Posts

Somatic therapy is a type of therapy that connects the mind and body through touch or movement. It is used to help process trauma that is stored in the body. Types of somatic therapy include somatic experiencing, the Hakomi Method, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Read on to learn more about the benefits, techniques, and what to expect with somatic therapy. Core Principles Traditional talk therapy focuses on cognitive or thinking skills, known as the top-down method....

Glasses for macular degeneration can help people with this type of vision loss see more clearly. People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may benefit from special lenses such as yellow-tinted or prismatic lenses. These special lenses can help improve your ability to see contrast or change the angle of light to avoid the problem areas in your eyes. This article looks at some of the special glasses designed for people with age-related macular degeneration, and how they may be able to help improve your eyesight....

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a mini-stroke, is a temporary loss of normal neurological function caused by a brief interruption of blood flow to part of the brain. The symptoms of a TIA require immediate medical attention and are the same as those of a stroke. They may include weakness or numbness in the face, hand, arm, or leg, vision changes, and/or slurred speech, to name a few....

Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic disease for which there is currently no known cure. The primary sign of ulcerative colitis is inflammation of the colon and rectum, which causes a variety of symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract, including pain and bloody stool. Lifestyle modifications may help, as can medications such as anti-inflammatories and antidiarrheals. The disease can sometimes result in complications that affect other parts of the body, including the joints, skin, and eyes....

Amyloidosis is a family of disorders in which abnormal proteins, called amyloid proteins, are deposited in various tissues in the body. These amyloid deposits can seriously disrupt the normal functioning of the body’s organs. In cardiac amyloidosis, these amyloid proteins are deposited in the heart muscle. The amyloid deposits make the muscular walls of the heart stiff, which produces both diastolic dysfunction and systolic dysfunction. With diastolic dysfunction, the heart is unable to relax normally in between heart beats, so it fills with blood less efficiently....

Squirting is when a mix of urine and secretions is ejected during an orgasm in a person with a vulva. Sometimes called “female ejaculation,” many researchers now believe squirting is distinct (though there is some controversy about that). While some may experience squirting, others may not. Those who do may squirt regularly or only sometimes. This article looks at how squirting and female ejaculation are believed to be different, how squirting happens, what it feels like, and how to do it....

The average age of diagnosis of lung cancer in the United States is 70 years old. Most cases of lung cancer are diagnosed when people are older and when the cancer is at a more advanced stage. According to data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 35% of new lung cancer cases are diagnosed in people between the ages of 65 and 74. The median (middle point) age at diagnosis is 71....

Having a baby comes with its fair share of stress. And more than a hundred million babies have been born around the world since COVID-19 was first declared a pandemic. So researchers wanted to know: How are pregnant and postpartum individuals fairing mentally during this stressful time? Key Takeaways A global study found that pregnant and postpartum women reported higher rates of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and loneliness than the general public in the early stages of the pandemic....

Type 2 diabetes often affects middle-aged adults, but it can occur at any time in your life. Lack of physical activity, genetics, and being overweight can increase your risk of diabetes. However, if you are at risk for the disease, you can help prevent or delay its onset by increasing your activity level and following a balanced diet. This article discusses foods to incorporate into your diet to help stabilize your blood sugar (glucose) if you are at risk for diabetes....

Autism is not caused by malnutrition or food-related challenges, but, for many people, there is a connection between autism and food. Research suggests that food-related challenges have a significant impact on many people who are diagnosed on the autism spectrum. According to one study, “children with ASD exhibited more food refusal than typically developing children (41.7% vs. 18.9% of foods offered).” Another study concurs: “… children with autism have significantly more feeding problems and eat a significantly narrower range of foods than children without autism....

Most people diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) will get that diagnosis before age 45. For most, AS symptoms start between ages 20 and 40, but symptoms can even start in childhood or the teen years. AS is rarely diagnosed after age 45. AS causes inflammation of the ligaments and joints of the spine, which leads to its early symptoms. It might cause inflammation of the sacroiliac (SI) joints that link the pelvis to the spine....

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disease that can cause bones in the spine to fuse. Fusing causes the spine to be less flexible and can eventually lead to spinal stenosis in which the spaces in the spine narrow and compress the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots. AS is characterized by chronic inflammation in vertebral joints of the spine and the entheses, the places where tendons and ligaments attach to bone....

Baqsimi (glucagon nasal powder) is a medication inhaled into a nostril that is used to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Baqsimi was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 24, 2019, and is the first form of glucagon that can be used in a hypoglycemic emergency without the need for an injection. Side effects of Baqsimi, mainly affecting the eyes and nose, tend to be mild....

Some people who menstruate have noticed they feel tired when taking hormonal contraceptives like the birth control pill. Fatigue and menstruation are in fact linked, but it’s more complicated than simple cause and effect. Read on to learn more about how hormones, menstruation, and birth control can affect sleep and tiredness. What the Research Shows There is conflicting research on how hormonal contraceptives affect sleep and fatigue. A 2020 study found that people who used hormonal contraceptives had subjectively worse sleep and more self-reported sleep problems, including insomnia and daytime sleepiness, than those not using it....

Central hypothyroidism (CeH) is a rare disorder characterized by deficient thyroid hormone production caused by abnormal function of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, or both. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are at the center of thyroid hormone control. The hypothalamus releases ​​thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which triggers the pituitary gland to release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then stimulates the thyroid to produce and release two major hormones: Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) into the bloodstream....

People with cancer are often concerned with what chemotherapy side effects are going to occur during their treatment. They often hear about how terrible chemotherapy side effects are and how sick you can feel. What many people don’t realize is that these days, many people do not suffer as many side effects. Medications can prevent some of the more unpleasant complications. How your medication affects you depends on many factors, such as how aggressive treatment is, overall general health, and what type of cancer....

What Is Colestid? Colestid contains the active drug colestipol, which belongs to the class of medications called bile acid sequestrants. It is used along with dietary changes to reduce the amount of fatty substances such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, considered “bad” cholesterol, in people with high cholesterol. Colestipol works by binding bile acids in the intestines to prevent their absorption from the small intestine. This causes the liver to convert cholesterol into bile acid, lowering cholesterol levels in the body....

Knowing the symptoms of colon cancer so it can be caught early, when it’s most treatable. These symptoms can include cramping, belly pain, dark or bright red blood in your stool, or a change in your stool frequency, like persistent diarrhea or constipation. Whole-body symptoms, such as unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, or unusual tiredness, may also occur in those with colon cancer. Iron deficiency anemia and jaundice, which are complications of colon cancer, can also develop....

Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often challenging since the disease can dramatically impact your daily life. A diagnosis of COPD may lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. As the disease progresses, physical activity or social interaction might become more difficult. Despite all of this, you can improve your quality of your life with COPD. By implementing lifestyle changes and learning ways to cope, you can slow the progression of the disease and continue to live—one day at a time—to the fullest extent possible....

In 2002, the U.S. Congress developed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to address concerns regarding public education. Over the years, problems with the NCLB emerged. One of the most common issues was its heavy reliance on test scores to measure success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the law that replaced the NCLB in 2015. Its purpose is to provide high-quality education to all students. The ESSA shifted decision-making from a federal to a state level....