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ALS is the most common neurodegenerative disorder of midlife; more than 120,000 people worldwide have ALS, including approximately 29,000 adults in the United States. When a person has ALS, the neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer communicate with the muscles. ALS is in the same family of diseases as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, explains Jim Caress, MD, a neurologist and researcher at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina....

Why is this important? It would be one of the first investigational new drug (IND) applications ever approved for bacteriophages by the FDA, and is also the first approved to target what is known as adhesive invasive E. coli (AIEC), a strain of bacteria that can be found in people who have Crohn’s. A bacteriophage, or a phage, is a virus that can be deployed to target and eradicate specific harmful bacteria, like AIEC....

Unlike its predecessor, the Control IQ is interoperable, meaning it’s designed to communicate with other compatible devices. People with type 1 diabetes won’t have to use products by Tandem Diabetes Care; they can build their own system using sensors and pumps that have the same FDA designation. “This is an important advancement because not every patient is the same and not every patient responds to devices in the same way,” says Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Ohio, who is not associated with Tandem Diabetes Care....

Gallbladder Problems: When It’s Not Gallstones Acalculous gallbladder disease is really quite rare. Gallbladder problems are most often attributed to gallstones or a condition called cholecystitis — a type of gallbladder disease characterized by inflammation of the gallbladder. But cholecystitis is most often caused by gallstones — as often as 90 percent of the time. That means that fewer than 10 percent of inflamed gallbladders occur for some other reason than gallstones....

Family: Five members, including Kelly and her husband and three children ages 8, 6, and 2 Location: Western Massachusetts Special dietary needs: None Grocery Shopping Strategy Grocery shopping isn’t just another boring to-do for Kelly Kennedy, RDN. “I think most people hate grocery shopping, but I love it,” says Kennedy. Her experience at the supermarket has become more challenging, though, as prices have started to rise, with five hungry family members to feed....

“Your hair can be an extension of your hygiene and can also reflect vitamin deficiencies and problems going on internally,” says Angela Lamb, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “If your hair and scalp are unhealthy, it can lead to itching, inflammation, and untreated chronic skin conditions like eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and alopecia,” adds Lamb....

Your organs all work in tandem, and a chronic infection that affects one of them — in this case, the liver — can trigger a domino effect that ultimately impacts others. Hepatitis C, for example, can often manifest in the body’s largest organ, the skin. Here’s how hepatitis C causes skin issues — and what you can do to correct the problems. How Does Hepatitis C Affect Your Body? Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver....

In fact, high triglycerides are as dangerous as bad cholesterol when it comes to this risk. “I now get asked about triglycerides a couple of times a week,” says Luke Laffin, MD, codirector of the center for blood pressure disorders at the Cleveland Clinic. People ask him how the fats are related to heart disease, and how they should reduce them. A study published in the June 2020 issue of Cardiology and Therapy analyzed 9,593 people from 2007 to 2014 and found that high triglycerides may be a problem for one-quarter of all Americans, and may be higher if they are being treated with statins or have diabetes or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease....

Common after-effects of acne treatment are dryness and irritation. “For people with darker skin, if the skin gets too dry, the treated area can become either lighter or much darker than the rest of their skin,” explains Dr. Teng. This is not a permanent pigment change, Teng says, and if you start to use a moisturizer and cut back on how often you use any drying acne medication, you may be able to avoid the side effects....

“Stress increases the hormone cortisol, and it can impact our digestive system,” says Megan Riehl, PsyD, a gastrointestinal psychologist at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. “People with IBS have trouble down-regulating digestive distress. For example, a person with IBS may feel the digestive process with some gurgling or discomfort and that sets off stress signals and a fear that they will need the bathroom urgently.” A study published in April 2021 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that participants living with IBS who reported experiencing anxiety and stress were more likely to report more severe symptoms, cycle through more treatments, and say their symptoms negatively impacted their daily life than patients who did not report psychological distress....

