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Infections, heart attacks, trauma, cancer, and autoimmune disorders can all cause pericarditis, which may be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Primarily be felt in the middle or left side of the chest, but may also affect the neck, shoulders, back, or abdomenWorsen while lying down and breathing deep, and ease up when sitting up and leaning forwardResemble chest pain from a heart attackCome on quickly and feel sharp and stabbing, though it may also feel like an achy pressure in the area...

The ancient practice of tongue cleaning, better known as tongue scraping, is a common method for removing buildup that may impact your sense of taste, your oral health, and even the freshness of your breath. Learn more about tongue scraping, its potential benefits, and how to get started. Ayurvedic medicine remains one of India’s standard healthcare systems, per the NCCIH. But in the United States, ayurvedic practices like tongue scraping are still emerging in the wellness industry....

The disease has been around for most of human history, becoming particularly deadly at times. In fact, researchers can trace tuberculosis back to early Egypt, more than 5,000 years ago. There is also mention of TB in the biblical books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus under the Hebrew word schachepheth, and Hippocrates describes it in his writings as “phthisis.” (2,3) It’s possible that M. tuberculosis could have killed more people than any other microorganism....

HS is more common in the Black community than other racial and ethnic groups. The average prevalence of HS among African Americans is 1.3 percent compared with 0.07 percent of Latinos, and 0.75 percent of whites, according to a review published in the March-April 2021 issue of the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. However, Black people tend to go longer without a diagnosis or treatment and are underrepresented in clinical trials....

But because knee osteoarthritis worsens over time, it’s important to be aware of your symptoms and set up a treatment plan sooner rather than later. “There are no curative strategies for knee osteoarthritis,” says Scott C. Faucett, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Washington, DC. “For now, there are only management strategies.” If you’re not ready to consider knee replacement surgery, but the pain, swelling, and stiffness are slowing you down, you might want to consider having injections into the osteoarthritic knee, Dr....

Between traveling with my wife, Caryn, to a few of her conferences (one in Dublin, the other in Miami), family visits (for both of us), getting the house ready for a long-term guest who is in need, and attending to a series of introductory “roadshow” programs for an (non-MS) organization I helped to found, I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. And said candle was pretty short to begin with....

Almost a year later, his taste buds still aren’t functioning, though his sense of smell is slowly coming back. “Everyone takes for granted things like taste and smell,” says Kennedy, 42, who runs the New York City–based Todd Kennedy Cakes. But in the aftermath of COVID-19, he adds, “the simple pleasures are gone.” What Causes Loss of Smell and Taste in COVID-19 Patients? Upwards of 90 percent of COVID-19 patients experience some temporary anosmia, or loss of smell, says Richard Doty, PhD, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Smell and Taste Center in Philadelphia....

Read on for some telltale signs that you need a doctor: When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention In general, middle-ear infections (otitis media) often result in pain, difficulty hearing, and a feeling of fullness in the ear, mainly due to fluid build-up inside the inner ear and Eustachian tube, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. However, if ear pain is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical attention right away:...

— Christina, Texas These are all great questions. Discovering that you or a loved one has type 1 diabetes can be overwhelming — and troubling to parents who worry that their children are at risk of developing the disease. How wonderful that you are thinking about trying to prevent that from happening! There isn’t a definitive answer to your question regarding early screening. First of all, even though your husband has type 1 diabetes, it does not mean that your children will invariably develop the disease....

Health conditions linked to EPI. Certain health conditions, such as chronic pancreatitis, destroy the cells that produce pancreatic enzymes and cause scar tissue that can block enzymes from reaching the small intestine. While chronic pancreatitis in Americans is most often a result of excessive alcohol use, several other factors can cause it. In addition, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and several other chronic conditions may increase the risk of EPI....

“Laughter is the physical manifestation of finding something funny, and it can help to reduce inflammation and stress hormones, improve circulation, and enhance the immune system,” says the Everyday Health Wellness Advisory Board member Heidi Hanna, PhD, who is the founder of Synergy Brain Fitness, a consulting company that creates cognitive performance programs, and is also the executive director of the American Institute of Stress. Her claims about laughter are based on evidence published in studies in publications such as the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal, Medical Hypotheses, and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine....

Several tests, surgeries, and a biopsy later, LaCamera, who lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. “I was just like wow,” she recalls. “When I look back, I think about the symptoms I disregarded.” LaCamera says she “always felt discomfort and excused it.” She had frequent urination and pain in her abdomen, pelvis, and back. She also had bloating, or as she called it, a tummy roll....

“Some people perspire after drinking cold liquids,” says Mark Mattar MD, a clinician and assistant professor of medicine at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. The body likes to keep its core temperature steady at about 100° F., which is when the best digestion occurs. If cold temperatures — such as ice water or cold food in the diet — enter the stomach, the body works quickly to warm it....

But if you or someone you know has lived with Crohn’s for some time already, you’ll probably want more detailed information on a specific problem or other aspect of living with the disease. That’s where this guide comes in — providing an overview of our Crohn’s coverage in a number of areas, some of which may apply to your individual situation. Here, you’ll find links to articles about different Crohn’s disease treatment approaches, lifestyle measures that may help you deal with symptoms, ways to cope with the stress that comes from living with a serious chronic condition, and much more....

That said, disinfecting high-touch objects and surfaces — doorknobs, kitchen countertops, and the like — is another best practice to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses like the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the 2020-21 flu season begins, you may feel increasingly motivated to go on the offensive against germs. It’s important to realize that cleaning and disinfecting are not one and the same, says Susan Donelan, MD, the medical director of healthcare epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine in New York....

“Hydration is important because our bodies really function [best with] adequate water balance,” says Shilpi Agarwal, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician in Washington, DC, and the author of The 10-Day Total Body Transformation. “Most organ functions require water in the right proportion to work — meaning your muscles, heart, and kidneys all need water and also need the body to be adequately hydrated in order to work properly.” And what about dehydration, to some a scary word that may be associated with health issues big and small?...

“I was diagnosed with psoriasis during high school,” says Jacobson, who is director of behavioral health case management at Banner University Medical Center in Tuscon, Arizona. “But because I was an athlete during college, my doctors missed the psoriatic arthritis diagnosis, blaming the joint pain on me being an athlete and on the judo team.” Jacobson, now 61, recalls a pivotal moment that changed the way he thought about his illness and the future....

“Eosinophilic asthma is a newer concept underneath the umbrella of severe asthma,” says Geoffrey Lowell Chupp, MD, director of the Yale Center for Asthma and Airways Disease in New Haven, Connecticut. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, about half of people with severe asthma have high levels of eosinophils in their lungs and blood, which can cause inflammation and swelling in the airways and other parts of the respiratory system....

Whether you’re a newbie to the paleo diet or a dedicated devotee, it can be challenging to follow the eating plan’s rigid rules. Not only are you advised to steer clear of all processed foods, dairy, added sugars, and grains — all with the aim of eating like our caveman ancestors — but ideally, you should be eating organic produce, grass-fed, free-range meats, and sustainably raised seafood. That’s where paleo diet meal delivery services come in....

The three most recent deaths occurred in two adults and one child, all male, who had direct contact with bats in or around their homes, according to a CDC release. In each case, the people chose not to get postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can prevent rabies from developing if it’s received before symptoms begin. “We have come a long way in the United States towards reducing the number of people who become infected each year with rabies, but this recent spate of cases is a sobering reminder that contact with bats poses a real health risk,” said Ryan Wallace, DVM, MPH, a veterinarian and rabies expert in the CDC’s Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, in the release....