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Wildfires continue to rage across Northern California, where 1.2 million acres of land have burned in just a week. The resulting smoke is pushing air quality levels to unhealthy or hazardous across the state, according to U.S. Air Quality Index AirNow. Key Takeaways Smoke from California wildfires are creating dangerous air conditions in the state.An N95 respirator is considered the best type of face mask to protect against wildfire smoke.Cloth face masks may offer minimal protection....

Delirium and dementia are conditions that can be confusing, both to experience and to distinguish. Both can cause memory loss, poor judgment, a decreased ability to communicate, and impaired functioning. While the question of delirium vs dementia may seem difficult to answer, there are many differences between the two, including the following: Onset Dementia: Dementia typically begins slowly and is gradually noticed over time. If the person who’s being evaluated is unknown to you, getting a report of their usual functioning is key....

Dreaming sleep, also commonly known as REM or rapid eye movement sleep, is one of the two basic states of sleep. The other basic state of sleep is NREM sleep or non-rapid eye movement sleep. Dreaming sleep is notable for the presence of rapid eye movement (REM). Dreams can occur during the REM stage of sleep, which is why it is also commonly known as dreaming sleep. Dreams do not typically occur during other states of sleep....

If you have seen the words entheses, enthesitis, or enthesopathy in your X-ray or medical reports, the terminology may have been unfamiliar to you. Let’s look at the meaning and also how it relates to various types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. Enthesis (plural: entheses) typically refers to the connective tissue where tendons, ligaments, or joint capsules attach to bone. Two types of entheses exist: fibrous entheses and fibrocartilaginous entheses. While that is the classic definition, a newer, broader definition suggests that enthesis is more than a simple attachment or insertion site—enthesis functions as a unit which includes adjacent tissues (for example, bone and fibrocartilage connected to synovium)....

Perhaps it was a dinner with asparagus and apple pie that left you feeling bloated and miserable. Or maybe it was that pasta salad at lunch, the one that made you wonder if it was something you ate. It likely is. Foods that cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress often have one thing in common: they’re FODMAPs. The acronym stands for several types of short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) found in foods known to cause symptoms in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other GI disorders....

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is a perennial herb that’s native to the North American continent. One of the most popular herbs on the market today, it has a long history of use by Native Americans as a treatment for skin disorders, digestive problems, liver conditions, diarrhea, and eye irritation. Goldenseal became part of early colonial medical care as the European settlers learned of it from the Iroquois and other tribes. It gained widespread popularity in the early 1800s due to its promotion by a herbalist named Samuel Thompson....

One of the most difficult things about living with prediabetes or diabetes is having to eliminate foods you love. Knowing about alternatives that are just as tasty and satisfying can make it easier to stick to a diabetes-friendly diet. Swapping healthier foods for those that can exacerbate diabetes symptoms is an important part of keeping blood glucose levels steady as well. It can also help you lose weight if you need too and, if you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes....

Hip replacement surgery (hip arthroplasty) has many benefits including relieving hip pain and restoring hip function. Optimizing these benefits and minimizing the risk for complications (e.g., hip dislocation and infection) requires that you adhere to various lifestyle adjustments, such as avoiding high-impact activities after surgery and taking preventive antibiotics before invasive medical or dental procedures. Benefits of Surgery Hip replacement involves removing and replacing the worn-out cartilage and bone of the hip joint with artificial parts....

How can you know if your child has allergies? What are the symptoms usually seen first in very young children, and how does this change over time? The Progression of Allergies in Children Allergies present in different ways in different age groups. In infants and young children, allergic disease occurs as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or as food allergies. Children with atopic dermatitis are at increased risk of developing allergies and asthma, which are more likely to occur in the toddler years to school-age....

There is nothing more peaceful than a sleeping child—especially when they may be a rambunctious toddler while awake—but how much sleep do 2-year-olds need? What changes occur in toddlers’ sleep that may contribute to battles at bedtime? Learn about their sleep needs, insomnia, and how to ease through the transition with consistent parenting. How Sleep Changes in Toddlers If you have a 2-year-old child, you are aware that this is an exciting time of growth and development in their young lives....

