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Have you ever taken antibiotics for an infection, only to end up with severe diarrhea? It may not have been a bug or something you ate; it could have been a result of an adverse effect of an antibiotic. The good news is that, in most cases, diarrhea will clear up when the course of antibiotics is over and a regular diet is resumed. If it doesn’t, your healthcare provider may be able to prescribe treatment to get the bacteria in the digestive tract back in harmony....

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetic condition in which normal cardiac muscle becomes replaced with fibrous, fatty tissue, mainly in the right ventricle. It is one of the cardiac conditions associated with sudden death in young athletes. ARVC is uncommon, but not rare. It would be found in 1 out of every 2,000 to 5,000 adults if they were are evaluated for it. ARVC was formally known as arrhthmogenic right ventricular dysplasia....

There are several reasons that a person can have a stool that is black, with the most common being from a food or a supplement (such as Oreo cookies or iron pills). When a stool is black because there is blood in it, it is called melena. The black color is one sign that the blood is coming from somewhere high in the digestive tract, like the stomach. Blood that comes from lower in the digestive tract (such as in the colon or from hemorrhoids) may still appear red and cause bloody stools, blood on the stool, or blood on the toilet paper....

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday officially recommended a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 5–11. Key Takeaways The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends Pfizer booster shots for children ages 5 and older.Pediatricians say boosters are important to keep young children safe from the virus, but more children need to get their initial vaccine series. The recommendation follows a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to authorize a booster for young children earlier in the week....

Could your heartburn medication be contributing to your IBS symptoms? Researchers are looking at a possible relationship between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Since SIBO is thought to be the reason behind some cases of IBS, any relationship between the three is worth taking a look at. What Are PPIs? PPIs are medications that work by suppressing the secretion of stomach acid. They are prescribed for the treatment of various health conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and peptic ulcers....

Dystonia involves involuntary contraction of muscles that normally work in cooperation so that a body part is held in an unusual and often painful position as a result. Dystonia can affect any body part and can result in both embarrassment and the inability to perform daily activities. Fortunately, there are a number of different ways that dystonia can be improved. Physical and Occupational Therapy Seeing a physical or occupational therapist can help people with dystonia learn to work around their disorder, although it doesn’t directly treat the problem....

Diet and lifestyle are the primary treatment approaches for women with PCOS. Here are the 5 essential components of a healthy lifestyle for PCOS. Eat a Healthy Diet Sure, you know that a healthy diet is important for PCOS but what exactly does this entail? Women with PCOS have higher levels of inflammation which may be the part driving the hormone imbalance (higher testosterone, luteinizing hormone and insulin levels) in the first place....

Your gluteus medius muscles, located at the sides of your hips, help you walk, climb stairs, and get up from a chair. What is the Gluteus Medius Muscle? The gluteus medius is a fan-shaped muscle located on the side of your hip. This location positions the gluteus medius as a key muscle used to maintain your posture and the health of your back. The gluteus medius is a hip abductor muscle (moves the hip away from the center of your body)....

The hierarchy of needs is a theory developed by a famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, and initially published in 1943. This theory is based on the belief that human behavior is motivated by 5 groups of needs that need to be met in order—physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. This article discusses the hierarchy of needs, including how a person progresses through the hierarchy, and criticisms of Maslow’s theory....

Home healthcare workers are feeling unsupported and underprepared during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an original investigation published in JAMA Internal Medicine, they’re also feeling invisible. Key Takeaways Home healthcare workers feel they lack the equipment, support, and guidance necessary to treat patients during COVID-19.In spite of the risks, most home healthcare workers feel compelled to keep working with their patients. Healthcare agencies say it’s unfairly difficult to get protective equipment for employees who aren’t doctors or nurses....

The incidences of cancer in people living with HIV have long been an area of concern and the focus of increasing research by medical investigators. While the risk for such AIDS-defining cancers as Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have dropped sharply due to the advances in antiretroviral therapy, the incidences of other cancers have risen just as steeply. These non-AIDS-defining cancers are today considered the leading cause of death for HIV-infected people in the developed world, according to research from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study....

A laxative is any substance that affects the intestines in a way that brings about a bowel movement. For mild constipation, a natural laxative or a bulk-forming laxative might be helpful in promoting a bowel movement. Harsher medication laxatives may also work to alleviate constipation, but most physicians warn against using them on a regular basis because they can cause harm to the bowels. What Laxatives Are Very broadly, a laxative is any type of food, medication, or supplement that will cause a person to have a bowel movement....

Infectious mononucleosis (mono) is a contagious infection caused mainly by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Typically, the virus is spread through bodily fluids, especially saliva. Mono is most common in young adults and teenagers: It is estimated that at least one out of four teenagers and young adults who get infected with EBV will develop mono. Roughly 90% of Americans will have caught the virus by the time they turn 35 years old....

Treatment of synovial sarcoma includes surgery to remove the tumor, and often chemotherapy and/or radiation to treat the remaining cancer cells. Synovial sarcoma treatment also includes drug therapy. Specifically, doctors may use the drug pazopanib to treat the existing sarcoma. Additionally, doctors may also utilize immunotherapy to remove tumors. This article will detail the multiple ways doctors work to treat and remove synovial sarcoma. Surgery The primary treatment for synovial sarcoma is surgery to remove the tumor....

When your healthcare provider orders a variety of diagnostic medical tests, but you don’t understand the reasoning behind them, you might wonder if you really need all of those tests. When you go to the healthcare provider, your number one priority is your health. The vast majority of the time, your health is the number one objective of everyone on your medical team too. But, you might be concerned that your healthcare provider is ordering unnecessary tests that won’t benefit your health....

When something relatively minor like an eyelash or bit of dust is stuck in your eye, it can feel much bigger than it is. Make that foreign object something like a grain of sand or sawdust and the discomfort multiplies. The eye is an incredibly sensitive organ, so you’ll want to quickly remove any foreign object that finds its way in. But you also need to do so safely. Blink a few times to see if the culprit will come out on its own....

Internet gaming disorder, sometimes referred to as IGD, is an emerging diagnosis. The internet is an integral part of people’s lives worldwide for business, education, and leisure. However, for some, it has gone beyond typical use to what some people view as addictive behavior, especially in the realm of online gaming. As a result, IGD is being discussed progressively more often in research articles and studies as its understanding grows. Learn more about what is currently known about this disorder from this overview....

Many people fear the dangerous effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays on the skin, but few realize the danger imposed on their eyes. Whether from natural sunlight or artificial UV rays, UV radiation can damage the eye’s surface tissues as well as the cornea and lens. It can also burn the front surface of the eye, much like a sunburn on the skin. Just as we protect our skin with sunscreen, we should also remember to protect our eyes and vision with appropriate sunglasses....

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) are procedures done to sample the cells in lymph nodes so they can be examined for the presence of cancer. Often used to evaluate breast cancer, this may be done during breast surgery or as a separate procedure. Cancer cells in the lymph nodes near your breast and arm have the potential to spread (metastasize) to other areas of your body, increasing your risk of metastatic breast cancer....

If you suffer from bad dreams and nightmares, you no doubt wonder how to diagnose their cause and what nightmare treatments may be available. Nightmares are not considered a disorder needing treatment unless they are recurrent and cause significant distress or difficulty getting back to sleep, resulting in insomnia. Fortunately, there are effective treatment options available, including medications and therapy. Learn about some of the best options. Potential Causes If nightmares do become problematic, the first step is to identify and eliminate any of the potential causes, including:...