
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): What to know if you have diabetes or prediabetes or are at risk for these conditions

What could be causing your blurry vision?

Avocado nutrition: Health benefits and easy recipes

Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know

Preventing and treating iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: Tips for pain-free movement

Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?

Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction

What happens during sleep — and how to improve it

How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?
Diseases & Conditions Archive
Articles
Ask the doctor: I've already had shingles. Should I still get the shingles vaccine?
I had shingles in 2005 and haven?t had a shingles shot. I haven?t been able to find any studies that indicate whether a shot is feasible for people who have already had shingles. What do you recommend?
Gout
We're sorry to hear you have gout (or may have gout).
The goal of this guide is to provide information while awaiting evaluation with your doctor or additional information after you have seen him or her. Please keep in mind that this guide is not intended to replace a face-to-face evaluation with your doctor.
First, some background information about this guide and about the condition itself:
Gout is a condition in which one or more joints become inflamed when crystals of urate (also called uric acid) deposit there. Urate is a byproduct of normal bodily functions and is removed from the body by the kidneys.
This guide will ask you a series of questions and depending on your answers, information will be provided and additional questions asked until the conclusion.
Would you first like more general information about gout? Or, would you prefer information more specific to your own situation?
Okay. The information below is organized into the following sections:
1) How is gout diagnosed?
2) How severe is your gout?
3) What are the treatment options?
4) What happens over time?
Let's get started!
Adding folate to blood pressure medication reduces stroke
People with high blood pressure could benefit from a B vitamin known as folate if they are not getting enough from their diets, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The study included more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure who had never had a stroke or heart attack. Participants who took folate supplements along with a blood pressure medication had fewer strokes over the four-and-one-half-year trial than those who only took the medication.
Most liver risk comes from over-the-counter drugs and supplements
Many different medications can potentially harm the liver, so doctors sometimes do liver function tests to ensure safety. The worst-case scenario is liver failure, but when this happens, the cause is usually not prescription medications, but rather the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol) or herbal supplements, according to a study in Gastroenterology.
Researchers scrutinized 5.4 million records of patients in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California system from 2004 to 2010. They identified only 62 cases of liver failure, 32 of which were linked to medications. This may not precisely reflect national rates, but it does suggest that liver failure from medications is relatively uncommon.
Should you worry if you have a fainting spell?
Drinking lots of liquids helps prevent fainting and is especially important in warm weather. Image: Thinkstock |
A fainting spell can be inconsequential, or it can signal a serious health issue. It's important to learn why you faint.
What you should know about anesthesia
Many procedures require anesthesia, and which of the four types you have can affect your recovery.
If you've ever had a tooth filled without Novocaine, you know the difference anesthesia can make. Anesthesia—whether it numbs your mouth or puts you into a full sleep—is designed to keep you comfortable during a procedure that otherwise might be hard to tolerate physically, emotionally, or both. "We have four goals: to see that you have no pain, that you're drowsy or unconscious, that your body is still so that the surgeon can work on it, and that you aren't left with bad memories of the procedure," says Dr. Kristin Schreiber, an anesthesiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
There are four basic kinds of anesthesia—local, which is typically administered to numb a small area; regional, which numbs a larger area, like your hand, arm, or foot; neuraxial (spinal or epidural), which is injected near the spine and numbs the lower half of your body; and general, which works in the brain to render you completely unconscious and unable to sense pain. The type used depends upon the procedure you're having, your state of health, and, often, your preferences.
New drug shows promise for early Alzheimer's disease
Researchers from the biotechnology company Biogen have reported that a new drug reduced the amount of amyloid plaques—the brain deposits associated with dementia—and slowed cognitive decline in people with early Alzheimer's disease. They presented the report March 20, 2015, at the International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases in Nice, France.
The researchers studied 166 people ages 50 to 90 who had been diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or one of four different doses of the drug aducanumab—an antibody that attaches to amyloid deposits and turns the immune system on them.
Ask the doctor: Do I need a tuberculosis test?
Q. Why is my doctor checking me for tuberculosis? I thought that was eradicated long ago
A. It would be wonderful if tuberculosis (TB) had been eradicated long ago, but unfortunately that's not the case. It is true that the annual number of new cases in the United States has been dropping over the past 20 years; in 2013, there were about 9,500 new cases. However, around the world, particularly in developing nations, TB remains a huge problem. In 2013, there were nine million new cases of TB, and 1.5 million deaths from TB, in the world.
Did youthful fun in the sun put you at risk for an eye condition now?
It's never too late to protect your eyes against sun damage. Look for sunglasses that block 95% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Image: Thinkstock |
Excessive sun exposure can cause damage that shows up many years later.
Adding a diuretic to your blood pressure drug
Diuretics can augment the blood pressure-lowering effects of other drugs, such as ACE inhibitors. Image: Thinkstock |
It may boost the effect of your current medication.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): What to know if you have diabetes or prediabetes or are at risk for these conditions

What could be causing your blurry vision?

Avocado nutrition: Health benefits and easy recipes

Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know

Preventing and treating iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: Tips for pain-free movement

Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?

Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction

What happens during sleep — and how to improve it

How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?
Free Healthbeat Signup
Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!
Sign Up