Posts

Lemon juice is widely touted as an all-natural, simple, and inexpensive treatment for acne and acne scars. But does it really work? Before you start using lemon on your skin, let’s take a look at what the science says. Does Lemon Juice Clear Acne? Lemon juice has traditionally been used as an acne treatment in herbal-based medicine. And plenty of beauty blogs, magazines, and nature-inspired DIY skincare recipes today continue to extol the benefits of lemon juice for acne and acne scars....

What Is Chantix? Chantix (varenicline) is a prescription medication used to aid smoking cessation (the process of quitting smoking) in adults. When used with lifestyle and behavioral modifications, Chantix can help you stop smoking. The maker of Chantix voluntarily recalled this product in September 2021 after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found unacceptable levels of nitrosamines in this medication. Nitrosamines are organic compounds that have the potential to increase the risk of cancer if ingested over a long time....

About to lose your employer-based health insurance? Considering COBRA, (which stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), but not sure which is better, COBRA or Obamacare? (Obamacare is just another name for the Affordable Care Act or ACA.) The answer depends on your situation, but this article explains how COBRA and Obamacare compare, and what you need to keep in mind when you’re making the decision. Same Health Plan vs. Different Health Plan If you’re enrolled in a health plan offered by an employer and you’re going to be losing that coverage, COBRA is available if the employer has at least 20 employees and is either a private business or a state or local government (COBRA doesn’t apply to plans offered by the federal government or by churches)....

Diabetes can adversely impact the filtering system of the kidneys and lead to diabetic nephropathy. In this condition, the kidneys no longer efficiently remove waste products and toxic levels of residue can build up in the body. This can result in serious health problems, including kidney failure, and if left untreated could eventually be life-threatening. If you have diabetes, it is important to know how to avoid this condition. What Is the Function of the Kidneys?...

What Is Famciclovir? Famciclovir is one of several types of antiviral drugs used to treat various types of herpes infections in adults. The oral medication works by blocking the replication of the virus at the DNA level. Famciclovir doesn’t “cure” herpes in the way that antibiotics kill bacterial infections. Still, it can quickly control the infection, speeding healing and reducing the risk of passing the virus to others. Famciclovir can be taken daily at a low dose for people with recurrent infections to reduce the frequency and duration of outbreaks....

Xenophobia is a persistent, intense fear of strangers. A fear of strangers is a specific phobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). A specific phobia is a marked, ongoing fear of a particular object, environment, activity, or situation. Though xenophobia can sometimes refer to hostility toward people from other cultures or backgrounds, this article will only discuss the specific phobia related to a fear of strangers....

What Is Glumetza? Glumetza is a brand of metformin hydrochloride (another is Glucophage). Glumetza comes in an extended-release oral tablet and is used to treat high blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. Glumetza is a prescription-only medicine that belongs to the biguanide medication class. It treats type 2 diabetes by decreasing glucose (sugar) production in your liver, decreasing absorption of glucose in your intestines, and improving insulin sensitivity by increasing your body’s uptake and use of glucose....

Hectorol (doxercalciferol) is a man-made vitamin D analog used to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in adult patients with chronic kidney disease. It works by being metabolized into the active form of vitamin D, which helps regulate parathyroid hormone, calcium, and phosphorus levels within your bloodstream. Hectorol can be given by mouth as a capsule or intravenously (through your vein) as an injection. Uses To understand how Hectorol works, you have to understand what secondary hyperparathyroidism is, and its relationship to chronic kidney disease....

Billions of dollars a year are spent to build healthcare facilities in the United States. Considering how much money is poured into constructing hospitals, little is known about how hospital room designs affect patient outcomes. Key Takeaways Researchers have found that a patient’s hospital room might affect their outcomes after surgery. For example, having a window in their room was associated with a faster recovery after surgery.The study also found that patients in a hospital room away from the nurse’s station had worse outcomes than patients who were in the staff’s direct line of vision....

Adverse selection in health insurance happens when sicker people, or those who present a higher risk to the insurer, buy health insurance while healthier people don’t buy it. Adverse selection can also happen if sicker people buy more health insurance or more robust health plans while healthier people buy less coverage. This article will explain why adverse selection is bad for a health insurance risk pool, and what health insurers do to avoid it....

