A medulloblastoma is a type of brain cancer. Brain cancer is a tumor in the brain. In general, tumors in the brain can originate in the brain itself, or they can originate in a different location and metastasize (spread) to the brain. A medulloblastoma is one of the brain tumors that originates in the brain itself, in a region called the brainstem. Symptoms There are a variety of symptoms of medulloblastoma....
Patient compliance, sometimes called adherence, is how healthcare providers describe your ability to follow through on the care they recommend. It’s the part of the partnership that relies on you to treat an infection, manage a chronic illness, or meet your weight loss goals. What providers already know is that not everyone will visit the specialist to which they’ve been referred or have a pharmacist fill their prescription and take it as prescribed....
Many retail stores across the country, including Target, CVS and Walgreens are struggling to stock their shelves with tampons, affecting roughly 34 million people in the United States who use them. Key Takeaways Popular retailers and manufacturers including Procter & Gamble have acknowledged a tampon shortage in the United States. The shortage appears to be caused by supply chain and manufacturing issues, especially with materials like cotton and plastic, which were used in personal protective equipment and have been in high demand from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic....
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare disease that is caused by a problem with how blood cells are made. It’s one type of a larger group of rare conditions called porphyrias. Porphyrias can affect the skin and nervous system. The conditions develop when a gene mutation interrupts the chemical process that is responsible for creating blood cells. When the process is disrupted, a chemical that is meant to be used to create hemoglobin builds up in your blood and tissues....
What Is Androderm? Androderm (testosterone) is a prescription transdermal patch that is used to replace endogenous (caused by internal factors) testosterone in adult males 18 and older who have little to no existing levels of endogenous testosterone as a result of certain medical conditions, such as primary hypogonadism or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Androderm contains the ingredient testosterone, which is in a drug class called androgens. Androgens are also known as sex hormones....
Jaime Zuckerman, PsyD, is a Philadelphia-based licensed clinical psychologist in private practice who treats mood disorders, anxiety, adjustment to medical illness, and relationship difficulties. Dr. Zuckerman breaks down the concept of moral fatigue and how it’s manifesting during the pandemic. Never did the decision of going to the grocery store hold so much weight until 2020. For over a year most have weighed dozens of moral questions about masking, vaccines, and social distancing before making decisions from going to the market to visiting an elderly loved one....
Bipolar disorder is treated with a combination of prescription medication, psychotherapy, other therapeutic interventions, and lifestyle management. Treatment recommendations for this condition include maintenance treatment and acute interventions for episodes of mania and depression. At times, hospitalization may be necessary. Prescription Medications Bipolar disorder usually requires treatment with prescription medications. Prescriptions often include mood stabilizers and/or antipsychotics. Your healthcare provider would determine the best prescription therapies for you based on your most prominent symptoms, side effects, and how well the medications work for you....
Cerebral palsy is associated with a risk of early death, but most people who have been diagnosed with this condition have a normal or nearly normal life expectancy. Certain aspects of the condition can increase the likelihood of life-threatening complications. Children and adults who have cerebral palsy experience physical and/or cognitive impairment and possibly seizures due to abnormalities of brain development. The condition is usually congenital (present at birth), and it varies in the severity of the effects—depending on the extent of the abnormality of brain development....
The recent passing of Chadwick Boseman, the actor most popularly known for his role in “Black Panther,” left many people stunned by the news of his colon cancer diagnosis at such a young age. Boseman was 43. Key Takeaways On August 28, 2020 Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer at the age of 43. His death highlights the growing incidence of colorectal cancer among young people.Black people are disproportionately affected, and are often diagnosed at an earlier age and a later cancer stage....
Diabetes is an endocrine disorder, which means that it impacts many different systems in our body. One of the ways diabetes can affect the body is by overstimulating the sweat glands. Because of this, it’s harder to maintain a steady internal body temperature. Extreme fluctuations in blood sugar can also affect perspiration, leading to hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) or anhidrosis (lack of sweating). This article discusses the link between diabetes and sweating, how to manage this symptom, and when to call your healthcare provider....
