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Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition in which one or more of the arteries supplying blood to the legs, arms, head or abdomen become blocked or partially blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis. If the blood flow to the limbs is no longer sufficient to keep up with the demand, a person with PAD may experience symptoms. Symptoms The most common symptom of PAD is “claudication.” Claudication is a pain, cramping or discomfort—which can vary from merely annoying to quite severe—that occurs in the affected limb....

Plummer disease is a condition that causes hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). With Plummer disease, nodules in the thyroid gland produce excess thyroid hormones. This condition also is known as toxic multinodular goiter. One or more nodules on the thyroid that overproduce thyroid hormones can cause hyperthyroidism. If the condition involves multiple nodules, it is called multinodular. With Plummer disease, there may be several nodules, but not all produce thyroid hormone. It’s the second-most common cause of hyperthyroidism....

Smoking is a trigger for some headache sufferers — although the precise relationship is still unclear. Regardless, stopping smoking is a good idea for a number of health reasons. Headaches and Smoking Cluster headaches: Smoking is most notably associated with cluster headaches. In fact, one 1999 study in Cephalagia revealed that nearly 80% of people with episodic cluster headaches smoked. However, there does not appear to be a causal relationship between smoking and cluster headaches — meaning smoking does not appear to directly trigger cluster headaches....

Sialadentitis is inflammation of the salivary glands. It has several causes, including infections or obstructions. Sialadentitis can be an acute (short term) condition or a chronic (long term) condition. It is also sometimes further classified by the exact salivary gland that is affected such as submandibular or parotid. Acute Sialadentitis Acute sialadentitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection. It most commonly affects the parotid gland (located in front of the ear) or the submandibular gland (under the chin)....

Liquid cleansers were first introduced in the 1990s, revolutionizing the skincare marketplace by offering an alternative to bar soaps. Today, liquid body washes and shower gels are incredibly popular, coming in hundreds of scents and colors. You certainly have a large variety to choose from. Which is amazing—and overwhelming. What Is Body Wash? Body wash is basically soap in liquid form. (Although, technically, body wash does not fit the definition of “true” soap, which is made from fats/oils and an alkali....

Home sleep testing is increasingly used to diagnose sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Why might you be told to have a home sleep study? What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a home sleep test compared to an in-center polysomnogram? Learn about the use of home sleep studies, what to expect with your study, and what the next steps in your diagnosis and treatment might be....

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is a set of effects that occur when blood flow through the superior vena cava (the large blood vessel that returns blood from the upper body back to the heart) is partially or fully blocked. The symptoms include swelling of the face, arms, neck, and chest, distention of veins in the neck, and sometimes shortness of breath and a cough. SVC syndrome is usually diagnosed with a chest computerized tomography (CT) scan, but additional tests may be done as well....

Candidiasis, commonly called thrush, is a fungal infection caused by strains of Candida, a type of yeast. People living with HIV infection are more prone to candidiasis. It is not an uncommon condition and generally manifests when a person’s immune response is low. The Candida yeast itself is present in most human beings, within the natural flora of the mouth and digestive tract, as well as on the skin. It is only when changes to these systems occur that Candida can actively thrive, usually manifesting with superficial infection....

Treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS) depends somewhat on the frequency of symptoms and there are many options, including medications as well as lifestyle changes. For the purposes of selecting the appropriate treatment, you should determine if your symptoms are intermittent, daily, or refractory to treatment. Lifestyle modifications should always be tried first. Sleep deprivation worsens RLS symptoms, hence good sleep hygiene is important. Strenuous exercise right before bed should be avoided....

Tonsils are specialized organs that are part of the lymphatic system and provide your body’s first protective barrier. They protect against foreign substances that you inhale or ingest through the nose or mouth. Once trapped in the tonsils, bacteria or viruses are then transported to lymph nodes, where specialized immune cells cluster to fight infection. However, in some cases, tonsils may become infected and need to be removed through a very common procedure called a tonsillectomy....

