Paresis refers to the condition of partial paralysis or weakness. Patients who suffer from spinal cord compression or injury or a stroke often have paresis of an arm or leg. Irritation or pinching of a peripheral nerve may also cause paresis. Physical therapists work with patients with paresis to try to regain strength and improve neuromuscular recruitment of muscles in the affected limb. Cause of Paresis Nerve damage or compression is what causes paresis....
Bats help us. They play an important role in our ecosystem. They eat insects that are agricultural pests, pollinate and spread seeds, and fertilize plants with their waste (guano). But bats also carry some pretty nasty pathogens. Some of the viruses they can carry are among the most deadly to humans: Ebola, SARS, rabies, MERS, Marburg, Hendra, and Nipah. Thing is, the bats don’t mind. They are a bit like the honey badgers of the viral world....
Hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, and changes in mood are symptoms of menopause that many women are aware of. A drop in sexual desire, which can be due to both physical and psychological factors, is another. It doesn’t happen to every woman (some actually see an increase in their libido during this time), but it can have a significant impact on those who do experience it. Like any transition, adjusting to menopause can take time....
Did you know that decreased sensitivity to smell (hyposmia) and loss of sensitivity to smell (anosmia) could be the result of a stroke? In one study that assessed people’s smell sensitivity, a group of stroke survivors were less able to detect smells than people of a similar age who had not had a stroke. The study estimated that about 45% of stroke survivors experience a deficit in the ability to smell after a stroke....
Beta-blockers, which are normally used to treat hypertension (chronic high blood pressure), may also be prescribed to prevent migraines. There is a link between headaches and high blood pressure, but beta-blockers can prevent migraines even if you don’t have hypertension. You and your healthcare provider can decide whether you need to take a prophylactic migraine medication based on the frequency of your migraines, how long they last, how many migraine days you have per week or month, and whether they improve with abortive treatment (treatment used at the time of an acute migraine attack)....
The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern that’s widespread in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This diet emphasizes the consumption of lean meats, healthy fats, whole grains, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of red wine. Characteristics of the Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean diet is a balanced diet containing a variety of foods, and it can be easily followed. Key characteristics of the Mediterranean diet include: Foods high in monounsaturated fats—including nuts, seeds, and olive oil Foods high in legumes, including lentils and beans High-fiber grains, including whole grain, oatmeal, and barley Meals high in fresh fruits and vegetable content Use of leans cuts of poultry in some foods Moderate consumption of fish—including fish high in healthy omega-3 fats, such as salmon and anchovy Low to moderate consumption of red wine Refined sugars are used sparingly in meals Lower consumption of red meat Low to moderate use of dairy products, including milk, yogurt, and certain cheeses, such as Parmesan and feta cheeses Mediterranean Diet and Lower Cholesterol Multiple studies have examined the effect of the Mediterranean diet on cholesterol and triglycerides—and the results appear promising....
Headaches not only cause people to miss work, but if they do stay at work, their work level is often reduced. In fact, according to an older study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, people lose approximately 4 days per year due to headaches—the majority being either migraines or tension-type headaches. There are a number of reasons why you may be prone to headaches at work. That being said, for most of us, leaving work is simply not an option, unless your headache is disabling....
Interferon is a drug that mimics a protein in the body that the immune system uses to destroy viruses. Pegylated interferon is a modified form of the drug that is able to stay in the body longer, which provides better treatment. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is added to the interferon, a process called pegylation, which is used with other kinds of drugs as well. Two kinds of pegylated interferons are available and used to treat Hepatitis C virus infection....
If you have posterior tibial tendonitis, sometimes referred to as posterior tibial tendon (PTT) dysfunction, you may benefit from working with a physical therapist to help decrease your pain and improve your mobility. Your therapist or healthcare provider may recommend orthotics or shoe inserts to help manage the symptoms of your PTT dysfunction. Shoe inserts for posterior tibial tendonitis are used to improve your foot position and raise or support your foot’s medial arch, thus relieving stress and strain from your tibialis posterior tendon....
