Posts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that many K–12 schools with prevention strategies strictly in place, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing, should be able to safely conduct in-person instruction and remain open. Vaccination is another key strategy for keeping COVID-19 out of schools. In a speech to the nation on September 9, President Joe Biden called for states to require vaccines for all school employees and urged parents to immunize children age 12 and up, who have been eligible for the Pfizer shot since last May....

Abdominal bloating, pain, or crampsBorborygmi (rumbling or gurgling sounds in the stomach)DiarrheaFlatulence, or gasNausea, which may be accompanied by vomiting Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, is usually harmless, though the symptoms can be very uncomfortable. Severity of symptoms vary from person to person, depending on the amount of lactose you are able to handle. However, people can generally manage the condition by avoiding dairy products. Lactose Intolerance Tests A simple method to see if you might be lactose intolerant is the so-called milk challenge....

Specifically, feeling lonely — even if you don’t live alone and you do have social interactions in your daily life — is associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, the authors found. For the study, researchers assessed loneliness by asking more than 4,000 adults without type 2 diabetes how often they felt they lacked companionship, felt left out, or felt isolated from others. Responses were averaged on a scale from 1 to 3 points, with higher scores indicating more frequent feelings of loneliness....

Staging the cancer is important because it will help your doctor determine what therapies will work best for your situation. The two main types of lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer, are staged differently. How Doctors Determine Lung Cancer Stage Doctors often use imaging scans to stage a lung cancer. These tests might include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) scan, or positron emission tomography (PET)....

Organizations Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; 888-557-7177 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLC) is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. Its mission is to cure lymphoma and other cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. American Cancer Society; 800-227-2345 American Cancer Society offers resources, news, and online support groups for a range of lymphomas, including Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, lymphoma of the skin, and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia....

The recommendation comes after increasing reports of a side effect following receiving the COVID-19 vaccine: swollen, abnormal-appearing lymph nodes in the armpit on the same side as where COVID-19 vaccines were administered. Swollen lymph nodes under the arm, also known as axillary adenopathy, are not an uncommon side effect of receiving a vaccine. They’re temporary and are actually a good sign as far as immunity goes. “In stimulating the immune system, vaccines will sometimes cause the lymph nodes because they are a critical part of that system,” says Deanna Attai, MD, a breast surgeon at UCLA Health....

Metformin wasn’t designed to be a weight loss drug, but researchers have found a link between the drug and weight loss. Past research concluded the drug could serve as a treatment for excess body weight, although more studies are needed. “[Metformin] has been considered a first-line medication in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and it mainly acts by lowering the amount of glucose released by the liver,” says Minisha Sood, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist in New York City....

A study published on January 24 in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that middle-aged men who reported more feelings of worry or feeling overwhelmed may be at greater biological risk for developing cardiometabolic disease as they get older. “While the participants were primarily white men, our findings indicate higher levels of anxiousness or worry among men are linked to biological processes that may give rise to heart disease and metabolic conditions, and these associations may be present much earlier in life than is commonly appreciated — potentially during childhood or young adulthood,” said Lewina Lee, PhD, lead author of the study, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, and an investigator and clinical psychologist at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at the U....

— Caycee, Alaska There are several ways to remove a mole, depending on its size, location, and appearance. Your first step should be to visit a dermatologist who can examine your mole and determine whether it needs to be removed for health reasons. If there are any suspicious changes, your doctor may recommend a skin biopsy, which involves removing the entire mole (or a piece of it) and sending it to a lab to be tested for skin cancer....

While the disease is considered rare, this is the second case recorded in the United States this year. In July, a Texas resident also returned from Nigeria with the virus. As with that incident, the CDC is working with international health counterparts, the airline, and state and local health officials to inform and interview airline passengers and others who may have been in contact with the patient. Because travelers on the flight to the United States were required to wear masks on the plane as well as in U....

