How Common Is Phantosmia: Smelling Something that’s Not There?
If you’ve been smelling things that aren’t there (phantosmia), you’re in good company: lots of it. Phantosmia is also far more common in people over the age of 40, says a study. […]
Can a Teenager Get Melanoma in the Mouth?
The answer is “Yes” to the question, Can a teen get melanoma of the mouth. The most highly publicized presentation of melanoma is that of a “mole” on the skin. […]
Costochondritis or GERD? Symptom Overlap, Which Is It?
GERD and costochondritis (“costo”) both cause pain in the chest. Both can cause enough chest pain to make a person think they’re having a heart attack. But there are also differences between the chest pain [...]
Why Your Poops Are Sometimes Pointy
Are the ends of your poops shaped like a spear or pointy? Usually, when stools come out, they have bulbous or clumpy ends when they are well-formed. But every so often, you may find that [...]
Chances of a 25 Year Old Having Throat Cancer
All it takes is one persistent symptom to make a 25 year old fear throat cancer – which actually CAN strike young adults, even though most newly diagnosed cases in the U.S. occur in people [...]
Can White or Olive Skinned Children Get Nail Melanoma?
Though black adults are more likely to get nail melanoma, white and olive skinned children CAN get nail melanoma — which is deadly if not caught in time. […]
Burping up Acid Reflux While Asleep: Causes & Solutions
Have you ever been awakened by a sudden burping up of yucky tasting liquid that even may have dripped out of your mouth? This is acid reflux that comes from the stomach. It can be [...]
Jaw Popping: Most Likely TMJ but Can Also Be Cancer
A popping or clicking jaw is a classic sign of the common TMJ disorder... But cancer can also affect the jaw and cause popping, mimicking a benign TMJ problem. Since cancer can grow just about [...]
Should Very Dark Skinned Children Wear Sunscreen?
It’s definitely important to apply sunscreen on your very dark skinned child, says a dermatologist who specializes in patients of color. Sunscreen advertisements always show fair skinned people putting it on. Advertising is very powerful, [...]
Hemorrhoid Blood vs. Colon Cancer Blood: Is There a Difference?
Is there a distinction with the way the blood would look if it’s from a hemorrhoid vs. rectal fresh blood from colon cancer? Both hemorrhoid blood and colon cancer bleeding from the lower rectum is [...]
How Likely Are Nighttime Nosebleeds Caused by Cancer?
A nosebleed especially at night in a person with health anxiety will bring to mind cancer as a cause, especially since cancer CAN arise inside the nose. […]
Can Blood in Stools Look Like Scattered Red Bits of Food ?
Just exactly what would fresh blood in “bloody stools” look like? Could they appear as random red bits or specks of food? Would there be a reddish film covering the stools? […]
Can Cancer of the Penis Make It Smell?
Many men notice a bad odor coming from their penis. Cancer can affect the penis and has a high mortality rate. If a man begins detecting a smell from his penis, the first thing that [...]
Foot Drop, No Other Symptoms: ALS or Brain Tumor?
For people with ALS anxiety, foot drop is often at the top of their worries. They may imagine foot drop and wonder if it’s ALS or a brain tumor causing it. […]
Can Cancer Cause Only One Nostril to Be Clogged?
What is the likelihood that when someone has a persistently clogged single nostril that it’s cancer? When a bothersome symptom occurs on only one side, this can cause a lot of anxiety, bringing to mind [...]
Can You Die from a Vocal Cord Spasm Attack?
It’s frightening as heck to have a vocal cord spasm, but what are the chances that the muscles won’t relax in time and you then die of asphyxiation? […]
Can Laryngeal Cancer Cause Throat pain WITH Ear Pain?
Laryngeal cancer often causes throat pain, but what are the odds that both throat and ear pain at the same time are caused by a malignant tumor of the larynx? Throat pain or discomfort without [...]
Cardboard Taste in Mouth After Doing Jumping Cardio Exercise
Does your mouth taste like cardboard or sawdust after doing intense cardio, particularly of an agitated nature such as jumping? This is likely caused by exercise-induced acid reflux. […]
Choroidal Nevus Getting Bigger: Is this Melanoma?
Has your eye doctor said your choroidal nevus is bigger? Though it’s uncommon for a choroidal nevus to become a melanoma, all eye melanomas were once a choroidal nevus. What is a choroidal nevus? A [...]
Can Cardio Exercise Actually Prevent Diabetic Neuropathy?
