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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that has been useful for decades in diagnosing problems of the brain, spine, joints, and other stationary organs. In recent years, thanks to newer techniques, MRI is also proving very useful in evaluating the organs that move—including the heart and major blood vessels. What Is MRI? MRI is an imaging technique that takes advantage of the fact that the nucleus of certain kinds of atoms (most typically, the single proton that forms the nucleus of a hydrogen atom) will vibrate, or “resonate,” when exposed to bursts of magnetic energy....

Researchers at the University of Alabama (UAB) have announced that an immunodeficient patient who received a single intravenous infusion of convalescent plasma has now recovered from a month’s-long battle with COVID-19. Key Takeaways Convalescent plasma has helped one immunodeficient patient recover from a lengthy battle with COVID-19. The patient’s physician attributes the recovery to the high virus-neutralizing antibody titer present in the donated plasma that the patient received.Researchers say that COVID-19 patients receive the most benefit when high-titer convalescent plasma is given early in the course of their illness....

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause sores to develop on or around the genital area, anus, lips, and mouth. These sores are known as chancres. Having intimate contact with a person who has these sores can lead to a syphilis infection. Learn more about the risk factors, prevention strategies, diagnosis, and treatment options for syphilis chancres. What Do Chancres Look Like? A chancre is a sore caused by syphilis....

Nutritional recommendations can play a role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management. Diet can keep you at a healthy body weight; being overweight can worsen breathing, while being underweight is a possible result of severe disease. Nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables are recommended, while highly processed foods or deep-fried and breaded items should be avoided. Benefits COPD is a lung disease that causes a number of symptoms, including dyspnea (shortness of breath) and fatigue due to airway inflammation and narrowing....

Echolalia is the precise repetition (echoing out loud) of words and sounds. Echolalia can be a symptom of aphasia, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and schizophrenia, but it is most often associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Echolalia is not always a self-calming tool for autistic kids, like rocking or hand-flapping tend to be (these repetitive behaviors are called stimming). Echolalia has its own patterns—it might even be how your autistic child first uses speech to try to communicate with you....

Adjusting your diet and exercising more are usually the first steps to controlling type 2 diabetes. If you still cannot maintain your target blood sugar, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication. Metformin is typically the first-line treatment. This article discusses metformin, its side effects, and alternative medications used if metformin isn’t an option. Why Is Metformin the First Choice? Metformin belongs to a class of medications known as biguanides. It works by controlling blood sugar levels by reducing how much sugar gets absorbed from the food you eat into your system....

Red blood cells transport oxygen throughout the body. When you have anemia, you don’t have a sufficient number of healthy red blood cells. When you have hemolytic anemia, red blood cells are destroyed faster than usual. Some cases of hemolytic anemia are chronic and slow, while others can be life-threatening. This article will cover the causes of hemolytic anemia in children and adults, symptoms, the three different types, and the most common treatment methods used....

Hepatitis D is a serious liver infection caused by a virus that is transmitted through blood or bodily fluids. It can only be contracted if a person has had the hepatitis B virus and is uncommon in the United States. Common symptoms of hepatitis D include fatigue, fever, nausea, pain in the upper abdomen, dark-colored urine, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). For most people, symptoms start to appear several weeks after they’ve been infected with the virus, but for others, there may not be any noticeable symptoms for months, years, or ever....

As you process your diagnosis, moving forward with treatment is crucial to optimizing your health and recovery. A person’s precise bladder cancer treatment plan will depend on a number of factors, especially the stage of cancer (how far it has spread) and the grade of cancer (how abnormal the cancer cells look). Surgery Let’s start by discussing the procedural options for bladder cancer treatment. Transurethral Resection Bladder Tumor (TURBT) The first step in treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer—meaning the tumor is contained within the bladder and has not penetrated its thick muscular layer—is a type of surgery called transurethral resection bladder tumor, or TURBT....

When cancer cells develop in the colon, it is called colon cancer; likewise, rectal cancer is when cancer cells develop in the rectum. Sometimes believed to be the same disease, there are distinct differences between the two diagnoses. This article will review the differences and similarities between rectal and colon cancer. Similarities Between Colon and Rectal Cancer Besides originating in the large intestine, here are characteristics that colon and rectal cancer have in common:...

