Posts

The diagnosis of celiac disease usually involves blood tests and then an endoscopy, which is a medical procedure that allows your healthcare provider to look directly at your small intestine and take small samples to examine further under a microscope. If your celiac disease blood tests came back positive, your healthcare provider very likely will recommend you have an endoscopy. Remember that you have to keep eating gluten for an accurate celiac disease diagnosis, so don’t go gluten-free until your healthcare provider gives you the okay....

Dr. Bernard Rimland, the founder of the Autism Research Institute, was one of the most important contributors to our modern understanding of autism. It was he who led the movement to end the persecution of parents based on the false idea that autism could be caused by “cold” mothers. But it was also Rimland who, incorrectly, led many parents to believe that autism was caused by vaccines. His approach to “curing” autism, which he called Defeat Autism Now!...

While no blood test can diagnose cancer, some blood tests can aid in the diagnosis of cancer. If cancer is suspected, blood tests may be ordered. There are also blood tests used to screen for cancer or monitor the return of cancer after treatment. Complete Blood Count (CBC) A complete blood count test (CBC) checks the levels of cells produced by bone marrow in the blood, such as Blood Tests Alone Cannot Diagnose Cancer...

A urinary tract infection, commonly known as a UTI, is an infection that occurs in the urinary tract. An infection in the kidneys, the ureters (the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder and/or the urethra (the tube through which urine travels from the bladder to leave the body) is considered a urinary tract infection. A urinary tract infection happens when bacteria are able to enter the urinary tract and begins to multiply....

Chest binding is the practice of using tight clothing or other items to flatten the breasts. The goal is to create a more masculine chest. Transmasculine people—those assigned female at birth who identify on the masculine spectrum—use chest binding to feel more comfortable in their body as do others who prefer to appear more masculine. This article explains why chest binding is important for transmasculine people, as well as the various ways it’s done, the potential health problems it can cause, and how they can be prevented....

Axial neck pain refers to pain over and/or around the cervical spine or neck. The source of axial neck pain originates from the neck muscles, ligaments, or joints. It often causes headaches or pain in the shoulders, in addition to neck soreness and stiffness. This is in contrast to radicular sources of neck pain, like cervical radiculopathy or cervical myelopathy, which involve spinal nerve compression or spinal cord compression. Causes Damage or injury to the soft tissue surrounding the cervical spine can lead to axial neck pain....

Circadian rhythms can be confusing to understand. When learning about the basic concepts, one is particularly important: entrainment. What is entrainment of circadian rhythms and how might it impact sleep? Learn ways that entraining occurs and how light exposure and melatonin may ease insomnia by affecting sleep timing. Circadian Rhythms and Sleep and Wakefulness Circadian rhythms describe the patterns of body functions that follow a nearly 24-hour cycle. These include body temperature, hormone fluctuations, and the timing of sleep and wakefulness....

Opioid overdoses reached a national high in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the numbers have continued to rise. Leaders from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Addiction (NIDA) are now calling for broader use of academic medicine in overdose prevention. Key Takeaways Opioid overdoses have increased significantly during the pandemic and reached a historic high in 2020.Health leaders are calling for wider use of academic medicine to combat the opioid crisis....

The prone hang exercise is a simple method to use to help improve your knee extension range of motion (ROM) after injury or surgery. Knee extension refers to your knee’s ability to straighten out all the way. A common problem after knee surgery is a loss of knee ROM in both flexion (bending) and extension. Exercises to improve knee ROM can be performed daily after knee surgery. Full knee ROM can help you perform basic functional tasks like sitting in a chair, walking, and climbing, and descending stairs....

Waking up with an irritated eye can quickly ruin your day. Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is a common condition. There are several types of pink eye and different ways to treat each at home—most incidences of pink eye resolve on their own. However, if at-home treatment doesn’t help resolve symptoms or symptoms worsen, it’s best to seek medical attention right away. People should also be cautious if a child has pink eye symptoms because they can be a sign of a more serious condition....

