everydayhealth

Unless you’ve had a gallstone or your gallbladder has been surgically removed, you probably think little of it. And that’s fine. But if it’s causing you serious pain or other problems, you may need to ditch this little organ. Your gallbladder serves as a storage pouch. While the liver is hard at work making the dark green bile that helps with digestion, the gallbladder holds the bile until you actually need it, says Erin Gilbert, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland....

Mental health experts say paying more attention to all the little ways we practice self-care (everything you do to stay physically and mentally well) is key. Think about it. Are you feeling more stressed than usual? Maybe listening to music or a morning jog usually keeps your anxieties at bay. You might find they’re not really cutting it these days. You might need to get creative when it comes to what’s going to work for you to keep your energy and mood up, explains Travis Westbrook, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus....

It’s a sense of confusion that’s pretty unique to mental health care. When people think they need to see a doctor for non-mental-health reasons, they typically know whom to call and how make an appointment. But when it comes to mental health care, there are so many different types of providers — social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, for starters — that many people are confused about who they should see....

Of course, medication and psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral skills training, remain the frontline treatments for helping people with the condition manage their symptoms and lead successful, fulfilling lives. In addition, researchers are studying the potential link between food and symptoms of schizophrenia. One review, published in October 2020 in the Clinical Journal of Nutrition Research (PDF), in which researchers evaluated the role of inflammation in schizophrenia, suggested there may be a potential role for anti-inflammatory foods in helping manage schizophrenia symptoms in some people....

In these situations, I typically just smile, because it’s easier than explaining everything I really feel. But finding a way to be supportive, compassionate, and encouraging can make a big difference for those of us living with MS. Here are some suggestions for what not to say and what to say instead: 1. Don’t Say, ‘You’re Too Young to Have MS’ Why not? It’s hard not to laugh at this, because it’s so far from the truth....

While summer festivities offer an often much-desired break in our day-to-day routines, the go-go-go schedules we create for ourselves can also become somewhat taxing themselves, says Naomi Yano, a registered psychotherapist based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. “We may have a lot of things we want to get done, places to go, and people to see,” she says. And if they’re getting in the way of routines that, over the course of the rest of the year, help you take care of your own health and personal needs, don’t forget to think about how you can manage those needs in other ways during the summer months (when your schedule may be different)....

And the current backdrop of negative global news events (inflation, war, political strife, and climate change) has put Americans’ daily stress levels at alarmingly high levels, survey data shows. “Many of us find ourselves overwhelmed and stressed by our mounting life tasks and responsibilities; juggling heavy workloads, household tasks, and childcare responsibilities,” says Monica Vermani, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in Toronto, and the author of A Deeper Wellness: Conquering Stress, Mood, Anxiety and Traumas....

What many people don’t realize is that even non-sports-related concussions are more common than we think. (Just ask Justin Bieber, who got a concussion by walking into glass.) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls were the leading cause of concussions in 2013. So although staying away from bashing helmets with the biggest men in America does help, it doesn’t make anyone less immune — even singers and actors whose stunt failures and onstage prop mishaps sometimes lead to concussion....

While symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and can get better or worse over time, more common symptoms include fatigue, walking (gait) difficulties, numbness or tingling, spasticity, weakness, vision problems, dizziness, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and emotional changes, and depression, per the NMSS. However, there are also some less common symptoms of MS. “What’s surprising about MS symptoms is that they can affect so many different functions that people rely on every day in their lives,” says Rosalind Kalb, PhD, vice president of the Professional Resource Center at the NMSS....

“It may allow the patient to notice patterns or triggers that lead to worsening symptoms,” says Tamika Webb-Detiege, MD, a rheumatologist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. “It’ll help the patient communicate with the doctor to come up with solutions together.” What to Include in a Journal There are no hard-and-fast rules for keeping a journal, but certain specific data can be beneficial for you and your healthcare provider....

According to an article published in the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, people have inhaled substances to treat asthma symptoms for at least 3,500 years, from smoking opium in ancient China to breathing in the fumes of burning herbs in ancient Greece. (1) The first known reference to this type of respiratory treatment goes back to an ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll. The papyrus describes people inhaling the vapor of the black henbane plant, or stinking nightshade....

Cellulitis can develop anywhere on the body, but in adults it most commonly affects the skin of the lower legs. In children, cellulitis often affects the face and neck, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). (1) About 14.5 million people in the United States develop cellulitis each year. “Cellulitis literally refers to inflammation of the skin,” says Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care in Los Angeles....

The reason people with PNH are at lifelong risk of having red blood cells break apart — a process called hemolysis — is that bone marrow has started producing cells that are missing an outer coating that normally protects them from attack by the immune system. With a key element in the body’s defense system crippled in this way, the body is forced to contend with persistently low levels of hemoglobin, the protein that ferries oxygen around the body....

What Does It Mean to Be Anxious? Although anxiety is often an unpleasant feeling, it’s actually a healthy response to certain triggers. “There are many situations that come up in everyday life when it is appropriate and reasonable to react with some anxiety,” says Edmund Bourne, PhD, a former director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in San Jose and Santa Rosa, California, and the author of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook....

Atherosclerosis develops gradually, and people with mild forms of the disease may not experience any symptoms at all. Many people with atherosclerosis don’t know they have the condition until their arteries are so narrow or clogged that they can’t supply adequate blood to organs and tissues. (1) In fact, most people learn that they have atherosclerosis when they experience a medical emergency, such as a stroke or heart attack, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute....

Acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting up to 50 million people annually, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. And it doesn’t discriminate — anyone can get acne at any age. Severe acne, which can appear on both the face and the body, can also lead to scarring and even depression in some people. When it comes to body acne treatment and prevention, washes are often a first-line measure as they are inexpensive, readily available, and perfect for at-home use....

The incidents included seven reports of minor property damage and two reports of injuries, including injury to a child’s leg, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and ovens. It’s estimated that 635,000 Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens were sold in the United States, and 137,000 in Canada between November 2018 and February 2022. The units cost between $30 and $150 and were purchased in stores and online at Best Buy, BestBuy....

Recent testing revealed levels of a nitrosamine impurity (N-nitroso-quinapril) were above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) acceptable daily intake level. While long-term ingestion of this suspected carcinogen may increase cancer risk, there is no immediate danger to patients taking this medication. According to an announcement from the FDA issued on December 21, the quinapril products in question are: 20 mg tablets, lot number G102929, expiration date 04/202340 mg tablets, lot number G100533, expiration date 12/202240 mg tablets, lot number G100534, expiration date 12/202240 mg tablets, lot number G203071, expiration date 03/2024...

Recently, an ongoing study by European scientists has suggested one more potential factor to consider: blood type. Preliminary results of this investigation (which have not yet been peer reviewed) were shared on June 2 on the preprint service MedRxiv. The researchers scrutinized blood samples from 1,610 hospitalized patients in Italy and Spain with the disease, as well as a 2,205 healthy people in a control group. Their analysis identified variations at two distinct areas on the genome (the complete set of human DNA, including all genes) that were associated with greater risk for severe reactions to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including respiratory failure....

Essential oils are used for aromatherapy, which means that their potential benefit comes from how they smell. They can be derived from flowers, herbs, or trees, and their use for aromatherapy is intended “to improve physical, mental, and spiritual well-being,” according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Typically, they’re inhaled using a diffusing device, or diluted (such as with lotion or shea butter) and applied to the skin. While those applications are probably safe for most people, anyone who’s been diagnosed with asthma or reactive airway disease should speak to their doctor before inhaling essential oils....