Waking up in the morning to find that your lips have swelled up can be a pretty alarming experience. “Lips can swell [overnight] for a number of reasons,” says Walter Gaman, MD, FABFM, board certified [...]
You’re just sitting there relaxed before the TV, computer or reading a magazine when suddenly you get a run of PVCs. Can a healthy heart have premature ventricular contractions at rest? You know what these [...]
There’s a very logical reason why premature ventricular contractions or palpitations seem to go hand-in-hand with Prilosec. Prilosec is commonly used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease -- commonly known as GERD or just [...]
If you’re a chocolate lover but also suffer from premature ventricular contractions, does this mean you must give up your Heaven? Chocolate is the Eighth Wonder of the world. It's been said that on the [...]
Boom-boom-boom-boom, your heart rate noticeably speeds up simply because you turned over to the side in bed. Does this mean poor fitness or an arrhythmia? […]
Thump Thump Thump! Does this describe your heart when you lie on your stomach? Are you feeling a “boom boom boom” that seems to be just a bit too forceful? And it occurs only when [...]
You know that a DVT can cause pain, cramping and soreness in a leg, but did you also know that it can cause numbness and tingling? “Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is often labeled the ‘silent [...]
Cloudy urine may be a sign that something is wrong, including kidney damage from diabetes. […]
“Tingling at the tip of the nose can occur for a variety of reasons,” including MS, says Walter Gaman, MD, FABFM, board certified in family medicine and the author of several award-winning books including “Age [...]
What’s going on when your pulse is 110 at rest but you don’t smoke or eat caffeine? A heart rate at rest of 110 is outside the normal range. […]
You’ve had this lump on the top of your head for years and have thought nothing of it—until recently because it’s suddenly getting bigger. […]
Dark urine has many causes, and even what “dark urine” actually means is open to interpretation. With HIV infections on the rise, the worry over dark pee as a possible symptom is also gaining momentum. [...]
Did you read somewhere that ALS causes muscle twitching & are now freaking out because you’re twitching between your thumb and index finger? Twitches Between Thumb & Index Finger: Uncommon Area for Fasciculations “Twitching between [...]
When you look at your thenar palm area (right below the thumb) do you see dents that are suggestive of muscle atrophy? […]
If a teen or young adult gets a bunch of moles in only a short period of time, is this predictive of future melanoma? Or perhaps some of those new moles ARE melanoma? [...]
Isn’t it frightening to read of a case in which a biopsy incorrectly labeled a mole as benign, and it later turned out to be a missed melanoma? This happens. […]
So which is a greater risk for melanoma: childhood sunburns or adult basal cell carcinoma? You’re probably aware that that blistering sunburns in childhood are thought to double a person’s individual risk for melanoma. [...]
You know that melanoma can indeed grow “in a nail” and cause a dark streak, but can this band of cancer ever be green? Or how about mostly brown or black with a little bit [...]
Is there a way a doctor can tell the difference between hair loss from stress and from aging? Chronic stress can definitely cause hair to fall out. The aging process as well is notorious for [...]
It is nothing short of unnerving to casually scratch a mole and then see it bleed. The scratching may not even be intended for the mole, but the mole just happens to be in the [...]
Are you noticing what appears to be pimples growing on your neck? “Pimples on the neck are usually either acne or folliculitis,” says Dr. Steven Musick, MD, a board certified dermatologist who runs Musick Dermatology, [...]
What looks like a pimple growing in a mole may be a harmless pimple, or, it can be melanoma or another kind of skin cancer that often resembles pimples. […]
Ever see a pinky toe with no nail and wonder why, in some individuals, there is no nail on their pinky toe? Or sometimes there is, if you want to call it a true nail: [...]
Have you discovered a mole on your nipple — not nearby, but ON the nipple, and are worried it might be melanoma? […]
Can a melanoma that spreads to the brain ever cause tinnitus? The brain is one of the first places that a melanoma tumor metastasizes to. This can result in a variety of symptoms. Tinnitus is [...]
Adults, not just teens, can suffer from stubborn acne or pimples along their hairline. Sometimes, the conditions that are ripe for the development of blemishes are concentrated along the hairline. […]
There are three main types of scalp lesions that can look like a blister, and this includes cancer. This is why it’s important to have a dermatologist inspect your scalp on a yearly basis as [...]
If you suffer from BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional disorder), you can perform the Epley maneuver on yourself for instant relief from the dizziness and nausea. […]
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is an inner ear problem, usually affecting only one ear—but which ear? How does a doctor figure this out? […]
How normal is it for one collarbone (clavicle) to stick out more than the other? What actually causes this and can cancer be a potential cause? “Clavicles are generally symmetrical, but asymmetry is not necessarily [...]
Yes, young adults — those in their 30’s and even 20’s—have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, even though this degenerative cartilage disease is strongly associated with the aging body. […]
Is it safe to train with weights on a headache you got before the workout, and how about if the headache develops while you’re strength training? Some Headaches Mean Danger While Others Are Harmless “Headaches [...]
Does dizziness after hitting your head always mean you should head to the emergency room? “Head injuries can be serious,” says J. Mark Anderson, MD, DABFM, of Executive Medicine of Texas and who is board [...]
Even the tiniest muscles are prone to twitching and this includes in the ankle. Often, the arch or a single toe starts twitching, but the small muscles in the ankle joint may also act up [...]
A dent in a limb is often associated with muscle atrophy in the mind of the layperson. Somehow, someway, perceived or actual dents in the arm or leg have barged their way into the hypochondria [...]
A normal A1C is always good news, but what if it comes with a fasting glucose of 109, which is in the so-called prediabetic range? “A fasting glucose is a snapshot of what someone’s blood [...]
The muscles of the forearm are relatively small but can cramp up due to many causes. The question is can this ever mean a serious condition? […]
“Skin cancer can look like many things; therefore people can go long periods of time without recognizing that they have a skin cancer,” says Dr. Steven Musick, MD, a board certified dermatologist who runs Musick [...]
It’s a fact that melanoma can be well under six millimeters, and in fact, can be only one millimeter in diameter. The ABCD rules for melanoma certainly do not apply to all such skin cancers. [...]
How many people walking around today were diagnosed with melanoma 30 years ago? This deadly skin cancer is on the rise, but is highly curable when caught at the stage 0 or “in situ” (in [...]