You know that aerobics is beneficial for diabetic neuropathy, but what about cardio exercise to prevent this condition in the first place? Diabetic neuropathy is a painful condition of the lower extremities. […]
Can Acid Reflux Cause a Vocal Cord Spasm?
A vocal cord spasm is insanely frightening because it prevents you from getting adequate oxygen as you struggle to breathe. The question is if acid reflux can shoot up high enough to the throat to [...]
Malignant Melanoma vs. Benign: The Difference
Have you seen the term “benign melanoma” or “non-malignant melanoma” and thus wonder what the difference is between malignant and benign melanoma? • “Mela” refers to pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) • “Oma” refers to mass or [...]
Are Squats a Good Exercise for People with Diabetes?
Squats are an excellent strength training exercise for people with diabetes including older individuals. There are many variations of the squat, and which variation the diabetic should do is dependent upon which version he or [...]
New Risk Factor for ALS: Low Muscle Strength
An unexpected risk factor for later development of ALS has been found: low muscle strength. […]
Fat & Healthy for How Long? Obesity Thickens Heart in Young Adults
If you consider yourself healthy despite obesit ... high blood pressure and a thickened heart muscle may be lurking around the corner – EVEN if you have normal blood pressure and blood sugar now. Obese [...]
Does Heart Rate Slow Down During an Angina Attack?
Seems that during an angina attack, the heart rate would always speed up and never slow down, being that oxygen supply to the heart during an anginal episode is shorted. An elevated heart rate means [...]
Cold Ankles for No Reason? Causes and Solutions
If your ankles seem to be cold on a frequent basis, the cause may be disease. Not disease of the skin, but conditions such as peripheral vascular disease. It is not normal to have chilly [...]
Is There a Such Thing As Restless Arm Syndrome?
Is “restless arm syndrome” a real condition? Why would restlessness occur only in the legs? […]
Can a General Physician Read an EKG?
Just how well can a general practitioner interpret an EKG of your heart? This is a very fair question. After all, sooner or later, medical students will be shown how to read an EKG (also [...]
Resting Heart Rate Is 95: Does this Mean Heart Trouble?
Are you unnerved by those studies showing a link between resting heart rates of 95 and all-cause mortality? Isn’t an RHR of 75 better than 95? […]
Core Exercises to Prevent Spinal Stenosis in Healthy People
You don’t want to wait till you have spinal stenosis to wonder what kind of exercises could have possibly prevented it. Spinal stenosis tends to be progressive. In its severe form, the patient walks or [...]
Can a Low Back Problem Cause Pain in the Shins?
Do you suffer from unexplained pain or aching in the shins? The origin of this problem could be in your lower back. Shins that hurt is a very common symptom, especially among runners. But people [...]
What Is a Dermatoscope?
What exactly is a dermatoscope? First off, next time you see a dermatologist for a skin cancer screening, make sure the doctor is using a dermatoscope. Sometimes, a dermatoscope is incorrectly called a dermoscope. “Derma” [...]
Do Heart Attacks Always Cause a Loss of Consciousness?
Have you ever wondered if heart attacks always cause a loss of consciousness, even if for just a few moments? […]
Chest Pain from Deadlifts: Cause, Solution by Chiropractor
If you’ve connected your chest pain to your deadlift routine—a definite cause and effect—yet experience no chest pain during other strenuous activities, this is very likely musculoskeletal in origin. If any pain or pressure in [...]
Thigh Hematoma after Cardiac Ablation: Causes, Solutions
Sometimes, a hematoma (blood mass) in the thigh forms after cardiac ablation. “When we perform cardiac ablations we most commonly utilize the blood vessels in the groin,” says Michael Hoosien, MD, MSc, a cardiac electrophysiologist [...]
Sudden Shortness of Breath with a Racing Heartbeat: Causes
“There are a myriad of reasons someone might experience short-lived palpitations — or the sensation of the heart ‘racing,’” says Michael Hoosien, MD, MSc, a cardiac electrophysiologist with Piedmont Heart Hospital in Atlanta, GA. short [...]
Does Feeling Palpitations in the Neck Mean Something’s Wrong?
If you’ve been feeling palpitations when your fingertips are against your neck, this can mean more than one situation internally. […]
If Doctor Thinks Teen’s Mole Must Be Watched, Why Not Biopsy It?
If a teen’s mole is suspicious enough for a doctor to say, “It should be watched,” then why not just biopsy it in case it’s melanoma? Teens DO get melanoma. “Melanoma among adolescents and young [...]
Big Red Pimple on Teen’s Nose that Won’t Go Away
What appears to be a big red pimple on a teen’s nose may actually be melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. […]
