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The hands and fingers are one of the main areas affected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in painful, inflamed joints, deformity of the fingers, and loss of hand function. Exercises for your hands and fingers can help prevent arthritis-related deformity and improve use of your hands by maintaining good integrity and functionality of your hand and finger joints. Hand Anatomy Each hand is composed of 27 different bones. These include the eight carpal bones at the bottom of the hand closest to the wrist, the five long metacarpal bones that make up the palm of the hand and connect to the carpal bones, and the remaining 14 phalange bones that make up the fingers....

Harlequin ichthyosis is a rare genetic disorder that affects the skin. It causes thick plates of skin with deep cracks between the plates. Harlequin ichthyosis affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. In the past, infants born with harlequin ichthyosis did not survive the newborn period, but treatment options have improved. Now with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care, it is possible to live into childhood or adulthood....

If you want to retire before age 65 or find yourself forced to retire due to health issues, downsizing, or family circumstances, what will you do for health insurance until you’re eligible for Medicare? This article will explain your options and what you need to know about maintaining health coverage until you can transition to Medicare. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made health insurance coverage when retiring before age 65 a much less challenging situation....

Immigrating to the United States at a young age and navigating what it means to be a queer Korean American wasn’t easy for S.H. Moon, PsyD. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, Verywell spoke to three AAPI therapists about their work. They stressed the importance of AAPI representation in their field and that normalizing mental health care is crucial for Asian and Asian American communities....

Acid reflux is the upward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic medical condition with frequent acid reflux. It’s estimated that up to 20% of the U.S. population has GERD. Acid reflux and GERD are common problems that interfere with everyday life and may also interrupt sleep. Continue reading to learn how to manage GERD symptoms to prevent heartburn, improve sleep, and avoid choking on acid reflux at night....

There are two different types of tests used to screen for tuberculosis (TB)—a skin test using the Mantoux technique and a blood test interferon-gamma release assay. A positive test means that you have been infected with the TB bacteria. You can have a positive test even if you don’t have an active and contagious form of the disease; this is called latent TB. If you’re positive, your healthcare provider will pursue additional testing, including a chest X-ray and sputum culture to find out whether you have active TB—which makes you sick and is contagious to others....

The nasal valve is the narrow area in the nasal cavity through which air passes. It refers to the opening from the middle to the bottom of the nose. When this passage becomes blocked, it’s a condition known as nasal valve collapse. The nasal valve is the narrowest part of the nasal airway, and there’s naturally a great deal of airflow resistance. If any weakness or further narrowing of the nasal valve occurs, it can block airflow and cause shortness of breath....

Each year, about 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the United States. Worldwide, more than 10 million people are living with PD. It’s one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, and about 4% of people with PD are diagnosed before 50. This article describes the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease, the age of people affected by it, their life expectancy, and more. Parkinson’s Disease Overview Parkinson’s disease causes problems with movement, and it also causes non-motor symptoms, usually in the later stages of the disease....

A pneumonectomy is a type of lung cancer surgery in which an entire lung is removed. Typically, a pneumonectomy is only recommended when a less-invasive procedure cannot remove the entire tumor. Occasionally, this surgery may also be performed to treat other conditions such as tuberculosis, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or trauma that interrupts major blood vessels near the lungs. While a pneumonectomy is a major surgical procedure, you can still live a full, active life with one lung by making lifestyle adjustments....

Essentially, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is when a doctor provides a patient with a prescription for medication (often an oral barbiturate, which is a sedative) and gives information on what a lethal dose would be with the understanding that the patient possibly intends to use those pills to end their life. By learning about the motivations or the reasons behind why a person may seek out assistance with dying, you can hopefully get a better sense of the tremendous emotional, ethical, moral, and legal issues surrounding this deeply controversial practice....

Road rash is the common term used for a skin abrasion—an area on the body where the skin has been scraped off. The injury is most likely to occur in outdoor activities performed on tarred surfaces, like skateboarding. With road rash, the affected area usually looks raw and may bleed a little. The injury can be very painful but typically heals in a couple of weeks with at-home treatment. However, if the injury is deep and has caused damage to the nerve cells, medical attention may be necessary....

Service dogs are dogs trained to help people with disabilities perform tasks. Most people think of service dogs in relation to physical disabilities, but service dogs also help people with mental health conditions, including depression. Read on to learn more about psychiatric service dogs for depression. Qualifications According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are defined as an animal that is “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability....

Sex after menopause can be just as satisfying as sex before menopause. However, the hormonal and physical changes associated with menopause may require some adjustment. Reductions in estrogen and testosterone may affect spontaneous arousal and physical sensitivity for some people. These changes may be troubling for some but freeing for others. Fortunately, if you want to have sex after menopause, there are ways to make it work for you. This article will discuss the causes and effects of menopausal changes on sexual function, as well as ways to address them and when to talk to your doctor....

A sinus lift (also called a maxillary sinus augmentation or sinus floor elevation) is a surgical procedure done to prepare for dental implants. To understand how a sinus lift works, you must know a little about the anatomy of the sinuses. The sinuses are empty, air-filled spaces in the skull that have several functions, including reducing the weight of the skull. There are four pairs of sinuses. The largest are the maxillary sinuses, located under your eyes and next to each side of the nose....

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people worried that playing and competing in sports could lead to an increase in cases and more spread of the virus. This led to cancellations of sporting practices and events, impacting all athletes mainly on the collegiate and professional levels. Key Takeaways Participation in collegiate athletics was not connected to higher COVID-19 test positivity in the 2020-21 academic year. Mitigation measures like frequent testing, masking, and social distancing played a role in lower test positivity rates in athletes versus non-athletes....

Thyroid disease refers to a wide range of conditions that affect the thyroid, a tiny, butterfly-shaped organ located in the front of your neck. This gland produces hormones that regulate your metabolism. Having a thyroid disease means your thyroid gland is generating too many (hyperthyroidism) or too few hormones (hypothyroidism). Thyroid disease is a chronic condition, which requires ongoing management and follow-up with your medical providers. Telehealth is a convenient and safe option for anyone seeking care for thyroid disease....

The skeleton is the body’s frame. It provides the foundation to which other structures cling and helps to create our shape. All 206 of the bones of the skeleton can be categorized into four types: long, short, flat, and irregular. Each type of bone serves a particular purpose and some types have more than one function. Long Bones The skeleton of the arms and legs are made up of mostly long bones....

An endocervical curettage is a procedure performed after abnormal results from a Pap test. A sample of tissue is taken from the lining of the cervical canal, using a curette, a spoon-shaped tool. The tissue sample is taken to a lab to be checked under a microscope to determine if there is any indication of disease. This article discusses why you may need an endocervical curettage, the procedure, risks, and how to interpret the results....

If you or your loved one is in the hospital, you may be struggling to make sense of all the acronyms that represent the different floors and units of the institution. The following acronyms are frequently used in hospitals to describe where the patient is receiving care before, during, and after surgery. They may vary somewhat between facilities but these are fairly standard in the United States. CCU The coronary/cardiac care unit (CCU) is a specialized intensive care unit for cardiac issues....

Vascular surgery entails going around a blocked or narrowed artery in order to restore blood flow to an organ (e.g., the heart or brain) or an extremity (most commonly, a leg). To create an alternative path for blood flow, a surgeon uses a natural or synthetic graft to connect a healthy artery to the narrowed artery beyond the blocked point. While there are different types of vascular bypass graft surgeries that can be done depending on the location of the blockage, they are generally all major surgeries that require an extensive recovery process....