Gagging is caused by the gag reflex, or pharyngeal reflex. Usually, the reflex is activated when something touches the base of the tongue or tonsil area, but it can also be triggered by your other senses, including taste, smell, sight, and sound. That will cause you to experience symptoms of gagging that include muscle convulsions and noises. Continue reading to learn more about the symptoms of gagging, and when they might be cause for concern....
Graves’ dermopathy, also called pretibial myxedema, is a rare skin condition that develops in some people with Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune thyroid disease. Graves’ disease occurs when your immune system attacks your thyroid gland and cause it to produce more thyroid hormones you need. Symptoms of Graves’ dermopathy include swollen, red skin that’s most often on the shins. The thyroid gland sits in the front of your neck. It regulates many hormones and systems in your body....
Over 260 million people worldwide are estimated to have depressive disorders. But the condition varies wildly from one patient to the next. People are often left to trial and error when it comes to treatment. Key Takeaways Some researchers are using personalized health technology to predict and monitor a patient’s mental health changes.Using technology can help healthcare providers tailor treatment to the individual, and assist in monitoring patients between visits.Experts stress the importance of keeping costs low for health wearables and promoting their ethical use....
Fluid in the ear is also called otitis media with effusion or serous otitis media. When the auditory tube (or Eustachian tube), which normally drains into the back of the throat, becomes clogged or obstructed, the ear can fill up with fluid. This occurs most often in children younger than age two, but it can also occur in adults. Otitis media may have no symptoms, and it is frequently undiagnosed. So what can you do to avoid it?...
If your kids regularly plop down on the sofa to watch kids’ shows on TV, you may want to think about ways of minimizing their exposure to commercials. We all know that ads can be pretty hard to resist, whether the product being marketed is clothing, a tech gadget, or food. Even grownups may see or hear an ad and think, “Ooh, I’d really like to have that!“ So imagine how tough it must be for children to see one and have the willpower to resist the temptation of a new toy or yummy-looking snack....
Most of the time, loss of peripheral vision is referred to as a visual field cut, meaning that you can’t see one side of vision from one of your eyes or you can’t see one side of vision from both of your eyes. A visual field cut is formally called hemianopsia or hemianopia. When both eyes have a symmetrical problem with peripheral vision, it is called homonymous hemianopsia. How Stroke Causes a Visual Field Cut It is not uncommon for a stroke to cause a visual field cut because the pathway between the eyes and the area of the brain that interprets what we see is a long pathway that can be easily damaged by a stroke....
Most common in end-stage digestive and gynecological cancers, a malignant bowel obstruction can cause significant and uncomfortable symptoms at end of life. Between 25 and 40 percent of malignant bowel obstructions occur from end-stage colon cancer, followed closely by ovarian cancer in women. Treatment of the obstruction is typically geared toward palliation—or non-curative symptom relief. What a Malignant Obstruction Is As opposed to a bowel obstruction in an otherwise healthy adult, malignant obstructions can occur from tumors pressing on the intestines from within or from outside of the digestive tract, or from a physiological inability to move and digest the foods you eat....
Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (OA) are different conditions with similar-sounding names. While they share some features, they have more differences than similarities. Their similar names can be confusing. Both words start with osteo, the medical prefix for “bone.” The word porosis means “porous,” and arthritis means “joint inflammation.” This article covers the basics of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, how they’re different, and what they have in common. Osteoporosis Osteoporosis makes you lose bone tissue, which leaves your bones weaker and prone to breaking....
Oxytocin is a hormone and chemical messenger produced in the brain. While best known for its key role in childbirth and breastfeeding, oxytocin is also called the “love hormone” for its role in parent-child bonding and pair (couple) bonding. Oxytocin also appears to play a role in various emotional, social, and cognitive processes, like enhancing mood, sexual arousal, and social memory. Production of Oxytocin Oxytocin is primarily produced in nerve cells that are located in a small structure within the brain called the hypothalamus....
