Using unsterilized tap water in equipment like a neti pot, a device for rising nasal passages to reduce congestion, is potentially risky because low levels of microorganisms remain in drinking water distribution systems and wells, according to the survey authors. These include biofilm pathogens, a type of germ that can stick to water pipes and infiltrate the water system. The list of potential pathogens in tap water includes Pseudomonas aeruginosa, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), Legionella spp....

In the study, researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill looked at the behavior of 4,428 U.S. adults, including cancer survivors, during one week in late April and one week in early May during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study showed that cancer survivors were more likely than other adults to practice social distancing, wear a face mask, and avoid crowded areas. The study also showed that 44 percent of cancer survivors said they canceled doctors’ appointments, suggesting that patients are not going to the doctor’s office or hospital because they fear COVID-19 infection, says the presenting author, Jessica Islam, PhD, a cancer epidemiologist at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center....

The study followed 87,114 people with rheumatoid arthritis in Canada, with an average age of 57, and nearly 350,000 people age 15 and older from the general population from 2000 to 2013. During the study period, 14 percent of the people with rheumatoid arthritis and 9 percent of those in the general population group died. RELATED: Rheumatoid Arthritis Worsens Outlook After Heart Attack “We knew that [people with rheumatoid arthritis had] premature mortality, but previously there had not been large enough sample sizes in studies to see where the exact differences may be occurring,” says lead author Jessica Widdifield, PhD, of Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto, an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and assistant professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto in Toronto....

“Fitness wasn’t only about my body, it was my mind and emotions — I always felt that exercise cleared my mind and made me more alert, it made me function better,” Evert, now 63, told Everyday Health in a phone interview earlier this summer. “Just because I retired as a professional tennis player, doesn’t mean I left exercise or tennis behind.” RELATED: Why Exercise Boosts the Mood and Energy Now as a mom to three sons between 22 and 27, Evert says she likes to work out with family....

For patients who have tumors with specific genetic traits or protein changes, doctors may also turn to two newer types of treatment: targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Decisions largely depend on the extent, or stage, of the cancer — whether it is present only in the inside lining of the colon or rectum, has grown deeper into those tissues, or has spread to other parts of the body. As with other cancers, people with early-stage colorectal cancer (a term that encompasses both colon and rectal cancer) generally have the best outcomes....

Bexfield, who lives in Arizona, regularly updates his personal cooling vest recommendations. Cooling vests can be divided into two general categories: those that use passive technology and those that use active technology. Passive cooling vests do not require power while they are being worn. Instead, they use ice packs, materials that absorb body heat, or the process of evaporation to lower body temperature. Active cooling vests need electricity or a battery pack to function....

With the respiratory illness spreading from China to at least 125 other countries and territories, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a pandemic. On Wednesday, March 11, President Trump ratcheted up travel concerns when he ordered that travel from Europe be suspended for at least 30 days, according to ABC News. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has also encouraged U....

While not extremely common, a bowel obstruction — also called intestinal obstruction — can occur when scar tissue forms inside the abdomen after a surgical procedure, causing a kink in the intestines. In some cases, food movement is totally blocked; with a partial bowel obstruction, a limited amount of food can move through. “A bowel obstruction is not really anything on the inside of the bowel,” explains Richard A. Desi, MD, a gastroenterologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore....

But according to a review published in March 2020 in JAMA Cardiology, even among people with no heart problems, COVID-19 can cause heart damage that can be fatal. “It is likely that even in the absence of previous heart disease, the heart muscle can be affected by coronavirus disease,” said Mohammad Madjid, MD, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of cardiology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, in a press release....

As a result of these dramatic mood shifts, people with bipolar disorder are at much greater risk for suicide, attempted suicide, incarceration, and violent acts than their peers. “If they become a danger to themselves or someone else, ideally they would be admitted to a hospital as an inpatient," says Matthew Macaluso, DO, a psychiatrist and medical director of the Via Christi Psychiatric Clinic in Wichita, Kan., and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the University of Kansas medical school....