Proper diabetes care can reduce the risk of complications. It’s important to pay attention to both physical needs and mental health when managing diabetes. Read on to learn more about 12 specific actions to stay healthy as you manage diabetes. Check Your Blood Sugar High blood sugar in diabetes contributes to a host of potential complications, so keeping your blood sugar controlled is essential. Checking blood sugar can be done in different ways, from lab tests drawn at your healthcare provider’s office to checking your blood sugar at home....
Diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involves several assessments, including blood work, pulse oximetry, pulmonary function tests, imaging tests, and others. Spirometry (a breathing test) is of particular use in the COPD diagnostic process, as it can both indicate the disease before symptoms occur and gauge progression of the condition. COPD may be suspected if you have persistent or recurrent breathing problems, especially (but not only) if you have a history of smoking or other risk factors....
Although rare, some women report gaining weight temporarily while on the birth control pill. This is because birth control can lead to the retention of fluids for a short period of time. Read more about birth control and its other risks and symptoms. Connection Between Birth Control and Weight Gain A variety of birth control methods exist to help sexually active individuals prevent pregnancy. The pill is one of the most convenient and commonly used contraceptive methods....
Electronystagmography (ENG) is a type of test that examines the function of brain nerves through visual movements of the eyes. It looks at specific nerves in the brain such as the vestibular nerve, oculomotor nerve, and trochlear and abducens nerves. It is commonly used to diagnose vertigo or other conditions that cause issues with balance. This article reviews the electronystagmography procedure and why it’s used. Purpose of Test People who experience any type of vestibular dysfunction, which involves the inner ear and parts of the brain, will typically have to undergo electronystagmography....
The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus. It plays an important role in women’s reproductive health. The uterine lining changes throughout the month, along with the menstrual cycle, in response to your body’s reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Sometimes, the endometrial lining is abnormally thick or thin, which can impact your ability to become pregnant and can cause irregular bleeding. Becoming familiar and understanding this changing organ in your body can help you take steps to ensuring that you have a healthy endometrial lining....
Burping a lot can be a sign of certain types of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, such as stomach, pancreatic, or esophageal cancer. In these cases, however, belching is typically accompanied by other symptoms such as pain and swelling. Excessive belching alone is not usually a sign of cancer. Read more about the tie-in between excessive belching and cancer, a well as diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. What Causes Excessive Belching? Belching, also known as burping, is your body’s way of expelling excess air from your upper digestive tract....
An adjuvant analgesic, or coanalgesic, is a medication that is not primarily designed to control pain but can be used for this purpose. Some examples of adjuvant drugs are antidepressants (which are typically used for mental health conditions) and anticonvulsants (used in the treatment of seizure disorders). You might be prescribed an adjuvant analgesic in addition to other pain medications or on its own. Adjuvant analgesics tend to be less effective for musculoskeletal pain such as back pain or joint pain....
There are three primary treatment goals for atrial fibrillation: reset the heart rhythm or control its rate, prevent blood clots, and decrease the risk of strokes. The rate-control approach is the default: it uses anticoagulants (blood thinners) and medications to control your heart rate. The rhythm-control approach attempts to restore and maintain a normal heart rhythm through electrical cardioversion, by using antiarrhythmic medications, or with invasive ablation techniques (see below)....
The common cold can last for about a week for most people. How long it lasts may depend on the virus causing it. A cold, also called an upper respiratory infection (URI), is not caused by a single virus. There are hundreds of different viruses that can cause cold symptoms. The most common is rhinovirus, but it can also be caused by respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza viruses, adenovirus, common human coronaviruses, and human metapneumovirus....
Children with autism can have a tough time managing their behavior. Even high-functioning children can “have a meltdown” in situations that would be only mildly challenging to a typical peer. Children with severe autism can get upset on a daily basis. Meltdowns can make it hard to participate in everyday activities or, in extreme cases, even leave the house. It is not always easy to calm a child with autism, but there are techniques that can help....
