The catch: You have to take the medication exactly as prescribed — something that anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of people with RA do, according to a study published in April 2015 in BioMed Research International. If you’re not following your prescribed treatment plan, it can lead to flares and cause joint damage to accumulate, says Dr. Worthing. “Once the damage is done, it’s not likely to be repaired....
If I cheat on my diet, will that cause a multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse?Can I stop exercising during the holidays?If I cut back on my workouts now, will it set me back in my fitness goals? Everyone needs a break now and then. But how long of a break and what you do during that break can potentially affect your fitness goals — for better or for worse. Can You Afford to Take a Break From Your Fitness Regimen?...
The study focused on 1,376 American Indians ranging in age from 14 to 39 who are part of the Strong Heart Family Study, an ongoing project examining cardiovascular health among U.S. tribal populations that began in the 1980s. At the start of the current study, none of the young people had signs of cardiovascular disease. But when they had ultrasounds of the carotid artery, the main vessel supplying blood and oxygen to the brain, researchers discovered that 5....
But if you or a loved one has lived with UC for a while, you’re probably looking for information that addresses specific challenges that often come with this condition. This guide aims to provide an overview that goes beyond the basics, instead highlighting relevant topics in a number of areas that may affect you or your family. Whether you’re looking to modify your treatment strategy for UC, to learn about options for managing the condition through diet or other lifestyle measures, or to deal with specific complications — or even if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but you want all the information you can get — there’s a good chance you’ll find something helpful in one of the sections below....
“I think I went once as a kid, and then maybe two or three times before the pandemic,” she says about her previous hiking experience. Emerson says she’d always wanted to be a regular hiker, but self-consciousness about her speed and size had held her back. “I really had this picture in my head of what the perfect hiker looked like, and that was just somebody that’s on the skinnier side,” Emerson says — “athletically built and really muscular....
“Many early medical beliefs have been proven to be incorrect as research has advanced,” explained allergist David Stukus, MD, at a meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). “Unfortunately, some of these beliefs are still on the internet.” (1) Don’t let misinformation keep you from getting the best advice and treatment to manage your allergies. Here are 10 common allergy myths, and the true facts behind them:...
Also called chronic daily headache or rebound headache, MOH most commonly occurs in people with a primary headache disorder such as migraine, cluster headache, or tension-type headache, according to the American Migraine Foundation. It’s caused by too frequent use of acute medications, although exactly what “too frequent” means can depend on the drug being taken. Medication-overuse headache isn’t only troublesome because you have near-constant head pain: MOH can also cause headaches that are resistant to preventive migraine medications, making acute therapies less effective as well....
“Many people boil it down too simply and think they just need to eat a lot of fat and avoid carbs, but you can quickly eat an excessive amount of unhealthy fat on the keto diet,” says Kendra Whitmire, a nutritionist and dietitian with Sunshine Nutrition and Wellness in Laguna Beach, California, who practices functional and therapeutic nutrition. Keto’s leap onto the scene as a trendy diet is unique. “There’s never been a push for a high-fat diet before,” says Scott Keatley, RDN, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City....
1. Get Your Groove on With Club Quarantine What started off on March 17 as DJ D-Nice’s (Derrick Jones) spinning a few of his favorite records for a couple of hundred friends on his live Instagram feed turned into a nine-hour set just four days later, and then ballooned into the nearly nightly “Club Quarantine” sets of soul, disco, rhythm-and-blues, and hip-hop classics, attracting tens of thousands of listeners at a time, including A-listers like Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder, and Lenny Kravitz....
Meteorologists and public health officials are warning everyone to be vigilant about the big heat wave. They strongly encourage everyone to stay indoors as much as possible — and to stay hydrated. Everyone needs to take these warnings to heart. “No one is immune,” says Richard C. Becker, MD, the Stonehill Endowed Professor of Medicine, the chief of the division of cardiovascular health and disease, and physician in chief of the University of Cincinnati Heart, Lung, and Vascular Institute....
