— Madeline, Florida There are many reasons why fluid can build up around the heart, a condition that is medically known as pericardial effusion. It is often associated with pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the pericardium, a double-layered membrane sac that surrounds the heart and protects it. One layer of the pericardial tissue is fibrous, connecting the heart to surrounding tissues; the other layer is serous, meaning it normally contains a small amount of pale yellow fluid that prevents friction as the heart pumps....

Scientists found that giving a regular infusion of iron (ferric derisomaltose) to patients reduced their risk of hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death by nearly 20 percent compared with those who did not receive the treatment. “This study adds to the evidence that heart failure patients should be routinely monitored for iron deficiency and be supplemented with iron if they’re deficient, because it will help to keep them out of the hospital and might even improve their life expectancy,” said Kiran Musunuru, MD, scientific director of the Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who discussed the study results at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions held in November....

There are two other types of sleep apnea (central and complex) but they were not looked at in this study. Study Proves Increased Risk for Gout, Both Short-Term and Long-Term Overall, the risk of gout is greatest between one and two years after the diagnosis of OSA, with risk of onset of gout being more than 50 percent greater among those with sleep apnea compared with those without. But this new research shows that the risk remains long after that initial sleep apnea diagnosis....

Some cannabis products are marketed as a method to help ease health conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, both forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). And people with these conditions have taken note. A study published in August 2018 in the Journal of Pediatrics found that nearly a third of the adolescents and young adults with IBD surveyed had used marijuana. Of these, 57 percent endorsed its use for at least one medical reason (most popularly to help with pain)....

Age 29 Title and Company CEO and cofounder of Aluna Charvi Shetty is the CEO of Aluna, a San Francisco startup that has developed a device and app to help people, especially kids, monitor lung function for chronic conditions like asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). You test lung function by blowing into the portable spirometer. The tool, called Aluna, measures forced expired volume (FEV1), or how much air you can exhale in a single second....

Some risk factors for heart disease, including your age and family history, cannot be changed. But other risk factors, including diet and exercise, can be modified. Even if you already have heart disease, you may be able to limit your heart attack risk by keeping your blood cholesterol and blood pressure under control. (1) Most heart attacks happen in people with coronary artery disease (CAD). (1) This condition involves a buildup of a waxy substance called plaque in the arteries that supply blood to your heart....

People often use clothing to mask symptoms such as red, dry, and itchy skin, but certain types of clothing can aggravate skin irritation and trigger flare-ups related to psoriasis. It can become a vicious cycle if you aren’t careful. “Patients with psoriasis have very itchy, irritated, cracked dry plaques or areas of skin. As a consequence, the skin will readily bleed,” says Erin Boh, MD, PhD, professor and chairman of dermatology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans....

In fact, some research suggests 75 percent of people visiting diabetes clinics report having significant gastrointestinal symptoms. How Diabetic Neuropathy Can Lead to Heartburn and Other Issues So how might diabetes affect the digestive system? “Advanced diabetes, whether it’s from type 1 or type 2 diabetes, can affect any organ in the body — including those organs in the digestive tract,” says James C. Reynolds, MD, a gastroenterology specialist and clinical medicine professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia....

Dr. Stuart Seale: Studies have shown that stress increases cholesterol not only in the short-term but can also affect cholesterol levels even years down the road. The cause for this isn’t exactly known. Other studies have shown that stress itself isn’t really the only culprit but that how an individual reacts to and manages stress is also important. Those who manage stress in unhealthy ways (via hostility, social isolation, or self-blame, for example) tend to have lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol....

It’s Hard to Say Exactly When Things Changed People ask me why I cannot do certain things, such as stand, put on a jacket, or wash my hair in the sink. I do have an answer to each one of those scenarios: Pretty much every one is because of cerebellar damage or fatigue. But the people who asked are correct, because I used to be able to do those things — at least I could five years ago....

