Snow has osteoarthritis in both knees. She typically manages her pain with exercise, diet, weight loss, and the occasional over-the-counter pain reliever, but when winter weather sets in, Snow faces an extra joint-pain challenge. “I think it’s related to barometric pressure,” she says. “It definitely has made me more cognizant of the weather.” For Snow, arthritis isn’t just a personal problem. As vice president for community involvement for the Colorado Arthritis Foundation, she travels the state educating others about the condition....

When osteoporosis weakens the vertebrae, they gradually become wedge-shaped, creating the pronounced curve in the upper back that’s often called a “dowager’s hump.” Once that happens, neither starch nor willpower will straighten your spine. Osteoporosis is common, occurring in upwards of 10 percent of adults over age 50, according to a study published in 2014 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. But it isn’t an inevitable part of aging....

“What we eat doesn’t cause gut inflammation in ulcerative colitis, but certain foods can worsen the symptoms of a flare,” says Torey Armul, RDN, a nutrition consultant in Columbus, Ohio, and a former national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. While bothersome foods vary widely among people with ulcerative colitis, fiber-rich foods can be troublesome during a flare, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. If you’re having a flare, Armul first suggests working with a registered dietitian who will analyze how your diet affects your symptoms and potentially identify foods you can’t tolerate....

Cancer is caused by changes, or mutations, in genes, particularly those that control cell growth and division or are responsible for repairing damaged DNA. Genomic testing examines tumor tissue for these mutations and can often tell your doctor which mutation is responsible for your NSCLC and how it can best be treated. For example, some NSCLC cases are linked to a mutation to the EGFR gene, which is involved in making receptor proteins in the body....

MRIs use strong magnets and radio waves to create images of internal structures of the body. An MRI scan of your brain and spinal cord can reveal the lesions, or areas where the myelin that normally protects nerve fibers has been damaged, that are typical of MS. Over time, repeat MRIs show your doctor whether you have developed additional lesions and whether existing lesions have enlarged or otherwise changed. Most healthcare professionals recommend that people with MS receive annual MRIs to track progression and assist in treatment decisions....

People with PTSD live with symptoms that stem from their body’s response to a shocking or terrifying experience, such as war or combat in the military, natural disasters, or individual personal events such as sexual assault. These symptoms can occur on their own or be triggered by anything that brings the person back to reliving their traumatic experience, such as loud noises from fireworks or certain aromas that other people tolerate well or even enjoy....

That doesn’t mean you have to skip your morning meal. The best breakfast for someone with Crohn’s is small, high in calories, and easy for the digestive tract to break down, explains Kelly Kennedy, RD, a nutritionist with Everyday Health. The goal, she says, is to “maximize the nutrition and calories of every bite.” If you aren’t sure which foods trigger your symptoms, you may want to keep a food journal, also noting when the flare occurs, and seek advice from a registered dietitian who specializes in digestive issues, she says....

With some awareness of common missteps and registered dietitians’ tips, you can prioritize health and flavor. Here’s what you need to know. One cup of cooked oatmeal is a healthy serving size, says Jessica Crandall Snyder, RDN, CDCES, the CEO of Vital RD in Centennial, Colorado. That amount will contain 154 calories, 27 grams (g) of carbs, and 4 g of fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)....

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or simply trying to cut back on meat, eating more plants may benefit heart health, prevent certain types of cancer, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and slow the rate of cognitive decline, says Kim Rose, RDN, a Lakeland, Florida–based consultant dietitian with food-tracking app Lose It!. This way of eating can be a boon to the environment, too. One review found greenhouse gas emissions resulting from vegan and ovolactovegetarian (a person who follows a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy) diets are about 50 percent and 35 percent lower than meat-eating diets, respectively....

“For many people, this situation is not just about stress; it’s about life and death,” says Justin Laube, MD, an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. “Given this pandemic, which is something many of us likely didn’t even have on our radar much at all until recently, and then looking at the rising statistics, it would be hard not to at least have our own mortality come up, however subtly....

