Grant’s healthcare providers initially advised her to count calories and limit eating fatty foods to manage the health conditions, which come with fertility problems and high blood sugar, respectively. But it was only when Grant began addressing insulin resistance — a condition that usually accompanies both PCOS and prediabetes — by adopting ancient eating habits, she says, that she found the relief she’d sought for so long. In fact, the so-called primal diet helped her lose more than 120 pounds (lbs)....

Winter weight gain is a real thing, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). But when it comes to your widening waistline, that might not be all that’s going on. “There are many reasons a person’s weight can fluctuate, including genetics, behavior, appetite signals, and your environment. It’s not something to freak about,” says Ted Kyle, a pharmacist and health advocate in Pittsburgh. Factors that affect your weight will change throughout your life, says B....

In 2002, while working as the head of a pre-K through eighth grade music education program, Markwell started experiencing shortness of breath and a dry cough. The symptoms became bad enough that she began limiting her frequent 5-mile walks. She was eventually diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), an interstitial lung disease that can permanently damage the lungs if not treated. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Markwell, who is now 65 and lives in Half Moon Bay, California, believes her disease may have been caused by long-term exposure to mold, fungus, or organic dust from a furnace heating her office....

Ringworm occurs at various places on the body and is scientifically known as tinea, followed by a word denoting the area where the rash is visible; tinea capitus is a scalp infection, for example. In fact, ringworm that occurs in one person on one area can be transmitted to someone else and show up on a completely different body part, depending on how the fungus was transmitted. The infection can spread via skin-to-skin contact, clothing, or surfaces where the fungus lives, such as in showers or locker rooms....

It can be very hard to understand why your partner would lie to you. After all, if you’re married you each took vows to love, honor and trust one another.So how do you deal with a partner who doesn’t tell the truth? “Lying can feel like a serious form of betrayal [but] if you catch your spouse in a lie, it is important to examine your reaction [since] your behavior may influence the likelihood that your spouse may lie again,” writes Amy Morin, MSW, who offers advice on her marriage counseling blog....

Staying on top of your treatment should help lengthen the time between flares, but sometimes, ulcerative colitis symptoms appear no matter how careful you’ve been. Knowing what to do during a flare will help you start feeling better sooner. With the latest treatment options, sustained remission is a real possibility for the majority of people with ulcerative colitis, according to treatment guidelines published in 2020 in the journal Digestion. Dr....

“Fatigue is one of the most vexing symptoms for people with Crohn’s disease,” says James Marion, MD, a professor of gastroenterology who specializes in Crohn’s disease at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “It can be underappreciated by doctors and very frustrating for patients.” Case in point: A study published in March 2016 in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis found that a lack of energy is the most burdensome symptom for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)....

When a friend introduced Yetto to vaping three years ago, he thought that e-cigarettes might be the answer. “I started using vape with the idea that this has got to be healthier than actual smoking because there’s no tobacco element to it,” says Yetto. But e-cigarettes usually contain nicotine, which is what makes tobacco so addictive. Still, many people believe that e-cigarettes or vaping can be a means to quit smoking....

In the phase 2 clinical trial, 8 of 35 participants treated with the drug — which has been used for years to treat malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, and is also used to treat some autoimmune inflammatory rheumatoid diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus — experienced clinically significant worsening of disability between 6 and 18 months after starting treatment, the study found. On the basis of prior study data, 10 were expected to show signs of worsening disability, according to the University of Calgary researchers, who didn’t respond to requests for comment....

I was diagnosed in the most bizarre way possible. I went to the doctor because my ear hurt so much I had trouble falling asleep, and I figured I must have had an ear infection. The doctor looked at my ear and said, “No, there’s no ear infection, but there’s some wax in there. Let’s have the nurse clean it out.” So she cleaned my ear — and ruptured my eardrum....

Not so fast. “People wake up in the morning and find a red mark, and immediately call it a spider bite,” says Rick Vetter, a retired staff research associate and entomologist at the University of California, Riverside. But most of the skin issues people pin on spiders are actually other types of bug bites or skin issues, he says. Other researchers back Vetter up on this. “Spider bites are really rare,” says Jonathan Day, PhD, a professor emeritus of medical entomology at the University of Florida....

The toll IBD takes is significant, as these conditions commonly cause diarrhea, pain, and bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, along with general symptoms like fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite. People with IBD are also at a greater risk of developing other chronic health conditions such as cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease. It’s essential for people to recognize the signs of IBD and seek treatment, which can put the disease into remission — reducing the daily disease burden while helping prevent potentially dangerous complications....

“I think we’re seeing a lot of experimentation with new ideas on social media as a way to stay engaged and connect,” says Harry Lewis, EdD, a psychiatric social worker and educator in New York City. “People are trying new things by necessity, forced out of their comfort zone.” The tools or platforms you choose to use may depend in part on what devices and services you have available to you....

In the review, researchers recommend that people avoid coconut oil, citing that it’s high in saturated fat — almost a whopping 85 percent — which is more than butter, beef fat, and lard. Saturated fat is a type of fat that’s known to raise the “bad” LDL cholesterol in our body, which contributes to fatty buildup in the arteries, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease. “It’s really not good for us,” says Stephen L....

There is some concern about exercise worsening one’s multiple sclerosis symptoms. The real concern should be, is exercise making your multiple sclerosis worse? The answer is a qualified, no! The qualification to this is that studies usually start with the negative. At this point, the scientific jury is still out on the benefits physical exercise may have on our disease. However, to date, no findings show MS gets worse due to exertion....

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in-flight medical emergencies occur on 1 out of every 604 flights. There are a lot of things you need to consider if a medical emergency occurs 39,000 feet in the air: What medical equipment is available? How quickly can you land and get to a hospital? Is there a medical professional on board who can help you? The truth is, flying with a serious health condition, such as cardiovascular disease, which could lead to a heart attack or stroke, can be riskier than you think, says Philip Rubin, MD, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut....

The CDC reported that there have been 17 illnesses and 13 hospitalizations traced to Dole products including mixed greens, garden salads, Caesar kits, and many other types of salads in bags or clamshells. Recalls of the products began at the end of December. The packaged salads are sold under several brand names besides Dole, including Ahold, HEB, Kroger, Lidl, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature’s Promise, President’s Choice, and Simply Nature....

“IBS is extraordinarily common — in fact, it is one of the most common complaints seen by doctors," said David Bernstein, MD, chairman of the department of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at the North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. “It includes a wide range of symptoms like bloating, pain, constipation, and diarrhea. People with IBS have different triggers and different symptoms. The good news is that lifestyle changes, diet modifications, and medications can usually control the symptoms, and IBS does not lead to serious problems....

For people whose systems are immunocompromised, those measures will be slightly different. According to the CDC, older adults, and people who have underlying chronic medical conditions — such as immunocompromising conditions — may be at risk for more severe outcomes. From preparedness to healthful hacks, here’s what immunologists recommend to protect yourself or a loved one who has a vulnerable immune system during this coronavirus outbreak. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Coronavirus According to Dr....

If you’ve had a blood clot and find yourself coping with depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), know that you aren’t alone. A study published in January 2021 in Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis found that around half the patients interviewed experienced ongoing psychological distress related to their pulmonary embolism (PE). And 3 percent were diagnosed with PTSD. The researchers also found that very few had access to mental health services....