It is fantastic that your husband has been in remission for seven years. While it is not common for patients with myeloma to have such long remissions, they are seen from time to time. Unfortunately, no one can predict how long your husband’s remission will last. Since myeloma is not known to be curable, it should be followed regularly for the rest of your husband’s life, so that any disease relapse can be detected promptly....

But you shouldn’t have to shy away from social engagements or walk into every meeting wondering whether you’re going to be the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. We asked real people and their doctors about how to deal with the most embarrassing Crohn’s symptoms. Here’s their advice. 1. Passing Gas Natalie Rosenthal, 40, of Atlanta, was diagnosed with Crohn’s when she was 9. She says coping with the condition is a challenge, because you never know when you’re going to have embarrassing Crohn’s symptoms — especially, passing gas out in public....

“When dysphagia — trouble swallowing — strikes, I can feel my adrenal glands kick in, my eyes widen, and a feeling of genuine panic for my life arise,” says Trevis Gleason, 55, a former chef who blogs for Everyday Health about life with multiple sclerosis (MS). “I’ve even had to have someone perform the abdominal thrust maneuver when I went into a full choke,” he says. While Gleason experiences swallowing issues only occasionally, dysphagia is a persistent and common problem — it’s estimated that more than one in three people with MS have trouble swallowing, according to a meta-analysis published in Neurological Sciences....

“Forgiveness has not been put on the table clearly enough in any society, anywhere, in the history of mankind,” says Dr. Enright. And understanding what forgiveness means is the first step to getting better at practicing it. According to the University of California in Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve it....

Millions of Americans put cognitive decline at the top of their list of health concerns. Surveys have shown that a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can strike greater fear than the prospect of developing cancer or having a stroke. Yet studies suggest that most people do not engage in brain health–promoting behaviors and activities, either because of a lack of knowledge or presumption that they cannot alter the course of aging and cognitive well-being....

The high efficacy of the vaccines also means that many of us will soon be called upon to shut our laptops, stow our ring lights, and head back to the office. Whether you’re eagerly anticipating reunions with favorite coworkers or worried that cubicle life post-COVID-19 may not be entirely safe, it makes sense to arm yourself with knowledge so you can stay healthy, and protect your colleagues, too. RELATED: Coronavirus Alert: The Latest News, Data, and Expert Insight on the COVID-19 Pandemic The prospect of going back to an office can be very daunting, and understandably so, says Marissa Baker, PhD, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle....

But that may be easier said than done in a lot of cases, since all it takes is one lone bedbug to hitchhike into your home and start reproducing before you have a full-fledged issue on your hands. Unfortunately, bedbugs are everywhere, and their small, flat bodies make it easy for them to hide and travel. (1) “There isn’t anywhere you can go where you’re isolated from them,” says Eric Braun, a board-certified entomologist and business manager for the national pest control company Rentokil, who is based in Redding, Pennsylvania....

Migraines affect not only the person having the attack but also everyone around them. After all, you can only miss so many birthday parties and after-work happy hours before the condition starts to take its toll on your social life. Migraine: An Invisible Condition Part of the challenge of a condition like migraine is that you can’t see it. “When you have a broken leg with a cast on, people see it, understand it, and hold the door open for you without questions,” says Ellen A....

Make sure you have enough treatment product. If the person being treated for head lice has very long hair, meaning it falls past their shoulders, you may need two bottles of medicated shampoo or lotion to complete the treatment. (3)Change clothes. Any person receiving treatment for head lice should remove clothing that can become wet or stained during the process. (3)Wash hair this way. Some treatments call for washing the infested person’s hair prior to treatment....

Do Use OTC Antihistamines A 24-hour over-the-counter antihistamine like loratadine and pseudoephedrine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), or fexofenadine (Allegra), or a short-acting allergy medication like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can help relieve itching and discomfort, says Sarina Elmariah, MD, PhD, a board-certified dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Antihistamines are designed to reduce or block histamine, a chemical in your body that’s responsible for hives’ welt-like bumps and itching. If you break out in hives again after the medicine wears off, take it for three to five days and then stop to see if you get more hives....