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Overall, surgery for Crohn’s disease in recent years seems to be on the decline, according to a study published in December 2017 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. But that’s mostly because the number of emergency surgeries has dropped about 10 percent each year. The number of elective surgeries, on the other hand, has increased by about 4 percent each year. The decision to have surgery for Crohn’s disease begins with the extended healthcare team — including a gastroenterologist and a colorectal surgeon — “discussing each patient individually, and recommending surgery when the patient’s quality of life is affected by the nonresponse to medication,” says Tracy Hull, MD, a colorectal surgeon and section chief of inflammatory bowel disease in the department of colon and rectal surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio....

The chances of having a second DVT or pulmonary embolism, in which a blood clot travels to the lungs, are about 11 percent after the first year and about 40 percent after 10 years, according to research published in a 2007 issue of Haematologica. Other studies have put recurrent risk of DVT at around 11 to 15 percent within one year. Your personal risk depends on factors such as the cause of your first DVT, how long ago you had it, and other factors, like having cancer....

And who wouldn’t? Within seconds, my search query produced numerous answers. Unfortunately, a lot of the information I found was confusing, and one piece of advice often contradicted the next. For example, I read that I should reduce my fiber intake, but follow a vegan diet consisting entirely of high-fiber foods, and avoid dairy but eat plenty of fermented foods like yogurt. Some sources told me that diet doesn’t impact IBD, while others claimed to cure IBD through diet alone....

The TalkPsoriasis community, in partnership with the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), now has over 100,000 members, and is the largest that Inspire hosts. “These are people who took that first step and turned to the Internet,” Taylor says. “We have a billion words” from members who engage others about their health conditions on the site. Patient Insights Last year, I wrote about Inspire’s first annual survey titled “Insights from Engaged Patients....

Most of these infections never cause any symptoms and go away on their own with no treatment, the CDC notes. But if an infection persists, some types of HPV can cause genital warts, and others can cause a variety of types of cancer, including cervical cancer and oropharyngeal cancer (cancer on the back and sides of the throat, tonsils, and base of the tongue). Other types of HPV can cause common, or nongenital, skin warts on other areas of the body....

“Listeriosis primarily affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems,” says Jennifer Hunter, DrPH, an epidemiologist who has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. “Other people can be infected with listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.” What are the signs of a listeria infection, and how do you know if you have listeriosis? Here’s what everyone should know about listeriosis symptoms....

In a large study published on May 2, 2019, in JAMA Opthalmology, scientists determined that long-term use of statins may offer protection against developing glaucoma, a condition that increases pressure within the eyeball and is the leading cause of blindness. “Previous studies linking cholesterol or cholesterol-lowering drugs to glaucoma risk have shown inconsistent findings, but our study suggests possible protective associations beyond cardiovascular conditions for long-term statin use,” says Jae Hee Kang, ScD, lead study author and an assistant professor of medicine in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston....

First, the weather in many parts of the country is expected to be ideal for tick breeding, according to Pests.org. Forecasts for above-average rainfall in the Northeast and the Southwest have raised Lyme disease threat levels, the organization says. In the Midwest, predictions for higher-than-normal rainfall and air temperatures will also likely increase tick populations. Although not all ticks carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, an overall increase in the number of ticks means a greater risk you’ll encounter one that is infected, says Pests....

“We haven’t been doing well, despite robust evidence demonstrating the strong benefits of good blood pressure control in older adults,” said the lead study author, Nicholas Chiu, MD, a clinical fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, in a press release. “This is a major public health gap that needs to be tackled.” Nearly Half of American Adults Have High Blood Pressure Blood pressure is simply a measurement of the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, according to the MedlinePlus....

Green tea is widely known as a healthy drink for the body. But what if you could get a bigger nutritional punch out of each cup? It might come as a surprise, but green tea doesn’t only come in a tea bag. It’s also available as a ground powder called matcha. If you’ve never heard of matcha, here’s everything you need to know about this type of green tea....

