We’ve all been there. A bit too much yard work, lifting, or who-knows-what, and you’re hunched over with pain in your lower back. In most cases, the pain goes away quickly. But sometimes it lingers, often without a cause that anyone can pinpoint. Here’s what to know about back pain.
Roughly a quarter of adults aged 40 and older report taking a low-dose aspirin every day. “A lot of people think of aspirin almost like a vitamin,” says Amit Khera, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “But it’s a medicine with both benefits and side effects.” Here’s what you need to know about aspirin and your heart.
If you don’t need a fever and pain reducer and a cough suppressant and an expectorant and a nasal decongestant, you’re exposing yourself to drugs—and side effects—you may not need if you take a combination cold-and-flu formula like Mucinex All in One.
If every tickle in your throat, slight headache, or mild cough sets off alarm bells these days, you’re not alone. It can be tricky to tell the difference between a cold, the flu, and Covid-19.
The good news: Simple precautions that can curb the spread of Covid-19—like wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent hand washing—can also lower your risk of catching a cold or the flu. Just don’t put much stock in “immune boosting” claims about foods or supplements.
Can anything soothe symptoms or shorten your illness? Here’s what we know.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any FDA-approved medications that work on the valve,” says Scott Gabbard, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Gabbard is referring to a valve called the lower-esophageal sphincter, or LES, which sits between the esophagus and stomach.
If you’re piling on the beans, whole grains, fruit, and veggies and you still aren’t regular, it may be time to consider an over-the-counter laxative.
Laxatives come in two main varieties. The first is osmotic laxatives, which draw water into the colon. That softens the stool and makes them easier to pass.
Stimulant laxatives move the stool along by helping the colon contract.
You did everything you could—including using our tips on lifestyle changes—to avoid getting sick. But your throat is sore, your nose is stuffed, you’re achy. Now what?
Cancer. Cataracts. Confusion. Forgetfulness. Erectile dysfunction. Nerve damage. Tendonitis. Those are just some of the harms that people attribute to statins, which one in four Americans older than 40 now take to lower their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
What gives some controversies such staying power? Sometimes it’s the food or supplement industry that stands to profit from a claim. Sometimes it’s rumors on social media or simply an ongoing debate among researchers. Here are six issues that may be less controversial than they seem.