Once upon a time, I was healthy; at least I thought I was. Sure, I lacked enough energy to get me through the day, but with all the commercials on TV touting energy drinks for America’s tired masses, I always assumed I wasn’t the only one suffering. And sure, everyone in my family dreaded the coming cold and flu season, but again, I thought come January everyone develops some degree of germophobia....

One significant change will affect adults and children ages 4 or older with moderate to severe persistent asthma who are using daily controller inhalers. According to the updated guideline, people in this group should now use a single inhaler containing both an inhaled corticosteroid and a bronchodilator daily as a preventive medication and for quick relief during an asthma attack. (Previously they would have been using two separate inhalers — one containing a corticosteroid as a daily controller therapy and one with a bronchodilator for emergency relief during an asthma attack....

Each column, we dive deeply into lab reports, journals, and conferences to bring you the most anticipated innovations coming down the pike for one of the most dreaded diseases: cancer. This round, our focus is on breast cancer. Among new developments to keep an eye on include: Artificial Intelligence (AI) That May Allow for More Accurate Breast Cancer Screenings A new AI tool may take breast cancer screenings to the next level by increasing radiologists’ accuracy when interpreting ultrasound images....

The voluntary recall, announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 1, 2020, includes red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions distributed by Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California, from May 1, 2020, to present in the United States and Canada. Wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores received the onions in cartons and sacks under various brand names, including Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, Utah Onions, and Food Lion....

Fortunately, the GI Research Foundation at the University of Chicago has launched a series of guided yoga, meditation, and breath-work classes online. The classes cater to all experience levels and include IBD-focused content — such as a quick, three-minute meditation for symptom relief and a five-minute breathing exercise for pain relief — as well as two 40-minute video yoga classes, a meditation audio class, and guided breath work. The program was codesigned by Biana Lanson, MD, a physician in Stamford, Connecticut, who has ulcerative colitis (UC) and serves on the GI Research Foundation board of directors....

How Is Acute Pancreatitis Treated? Cases of moderate and severe acute pancreatitis are treated in the hospital. Visits should only last a few days. Doctors will administer blood and imaging tests to diagnose you, and then begin care. Because of the loss of fluids from vomiting and decreased food intake, the initial treatment for pancreatitis is hydration using intravenous (IV) therapy with one of several different kinds of solutions. Most often, patients will receive what’s called “aggressive hydration,” which may consist of 250 to 500 milliliters of fluid administered every hour....

But what happens if you were looking to expand your family with a furry (or feathered) friend? Or, what if you have a dog — does this mean that your reliable companion needs to go to a new home? Here’s what you need to know about pets in the home when your child has eczema. RELATED: What Causes Eczema? The culprit is not the fur but the dander, says Dr....

Biologics like Skyrizi are specialty medications: expensive drugs used to treat complex, chronic conditions like psoriatic diseases. My insurance provider, Anthem, won’t cover the cost without first agreeing that the medication is medically necessary. Ideally, my dermatologist sends the required paperwork to the insurance provider and gets a quick approval. I can then fill my prescription for the duration of the authorization (currently mine is for one year). But that’s not always how things work out....

While some stress can be healthy, the extreme levels many of us suffer from can lead to chronic health problems. In an Everyday Health special report, almost 60 percent of those surveyed said they are paralyzed by stress, while almost one-third said they have visited a doctor about something stress-related — and so has Queen Latifah. Busy announcing Oscar nominees, wrapping up the latest season of the TV series Star, and still coping with the loss of her mother Rita Owens, who died last year from heart failure, the 49-year-old actor and producer also has had to become the queen of managing stress....

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, lifelong condition. Diabetes is caused by two core defects: the pancreas not making an appropriate amount of insulin and the body’s cells not taking in glucose (sugar) as they should. “That tends to get worse over time,” says Laurie Kane, MD, an endocrinologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Due to these changes, your diabetes treatment plan may require adjustments through the years to help keep things under control....