How long after taking birth control pills might a blood clot form in high risk women like smokers? Blood clots are possible complications of using birth control pills, especially for women at higher risk for [...]
An ear, nose and throat doctor explains why exercise such as running can cause a sore throat and how to solve this problem. Stacey Silvers, MD, first points out that a sore throat from exercising [...]
An ear, nose and throat doctor explains the causes of clicking sounds when you swallow and what can be done about this. “Many people experience clicking in the ear when they swallow or chew,” says [...]
Putting your hands on the side rails of a treadmill while running or jogging will sabotage your efforts and waste your time. If you hold onto the side rails of the treadmill while doing your [...]
Does it really make a difference if the systolic blood pressure in the elderly is around 150 vs. a little bit under 140? The guidelines that systolic blood pressure should be below 140 are based [...]
A fall in an elderly person from standing to the ground is deadlier far more often than you may think. “Slip-and-fall” accidents may be the fodder of reams of personal injury lawsuits, but for the [...]
Slow walking in daily life may increase mortality risk in older people. Years ago I worked in a department with many people over age 55. I confess: I had no tolerance for slow walkers, as [...]
Actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinoma can look similar; in fact, an actinic keratosis can turn into a squamous cell carcinoma. Some doctors even believe they are one and the same, just at different points along [...]
Which is better for DVT treatment: a blood thinner drug or catheter-based removal? A Temple University School of Medicine study involving 90,000 patients has an interesting conclusion. The mortality rate between the two DVT treatments [...]
If you want to lose stomach fat and had to choose between cardio or lifting weights, which should you choose? According to a Duke University Medical Center study, cardio wins for reducing belly size. But [...]
Don't let a sprained ankle stop you from doing cardio exercise that burns fat. First of all, make sure your sprained ankle is only that; no broken bones. Make sure it is securely stabilized with [...]
Which brand of organic chocolate milk tastes the best? There are three popular “natural” brands that are sold at Whole Foods. One is Horizon Organic. One is Organic Valley. And the other is Promised Land [...]
Don't let the name fool you: Silly Farms hot chocolate mix (there are several varieties) is absolutely the best tasting hot chocolate mix you'll ever find. I discovered Silly Farms hot chocolate mix at Whole [...]
It seems logical that a chronically stressed person could benefit from a daily aspirin in terms of helping prevent a heart attack, since aspirin is a blood thinner and stress thickens blood. I wondered about [...]
Here’s a benign explanation for why you see new black spots in your mole that weren’t there before. Before I give this explanation, you should know that the new appearance of black in a pre-existing [...]
Do you know a very depressed person who doesn’t think they are depressed? You’d think that of all mental illnesses, depression would be the one that the patient is well-aware of. But in the case [...]
Simply changing the way you do things in your daily life will minimize hair loss. Use Your Fingertips The first way to reduce the number of hairs that fall out of your head every day [...]
Far more people die every year from a pulmonary embolism than you think. These blood clots in the lungs may cause cardiac arrest, and often, the cause of death is listed as just that—cardiac arrest. [...]
PVC stands for premature ventricular contraction. It creates the illusion of an extra heartbeat, especially if there are two or three in a row. And sometimes, it feels as though the heart has skipped a [...]
The brain damage of CTE begins during the athlete's career, yet mental symptoms don't start showing until years later when the athlete is much older. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) starts developing years, sometimes even decades, after the [...]
You need only three strength training exercises to drop 100 pounds of unhealthy body fat. There’s nothing gimmicky about what I’m going to tell you. If you’re a hundred pounds overweight, or weigh 450 pounds [...]
You’ve heard that colon cancer can cause ribbon stools, but IBS can also do this. “Ribbon stools are not uncommonly seen with IBS, although excluding other causes, such as anatomic problems, inflammatory disease, etc., would [...]
Ever feel nauseous after a bowel movement and you have irritable bowel syndrome? Could there be a connection? “The mechanism of IBS is abnormal motility in one form or another (constipation or diarrhea); hence, after [...]
Do you have IBS and have noticed what looks like blood in the mucous that comes out with your bowel movements? “One not uncommonly sees mucous in the stool with IBS, but not blood," says [...]
An IBS flare or attack is no picnic and can last for many days. “Some attacks can last for a few hours, some days,” says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore. [...]
There’s a way to undo some of the harm of prolonged sitting for three hours. If you’re sitting at your computer for three hours, but get up three times during that session and walk for [...]
Does an elderly family member have a lower left, sharp pain in the abdomen that hurts upon touching? If so, take this person to the emergency room. This is what happened to my father. The [...]
Some parents cringe when their preschooler or toddler shows fear of sitting in Santa Claus's lap. Instead, parents should feel joy. If a toddler or preschooler has no qualms about Santa Claus's lap, parents should wonder just how easy [...]
Have you ever forced your crying child to sit in Santa Claus's lap because your child was embarrassing you in front of other parents? Or maybe you were hell-bent on getting that perfect Christmas photo [...]
Making crying or screaming children sit in Santa Claus’s lap is an act of selfishness. These parents have no clue how detrimental it is to force frightened, crying kids into the lap of Santa Claus [...]
Are parents cruel for allowing a child to be engulfed by the big, scary looking stranger we call Santa Claus? The toddler above is reaching out to, presumably, Mommy to rescue him from what is, [...]
If your child is afraid of Santa Claus, there is one very simple technique to correct this problem. Plus additional tips for frustrated parents. Something about the commercialism of Christmas makes many parents lose their [...]
Find out the smallest, most subtle warning signs that indicate a man may abuse his new girlfriend or wife. Perhaps you’ve read about the “earliest” warning signs that indicate a man may become abusive to [...]
Yes, women DO abuse men--their husbands or boyfriends. Women can be violent, but what are the signs she might be capable of this kind of behavior? And the mistreatment isn’t necessarily physical; a woman can [...]
Just how common is it for grown children of abusive parents to get revenge on mom and dad? With all the mistreatment of children out there, it’s fair to wonder what percentage of adults, who were [...]
It’s not always luck that some women never end up with an abusive partner; some really are abuse-proof. We can’t put every woman into the same box and say there’s no such thing as an [...]
Almost every article I’ve ever read about Down syndrome has the word suffer. These days, though, journalists and bloggers are more aware of the descriptors they use when referring to someone with Down syndrome. But [...]
When it’s time to put your dog down, should you stay with the dog during the process, or leave the room before the dog starts drifting off towards doggie heaven? I have given this some [...]
Phewwww, does your dog's passing gas stink up an entire room? Here is how to get that undern control -- by a veterinarian. Why does your dog, though, pass gas so often in the first [...]
From a veterinarian's mouth are the 10 foods dogs with sensitive stomachs need to avoid eating. “Sensitive stomachs in dogs can result from food intolerance,” says Dr. Michel Selmer, DVM, with The Caring Vet in [...]
*********************
