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Like people, blood pressure cuffs come in many sizes. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that the length of the bladder that wraps around patients’ upper arms be 75 to 100 percent of their arm circumference for a snug but not excessively tight fit. Cuffs for a “regular” size adult might get accurate readings for a person with an arm circumference of around 27 to 34 inches, according to the AHA, but it would be inaccurate for somebody with a much smaller or larger size....

For one thing, clutter and messiness can cause distress, which may be part of the reason why the Marie Kondo tidying method and minimalism have so many loyalists. After all, decluttering (the process of putting the miscellaneous physical things around you away where they belong) not only makes it easier to find what you’re looking for, it can also improve your mood and state of mind in myriad ways. “It gives people a renewed sense of control over their environment,” explains Catherine Roster, PhD, a professor of marketing and director of the Behavioral Lab at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, who has studied the effect clutter has on our psychological well-being....

Statins are so universally popular with doctors that I’ve heard one claim “they” should put “statins in the drinking water.” Statins lower cholesterol which is a good thing because high cholesterol can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. Heart attacks are the No. 1 killer in the US for men and women. So why was I so determined to get my husband Bob to stop taking them? In Bob’s case, the doctor had suggested he start on statins as a precaution – as a sedentary, middle-aged man with slightly high cholesterol, it was well within the guidelines....

Lofty goals indeed, but would it happen in my lifetime with the disease? With recent research papers doubling down on evidence linking MS and the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), as we reported to you back in January, many are asking if a vaccine that stops EBV might be used to prevent MS from ever occurring. The answer is complicated. So Far, an EBV Vaccine Doesn’t Exist First, of course, a vaccine for EBV does not yet exist....

Yersinia pestis is a type of disease-causing bacteria that causes all three forms of plague — bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Bubonic plague is widely known as the disease behind the devastating “Black Death” of the European Middle Ages that killed up to 60 percent of the European population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The name of the bacteria comes from doctor and bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, who discovered that Y....

Myocardial infarction–cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) is when the heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to keep vital organs alive; although the event is relatively rare, it is a common cause of death due to heart attack. The study, published on September 29 in Circulation: Heart Failure, also found that women were less likely to receive key heart attack treatments and interventions that could have potentially life-saving benefits. “This research looks at an important question,” says Saraschandra Vallabhajosyula, MD, clinical fellow in interventional cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and lead author of the research....

With all of the conflicting information out there, it can be confusing to know what to eat and what to avoid. To the rescue: Geraldine M. Jaffe, RDN, CDN, a nutrition consultant and arthritis educator based in New York, answers nine of the most commonly asked questions about eating right with psoriatic arthritis. 1. Is there such a thing as a psoriatic arthritis diet? There’s no one diet that will cure the condition, but psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory disease, so an anti-inflammatory diet may help ease symptoms like joint pain and stiffness....

“We’re actually contemplating treating pregnant women [who have hep C] in the last two months [of pregnancy], so we just give them eight weeks of treatment [during] months eight and nine [of pregnancy],” he adds, which can help cure hepatitis C before delivery to help avoid transmission to the baby. According to Dieterich, more and more women under 30 are getting infected with the hep C virus, due to an uptick in transmission from IV drug use in this age group....

Drinks with carbohydrates (read: sugar) will affect your blood sugar more readily than zero-carb, zero-sugar drinks like water. “Anything that’s liquid that has carbohydrates will digest faster than something you would have to chew,” says Lori Zanini, RD, CDCES, who’s based in Los Angeles. The result: a quick spike in blood sugar. If you have type 2 diabetes, this means taking sugary drinks — such as regular soda, sweet tea, and even juice — off the table and replacing them with low-sugar and sugar-free options, including water....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month issued a voluntary recall on red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions, over salmonella contamination concerns. Now the FDA, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections potentially linked to peaches. The CDC is reporting at least 78 cases in 12 states; and recalls have been issued in Canada, Singapore, and New Zealand....

