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“Hemorrhoids are part of being human and play an important role in continence,” says Kinga Skowron Olortegui, MD, a colorectal surgeon and assistant professor at UChicago Medicine. “The problem is when they act out, but it’s often the pushing or straining due to constipation that makes them swell. So treating the constipation with a fiber supplement is one of the most effective treatments.” But some symptoms of hemorrhoids, like rectal bleeding, where you may find bright red blood on your toilet paper or see blood in the toilet after a bowel movement, may also be caused by other diseases, some of them serious, like colon cancer....

According to a May 2021 poll from the American Psychiatric Association the percentage of U.S. adults who said they would use telehealth for mental health services increased from 49 percent in 2020 to 59 percent in 2021. Younger Americans are even more likely to consider virtual mental health options, with 66 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 reporting they would use telehealth for mental health. And as many as 20,000 mental health apps exist, according to a 2021 report from the American Psychological Association....

7 Signs That You Might Need to Switch Medications Here are seven signs that the time may be right to try a new depression treatment: Ongoing symptoms. Antidepressants can take as long as two months to reach their peak effectiveness, but if symptoms such as agitation or hopelessness get worse within a few weeks of starting treatment or you still have depression symptoms after two months of treatment, tell your doctor....

But what about the movement in between what would count toward your daily physical activity target (like jogging, brisk walking, or a HIIT workout) and sitting on your couch? The research has been less conclusive when it comes to determining how the daily activities that keep us on our feet and off the couch (like cooking, washing dishes, or puttering around the house) affect our health and mortality risk. Now a study designed to measure the health benefits of just that — low-intensity activity — found that indeed any level of movement decreases risk of premature death....

But a study published in January 2019 in The BMJ found no evidence of health benefits from choosing these alternative sweeteners, which include artificial ones, such as aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal), saccharin (Sweet ’N Low), and sucralose (Splenda), as well as stevia (Truvia, Sweetleaf). The investigation also could not rule out potential harms from these products. “While nonsugar sweeteners are very widely used, there is no good and unambiguous evidence that they are good for your health,” says study author Joerg Meerpohl, MD, the head of the Institute for Evidence in Medicine at the University of Freiburg in Germany....

For the study, researchers examined data collected between 2011 and 2018 from 11,392 adults age 50 and older about their history of cardiovascular events and any use of aspirin, a common over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), or statins, prescription drugs that lower cholesterol. Low-dose aspirin use was more common with older age, with more than 45 percent of people 75 and older taking the drug daily to help prevent a first-time cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke, a strategy known as primary prevention....

When it comes to eating plans, the Mediterranean diet in particular has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, lower cancer risk, and protection against type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and chronic inflammatory diseases. Now a new investigation suggests that middle-aged people may dramatically lower their chances of developing Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, by following this eating plan. A study published January 2020 in the journal Gut found that individuals who adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 60 percent reduced risk of developing Crohn’s disease....

But during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, top athletes showed us that not winning can make for standout moments, too. Mental health experts say these examples of resilience and mental toughness, even in the face of tough losses, are important. “Openly expressing emotion allows people to practice self-compassion, maintain positive momentum, and believe in themselves,” says Leela R. Magavi, MD, a psychiatrist and the regional medical director of Mindpath Health in Newport Beach, California....

Research published November 12, 2018, in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society found that only 1.9 percent of patients hospitalized for COPD received pulmonary rehabilitation within six months of being discharged. The authors stress that these 6- to 12-week programs are much more accessible now that Medicare offers coverage for these services. Researchers examined the Medicare records of 223,832 patients who were hospitalized with COPD in 2012. That number represented all COPD hospitalizations among traditional Medicare beneficiaries that year....

Naturally, emotions are high, and I am disheveled. I have been sleeping in the dining room since June of this year. My possessions are all over the house until I move into my new addition. This experience would be taxing on anyone, not just a complicated person like me. Frequent Falls Meant Major Changes Were Needed I don’t want to describe all of my falls, but secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) has been with me for almost a decade, so I know I have progressed....

These medications have proven to be effective, but they all have to be administered intravenously in a hospital or comparable medical facility. “While we’re doing a good job with treating hospitalized patients with severe disease, we don’t currently have an approved medication that can be self-administered to ease symptoms of people suffering from mild disease at home, and reduce the chance of their needing hospitalization,” said National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis S....

Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc, pronounced seh-MIP-lih-mab) is a type of drug known as a human monoclonal antibody. It targets the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 (programmed cell death protein-1) and has become the standard of care for some forms of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) over the last 18 months, and has shown promise in treating other cancers, too. Libtayo acts on a cellular pathway known as PD-1, blocking it and allowing the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells....

“I couldn’t even stand up that morning, I don’t know how I made it to work,” says Bryant, who lives in South Carolina. “Once I got there and sat down I thought everything was going to be fine, but I couldn’t get comfortable.” That’s when a coworker noticed Bryant’s swollen left leg and convinced her to go to the hospital. The leg was ice cold to the touch and stained with worrying shades of purple and blue....

The disorder affects about 1 in 100 adults, according to the International OCD Foundation. Frugality is a symptom of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) when a person “adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others,” notes the American Psychiatric Association. “Money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes.” OCPD, however, is not the same as OCD — obsessive compulsive disorder. However, because the term “OCD” is casually used in situations where people are detail-oriented, it’s often confused with OCPD....

“Skin diseases that are on the face, in my clinical experience, can really impact patients’ everyday life and how they feel about themselves,” says Ronda Farah, MD, a dermatologist and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, 50 percent of people with psoriasis will experience “facial involvement,” or psoriasis on the face, at some point. The good news is there are effective treatments for and ways to cope with facial psoriasis....

While there is no cure for psoriatic arthritis, treatment is often the first line of defense to help relieve symptoms, prevent progression, and improve quality of life. “The use of disease-modifying and targeted therapies can be the best route to relief of joint pain when joint inflammation occurs,” explains Susan M. Goodman, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. There are a variety of treatments for psoriatic arthritis to choose from, and options have evolved through the years....

What does “self-care” look like? It can mean different things to different people, but a good working definition is tending to your physical and emotional health needs the best you can. By taking action to stay physically and mentally healthy, you’re better able to manage daily stressors in your life. This can be a game-changer with psoriatic arthritis, due to the link between stress and flares. Self-care starts with a goal and a plan to get there, says Ana-Maria Orbai, MD, MHS, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the psoriatic arthritis program at John Hopkins Arthritis Center in Baltimore....

“RA fatigue is a symptom that we rheumatologists really struggle with understanding well,” says Yousaf Ali, MBBS, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine and chief of the division of rheumatology at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York City. “It is a systemic type of exhaustion, meaning it affects your whole system instead of just a certain body part.” People who have RA often describe their fatigue as a deep tiredness or slowing down, akin to the feeling someone might have while recovering from the flu....

Other types of medications can also present challenges — like side effects and cost — but given the array of options available for treating psoriasis, these types of challenges usually can be overcome. When to Speak Up Self-trust is key to fine-tuning your psoriasis treatment. Don’t second-guess your gut feeling, advises dermatologist Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, a professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a member of the medical board of the National Psoriasis Foundation....

“It’s very common for bowel flares to be accompanied by extra-intestinal manifestations like skin rashes and mouth sores,” says Laura Raffals, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, up to 20 percent of people with inflammatory bowel disease also experience skin disorders. In many cases, these skin concerns appear when you’re having a flare and improve when your inflammation subsides....