After the poliovirus was detected in New York City’s wastewater, many young adults have been trying out find out if they’ve been fully vaccinated against polio. Key Takeaways Since there’s no national vaccine registry in the United States, verifying whether or not you were vaccinated against polio is tricky.Checking with your pediatrician’s office or your state’s vaccine registry is a good place to start.Most public schools require childhood vaccinations and you can check if your school’s list of requirements for your peace of mind....

Pregnancy brings changes to many areas of the body, including the skin. Some skin changes can indicate a problem or complication, but others are simply cosmetic, like linea nigra. Everyone has a line called the linea alba (“white line” in Latin) that usually isn’t noticeable. This line runs vertically from the breastbone to the pubic area and down the middle of the abdomen. During pregnancy, this line can darken, causing a visible vertical line from the belly button to the pubic area, or sometimes the entire length of the abdomen....

A migraine-triggered seizure is a rare complication of migraine with aura. Also described as a migraine-aura triggered seizure or migralepsy, this type of event is different from a seizure-induced headache or migraine because the it’s the migraine that causes the seizure, not the other way around. It can be difficult to recognize these complex events, and experts are not completely clear on the best route of treatment. Strategies aimed at reducing migraine frequency and severity may prevent migraine-induced seizures from occurring....

There are a number of side effects associated with radiation therapy (also referred to as “radiotherapy” or “radiation”), a type of cancer treatment that helps kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation side effects vary from patient to patient, with some individuals suffering severe side effects and others experiencing hardly any side effects at all. Common Side Effects of Radiation A form of energy released in particles or waves, radiation therapy is often administered by a machine that aims radiation at your cancer....

Open heart surgery is an approach that involves cutting through the breastbone and connecting the heart to a device called a heart-lung bypass machine. Open heart surgery is used to treat heart problems such as coronary artery disease and heart valve disease. Rather than being a specific treatment, an open heart approach may be employed in number of surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve repair or replacement, and heart transplant, as well as the placement of devices to aid this organ, such as ventricular arterial devices and total artificial hearts....

Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) both involve low pain thresholds. Your pain threshold is the point at which a sensation becomes painful. It’s not the same thing as tolerance, which is how much you can handle. For an example of the pain threshold, think of a dentist drilling in your teeth. It doesn’t hurt…until it does! It all depends on when your threshold is reached, and it’s different for all of us....

PERRLA is a quick test an eye doctor performs to examine the health of your pupils. The test results can also reveal other eye, brain, and nervous system problems. Learn more about the PERRLA eye exam. Purpose of Test A PERRLA test is an eye exam that is a common part of a routine eye checkup. Eye doctors use it to check on the health of your pupil, which is a black circle in the center of your eyes, located in the middle of the colored part of your eye called the iris....

The antidepressant fluoxetine, better known by the brand name Prozac, might be able to treat more than just mood disorders. New research finds that it may reduce the risk of developing dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of poor vision and blindness. Key Takeaways Fluoxetine, an antidepressant also known as Prozac, appears to reduce the risk of developing the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A research team at the University of Virginia tested fluoxetine by using computer and animal models....

Not all moral questions should also be legal ones. There is a clear moral imperative to discuss a positive STD test with your current and potential sexual partners. However, the legal issues are far murkier. Despite the potential problems with criminalizing STD transmission, it is already illegal to have sex without disclosing a positive STD test in a number of jurisdictions. Furthermore, there have been a number of prosecutions around the country and abroad....

If you are concerned that you may have dementia, it’s important to speak with a healthcare provider and start the diagnostic process as soon as possible. Though there is no single “dementia test,” healthcare providers can use your medical history and a combination of tests to evaluate your symptoms and determine the cause. This article walks you through what it takes to diagnose dementia and out other possible causes for dementia-like symptoms....