Acrochordons, also known as skin tags, are common, harmless skin growths that are usually the same color as your skin. Skin tags look like a cluster of normal tissues extending out from a narrow stalk. Skin tags typically range in size from 1 millimeter (roughly the size of a tip of a pen) to 5 millimeters, but some can be larger. They are often found in skin folds or creases, including those of the eyelid....
Stretching your iliotibial (IT) band is the best way to prevent Iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBS). This condition causes hip pain or knee pain and while it tends to be a common running injury, it can also occur in non-runners. Often ITBS requires physical therapy to help decrease pain, improve range of motion around the hip and knee, and strengthen the hip muscles and muscles around the knee. One of the challenging things about ITBS is that it can be difficult to stretch the iliotibial band....
While not recommended by medical professionals, some females examine their own vagina and vulva at home. A vaginal self-exam is never a substitute for a professional assessment, but there may be situations when you may need to look at your own vagina and vulva. However, any self-exam of these areas has to be done carefully to reduce the risk of infection or damage to the fragile tissue. This article discusses the steps for performing a vaginal self-exam....
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) affects most women to some extent at some time during their reproductive years. While most people think of PMS as only causing mood changes, symptoms can range from mental to physical. Common symptoms of PMS include mood changes, depression, irritable behavior, food cravings, bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, cramping, acne, and headaches. Reducing the effects of PMS depends on what kind of symptoms you have. If your symptoms are purely physical—bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue—medications that address the mental health symptoms of PMS are unlikely to help....
The short arc quad exercise is a physical therapy exercise that is often used after a lower extremity injury to strengthen and improve neuromuscular recruitment of your quadriceps muscles. Learning how to do it and performing it properly can help you have a seamless rehab from a knee or hip injury. If you are having knee pain, hip pain, or difficulty walking and moving around, you may benefit from physical therapy to help improve your strength and overall functional mobility....
If you’ve ever heard of “mono,” then you know of at least one “kissing disease.” Mononucleosis (mono) is probably one of the most well-known infectious diseases among adolescents. While many people know that they can acquire a sexually transmitted disease from intercourse, there are also many infections that can be spread through mere kissing alone. Infectious Diseases in Saliva Infectious diseases can be spread through several routes of transmission. Oral transmission refers to the spreading of microbes through saliva or shared foods and drinks....
Antiretroviral drugs are used to treat HIV infection. They work by blocking a stage of the virus’s life cycle and, by doing so, prevent the virus from replicating. The drugs are organized into six different classes based largely on the stage of the life cycle they inhibit. As of 2021, the Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to 26 individual drug agents and 22 fixed-dosed combination (FDC) drugs comprised of two or more antiretrovirals....
Night blindness, also known as nyctalopia, is a vision problem involving the retina. It’s not a disease or condition in and of itself, but a symptom. People with night blindness typically can’t see well in poorly lit conditions or at night. Treatment for night blindness depends entirely on the root cause of night blindness. Night blindness occurs when the rods (these allow you to see in the dark) in your retina are malfunctioning....
For those who have autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s disease and Graves’ disease, the Paleo diet has been touted as a lifestyle approach to modifying the effects of the illness. But, while there are certainly some advantageous features of the Paleo style of eating, evidence regarding its benefits is unclear. Experts warn that some aspects of the Paleo diet—namely, recommendations to limit salt and dairy—can be harmful to your thyroid hormone function, especially if you have thyroid disease....
A torn labrum is a problem in the shoulder that may cause shoulder pain, frequent dislocations of your shoulder, or problems with properly using your arm. Physical therapy may be necessary to help you decrease pain, improve mobility, and regain normal use of your arm after a labrum tear. Overview Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is at the end of your humerus, the arm bone, and it sits in the socket located at the end of your scapula, or shoulder blade....
Many patients having joint replacement surgery are curious about which activities are safe to perform after their surgical procedure. While healthcare providers often recommend specific sports which should be safe and those to avoid, there is remarkably little scientific information about which are safe. Most advice is based on opinion rather than on actual data. That said, there are some guidelines to help patients determine which activities are safe. Sports and Exercise Activity After Knee Replacement The Knee Society recommends specific activities for patients with total knee replacement, these include:...