A great way to help keep your food budget in check is to use what you already have on hand. Our new recipe series will help you do exactly that by making tasty, nutritious serving suggestions for the shelf-stable staples in your pantry you may have overlooked. This month’s focus: oats. Know Your Oats While oats are usually thought of as a breakfast and baking standard, they can be a great foundation for a number of healthy, budget-friendly meals, both sweet and savory....
In addition to being a physical problem, these symptoms can also contribute to emotional issues. According to an analysis of previously published studies in the February 2022 issue of the journal PLoS ONE, people with eczema may be at 63 percent higher risk for developing anxiety and depression compared with those who don’t have eczema. This is likely because severe eczema doesn’t just affect your skin but can impact your quality of life as well....
Pasta does have one disadvantage though: The vast majority of it is made from a refined grain, namely white flour. And according to research published in the February 2021 issue of the journal The BMJ, eating a lot of refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, can increase your chances of heart disease and early death. That’s not something you want in your go-to weeknight dinner. Pasta has a bad reputation when it comes to health, says Grace Derocha, RD, a spokesperson for the National Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics....
“Anything that gets you out of your normal routine can cause a headache, because the ‘migraine brain’ likes to be as steady and stable as possible,” says Dr. Hamilton. Research suggests that the association between migraine and sleep is bidirectional. Headache can cause disturbances in sleep, and sleep problems can trigger a migraine attack, according to a review published in January 2018 in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders. The good news is that good sleep habits are one of the most effective tools for managing migraine, says Lauren Doyle Strauss, DO, a headache specialist and assistant professor at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina....
Not only do we get less vitamin D (and deficiencies have been linked to depression), but the change in sunlight affects our circadian rhythm — the body’s internal biological clock that governs certain brain activity and hormone production. In some people, the change of mood-related chemicals can cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter blues or seasonal depression. For an episode of major depression to be classified as SAD, a person will have had at least three episodes of mood disturbances in three separate winter seasons — at least two of which were consecutive....
Dry Scalp: The Root of the Problem Your scalp can dry out for a number of reasons, including: EczemaDietary deficienciesCold and dry weatherToo-frequent shampooingHair products that often contain alcohol, which can dry out your hair There are many effective dry scalp treatment choices to pick from, depending on what might be causing the problem: Deep conditioning and hot oil treatments can also make dry, brittle hair healthy and supple. Follow package directions to know how long to leave it on your scalp and how to rinse it off — if not properly removed, treatments will leave hair greasy rather than shiny....
What’s more, makeup isn’t an option only for women who want to conceal psoriasis; it’s become increasingly gender neutral in recent years, says Rachel Lockhart, a makeup artist and the owner of Rachel’s Makeup and Brow Studio in Boston. There are also more options than ever for different skin tones, as the beauty industry has come a long way in offering a wide range of colors, textures, and formulations. “Most major makeup companies of all price points have made strides in expanding their shade ranges,” Lockhart adds....
Nutrition experts are excited about fungi. “Mushrooms are low in calories. They also provide a wealth of macro and micronutrients, particularly B vitamins, selenium, zinc, and copper,” says Katherine Brooking, RD, a registered dietitian in New York City and a co-creator of the Appetite for Health syndicated weekly news series. B vitamins are important in the manufacture of energy in cells, she explains. And selenium is a powerful antioxidant, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, while zinc and copper are essential for a strong immune system....
And yet physical activity is vital to staying healthy — especially for people with psoriasis, who have an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, weight gain, and depression, according to Harvard Medical School. “Physical activity is important for every person’s health, whether they have psoriasis or not,” says Patrick B. Wilson, PhD, an associate professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. “But it may be particularly impactful for people with psoriasis, as they tend to be at higher risk for a variety of conditions that are negatively affected by physical inactivity....
In ancient times, salt was so valuable that people used it for currency. It was used sparingly to season and preserve food. Today, we have an embarrassment of riches, and modern humans consume more salt than is good for them. But the biggest contributor to our sodium consumption is not the salt shaker: Approximately 75 percent of the sodium we eat comes from sodium added to processed and restaurant foods....
