colorectal cancer is diagnosed, it has often been growing for several years, first as a noncancerous polyp and later as cancer. Research indicates that polyps are found in about 30% of adults age 45–50....

Have you ever experienced severe mid-cycle pain? Do pain and cramping seem to occur during ovulation? What you are experiencing may be mittelschmerz. Mittelschmerz is a German word which translated literally means “middle pain.“ Other words you may hear include ovulation pain, mid-cycle pain, menstrual middle pain, or cramps. Overview Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks after the first day of your last period. Mittelschmerz occurs during ovulation when an egg is released by the ovaries....

If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hypnotherapy (and probably just about anything that will help you ease your symptoms) may sound appealing. Though not life-threatening, IBS can be debilitating for some people who have it. Treatments for IBS include changes to diet, anti-spasmodic medications, muscle relaxants, and stress reduction. But, unfortunately, you may have already learned that these treatment methods do not help every person with IBS. When relief isn’t achieved, complementary therapies like hypnotherapy may become of interest....

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and teens should be “physically active for at least 60 minutes per day,” although they stress that it doesn’t have to be 60 minutes of continuous activity. As most parents know, along with a healthy diet, regular exercise is the best way to lose weight and prevent childhood obesity. Regular exercise has also been shown to help kids build strong self-esteem, sleep better, have more energy, decrease anxiety, and decrease the risk of depression....

Diabetes is typically thought of as a chronic condition. But now, experts are saying this may not be the case—people with type 2 diabetes can go into “remission.” Key Takeaways Experts have determined that people with type 2 diabetes who are medication-free for three months and have a hemoglobin A1C lower than 6.5% are considered in remission.People can remain in remission for years and be medication-free, but they still need to be monitored by a healthcare provider....

A recent research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that forehead thermometers—called temporal thermometers—are more likely than oral thermometers to miss fevers in Black patients. Key Takeaways Recent findings suggest that forehead thermometers may inaccurately measure temperature in Black and dark-skinned individuals.Infrared technology in forehead and ear thermometers is quick and convenient, but lacks the accuracy of oral thermometers.Until further research provides better evidence, families (primarily Black and dark-skinned) may want to rely on oral thermometers....

Guttate psoriasis is a form of psoriasis that often appears in the wake of strep throat and other similar infections. Derived from the Latin word gutta (meaning drops), guttate psoriasis is characterized by the spontaneous outbreak of small, pink, teardrop-shaped bumps, usually on the torso, arms, and legs. You may develop guttate psoriasis only once, or it can recur in tandem with recurrent infections or other possible triggers. It can sometimes be a sign that the more common form of the disease, plaque psoriasis, may eventually develop....

Chronic nerve pain can have a negative impact on your quality of life. That’s why it’s important to seek out medical care and maintain communication with your doctor until you find the treatment that is right for you. There are many medications and treatments available to help you get your pain under control. In addition to medical care, there are also life strategies that can help you cope and can help reduce the effects of neuropathic pain on your life....

Sometimes referred to as intermediate memory, the working memory may be thought of as a temporary storage bin for information that is needed to complete a specific task. Some researchers feel that working memory significantly overlaps with short-term memory and might even argue that they’re the same thing. However, the term working memory in research generally seems to imply the ability not only to remember information for a period of time but also to use, manipulate and apply it, perhaps while also accessing other stored pieces of information....

As a genetic condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be caused by several different mutations in various proteins in the heart. HCM is generally inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. This means that the biological children of an affected parent each have a 50% chance of inheriting the genetic mutation. This article discusses HCM and its causes, including genetics and risk factors for complications. Genetics of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy While mutations that cause HCM are usually passed down from a family member, usually in an autosomal dominant way, they can also be sporadic in some cases, meaning the mutation occurs randomly, without a parent being affected....

Getting outside for a walk around a park or your neighborhood should help soothe your seasonal depression this year. New research finds that more time spent outdoors can lead to an improvement in depressive symptoms and sleep. Key Takeaways Researchers found that spending more time outdoors can greatly improve mood and sleep.Participants reported a median of 2.5 hours of daylight exposure per day. Every additional hour of daylight exposure was associated with improved moods and better sleep....

With conditions that tend to recur, such as tendonitis, it’s not uncommon to explore a variety of treatment options in an effort to find reliable symptom relief. Although certain natural remedies for tendonitis show some promise, so far, scientific support is lacking for the claim that any form of alternative medicine can treat the condition. Nevertheless, some working to manage tendonitis may use the following natural remedies and note anecdotal benefits....