Medical dictionaries describe lockjaw as a tightness or spasm of the jaw muscles due to a bacterial infection from Clostridium tetani, commonly called tetanus. [1] Tetanus has become very rare in the United States with only about 30 reported cases per year. Almost everyone who gets tetanus today has not … Read More
SIBO is the acronym for a disease called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. [1-3] It is hard to know how common SIBO is. It causes digestive symptoms that are very common like belly, pain, bloating, and bowel changes. Many cases of SIBO may be missed because the diagnosis requires special testing. … Read More
Once your medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests have been evaluated, your medical provider may diagnose you with one of the following types of arthritis. It also is possible that you may be diagnosed with a multisystem disorder. Degenerative Arthritis OA is the main cause of degenerative arthritis. It … Read More
Do you feel like your hands or feet are on “pins and needles”? That’s one of the most commonly described symptoms of poor circulation. If you think you’re battling poor circulation, it’s wise to get a diagnosis; it could be a symptom of a much more serious disease—including peripheral artery … Read More
Once you’ve received the sobering news that you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, the next step is to discuss a personalized breast cancer treatment plan with your medical team. Your doctor’s recommendations will involve many factors, including your age, medical history, the type, location, and size of the cancer, and … Read More
“Mom! You’ve got yellow finger disease again,” my daughter said as I emerged from a dip in the cool lake. I looked down and sure enough, four fingers on my left hand and two on my right were a pale yellow. A few of my toes had also lost their … Read More
Forget using the hair you see in your hairbrush or bathroom sink as a gauge of thinning hair. It’s normal to lose 50 to 100 strands of hair a day, says the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA). What makes thinning hair diagnosable is evidence of bald patches and sections … Read More
You may have heard the term scleroderma but what does it mean? The first half of the word has roots in the Greek word "skleros," or "hard." The second half of the word, "-derma," means "skin." According to the American College of Rheumatology, “Scleroderma (or systemic sclerosis) is an autoimmune … Read More
If you have trouble swallowing, you have dysphagia. If that trouble swallowing is associated with pain, it’s called odynophagia. These are big words for an annoying—and potentially dangerous—disorder that most of us call “trouble swallowing.” According to the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, the number of those who have trouble … Read More
Fibromyalgia is a relatively new disease: It wasn't until 1981 that the first controlled study to identify symptoms of fibromyalgia was published. And it wasn't until 2005 that the American Pain Society issued the first treatment guidelines for fibromyalgia. So exactly what is fibromyalgia? It's "a generalized soft tissue pain … Read More
