What We Know and What We Don’t
With a measles outbreak in Texas currently nearing 200 cases and claiming at least two lives, public health officials are strongly encouraging vaccination. At the same time, some public health officials, including U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are touting vitamin A therapy for the reduction of severe measles symptoms.While research supports the...
Medications, Surgery, Rehabilitation, and More
If other treatments haven't provided enough relief, surgery may be recommended. Each surgical approach is different. Your healthcare provider will make recommendations based on how the contracture affects your daily activities.Generally, less involved procedures may mean a quicker recovery, but your symptoms might return sooner, says Claude Jarrett, MD, an orthopedic surgeon based in Wilmington, North Carolina, who specializes in...
Ankylosing Spondylitis Chiropractic Care: Can It Help?
Like any medical treatment, chiropractic care can have side effects. Most people feel temporary soreness, stiffness, or mild discomfort after a chiropractic adjustment. Some may experience headaches or fatigue, but these effects are usually temporary. Though rare, more serious complications can occur, such as herniated discs, pinched nerves, or stroke.For people with AS, the risks of chiropractic care are...
Medical Tests Promoted by Influencers May Be Unnecessary and Risky
Unless you completely avoid social media, there’s a good chance you’ve seen influencer posts promoting direct-to-consumer medical tests like full-body MRI scans or “egg timer” fertility assessments.A new study suggests you should scroll on by.Researchers examined about 1,000 posts from social media influencers with a combined total of more than 194 million followers that touted the benefits of these...
Colon Cancer Stages: What Do They Mean?
Staging cancers helps doctors understand how advanced a cancer is, come up with the best treatment plan, and predict the path of the disease, including the chance of recovery. A colon cancer diagnosis or a rectal cancer diagnosis typically involves a biopsy — studying suspicious tissue from the colon or rectum under a microscope. If doctors discover cancer they...
Eating Fish Weekly May Slow MS Disability Progression
Fatty fish have previously been linked with lower levels of multiple sclerosis (MS) disability, and a recent study adds further support to the benefits of fish consumption when it comes to living with MS, a disease that attacks the central nervous system.“We were encouraged to see that patients who increased their fish intake after diagnosis still benefited, indicating that...
16 Essential Tips for Safe Blood Thinner Use
Blood thinners are medications that stop or slow the formation of blood clots, keep clots from getting bigger, or prevent clots that have already formed from traveling to other parts of the body. Blood thinners are lifesaving medications, notes the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA), helping to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and pulmonary embolisms.You may be taking a blood...
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Symptoms
For many people, HCM is a benign condition and it will not lead to dangerous cardiovascular disease, says Ningxin Wan, MD, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine. But that does not mean people who do not have symptoms should ignore follow-up appointments meant to monitor the condition, she says. Regular evaluation and...
What Is the Dawn Phenomenon?
High morning blood sugar happens when your body secretes a surge of hormones, including growth hormone, epinephrine, and cortisol, typically between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. These hormones directly cause an increase in blood sugar. This is a normal part of waking up, but in people with diabetes, this temporary rise in blood sugar is more powerful and longer...
HPV Vaccine Has Prevented Thousands of Cancer Cases, New Data Shows
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a dramatic decline in cervical cancer cases since the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.The study found that from 2008 to 2022, rates of precancerous cervical lesions decreased by about 80 percent in women ages 20 to 24 who were screened for cervical cancer. This...
