After conducting some tests, doctors diagnosed Lenhardt, now 38, with ulcerative colitis (UC), a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). “The thinking was that when I was on the drugs for my rheumatoid arthritis, it probably was also suppressing my UC, because it’s a drug that treats both conditions,” she says. “And when I stopped it, then all of a sudden those digestive symptoms started to become noticeable.” This diagnosis set off a chain of health complications and surgeries that Lenhardt would have to deal with in the coming years....

The rectum is the final section of the large intestine before the anus (the opening through which stool passes out of the body). Rectal prolapse is an uncomfortable condition that usually requires surgery to fix. Symptoms of rectal prolapse may include: Bright red tissue sticking out of the anus (the tissue might be bloody or have mucus on it, and it may move back inside the body on its own or stay outside the anus)An uncomfortable sensation like something is falling out, or like you’re sitting on a ballTrouble beginning a bowel movementFeeling like you can’t completely empty your bowelsFecal incontinence (inability to control your bowel movements; feces may leak out unexpectedly)...

For most healthy children and adults, RSV can result in mild, cold-like symptoms. But RSV can be serious and even life-threatening for the very young, the old, and people with weakened immune systems or underlying lung or heart disease. Though many people have never heard of this virus, “RSV is so common that pretty much everyone gets it by the time they are 2 years old,” says Denise McCulloch, MD, MPH, an infectious disease physician-scientist at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle....

But you might not know what’s causing your symptoms. Sinus congestion and excessive mucus production arise as your body tries to defend itself against foreign invaders — or when infection strikes. Call it what you will, but that substance that comes out of your nose when you’re sick is mucus. The sinuses, which are hollow cavities filled with air located in the face, are lined with mucous membranes. Mucous membranes are thin layers of moist tissues that produce the goopy material known as mucus, which you blow out of your nose or cough up when you have some sort of illness....

“Hepatitis C causes inflammation of the liver,” says Marie Laryea, MD, an associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology in the department of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. “If the hepatitis C is chronic, the liver lays down scar tissue, which eventually leads to cirrhosis. Many people associate [this condition] with alcohol, but many things can cause cirrhosis, hep C being one of them.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 to 25 percent of people diagnosed with hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis within 10 to 20 years....

While many medications treat ankylosing spondylitis by targeting pain and inflammation due to the disease, some people find that massage is a good addition to their overall ankylosing spondylitis management plan. The gentle kneading of a massage session can help relax muscles that have become tight in response to pain caused by the condition — a compensatory reaction by your body to help protect the spine but one that can lead to even more stiffness and soreness over time....

That lesser-known data point was the inspiration for a Spring 2019 New York Fashion Week show last week in which there was only one requirement to walk the runway — a stage 4 diagnosis. The nonprofit #Cancerland, which advocates for patients with stage 4 disease, and AnaOno, a lingerie line for women who’ve had breast cancer surgery, hosted the show. Dana Donofree founded and created AnaOno after being diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in 2010 at age 27....

“Type 1 diabetes is manageable, but there’s a lot that goes into taking care of yourself properly,” says Karen Lau, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator (CDE) at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. “So people will have a lot of questions, especially if they’ve just been diagnosed.” Here, Lau answers some common questions people with type 1 diabetes have for their care team: 1. What can I eat with type 1 diabetes?...

Is Your Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Effective? First, you should know what effective treatment looks like. “Your treatment is successful if you are able to form stools without bleeding, cramping, or urgency,” says Sunanda V. Kane, MD, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s education committee. There are two components of effective treatment: controlling symptoms and maintaining that control....

“Zucchini has many health benefits as a result of its rich antioxidant and micronutrient content,” explains registered dietitian Kristin Gillespie, who is based in Virginia Beach. “These benefits include reduced blood sugar levels, improved heart health, improved vision, enhanced weight loss, improved bone health, reduced inflammation, and improved digestion.” Read on to learn more about this popular summer squash, including its nutrition facts, how to cook it, and other considerations to discuss with a doctor or dietitian....

Working at an outpatient clinic in Los Angeles, Riley educated patients on the importance of cancer screenings, breast self-examinations, and exercise to prevent cancer. Yet, despite her own doctor’s urging, her fear of what might go wrong during anesthesia kept her from getting her colorectal cancer screening. “I was afraid of not being in control,” Riley says. “It was a fear of being put to sleep and not knowing what was going on....

While dizzy spells can be uncomfortable, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that occasional dizziness is very common in adults. But you may not have suspected that vertigo — a related but more serious condition that makes you feel like the room is spinning as you stand still — is also common, affecting nearly 40 percent of people over age 40 at least once in their lifetime, according to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center....

But if your concern snowballs into excessive worry or panic that prevents you from carrying out daily functions or interferes with relationships at home, work, school, or elsewhere, then your state of mind may be worth some closer attention. As a licensed counselor, I regularly help people deal with anxiety and other mental health issues. But with the uncertainty of this unprecedented crisis, I’ve seen increasing levels of anxiety in people who are typically able to cope with challenges in a levelheaded manner....

Along the way, there were daily sit-ups — up to 100 per day — and 45-minute daily stationary bike sessions; a whole new way of eating (goodbye Mom’s grease-fried chicken); and a brief experience with insulin injections that are now in the rearview mirror. Plus, there was a lot of encouragement and cajoling by his mother, Michelle Stewart, a 50-year-old paralegal whose determination to turn around her son’s health was crucial to his transformation....

Dry Skin Solution No. 1: Baths and Soaks You may think that soaking dry, cracked skin in water is a good way to replenish lost moisture. And you’d be right — and wrong. Water can actually be drying to the skin, says Christine Lopez, MD, a dermatologist and assistant program director in the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “Mere water will strip your skin of the essential oils,” Dr....

But just because keto enthusiasts embrace this oil doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthier than other kinds. One thing to keep in mind when you’re eating or cooking with coconut oil is its saturated fat content. Like other fats that are solid at room temperature, coconut oil is high in saturated fat, the kind most experts recommend limiting in the diet. The vast majority — 90 percent — of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, research shows....

“We observed an inverse association for coffee drinking with mortality, including those drinking filtered, instant, and decaffeinated coffee,” says lead author Erikka Loftfield, PhD, a research fellow with the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland. Based on data on nearly half a million British people, the study, published in the July 2 edition of JAMA Internal Medicine, reported that those who enjoyed one cup of coffee a day had an 8 percent lower risk of early death, while those who drank eight or more cups a day cut their risk by 14 percent, compared with those who didn’t drink coffee....

Exercise can have a bad reputation in the migraine community that’s largely undeserved, says Dale Bond, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Miriam Hospital and Brown Alpert Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island. “Vigorous exercise might be a trigger in a small subset of people with migraine, but overall the benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risk for people with migraine,” Dr. Bond says. Regular exercise is associated with a reduction in the frequency and intensity of migraines, says Jennifer Kriegler, MD, a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio....

In the ensuing week, as people have taken to social media channels to argue about whether or not Meghan and Harry should have spoken out so candidly, and which parts of the story they believe, I have wondered whether the gravity of the interview is being lost. My thinking: Although this was framed as, and felt like, a revealing interview about life inside the royal family, there are actually several aspects of it that are very relatable....

“A1C is a marker of the average blood sugar in the previous three months,” explains Samar Hafida, MD, an endocrinologist at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. “It measures the big picture of what’s going on,” she says. It’s also often used to estimate whether you’re meeting your blood glucose goals with lifestyle changes or medication, she says. And it can be used to diagnose type 2 diabetes, along with other blood tests or symptoms of high blood glucose, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), with a level between 5....