According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a rare but serious condition caused by reactivation of the herpes virus varicella-zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. When this virus gets into your body it can remain dormant in nerve cells … Read More
It can be called an annual physical exam, a general physical exam, or a wellness visit. This visit gives you a chance to connect with your health care provider, update your provider on your health, and plan for future preventive healthcare. Having a physical exam checklist is a good way … Read More
Epstein Barr virus is a virus that infects almost everybody by the time they are adults. Most people never have symptoms or only have mild cold-like symptoms. Some children or young adults have a more severe infection called mononucleosis. Once infected, everybody has EBV living in their white blood cells. … Read More
Sometimes, in chronic pain, the pain-signaling neurons become hyperexcited and continue to fire despite the absence of the cause of injury. For example, with the herpes-zoster infection (shingles), the rash disappears, leaving no evidence of the virus in the bloodstream, but the damaged nerves continue to fire, causing continuous debilitating … Read More
Shingles—officially known as herpes zoster—is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin supplied by the nerve. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus, a virus in the herpes family that also causes chickenpox. After a person has chickenpox, some virus particles remain inactive in the nerve … Read More
A shooting pain that takes your breath away. A throbbing ache that won’t let up. Tingling fingers and toes. Nerve pain comes in various forms and can be debilitating in many ways—depression, anxiety, and infections, for example. Our bodies contain billions of nerves that send billions of messages to our … Read More
Shingles pain can be debilitating for seniors. I experienced the effects of shingles several years ago, and it’s something I’d rather not repeat. I hope that sharing my personal experience will encourage you to get vaccinated or, if not, to recognize the symptoms of shingles early enough to benefit from … Read More
It’s annoying, uncomfortable, and just plain unpleasant. Itchy skin, or pruritus, is one of the ways our body tells us that something isn’t quite right, but how do we know what that “something” is? And what can we do about it? Here are 11 reasons why you might be suffering … Read More
We’ve all suffered from an itchy scalp at some point. No matter the cause (e.g., dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, an allergic reaction, lice, or a fungus), itchy scalp can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing. Just thinking about scalp pruritus (the medical term for this common condition) has got me scratching my … Read More
If you’re noticing a burning, tingling sensation across the skin of your torso, it’s possible you may have shingles. About one in three Americans develop shingles at some point in their lifetime; the condition hits people who have suffered chickenpox, and your shingles risk increases as you get older simply … Read More
