The Truth about Gut Trouble

Everyone has pain or discomfort in their gut occasionally. Maybe you ate something that didn’t agree with you. Or you had an infection that made you sick to your stomach for a few days. But if pain and other gut symptoms go on for weeks or longer, something more serious might be wrong. Digestive system… Continue reading The Truth about Gut Trouble

COVID-19: Caring for a Patient at Home

Most people who get sick with COVID-19 will have only mild illness and should recover at home, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Care at home can help stop the spread of COVID-19 and help protect people who are at risk for getting seriously ill from the virus. However, adults and people… Continue reading COVID-19: Caring for a Patient at Home

Are You at High Risk for Flu and Its Complications?

Most people who get sick with flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs and will recover in less than two weeks. Some people, however, are more likely to get flu complications that can result in hospitalization and sometimes death. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections are examples of… Continue reading Are You at High Risk for Flu and Its Complications?

The Six Hidden Hazards of Tailgating

Tailgating is one of the best parts of football season — but nothing quashes team spirit quite like food poisoning. Understanding different types of bacteria and the ways they can be transmitted, plus a plan to keep your food safe, is key to enjoying your tailgate and keeping guests healthy, says Rachael Lee, M.D., assistant… Continue reading The Six Hidden Hazards of Tailgating

How to Safely Treat Your Child for Coughs and Colds

Although most colds in children don’t have serious complications, they can cause anxiety in parents and caregivers. And colds are among the top reasons children visit a doctor. Both non-prescription (over-the-counter; OTC) and prescription medicines are available to treat cough and cold symptoms. But a word of caution: most children will get better on their… Continue reading How to Safely Treat Your Child for Coughs and Colds

An Eye Test for Alzheimer’s

Until now, it has been difficult to diagnose Alzheimer’s. But researchers have come up with an imaging device that can see signs of the illness within seconds. The non-invasive device reveals that small blood vessels in the back of the eye are altered in patients with Alzheimer’s. The same is true for patients who have… Continue reading An Eye Test for Alzheimer’s

Experts: Don’t Give Kids Decongestants

Experts are warning that decongestants should not be given to children under 6 – and given only with caution in children under 12 – because there is no evidence that they alleviate symptoms such as a blocked or runny nose, and their safety is unclear. Instead, the researchers, writing in The BMJ, advise doctors to… Continue reading Experts: Don’t Give Kids Decongestants

Get Ahead of Sepsis

Infections can put you and your family at risk for a life-threatening condition called sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It’s what happens when an infection you already have – in your skin, lungs, urinary tract, or somewhere else – triggers a chain reaction through your body. It’s life-threatening, and without… Continue reading Get Ahead of Sepsis

An Overlooked Condition: Perimenopause

Researchers have developed the first-ever guidelines on diagnosing and treating perimenopausal depression, the time immediately before menopause when hormones are in decline. According to a news release from the University of Illinois at Chicago, perimenopausal depression remains under-recognized and clinical recommendations on treating it have been lacking until now. The researchers published the guidelines simultaneously… Continue reading An Overlooked Condition: Perimenopause

Stroke Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Let’s be honest: When people hear someone has suffered a cardiovascular incident, they rarely imagine it’s a woman in her 40s or 50s. More often, they imagine an elderly man clutching his chest on the way to his grandkid’s baseball game or on a grocery run for his wife. Hollywood may be to blame for… Continue reading Stroke Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Doctors Fail to Flag Concussion Patients for Critical Followup

Although there is increasing evidence of the long-term effects of concussion, more than half the patients seen at top-level trauma centers may fall off the radar after diagnosis, putting at risk the treatments for these long-term effects. A nationwide study, led by scientists at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Southern… Continue reading Doctors Fail to Flag Concussion Patients for Critical Followup

Bladder Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms

Bladder cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower part of the abdomen. It is shaped like a small balloon and has a muscular wall that allows it to get larger or smaller to store urine made by the… Continue reading Bladder Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms

What You Need to Know About Alcohol Poisoning

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can include drinking—even drinking to excess. And the results can be deadly. Although many people enjoy moderate drinking, defined as 1 drink per day for women or 2 for men, drinking too much can lead to an overdose. An overdose of alcohol occurs when a person has a blood alcohol content… Continue reading What You Need to Know About Alcohol Poisoning

Understanding Metastatic Cancer

The main reason that cancer is so serious is its ability to spread in the body. Cancer cells can spread locally by moving into nearby normal tissue. Cancer can also spread regionally, to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs. And it can spread to distant parts of the body. When this happens, it is called… Continue reading Understanding Metastatic Cancer

New Drugs Provide Relief for Eczema Sufferers

New treatments are available, researchers say, for sufferers of atopic dermatitis (AD) – also known as eczema. Symptoms of AD, a potentially serious condition, include severe itching, scaly rashes, extreme dry skin and inflammation. T According to a new “yardstick” or overview published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the… Continue reading New Drugs Provide Relief for Eczema Sufferers

Cold and Flu: Prevention, Symptoms, Treatments

  Cold and flu viruses are always around. So why do we seem to be especially vulnerable during the fall and winter months? For the most part, it’s because we spend more time indoors, and the viruses that cause the sniffles, congestion, and body aches of a cold or the flu can spread more easily… Continue reading Cold and Flu: Prevention, Symptoms, Treatments

Study: A Need to Rethink Hospice Admissions

Many older adults are admitted to hospice for only a short amount of time, even though they have been experiencing symptoms months before the end of life, researchers say. The Yale-led study highlights the need for earlier hospice admission or other strategies to address such cases. The study was published on September 12 in the… Continue reading Study: A Need to Rethink Hospice Admissions

Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know

As we age, it is common to be concerned about heart disease or high blood pressure. But many people don’t know that those conditions are also related to another common health issue, peripheral artery disease (PAD). Unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed until it has progressed. PAD is caused when hardening of the arteries deprives… Continue reading Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know