About 75 percent of people with IBD believe that stress worsens their disease, according to a study published in May 2020 in the journal PLoS One. And it’s not hard to see why: Too much stress can trigger IBD symptoms, and those symptoms — diarrhea, fatigue, cramping, stomach pain — can then cause you to feel even more stressed. “It can create a vicious cycle,” says Stephen Lupe, PsyD, director of behavioral medicine for the department of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at Cleveland Clinic....

Think of the immune system as an orchestra. For the best performance, you want every instrument and every musician in the orchestra to perform at their best. You don’t necessarily want one musician to perform at double speed or one instrument to suddenly produce sound at twice the volume it usually does. You want every part to perform exactly according to the score. The same goes for your immune system....

While you might think of coconut as a fruit, this tropical food is technically a fruit, a nut, and a seed, per the Library of Congress. Inside you get a whole lot of fat, so a little goes a long way, but one thing you may not consider it for is its fiber — each raw piece measuring 2 inches by 2 ½ inches offers 4 grams (g), as the U....

Researchers followed more than 122,000 female youths for about three decades, starting when they were 8 to 19 years old. Overall, about 5,800 of them, or slightly less than 5 percent, had attempted suicide. During follow-up, women who had a history of attempted suicide were 5 times more likely to be hospitalized for a substance use disorder, researchers reported in JAMA Psychiatry. The odds rose with the number of suicide attempts, with three or more suicide attempts associated with 21 times the risk of substance use hospitalizations....

To raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), of course, and to raise money for the ALS Association, which uses donations to fund research into treatments and a cure for ALS and to provide direct care services to people living with the disease. The Ice Bucket Challenge became a huge trend across social media in the summer of 2014, with more that 17 million people uploading videos of themselves taking the challenge....

Diagnosing ankylosing spondylitis early is important, though, because the sooner you begin treatment, the better, Dr. Lozada says. The right treatment can help keep your spine flexible and your joints moving. Treating ankylosing spondylitis may prevent or delay permanent damage to your spine and other joints, including your hips and shoulders, which may also be affected. Medications prescribed for ankylosing spondylitis include these types: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)Biologics, which are immunosuppressants that have been genetically engineered from living organismsJanus kinase inhibitorsCorticosteroids, which are used for acute flares...

ACV and Weight Loss ACV contains very few calories, so it can fit into your diet if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight. But you may also have heard that some people take a shot or tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to stimulate fat burning. The fact of the matter is that taking ACV is unlikely to change your body composition or weight. ACV and High Cholesterol ACV may be beneficial for high cholesterol in some groups....

This study, which followed more than 100,000 adults for about a decade, is among the largest to date to identify cardiovascular health problems with sugar substitutes. Overall, artificial sweeteners were associated with a 9 percent higher risk of any type of cardiovascular disease event and an 18 percent greater chance of stroke, according to results published in The BMJ. “Our results indicate that these food additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and beverages, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar,” the study authors wrote in The BMJ....

Another area of research in recent years has been the connection between AS and cancer risk. Decades ago, ankylosing spondylitis was often treated with radiation to reduce spinal inflammation — a treatment that raised the risk of leukemia and other cancers. Since then, drugs have replaced radiation as the main treatment for AS, and rates of cancer in people with AS have dropped. But many researchers still wonder if the disease itself, or certain drug treatments, may increase the risk of certain cancers....

That’s the beauty of giving (and receiving!) skin-care products, tools, and gadgets when Christmas and Hanukkah roll around. According to a report published in October 2022 (PDF) by marketing research company the NPD Group, 28 percent of U.S. consumers plan on buying a beauty product as a gift during the 2022 holiday season, with an average of $161 spent on beauty gifts per giver. Whether you’re seeking a budget-friendly option or looking to splurge, we’ve rounded up some great gifts and stocking stuffers that will continue spreading cheer long past the holidays....