Posts

“[Psoriatic arthritis] causes a lot of inflammation,” says Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH, a rheumatologist from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. “I don’t think many patients fully understand that if you have inflammation, you’re at risk for inflammation in other areas of the body.” Here are eight surprising ways psoriatic arthritis can affect your body: 1. The Psoriatic Arthritis and Heart Health Connection According to a meta-analysis in the journal Arthritis Care and Research, people with psoriatic arthritis were 43 percent more likely to have or develop heart disease compared with the general population....

Here’s a top-to-bottom look at nine of the most common digestive conditions, their symptoms, and the most effective treatments available. If you suspect you have one of these issues, don’t delay in speaking with your doctor. While it’s common for people to experience acid reflux and heartburn once in a while, having symptoms that affect your daily life or occur at least twice each week could be a sign of GERD, a chronic digestive condition that affects 20 percent of Americans, cites the NIDDK....

Puberty is a common cause of acne. About 8 in 10 preteens and teens experience it. (1) But hormones aren’t the only thing to blame for those pesky pimples. So if you thought you left breakouts and blemishes behind with that first crush, think again. The truth is, up to 15 percent of adult women have acne, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). (2) “What’s interesting is that you can get it [as an adult] even if you didn’t have it as a teenager,” says Francesca Fusco, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City....

Its associated hashtag, #aloeverajuice, has accumulated more than 19.9 million (M) views on TikTok, with users claiming that sipping 1 to 2 ounces (oz) of the green stuff twice daily promotes a clear complexion and improves digestion. A video by Bria Lemirande (1.2M followers) launched the juice into popularity after she claimed that after just over a week, her skin cleared and her digestion system has “never been better.” Since then, a flood of TikTokers have vowed to try the green juice for a week, like Sophie Bohenko (4K followers) and Momo Vimolchalao (20....

The course of the disease is highly variable, says Eric Matteson, MD, professor emeritus of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Some patients have inflammation limited to the sacroiliac joints, which doesn’t significantly impair their mobility,” he says. “Others have very extensive involvement of the spine.” Ankylosing spondylitis causes inflammation in the sacroiliac joints, where the spine joins with the pelvis, but in severe cases, the bones in the spine can fuse together and become very stiff, Dr....

And is that a good idea? The Ugly Meter, an app that rates users’ attractiveness, shot up to the top of the list in the iPhone app store earlier this week, just behind Angry Birds. While more than a dozen apps that operate on the same principle have been released in the last couple years — from “Fit or Fugly” to “FaceRate" — the Ugly Meter recently gained popularity because it was featured on Howard Stern’s Sirius radio show....

When you master blood sugar readings, you’ll be on your way to better blood sugar control and, ultimately, better results on your A1C test, the blood test your doctor orders to track blood sugar control over time. Maintaining good blood sugar control over a long period, such as a decade, could significantly reduce your risk of diabetes complications like heart attack and stroke. Understanding Blood Sugar Fluctuations Even with highly effective modern technologies such as digital glucose meters, people with diabetes still worry about testing accuracy....

The tragic event took the lives of 22 people — the youngest being 8 years old and the oldest being 51 — while they were leaving England’s Manchester Arena after Grande finished performing. Wounded were an additional 139 people, a majority of whom were children. Even as time has passed, the gruesome attack has left many people feeling a range of emotions. Although not all performers, concertgoers, venue employees, and others who were at the event will experience PTSD, it’s not uncommon if they do....

Depending on where you live, the air you breathe can be filled with all sorts of things that affect indoor air quality, including dust mites, mold, pollen, animal dander, and more. Indoor air pollution is a real health concern — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists it among the top five environmental health risks. But while the best way to address indoor air pollutants is to control the sources of the pollutants or ventilate the home with clean outdoor air, an air cleaning device may be useful, according to the EPA....

A study published in September 2017 in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed women with early-stage breast cancer who were treated with a lumpectomy followed by radiation or other therapy to kill remaining cancer cells. Half of the women in the study had only a few lymph nodes removed (sentinel lymph node dissection) from under the underarm, while the other half had a large number of lymph nodes removed, a procedure known as axillary lymph node dissection....

