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In the U.S. one in 10 adults and one in 13 children have food allergies, and the numbers are only increasing. Dubbed “the Big Eight,” a group of plants including wheat, peanut, and soybean cause 90% of food allergies, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Key Takeaways To decrease the number of allergens in foods like wheat and peanuts, scientists are genetically modifying the genetic code that creates allergenic proteins....

Last week, President-elect Joe Biden took the stage in Delaware to address the nation. Millions of people were watching including Sarah Colero, a disabled activist. When Biden mentioned people with disabilities in his call to action, Colero burst into tears. “Disability is never mentioned. So when I heard disability, I started crying. I felt seen. I felt validated,” Colero tells Verywell. For some disabled people, it was the first time they had heard a president-elect include disability, especially in a victory speech....

Medicare does not cover everything, even when you think it will. Odds are you will face a coverage denial at some point in time. Understanding how the Medical appeals process works will not only save you time and frustration, it will also improve your chances of getting those services covered. The Medicare Summary Notice The Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) is a form you will receive quarterly (every three months) that lists all the Medicare services you received during that time, the amount that Medicare paid, and any non-covered charges, among other information....

Clinical trials are well underway for three COVID-19 vaccine candidates being funded by the United States. Moderna and AstraZeneca have begun human trials, and Johnson & Johnson plans to do so by the end of July. Key Takeaways Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a division of Johnson & Johnson, plans to begin human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine this month.The first clinical trial participants will be healthy adults.Moving to the next phase of clinical trials depends on both the results of this phase and the progression of the pandemic....

The latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction is a procedure that uses skin, fat, and muscle from the upper back (the flap) to rebuild the breast. It is one of several surgical options for breast reconstruction after cancer. This surgery typically is done after a mastectomy (surgical breast removal). It is often performed along with the insertion of breast implants. The procedure gets its name from the donor site of the latissimus dorsi, a large, triangle-shaped back muscle....

If you develop an itchy, red rash after wearing newly cleaned clothes, you might be allergic to an ingredient in your laundry detergent—even if it’s a brand you’ve used for years. Symptoms can affect specific parts of your body, like the armpits, or spread over all areas that come into contact with your clothes. Read more about laundry detergent allergies, their causes and symptoms, and how to prevent or treat this condition....

Everyone experiences loss of balance at some point in their lives. However, loss of balance that occurs frequently can be a sign of an underlying health condition. It can also be a side effect of medication. This article discusses symptoms associated with loss of balance, as well as potential causes and their treatment. Symptoms of Loss of Balance The most obvious symptom of loss of balance is falling, or feeling like you are about to fall....

Mania involves a significant shift between extreme highs and lows in a person’s mental and emotional state. These shifts can drastically affect functioning, impacting a person’s relationships and causing them to struggle at home, work, and school. Mania is most commonly associated with bipolar disorder, specifically bipolar I. Mania is characterized by a period of elevated mood or euphoria, racing thoughts, pressured speech, increased risk-taking, an inflated sense of self, and decreased need for sleep....

Melasma is a skin pigmentation disorder characterized by dark spots and patches on the face and other skin often exposed to the sun. While it can affect all people, people with darker skin have a significantly higher risk of developing this discoloration, and women represent up to 90% of cases. Though melasma doesn’t harm your health, its effects on your appearance can impact your self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. This article is part of Health Divide: Skin Conditions and Darker Skin, a destination in our Health Divide series....

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of digestive diseases that includes Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and indeterminate colitis. These diseases can develop in people from any racial background. However, there has been a lack of research and understanding of how IBD affects minority populations. When the different forms of IBD were originally defined many years ago, they were erroneously thought of as a disease that only affects White people, and specifically those of Jewish ancestry....

People with separation anxiety disorder feel intense fear and anxiety about being parted from the people that they are emotionally attached to, such as a parent or loved one, or from their home. The symptoms of separation anxiety disorder are disproportionate to a person’s developmental age and cause significant difficulty in their everyday life. To be diagnosed with the disorder, a mental health professional will evaluate a person’s symptoms against specific diagnostic criteria and rule out other mental health conditions that could explain the symptoms....

You are at an increased risk of developing sinusitis (sinus inflammation or infection) if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). And breathing problems of COPD can worsen when your sinuses are inflamed. Your healthcare provider can diagnose sinusitis with a physical examination and may give you instructions to help you recognize a recurrence. Medications can alleviate your sinusitis, and you may also need treatment to help mitigate the effects on your COPD....

A skin pigmentation disorder is a condition that affects the color of the skin. Some common types of skin pigmentation disorders include albinism, melasma, vitiligo, and pigment changes from skin damage. The pigment melanin gives skin its color. It is made by specialized skin cells called melanocytes. When melanocytes become damaged, skin color can be affected. It can affect one small area of the body or the entire body, depending on the cause and progression of the disorder....

Surgical scars are fairly common, and it is hard to predict how long they will last or whether they will cause symptoms. Most surgical scars fade over time, but some can last for a whole lifetime. Coping with your surgical scar involves addressing the emotional effects, using practical strategies to manage the physical consequences, and preparing for the social implications of your scar. Emotional The emotional aspects of having a surgical scar can range from feeling a sense of success that you survived surgery to feeling anger, shame, or sadness at the reminder of your surgery....

A grandfathered health plan is one that was already in effect as of March 23, 2010, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Grandfathered plans exist in the individual/family insurance market, which are insurance plans that people buy themselves, as well as the employer-sponsored market, which are plans that employers offer to their employees. This article will explain how grandfathered plans are regulated, how they differ from grandmothered plans, and what you should consider before renewing your grandfathered plan if you buy your own health coverage....

Smart insulin pens pair with technology to help make managing diabetes easier. They have many capabilities, including calculating insulin doses, sending alerts, managing insulin on board, setting helpful reminders, and creating detailed reports. This article will discuss smart insulin pens and how they can help you and your clinicians work together to manage your diabetes better. What Is Insulin? Insulin is a hormone made by the beta cells of the pancreas, and it has many functions....

When an allergy medication doesn’t work anymore—either as well as before or at all—it could be because your body is no longer reacting to the drug in the same way it once did or is clearing it too quickly for it to be effective. This is known as a drug tolerance. This can happen after months and years of use. People who have chronic allergy symptoms are more likely to find that their allergy medicine stops working at some point....

Testosterone is an androgen hormone produced by the adrenal cortex, the testes (in those assigned male at birth), and the ovaries (in those assigned female at birth). It is often considered the primary sex hormone associated with those assigned male at birth. Testosterone stimulates the development of secondary sex characteristics associated with males (like body hair and muscle growth) and is essential in the production of sperm. In those assigned female at birth, among other things, testosterone helps keep bones and the reproductive system healthy and contributes to the sex drive....

Most people will have experienced a foot blister—a small pocket of fluid beneath the skin of the foot—at some point in their life. Friction, or forceful rubbing, is the most common cause of blisters on the feet. This can be due to poor-fitting or loosely tied shoes rubbing against your skin. Damp feet—from sweat or other moisture—are also more likely to blister. You can typically feel a friction blister forming....

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting American women. The rate of new diagnoses of breast cancer in 2019 in the U.S. was 125.4 cases per 100,000 for Black women and 130.3 cases per 100,000 for non-Hispanic White women. Although they have a slightly lower rate of diagnosis, Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. This article is part of Breast Cancer and Black Women, a destination in our Health Divide series....