Conditions

COPD is the name for a group of diseases that affect the airflow into our lungs. It encompasses a variety of diseases, but the three most common sub-groups are chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and refractory asthma. All of these diseases are different, but have a lot of things in common, including the fact that they will all continue to get worse over time and are incurable. There are things that you can do to mitigate the damage from COPD, but you cannot reverse damage once it has occurred. If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed with COPD, you probably have a lot of questions. Here are some facts your doctor may not have told you.

Skin cancer is one of the most complex forms of cancer — it’s also the most common. One in five Americans will develop this type of cancer by age 70.

When you’re living with any kind of arthritis, the pain can be terrible. Trying to cope with that pain and manage other symptoms like swelling, aches, and stiffness can be a lifelong challenge. Fortunately, there are plenty of pain relief options available.

All the well-intentioned, relevant, good advice is usually appreciated, but sometimes people just don’t realize what they’re saying to someone who suffers from migraines. When it comes to the excruciating pain and the helpless feeling that your head may split in half, most people can’t relate. In most cases, empathy trumps well-intentioned, relevant good advice.

As scientific research has progressed, a surprising amount of mistaken information about the brain has stayed in our collective consciousness. For example, have you ever heard someone suggest that they don’t excel at math because they are ‘left-brained’?

When we worry about aging, many of us focus on things like greying hair, or developing wrinkles in our skin. But in addition to our external body growing older, our insides — including our muscles, skeleton and organs — also experience wear and tear over time.

It comes on suddenly, often with little to no warning. You’re minding your own business, attending to errands and going about your day, when suddenly the room starts to spin.

Imagine a world without hot beverages. No hot chocolate at the skating rink. No hot apple cider at the orchard. No sweet tea at Grandma’s brunch. Hot drinks keep the world spinning. At least, in the business world they do. I couldn’t tell you the last time I woke up without the help of a steaming, deliciously brewed cup of Joe.

Alcohol is deadly. There’s no other way to put it. In the short term, alcohol has been shown to negatively impact sleep, it can destroy personal relationships, it can decimate your savings account and it can cause major weight fluctuations. The long-term effects are much more grim.

During the 1980s, the HIV/AIDS pandemic blew up and became an international health crisis that has since affected more than 70 million people worldwide. For years, the source of the virus was unknown, leading to much speculation, finger pointing and isolation of many groups of people who were thought to have been responsible for the spread of the illness.