Asthma is a complicated condition, one that has multiple causes, varying degrees of severity, and no cure. Therefore, treating asthma is a matter of managing it to ward off symptoms and prevent exacerbations (asthma attacks), typically with inhaled medications called controller inhalers, and relieving symptoms when they do occur with rescue inhalers. Other management strategies include avoiding triggers, which are unique for each individual who has asthma and taking other lifestyle measures....

Hypoparathyroidism occurs when one or more of the four parathyroid glands is underactive. Each of these glands is around the size of a rice grain. They are located in your neck, next to your thyroid gland. If these glands become underactive, they cannot make enough parathyroid hormone to balance out the calcium and phosphorus in your body. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms of the condition and normalize calcium and phosphorus....

In the United States, the immunization schedule for children contains 13 recommended vaccines. Some require booster shots during adulthood to sustain immunity, while others may afford lifelong protection. Flu vaccination is recommended annually. Immunization schedules are carefully planned to protect children from potentially life-threatening diseases at a time in life when they are most vulnerable to infection. Following the schedules closely is important to not just your child’s health, but that of those around them....

Intellectual disability (ID) is impaired development of learning, reasoning, social, and life skills. It often becomes apparent at birth or during childhood and continues through adulthood. This condition occurs in varying degrees and can result from genetic, environmental, or unknown factors. For many decades, the medical establishment and the general public unkindly referred to affected individuals as “feeble-minded,” “moron,” “idiot,” and “imbecile.” In the 1960s, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and lawmakers adopted the term “mentally retarded," which experts considered to be more sensitive at the time....

Therapeutic knee injections deliver medicine directly inside the knee joint and are used to reduce painful symptoms, which are often caused by knee arthritis. There are a few injection options available to help relieve knee pain, including corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid (viscosupplementation), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), dextrose prolotherapy, and saline prolotherapy. Different injections are used depending on the type of knee pain, the cause, and factors such as age and other medications you might also be taking....

What Is Latuda? Latuda (lurasidone) is a newer prescription treatment option for adults and children of certain ages diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (depression). It is called an atypical antipsychotic. It is not entirely known how Latuda works, but it is thought to block the action of a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine signals are characteristically abnormal in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Latuda is available as an oral tablet....

Leukemia is due to a series of mutations in genes that control the growth of cells, which leads to their uncontrolled growth in the bone marrow. While the exact causes of this are unknown, several risk factors for the disease have been identified. Known risk factors vary with the different types of leukemia but include radiation (from atomic bomb exposures to medical radiation), exposures to chemicals such as benzene and pesticides, previous chemotherapy, some infections, and certain genetic conditions....

Lipidologists are physicians who diagnose, manage, and treat disorders involving lipids, which include cholesterol and triglycerides. It is a relatively new profession whose organizing body, the American Board of Clinical Lipidology (ABCL), only began offering certification in 2009. As of 2015, only 625 lipidologists were certified in the United States. Despite its relative newness, lipidology is considered an increasing relevant specialty. Today, nearly one-third of Americans over age 20 have high cholesterol, a risk factor for both heart attacks and stroke....

What Is Lo Loestrin Fe? Lo Loestrin Fe (norethindrone acetate, ethinyl estradiol, and ferrous fumarate) is a 28-day oral tablet birth control regimen. It works to prevent ovulation and causes changes to the cervical mucus and endometrial lining, blocking sperm penetration and reducing the chance of implantation. What Is Lo Loestrin Fe Used For? Lo Loestrin Fe is a form of birth control that comes in a blister pack of 28 tablets....

Nitrites are chemical compounds that contain nitrogen and oxygen. Chemically, they are a salt or an ester of nitrous acid. They are often used to cure meats, such as ham and bacon, and are responsible for their pink or red color. Nitrites differ from nitrates in that nitrates carry more oxygen than nitrites. Nitrates themselves are more stable than nitrites. This article will discuss the differences between nitrites and nitrates, whether nitrites are bad for you, and why they can be beneficial....