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Even when I’m the one having people to my home for a repast, I’ve changed the way I cook, what I cook, and how we entertain. I’m coming more and more to appreciate the long table meal, potluck, covered-dish supper, carry-in dinner, whatever they’re called in your area of the world. With the festive season nigh and large family and office gatherings imminent, perhaps it’s time for all of us to think about revamping our dish to pass from something that used to wow to something we can afford, both in time, energy, and funds....

In recent years, activated charcoal — that’s right, the stuff commonly used in water filtration systems — has emerged as the latest “detoxifying” supplement of choice. Once primarily used in emergency rooms to treat poisonings and overdoses, otherwise healthy people are now taking activated charcoal supplements in hopes of detoxing their bodies and treating a variety of ailments, including diarrhea, gas, kidney problems, hangovers, and yellowed teeth. Like many supplements, activated charcoal is appealing because it’s easy to buy (no prescription needed), quick to take, “and it, quote-unquote, helps remove toxins from the body, which is appealing,” says Amy Shapiro, RD, the founder of Real Nutrition NYC in New York....

Researchers recently reviewed more than a decade of data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), the largest U.S. study focused on environmental and genetic risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease among African Americans, to assess the relationship between cigarette smoking and risk of stroke specifically among African Americans. What they found emphasizes the real impact cigarettes have on health, and shed light on health disparities that also spike a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD)....

“Although there is no cure for alopecia areata, early detection and diagnosis can lead to treatment interventions that can delay or prevent increased hair loss,” says Michele Green, MD, a New York City–based cosmetic dermatologist who also specializes in alopecia treatment. “People with mild disease often respond to corticosteroids, which can be injected directly into the scalp or applied topically,” explains Brittany Craiglow, MD, of Dermatology Physicians of Connecticut and associate adjunct professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven....

Moreover, individuals with bipolar disorder have a high prevalence for multiple chronic conditions, such as being overweight or obese, says Rachel Bergmans, PhD, MPH, a research fellow in the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. So choosing healthy options is particularly important if you have this condition. “Maintaining a healthy diet has the potential to not only benefit the symptoms of bipolar disorder but reduce the burden of these co-occurring illnesses,” explains Dr....

The symptoms of psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory condition, can look different on people with differing skin tones. On lighter skin, plaque psoriasis can appear red; on darker skin, it can be purple or gray-ish. Unfortunately, many people who’ve searched Doctor Google for psoriasis images on Black skin haven’t found very many answers — and, given this lack of representation, they can leave with possibly with more questions than they had before....

“It’s pretty scary when you are walking through the school, and the next thing you know, you’re flat on your face,” she recalls. “I’m not the kind of person who runs to the doctor real often, but this was enough to scare me.” When Hanson arrived at the doctor’s office, the internist ordered an electrocardiogram, or EKG. This test measures the electrical activity in a person’s heart. Sure enough, after the results came back, she was diagnosed with bradycardia....

If you inherit a change, or mutation, in these genes, they stop doing their jobs, and cancer can develop. In the United States, about 1 in every 400 people has a BRCA gene mutation. Both women and men can be affected. (1) Most individuals acquire just one of these mutated genes, but some people can have both a BRCA1 and a BRCA2 alteration. (2) Research shows that anywhere from 55 to 72 percent of women with BRCA1 genetic mutation and 45 to 69 percent of women with a BRCA2 genetic mutation will develop breast cancer....

“Anybody who has ovarian cancer or has a family member or loved one with ovarian cancer learns that it can be a devastating disease, not only because of the symptoms of the disease itself but also the therapies used to treat it,” says Robert DeBernardo, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “Surgery, chemo, and radiation can all have significant short- and long-term consequences and side effects.” Aromatherapy or massage with essential oils and other complementary therapies are part of what Dr....

People use it as an alternative therapy to fight a range of health problems, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. Medicinal applications for turmeric go back thousands of years, but research is still conflicting about its actual effectiveness. According to research such as a 2018 study published in the journal BioFactors, the spice’s main ingredient, curcumin, may reduce inflammation and prevent cell damage. A 2015 review of about 700 investigations published in the journal Alternative & Complementary Therapies reports that ethnobotanist James Duke, PhD, concluded that turmeric appears to outperform many pharmaceuticals in its effects against several chronic, debilitating diseases....