Treatment of poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac can be accomplished at home, usually without the assistance of a healthcare provider. Poison ivy treatment usually involves washing the area with soap and water and applying creams to help reduce inflammation and soothe itching. The rash caused by poison ivy looks like red blotches or streaks. There may also be clusters of tiny blisters. The rash can be very itchy....
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (1947- ) is a French virologist who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with fellow researcher, Luc Montagnier, for their discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Barré-Sinoussi is considered one of the leading contributors to HIV science after more than 35 years of research, having co-authored 240 scientific publications and registered 17 scientific patents. Among her many distinctions, she was named an Officer in the Order of the Legion of Honor in 2006, considered France’s second highest honor....
You probably already know what self-regulation is, even if you’re not aware of the term. Self-regulation refers to the ability to control your behavior and manage your thoughts and emotions in appropriate ways. It’s why you go to school or work even though you don’t always feel like it, or why you don’t eat pizza for every meal. Read on to learn more about what self-regulation is and how to strengthen this important skill....
Seniors are still young enough to receive a kidney transplant, donate a live kidney or become an organ donor. Seniors Aren’t Too Old to Get a Transplant Older adults are not prohibited from getting a kidney transplant. Many of the nation’s transplant centers don’t even have an upper age limit for kidney transplant recipients. Almost half of all Americans suffering from advanced kidney disease are older than 65 and the wait time for hopeful recipients age 65 and older is nearly 4 years....
A spinal lesion describes any area of abnormal tissue on the spinal cord, whether it is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Also known as a central lesion because of its impact on the central nervous system, spinal lesions have many different causes and, depending on their location, can cause different neurological (nerve-related) symptoms. This article looks at the possible symptoms and causes of spinal lesions and provides an overview of how spinal lesions are commonly diagnosed and treated....
A study based on data from more than 1.1 million people in England found that a group of seven symptoms were most predictive of a person testing positive for COVID-19. The combined presence of these symptoms can serve as a key to detecting COVID-19 infections in the community and help allocate tests for COVID-19 or other resources in areas where resources are limited. Key Takeaways A large British study found that seven symptoms in combination are the most predictive of whether a person has COVID-19....
Thyroid disease affects your body’s metabolism, and if you have a thyroid condition, you may have been advised to consume sugar in moderation. While this is good advice, using sugar substitutes instead of regular table sugar may not be the answer. Sugar, Thyroid Disease, and Diabetes If you have thyroid disease, you are at an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. And if you have diabetes, you are at increased risk of thyroid disease....
While your school may teach your kids CPR, at what age are they most likely to be able to do it successfully? About 20 states require CPR training for high school graduation, and the American Red Cross sells a CPR in Schools Training Kit targeted for grades 6 to 12. But a couple of studies have called into question whether middle-school kids can do CPR effectively. Studies of CPR Training for School-Age Children A study by physicians in the UK suggests that while kids are capable of learning proper CPR steps in very early years, they don’t have the strength to properly compress the chest until they reach their teens....
The Fitzpatrick scale (also known as the Fitzpatrick skin typing test or Fitzpatrick phototype scale) was developed in 1975 by Harvard Medical School dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick to classify a person’s complexion in relation to their tolerance to sunlight. It is today used by many health professions to determine how a patient will respond to facial treatments. Practitioners also use the scale to determine how likely a person is to get skin cancer....
Triglycerides are a form of fat the body uses for storing and transporting energy. They account for the vast majority of fat stored in the human body. Having some triglycerides in your blood is normal. When triglyceride levels get too high, though, they can cause health problems. This article will help you understand what triglycerides are, what they do in your body, and when they can cause problems. It will also go over some of the ways that high triglyceride levels are treated....
The holiday season is supposed to be a happy time, but it comes with a lot of stress and expectations. It can be a trying time even for healthy people, and for those with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), it can turn into the worst time of the year. It doesn’t take long to learn that negative events (i.e., stressful incidents, confrontations) make you feel a lot worse. But have you also connected happy events to a downturn in your health?...
