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It wasn’t the first time Nathaniel had been told she was anemic. But her doctors were dismissive before — and now, again. They prescribed iron infusions to treat the anemia, and Nathaniel had her surgery a month later. A few months later, Nathaniel caught a terrible cold that she couldn’t shake. She saw a primary care physician who diagnosed a sinus infection and gave her antibiotics. Blood tests showed that she was still anemic....

It’s well established that the drastic changes wrought by the pandemic, such as physical distancing and isolation, dealt a blow to our collective mental health. During this same time period, hate crimes and racist rhetoric against Asians spiked, and the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor inspired a mass social movement for racial justice. It was a time when the pandemic and the salience of racism converged. That convergence had a pronounced effect on the mental health of Americans of color, says study author Jordan W....

Coconut water, the clear liquid found inside a fresh green coconut, has been marketed as a thirst-quenching beverage because of its high concentration of natural electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, according to the Mayo Clinic. Coconut water has the consistency of water, is low in calories, and has just a hint of coconut flavor. When blended with coconut flesh, it makes a much richer and more calorie-dense product: coconut milk....

We’re talking about dry brushing, an ever-popular self-care technique (#drybrushing boasts more than 73 million views on TikTok) that some have claimed exfoliates the skin, detoxifies the body, and reduces the appearance of cellulite. Given its popularity, we decided to examine whether there is scientific backing behind this social media trend. Dry brushing isn’t new. It’s rooted in many cultures and traditional medical approaches around the world, including Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system that the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai notes is more than 5,000 years old....

Whether you’re among the 1 in 10 people in the United States who have some form of eczema (per the NEA’s latest figures), or are a caregiver to a child with it, know that there are ways to live well with the condition. Read on to find out how. Diet for Eczema A healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is important for most people, but is especially so for people with eczema or anyone with a disease that relates to immune system function, says Seemal R....

Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema and it can develop around the sensitive eye area and lead to a number of eye problems for anyone living with the condition, says the American Academy of Dermatology. Indeed, the eyelids are particularly sensitive to irritants. If you expose your eyelids to an irritant, they are more likely to flare up than other parts of your skin. “One possible reason could be that with increased contact of numerous types of fabric to the skin, this population with increased incidence of contact dermatitis could be reacting to the mask materials,” says Gerami Seitzman, MD, an ophthalmologist and the medical director of the Francis I....

But do you ever wonder if you’re focusing on the right things? In an ideal world, we’d have unlimited amounts of time and energy to devote to every healthy food and activity that we read or hear about, but most of us have to be selective in choosing what to pursue. If you have struggled with health issues or if you have certain chronic diseases that run in your family, you may wonder if what you do even matters....

“MS is a chronic illness that affects the central nervous system, and so it’s important to have someone who has knowledge of the pathophysiology of MS, the consequences and outcome of MS, and the new profile of treatment for MS,” says Aliza Ben-Zacharia, a nurse practitioner and an assistant professor of neurology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “MS is not a temporary disease,” Ben-Zacharia says. “You need to have follow-up with the neurologist for the rest of your life....

“Flood waters and standing waters following a hurricane pose many risks, including infectious diseases such as Vibrio vulnificus [the so-called ‘flesh-eating bacteria’],” said the Florida Department of Health. So far this year, 65 cases and 11 deaths from V. vulnificus bacteria have been recorded, compared with 34 cases and 10 deaths in 2021. The state health department notes that these numbers represent an abnormal increase due to the impacts of Category 4 Hurricane Ian, which pummeled Florida with devastating force on September 28....

“There are no real side effects, it doesn’t cost a lot of money, and you can get it without a prescription,” said the lead study author, Robert Gibbons, PhD, a professor of biostatistics and medicine at the University of Chicago. “This could potentially save tens of thousands of lives.” Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2020, 45,979 Americans died by suicide, and there were an estimated 1....

In most cases, surgery means removing the gallbladder. But there may be other alternatives in certain situations, and there’s more than one way to perform gallbladder removal surgery. Here are three surgical options that your doctor may discuss with you, and what to expect from each procedure. Cholecystectomy (Gallbladder Removal) Cholecystectomy is the medical term for surgery to completely remove the gallbladder. In the United States, cholecystectomy is a very common operation....

