While cognitive symptoms — changes in brain function that can impair your ability to remember or learn information — are common with MS, they don’t always get the attention they deserve from doctors or people with the disease. Neither group may be aware of how cognitive symptoms can be recognized, accurately diagnosed, and treated. That’s why a neuropsychologist may be a welcome addition to your MS care team. Neuropsychologists specialize in diagnosing and treating cognitive and emotional symptoms related to neurologic conditions....

New data released by COViMS (COVID-19 Infections in MS and Related Diseases) clarifies just how scary it is. Study Finds MS-Specific Factors Are Associated With Worse Outcomes In October, the organization updated data from 2020 that it had published March 19 in JAMA Neurology. Amber Salter, PhD, an associate professor of biostatistics at UT Southwestern, in Dallas, and her coauthors found “MS-specific factors such as ambulatory disability, treatment with rituximab [Rituxan], and recent corticosteroid use [are] associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes....

The Peloton Tread+ was recalled because adult users, children, pets, or other objects have been pulled underneath the rear end of the machine, according to the CPSC. The decision follows the death of a 6-year-old who was pulled underneath one of the treadmills. Peloton has received 72 reports of injuries to adults, children, pets, or other objects. The Peloton Tread was also recalled yesterday because of incidents in which the touch screen on the treadmill detached and fell on users, according to the CPSC....

For the study, researchers looked at Medicare data on 188,995 patients who underwent a total of 222,956 PAD-related major lower extremity amputations between 2010 and 2018. The analysis focused on patients living in 31,391 zip codes across the country where at least 100 of these amputations were done. More than 3 in 4 patients who got amputations lived in metropolitan areas, and more than half of the ZIP codes with the highest amputation rates were also in cities, the study found....

Physical and occupational therapists are two types of specialists who can help strengthen the muscles around affected joints, increase flexibility and range of motion, and protect joints from further damage. A 2021 review found that physical activity improved psoriatic arthritis symptoms, specifically pain and fatigue. A skilled physical or occupational therapist can assess your abilities and find ways to make moving easier for you at home and at work. A physical or occupational therapy program is tailored to your specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses and is based on which joints are affected....

I refer to myself as a “person with MS.” To take offense at what others might use for themselves or what tag someone might put on me is just more energy than I’m willing to expend. However, a spate of responses to comments on a recent blog post have me realizing that some of these titles can be weighty burdens, indeed. I Felt Myself Being Objectified by Others The Life with MS Facebook page is not a private page....

She found yoga, meditation, physical therapy, and a “clean” diet helpful, and when a yoga instructor introduced her to Reiki — a Japanese energy healing technique — she was intrigued by the idea of a natural, noninvasive therapy that involved only touch and had no side effects. Her first Reiki session was relaxing and gave her a feeling of peace and serenity — so much so that Lisa took a level 1 Reiki class so she could perform it on herself....

But the typical Western diet is filled with sources of LDL and triglycerides, a fat found in the blood. So if you eat too much of these, it can push your cholesterol into an unhealthy range. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to high cholesterol, such as genetics. But your diet is in your control, and a nutritious, low-cholesterol diet can make a big difference in your overall health....

— Noel, Louisiana Unfortunately, gout can spread throughout the body, and it can be most painful and unpleasant. Gout is known as the “the disease of kings" or “a rich man’s disease” because it is thought to be linked to a diet that contains a lot of meat, seafood, and alcohol, which all increase uric-acid levels in the body. With gout, uric-acid crystals are deposited in the bloodstream, joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, causing pain and stiffness....

The four founders came up with the name “METAvivor,” a blend of “metastatic” and “survivor,” to describe the uniqueness of their situation. “They did not feel like the term ‘survivor’ really described their journey, since the metastatic breast cancer would eventually take their lives,” says Sonya Negley, the executive director of METAvivor. The organization’s mission was originally to offer community and support for other women with metastatic breast cancer. But when the founders learned that there was also an extreme lack of funding for research on metastatic disease, METAvivor added funding for advanced disease to their mission....

Chlamydia remained the most common condition reported to the CDC, with close to 1.8 million cases, up 19 percent since 2015. Gonorrhea diagnoses reached 616,392, up 56 percent since 2015. And primary and secondary syphilis diagnoses reached 129,813, up 74 percent since 2015. Of high concern is that congenital syphilis cases — that is, syphilis in newborns — nearly quadrupled between 2015 and 2019, reaching 1,870 cases. From 2018 to 2019 the number of stillbirths caused by syphilis increased from 79 to 94, and the number of congenital syphilis-related infant deaths rose from 15 to 34 deaths....

The experimental treatment that has all the buzz right now is so early in development it doesn’t even have an official name — it’s just called VX-880. The company developing the drug, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, announced the initiation of the first human trials for this stem cell therapy in March. Then, in October, the company shared preliminary results from the first of 17 patients to be included in these trials. All the patients in these trials have type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that develops when the body attacks and destroys insulin-making islet cells in the pancreas....

Research shows otherwise: according to a study published in February 2014 in the BMJ, people who quit smoking actually experience a drop in anxiety, stress, and depression compared with those who continue to light up. Indeed, the researchers say that the effects of this mood boost are equal to (or higher than) what a person would see if they took an antidepressant. Still, the idea of kicking the habit for good may seem daunting — especially because nicotine withdrawal can trigger symptoms of irritability and anxiety, too....

Adolescence is a stressful time for many kids. Stress in teens has been linked to withdrawal, aggression, risky behavior, and substance abuse. A recent study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, published in the journal Science, helps shed some light on why mental illness in young adults is so common and how it occurs. Working with young mice known to have genes for mental illness, researchers were able to trigger signs and symptoms of mental illness by exposing the mice to stress....

Stretch marks are completely harmless, and there is no medical need to treat them. Some people are perfectly comfortable with their stretch marks and choose to embrace them. That’s great! But others may not like their appearance and strive to get rid of them. Doing so can result in greater comfort with how they look, potentially bolstering self-esteem. Whatever your relationship with stretch marks, read on to learn what causes them, who is at risk, and (if you choose to) how to treat them....

“High blood pressure and diabetes are two important risk factors for stroke that can be managed by medication, decreasing a person’s risk,” says the lead study author, George Howard, DrPH, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. “Our findings show that their association with stroke risk may be substantially less at older ages, yet other risk factors do not change with age,” Dr. Howard says....

No matter the type of stroke, acting fast and seeking treatment as quickly as possible is key to reducing the risk of permanent brain damage. Treatment for Ischemic Stroke Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot in an artery blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to a portion of the brain. With this type of stroke, the goal is to restore blood flow to the brain as quickly as possible....

New research published in February 2019 in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that both genetics and poor immune responses may be why some children endure repeated bouts of strep while others may never even get it. Figuring out exactly what causes these infections may bring researchers closer to developing a vaccine for Group A streptococcus, the most common type of strep, which affects more than 600 million people each year....

Research shows mental health struggles among those living with IBD are common. People with IBD are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression and anxiety than the general population, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation reports. It’s easy to see how symptoms of IBD, including severe diarrhea, chronic pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite, could lead to social isolation and feelings of depression. But recent research suggests the relationship between the two conditions may be a bit more complex than that....

For one thing, diabetes can lead to a weakened immune system “so a simple cut or scrape can get infected easier than in someone who doesn’t have diabetes,” said Kiersten Weber, DPM, a podiatrist with the University of Oklahoma’s Harold Hamm Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City. Neuropathy or nerve damage, one of the many diabetes side effects, also can play a role. Neuropathy can occur because extra sugar in the bloodstream can damage your nerves over time....