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Demyelinating diseases are those that lead to a loss of myelin, the sheaths of fatty tissue that surround and protect nerves so that they can send signals efficiently. A loss of myelin can cause neurological deficits, such as vision changes, weakness, altered sensation, and behavioral or cognitive (thinking) problems. Some demyelinating diseases affect the brain and/or spinal cord. Others affect the peripheral nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord....

Fear of men is an extreme, persistent fear of men. The presence or image of a male can stimulate this prolonged emotional response in some individuals. While fear of men is not a standalone phobia mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5), it is a type of specific phobia that can affect people of every gender. Specific phobias have their own DSM-5 categorization. Androphobia is the scientific name for fear of men....

If a special person on your gift list is living with multiple sclerosis (MS), you may wonder what you should and shouldn’t consider giving them. While any gift from the heart is generally appreciated, here are a few tips to optimize your chances of gift-giving success. Let’s start with the gifts you should avoid giving to those with MS. Anything That Makes Noise This one is a serious no-no for a person with MS who endures the daily challenges of cognitive dysfunction....

Living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires some lifestyle adjustments. New treatments have made it possible to avoid many of the complications of HCV, but you still need to avoid certain food and medications, and you may need to deal with the emotional, social, and financial impact of the illness. Emotional HCV results in an emotional and psychological burden and has been associated with depression. Your own anxiety about infecting other people can also add to your emotional burden of living with the infection....

Asthma can be described as allergic or non-allergic. Allergic (extrinsic) asthma is associated with immunoglobulin E (IgE)—an antibody generated by the immune system, in this case, in response to a normally harmless substance. In contrast, non-allergic (intrinsic) asthma episodes are not typically triggered by exposure to a substance and are not associated with IgE. IgE plays a key role in allergic responses, however it can sometimes be elevated for other reasons, such as chronic infections or inflammatory diseases....

In general, the effect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on fertility is unclear. Some studies have shown that men and women with IBD don’t have fertility rates that are much different from people who don’t have IBD. Other studies have shown that men with IBD may have some reduction in fertility, and this might particularly be the case for men with Crohn’s disease. IBD and Reduction of Fertility One aspect of IBD that is thought to be at the center of the reduction in fertility is not actually a physical problem but is instead from a voluntary decision not to have children....

Lead poisoning treatment involves both limiting your exposure to lead and reducing the amount in your blood. Without treatment, exposure to lead can lead to severe and sometimes irreversible medical problems. Once lead gets into the body, it gets deposited in bones, making it extremely difficult to remove. If lead levels in the blood are high, steps may be taken to prevent further exposure. If the levels are high enough to pose serious harm, a process known as chelation therapy can help clear the metal from the body....

On March 16, local health officials and interfaith leaders gathered at the Washington National Cathedral for a major COVID-19 vaccine event. To encourage vaccination among faith-based communities and in an effort to demystify the process, more than two dozen religious leaders of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths got vaccinated in public. Key Takeaways Faith leaders can boost vaccine confidence in their communities by getting vaccinated in public and participating in vaccine education campaigns....

There is nothing sweeter than silencing an obnoxious alarm by hitting the snooze button to enjoy a few extra minutes of sleep. But if you find yourself using the snooze button regularly—or even oversleeping—it may be time to re-think your sleeping habits. Hitting the snooze button and oversleeping actually go hand in hand, and could even be hurting your health. Learn how to stop hitting snooze and how to optimize your alarm clock setting to help you meet your sleep needs and avoid oversleeping....

Stable angina describes symptoms associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary artery disease is caused by atherosclerosis, a condition where fatty deposits called plaques build up inside your arteries. Stable angina symptoms are usually produced by stable, non-ruptured plaques. Stable plaques have a lower risk of rupturing or breaking free, which is an event that can lead to a heart attack. Because the plaque is not changing or is changing only gradually, it produces predictable symptoms....

Painful erections are never normal, and there are times when the pain may be a sign of a medical emergency. The pain may be severe and need immediate medical or occur sporadically but resolve once the penis is soft. An erection (“hard on”) occurs when two tube-shaped structures within the penis become engorged with blood due to sexual arousal or stimulation. The pain may be the result of a recent or prior injury, a blood circulation problem, drug use, or a neurological (nerve-related) issue....

A parietal lobe stroke is a type of stroke that occurs in the parietal lobe at the top of the middle area of the brain. The type and severity of parietal stroke symptoms are based largely on the location and size of the injury, but can include impairment of speech, thought, coordination, and movement. Like all strokes, a parietal lobe stroke involves either the rupture or blockage of a blood vessel in the brain....

When conservative therapies fail to provide relief for moderate to severe psoriasis, phototherapy may be prescribed. The treatment, also known as UV light therapy, involves exposing the skin to controlled amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation similar to that from the sun. Side effects tend to be mild. In addition to psoriasis, phototherapy may also be used to treat eczema, vitiligo, lichen planus, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Purpose It has been known for centuries that sunlight can improve many inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis....

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis is damage to the cartilage of a joint following an injury. osteoarthritis that develops following a joint injury. Most of us know that osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting 27 million adults in the US. Osteoarthritis is also the primary cause of lower extremity disability related to mobility in the United States. Reportedly, 12 percent of all symptomatic osteoarthritis cases, or about 5.6 million people with lower extremity osteoarthritis in the U....

A knee replacement surgery is performed to replace the worn-out cartilage of the knee joint. Knee replacement is an excellent procedure for severe knee arthritis. Unfortunately, complications can occur after a knee replacement, even when all goes well at the time of surgery. One possible complication of a knee replacement is stiffness after the surgery has been performed. People with a stiff knee after knee replacement may experience an inability to fully straighten the leg, to bend the knee, or both....

What if at every check-up, your doctor asked you about your mental health? A recent study of a healthcare system that screens for depression symptoms at regular check-ups found mixed results on whether it helps people get the treatment they need. Key Takeaways A recent study found that even when providers screened all patients for depression, people didn’t necessarily receive timely treatment.Almost a quarter of people who were diagnosed with depression didn’t receive treatment within a year....

Shingles can sometimes be confused with other skin conditions, including scabies. Scabies is a condition caused by an allergic reaction to the human itch mite. Like shingles, scabies causes a skin rash. However, shingles is vaccine-preventable and not contagious. It can also sometimes lead to more serious medical complications. Meanwhile, there is no vaccine for scabies, which is highly contagious. Learn more about shingles and scabies, including symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention....

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a type of congenital heart disease that affects about five of every 10,000 babies, accounting for about 10% of all congenital heart disease. The severity of TOF can vary, but it is always a significant problem that requires surgical treatment. What Is Tetralogy of Fallot? As originally described by Dr. Etienne-Louis Arthur Fallot in 1888, TOF consists of a combination of four distinct cardiac anatomic defects....

Turner syndrome is a genetic condition that causes certain physical characteristics, such as very short stature, infertility, and an increased risk of other medical problems. Turner syndrome only affects genetic females, not genetic males. It occurs in populations all over the world, and about one female in 2,500 is born with the syndrome. The condition was named for the American physician Henri Turner, who first described its symptoms in 1938....

Unresectable cancer is that which cannot be removed completely through surgery. This can be the case for a variety of reasons, including tumor size, stage, and location. Since surgery often offers the best chance of a cure for many tumors, this may be discouraging news to hear. However, with advances in cancer research, a tumor that was initially deemed inoperable may be able to be operated on after a period of treatment....