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We spoke with several experts who share tips and safety guidelines about DIY disinfectants that can help keep cold, flu, and COVID-19 viruses from spreading. RELATED: How to Prepare for the COVID-19 and Flu ‘Twindemic’ Know Your Goal(s) Before You Get Started When it comes to germs, it’s important to decide if you are trying to remove them or kill them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is clear in distinguishing between the two processes:...

Some have found it easier to make time for both work and nonwork demands, fitting a workout in over a lunch hour or having time for family dinners thanks to not having a commute. For others, when work came into our living rooms, bedrooms, and other makeshift home offices, it’s felt like the work days never actually end. And while some offices have plans to bring employees back full-time and other companies are navigating new flexible schedule options, the conversation around work-life balance seems to be as relevant as ever....

Here is an overview of traditional approaches to treatment, plus everything you need to know about at-home remedies. Common Relief Options The most natural treatment is no treatment at all, or the “watchful waiting” approach. (1) Doctors may go this route for mild cases of middle ear infection, also known as acute otitis media, in an attempt to allow the immune system to fight off the infection on its own without the help of antibiotics....

In an investigation published online in January 2020 in JAMA Neurology, young athletes who were treated within the first week of receiving a concussion were almost 5 times more likely to recover in less than 30 days compared with those who didn’t receive care quickly. “Patients should not wait for a week or more to seek care to see if things improve on their own,” says lead study author Anthony Kontos, PhD, research director at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program....

But a new, small study offers insight that may help healthcare providers identify and more effectively treat those children with eczema (atopic dermatitis) and food allergies. For the study, published in the February issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers used a noninvasive skin tape test to analyze skin abnormalities in these patients, effectively identifying a subtype of eczema patients that are prone to food allergies. “Babies and children don’t like tests that hurt,” says lead study author Donald Leung, MD, PhD, head of the division of pediatric allergy/immunology at National Jewish Health....

A Pap smear involves lightly scraping the surface of the cervix to collect cells. A pathologist then examines a Pap smear under a microscope, looking for two types of cervical cells: squamous cells, which are typically found in the outer surface of the cervix, and columnar endocervical cells, which come from the lining of the narrow opening in the cervix leading to the inside of the uterus (the endocervical canal)....

Your vision may dim or blur or you could have tunnel vision. To add to this already frightening experience, you may also feel confusion and dizziness. Less commonly, you could have dull pain across the back of your neck and shoulders. Rarely, you could lose consciousness or faint. These are symptoms of a condition called orthostatic hypotension, which results when blood pressure drops excessively due to a change in position....

If you inherit mutations, or changes, in this gene, it won’t function like it should. Everyone has two copies of the MUTYH gene, one that they acquire from each of their parents. People with mutations in both copies of the gene have what’s known as MUTYH-associated polyposis syndrome (MAP). You’ll be asked to provide a blood or saliva sample that will be analyzed in a lab. Your doctor might recommend genetic testing if someone in your family has an MUTYH mutation, you develop colorectal cancer, you have multiple polyps, or you have other risk factors....

The fact that belly fat or weight around the middle was found to be associated with a greater risk of heart failure isn’t too surprising, but it’s a risk factor that more people should be aware of, says Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, MD, a cardiologist and researcher at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in this study. Obesity is a known risk factor for heart failure, but we need to drill down further, he says....

On the eve of a routine but invasive cardiac procedure, I find myself without any fear, and I have to think it’s because of my experiences over nearly two decades of living with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Even Surgery Doesn’t Faze Me Anymore The thought first came to me when I reflected on an operating theater chat I was having with the anesthetist who was about to put me under for what turned out to be an eight-hour surgery....

His father’s blood pressure would hit astronomical highs, and he was admitted to the hospital several times when Parker was just a kid. Now, at 88, his father needs dialysis three days a week to manage kidney failure that is the result of long-term hypertension. “I grew up in a household that was very sensitive to high blood pressure, so I didn’t eat a lot of sodium and drank a lot of water,” Parker says....

Earlier this month, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) released a summary of new vaccination recommendations for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD). The new guidelines do not address COVID-19 vaccination, which was the focus of the last ACR update, in 2021. Instead, the new guidelines are focused on risk reduction for flu, pneumonia, and other potentially serious diseases. What’s New About ACR’s 2022 Vaccine Guidance There are expanded indications for some vaccines, tweaks about vaccination timing around other treatments and other vaccines, and more recommendations for live or adjuvanted vaccines....

If you haven’t celebrated Kwanzaa or know anyone who does — estimates vary, but have shown that as many as 12 million Americans participate in this holiday, according to Public Policy Polling (PDF) — you may not be familiar with some of the traditions associated with it. It was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of African studies at California State University in Long Beach, according to Britannica....

Here, let’s dive into what it means to be a vegetarian and the effect it could have on your health. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat both eggs and dairy but no meat, poultry, or fish.Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but no eggs, meat, poultry, or fish.Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy, meat, poultry, or fish.Pescatarians eat fish but no meat or poultry.Semivegetarians don’t eat red meat but do eat chicken and fish.Flexitarians stick to a vegetarian diet most of the time but eat meat, poultry, or fish on occasion....

RELATED: I Tried Homedics ParaSpa Plus Paraffin Bath for My Arthritis — and It Really Helped Common Causes of Hand Cramps Whether it happens in your hand, leg, or another part of your body, cramping is often related to muscle fatigue, and there can be a variety of triggers. “Cramping can be caused by dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, overuse, or deconditioning of muscles,” says Kelly Weselman, MD, a rheumatologist with WellStar Medical Group in Smyrna, Georgia....

Kleidon thought that cannabidiol oil, or CBD, would be a great option. CBD is thought to help with many symptoms from joint pain to insomnia to depression to, well, anxiety. The problem was that he wasn’t sure where to get it. “I thought I’d have to go to a medical dispensary,” he says, but he didn’t have a prescription. Helping People and the Planet Kleidon scoured the web for clean, organic CBD, but he couldn’t locate any....

The thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone – that’s what the song says. But sometimes that connection doesn’t work so well, resulting in a hip joint that’s dislocated, partially dislocated or loose. These conditions, known as hip dysplasia, are the most common cause of hip arthritis in women under age 50. They account for as many as 10% of hip replacements in the U.S., says Charles T. Price, M....

Some of the treatments temporarily relieved the itch, but once she stopped using them, the itch returned, Trevett says. She isn’t alone. A 2016 study found that among adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (a form of eczema), 71 percent of people reported severe, unbearable itching, while 86 percent said they itch daily and 63 percent itch at least 12 hours a day. At least some of this itching is the result of scratching, a phenomenon that’s called the itch-scratch cycle....

Around half of those living with psoriasis have scalp psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. Not surprisingly, any patches on the scalp or in the surrounding skin can be further inflamed by the harsh chemicals in many hair dyes or coloring products. “The barrier function of the skin is disrupted [by psoriasis],” explains David Pariser, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Norfolk, Virginia, and a past president of the American Academy of Dermatology....

If you have emphysema, it means the tiny air sacs in your lungs, called alveoli, have been damaged and no longer transfer oxygen from the air to the blood as well. Damaged sacs also cause the lungs to stretch out and lose their springiness. This can cause air to become trapped in the lungs, making you feel short of breath, explains the COPD Foundation. Many people with COPD also have chronic bronchitis, the other main type of COPD....