Diseases & Conditions Archive

Look for one that offers ample volume and the ability to turn it up and down as needed.

For treating newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease, the drug that has been in use the longest offers a slight edge compared with newer medications, according to a head-to-head comparison study in The Lancet.

The "oldie but goodie" medications for treating the muscle rigidity and tremors caused by Parkinson's contain levodopa (Parcopa, Sinemet). But levodopa causes involuntary muscle tics, known as dyskinesia. Concern about dyskinesia drove development of alternative medications, such as dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors (MAOBIs).

Taper off heartburn medications if you are willing to make lifestyle changes to prevent the problem from coming back.

To any man once tormented by frequent heartburn from stomach acid backing up, not taking your daily tablet of omeprazole (Prilosec) or lansoprazole (Prevacid) might seem like a bad idea. These and similar drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), are the foundation of treatment for chronic acidic heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that doctors still frequently prescribe antibiotics to treat bronchitis, despite lack of evidence that they help to clear up this common lower respiratory tract infection.

Bronchitis inflames the breathing tubes (bronchi) deep in the chest, causing a hacking cough—sometimes with sputum, sometimes dry. The infection can be caused by bacteria but often the culprit is a virus, which won't respond to antibiotics. The best studies to date have found little evidence that antibiotics are effective for bronchitis in otherwise healthy people.

The easiest way to protect your eyes from the sun's hazardous radiation is to wear sunglasses, not only in the summer months, but year-round. Ultraviolet (UV) light can damage the iris, retina, lens, and cornea, leading to permanent vision loss. It's a good idea to request UV protection (an invisible coating) on all of your prescription glasses.

UV light has three wavelengths:

UVA is long, looks almost blue in the visible spectrum, and is responsible for skin tanning and aging. It may also contribute to skin cancer risk.

Given the epidemic of diabetes sweeping the United States and many other countries, it can seem as though developing diabetes is inevitable. Not so. A landmark clinical trial called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) showed that a healthy diet and regular exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes. This three year study found that people who lose 5% to 7% of their weight and exercise about 30 minutes a day can reduce diabetes risk by more than half.

The Look AHEAD study also showed that losing weight and exercising can be a powerful way to fend off diabetes. The trial compared lifestyle changes (portion-controlled diets with prepared meals and moderate-intensity exercise for at least 175 minutes a week) with simple diabetes education. After one year, people in the lifestyle group had lost an average of 8.6% of their body weight, compared with 0.7% in diabetes education group. With the combination of weight loss and exercise came improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure, and HDL (good) cholesterol. Later follow-up showed that these improvements extended over the first four years of the study.

When a person's thyroid hormone level gets too low nearly every system in the body is affected. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can set off a wide range of symptoms that can include fatigue, depression, weight gain, constipation, and dry skin.

While typical of an underactive thyroid, all those symptoms could be easily attributed to other medical problems. And in people over 60, symptoms of hypothyroidism can be more confusing. Any of the following health issues in a person over 60, alone or in combination, could mean an underlying thyroid problem. 

The constant urge to use the bathroom—along with embarrassing leakage—can have a huge impact on your life. Incontinence might even make you depressed, according to a study published in April 2014 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The study, conducted by Dr. Kristin Hung and her colleagues at Harvard Medical School, included more than 4,500 women who were enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study. The women were interviewed every two years between 1996 and 2011.

The authors found that women with incontinence were more likely to have depression as well as work disability. Diagnosing and treating incontinence can have significant mental health benefits, the researchers wrote. Urinary incontinence is very treatable. If you're having trouble managing an overactive bladder or leakage, see your doctor. Therapies ranging from bladder training to Botox injections can effectively help reduce your urge to go.

Go ahead and say "yes" to another cup of coffee. Increasing your intake may help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. That's according to a study published online in the April 24, 2014, Diabetologia. Harvard researchers found that people who raised their coffee intake by more than one cup per day over a four-year period had an 11% lower risk for type 2 diabetes in the next four years compared with those who made no changes in consumption. Researchers also found that the opposite was true: lowering coffee consumption by more than a cup per day was associated with a 17% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. What is it about this savory brew that's so healthful? "It's unclear if it's something in the coffee beans or if it's in the caffeine. Some studies show reduced risk of type 2 diabetes with decaffeinated as well as caffeinated coffee, but the results have been more consistent for caffeinated coffee. Some possible explanations, beyond caffeine, include chlorogenic acid, which may delay glucose absorption, magnesium, and polyphenols," says Dr. JoAnn Manson, coauthor of the study and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Want to try it? Just keep in mind that a cup is considered 8 ounces of coffee, either black or with a small amount of milk or sugar. Too much caffeine—more than 300 milligrams per day—may lead to insomnia, nervousness, and the jitters.

For people with obesity and uncontrolled diabetes, weight-loss surgery can bring diabetes under control far more effectively than medications, a New England Journal of Medicine study has shown.

The study included 150 people with an average body mass index (BMI) of 36. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or more. Their average HbA1c level (a long-term measurement of blood sugar) was 9.3%. Normal levels range between 4% and 5.6%.