Guarding against injury means increasing both flexibility and strength. Target the muscles that support your ankles to protect your joints by strength-training two or three times a week on alternating days and always after you’ve warmed up. Start by using a resistance band to work calf muscles. Sit on the floor, with legs straight. Wrap… read on >
Cold, dry winter weather can wreak havoc on your hands, triggering rashes, dry patches and irritation. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests how to prevent a rash on your hands: Wear task-appropriate gloves to protect your hands from harsh chemicals, such as dyes and detergents. Wear insulated gloves or mittens in cold weather. Wash your… read on >
Dry eye occurs when the amount of tears you produce fails to keep the surface of the eye adequately lubricated, the National Eye Institute says. The risk of developing dry eye increases with age, and more women than men have the condition. Dry eye can create scratchy or stinging feelings, dryness, discharge, pain and redness.… read on >
Flu can make you deathly ill, but it could also trigger a stroke or a rupture in your neck arteries, two new studies suggest. The findinsg prompted an urgent reminder from the researchers: Getting a flu shot will not only protect you against infection but may also reduce your risk for these serious complications. Researchers… read on >
As abuse of injected heroin and other addictive opioids spreads throughout the United States, heart experts warn of a growing threat: strokes caused by infections contracted through dirty needles. “People need to be more aware that stroke can be a devastating complication of injecting opioids,” said the lead author of a new study, Dr. Setareh… read on >
An expandable pill that can stay in the stomach for a month could help diagnose and monitor a myriad of gastro ills, a new study in pigs suggests. The pill has a Jell-O-like consistency. Once it reaches the stomach, it quickly swells to the size of a ping-pong ball and is resistant to the stomach’s… read on >
Chemotherapy drugs can cause peripheral neuropathy, a set of symptoms caused by damage to nerves that control the sensations and movements of the arms, legs, hands and feet. The American Cancer Society mentions these sensations that indicate possible neuropathy: Tingling, or a “pins and needles” feeling. A burning or warm feeling. Numbness, weakness, discomfort or… read on >
When a thin piece of wood, glass or metal gets embedded within the top layers of your skin, you know how annoying and painful a splinter can be. The U.S. Library of Medicine suggests how to remove a splinter safely: Sterilize a pin or needle by soaking it in rubbing alcohol or by placing the… read on >
If you were up all night and you ache all over the next morning, your lack of sound slumber might be to blame. New research found that sleep loss delivered a double whammy to the brain that all but guaranteed greater levels of body pain. “Activity in the somatosensory cortex, previously associated with the location… read on >
Tight control of your blood pressure won’t necessarily spare you from full-blown dementia, a new trial concludes. But it might lower the risk of slight declines in thinking and memory, a condition known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the researchers added. The clinical trial is the “first study in history to show that any intervention… read on >
