To Your Good Health

Melatonin is safer and has fewer side effect, one of them being vivid dreams. However, 5 mg is a big dose.

As a medical student, I remember seeing what RA looked like before we had effective medications such as methotrexate and TNF inhibitors like Humira.

FRAX is a tool to evaluate fracture risk based on individual patient models, incorporating clinical risk factors and bone mineral density at the femoral neck.

PCOS doesn’t go away after menopause, but it’s harder to diagnose. There aren’t good data to help guide treatment, so understanding what’s happening at a biochemical level is important.

All types of UV light exposure, whether they lead to a sunburn or suntan, cause damage to the skin and lead to an increased risk of skin cancer.

The most common symptom of uterine cancer is abnormal uterine bleeding. This usually takes the form of red, pink or brown spotting.

Changing your body’s circadian rhythm isn’t always easy, and after such a long time, it will take longer for you. But it shouldn’t be as difficult as you might fear.

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer of the bone marrow. The cells in the bone marrow, called plasma cells, stop responding as they should and make large amounts of antibodies.

Because so many people have high blood pressure and the consequences of untreated or poorly treated high blood pressure include a risk for heart attacks and strokes, it’s critically important to understand this thoroughly.

In general, we recommend surgical repair for symptomatic hernias, as the pain tends to gradually increase over years. No surgery comes without a risk, but the risk is not enormous.

Alendronate, with the brand name Fosamax, is in the class of drugs called bisphosphonates. These are powerful drugs that should not be prescribed lightly.

Although aspirin is better than nothing, it has been proven to be less effective than Xarelto and similar medicines in people who are at risk for blood clots.

Intestinal metaplasia is when the lining of the stomach develops a microscopic appearance, similar to the intestines. This can predispose people to stomach cancer.

Isotretoin is the most effective treatment for acne, but it has the potential for serious side effects and can only be given after a thorough review of its risks.

The initial treatment for OAB symptoms usually consists of lifestyle changes — quitting smoking and avoiding medications that worsen symptoms at night — pelvic floor muscle exercises and bladder training.

There are many causes of high blood calcium levels, and some of them are quite scary to read about.

Allergy immunotherapy continues to be a commonly used and valid treatment for many allergies, including environmental allergies, insect venom allergies and, more recently, food allergies.

Diabetes is not a result of consuming too much sugar. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the cells that make insulin are destroyed by the body. Type 2 diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance.

Rectal cancer is often treated with radiation, or combined chemotherapy and radiation, either prior to or after surgery. The dose of radiation is quite high compared to some other cancers, and the complications can be significant.

While it is true that not exercising can lead to poor mobility, most of the time, it isn’t a person’s fault that he has difficulty with mobility. Arthritis can happen to a person of any weight and at any level of exercise.

Paralysis of the vocal cord is often the result of damage to the nerve that leads to the vocal cord. There’s one on each side.

Osteoarthritis in the neck is a common and painful condition, and there are not always good treatment options.

Most people who exercise do have a slower heart rate, and it’s a good sign of a healthy heart. However, some older people can develop heart block when the electrical impulse from the natural pacemaker of the heart fails to pass to the ventricles.

AGS is an allergy to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate allergen found in all mammalian meats, such as beef, pork and lamb.

A stroke is caused by the death of brain cells, most commonly due to poor blood flow in the brain, and it’s critical to avoid any medication that will increase the risk of stroke.

There is not a definitive answer on whether PPIs, like omeprazole, increase the risk of AFib.

For most people with dry eyes, starting with artificial tears is usual and effective, but I certainly have had patients use artificial tears many times daily and still have unpleasant symptoms.

Both the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society agree that there is no evidence, nor a scientific reason, suggesting that COVID-19 vaccinations increase the risk of cancer growth.

“Neuropathy” is not a diagnosis; it’s a name for a diverse group of diseases that cause damage to the nerves, specifically signifying the nerves in the brain and spinal cord or those outside of them.

Atrial flutter is an abnormally fast heart rhythm that starts in one of the top chambers of the heart, usually the right atrium. The heart rate in the atria is very fast, typically 240 to 300 bpm, which is faster than any adult heart can beat.

Mono is classically caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, but very similar symptoms can be caused by other agents, viruses and even a parasite, as well. The virus is transmitted through saliva.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is not at all a rare disease. It occurs in up to 10% of the population and much more frequently in women than men.

There are several types of weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery, and the best evidence that I found among those who had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass shows up to a 70% increase in the relative risk of developing peptic ulcers after surgery.

Hot flashes are common — about 75% of women in North America will experience them around the time of menopause.

Hereditary hemochromatosis, which is caused by a defect of iron absorption, is easy to treat once the diagnosis is made. However, making the diagnosis requires thinking about the possibility.

The terminology can be confusing. Most people with RLS have periodic limb movements of sleep. PLMD is a separate sleep issue that doesn’t include other RLS features.

PBC is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the bile ducts. Without treatment, it can cause loss of the bile ducts, eventually leading to cirrhosis and liver failure.

The ampulla of Vater is an opening in the duodenum — the first segment of the small intestine — where the common bile duct releases bile and pancreatic enzymes to aid digestion.

Most people have heard about atrial fibrillation, which is a common, chaotic electrical condition of the top chambers of the heart.

For the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, the AREDS and AREDS2 vitamins are the usual treatment. Although they are not a cure, they do slow progression of the disease.

All medicines should be stored in a cool, dark place, as direct sunlight and heat can damage their effectiveness. Studies have proven that medicines sent by mail order can indeed get out of their published temperature range.

A panic attack is an abrupt change in mental state. It is usually unexpected, sometimes with or without identifiable triggers.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance composed of long strings of sugar. It carries a great deal of water, so it acts as a shock absorber and lubricant for several places in the body, including the joints.

Paget’s disease of the bone is a common disease in people of European ancestry, with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 3%, although it remains undiagnosed in many.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is a rare disease, a type of blood lymphoma and a cancer of the bone marrow. Ibrutinib is a new effective treatment for many people who have this condition and sustain remissions from the disease.

In general, exercise does not harm the heart. On the contrary, exercise is almost always good for the heart. However, there are exceptions.

It’s important to separate a seizure — which anyone can get if there is enough stress to the brain — from epilepsy, a condition where the person is susceptible to recurring seizures.

Fen-phen was a combination of fenfluramine and phentermine. Approximately 18 million prescriptions were written for this medicine until 1987, when an association was made between the use of fen-phen and valve diseases of the heart.

Compression stockings are most commonly used in people with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in middle-aged to older people.

Emphysema is most often caused by smoking in North America or by cooking fires in many parts of the world. The exact type of emphysema you have can help tell what caused it.