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Halloween can be a spooky, even scary, holiday. For some people, it can feel especially frightening and overwhelming. A fear of Halloween, or samhainophobia, is a real phobia. It’s an intense and persistent fear of the holiday that can cause significant distress and lead someone to try to avoid triggers at all costs. While this fear is not specifically listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which mental health professionals use to diagnose disorders, it may meet the criteria for specific phobia in some people....

Fear of commitment, or gamophobia, is a phobia related to fears around making a commitment to a partner, being in a relationship, or marriage. Worldwide, young men express a higher incidence of this phobia than young women. Researchers suggest this is due in part to the fear of financial obligations and social responsibilities involved with commitment. Learn more about this phobia, its characteristics, and how to cope. Defining Fear of Commitment Fear of commitment can be experienced across different types of relationships, but gamophobia usually implies fear of intimate and romantic commitment....

What Is Glucotrol? Glucotrol (glipizide) is a pill taken by mouth to lower the high blood sugar levels associated with type 2 diabetes. The generic name for Glucotrol is glipizide, and the tablet is usually taken once a day. There are many classes of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes. Glipizide is in a class called sulfonylureas. Lowering your blood sugar requires insulin, which is produced by your pancreas. Sulfonylurea drugs like Glucotrol work by helping your pancreas release insulin into your blood after eating a meal....

Going soy-free means avoiding foods well-known to contain it, like soy sauce, soybeans, and tofu. But soy may also be found in a host of other foods that are far less obvious, such as processed foods, dairy substitutes, breaded foods, and cereals. Foods that contain soy don’t always have the word “soy” on the product label. This can make shopping or dining out difficult if you have a soy allergy or want to eliminate soy from your diet for other reasons....

Headaches are not uncommon after surgery. Many factors may contribute to this, such as the type of surgery, having a history of headaches, stress, and the type of anesthesia. Following surgery, headache pain can be stressful, exhausting, and make your recovery more complex. If you experience a postoperative headache, there may be options to help you find relief. This article explains why headaches occur after surgery, their symptoms and treatment, and how to prevent headaches from occurring....

Studies have shown that booster shots can help restore waning vaccine-induced immunity and provide protection against a range of COVID-19 variants. Key Takeaways The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.The Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines do provide protection against the virus strains circulating in the U.S. and are highly effective at reducing hospitalizations and deaths....

Both herpes simplex viruses (HSV) can cause sores. HSV type 1, which is normally transmitted through kissing or sharing objects like toothbrushes, normally causes sores on the mouth or tongue (cold sores). Sores from HSV type 2 are usually on the genital area, as this type of herpes is sexually transmitted. However, it’s possible no symptoms will occur with infection or that sores may come and go. Frequent Symptoms There are some similarities between the symptoms of HSV 1 and HSV 2, including:...

For someone diagnosed with sleep apnea, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) becomes a familiar acronym. It is an important metric used to gauge disease severity based on diagnostic testing as well as the ultimate response to therapy. The goal AHI in treatment may differ from the baseline scale used for diagnosis and it may be important to consider other outcomes. Review the definitions and terminology, how AHI is measured in testing and treatment, and how other considerations may be important to assess an individual’s response to interventions....

Moderna and Pfizer have finally shared some clinical trial data about their updated bivalent booster shots. But it doesn’t tell us a whole lot. Key Takeaways Moderna and Pfizer have released some preliminary human data about the efficacy of their updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters.The Omicron-targeting bivalent boosters appear to elicit a strong immune response, but it’s not yet clear just how durable the protection will be.The companies say they will share more data from clinical trials in the coming months....

Most of the foods you eat, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, are broken down and absorbed by your body. The exception is dietary fiber, sometimes called “roughage,” which passes through your body virtually untouched. When you have a thyroid condition, a diet that’s high in fiber can be particularly beneficial to you by helping with weight loss and easing chronic constipation, a common effect of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), or diarrhea, a common outcome of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)....

Malaria is a highly prevalent infection, affecting over 200 million people worldwide per year. However, its diagnosis can be delayed because: Its vague, flu-like symptoms may initially appear to be signs of a mild, self-limited viral infection for several days.The prolonged incubation period means that if you have had exposure to malaria through a mosquito bite, you would not experience symptoms for several weeks or months, often after exposure to a tropical climate and its mosquitos is forgotten....

Relief from IBS symptoms can be hard to come by. Frustrated by the lack of effective medications, many people who have IBS have turned to alternative forms of treatment. One such treatment that has shown promise is meditation. Researchers have actually conducted studies to see if a treatment protocol based on meditation can be of help to people who have IBS. The primary protocols that have received attention from researchers are those that are classified as mindfulness-based treatments, which include a meditative component....

Awards Press Mentions For press inquiries, email us at press@verywellhealth.com. To learn more about our brand and recent awards, please visit our about us page. Vaccine Sentiment Tracker Wins Honorable Mention in World Changing Ideas Fast Company Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Chief Medical Officer, Named Part of 2022 Pinnacle Awards PM360 Awards Honoree for Best Homepage Website and Mobile Sites Webby Awards Sara Michael, SVP & Group GM, Health Named 2022 Women of Distinction...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers for women, with approximately 1.3 million new cases diagnosed worldwide each year. Breast cancer can be divided into two overarching categories: Invasive (meaning it has spread) or non-invasive (localized). Luminal A is one of the four types of invasive breast cancer. Learn more about luminal A breast cancer, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and more. Types of Breast Cancer Breast cancer is generally considered non-invasive or invasive....

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed most aspects of our lives and has impacted how people receive care for their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For those who live with ulcerative colitis, postponing care is not an option because the condition needs regular management. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s business as usual. There might be some changes when caring for ulcerative colitis during the pandemic. Receiving Routine Ulcerative Colitis Care Keeping up with maintenance appointments for IBD can be challenging during the best of times....

The pancreas is a gland located deep inside the abdomen, just behind the lower part of the stomach. It has two important functions: secreting enzymes that aid in digestion and releasing hormones, in particular insulin, to help regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood). Anatomy The pancreas is an elongated gland located deep within the abdomen, tucked in between the stomach and the spine. One end of the pancreas is wider than the other and is called the head: It sits within the curve of the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and is divided into two parts: the head proper and the uncinate process....

Perimenopause is the period of time before menopause when the ovaries begin to make less estrogen. This is also when symptoms of menopause typically begin and your periods become more irregular than before. Your period may start earlier or later than normal or be lighter or heavier. Besides changes to your periods, perimenopause is also accompanied by symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. Period Changes During Perimenopause Perimenopause is the stage when your menstrual cycle begins to change....

Policosanol is a dietary supplement that some people take to lower cholesterol. The compound is mainly derived from sugar cane but can also be obtained from beeswax, cereal grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds. This article describes the potential health benefits of policosanol, including how it is taken and what possible side effects may occur. It also takes an unbiased look at whether policosanol can help lower cholesterol as some people claim....

Post herpetic neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that can occur as a complication of shingles. It starts immediately after an episode of shingles and it is characterized by persistent pain in the same location of the body that had been affected by shingles. Post herpetic neuralgia isn’t dangerous, but the pain can negativity affect your quality of life. The condition is diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and physical examination. While there is not a reliable way to predict whether you will progress to post herpetic neuralgia after shingles, having a weak immune system can predispose you to the chronic pain condition....

If you have been injured or ill or have a chronic disability, you may be having difficulty performing everyday activities. You may benefit from the skilled services of a rehabilitation team to help you recover fully. One important member of that rehab team is your recreational therapist. A recreational therapist is a healthcare professional who helps you maximize your physical and emotional health through recreational activities. Recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is not a game....