But despite strides in treatments, pregnant women who have IBD remain at high risk for complications, according to research presented at the 2022 Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego last week. Research on the subject has been sparse, largely because it’s considered risky to conduct clinical trials on pregnant women, says Anoushka Dua, MD, an internal medicine resident at the University of California in Los Angeles who specializes in gastroenterology and IBD, who led the new study....

Blood sugar levels. This is probably the type 2 diabetes measure you’re most familiar with. Testing your blood sugar regularly allows you to see how certain foods, exercise, and other activities affect your blood sugar levels on a day-to-day basis. Many people with type 2 diabetes need to test once or twice a day to make sure blood sugar levels are in target range. If your blood sugar is very well controlled, you may only need to check a few times a week, according to the National Institutes of Health....

Ulcerative colitis can be characterized by both severity — how badly inflamed the colon is at the site of disease activity — and what areas of the colon it affects. These two factors in combination can explain a lot about why you experience certain symptoms. What Tests Will I Need to Evaluate the Severity of My UC? Ulcerative colitis can be roughly grouped as mild, moderate, or severe, according to Daniel Stein, MD, associate professor and director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee....

While there are plenty of online claims that apple cider vinegar can remove moles or treat skin cancer, there’s no solid research to back them up. What’s more, most of the studies that have been done on apple cider vinegar and cancer used tissue samples or animals in laboratories, not living humans. RELATED: Does Apple Cider Vinegar Help, Prevent, or Treat Ovarian Cancer? What Is Apple Cider Vinegar? Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a strong-smelling vinegar that’s made from apples that have been crushed, distilled, and fermented....

So when Dr. Oz did a segment Monday about dietary supplement raspberry ketone, it left us wanting to know more about what it is, what it does — and whether it’s safe. On the show, Dr. Oz touted over-the-counter raspberry ketone supplements as a “miracle fat-burner in a bottle.” More specifically, ketone supplements are concentrated doses of the chemical in raspberries that causes their distinct aroma. The substance has been approved by the FDA as “generally safe” since 1965, but ketones are experiencing a surge in popularity thanks to several recent studies analyzing their ability to burn stored fat....

It’s during these moments that I’m truly grateful that my body can heal and recover, and still push itself to the edge of its limits, even after living nearly 30 years with a chronic illness. As an active IBDer and ostomate, I enjoy the outdoors in all seasons. I grew up in Vermont with parents who took us on camping and hiking trips, and have found that spending time outside is amazing for my mental and physical health....

— Kathy, Oregon Statins, the most widely prescribed class of medications in the United States, reduce cholesterol levels and protect patients against heart attacks and strokes. Unfortunately, one of the most common side effects is flatulence (the presence of excessive gas in the digestive tract), which occurs in up to 5 percent of patients taking statins. It may help to reduce other sources of extra gas by drinking fewer carbonated beverages and eating smaller portions of food more slowly to reduce swallowed air....

Per a review published in June 2021 in Neurology and Therapy, the most common vision problems among people who have MS include reduced visual sharpness and contrast sensitivity, changes to color vision, and ocular motility disorders (disorders that affect the motion of the eyes). Some of the eye complications associated with MS include optic neuritis, nystagmus, and diplopia. However, the prognosis is good for recovery from many of these vision problems, notes the NMSS....

“We’ll see two people who have the same diagnosis of migraine, and one will do really well with one treatment, but the other won’t respond to that treatment at all,” says Robert Cowan, MD, FAAN, chief of the division of headache medicine at Stanford University. According to the American Migraine Foundation, more than 37 million Americans live with migraine, and trial and error is often part of the treatment process....

“We don’t really have great ways of predicting how bad the flu is going to be [each year],” says Deborah Lehman, MD, a professor of clinical pediatrics and an assistant dean for student affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “We’re always trying to catch up to the flu — but the flu is always ahead of us. The flu is smarter than we are, and we’re always trying to get ahead of it....