Skip to main content

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Archive

Articles

What can cause a persistent dry cough?

It's common to have a cough for weeks after an upper respiratory infection. When a cough lasts six weeks or longer, doctors may order a chest x-ray to check for an underlying lung problem. Chronic coughing also can result from medications, postnasal drip, acid reflux, or asthma.

The plant milk shake-up: Pea and pistachio join oat and almond

Pea, potato, and pistachio milk? Supermarkets now sell multiple kinds of plant-based milks made from nuts, beans, grains, vegetables, or fruit. Before trying these, some people might like to know more about nutritional benefits and any other reasons to choose or avoid them.

Considering a gluten-free diet

People with celiac disease must avoid all foods that contain the protein gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. Those with nonceliac gluten sensitivity can also benefit from a gluten-free diet.

You don't say? Excuse me, but should you squelch your belch?

Burping is often seen (and heard) as something rude and crude, but it serves an essential purpose by preventing the stomach from overinflating with air from eating.

Is it a heart attack?

The first-ever guidelines to diagnose chest pain document the range of possible heart attack symptoms. They include a sense of pressure, tightness, squeezing, or heaviness in the chest but also in the shoulders, arms, neck, back, upper abdomen, or jaw. The report also provides a road map to help doctors assess chest pain with selective use of the latest available tests. Chest discomfort can also result from other conditions that affect the heart (such as pericarditis) and nearby organs. These include acid reflux, muscle or joint issues, and lung problems.

Another natural remedy for constipation?

Constipation can describe many types of problems with moving your bowels. It becomes chronic when it lasts for weeks or months. Many people are interested in natural remedies for constipation, and one of the most common is adding fiber to your diet. A new study compared three natural sources of fiber, with encouraging results.

Should you take probiotics?

Probiotics can be helpful in some cases, but it's unclear whether they are safe for all older adults.

Five hours of weekly exercise may help prevent some cancers

Many cancers might be avoided if people did at least five hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week like brisk walking, biking riding, and water aerobics.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE 32-page gift worth $29.95.

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well.