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Dealing with vision loss can be difficult for anyone — and if you’re struggling to cope with those emotions, know that you aren’t alone. In fact, people who are visually impaired are more likely to have depression or anxiety, according to a study published in December 2020 in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology. While there are many vision aids and treatment options that can help you manage DME, it’s also important to take care of your emotional health....

Researchers found that the experimental pill molnupiravir cut the chances of hospitalization or death by about 50 percent. A total of 7.3 percent of patients who received the drug were either hospitalized or died through day 29 of the trial compared with 14.1 percent of placebo-treated patients. While eight people who received the placebo died during the trial, there were no deaths at all among those receiving molnupiravir. For the trial, 385 individuals received the medication within five days of their coronavirus diagnosis, while a separate group of 377 who tested positive received a placebo....

For some people with depression, nonpharmacological interventions such as psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, and natural remedies may be enough to lift the cloud and improve symptoms. But for many other people, these steps aren’t enough, and medication is needed. Numerous depression-fighting medications are available today. If you’re struggling with depression, talk to your primary care doctor or a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, to learn whether antidepressant medication may be right for you....

Researchers followed 1,243 patients who sought treatment for new or worsening PAD symptoms at a vascular specialty clinic for one year. At the start of the study, and again at 6 and 12 months, they asked patients how often they had symptoms of depression like fatigue, trouble sleeping, little interest or pleasure in doing things, poor appetite or overeating, or feeling hopeless or bad about themselves. “Amongst those who had significant depressive symptoms when they consulted their vascular specialist for new PAD symptoms, health status and quality of life outcomes were majorly lagging behind throughout their one-year follow-up, despite being offered similar treatments as their nondepressed counterparts,” says senior study author Kim Smolderen, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and co-director of the Vascular Medicine Outcomes (VAMOS) program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut....

Plain old handwashing with soap and water is most effective at fighting germs, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes. When you’re on the go, hand sanitizer made with at least 60 percent alcohol is a good stand-in. “Hand sanitizer remains important because it helps remove germs from your hands, so that they do not end up on your face,” explains Jeffrey Cohen, MD, board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut....

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common kind of arthritis, and it’s estimated that 38 to 45 percent of people develop KOA over their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 10 percent of patients with knee osteoarthritis seek pain relief through corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid injections. Steroid Injections Significantly Associated With Progression of Knee OA Researchers in both studies used participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a multicenter, longitudinal, observational study of nearly 5,000 participants with KOA, currently in its 14th year of follow-up....

DMARDs, which include biologic drugs and targeted synthetic drugs, help slow the progression of the condition and preserve your joints by suppressing your immune system, according to the Arthritis Foundation. DMARDs are commonly used in people who have moderate to severe RA, whose pain and fatigue often interferes with their daily activities. While DMARDs can be very helpful, not everyone with RA will respond to them, according to Ashima Makol, MBBS, a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota....

RELATED: 5 Emerging Heart Disease Risk Factors It’s long been suspected that there could be a relationship between infection and stroke events, says Mona Bahouth, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, who was not involved in this research. “By using a large data set, this report adds some additional information about that relationship, including findings about how the timing of the infection impacts stroke type,” says Dr....

While there are all kinds of good reasons for wanting to stop taking a particular bipolar disorder medication, doctors agree it’s almost never a good idea to do so suddenly and on your own. Bipolar Disorder: The Rebound Effect of Halting Drugs “Sudden major changes in a treatment plan can cause all kinds of changes in the patient’s biochemistry," says Melvin G. McInnis, MD, director of psychiatry programs at the University of Michigan Depression Center in Ann Arbor....

It’s also known as dermatitis (skin inflammation), atopic eczema (“atopic” means a genetic tendency toward allergic hypersensitivity), or simply atopic dermatitis. In fact, the word “eczema” is often used interchangeably with “atopic dermatitis,” though clinically speaking, atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema. Contact Eczema (Contact Dermatitis) Nummular Eczema Stasis Dermatitis Seborrheic Dermatitis Learn More About Types of Eczema In addition, skin lesions and blotches may develop on the wrists, ankles, sides of the neck, or around the mouth....