White blood cells (WBCs) are the immune cells in your body. They circulate in your bloodstream and work as guardians to help protect you from viruses, bacteria, and other infectious organisms. Maintaining a normal level of healthy white blood cells can help reduce the risk of infection and is a key component of overall health. If you have a low WBC count, called leukopenia, you may be at an increased risk of developing infections....

In some states, the local Farm Bureau offers health plans to individuals or small groups as an alternative to Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant health coverage. The specifics of these plans vary across the states where they’re available, but they tend to be less expensive than ACA-compliant plans. In this article, we’ll explain how these plans work and the healthcare reform process that has led to their creation. Note that this article is about non-ACA-compliant health coverage that’s provided via Farm Bureau programs; some Farm Bureaus help their members enroll in ACA-compliant health plans through their state’s exchange, and others partner with a health insurance brokerage that helps members enroll in health plans available in their state....

Physicians use a variety of tests to monitor what’s happening inside the digestive tract of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using an endoscopy test to look inside the small or large intestine is the best way to find out, but scopes can only be done every so often and physicians need information more frequently than that. That’s where the fecal calprotectin test can be helpful because, unlike an endoscopy procedure, it is non-invasive but can give some information that might help in making treatment decisions....

Sleep apnea is a serious and common condition marked by pauses in breathing, or shallow breaths, while you sleep. Occurring up to five or more times per hour, breathing pauses may last 10 to 20 seconds or longer. Sleep apnea often disrupts sleep, resulting in poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. Obstructive Sleep vs Central Sleep In people with obstructive sleep apnea (the most common form of sleep apnea), airflow to the lungs is blocked because the airway has collapsed or is obstructed during sleep....

Paranoia is characterized by irrational and excessive feelings of persecution, mistrust, jealousy, threat, or self-importance. When a person is paranoid, they feel completely overwhelmed by their suspicions, despite any evidence that rationalizes these feelings. For example, they might be afraid they are being poisoned, that their partner is cheating on them, or that someone is watching them, even though they do not have any proof that these things are actually happening....

Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to smell odors that are not there. It’s a type of olfactory hallucination. The perceived odors may be constant or come and go. Phantosmia has several possible causes, including inflamed sinuses, an upper respiratory infection, a head injury, a brain tumor, medication side effects, and Parkinson’s disease. It may affect your quality of life as well. This article will provide an overview of phantosmia, including the causes and possible treatment options....

Phenylketonuria (fen-ul-keetone-YU-ree-ah, or PKU) is an inherited metabolic disorder in which the body cannot completely break down the protein (amino acid) phenylalanine. This happens because a necessary enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase, is deficient. Because of this, phenylalanine builds up in the body’s cells and causes nervous system damage. Phenylketonuria is a treatable disease that can easily be detected by a simple blood test. In the United States, all newborn babies are required to be tested for PKU disease as part of metabolic and genetic screening done on all newborns....

Phototherapy is a medical treatment in which natural or artificial light is used to improve a health condition. Treatment may involve fluorescent light bulbs, halogen lights, sunlight, or light emitting diodes (LEDs). Other names for phototherapy include light therapy and heliotherapy. Which type of therapy you need and how the light is used can vary depending on if the phototherapy is for eczema, psoriasis, or other health conditions. This article explains how light therapy is used to treat these conditions....

Having a new baby can bring many mental and physical changes. They may include the risk of developing postpartum psychosis. People with this mental disorder may have delusions, hallucinations, confusion, and changes in mood. Symptoms of postpartum psychosis can come on suddenly and usually start within two to four weeks of giving birth. Postpartum psychosis is more than just mild mood changes. It needs to be treated by a mental health professional....

Experts are zeroing in on what factors might make someone more likely to get a breakthrough COVID case. New research shows smoking weed may be one of them. Key Takeaways Researchers found that all substance use disorders increased the risk for breakthrough COVID-19.The risk was highest for those who used marijuana. Experts say this research highlights the importance of getting vaccinated, as well as tending to your existing health conditions amid the pandemic....