But on occasion, there have been topics that are out of my own experience that I’ve felt important enough to have a swipe at because of their scientific importance and, as in the case with this news on breast cancer survival, affect the largest population living with MS: women. The recent publication of a study in the journal Neurology is one such case where I step out of my experiential comfort zone and share information — in this case, about the survival rates of women with MS who develop breast cancer versus women diagnosed with breast cancer not living with MS....

Organizations Susan G. Komen Foundation BreastCancer.org National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. Living Beyond Breast Cancer Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute American Society of Clinical Oncology American Association for Cancer Research National Comprehensive Cancer Network American Society of Plastic Surgeons Statistics and Facts National Cancer Institute: Breast Cancer - Patient Version American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Breast Cancer Statistics National Breast Cancer Coalition American Cancer Society: Cancer Survivors Network Surviving Breast Cancer African American Breast Cancer Alliance, Inc....

After three years and a 14-month treatment plan — which included three months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a tissue-based reconstruction, later followed by hormone therapy — Moss, a student in the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and an advocate for cancer care, now considers herself a breast cancer survivor. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) defines survivorship as, “living with, through, and beyond cancer....

Britt Reints, author of An Amateur’s Guide to the Pursuit of Happiness, has been living with depression since 2007 and says that self-care is an important part of managing it. However, self-care can be difficult for people with depression. “The good thing about a morning routine is that you make sure you take care of yourself before the day gets ahead of you,” Reints says. Anyone can benefit from a morning routine, whether you have depression or not, says Renee Garfinkel, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Washington, D....

Though official definitions of burnout specify that burnout is the result of work-related stress, many experts think that definition is too limited. “I have absolutely seen burnout apply to other areas,” says Holly Schiff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist with Jewish Family Services of Greenwich in Connecticut. It could set in as a result of overwhelming childcare responsibilities or after taking on the role of caregiver for a sick family member, for example....

A study to be presented at the upcoming American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session (March 16–18) found that individuals who significantly restricted their carb intake were more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (afib). This heart rhythm disorder, or arrhythmia, can cause the organ to beat too rapidly and impair the function of its upper and lower chambers. “Because low-carbohydrate diets were associated with increased risk of afib, regardless of the type of protein or fat used to replace the carbohydrate, this popular weight control method should be recommended cautiously,” says lead study author Xiaodong Zhuang, MD, a cardiologist at the hospital affiliated with Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China....

The large amount of candy that so many Americans eat on a regular basis is concerning because there’s a direct link between sugar consumption and chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, according to a previous study. As a registered dietitian-nutritionist, however, I also understand the science behind why humans love sugar so much. When we eat sugar, our bodies naturally release the “feel good” hormone, dopamine, as described by Psychology Today....

Research so far has been mixed on a link between immunotherapy and worse outcomes in cancer patients with COVID-19. Some studies suggest that outcomes depend more on the cancer type, when the cancer therapy was started, and factors like the patient’s age and other health problems. The question about the safety of cancer immunotherapy in the COVID-19 era is critical because many cancer patients take the medications and because there is a theoretical basis to suspect that immunotherapies could worsen COVID-19 outcomes....

Organizations American Heart Association (AHA) Founded in 1924, this nonprofit and advocacy organization funds research on heart disease and educates the public on how to treat and prevent heart disease and related conditions, including high cholesterol. National Lipid Association This leading organization for physicians and researchers promotes best practices for both professionals and the public in lipid management, including high cholesterol. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) The NHLBI is the third largest research institute within the federally funded National Institutes of Health....

Finding the Cause Depends on the Type of Virus Both a cold and the flu, or influenza, are respiratory infections, but they’re caused by different viruses. A cold can be caused by any one of more than 200 distinct viruses, while there are only a handful of viruses that cause the flu. As a general rule, the flu is usually more intense and fierce than the common cold. In some situations, it can be important to know if you have the flu, since it is more likely to lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, bacterial infection, or hospitalization....