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While most of us know the adage about drinking six to eight glasses of water each day, the truth of the matter is that many of us don’t follow through on it. Dehydration can sneak up on you quite quickly. In fact, by the time you’re thirsty, you may already be dehydrated, which can lead to a host of ailments, including headaches. Basics of Dehydration Dehydration occurs when the body loses more water (through processes like sweat or urine) than it takes in....

Vaginismus is a condition where a person’s vagina painfully contracts in a way that prevents penetration. These contractions are involuntary. In other words, someone who has vaginismus isn’t trying to contract their vaginal muscles. Instead, those muscles contract on their own. This contraction often makes any attempt at penetration—with fingers, a penis, or a sex toy—painful or impossible. The contractions of vaginismus can also be painful on their own. They can make it impossible to undergo a gynecological exam....

The word “varicose” comes from the Latin word “varix”, meaning “twisted”. Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that are usually bluish purple. Small, one-way valves in veins ensure blood only flows towards the heart. In some people, these valves become weakened and blood collects in the veins, causing them to abnormally enlarge. Varicose veins are most common on the legs because leg veins must work against gravity. Standing increases pressure on leg veins....

A VBAC refers to a vaginal birth after a cesarean delivery (C-section). If you’ve previously given birth via cesarean section and get pregnant again, you have two options for delivering your baby. You can either have a scheduled C-section or attempt to deliver vaginally. This attempt is called a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC). A TOLAC may lead to a vaginal delivery (VBAC) or, in some cases, a C-section. While VBACs are a safe option for many people, not everyone is a good candidate....

Typically, osteoarthritis develops gradually. The first signs of osteoarthritis may have you wondering what’s happening. It’s important for you to recognize the four warning signs of osteoarthritis. Pain in One or More Joints Only about a third of patients who have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis experience pain or other osteoarthritis symptoms. In other words, an X-ray can reveal severe osteoarthritis in a joint, but the level of pain you feel, if any, can differ....

The digit symbol substitution test is an evaluation tool used to assess cognitive functioning. It initially was part of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test (WAIS), a well-known test that measures an individual’s intelligence quotient (IQ). The digit symbol test involves a key consisting of the numbers 1-9, each paired with a unique, easy-to-draw symbol such as a “V”, “+” or “>”. Below the key are a series of the numbers 1-9 in random order and repeated several times....

Prescription drug theft is a major problem in this country, largely fueled by the epidemic of opioid (a.k.a. opiate or narcotic) abuse. When you depend on your medications to function, having them stolen can throw your life into turmoil. Just possessing opioid painkillers such as Vicodin (hydrocodone acetaminophen) or OxyContin (oxycodone) puts you at risk for being a victim of theft. It pays to know how to protect yourself and what to do if your meds are stolen....

It’s natural to assume a chronic cough is a respiratory problem. Sometimes, though, coughs can have other causes. Studies show that a long-term cough can also be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When you have GERD, acid from your stomach backs up into your esophagus. Your esophagus is sometimes also called your food pipe. When stomach acid backs up in this way it is called acid reflux. If the acid is breathed in, it can make you cough....

An expert panel that advises the World Health Organization (WHO) on vaccines now says there is enough evidence to recommend a single dose of the HPV vaccine for girls aged 9 to 20. The vaccine, which protects against some forms of cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers, is typically given in several doses. Key Takeaways An advisory panel for the World Health Organization recommends a single dose of the HPV vaccine for girls between the ages of 9 and 20....

It’s not just good manners to cover your cough. Doing so helps reduce the spread of germs including the highly contagious influenza virus. The flu and some other infections are spread through microscopic water droplets expelled from an infected person, commonly through coughing, sneezing, and hand-to-mouth contact. Aside from washing your hands with warm water and soap (for 20 seconds) or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, one of the most important and effective ways to stop the spread of germs is to cover your cough and sneeze....

Doctors diagnose osteoarthritis by considering a patient’s medical history, physical examination, and images of the affected joints. X-rays create the images used to detect osteoarthritis. While X-rays are used to reveal the appearance of osteoarthritic joints to diagnosticians, there is not always a direct correlation between what the X-rays show and the symptoms of osteoarthritis that a patient is experiencing. By age 40, many people have some evidence of osteoarthritis on X-rays....

Some disorders lead to terminal illness. Some involve severe, chronic pain. Some involve terrifying hallucinations. Autism involves none of these. Yet over the years, autism has been portrayed as one of the most frightening and upsetting possible diagnoses—a parent’s nightmare. The reality, in the vast majority of cases, is very different. In fact, many people on the autism spectrum are intelligent, interesting, caring people who have many strengths and abilities. Others, while their disabilities are more significant, have very real talents and charm....

Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, also known as a BSO, is a surgical procedure in which both of the ovaries and the fallopian tubes are removed. This surgery can be performed on its own, but is usually performed during a hysterectomy, in which a woman’s uterus is removed. In contrast, when only one ovary and one fallopian tube are removed, the procedure is called a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. It’s sometimes designated as right or left with the acronyms “RSO” (right salpingo-oophorectomy) or “LSO” (left salpingo-oophorectomy)....

Having to treat breast cancer during pregnancy is something that you may worry or even feel conflicted about. Your health and that of your baby both have to be taken into consideration, and typical treatment plans may put those two things at odds. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have options. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy may all have their place in your treatment plan, but the timing of certain treatments might have to change....

California will reinstate its indoor mask mandate starting on December 15 through at least January 15 due to rising COVID-19 case numbers and concerns about the Omicron variant. Key Takeaways California and New York State are reinstating indoor mask mandate this week because of rising COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant.In communities with lower vaccination coverage, case numbers and hospitalizations have spiked Thanksgiving weekend.Health officials hope the new restrictions will curb the spread of COVID-19 as more people gather indoors for the holidays....

Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is a condition in which the brain doesn’t recognize sight from one eye. The weaker eye may often wander outward or turn inward. With this condition, since the brain relies on one eye more heavily, it causes the other eye’s visual pathway through the brain not to develop properly. This affects around 3 out of 100 kids and is the most common cause of vision loss in children....

Steroid medications, including prednisone, are often used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). One prednisone side effect that can occur with high doses or prolonged use is the development of cataracts. Cataracts are generally thought of as a condition of older persons. However, steroids can cause cataracts to develop in younger people. Unlike some side effects, such as facial “mooning,” increased appetite, hair growth, and acne, a cataract will not abate after the course of steroid treatment is complete....

I never had to guess what life with type 2 diabetes could look like; I saw living testimony in my mother, who passed from diabetes over a decade ago, and my father, who was a double amputee due to his diabetes diagnosis. But losing my sister in 2016 ultimately led to my health awakening. This article is part of Health Divide: Type 2 Diabetes in People of Color, a destination in our Health Divide series....

New research has found that empagliflozin, a recently-developed type 2 diabetes drug, can also treat and reverse heart failure in patients, whether they have diabetes or not. Key Takeaways New research found that drug empagliflozin can treat and even reverse heart failure in some patients.The drug is also used to treat type 2 diabetes.About 80% of heart failure patients showed significant improvement in their condition. The November study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, recruited 84 patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, meaning the left side of the heart doesn’t pump blood out to the body the way it should....

A total ankle replacement is a joint replacement surgery of the ankle joint. Total ankle replacements have been available for more than 30 years—but early designs were failures. In the 1970s, ankle replacements were touted as promising, but by the 1980s ankle replacements were rarely performed due to their high failure rate. More recently, ankle replacements have made a comeback. There are five ankle prostheses that have been FDA-approved and a couple of others under study in the United States....