The Mayr method enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in August 2020 after Australian actor Rebel Wilson started posting photos to social media showcasing her weight loss and her experiences following the VivaMayr lifestyle. But even celebrity ties to a diet may be misleading. Although Today and other outlets reported that Wilson attended the program at VivaMayr Altaussee, a medical spa in Altaussee, Austria, she later denied following the Mayr method diet, says E!...

A migraine attack, or episode of symptoms, can cause moderate to severe pain and last from 4 to 72 hours. Anyone who has ever experienced a migraine attack knows how debilitating they can be. While there is no cure for migraine, there are many treatments available, including drugs that can prevent attacks, as well as drugs that can reduce the symptoms of an attack in progress. Lifestyle can make a difference....

About 40 percent of people with migraine experience vertigo and dizziness — symptoms that can arise from a disorder of the vestibular system, which includes parts of the inner ear — according to the Vestibular Disorders Association. It’s also not unusual for people affected by migraine to have increased sensitivity to sound during a migraine attack, which is called sonophobia or phonophobia, according to Kiran Rajneesh, MBBS, a neurologist and pain medicine specialist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus....

The finding, from a study published on September 15 in the journal Neurology, suggests that people with MS may opt against chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, due to the impact of potential side effects on their chronic condition, the researchers say. “Our study doesn’t address why the link exists, but we can speculate,” says study coauthor Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, PhD, director of the MS Clinic at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada....

Organizations Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) www.themmrf.org; 1-866-603-MMCT Founded in 1998, the MMRF is a nonprofit organization that provides facts, information, and resources about multiple myeloma diagnosis and treatment. The MMRF invests in research and tracks patient recovery in the hopes of discovering a cure. International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) www.myeloma.org; 800-452-2873 The goal of IMF is to improve the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure through research, education, support, and advocacy....

Over my many years with MS, I’ve seen medications come and go — and still no cure. But the biggest problem with MS medications, besides their onerous side effects, is who is profiting the most from them: Is it the pharmaceutical companies, or those of us with MS? This has been my internal battle with the MS world producing one medication after another at exorbitant costs. My Past Experiences With Medications Were Not So Good I speak from experience, having spent 10 years fighting numerous insurance battles in the 1990s in an effort to avail myself of the first injectable disease-modifying therapy....

Recognize that more than half of U.S. adults have one or more diet-related chronic disease, and emphasize that everyone, regardless of health status, can benefit from changing food and beverage choices to follow healthier diet patternsStress the importance of a long-term overall healthy dietary pattern, rather than focusing on individual nutrients, foods, or food groups in isolationEncourage healthy diet patterns across the life span, and for the first time recommend healthy choices for infants and toddlers...

With all of these unknowns, how should we react as omicron, or any new variant, comes our way? First, I think it’s important not to panic. While the unknowns of a variant are scary, remember that we know a lot more than we did in early 2020 about how to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Scientists know what questions to ask now. We have vaccines, testing, and some treatments that they can check for effectiveness....

In fact, a survey conducted by ClassPass found that lunchtime workouts have seen a 67 percent rise in popularity. For the first time ever, noon is the most popular time to take a fitness class. This may be due in part to no longer having to worry about driving to the gym, working out, showering, and making it back to the office before the hour is over. This lower-body workout from Wells is one you can easily do on your lunch break — or whenever you have 15 to 20 minutes to spare....

For tips and advice about what to stash in your Crohn’s disease emergency kit, we went to the experts: real people living with Crohn’s disease. We also spoke with Jessica Philpott, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic. Here’s what they recommend. The “I Can’t Wait” Card Not having access to a bathroom when you have an emergency can leave you feeling helpless. The “I Can’t Wait” card, created by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation for its members, is a universal card explaining that you have a medical condition and need immediate access to an available bathroom, including staff toilets....