Posts

Diabetic retinopathy is a progressive eye disease that can lead to vision loss. It is a complication of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy affects the blood vessels of the light-sensitive retinal tissue of the eye. This condition may or may not have signs. It depends on which of the four stages of the disease you are in. This article will highlight the symptoms that occur at each of the stages, from mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, It will also discuss what your options are at each stage....

Ear tubes, which are also called ventilation tubes or tympanostomy tubes, are tiny synthetic tubes that are surgically placed in the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These tubes are used to treat chronic middle ear infections or fluid in the ear. They help free the ear of fluid and lessen the chances of getting ear infections. However, even with ear tubes in place, infections still may occur. This article will discuss how ear infections can be treated when ear tubes are in place....

Biologic drugs are genetically engineered proteins that target the parts of the immune system that promote inflammatory processes. They act like natural proteins in your immune system and are considered aggressive treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They are often prescribed to people with moderate to severe RA who have not improved using traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Biologics are either taken alone or with other RA medications. In this article, we will discuss what RA is, available biologic treatments for RA, what to expect from these drugs, how to get started, and other considerations, like when you can expect to see improvement, costs, and more....

Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is the average number of years that a person can expect to live in full health—that is, not hampered by disabling illnesses or injuries. Commonly referred to as healthy life expectancy (HLE), it is a measurement used by the World Health Organization (WHO) in assessing the health and well-being of a country. Not to be confused with lifespan (the maximum amount of years a species can live—currently over 120 for humans) or life expectancy (the average length of life for a population), HALE takes into account years lived in less-than-full health due to disease or injury....

Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome depends on the type and duration of symptoms. It usually will begin with conservative treatments using a wrist splint and you may get a corticosteroid injection to reduce the inflammation. If this does not provide relief or if your symptoms are severe, carpal tunnel release surgery is an option. Over-the-Counter Therapies Wearing a splint or brace at night is usually the first form of treatment. You can find wrist splints at the drugstore in a variety of sizes....

Skin cancer can be deadly, but the survival rates for most cases are good when the disease is detected and treated early. The type of skin cancer matters, though. Some, especially melanoma, are more aggressive than others. Data to determine survival rates comes from the SEER database, which is maintained by the National Cancer Institute. Cancers are grouped together as localized, regional, or distant: Localized means the cancer has not spread from the skin where it began....

Diarrhea is a common condition characterized by extremely loose stools. It’s hardly a pleasant experience but as a health issue, it usually isn’t serious. Diarrhea can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection or could be symptomatic of more serious diseases or conditions. Most of the time, diarrhea goes away on its own after a few days, usually without any treatment. However, in some cases, treatment might be used to slow diarrhea down....

You can’t know for sure if your stomach pain is due to something serious or not without an evaluation, but there are some signs that indicate you need urgent medical attention. For example, if your abdomen is sensitive to touch or your pain is accompanied by high fever, persistent vomiting, or chest pain, you need to go to the hospital. Certain individuals, such as pregnant people and those who have had recent abdominal surgery, should also consider their stomach pain potentially serious....

Chemotherapy and radiation can cause mouth sores (mucositis). Caphosol is sometimes recommended as a mouth rinse during chemotherapy for cancers such as breast cancer or radiation therapy for cancers around the head and neck. Caphosol is a calcium phosphate solution that resembles saliva. It works by lubricating your oral tissues (mucosa) and soaking into any mouth sores, reducing inflammation and encouraging healing. While recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of Caphosol in alleviating the discomfort of mouth sores relative to other treatment options, many patients and oncologists believe it offers some relief....

Eczema is characterized by periods of intense symptoms (known as flare-ups), and periods of lesser or no symptoms (called remission). Eczema flares can last for two weeks or more, depending on what’s causing the flare. Identifying the cause of the flare and treating it promptly can help get you to remission more quickly. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for eczema, but its symptoms can be managed. This article will explain how long eczema lasts, its flares and remission, and how some people outgrow eczema....

While Ashlee Wisdom, MPH, founder and CEO of Health In Her HUE (HIHH), was a master’s of public health student at New York University, she noticed that Black women and women of color didn’t have access to health information she was reading daily from academic journals. Key Takeaways Health In Her Hue is a digital platform that connects Black women and women of color to culturally competent healthcare providers, health content, and community....

When you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you’ll need to find the right care team. Ideally, you’ll want a team of clinicians who will manage your medical care over the course of the next few years. This team should be headed by a neurologist with expertise in treating Parkinson’s patients. While you can always change members of the team, putting some amount of thought and planning into assembling the initial team will pay dividends for you down the road if that team can rapidly and effectively address your early symptoms and needs....

Involuntary movements refer to body movements outside of your control. These movements may be mild, such as a slight eye twitch, or quite pronounced and affect movements of the arms, trunk, or neck. Involuntary movements may be caused by chronic conditions, nerve damage, drug reactions, or brain injury. Involuntary movements may be reversible, such as ones caused by a medication side effect, or permanent. Working with a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in brain disorders, will help you determine what is causing your involuntary movements, as well as how to treat them....

Severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered a developmental disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In these cases, the attention, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity challenges ADHD causes make it difficult for someone to do daily activities and function effectively in a school or work environment. This legal context aside, not everyone personally defines ADHD as a disability, which can sometimes make the association of these terms contentious. This article discusses ADHD as a potential disability, how to get diagnosed, benefits that a person with this condition could qualify for, and accommodations that are available in the workplace....

Maybe you feel that you lack a sense of purpose in your life. Perhaps joy and other simple pleasures have lost the meaning they once had. You might even say that you’re just feeling kind of “blah.” Key Takeaways “Languishing” describes low mental well-being in the absence of a diagnosable mental health condition.It can be hard to identify. But experts say that languishing could be a risk factor for mental health conditions like major depression later in life....

What Is Lynparza? Lynparza (olaparib) is an oral medication used to treat certain types of cancer in the ovaries, breast, prostate, or pancreas. It is in a class of medications called poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, also known as PARP inhibitors. PARP is an enzyme that repairs DNA damage in cells. Blocking PARP from working in cancer cells prevents the enzymes from repairing the DNA, which causes the cancer cells to die....

Melasma is a common skin condition that causes light- to dark-brown patches and/or freckle-like spots on the skin, especially the face. In people with darker skin tones, melasma may appear blue-gray. When it develops on the skin above the upper lip, it is known as a “melasma mustache.” Melasma is much more common in women, though men can get it, too. Learn more about melasma mustache causes, diagnosis, and treatments....

Perimenopause is the transitional period a person goes through prior to reaching menopause (when a person’s menstrual cycle has stopped for a period of 12 months). During perimenopause, the female sex hormone estrogen often rises before falling dramatically as a person gets closer to menopause. Typically, perimenopause begins around age 45 and can last between two and 10 years. Many people experience a variety of different symptoms during this transitional period, one of which is cramping....

A swollen face and hands in the mornings is a common symptom of fibromyalgia. When you have fibromyalgia, you may also experience other morning symptoms like exhaustion, stiffness, and aches. Not everyone with fibromyalgia has these morning symptoms, but they’re common. This is one of those areas medical research hasn’t yet explained. They also don’t know a lot about how to relieve these symptoms, other than what can be learned through trial and error....

Hepatitis B (HBV) is a virus that causes inflammation and damage to the liver. It is transmitted through exposure to infected body fluids or from mother to baby during birth. HBV usually spreads through blood, semen, or vaginal discharge. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is through the vaccine. Hepatitis B can be acute or chronic. “Acute” means a sudden onset that occurs within six months of exposure. Some people recover from an acute infection on their own or through treatment....