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A headache on the left side of your head can be due to a primary headache disorder, like migraine or cluster headache. It can also occur due to an injury like a concussion, lifestyle factors like diet or insufficient sleep, or a condition such as allergies, high blood pressure, or stroke. Some of these can be self-managed, while others may need the help of a healthcare practitioner—in some cases, urgently. The fact that the pain is only on the left side of your head offers them clues as to what’s going on....

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. It can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) and may result in liver damage, failure, and even cancer. You may be unable to tell if you have a hepatitis B infection because many people have no symptoms. People with chronic hepatitis B infections who are asymptomatic, sometimes called carriers, can transmit the virus without knowing. Keep reading for more on asymptomatic hepatitis B infections, how common they are, how the virus is transmitted, common symptoms, possible treatments, and prevention strategies....

Pediatric growth hormone deficiency is a condition in which a child’s pituitary gland does not make enough of the hormone that is responsible for growth. Human growth hormone helps a child’s body grow and mature. When there is a deficiency of this hormone, a child can have symptoms that include a short stature, chubby build, younger-looking face, and late or absent puberty. Treatment for pediatric growth hormone deficiency involves replacing growth hormone in the body with injections....

The countdown is on to the 2020 Presidential election—debatably one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Normally, the poll sites are packed with people lining up outside voting centers every November. But as COVID-19 has proven, this year is anything but normal, and certain measures must be taken to ensure the highly contagious virus doesn’t spread any further. Key Takeaways Voting by mail is the safest option for people with underlying health conditions....

Allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a foreign substance from something eaten, touched, or inhaled into the lungs. Over 50 million Americans have at least one allergy, and allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Allergic conditions are also a common reason many people visit their healthcare providers for testing. In extreme cases, anaphylactic allergies can also be deadly. One way to help diagnose an allergy is through a blood test that measures immunoglobin (IgE)....

If someone were to ask what keeps you from exercising when you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chances are you would say breathlessness (dyspnea). In COPD, dyspnea and muscle fatigue are the primary deterrents to starting an exercise program. This is unfortunate because the best way to improve exercise tolerance and decrease breathlessness in COPD is to be active. If you’re finding it difficult to exercise with COPD, put a few of these methods to the test to help increase your endurance, energy, and overall wellbeing....

Braces and clear aligners such as Invisalign are orthodontic treatments used to treat malocclusion (crowded, protruding, or crooked teeth) to improve the look and feel of your smile. Both teeth-straightening methods work by exerting pressure to realign the teeth and jaw and correct a malocclusion, sometimes called a “bad bite.” Traditional braces typically consist of brackets attached to a wire and fitted to your teeth. Clear removable aligners, such as Invisalign, were created more recently to address some of the problems associated with traditional braces....

Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia are two types of dementia. There are several similarities but also some clear differences between the two progressive neurological (nervous system-related) disorders. This article takes a look at how Lewy body dementia differs from Alzheimer’s disease. It also compares the causes, symptoms, and prognosis (expected outcome) for each of the conditions and outlines the different risk factors and treatments. Lewy Body Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s Disease Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are similar but not the same....

What Is Linzess? Linzess (linaclotide) belongs to a new class of drugs called guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) agonists. It is a prescription-only medicine used in adults to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C; a condition causing stomach pain, bloating, and difficult passage of stools) and chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC; infrequent passage of stools or constipation of unknown cause). Linaclotide binds to GC-C receptors in the digestive tract and activates GC-C, which has a localized effect on the surface of the intestinal epithelium....

Cancer treatment, as well as cancer itself, are common causes of lymphedema, a buildup of protein and fluid (lymph) in soft tissues that causes swelling, often in an arm or leg. This is because lymph nodes—small structures throughout the body that help filter and drain fluid—may be removed or damaged. This is often the case with breast cancer. Improved cancer treatments mean improved survival rates. They also mean more people may develop lymphedema and have questions about how to deal with it....

What Is Mesnex? Mesnex (mesna), also known as sodium-2-mercaptoethanesulfonate, is an antioxidant (a human-made or natural substance that may prevent or delay cell damage) that is used to lower the risk of hemorrhagic cystitis in people who take a medication called ifosfamide (a chemotherapy drug, or a drug used to treat cancer). The medication, prescribed for people older than premature neonates or low-birth-weight infants, is administered via intravenous (IV) injection and oral tablets....

Mild cardiomegaly is when your heart is just a little bigger than it should be (slightly larger than your fist). You may not have symptoms of a slightly enlarged heart. Its size might only be noticed when you have an imaging test of your chest, like an X-ray. Mild cardiomegaly can be caused by high blood pressure, heart valve diseases, blood disorders, drug or alcohol use, and inherited conditions. Sometimes, it’s just a temporary problem....

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare condition that affects fluid balance in the kidneys. NDI is caused by a problem with the vasopressin receptors in the kidneys. Vasopressin, also called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is a hormone that decreases urine output by increasing the amount of water your kidneys absorb. In NDI, the kidneys do not respond normally to vasopressin, so they produce too much urine (polyuria). As a result, a person with NDI passes abnormally large volumes of diluted urine, causing them to become dehydrated and excessively thirsty (polydipsia)....

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo was a brand of combination birth control pills. This particular brand name has been discontinued, but generic versions are available. This is a triphasic birth control pill—this means that Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo has three different doses of hormones during the three weeks of active pills in each pack. Triphasic pills are different from traditional monophasic pills, which are made up of the same dose of both estrogen and progestin....

Trauma is defined as an emotional response to an overwhelming and physically or emotionally threatening event. Trauma can result from adverse life events in childhood or adulthood, abuse, relationship violence, assault, loss, and more. Making sense of a traumatic incident and its aftermath is hard. Healing may feel impossible. But trauma-informed care and effective treatment options are available to help individuals begin to mend emotionally and physically after an event....

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often a progressive disease, meaning that it will follow a more-or-less predictable course, especially if left untreated. While each case of RA and the associated rates of progression is unique, four stages of progression have been defined. Healthcare providers do know the disease will get worse and progress through these stages if it isn’t properly treated. Given there is no cure for RA, the goals of treatment are to slow progression, control disease and minimize its effects on quality of life....

Questions about life expectancy are often the first ones asked when someone is diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is the most advanced stage of the disease in which cancer has spread (metastasized) from the primary tumor to distant organs. The median survival time for those with stage 4 lung cancer is around four months. That means that 50% of patients will still be alive four months after their diagnosis....

Staph (staphylococcal) infections range from mild to extremely serious and even life-threatening. However, if you catch and treat it early, you can keep it from becoming more serious. Caused by the Staphylococcus family of bacteria, staph infections can take on many forms but most often target the skin. Healing times are difficult to predict and depend on your infection type and how serious it is. This article looks at what can make staph infections in the skin get worse, its expected stages, how to treat it, and how to keep it from spreading to other people....

Substance use disorder, sometimes called substance abuse, involves the excessive use of an illegal or legal substance, including recreational and prescription drugs. A person with substance use disorder can put themselves or others in danger. People with substance use disorder, or substance abuse disorder, may have difficulties keeping a job, maintaining personal relationships, or staying out of legal trouble. The exact cause of substance use disorder is unknown, and researchers are not completely sure why some people form an addiction to certain drugs while others do not....

It is normal to experience the drainage of fluid from a wound at an incision site after surgery. The drainage, which tends to be thin and slightly pink in color, may last for a few days or longer depending on how deep or extensive the wound is. However, there are times when the drainage—known as exudate—may seem abnormal either in its duration, consistency, color, or smell. These could be signs of slow healing, an infection, or an injury to a vein or artery....