Hair is much more complicated than it looks. You can feel it at the root when it moves or gets pulled. It protects your skin and traps particles like dust around your eyes and ears. You can express yourself through your hairstyle. If your hair gets damaged, it can renew itself without scarring. Hair covers almost every surface of the human body. This article gives an overview of the structure of hair....
Unless your surgeon tells you to use peroxide or rubbing alcohol—and they likely won’t recommend either—you should never use these chemicals or any other harsh products on your healing surgical incision. Think of your incision as skin that has to be treated as gently as possible, with the most gentle cleansers and lukewarm water. There is no need for hard chemicals, abrasive scrubs, lotions, or ointments unless they were prescribed. In fact, some lotions and ointments could increase the risk of infection or irritation, rather than soothing the area....
A lot has changed over the past six months in terms of how people think about the COVID-19 vaccines. A recent poll found that 21% of adults who were hesitant or opposed to vaccination in January are now vaccinated. Key Takeaways A new poll shows that most people who were enthusiastic about vaccination in January or wanted to “wait and see” are now vaccinated.Nearly 70% respondents who were vaccine hesitant or resistant in January remain unvaccinated....
Sleep apnea is a common condition in adults, and it can also occur in children. What factors cause sleep apnea to occur in children? There are various contributions that can lead to a narrowing or instability of the upper airway, which can cause the pauses in breathing characteristic of sleep apnea. As sleep apnea can have serious consequences in children including impacts on growth, intelligence, and behavior, it is important to identify correctable causes....
August is National Breastfeeding Month—a time, established in 2011, focused on empowering people on their breastfeeding journeys to support their baby’s overall health and wellness. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months of an infant’s life. At 6 months, parents can continue offering breast milk along with complementary foods until a year, or until mutually desired (between the infant and the breastfeeding parent). Breastfeeding can offer a slew of health benefits for both mom and baby....
Aphakia is when a person doesn’t have the lens in one or both eyes. It can be congenital when people are born with it or acquired at any stage of life after a surgery or injury. The lens is a transparent structure located behind the iris, and is vital for focusing on objects. Light enters the eye through the pupil, reaching the iris, which controls how much light enters the eye....
Athetosis is a type of involuntary movement that can occur with medical conditions. It is characterized as slow writhing movements of the extremities. While it can be used to describe movement patterns, athetosis also refers to athetoid cerebral palsy, also known as dyskinetic cerebral palsy. If you or your child has athetosis, you may need to undergo diagnostic tests so your healthcare providers can determine the cause and prescribe therapy for you....
A cataract is an eye condition in which the lens of the eye loses transparency. It is associated with aging. In the United States, most people age 80 and over either have cataracts or have undergone cataract surgery to have them removed. Cataracts can be safely removed in an outpatient procedure. Still, they can cause significant visual problems for some who may not have access to this treatment. Worldwide, about 94 million people have moderate to severe vision impairment due to untreated cataracts....
For some people, their headaches are linked to their hormones, meaning underlying health conditions that impact hormones in their body are the source or trigger for their headaches. Thyroid Hormone and Headaches People who have a low level of thyroid hormone are considered hypothyroid. Since the thyroid gland is involved in a number of metabolic processes in the body, symptoms of hypothyroidism are variable in number and severity but may include weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, and constipation....
A new study has provided researchers with insights into how COVID-19 differs from influenza viruses. The study, which was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in October, found that COVID-19 survives on human skin for nine hours. By contrast, flu viruses only live on human skin for 1.8 hours. Key Takeaways COVID-19 can live on human skin for nine hours, which may increase the risk of COVID-19 contact transmission. The flu can survive on human skin for only 1....
Daith piercing is an alternative treatment purported to be effective for managing chronic migraine headaches. Although anecdotes about the effectiveness of daith piercing abound on social media and elsewhere, the practice hasn’t been studied by scientists for either prevention of migraines, relief from pain, or other symptoms. This is important to know if you’ve heard about daith piercing and are thinking of trying it in order to deal with chronic or episodic migraine headaches....
Distal interphalangeal predominant (DIP) psoriatic arthritis (PsA) primarily affects the small joints in the fingers and toes closest to the nails. DIP PsA accounts for less than 10% of PsA cases, and while rare, it will get worse without proper and successful treatment. Symptoms Psoriatic arthritis is known for starting at the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints, which are the joints closest to the fingernails and toenails. Stiff and inflamed fingers will make it harder to perform the simplest tasks, such as zipping a jacket or opening a jar....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about wearing face masks that contain metal when undergoing an MRI. Key Takeaways The FDA is warning that face masks containing metal can cause injury in an MRI machine.The FDA received a report of a patient who was burned after using a face mask with metal during an MRI.Your MRI operator should be able to provide you with a metal-free mask if needed....
Flat head syndrome—medically known as positional plagiocephaly—occurs when a baby’s head develops a flat spot in the first months of its life. The baby’s skull is soft, and their neck muscles are still weak during this timeframe, leading to their head resting on surfaces. Flat spots can occur when a baby frequently lies or sleeps in the same position, which allows the baby’s head to develop a flat spot and become misshapen....
When stress takes hold of your life, you may find it hard to shake the resulting anxiety. It may manifest as persistent worry or tension that won’t leave your muscles. What is generalized anxiety disorder? How does stress or anxiety affect sleep? How might it contribute to insomnia? Learn about the relationship between stress, anxiety, and difficulties sleeping. No matter your station in life, stress is common. It may lead to worries that won’t go away....
Gluten is a form of plant protein found in the grains wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten is also found in the vast majority of foods containing ingredients made from these grains. While it’s possible to have a true allergic reaction to the gluten protein in wheat, such an allergy is generally referred to as a wheat allergy, not a gluten allergy. Unofficially, though, many people use the term “gluten allergy” interchangeably with the terms celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, two separate conditions that involve two different physiological reactions to gluten....
Hand-foot syndrome (HFS), also known as palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia, is a dermatological side effect of some chemotherapy and biological therapy medications. It primarily affects the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. HFS occurs when small amounts of medication leak outside of the capillaries and cause damage to exposed tissue. Most people who have HFS develop mild effects, but some can suffer severe effects, making daily living activities nearly impossible....
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience a temporary worsening of their symptoms in hot weather or when they run a fever. These temporary changes can result from as little as one-quarter to one-half of a degree elevation in core body temperature, as an elevated temperature further impairs the ability of demyelinated nerves to conduct electrical impulses. Symptoms Any MS symptom can be much worse in the heat; sometimes, new and unfamiliar symptoms can appear....
In most cases, hemangioblastomas are treated by surgery to remove the tumor or by radiation therapy. If left untreated, these benign tumors may lead to long-lasting complications, such as nerve damage, vision loss, trouble walking, and chronic headaches. This article will discuss what to expect from surgery and other treatment options that may be presented. Surgeries and Specialist-Driven Procedures For hemangioblastomas that are not associated with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL), a condition in which both benign and malignant tumors grow, surgery to remove the tumors usually cures the disease....
Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is a lesser-known but otherwise common sexually transmitted disease (STD). Despite this, few medical professionals ever screen for the disease and instead assume that MG is involved in certain circumstances. For example, if you have symptoms of urethritis or cervicitis but test negative for gonorrhea and chlamydia, your healthcare provider may presumptively treat you for MG. This is because MG is the most common cause of urethritis and cervicitis next to the other two, more familiar diseases....