The good news is that unless you’re managing a skin condition, you may not need to visit a dermatologist to soothe dry skin. Instead, you might consider incorporating a home remedy to your skin-care routine. In fact, the ingredients for these dry-skin fixes may already be in your kitchen. Several of the ingredients we include below, such as coconut oil, tea, and aloe vera, are often collectively referenced as “remedies,” though they have been used for centuries as homeopathic medicines in cultures worldwide....

First off, I am honored that you want to hear my story. Some of the things in my past bring back bad memories, but I am willing to share them in the hopes that it can help someone else facing a tough time. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in March 1992. I was engaged to be married later that year, and I was very scared and angry at the curve ball that had hit my future....

But there’s a big problem with immunotherapies, too. These drugs, which train the immune system to find and kill cancer cells, work only in a small subset of patients, and it’s really hard to determine in advance who will benefit. Right now, doctors often look at several biomarkers, like age, tumor type, and the number of mutations found in cancer cells, to predict who might benefit from immunotherapy. Looking at mutations on a few hundred genes is the main way to determine if patients might benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors, which per the American Cancer Society target “checkpoint” proteins on immune cells that can switch on or off to battle foreign invaders like cancer....

“Going to work means we get paid, the workplace is staffed, your co-workers don’t have more to do,” says Thomas Fekete, MD, section chief of infectious diseases at Temple University in Philadelphia. “Staying home may mean you, don’t get paid, or you have to use sick time. It’s a tough call.” To help you resolve your dilemma, here are five ways to tell if you’re too sick to work and should stay home instead:...

Treats skin conditions. Used as far back as the fifth century B.C. by Hippocrates to ease aches and pains, salicylic acid, a derivative of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), is a powder extracted from the bark of a willow tree. It “helps remove excess oil and exfoliate dead cells on the skin’s surface,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, adding that it’s “extremely useful in treating acne....

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that leads to a buildup of extra cells on the skin’s surface. Thick, scaly patches called plaques can develop, causing itchiness, burning, or soreness of the skin. People with psoriasis may think a tattoo will hide their condition, but tattoos likely won’t conceal patches and could in fact cause skin irritation or a worsening of symptoms. RELATED: My Memories of Being a Teenager With Psoriasis “Many patients want to hide certain skin-related conditions, so it’s a good question to ask your doctor if a tattoo could make your condition worse,” says Edward Prodanovic, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk....

While “strength training” may conjure images of bodybuilders lifting heavy weights, it doesn’t have to be that extreme. Strength training is defined simply as exercise you perform by moving part of your body against resistance. “That’s why it’s sometimes called resistance training,” says Karen Kemmis, PT, RN, CDE, a physical therapist and certified diabetes educator at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. Good examples are exercises that use stretchy elastic bands or free weights like dumbbells and barbells....

You may be less privy, however, to the subtle things you’re doing that are actually working against you and making your symptoms worse, despite treatment. Here, mental health professionals who treat people with MDD share the six common pitfalls they see most often that make life with the condition harder — and how to avoid these traps. Rather, an assortment of factors that aren’t within your control are thought to play a role in causing depression, says Alice Hua, PhD , a licensed psychologist with Deeper Than Color, a private practice in Oakland, California:...

Whatever their source, these cancer myths can be very damaging as they spread. They can distract you from protecting yourself against known cancer causes, instead drawing your focus to things that have no impact on your chances of contracting cancer. And they can hurt cancer patients’ chances of beating the disease by creating a sense of hopelessness or by enticing them to pursue unproven remedies. Here are eight common cancer myths and the truth about each, according to leading authorities, including the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology....

What to Know About Crohn’s Disease and Cramps Here are nine things you should know about Crohn’s disease and cramps: Abdominal cramps can occur anytime. Cramping can start during a flare or when you’re in remission, says Jessica Philpott, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. When Crohn’s disease is active, inflammation can change nerve and muscle function in the intestines, Dr. Philpott says. Even after inflammation is reduced, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract remains altered....