Dealing with thick, discolored toenails
Wriggling toes in the sand and wearing sandals are warm weather treats, unless you’d rather keep your toes under wraps due to thickened, yellowish nails. Nail fungal infections (known as onychomycosis) are common, affecting up to 14% of the general population. In advanced cases, nails can become brittle, crumbly, or ragged, or even separate from […]
Prostate cancer: An emerging surgical alternative shows promise in older men
Think of prostate cancer surgery and what likely comes to mind is a radical prostatectomy, which is an operation to remove the entire prostate gland along with the seminal vesicles that produce semen. However, men with localized prostate cancer — meaning cancer that is still confined to the prostate — have another surgical option. Called […]
What color is your tongue? What’s healthy, what’s not?
If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then consider the tongue a sort of check-engine light for the body. The tongue’s appearance gives doctors an idea about certain aspects of your health, and its color is an important clue. What should your tongue look like? The tongue should have a rounded, symmetrical shape. […]
The FDA relaxes restrictions on blood donation
While the FDA rules for blood donation were revised twice in the last decade, one group — men who have sex with men (MSM) — continued to be turned away from donating. Now new, evidence-based FDA rules embraced by the American Red Cross will focus on individual risk rather than groupwide restrictions. Medical experts consider […]
Monitoring blood pressure at home? Make sure you follow these steps
When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? All adults should have this simple test at least once a year. If a blood pressure reading at your doctor’s office is elevated — that is, higher than a healthy range — current guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force recommend repeating the […]
How to help your child get the sleep they need
It’s tempting at this time of year to let summer sleep schedules stay in place or let bedtimes slide, especially when parents feel tired out, too. But it’s important that children have a regular routine — and that they are sleeping during the dark hours and awake during the light ones, as our bodies do […]
Plyometrics: Three explosive exercises even beginners can try
As a kid, I spent many Saturdays romping around my Florida neighborhood imitating Colonel Steve Austin, better known as The Six Million Dollar Man to avid TV watchers in the 1970s. The popular show featured a bionic man — half human and half machine — who could jump from three-story buildings, leap over six-foot-high walls, […]
Heat rash: How to spot it and what to do
The first two weeks of July were the Earth’s hottest on human record, and people across the country continue to suffer from lingering, suffocating heat waves. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued repeated warnings and tips about recognizing and preventing heat-related illnesses, like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps. But […]
Immune boosts or busts? From IV drips and detoxes to superfoods
Ever see ads for products that promise to supercharge immunity? Activate your body’s natural defenses? Support a healthy immune system while delivering a potent boost derived from nature’s hottest immune-enhancing ingredients? While the words may change to reflect the latest trends, the claims certainly sound amazing. But do the multitude of products promoted as immune […]
Prostate cancer: A new type of radiation treatment limits risk of side effects
When it comes to limiting side effects from radiation therapy, the name of the game is precision. Doctors want to treat the cancer while avoiding healthy tissues, and fortunately technological advances are making that increasingly possible. One newer technique called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can focus precisely targeted beams of high-dose radiation on a tumor […]