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To stay organized, Nandi recommends coming to your virtual or in-person appointment fully prepared with a goal in mind (such as remission or better symptom control), and lists of information that can help you and your doctor achieve that goal. Think: lists of medications and symptoms, logs of your food intake and sleep schedule, and anything else that might be relevant to your health. “The more information you can give your doctors about your current health and well-being, the better we’ll be able to help you,” says Nandi....

One of the hottest superfood trends of late is the tigernut, which you may have heard of if you’re in the market for tigernut butter, a spread that can be compliant with popular eating plans including Whole30 and the paleo diet. That’s thanks to the fact that the tigernut is not actually a nut, says Jackie Newgent, RDN, a plant-forward culinary nutritionist and the author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook....

Galvanized by the recent deaths of several of our colleagues in the United States, India, and the Philippines, Ziff Davis’s CEO, Vivek Shah, invited leading infectious-disease experts to participate in an online discussion about all things COVID. The result was a webinar on November 1 with Carlos del Rio, MD, a professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, and Mark Mulligan, MD, a professor of medicine at New York University in New York City and the director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center....

New viral strains continue to spread across the country, adding urgency to the task of vaccinating as many people as possible. With only two vaccines currently available in the United States, a vaccine mandate is likely not a realistic move now, but it could be in the coming months. Is it legal for states, private employers, or even airlines to require a vaccine that has been approved only for emergency use?...

Nearly 1.5 million Americans are being vaccinated every day against COVID-19. Still, allergic reactions have led some people to question whether they should get the vaccine. Scant data on vulnerable populations gleaned from clinical trials for the currently approved vaccines means we don’t fully know how those with certain conditions will react. Does that mean those with allergies or conditions like HIV, multiple sclerosis, or cancer should pass on the shot?...

A white area in your mouth that is flat, painless and smooth may indicate the presence of leukoplakia. Usually, these are white patches in your mouth that do not rub off, unlike white areas due to a fungal infection like thrush. The causes of leukoplakia are not completely understood but can be related to tobacco use (including smokeless tobacco), irritation from teeth and, in some countries, the practice of chewing betel nuts....

The first antibiotic against tuberculosis, streptomycin, was developed in the 1940s. Soon after, in the 1950s, the drug isoniazid was developed along with the group of drugs called rifamycins. Antibiotic use replaced the need for sanatoriums, and the number of people with the disease in the United States and other developed countries began to go down drastically. (1,2) The number of cases in the United States began to rise again in the mid-1980s, largely as a consequence of the HIV epidemic and decreased funding for public health programs in general, and TB clinics in particular....

An estimated 8.4 million people were living with the condition worldwide last year, according to study results published September 13 in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Another 3.7 million people would have been alive last year if type 1 diabetes hadn’t prematurely ended their lives, the study also found. The study results suggest that this disease — which used to be called juvenile diabetes — is no longer predominantly a childhood condition....

Several factors contribute to post-meal hyperglycemia, including what you eat, how much, and the timing of insulin injections. According to the American Diabetes Association, your blood sugar should be less than 180 milligrams per deciliter of blood within one to two hours after eating, but your doctor may set different blood sugar goals specific to you. Tami Ross, RD, LD, a certified diabetes educator based in Lexington, Ky. and current president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators answers some frequently asked questions about blood sugars spikes, what they mean, and when they may be cause for concern....

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or have a family history of the disease, this condition and the risk for health complications that may come with it can be scary. And with the required diet and lifestyle changes, there’s no question that this diagnosis can be a challenging one to reckon with. But living with type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be devastating. In fact, when you’re educated about the disease — such as understanding how insulin resistance develops and how to mitigate it, knowing how to spot the signs of diabetes, and learning what to eat — you can tap into the resources you need to lead a happy, healthy life....

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that as of 2015 more than 5,700 children and adolescents ages 10 to 19 years were being newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year. Who is most affected? The NIH stated that in 2017 the rate of newly diagnosed cases rose by 8.5 percent in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and 6.3 percent in non-Hispanic Black youths ages 10 to 19, with smaller increases seen in Hispanic (3....

Below, you’ll find information about which vaccines are recommended for children, adults, older adults, and people planning to travel outside the country. For both COVID-19 and flu vaccination locations near you, Vaccines.gov allows you to enter your ZIP code — and for the COVID-19 vaccine, your preferred type (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or J&J) — to search for sites within 25 miles. RELATED: What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccines Tdap or Td All adults need to get the Tdap vaccine once if they weren’t immunized as an adolescent, to protect themselves against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough); then they need a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster shot every 10 years, according to the CDC....

Many products containing valerian are sold as sleep aids, or are advertised as promoting relaxation or stress relief. Although there may be evidence to support some of these claims, they haven’t been evaluated or approved as accurate by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other federal agency. Valerian has a long history as a sleep aid, with its use for this purpose dating back to ancient Greece....

Running Doesn’t Cause Arthritis Contrary to popular belief, running does not cause arthritis or osteoarthritis later in life. “I think people have this misconception because we draw these conclusions from people who have run for a long time who have knee pain,” says Karen Morice, MD, an attending physician in the department of rehabilitation medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “But you know what else happens over time?...

Why It’s Important to Enjoy Dessert (if You Want It) When it comes to holiday desserts, there’s so much more to it than a simple sweet treat at the end of a meal. Holidays, and especially the food we associate with them, are steeped in tradition. For example, my grandmother made the most delicious Italian desserts every single holiday, and there wasn’t a single year that went by when I didn’t thoroughly enjoy her cookies....

Jeff Szymanski, PhD (ocfoundation.org) Obsessions: Thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again and feel out of the person’s control. The person does not want to have these ideas. He or she finds them disturbing and unwanted, and usually knows that they don’t make sense. They come with uncomfortable feelings, such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right....

If you drink from the tap, then glass number two describes the components of your water. To ensure that your water is safe to drink by federal standards, it is treated with chemicals, such as chlorine to eliminate harmful microorganisms, and anti-corrosives that protect against infrastructure contamination while the water travels through pipes to your home. Without sterilization, untreated or unfiltered water could be swarming with dangerous microorganisms, such as Giardia lamblia, cryptosporidium, and Vibrio cholerae, which could lead to hazardous health issues, such as diarrhea, sepsis, cholera, and potentially death....

Pathology: Examining Tissue for Signs of Cancer When a polyp or other area of suspicious tissue is seen during a cancer screening test, the doctor may take a tissue sample — called a biopsy — right away, depending on the bodily location being examined, or at a later date, if doing so requires a second procedure. A pathologist then examines the tissue under a microscope to look for cancerous cells. To better visualize the various parts of the tissue, the pathologist often stains it, sometimes with multiple dyes....

Anxiety is part of the body’s natural reaction to stress, so it can be helpful at times, making you more alert and ready for action. Anxiety disorders and normal feelings of anxiousness are two different things. Many of us get anxious when faced with particular situations we find stressful, but if those feelings don’t subside, the anxiety could be more chronic. When feelings of fear or nervousness become excessive, difficult to control, or interfere with daily life, an anxiety disorder may be present....

Abdominal pain or tendernessChange in bowel habitsFeverChillsNausea and vomitingFrequent urinationLoss of appetiteConstipationDiarrheaBloatingRectal bleeding What Does Diverticulitis Pain Feel Like? The pain can come on suddenly and severely, or it may increase in severity over a period of days. It can also fluctuate in intensity. Advanced Symptoms of Diverticulitis Fever over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)Worsening or severe abdominal painInability to tolerate fluidsFeeling light-headed, dizzy, or showing other signs of low blood pressure....