The pill, spironolactone, costs pennies a day and is most often prescribed as a diuretic to reduce fluid retention in patients with heart failure. The drug works by blocking proteins known as mineralocorticoid receptors, which are located throughout the body and play a role in maintaining a healthy balance of fluids and electrolytes. Some previous lab experiments also suggest that these proteins may play a role in alcohol use. For the new study, researchers tested the effects of spironolactone in mice and rats, then examined medical records for more than two million people who drank alcohol to see if taking the drug was associated with reduced alcohol consumption....

“At my worst, I was suffering 25 out of 30 days a month and taking 10 pills a day to prevent them,” says Dumas, 57, of Irvine, California. But the medication had terrible side effects: She had four miscarriages from migraine-related drug interactions and was hospitalized three times with kidney stones. “I can’t tell you how many tickets went unused and dates got ruined and kids’ events I missed because I simply couldn’t go,” she says....

“Despite our nation’s advances in science, public health, and healthcare, the health status of the African-American community continues to lag behind the general population,” states the OMH website. “The OMH is working to reduce disparities and promote better health for African Americans.” Among OMH events this month is a February 20 Twitter chat with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the American Heart Association highlighting the risk factors of heart disease among African-Americans....

The best way to avoid contracting hepatitis A is to get two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine, which can make you immune to the virus. Postexposure Protection If you aren’t immune to hepatitis A virus, or HAV, and you contract it, the hepatitis A vaccine can still be helpful and provide postexposure protection. That is, the vaccine can help prevent a full-blown hepatitis A infection if it’s taken within two weeks of exposure to HAV....

“The field of psychology is really pushing cognitive and behavioral psychotherapies that involve talking and thinking about what happened as well as challenging maladaptive thought processes,” says Bret A. Moore, PhD, the vice chair of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth, as well as a former active-duty army psychologist and Iraq War veteran. “These are effective interventions for a portion of veterans, but not all.” Dr. Moore says that his field should focus on nontraditional interventions like meditation that are easy to engage in outside of the therapy room and avoid placing the veteran in the “patient” or “sick” role that is often associated with traditional treatments for PTSD....

Symptoms of HAE usually start in childhood and worsen during the teen years, according to the U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA). (1) People with HAE may notice that their hands, feet, face, and throat swell up. Abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting are also common symptoms if HAE affects a person’s intestinal tract, notes Discover HAE. (2) Although HAE is a lifelong disease, there are treatments to help manage the condition....

In honor of this year’s Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week, Everyday Health hosted a Let’s Talk about Hereditary Cancer Twitter Chat, where experts, patients, and advocates answered our questions on gene mutation, how to talk about it with family, misconceptions surrounding hereditary cancer risk, and more. The chat featured: Basser Center for BRCA Penn Medicine’s resource center specializing in the research and treatment of BRCA-related cancers (follow @BasserBRCA)The Breasties An online community made up of breast and gynecological cancer patients and survivors (follow @the_breasties)Brianna Majsiak An editor at Everyday Health focused on breast and gynecologic cancer, and cofounder of The Breasties (follow @brianna_majsiak)Dena Goldberg A board-certified genetic counselor and educational content creator (follow @DenaTalksDNA)FORCE (Facing Our Risk Empowered) A nonprofit dedicated to educating patients and families about hereditary cancer and creator of Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week (follow @FacingOurRisk)My Gene Counsel An organization, founded by Ellen Matloff, which provides online genetic counseling to patients (follow @MyGeneCounsel)Nancy’s Point An author and BRCA blogger (follow @NancysPoint)National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) An organization that supports the professional development of genetic counselors (follow @GeneticCouns)Ohio Association of Genetic Counselors (OAGC) An organization that connects and supports professionals in the field of genetics within Ohio state (follow @OhioGenetics)Tiffiney Carter A genetic counselor specializing in cancer genetics (follow @TiffineyCarter)...

Because of the rising flood of incoming patients, some hospitals — such as those in North Dakota and Wisconsin — have been coping with crippling staff shortages and personnel who are burning out. “Many healthcare workers are becoming ill physically, emotionally, and mentally,” says Alan Taege, MD, an infectious-diseases specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, where the number of patients with the coronavirus has doubled since a July surge. As the country reaches a tipping point, Cleveland Clinic and nearly 100 healthcare systems nationwide have banded together to urge the public to help reverse this trend by following one simple directive: Wear a face mask....

On paper, you’re dying. Not necessarily today, or tomorrow, but all the evidence shows that some ugly little entity inside your body is trying as hard as it can to kill you. It’s the kind of news that can stop you in your tracks and cause you to fall into the depths of despair. Understandably so. All the blissful ignorance that most people in this world have surrounding their own mortality has been stolen from you....