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Iron has many benefits and is one of the most important minerals for your body. Iron is needed for your body to produce hemoglobin, which helps red blood cells (RBCs) carry oxygen throughout the body, and myoglobin, which is a protein that helps provide oxygen to the cells in your muscles. While all human cells contain iron, it is mostly found in RBCs. Iron supplements play a vital role in treating anemia (low levels of healthy RBCs), particularly iron deficiency anemia (IDA)....

Eating plenty of olive oil, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables is a common pattern of eating among people living on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The so-called Mediterranean diet has become popular around the world and is not only delicious, but also offers health benefits like a lower risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and type 2 diabetes. Key Takeaways Research shows the Mediterranean diet is linked to many health benefits....

Among the complications of allergies and frequent allergy attacks is a line across the nose, also known as a transverse nasal crease or allergic crease. This dark and horizontal line arises due to the stress caused by repeatedly rubbing the nose and pushing it upward because of allergy symptoms. While the condition may resolve on its own, topical skin-lightening creams, and chemical peels are among the treatment options. If you have a dark line across your nose, allergies are likely to blame....

Rheumatoid arthritis needs to be managed daily. It can affect all aspects of someone’s life, including getting dressed, driving, doing housework, or other day-to-day activities. Though there are medical treatments to help manage RA symptoms, people with RA can also benefit from adopting lifestyle changes to help manage their condition. In this article, learn more about tips for living well with RA. Manage Stress Stress is a trigger for many chronic diseases, RA included....

Neck cancer is a group of relatively rare cancers in the United States. The most common cancers of the neck are those that develop in the mouth, the throat, and the voice box. These cancers develop when abnormal cells in the tissues grow out of control and then spread from one tissue to another. People with neck cancer may find a lump, nodule, or swelling in their neck; upon imaging, the healthcare provider will find a tumor....

Nipple delay is a surgical procedure done in preparation for a nipple-sparing mastectomy. It’s one of many nipple-sparing surgical techniques which can be done to preserve the nipple when the breast has to be removed due to cancer. To find out whether it’s safe for you to keep your nipple, your surgeon will perform a biopsy on tissue from beneath the nipple, to ensure no cancer cells remain behind in the breast....

Perimenopause, the transition period before menopause, is known for causing mood swings and depressive symptoms. There is a common misconception that when entering your menopausal years you should accept that it is normal to feel depressed. But serious depression should never be considered normal. If you experience depression at any point in your life you should seek out medical help with the same attention as you would other medical conditions....

If you have knee pain due to a meniscus tear, you may benefit from physical therapy to help you regain normal motion in your knee and improve your overall strength and mobility. Your physical therapist can show you what you need to do—and what you should avoid—to help you recover fully from a knee meniscus injury. Knee pain can get in the way of your everyday activities. It can make walking painful, and it may limit your ability to climb and descend stairs or rise up from a seated position....

A broken ankle can severely limit your ability to perform basic functional tasks like running and walking. This painful injury can cause loss of lower extremity strength, range of motion, and pain. These impairments can make performing your normal everyday activities difficult or impossible. You may benefit from physical therapy (PT) after a broken ankle to help you fully recover functional mobility and to return to your previous level of activity....

As if it is not hard enough to watch your spouse grow ill, to see your spouse lose the ability to function independently, or to have your spouse move away from you, you also have to think about whether doing what’s right for your husband or wife, i.e., putting them in a nursing home, will financially ruin you. Most seniors cannot afford nursing home care, not on their own. The average monthly cost for a shared room in 2020 was $7,756 per month or $93,075 per year....

Talking to your partner about psoriasis and sex can be difficult. Though psoriasis is a common autoimmune disorder that affects the skin, it is not just a cosmetic problem. Psoriasis can have emotional as well as physical impacts on all parts of your life. Managing psoriasis while trying to have a healthy sex life poses more challenges than just dealing with the disease. Experiencing feelings of embarrassment, low self-esteem, and the stigma of living with a visible skin-altering disease is common with psoriasis....

Sleep-related hypoventilation is breathing that is not sufficient during sleep. Breathing is either too shallow or too slow. Sleep-related hypoventilation is a category of disorders that have different underlying causes. Overall, these disorders lead to an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood. This can potentially cause symptoms that include poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and morning headaches. However, some patients with these disorders do not have any symptoms. Learn more about this group of disorders in this article....

Spinal cancer involves abnormal cell growth found in the tissues that make up the spine (including the spinal canal and the vertebrae), forming a malignant (cancerous) tumor. There are many types of spine tumors. Tumors that begin in the spine (including the bones, nerves, and other tissues) are called primary tumors. Spinal cancer may involve low-grade tumors that grow slowly or high-grade tumors that grow quickly. Most spine tumors are metastatic, meaning they have spread from cancer in a different part of the body....

Fiber is the part of plant foods that the body can’t fully digest or absorb. Instead, it helps move food through your digestive system. On average, most Americans only consume around 16 grams of fiber per day, which is about 10 grams less than the minimum recommended intake for most people. While not common, it’s possible to eat too much fiber, especially for people who eat plant-based diets such as vegetarian, vegan, or raw foods diets....

Unisom is an over-the-counter medication that’s generally considered safe in pregnancy. However, it’s always best to discuss the use and risks of any medication during pregnancy with your healthcare provider. Many people use Unisom during pregnancy to treat short-term insomnia on an as-needed basis. Unisom is also combined with vitamin B6 to treat morning sickness (mild nausea and vomiting). Learn about Unisom during pregnancy, including uses, considerations, side effects, and alternative treatment options....

Urinary incontinence is the sudden loss of bladder control. If you have had this experience, you know that it can cause personal distress as well as embarrassment. There are a number of causes of incontinence, including illnesses, previous surgeries, childbirth, infections, medications, and weight gain. Both men and women can experience incontinence. Most people don’t realize that incontinence is often treatable. The first step is talking to your healthcare provider, who can work with you to determine the cause....

To take full advantage of your Medicare Part D plan, you need to understand what it does and does not cover. Each plan will have unique features but all Part D plans run on the same fundamental principles. Learn how Part D plans decide what medications to offer. With this information in hand, you will be able to choose the plan that best meets your needs. Part D Formulary Any insurance plan that offers prescription drug coverage will have a formulary....

If you have high blood pressure, also called hypertension, you may wonder what the best time of day is to have it checked or to check it yourself. The answer depends on a few factors. Among them are whether you’re doing it at home or in the healthcare provider’s office, your schedule, and what’s most convenient for you. This article looks at why your blood pressure may change at different times of the day....

What Is Zymaxid? Zymaxid (gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution ) 0.5% is an eye drop used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis, an eye infection caused by bacteria. Conjunctivitis itself is the inflammation or infection of the conjunctiva. This is the clear membrane that covers the white part of your eye. Zymaxid belongs to a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. It works by inhibiting two important enzymes called DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. These are proteins that bacteria rely on to replicate and survive....

When they were first introduced in 2015, a new class of anti-cholesterol drugs—the PCSK9 inhibitors—created a lot of buzz in the press, and even in the cardiology community. The first FDA-approved PCSK9 inhibitors—Repatha (evolucumab) and Praluent (alirocumab)—were demonstrated to be extremely effective at reducing LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), and many experts were optimistic that these drugs would prove to be a great alternative for people who had difficulty taking or would rather not take statins....