If you’re having surgery—even a minor procedure—the doctor may order blood tests. While interpreting blood tests are best left to a physician, it may be helpful to understand what the test is looking for, and what’s considered a “normal” result. There are hundreds of different blood tests that can be performed in a lab, but the most common are performed routinely before and after surgery; these tests are very common and should not be cause for alarm....

The appendix is a small organ located in your lower right abdomen. Although the medical community has been aware of the appendix for centuries, the function of this organ is not clear or fully understood. This article will explain more about the appendix and how to recognize signs of appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix). Where Is Your Appendix? The appendix is a small tube that is located in the lower right side of your abdomen....

Perhaps you’ve seen your loved one who has dementia repeatedly rearrange, empty out and refill dresser drawers, and then move on to the cupboard and do the same thing there. This activity is known as rummaging, and it’s a behavior that sometimes develops in Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Why Rummaging Is Considered a Challenging Behavior Rummaging can be very frustrating for caregivers because it can make quite a mess....

If you want to lose weight, experts say you need to get enough sleep. Specifically, researchers have reported that women who sleep 5 hours or less per night generally weigh more than women who sleep 7 hours per night. Those women who slept 6 hours per night were still 12% more likely to experience major weight gain, and 6% more likely to become obese, compared to women who slept 7 hours a night....

Your working memory is a system in your brain that allows you to temporarily retain and manipulate the information involved in a complex process. That can include language comprehension, reasoning, and learning new information. The working memory is a part of a larger system called the short-term memory. Working memory deals with the information you need to “work” with, such as: Step-by-step instructionsThe things you need at the storeA problem you’re trying to solveA phone number It also deals with how well you pay attention to things, your ability to manipulate visual input, and some of the processes involved in learning new words....

Many different types of penis shapes and sizes fall within the umbrella of “normal.” In terms of penis type, a penis can be broadly classified by three characteristics: Penis size (including length and girth)Degree of penis curvatureCircumcision status (circumcised versus uncircumcised) This article explains the common characteristics of a penis and the normal variations in size and shape. It also describes some abnormal features that need to be seen by a healthcare provider....

Many allergy medicines that were once available only with a practitioner’s prescription are now available over-the-counter (OTC). This usually means they cost much less than they did when they required a prescription, and you save the expense of a visit with your healthcare provider. Given the wide variety of OTC allergy medicines, it is now possible for you to treat most symptoms or nasal (allergic rhinitis) and eye (allergic conjunctivitis) without seeing a healthcare provider—assuming that you know which medicine to choose for your symptoms....

CHOP is an abbreviated name for a combination of different medications. CHOP is one of the most common combinations of medications used for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or NHL. CHOP is used for some common types of aggressive as well as indolent NHL. It consists of four different medications: cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), vincristine (Oncovin) and prednisone. CHOP is also frequently combined with rituximab in the R-CHOP regimen. The first three drugs of the CHOP chemotherapy regimen are usually given as injections or infusions of veins on a single day, while prednisone is taken as pills for five days....

Next to norovirus, the coxsackievirus is probably one of the most common viruses that you have never heard of. First discovered in the 1940s, it is a type of non-polio enterovirus. This group of viruses also includes echoviruses and other enteroviruses (one of which, enterovirus D68, caused a nationwide outbreak of respiratory infections in the United States that was associated with acute flaccid paralysis). While you might not be familiar with coxsackievirus, though, if you have a child there is a good chance that you do know about the infection and how one of its strains causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD)....

Curative care refers to treatment and therapies provided to a patient with the main intent of fully resolving an illness and the goal of bringing the patient—ideally—to their status of health before the illness presented itself. For instance, when a patient receives curative care for Breast Cancer, the goal is for any anatomical evidence of the cancer to disappear and for that patient’s overall health to return to its status from before the cancer was diagnosed....