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“Getting people with COPD into a pulmonary rehab program with a medically observed and formalized exercise regimen is something that can help really improve their quality of life,” says Jason Turowski, MD, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, pulmonary rehab may include any or all of the following elements: Exercise trainingNutritional counselingEducation on COPDEnergy-conserving techniquesBreathing strategiesPsychological counseling and group support...

In a new scientific statement, to be published in a forthcoming 2020 issue of the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a group of researchers looked at how health is affected by four dimensions of housing: stability, quality and safety, affordability and accessibility, and neighborhood environment. “Housing is one of the most prominent social determinants of cardiovascular health,” says Mario Sims, PhD, the chair of the writing group for the scientific statement, the chief science officer of the Jackson Heart Study, and a professor in the department of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson....

My ongoing battle is to eat a healthy diet that lowers my risk of developing medical conditions associated with psoriasis. My most recent annual physical and blood tests revealed that I am prediabetic, have elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, and am close to being overweight. Each year my primary care physician, Christopher Swales, MD, tells me to watch my diet and get more exercise. Keeping up with my exercise routine is the easier part: Now that I’m receiving physical therapy for my shoulder and hip, I’m able to work out more consistently....

Normal Blood Pressure Blood pressure is measured by taking two different measurements of the pressure within your arteries: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure, the first or top number of the blood pressure reading, is the highest level of pressure in your arteries, which occurs when your heart muscle contracts and forces a burst of blood into the aorta. Diastolic pressure, which is the bottom number, is the pressure that exists within your arteries between heart muscle contractions, which is when your heart is filling with blood....

If you’ve been feeling that pinch, or you have concerns about your financial future, you’re not alone. A May Pew Research Center poll showed that 7 in 10 Americans view inflation as a very big or moderately big problem facing the country, putting economic concern ahead of all other national problems facing the United States today that were included in the survey, such as the pandemic, healthcare affordability, gun violence, illegal immigration, racism, climate change, and others....

As many as 64 percent of people with a mental health condition like bipolar disorder feel their symptoms worsen during the holidays, according to a small survey conducted by experts at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). What is it about the holidays that ramps up stress and symptoms for people with bipolar disorder? A few potential causes are: Disrupted routines “We know it’s very important for people with bipolar disorder to have structure, routine, and some groundedness....

“If you nag or harangue the person trying to quit, you’re unlikely to achieve the effect you want,” says Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH, a behavioral scientist in the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. A general rule is, be positive — not negative. For example, don’t mention that the person has failed to quit in the past, Augustson says, or tell him or her that you “know how they feel....

Cerebral palsy lasts a lifetime, so a family’s involvement in the life of an individual with CP will likely go beyond that person’s childhood. Families that communicate, cooperate, and also take time to care for themselves are likely to thrive and be a positive resource to a child with cerebral palsy. Parents can also experience an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety, particularly those who spend many hours per day providing care and who experience time pressure in relation to caregiving....

As annoying as a cough can be, it is a healthy response to an irritant in your throat or airways. The irritant stimulates nerves that send a message to your brain; your brain then tells muscles in your chest and abdomen to push air out of your lungs to force the irritant out, says the Mayo Clinic. Many medical conditions can result in a cough, including the common cold, the flu, allergies, post-nasal drip (when phlegm drips from the back of the nose into the throat), and acid reflux (when stomach acid travels up into the esophagus and irritates the wind pipe)....

There are more than 40 types of HPV that can infect the anal or genital area. Some genital HPV types can cause genital warts, while others can cause various types of cancer, including: Cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva in womenCancer of the penis in menCancers of the anus and oropharynx (back of the tongue and throat) in both sexes HPV types 6 and 11 account for more than 90 percent of cases of genital warts, while HPV types 16 and 18 account for about 66 percent of all cervical cancers, according to the CDC....

Some people with impetigo also develop deeper ulcerations and blisters that can be painful. This is known as ecthyma, and it can occur when impetigo is left untreated. (1) Impetigo isn’t immediately dangerous or life-threatening if treated, but it can spread quickly among peers. It can become a problem in schools and on sports teams. As with other types of contagious skin conditions, it is possible to prevent impetigo and stop its spread....

“Depression can get in the way of compliance with treatment,” says Susan Hedlund, LCSW, director of oncology patient and family services at the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute in Portland. “Meaning, if you are really depressed, you may miss appointments and scheduled medications.” Depression can also affect your relationships with family, friends, and your partner, so treating it is vital to preserving your quality of life....

The Common Cold and Exercise “Research has shown that when someone has a cold virus, in general, it is safe to exercise,” says Leah Mooshil Durst, MD, an internist at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago, Illinois. “There is no difference in how the body responds to exercising when it is fighting a cold virus. Some of the participants in a study even said they felt better from their exercise session in spite of their colds, but this did not help them get better faster....

“It can sometimes be difficult even for doctors to differentiate,” says Alan B. Goldsobel, MD, an allergist at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Northern California and an adjunct associate professor at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California. But there are some key differences that can give you some clues. Get to know more about the symptoms of these three conditions to help you pinpoint the cause of your sinus congestion: A Sinus Infection...

Because Crohn’s and celiac disease (sometimes called celiac sprue) are similar in some ways, they may be hard to distinguish from each other at first. Among other features, they share common symptoms, including diarrhea and abdominal pain. It’s also possible for one person to have both diseases. In both Crohn’s and celiac disease, the immune system is reacting to some sort of environmental stimulus. “In celiac disease, we know that stimulus is gluten, but we don’t yet understand what the environmental stimulus is in Crohn’s,” says Karlee Ausk, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle....

Cannabis Use in the Teen Years Affects Brain Development, Maturation What’s new Use of cannabis — such as marijuana products — during one’s middle and late teen years may alter neurological development in the brain, according to a study published on June 16 in JAMA Psychiatry. Research details For the study, researchers assessed 1,598 images from MRI scans of 799 European participants, most of whom were nearly 14.5 years old at the start of the study....

We’re not just talking about cutting back on the bad-for-you carbs — processed, high-sugar foods like donuts, cupcakes, and cookies — but also things like fruits and some veggies. The idea of limiting all carbohydrates so strictly is to put the body into ketosis, which means it begins burning fat instead of its usual fuel source, glucose (a kind of sugar). Carbs easily break down into glucose, so once those stores are depleted, your body has to burn fat....

In fact, middle age is a particularly vulnerable time, especially for women. “We view puberty and menopause both as high-risk periods for disordered eating,” says Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD, who is the founding director of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders in Chapel Hill, and author of Midlife Eating Disorders. “Pretty much universally, treatment programs have reported an increase in the number of women at midlife presenting for treatment,” Bulik says....

Amid a national opioid epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning about an unregulated supplement that has addictive and potentially dangerous health effects. In a statement, the FDA’s commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, who is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, says some people are using the botanical substance, called kratom, for pain relief and to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. As of February 2018, the FDA had received reports of 36 deaths linked with kratom....

The Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Musculoskeletal System In healthy people, the musculoskeletal system works harmoniously to provide support, stability, and movement to the body. The bones of the skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and connective tissue comprise the musculoskeletal system. Rheumatoid arthritis, as well as certain other rheumatic diseases, affect the musculoskeletal system — and sometimes other systems of the body. Most commonly, the joints are affected by rheumatoid arthritis....