— Anonymous Probably not. Weakness, stiffness, and aching of muscles can occur in a number of illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis, but rheumatoid arthritis would typically cause other symptoms, such as inflammation, swelling, and pain of the wrists, hands, and feet. A more likely explanation is osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) of the hip joint, which is often seen in the “golden” years. It also causes pain in the groin, though sometimes that follows the initial symptoms....

Gallbladder Removal Side Effects: Your Gallbladder and Digestion A small, pear-shaped organ located under your liver, your gallbladder stores the bile that your liver produces. When your body needs it, the gallbladder squeezes the bile through tubes called bile ducts into your small intestine. Bile helps break down fats from meals. But sometimes, the substances that comprise bile, including cholesterol, bile salts, and bilirubin, can build up too much and harden into gallstones....

It is also the most severe and chronic (long-lasting) form of eczema, and the terms “eczema” and “atopic dermatitis” are often used interchangeably. Atopic dermatitis is characterized by inflamed skin that may crack and release a clear fluid when scratched, an effect known as weeping. Other common symptoms of atopic dermatitis include: Discoloration — eczema typically appears reddish on white skin and violet, ash gray, or dark brown on skin of colorCracked skin behind the earsRash, typically on the cheeks, arms, or legsSmall, pus-filled bumps (if the skin is infected)...

“A single fecal microbiota transplant [FMT] done with the proper protocol improved IBS symptoms, chronic fatigue [which coexists with IBS], and quality of life in about 90 percent of IBS patients after three months, with over 70 percent of the patients maintaining these improvements after three years,” says lead study author Magdy El-Salhy, MD, a gastroenterologist at Stord Helse Fonna Hospital in Norway. “This makes FMT an effective, easy-to-perform, and cheap treatment for IBS....

Now a new study, published online on March 12, 2019, in the journal Radiology (and appearing in print in the April issue), suggests that MRIs performed without the use of the contrast agent are just as effective at monitoring MS progression as those in which gadolinium is used. So-called noncontrast scans take less time to perform, cost less, and reduce the possible effects of long-term exposure to the heavy metal–based material....

You may also undergo a test to see how much acid is in your esophagus. An endoscopy, which uses a flexible tube containing a tiny camera to examine your throat, may be used to help confirm your diagnosis, or if your doctor suspects that your GERD has caused further complications. Other tests may be recommended if your doctor isn’t sure your symptoms are caused by GERD, or if certain complications may be present....

I suppose I’m closer now to the average MS patient when it comes to the distance I have to travel for care. And with the price of fuel for the car going through the roof this past year, it brought into sharp focus how difficult times are even more difficult for people with disabilities. High Fuel Costs Restrict Travel The high cost of fuel is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the economic impact of disability and MS....

Overall, hepatitis C infections in pregnancy are relatively rare. Researchers examined data on more than 39 million people who had pregnancies between 2009 and 2019 and found that only 138,343 of them — just 0.4 percent — were diagnosed with hepatitis C. But over this period, hepatitis C infection rates among pregnant people climbed from 1.8 to 5.1 cases for every 1,000 live births, the study found. Some groups of pregnant people were especially vulnerable....

This fall, Harvey J. Alter, MD; Michael Houghton, PhD; and Charles M. Rice, PhD, were jointly awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. “For the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from the world population,” the Nobel committee said in a statement announcing the award. RELATED: 7 Health Conditions That Are Linked to Hepatitis C...

Over the past 25 years, beginning with the “breast cancer gene” (BRCA) discovery in 1995, the science of cancer genetics has been exponentially advancing. (1) More than 50 genes have been identified and associated with increasing an individual’s lifetime risk of developing cancer. As a group, these genes are believed to play a role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. (2) From comprehensive medical-grade testing to do-it-yourself at-home genetic testing kits, there currently is an abundance of genetic tests to choose from....

But supplements for HIV management come with a caveat: Doctors prefer that people undergoing HIV therapy get most of their nutrients from a healthy diet, not pills, says Margaret Hoffman-Terry, MD, a certified HIV practitioner at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. However, because HIV/AIDS can lead to difficulty eating — whether due to decreased appetite or gastrointestinal symptoms of the virus — it is not always possible to get enough nutrients from food....

It was the first time the Capitol had been breached since the British attacked it during the War of 1812. As it played out, several lawmakers, still rattled, recounted the frightening events they’d experienced to television reporters. Meanwhile, most of America watched the chaos play out from a distance via cell phones, tablets, and TV screens. Many might assume that only those who directly experienced the event would experience trauma....

Her doctors suggested surgically implanting a shunt to correct the condition and urged her to lose weight to help regulate her blood sugar, but the Fort Wayne, Indiana, woman said she pushed their advice aside, saying she lacked self-worth at the time. But one day everything changed. Giddens was watching an episode of The Dr. Oz Show, in which a woman improved her health simply by losing 20 pounds (lb)....

This can happen for many reasons, says Akua Boateng, PhD, a Philadelphia-based licensed psychotherapist who specializes in individual and couples therapy. “The holidays bring an increase in thoughts about family, relationships, and social engagement. If there are issues within these dynamics in our lives, depression can surface,” Dr. Boateng says. And this time of year may also raise expectations of spending more time with family than usual, which can be stressful for some, says Sarah Gundle, PsyD, a New York City–based clinical psychologist in private practice who specializes in trauma....

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body isn’t able to remove sugar from your blood. This can happen if your body stops being sensitive to insulin or if it starts to respond in a delayed or exaggerated way to changes in your blood sugar. Diabetes is signaled by an elevated blood sugar level of more than 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) for a fasting blood test, or more than 200 mg/dL at any time during the day....

Viral gastroenteritis, for instance, is a highly contagious illness that can easily be transmitted from person to person by, say, sharing a water glass or exchanging a handshake with someone who has been sick with the virus. (1) How E. Coli Can Spread From Person to Person A person with a gastrointestinal-related E. coli infection is also contagious if the bacteria can be found in their stool. But their infection is only transmissible by passing traces of their stool on to another....

The rub: Only 20 percent of ovarian cancers are discovered at an early stage, according to the American Cancer Society, because ovarian tumors are very difficult to detect. One of the main problems making early detection of ovarian cancer so difficult is that we don’t have efficient screening tools for it, as we do for breast cancer, and its signs and symptoms are usually vague and nonspecific, says Marilyn Huang, MD, the director of translational gynecologic oncology research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida....

The analysis, published in the July 2021 issue of Frontiers in Nutrition, examines the potential long-term risks of the keto diet, which is a very low-carb, high-fat style of eating. People on this restrictive diet typically get 70 to 80 percent of their daily calories from fat, 5 to 10 percent from carbohydrates, and 10 to 20 percent from protein, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health....

Most commonly, tuberculosis goes through three stages: Primary TB infectionLatent TB infectionActive TB disease Millions of people carry latent TB bacteria but never develop active tuberculosis. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 13 million people in the United States have a latent TB infection. (1,2,3) About 30 percent of people who get exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis will develop latent TB and, if that’s left untreated, around 5 to 10 percent of those people could end up getting active tuberculosis disease at some point in their lifetime, according to a statement from the US Preventive Services Taskforce, published in September 2016 in the Journal of the American Medical Association....

The study adds to a growing number of reports suggesting that overwork negatively affects well-being. Based on an analysis of 7,065 workers over a 12-year period, researchers in Canada observed that women who usually work more than 45 hours per week had a 63 percent higher incidence of diabetes than women working between 35 and 40 hours per week. The result takes into account mediating factors such as smoking, leisure time, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and body mass index....