Stability balls actually got their start among physical therapists (PTs) in Europe (hence the “Swiss ball” nickname), and when they first found use in the United States in the 1980s, they were typically located in physical therapy centers. Only later did the balls find a place in gyms, yoga and Pilates studios, and people’s homes. Stability balls range in size, but they typically measure 2 to 3 feet across and are filled with air....

Whether you want to enjoy the pool, a backyard barbecue, or an afternoon of cornhole, almost any activity can be modified to accommodate people with hand and joint health issues. “Whatever you can do outside, I really stress that all movement is good,” says occupational therapist Carole Dodge, a certified hand therapist at Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “Activity promotes activity. You get more lethargic when you don’t move, and engaging with others is fun....

The gallbladder is a sac that stores a substance called bile, which is produced by the liver. After meals, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile into the small intestine to aid in digestion. Gallstones occur when one or more of the substances that make up the bile (usually cholesterol or a waste product called bilirubin) become too concentrated and form a hard stone. Often gallstones just sit in the gallbladder and don’t cause problems....

While a cure remains elusive, oncologists are gradually improving the outlook for patients with glioblastoma. Mark Gilbert, MD, chief of the National Institute of Health’s Neuro-Oncology Branch, notes that progress against the disease has been real, but slow. “We have seen incremental improvements in survival. The median length of survival was only 8 to 10 months in the mid-1990s, but it has almost doubled to 15 to 18 months now,” he says....

The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent people from getting the disease by priming their immune system to develop these protective antibodies. What Is the Hepatitis A Vaccine? The hepatitis A vaccine consists of an inactivated version of hepatitis A virus, or HAV. There are two hepatitis A vaccines available: HAVRIX and VAQTA, which are produced by GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, respectively. The first dose of the vaccine causes more than 95 percent of adults and more than 97 percent of children to develop protective antibodies, according to the CDC....

Now, a new study published September 2, 2019, in The Lancet has suggested that community health workers can help patients get their blood pressure under control by delivering free medicine, counseling them on how to eat better and exercise more, and enlisting family and friends to encourage them to take their pills and make lifestyle changes. For the study, researchers followed 644 adults with hypertension in 14 communities in Colombia and Malaysia with established interventions that used health workers and close family and friends to help patients keep their blood pressure in check....

That’s arguably the message of a new study published in May 2019 in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. In reviewing the cases of 241 people diagnosed with MS who were referred to either the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or UCLA Health MS clinic, both in Los Angeles, over the course of a year, the authors of the study found that nearly 18 percent had been misdiagnosed. “The diagnosis of MS is tricky,” noted lead author Marwa Kaisey, MD, a neurologist at Cedars-Sinai, in a statement released by the hospital....

With age, many bodily functions slow down, including your digestive tract — it just might not work as efficiently or as quickly as it used to. The muscles in the digestive tract become stiffer, weaker, and less efficient. Your tissues are also more likely to become damaged because new cells aren’t forming as quickly as they once did. As a result, digestive tract problems that can occur as people age include:...

Not every treatment works for every person. You may need to try a number of treatments, or combinations of treatments, before finding what works for you. The main treatments for anxiety disorders include: Psychotherapy (talk therapy with a trained mental health professional)MedicationsExerciseComplementary and alternative treatments What Medications Are Prescribed for Anxiety Disorders? A range of medications are available to treat anxiety disorders, and they’re often used in conjunction with therapy....

“It’s worse than the flu. It’s worse than COVID for your babies,” says Flor M. Muñoz, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Texas Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics and infectious disease at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. A Common Virus Can Sometimes Be Dangerous RSV spreads easily by coughs and sneezes and can infect those who touch contaminated surfaces or objects; a baby can get RSV from a contagious sibling or a contaminated toy....