The disease was first identified in the second half of the 19th century. It is known more formally as glioblastoma multiforme. The first surgery performed on a patient with this type of tumor was done in Vienna in 1904. The incidence of glioblastoma is higher among Caucasians, especially if they live in industrial areas. Doctors do not fully understand the cause of these tumors. They arise spontaneously but sometimes develop in members of the same family, and they can also occur in patients with certain genetic diseases; both these observations suggest a possible genetic component....

The problem is the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer aren’t always easy to recognize, and they can mimic those of other conditions. Only about 20 percent of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage, when they’re most treatable. Early and accurate ovarian cancer diagnosis is important, because it may improve the odds of successful treatment. An example of a screening test is a Pap test (or Pap smear), which identifies cervical cancer....

Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences may not fix every concern, but it can be an effective tool for managing the anxiety that comes from major life changes. In fact, adults with anxiety and other medical conditions who kept a journal saw greater improvements in well-being than their non-journaling counterparts, according to a study published October–December 2018 in JMIR Mental Health. Whether you’ve never journaled before, or you’re a lifelong reflective writer, putting your thoughts on paper in strategic ways may help you cope with some of life’s challenging changes and milestones....

Because these symptoms are caused by the nerve damage that is a part of multiple sclerosis, anyone with MS is at risk of developing them. But a range of strategies can help with managing these types of symptoms. Types of Sensory Symptoms People with MS experience three basic types of sensory symptoms, says Fred D. Lublin, MD, professor of neurology and director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City: loss of sensation, abnormal sensations, and painful sensations....

While cholesterol and triglycerides are often mistakenly thought to be the same thing, they are different substances with different roles in the body. And just to add to the confusion, they have some similarities, too. Cholesterol and triglycerides are both lipids, which are a type of fat found in the blood. “There are several categories to the lipid profile that doctors review: cholesterol, which encompasses both ‘good’ (HDL) and ‘bad’ (LDL, or non-HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides,” says Michael Wesley Milks, MD, a cardiologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus....

About 75 percent of HPV types can cause common skin warts (noncancerous growths), according to the American Cancer Society. Common warts often appear on the hands or feet, but they can appear anywhere on the body. The other 25 percent of HPV types can infect the mucosal surfaces of the body — such as the vagina, anus, and inner nose, mouth, and throat. Some of these types of HPV can cause genital warts, and some can cause cellular changes, called dysplasia, that may progress to cancer....

Just as remarkable, those individuals were able to maintain that remission and remain medication-free at the one-year mark, per the findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. This study shows that type 2 diabetes is not necessarily a permanent, lifelong disease, says coauthor Dongbo Liu, PhD, a researcher at Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, China. “Diabetes remission is possible if patients lose weight by changing their diet and exercise habits,” he says....

People who have psoriatic arthritis are at greater risk of developing fibromyalgia, according to the National Fibromyalgia Association, yet rheumatologists may not realize that their patients with psoriatic arthritis in fact have both conditions. “Sometimes people with psoriatic arthritis are on their fourth or fifth rheumatologist before a rheumatologist realizes they might have both,” says Philip Mease, MD, a rheumatologist at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle....

— Theresa, Alabama Yes, there is a safe blood sugar level. It is the optimum range that safely provides the body with adequate amounts of energy. For the average person, it is 70 to 105 mg/dl in a fasting state. (Diabetes is diagnosed when the fasting blood glucose level is at or above 126 mg/dl.) Glucose values vary depending on the time of day, your activity level, and your diet....

“Hip problems are very common in patients with ankylosing spondylitis,” says Charles Lawrie, MD, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “A little over 50 percent will end up having hip involvement.” In addition, a smaller number of people with AS will see their knees, shoulders, or small joints of their hands or feet affected. Often, joint problems outside the spine become severe enough to warrant joint replacement surgery, with hip replacement as the most common operation....