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an autoimmune disorder that causes pain, inflammation, and stiffness, primarily in the spine and pelvis. While this condition can’t be cured, several treatments are available to help manage your symptoms. This article discusses medications, lifestyle changes, physical therapy, and surgeries that are used to treat symptoms of axial spondyloarthritis. Medications Axial spondyloarthritis is treated with medications to decrease inflammation and reduce pain, including: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These drugs are available over the counter and are typically the first type of medication used to treat axial spondyloarthritis....

People with sickle cell disease are immunocompromised, which means they have an increased risk of infection. For this reason, immunizations are an important part of complete sickle cell care. This article looks at the importance of immunizations for people with sickle cell disease. Why People With Sickle Cell Disease Are at Risk for Infections Sickle cell disease starts damaging the organs in the first year of life. One of the first organs affected is the spleen....

Federal funding for urgent COVID-19 spending, like Biden’s proposed “test-to-treat” program touted during his State of the Union address, may dry up in the coming weeks. Key Takeaways Congress is holding off on the White House’s request for additional COVID-19 funding for now. This funding would cover initiatives like COVID-19 testing, vaccine manufacturing, and treatment manufacturing. Health policy experts are anxious that the funding could be denied or delayed. If Congress fails to provide further funding, the Department of Health and Human Services might have to redirect funds intended for other purposes for COVID spending....

Forming the lower and back sides of the hip bone, the ischium is one of the three bones that make up the pelvis. It is located beneath the ilium and behind the pubis. The upper portion of the ischium forms a major part of the concave portion of the pelvis that forms the hip. As part of the hip joint, this bone plays a very important role in leg mobility, balance, standing up, and lifting tasks....

In individuals who have excessive daytime sleepiness, the maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) may be a useful diagnostic test to identify an inability to stay awake. What Is the MWT? The MWT is a test meant to objectively measure your ability to stay awake, which can infer how sleepy you are. The test may be used to assess your response to treatment of various sleep disorders, including sleep apnea or narcolepsy....

Breast issues can be stressful. A variety of conditions can arise in breasts, including mammary duct ectasia. Also called periductal ectasia or duct ectasia, this is a benign (noncancerous) breast condition in which the milk ducts become swollen and clogged. It’s most common in women who are nearing menopause (marking the time when menstrual periods have stopped for 12 straight months), though it can happen earlier or later, too. It often resolves on its own and does not increase the risk of breast cancer....

Self-soothing headache relief maneuvers, such as temple massages or applying a cold washcloth to the head, may help temporarily ease headache symptoms. This article discusses different types of self-pain-relieving maneuvers used to ease headache-related pain and other non-medication options. Self Pain-Relieving Maneuvers Self-pain-relieving maneuvers are self-soothing behaviors a person does to ease the pain in their body, like that of a headache. These are commonly used by people suffering from a tension headache or migraine....

Typically, you get the best results when you attempt the low-FODMAP diet—which has been shown to be particularly helpful in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—under the supervision of a qualified dietary professional. Since a dietitian or health coach can’t be by your side at all times, you may find that the Monash University FODMAP Diet App an essential go-to resource if you’re following this way of eating. The FODMAP Diet app was published and is maintained by researchers at Monash University in Australia, where the diet was originally formulated....

Orthovisc is a viscous (thick) solution of high molecular weight, highly purified sodium hyaluronate in physiological saline. Hyaluronan, which is found in the human body, lubricates the joints and acts as a shock absorber. With osteoarthritis, natural hyaluronan is compromised. Orthovisc is one of the hyaluronates used in a procedure known as viscosupplementation. Orthovisc is a non-animal sourced viscosupplement that is injected directly into the knee joint to restore the cushioning and lubricating properties of the normal joint fluid (i....

Osteitis pubis is inflammation of the pubic symphysis (the joint at the front of the pelvis) and the structures around it. This painful condition usually caused by injury or overuse. Because of this, osteitis pubis is a common cause of groin and pelvic pain in certain athletes. The pubic symphysis is a joint situated in front of and below the bladder. It holds the two sides of the pelvis together in the front....