It sounds like a new threat to health, but it was first diagnosed in 1888 as "senile rheumatic gout." It sounds rare, even exotic, but it's actually quite common. It sounds serious, even ferocious, but it responds beautifully to proper treatment. It's polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a painful, sometimes disabling condition that can be associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA), a disease that is much less common but much more serious.

You don't have to remember the unfamiliar name or even the simple initials, but you should understand the symptoms and treatments that can restore comfort in PMR and, in the ...

Men who are old enough to remember the sound of wind-up clocks often refer to their hearts as their "tickers." It's an affectionate term that pays tribute to the regular, rhythmic beat of the healthy heart. In fact, though, the healthy heart is much more sophisticated than the most precise Swiss timepiece. Instead of maintaining a single, monotonous beat, the heart can speed up in response to exercise, strong emotions, and fever. Common chemicals can also jack up the heart rate; examples include caffeine, nicotine, and decongestants. And the healthy heart can also slow down when you rest, relax, or ...

I am trying to decide between a radical prostatectomy and radioactive seed therapy for my newly diagnosed prostate cancer. All the doctors I’ve consulted say I have very early disease (PSA 4.9, Gleason score 6) and that I should be cured either way. I’m basing my decision on side effects, but I need more information on one thing I learned about on the Internet, penile shortening.