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If you are having trouble urinating, are bothered by a weak or intermittent urinary flow, and you are a man over age 50, you could have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate. If you experience these symptoms, make an appointment with your urologist. Normal urination is essential to normal body functioning, and only a urologist will be able to determine why things are not working right. Here’s a run-down on what to expect when you go to your healthcare provider’s office....

“How long should I ice an injury?” is a common question asked in physical therapy clinics. Icing an injury can help reduce swelling and pain. Still, there are limits to how long you should keep ice on an injured body part. This article discusses the use of ice on injuries. It also discusses how long to apply the ice and how to make your own ice pack. What Does Ice Do?...

Hearing the tooth-on-tooth sound of night grinding may be likened to the same feeling of fingernails down shrieking a blackboard. For a person fast asleep and grinding, it might be a habit that they don’t even notice. However, teeth grinding could have far deeper health implications than simply driving your bed partner insane. Often attributed to stress, new understanding of sleep and the airway reveal the reasons that people may grind their teeth could be the sign of nighttime breathing difficulty....

Dietary migraine triggers are very common. Some people notice migraines within a few minutes or up to several hours after consuming certain foods or drinks. While you may not have migraines in response to every single one of the known dietary migraine triggers, it is a good idea to become familiar with the most common migraine-inducing foods and to be on the lookout for migraine symptoms after eating them. Components of Foods That Trigger Migraines There are several natural components and additives that have been linked with migraines, and the different foods that have been noted to cause these headaches may have one or more of these ingredients....

Testosterone patches are typically used to treat men whose bodies do not produce enough testosterone. The patch is placed on a specific body part and the testosterone is absorbed through the skin. Although there has been a lot of research on the efficacy and safety of testosterone patches for female sexual dysfunction (FSD), conclusive evidence supporting its use is limited. Further, testosterone patches are not FDA-approved for use in women. This means that if your healthcare provider prescribes you testosterone patches, you should rightfully assume it is for off-label use....

Some people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may experience various extra-intestinal symptoms along with the symptoms in their gastrointestinal tract. These can include skin irritation, eye problems, and joint pains, among other things. One of these extra-intestinal conditions is aphthous stomatitis, or ulcers in the mouth. For some with IBD, mouth ulcers might be one of the first signs that the IBD may be flaring up again. Canker sores, or aphthous ulcers, are the lesions caused by aphthous stomatitis....

Low back pain is the most common diagnosis seen in many physical therapy clinics, and it affects nearly 85% to 90% of Americans at one time or another. It is the second leading cause of visits to a doctor, after the common cold. Low back pain is also the leading cause of lost time at work, and billions of dollars are spent each year diagnosing and treating low back pain....

Rehabilitation following a meniscus repair is more significant than if the torn piece of meniscus is simply removed through a partial meniscectomy. If the torn meniscus is removed, the patient is usually up and walking within a day or two of surgery, and back to normal activities within several weeks. Following a meniscus repair, the rehab is more extensive. Because your surgeon will not know with certainty if a meniscus repair can be performed prior to arthroscopic knee surgery, patients should understand that their rehabilitation will not be certain until the exact surgical procedure is known....

A secondary headache is a headache that stems from an underlying medical issue that activates pain-sensitive regions in the head or neck. This type of headache differs from a primary headache, such as a migraine or tension headache. Although secondary headaches only account for 2% of all headaches, it’s essential to recognize one because they can be serious or even life-threatening in some cases. This article discusses what you should know about secondary headaches, including types, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and coping strategies....

The microdebrider was originally patented in 1969 for the use of removing tumors around the acoustic nerve. Since that time, the use of the microdebrider was adopted as a surgical instrument for use in orthopedics and then for nasal and endoscopic sinus surgeries in the 1990s. This instrument is perhaps one of the most important innovations that have been brought into the field of rhinology. The microdebrider is a cylindrical instrument that has a hollow tube with an inner and outer portion....

The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system (along with the adrenal glands, hypothalamus, pituitary, ovaries, and testes). The thyroid gland releases hormones into the bloodstream to control your metabolism, which is the primary way your body uses energy. In addition to metabolism, the hormones it releases also help with processes like bone growth, brain development, heart rate, digestion, muscle functioning, body temperature, menstrual cycles, and more. The thyroid can also produce more hormones when needed, such as to help increase body temperature or when a woman is pregnant....

Treatment of low back pain is a challenging problem that just about everyone will have to manage at some point in their life. Most often, back pain resolves with simple treatments. There are a number of options available, and no single treatment has been shown to be superior for the treatment of typical low back pain. These are some of the standard treatments used for back pain, and how they have been shown to be effective....

Uterine atony—also called atony of the uterus—is a complication of pregnancy that occurs after the delivery stage of labor. It is a failure of the uterus to contract following delivery. It can lead to a very serious—even life-threatening—condition known as postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding) if not treated promptly. Uterine atony is considered the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage. This article discusses the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of uterine atony....

Candida is a yeast that lives both inside and outside of your body. It can be found in your gut, mouth, vagina, and on your skin. This yeast particularly likes the warm, dark, moist folds of your skin. The underside of your breasts is a prime place for it to take up residence. Under normal circumstances, Candida doesn’t cause any problems. But in some people—because of things like underlying health conditions or the size of their breasts—skin can break down....

When a patient is initially referred to hospice care, usually by their physician or a caseworker within the hospital, they are usually given a list of hospice agencies in their area to choose from. Sometimes these referral sources have a particular agency that they prefer and their recommendations shouldn’t be taken lightly; they are in the position to see how well a particular agency cares for their patients. However, as with any healthcare decision, you should be as informed as possible in order to know that you are making the best decision for you and your loved ones....

Colorectal cancers are highly preventable and, when caught early, are among the most curable types of cancers. Despite this positive outlook, colorectal cancers remain the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Clinical guidelines recommend colorectal cancer screening start at age 45 for average-risk adults, with earlier screenings recommended for people with a family history or another risk factor. Despite these recommendations, less than 70% of adults in the U....

ACL reconstruction is a surgical procedure to replace the torn ligament for someone who has sustained an ACL tear. Once an individual has decided to have surgery, they will have to make several decisions about their surgery with their doctor. The most common question patients face is: which type of ACL graft should they choose? The ACL graft is the type of tissue used to create the new ACL ligament. ACL reconstruction can be done with several different graft choices....

There is a connection between bladder infections and urinary tract infections (UTIs), and the terms are sometimes used synonymously. A bladder infection is a type of UTI, but not all UTIs involve the bladder. You can also develop a UTI in the urethra, ureters, or kidneys. Learn more about the differences between bladder infections and UTIs. Symptoms Distinguishing a bladder infection from another UTI based on symptoms alone can pose challenges....

Blanching of the skin is when whitish coloration of the skin remains longer than normal after pressure is applied on an area of the skin. This occurs because normal blood flow to a given area (where blanching is being tested) does not return promptly. Blanching is considered a physiologic test. When blanching of the fingers occurs, it could be a telltale sign of a condition called Raynaud’s syndrome. But there are several other reasons that a person may experience blanching....

Neglecting preventive health care can have serious consequences later in your life. That’s why, especially as you age, it’s important to develop proactive strategies for protecting your health. As a rheumatologist and a board-certified lifestyle healthcare provider, I treat people of all ages for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, and osteoporosis. In the United States, oftentimes, we focus more on disease care than on true health care, which includes taking steps to prevent getting sick in the first place....