It’s based on the idea that we all have an unseen “life force energy” that flows through our bodies, according to the International Center for Reiki Training. A Reiki practitioner gently moves her hands just above or on the client’s clothed body, with the intention of reducing stress and promoting healing by encouraging a healthy flow of energy. A survey conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2008 found that 1....

He believes that talking about feelings is so important he starts conversations with the question “How are you feeling today?” rather than “How are you?” The goal of Archie Cares is to talk more about mental illness, suicide, and addiction — in order to normalize talking about it, says Messersmith-Bunting, a mental health educator with a Mental Health First Aid certification from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. And that starts with having honest and open conversations about how we’re feeling....

“The typical Western diet has a heavy reliance on high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods that promote an inflammatory state, which may contribute to a number of chronic health conditions,” says Janet Lewis, MD, associate professor of internal medicine and chief of the division of rheumatology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. “If someone comes to us with RA, we evaluate their diet and try to clean it up," adds Linda Antinoro, RD, a registered dietitian with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston....

Stereotactic Radiation Just as Effective, With Fewer Side Effects, for Brain Metastases A phase 3 randomized clinical trial suggests that a type of radiation therapy called stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) should be the standard of care for treating patients in whom cancer has metastasized, or spread, to four or more sites in the brain. The study was presented October 26 at ASTRO. A type of therapy called whole brain radiation therapy has been the traditional approach to treating cancer that has spread to several sites in the brain....

I’m both recovering from jet lag and adjusting back to my cultural and climatological norms. It’s been a slower “recovery” than I’d expected, and it’s taken me longer than anticipated to dig through my MS inbox for new information that you might find interesting. Today I found something for those wondering about secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a stage of MS that follows relapsing-remitting MS. How Is SPMS Diagnosed Now? SPMS is historically difficult to diagnose in real time, as discussed by neurologist Avindra Nath, MD, in an interview in PracticeUpdate....

Strong back muscles are essential for supporting strong muscles on the front of the body (abs and core muscles, we’re talking about you!). Plus, strong back muscles support good posture and can help keep chronic problems, like lower back pain, at bay. “Our back supports us, allowing us to stand, bend over, and basically perform all necessary human action,” explains Eric Botsford, a National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified personal trainer and a frequent participant in high-level fitness competitions like the CrossFit Games and Tough Mudder events RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Exercise and How to Stay Physically Fit And we shouldn’t be taking the ability to do those types of basic movements for granted....

Americans need 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, including two days of muscle strengthening, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depending on the type of tai chi you’re practicing and your individual fitness level, there are cases where tai chi can count towards both of these physical activity benchmarks. This may be the case, for instance, for people with chronic pain, arthritis, or limited mobility, for whom exercise otherwise seems burdensome or out of reach, explains Rhayun Song, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing at Chungham National University in Korea and director of the university’s Tai Chi for Health Education and Research Center....

What exactly is a eustachian tube? It’s a small canal, about one and one-half inches long and only a few millimeters in diameter, that serves as a passageway connecting the back of your throat and nose to your middle ear, where your eardrum is located. Eustachian tubes are lined with the same kind of moist membrane that lines the nose and throat. They are typically closed, but they open with movements of the back of the nose and throat, such as those that occur when you swallow, yawn, or talk....

Heavy drinking is a different matter. Alcohol in copious quantities irritates the stomach lining, making it red, raw, and inflamed. Areas of bleeding may develop. This condition, known as gastritis, is also caused by H. pylori, and excessive alcohol consumption is widely considered to increase the risk of developing an ulcer. It can also keep existing ulcers from healing. Ulcer Risk: What Is Excessive Drinking? No one has yet linked ulcer risk to a specific number of drinks consumed over particular period of time, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has guidelines that you can use to determine if your drinking is at a level considered dangerous to your health....

As the disease progresses, the bones of your spine may fuse together, making it even more difficult to move and causing your condition to become more painful. Your doctor or rheumatologist may prescribe medication to reduce the inflammation. Your doctor is also likely to suggest that you work with a physical therapist for ankylosing spondylitis, according to the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA). Physical therapists can teach you exercises to manage your pain and stiffness, improve posture, and increase mobility, and provide you with information about ankylosing spondylitis....

“Obviously, I have my concerns,” Bündchen told Elle in September 2022. “This is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present. … I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again.” In October, the pair, who were married for 13 years, confirmed the rumors and officially divorced. Each posted a brief statement on Instagram Stories. Brady posted: “We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together....

As the United States surpasses the half-million mark in deaths from COVID-19, a new weapon is being added to the vaccine arsenal. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering emergency use authorization (EUA) for Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose, non-mRNA shot. The new vaccine employs adenovirus vectors, a technology used in labs for decades that was FDA approved for the Ebola vaccine in December 2019. It’s the same technology used in the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines....

For the paper, published in January 2020 in Obesity, researchers looked at changes in waist circumference, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in 2,129 people with type 2 diabetes who participated in one of 14 different clinical trials testing a variety of mobile apps for diabetes self-management. These trials randomly assigned some participants to use apps, while others did not, and interventions lasted between 3 and 12 months. By the end of the trials, people who used diabetes apps lost an average of 0....

“Afib is a common disorder and occurs in about 5 percent of people over age 65,” says Bradley Knight, MD, professor of cardiology at Northwestern University in Chicago. “There are many causes of afib, but aging and obesity are the two most prevalent causes right now.” Better care for patients with afib is the goal of treatment guidelines for doctors. Working together, the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society updated the 2014 treatment guidelines for afib....

If you plan to pursue vitamin therapies, purchase a basic guide to vitamins and minerals that includes information about toxicity symptoms. Some people metabolize vitamins and minerals differently, and may be more or less susceptible to potential toxic effects. Along with your doctor’s guidance, a good reference book can help you avoid problems. Also, take vitamin company sales pitches and dosage recommendations with a grain of salt. The testimonials these companies produce are intended to sell their products, not to help you develop a treatment plan....

Each person may need a different combination of these three elements, and in different sequences. “There’s no magic in the treatment of anxiety,” says Dr. Duckworth. “Some people will get better with psychotherapy alone, while some people might need medication to help them concentrate better on the therapy. Anxiety and depression can decrease motivation to exercise, but medication may give you the energy to do it.” Also, says Duckworth, a patient may need more than one medication....

While avoiding obesity may seem as simple as burning the same amount of calories that you’re taking in, whether someone is at risk for obesity is actually far more complex. “The causes and risk factors for obesity are multifactorial: genetics, environment, lifestyle, and even socioeconomic status,” says Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California....

Your symptoms may be mild and come on slowly over the course of several hours, or they may be sudden and intense. Chest pain or pressure, in particular, can develop gradually and come and go, often getting worse with exertion and better with rest. (1) While chest pain may be the most common heart attack symptom, not all people experience chest pain during a heart attack. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, there’s evidence that about one-third of people with heart attacks experience no chest pain....

For most of us, these feelings of insecurity and insufficiency (such as being unable to reach an intended goal) are highly situational or occasional. When they arise, we may, for example, brood about them for a time and then move on, deal with them by reminding ourselves that we have other strengths, or use them as motivation to master the underlying problem, says James E. Maddux, PhD, psychologist and author of Subjective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction and coauthor of Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding....

A hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis is inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, the joint between the sacrum, which is the bony structure at the base of the spine, and the bones of the pelvis. In advanced cases, ankylosing spondylitis can cause new bone to grow in the inflamed areas and the vertebrae of the spine to fuse together. This can lead to kyphosis, a type of spinal curvature that results in a forward-hunching posture....