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Take gua sha. This practice, which involves scraping your skin with a coin, spoon, or stone until tiny red spots appear, is not only rising as a social media trend but also hails from an ancient therapeutic technique. Some people claim gua sha can smooth wrinkles and tame facial puffiness, whereas others turn to the practice to help manage diseases, promote circulation, and ease muscle pain. Here’s what you might want to know about gua sha, the potential benefits, risks, and how to get started....

There are more than 150 types of primary and secondary headache disorders, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Headaches can be the body’s reaction to emotional stress, grief, too much or too little sleep, or depression. Some people get a headache after physical exertion, crying, eye strain, or sex. Sometimes headaches are harmless and come and go in a matter of minutes, while other types of headache can be a symptom of a serious health problem....

Despite the lingering mystery and stigma, the medical community now understands that leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic and progressive infectious disease caused by a slow-to-grow bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae). (3) This bacterium invades the skin, eyes, nasal lining, and peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord). (3) And while leprosy is, in fact, contagious, it’s not nearly as transmissible as was thought in ancient times, which means that isolating those infected is never warranted....

Upon contact with human skin, poison ivy often causes a rash, known as contact dermatitis. (1) This rash may develop into increased redness, swelling, and blisters, which are often itchy or painful. While poison ivy can grow in completely wild areas, it often thrives in places that have been disturbed by humans, such as along the sides of roads and trails, or on the edges of cleared or developed plots of land....

The first sign of syphilis is most commonly a painless sore, called a chancre, that develops where the bacteria entered the body. The chancre typically appears within three weeks from the time of exposure. It is usually in the area of the genitals, rectum, or mouth, and it can go unnoticed if it is hidden inside the body. The infection spreads from person to person when a person touches these sores with their skin or mucous membranes....

“The diet is often used in children and adults with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease,” says Laura Manning, MPH, RDN, a clinical nutrition coordinator at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “It has been shown to induce remission in 70 percent of pediatric [patients] and 69 percent of adults who used the diet successfully.” CDED was originally developed to exclude certain foods from the Western diet, which is thought to alter the gut microbiome — the trillions of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses found in the gut....

Regardless of how a brain injury happens, it’s important to know what symptoms to look for and how to proceed. Downplaying or ignoring symptoms can be counterproductive and prolong recovery time. And in certain cases, symptoms may be severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room. How Doctors Diagnose a Concussion According to the CDC, there were 2.5 million trips to the emergency room in 2013 that resulted in a TBI diagnosis....

Why It’s Important to Protect Your Feet If You Have Diabetes Foot problems are more common in people with diabetes than in those without the disease. That’s because you can have damage to blood vessels in your legs and feet, which can affect circulation, promote swelling, and increase your risk for infection, among causing other diabetes complications. Each year, you should aim to have your feet examined by your diabetes care provider and, if you are aware that you have foot problems, by a diabetes specialist, such as a podiatrist....

“‘Raised Without Antibiotics’ [RWA] and related claims are absolute, meaning antibiotics should never have been administered to the animals intended for the RWA market,” says Laura Rogers, the deputy director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a coauthor of the study, published April 7 in Science. “This is disappointing to say the least. This is an important label claim, and consumers should have confidence in it,” she says....

Luckily, that doesn’t have to be the case. “You can absolutely make keto work on a budget,” says Bonnie Nasar, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Freehold, New Jersey, who promotes a plant-based Mediterranean ketogenic diet. Also consider the long view. If you’re following keto on the recommendation of your doctor as part of your treatment plan for a medical condition, eating a nutrient-dense version of the ketogenic diet may lead to health improvements....

Treating Arthritis With Medications Meds are usually very effective in helping to ease joint pain and other arthritis symptoms. That’s because most of them help reduce inflammation — the source of all that aching. Some types of medications may be used simply to ease joint pain, without doing much to combat inflammation. Over-the-counter pain-relievers. These include Tylenol (acetaminophen), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Aspirin, Aleve (naproxen), and Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)....

COPD Myth 1: A COPD Diagnosis Is a Death Sentence “People live a long time with COPD,” Dr. Adams says. “Especially now that we have many therapies that improve your chances of living longer with COPD.” COPD never goes away, and it’s a progressive disease; but it’s one that can be managed, she adds. It requires that you do some things that may be really tough, like quitting smoking and getting plenty of exercise....

Fruits Can Be a Healthful PsA Resource “Just keep in mind that fruits are in no way a replacement for medical treatment. However, they can be a delicious part of your overall therapy,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You From Label to Table. 6 Fruits That May Help You Stay Healthy 1. Avocado Avocado is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin E — the latter is not found in a lot of other fruits....

Fortunately, many companies have launched meal delivery services, and several adhere to a healthy low-carb approach that can help people with type 2 diabetes. While many cook-at-home meal services, such as Blue Apron, can be customized to meet American Diabetes Association (ADA) standards, maybe you don’t have time to study the nutrition facts of every meal these services offer. That’s where the ADA-friendly options come in. What to Look for in a Meal Delivery Service When You Have Type 2 Diabetes If you have type 2 diabetes, be sure to research the amount of carbs, calories, and sodium in prepackaged meals because they can have a tendency to be higher in sugar and salt, says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, a dietitian at the Mayo Clinic who is based in Rochester, Minnesota....

The series, based on the bestselling Jay Asher novel of the same name, follows the suicide of high schooler Hannah Baker and the cassette tapes she left behind for 13 people. While the first season largely focuses on Hannah’s story in particular by diving into each tape, the second season chronicles the aftermath of Hannah’s suicide through testimonies during a court case against the school. Using this tactic, the second season tackles various new mental health issues by using the characters as a backdrop for topics like addiction, rape, and school violence....

Many treatments — such as medication and psychotherapy — can help manage the symptoms of this mental health condition. Certain lifestyle strategies, such as eating nutrient-rich foods, can help people with the condition stay well, too. Of course, a healthy diet is not a substitute for standard treatments. However, it’s still important for people with bipolar disorder because they are prone to deficiencies in certain essential vitamins and minerals, such as various B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, which may be at least partly related to a poorer diet, according to a systematic review published in May 2022 in Nutritional Neuroscience....

Kevin Mancuso, Nexxus New York Salon Care global hair creative director and certified trichologist (a specialist in hair and scalp care) has some practical advice for keeping your hair and scalp healthy so you can feel more confident in any situation. Spend More Time Shampooing Sorry to the blowout bar addicts who can go days without a wash, but if your scalp flakes, the first thing you want to do is wash more frequently to exfoliate scales....

There are two types of contact dermatitis: allergic dermatitis, which is an allergic skin reaction, and irritant dermatitis, which develops after encountering an irritating substance over time, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Either way, the result is dry, red, itchy, sometimes blistering skin that could be accompanied by a burning or stinging sensation. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Eczema Contact dermatitis is very common and affects almost everyone at some point in their lives, the AAD notes....

In addition to being delicious, apples are highly portable and have a longer shelf life than many other kinds of fruit, making them a great grab-and-go snack. Apples are also extremely versatile, enjoyable fresh from the tree, baked into pies, juiced, dried, baked, and more. Plus, there are about 2,500 unique varieties of apples in the United States, according to the University of Illinois, so it’s hard to get bored....

The good news is that there are probably a lot of ways you could be saving money on your food bill right now — you just don’t know about them. From how you cook dinner to how you handle your kitchen scraps, a little planning and mindfulness can help you continue to eat well without breaking the bank. Here are nine ways you may be wasting money without realizing it....