“Typically, after ‘Am I going to die?’ the second question on a patient’s mind is ‘Can I still have sex?’” says Jeremy Pollock, MD, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. His answer is always an emphatic “yes.” Of course, it may take time to get back into your normal routine after such a severe cardiac event. A study published in JAMA Cardiology found that impaired sexual function — from decreased physical pleasure to disruption of regular sexual activity — was quite common following a heart attack....

More than one-third of high school students suffered from poor mental health last year, and 44 percent of them experienced such persistent sadness and hopelessness that they stopped doing their usual activities, according to report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in five teens seriously considered suicide, and almost 1 in 10 tried to kill themselves. For many teens, home wasn’t a refuge when the pandemic forced schools to close....

Fine motor skills refer to tasks that use small muscles from one area of the body, usually the hands, fingers, and toes. These skills include writing, eating with silverware, curling your toes, turning a doorknob, or buttoning a shirt, for example. Gross motor skills use many muscles throughout the body for large movements such as jumping, running, swimming, bending, reaching, and carrying items. Oral motor skills are related to anything you do with your mouth, such as eating, drinking, or chewing gum....

“To achieve health equity, barriers must be removed so that everyone has a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible,” wrote the CDC. To address that topic, CES 2021 (held virtually this year) brought together a panel of health technology leaders who are focused on using technology as a means to breaking down these barriers. Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, an infectious-disease physician and the former medical director of Washington, DC’s, Medicaid program, founded Grapevine Health to foster health literacy and patient engagement in low-income populations....

Chikungunya infections can cause severe and disabling pain. Symptoms of the illness are characterized by: Sudden high feverSevere joint pain or stiffnessRashMuscle painJoint swellingHeadacheNauseaFatigue Severity of the illness varies from person to person, but for many, the joint pain is debilitating. The great majority of people who have the virus develop symptoms, although in 10 percent to 15 percent of infections, there are no signs of illness. Symptoms generally last for several days to several weeks, after which most people recover fully....

In the new study, published July 2020 in JAMA Network Open, researchers showed 46 clinicians attending an international heart transplant conference vignettes for 1 in 4 patients with identical medical and social histories: a white woman, a white man, an African American woman, and an African American man. Then researchers asked clinicians to share their thoughts about the patient and explain whether they thought each person was a suitable candidate for a heart transplant or a ventricular assist device....

What She’s Seeing A couple of my germaphobe patients became super calm after the virus hit. They were like, “It’s my time to shine!” It was like a victory lap. I’ve had other patients hoarding their medicine the way other people hoard toilet paper. A bunch of people asked if they could get a three-month supply because they were worried their pharmacy was closing. I had to toe the line....

At her running pace, it’s a ritual that she practices every 40-some minutes. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10, Duckworth has long known to stay on top of her blood sugar — especially when exercising. The Manassas, Virginia, native grew up on the ice, and has been teaching ice-skating for a decade. But it wasn’t until six years ago that she became what her doctor calls a “supertester,” checking her blood sugar about a dozen times per day....

Most of us don’t think twice about the processes that go on in our brains to make these movements possible — but suffice it to say, there are many. When those processes go awry because something happens to the brain cells which control movement, you may develop a movement disorder. The best known movement disorder is Parkinson’s disease. In the United States alone, about 1 million people are living with Parkinson’s according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation....

RELATED: How Much Exercise Is Enough to Reach My Health and Fitness Goals? There are a variety of yoga styles — vinyasa, restorative, hatha, and hot, just to name a few. Each requires a different amount of physical exertion. There’s a big difference between a restorative yoga class with very little movement and a fast-paced vinyasa class where you’re quickly moving from one challenging pose to the next. The latter may require enough exertion, and elevate your heart rate enough, to qualify as moderate physical activity; the former may not, explains Edward Laskowski, MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist and the former co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota....