When you’re exposed to heat, does it feel like you’re burning up? Does it seem impossible for you to cool off? Or maybe it’s cold that bothers you, chilling you to the bone, leaving you unable to warm up. Are you one of those people with fibromyalgia (FMS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) who is cold all the time, or hot all the time, or alternately hot or cold while out of sync with the environment?...
A torn ligament is a painful injury that may be accompanied by swelling and bruising. It usually occurs due to extreme force to a joint, such as with a fall or another high-impact event. Common ligament tears happen in the ankle, knee, wrist, thumb, neck, or back. This article walks you through the symptoms of a ligament tear and the activities that may cause it. It also discusses treatment for the different grades of sprains....
Infectious mononucleosis, or mono, is usually caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It causes symptoms like fatigue, rash, fever, and swollen glands. Mono is spread through saliva and thus is sometimes called the kissing disease. However, mono can also result from the exchange of blood or semen through sexual contact. Though mono cannot be cured, you can manage your symptoms at home with over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers or fever reducers, rest, and lots of fluid....
Congenital hearing loss is a complete or partial loss of hearing present at birth. This occurs when the ear’s ability to convert sound to electrical impulses in the brain is impaired. Hearing loss is a common chronic condition in children, and testing for early detection is standard in most developed countries. This article discusses how congenital hearing loss is diagnosed, as well as its symptoms, causes, and treatment options. Types of Congenital Hearing Loss Congenital hearing loss is categorized by the type of sound transmission that is affected....
As Omicron rates drop in the U.S. and states begin to rescind mask mandates, public health experts are figuring out how best to stay vigilant for any new outbreaks and variants of COVID-19. Key Takeaways The CDC is adding data on wastewater surveillance to its COVID-19 data tracker to help provide early indication of where virus rates are rising in a community. The information can be used to better allocate resources such as testing sites and hospital supplies....
Undifferentiated arthritis (UA) is another name for early inflammatory arthritis. The illness didn’t fully evolve, hence it is not differentiated. Despite the many types of arthritis that are well-defined by the medical community, people’s symptoms don’t always fit neatly into a well-established category. For instance, you might be in the early stages of inflammatory arthritis but have a pattern of symptoms that’s not consistent with any specific type of arthritis. Also, rheumatic diseases share a lot of the same symptoms....
Many cancer centers are now offering acupuncture for cancer patients. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that has been around for thousands of years. It is based on the principle of health in relation to a balance of yin and yang in the body. During an acupuncture session, practitioners use needles placed along the energy pathways of the body (meridians) to re-balance the body’s energies. Once an uncommon practice in the United States, the 2012 National Health Interview Survey estimated that 1....
A new report suggests that B vitamins may improve COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the length of hospital stays for those with severe infections. Key Takeaways Researchers are studying whether vitamin B can prevent or reverse cytokine storm, one of the major complications and causes of death in COVID-19 patients.While certain B vitamins, like vitamin B6, contribute to a healthy immune system, experts say it’s too soon to make concrete claims.Other vitamins, like vitamin C and vitamin D, can help support your immune system....
In the pursuit of a deeper understanding of the causative factors behind irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), some researchers have turned their attention to a condition known as idiopathic bile acid malabsorption (I-BAM). What Is I-BAM? Bile acids are substances produced by your liver and stored in your gallbladder. Bile acid helps the process of digesting fats, which takes place within your small intestine. Usually, the bile acids are absorbed by the small intestine and returned to the liver to be recycled and used as many as 10 times per day....
In general, a person in good health should limit alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. Whether or not patients with arthritis can have the same liberties depends on their medication regimen. Alcohol Can Interact With Methotrexate Methotrexate is the generic name for the brand name drugs Rheumatrex, Trexall, Otrexup, and Rasuvo. Physicians commonly prescribe it to rheumatoid arthritis patients because it can:...
Cancer insurance is a relatively new vehicle in the world of health insurance programs. No matter the type, cancer can present many challenges, including financial burden. Given the ever-increasing rates of cancer in the U.S. and the often exorbitant costs of cancer treatment, supplemental cancer insurance is an emerging trend. This supplemental insurance product was designed to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses and bridge the gap between what your primary insurance does and doesn’t cover....
Some common household substances are poisonous to humans. When mixed together, some chemicals become toxic; others can be hazardous even when used as directed. Mixing Bleach and Ammonia It’s a very bad idea to mix bleach and ammonia. The gases that result from mixing these two chemicals are so toxic that the mixture was once used as a chemical warfare agent. Mists, vapors and/or gases from cleaning chemicals can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs....
From the Latin diurnus, meaning “of the day” or “daily,” diurnal refers to being active during, occurring in or pertaining to the daytime or repeating once every 24 hours. The opposite of nocturnal, humans are a diurnal species because we are active during the day and sleep at night (unless we happen to work the night shift). Many flowers have a diurnal pattern, opening their blooms every morning. If you have trouble sleeping during the night and instead sleep during the day, or your job forces you to keep nighttime hours, you may have or be at risk for a sleep disorder....
Using honey for a cough won’t get rid of it entirely, but there is some evidence that a single dose given at bedtime may suppress a cough in young children. Honey coats the throat and soothes irritated mucus membranes, calming a cough and easing related symptoms. In fact, some studies suggest that honey may be just as effective in relieving nighttime coughs in kids as the drug dextromethorphan, which is found in cough syrups like Children’s Robitussin and Delsym Children’s Cough Suppressant....
A hemorrhagic stroke is a type of stroke caused by bleeding. A stroke is brain damage that occurs due to obstruction of blood supply. In the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, the blood supply to a region of the brain is diminished due to bleeding. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common and are usually more severe than ischemic strokes (which are usually caused by a blood clot). Causes of Hemorrhagic Strokes Most strokes occur due to a blockage of blood flow to a part of the brain, but approximately 13% of strokes occur due to bleeding in the brain....
Many studies have shown that people with allergic rhinitis not only suffer from symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, and itchy eyes and nose, but from non-nasal symptoms, such as fatigue and depression as well. Allergic rhinitis can make it harder to concentrate at work or school and affect your energy level and sleeping habits. Unfortunately, some of these “extra-nasal” symptoms are more difficult to treat than the allergies themselves. Some of the major ones are:...
Pain is subjective, which means no one but you knows how you really feel. This subjectivity makes it difficult to determine whether medications or other pain treatments are effective. Nurses and healthcare providers may ask you to measure your pain on a scale up to 10, or by pointing to a series of faces. Types of Pain Scales Because pain assessment resists standardized measurements, healthcare providers can use one or more of several different rating methods, including:...
Our Conversation Coach Can Help Coping with the emotional and physical effects of psoriasis can be difficult—not just for the nearly 8 million Americans who have the disease, but also for those around them. Friends and loved ones may not realize the various aspects of the disease. It helps to be able to share your experiences with them. You may have to reply to their questions and comments or proactively start a conversation on the topic....
Rachel Charlton-Dailey (she/they) is an award-winning journalist specializing in health and disability. Their work is featured in publications such as Healthline, Huffpost, Metro UK, The Guardian, and Business Insider. Charlton-Dailey often uses their platform to spotlight issues that affect disabled people. The winter holidays are said to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for people with chronic illness, it can be an exhausting time of year. While it can certainly be lovely to celebrate with friends and family, the pressure to socialize with so many people can be overwhelming....
Oscillopsia is a disturbance in vision that makes it seem like things you’re looking at are moving when they’re not. It is associated with poor visual acuity and is a disabling and distressing condition reported by numerous patients with neurological disorders. Oscillopsia is often not an underlying condition in and of itself but a symptom. People with this visual problem often have a problem in the ocular motor system, which is a complex structure with multiple subsystems....
