How we breathe affects our health. By breathing more deeply or controlling our breath intentionally, we can impact our body in a number of positive ways, says Baxter Bell, MD, a former family doctor who now works as a certified yoga instructor and practices medical acupuncture. “For starters, we can lower our blood pressure and stress level, and think more clearly,” he says. Feeling calm and centered after deep breathing is common, and a breathing practice can promote a greater sense of well-being, he says....

According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, (NORD), both forms of TGCT affect the tissues of the joints, specifically the: Bursae Small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles near your jointsTendon sheaths The membrane that covers a tendon, the fibrous tissue that connects muscle to boneSynovium Thin layer of connective tissue that lines the inside of the joint spaces of the bursae and tendon sheaths...

RELATED: Do You Need to Wear Sunscreen Indoors? If You Carry the PTCH1 Mutation, What Are You at Risk For? A PTCH1 mutation is associated with Gorlin syndrome, which is also called nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS). This hereditary disorder increases your risk for developing basal cell skin cancers, along with other issues, including: Cysts in the jawBone abnormalitiesA larger-than-normal head sizeExtra fingers or toesIntellectual disabilitiesSkin pits on the hands and feetAbnormal deposits of calcium in the brainAn increased risk for medulloblastoma (a type of childhood brain tumor)Other tumors or abnormalities...

Actually, it is. Does it surprise you that experts recommend movement for people who live with chronic arthritis pain? Seems counterintuitive, right? Let’s explore the recommendations, as well as why this is not as far-fetched as it seems. RELATED: Remote Fitness Classes Can Improve Pain, Stiffness, and Fatigue in People With Many Conditions Spoiler alert: There are true benefits associated with regular physical activity and exercise, even for people with RA....

More people than ever are also using apps to manage their health; according to EMarketer, a company that provides analytics and insight into digital marketing, nearly 7 out of 8 smartphone owners in the United States used a health or fitness app in 2020. Migraine Apps’ Capabilities Are Evolving If you’re searching for an app to help you manage migraine, it pays to do a little homework before jumping in....

Confused about how to start taking PERT? To help you better understand what this therapy involves and how it works, here are some answers to the frequently asked questions about the medication. 1. What is PERT? “The idea is to replace the enzymes that your own pancreas isn’t making,” says Lawrence Schiller, MD, former director of the division of gastroenterology at Baylor University Medical Center, which is part of Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas....

People who consumed more fermented products over a 10-week study period also had an increase in microbiome diversity and a decrease in immune cell activation. “This is a stunning finding,” said coauthor Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School in Palo Alto, California. “These results are one of the first examples of how a simple change in diet can reproducibly remodel the microbiota in a group of healthy adults....

The flu has not only been out of mind, it’s been largely out of sight. Between late September 2020 and August 2021, there were only a little over 2,000 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In a typical flu season, the United States sees more than 200,000 lab-confirmed cases in that time frame, a tiny fraction of the actual number of cases; in the 2019–2020 season, actual cases were estimated at 38 million, says the CDC....

But there’s no need to restrict your adventures because of RA symptoms. There are many gadgets available today that can help you navigate the world with comfort and ease. “Traveling is important; you want to get out there and be part of life,” says Elin Schold-Davis, OTR/L, CDRS, project coordinator of the Older Driver Initiative at the American Occupational Therapy Association in Bethesda, Maryland. “When people who have RA use things that help the journey go better, that help them avoid some of the movements or pressure stress on their joints, it makes them more likely to want to travel again....

It’s also important, Lichtenstein says, to realize that ignoring your feelings or trying to change your gender identity is not helpful for managing dysphoria. “We know that conversion therapy, which is attempting to change one’s gender or sexuality through therapy or other treatments, is harmful psychologically and does not reduce gender dysphoria either,” Lichtenstein says. Medical Treatments and Surgery “The idea is we want to help people find where they feel their identity is comfortable, and they can be more at ease,” Thomas says....

Please join me, @EatSmartBD, along with @EverydayHealth by following #HealthTalk on Twitter on Thursday, March 14, 1-2 PM EST. You’ll get all of your burning diet and nutrition questions answered, and you’ll learn what you need to know to feed yourself and those you love with foods that fill you up without filling you out. March is National Nutrition Month — let’s spread the word about how easy it is to fuel your body and mind so you can feel your best every day....

But being in such a pickle doesn’t mean you have to beeline it for the double-, triple- or quadruple-stacked patties! After all, eating too much red meat, which contains saturated fat, can drive up “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, increasing your risk for heart disease, according to Harvard Health Publishing. And eating too much of any kind of fat can lead to weight gain. To help you make smarter choices at the drive-thru, we turned to Kelly Kennedy, RD, resident nutritionist for Everyday Health....

In a recent review, published in June 2020 in the journal Nature Reviews Rheumatology, the authors call for improvements in CVD preventive care in patients with RA. According to the lead author, Anne Grete Semb, MD, PhD, a senior researcher at the Leader Preventive Cardio-Rheumatology Clinic at Diakonhjemmet Hospitaal in Oslo, catching risk factors early is particularly important in people with RA to prevent a fatal cardiac event. Know the Risk Factors It’s important to first understand why patients with RA need to be extra vigilant in monitoring their CVD risk factors....

Mark Babyatsky, MD (mssm.edu) Food allergies are estimated to affect 6 to 8 percent of children in the United States and 3 to 4 percent of adults. Many children who demonstrate allergy to milk protein outgrow them. In adults, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and egg are the most common. Of note, those with peanut and tree nut allergies are unlikely to outgrow them, including the recently increasingly prevalent sesame allergy....

Many of the questions left me thinking hard about my place — our MS community’s place — in the great world around us: How we see the world, and how they see us. How we interact with people in our daily lives, and how they treat us. It can be most difficult when the world sees your place in it differently from how you see yourself fitting in with society....

To begin your journey into the gut microbiome—which consists of trillions of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other microbes living in our digestive tract—you might want to learn a few important facts about these organisms nestled deep inside us. For starters, the gut microbiome plays an important role in digestion and keeps the immune system healthy. Disturbances in the gut can contribute to diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders....

Fatigue has been one of the five most common COVID-19 symptoms since the beginning of the pandemic, even as other symptoms like fever and loss of taste and smell have become less prominent with the rise of the delta and omicron variants. Fatigue affects an estimated 8 out of 10 adults with COVID-19, according to the ZOE COVID Symptom Study, an ongoing investigation that uses a smartphone app to track hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom who have been diagnosed with COVID-19....

“The absolute best thing to do is to start with open communication to get a lay of the land, and you do that by asking your guests about their food sensitivities,” says Barbara Olendzki, RD, MPH, the director of the Center for Applied Nutrition at the UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. Indeed, there’s a good chance that someone in your friend group has a digestive disorder. Roughly 60 to 70 million Americans suffer from a digestive disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases....

Hard-boiling eggs in their shell is a popular and relatively easy way to prepare this versatile protein source as a convenient snack, fun appetizer, or tasty salad topper — among many, many other uses. Eggs are a smart addition to a healthy diet for several reasons. They’re a good source of protein, and at just 78 calories per large egg, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), they qualify as lean protein....

“The ability to prepare leads to a greater chance of mitigating the impact of these disasters,” says Brittany “Brie” Haupt, PhD, an assistant professor in the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Program at the Virginia Commonwealth University Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in Richmond. Being prepared also increases the chances of the best possible response and recovery. “The ultimate goal is to enhance the resilience of our communities,” Dr....