Author: News Room

4 min readLow vitamin D levels may contribute to chronic inflammation, according to a study.Researchers found that vitamin D deficiency increases levels of key inflammatory markers and that getting more vitamin D may reduce inflammation.Experts explain what this means for your health, plus easy ways to increase your intake of vitamin D.Inflammation is behind a host of chronic illnesses and conditions, from poor sleep to heart disease. As such, taking steps to reduce or reverse chronic inflammation can go far towards promoting healthy aging. One smart step may be increasing your intake of vitamin D, especially if you’re not getting…

3 min readA new study looks into the differences in gut bacteria between people with and without colorectal cancer.Scientists found cancer patients to have a virus-infected bacterium that healthy people typically don’t have.An oncologist explains what the findings mean for future screening and prevention protocols.While knowing the number-one sign of colon cancer may go a long way in getting a diagnosis early (which is so important), what’s inside your gut may also have some clues. That’s the takeaway from a new study that looks more closely at how gut bacteria—specifically, viruses found within gut bacteria—may increase colon cancer risk.Meet the…

7 min readRegardless of whether you have diabetes or not, you’re going to feel the effects of a spike in your blood sugar levels. For people without diabetes, symptoms will pass—but for those with diabetes, prolonged high blood sugar (also known as hyperglycemia) can be dangerous. That’s why having strategies for how to lower blood sugar immediately is so critical. “In the short-term, if you let your sugar stay too high, you run the risk of it getting worse and becoming something serious like diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome—both of which could land you in the hospital,” said Beatrice…

5 min readColorectal cancer cases in younger adults are being driven by rectal cancer, according to new data. Symptoms of the two diseases overlap. There are a few possible reasons for the increase.For years, rising cases of colorectal cancer in younger adults have confused the medical community. While researchers have been able to see that these cancer rates are going up, the reason why has been unclear. Now, new data from the American Cancer Society has narrowed in on what’s going on. Based on the data, scientists say cases of rectal cancer, in particular, are spurring the increase in colorectal…

7 min readOne day in 2012, when I was a sophomore in high school, I looked in the mirror and was surprised to see light patches on my cheeks that hadn’t been there before. I thought, “Oh my god, what is this?” When I was a child I was diagnosed with eczema on my hands, but that was scaly itchiness—not light-colored spots on my pecan-brown skin. I had never experienced anything like it before, so my mom took me to a dermatologist near Hampton, Virginia, where I still live.The long search for a diagnosisThe first doctor I saw (an older…

5 min readMy name is Emily Washcovick and I’m 31 years old. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and work for Yelp as a marketing manager and small-business expert. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 28. But for years before I learned I had the condition, I had been a bit of a perfectionist. I was always really busy, and my energy would come in big spurts. I had a constant stream of thoughts, and my personality was just go-go-go. On the flip side, I would also go through periods where I’d feel low and be very depressed.…

4 min readFive years ago, right around when I turned 30, I started noticing a lot of changes in my body. I’d always had a slim face, but I would look in the mirror and notice that my face was getting rounder. I was like, OK, I guess I’m getting cheeky! I also started gaining weight. I figured my metabolism was slowing down, but that didn’t make sense. I worked out almost every day and ran around after my three kids; plus, I was trying to eat as healthily as I could, and I still gained 40 pounds over the…

6 min readMy moment of clarity came after a tumble down the stairs and an ankle fracture, in 2016. I’d been distracted—again. This time, I was looking at paint chips while walking down a flight of stairs in my house and thinking about what I’d just learned about light reflectance values.While laid up for six weeks of healing, I had plenty of time to consider what felt like my life’s failings. I had a master’s degree, but I’d made it through endless boring classes by daydreaming, doodling, and making lists of what I’d do next. My grades rarely dipped below…

4 min readBy the time I reached my 60s, I’d seen a world of pain: first fused spinal discs, then a fractured skull after a dolly whacked me in the face during a shift as a UPS worker. (That took me a year and a half of rehab to recover from.) Later I had a hysterectomy and other operations related to my skull. But none of that was as bad as the pain in my leg.It started about 10 years ago, an ungodly pressure in my lower back that ran down my right leg into my foot. And it never…

7 min readIn 2012, Len Robertson, a 46-year-old high school music teacher and musician in Brooklyn, New York, noticed a discharge coming from his left nipple. “It was worrisome. I did some research and learned that it’s never a good sign when this happens,” Robertson says. He went to a breast specialist to get checked out, and she removed a benign (noncancerous) tumor from his left breast. While most breast lumps are benign, Robertson took this as a sign to be on the lookout for any other changes in his breasts. Six years later, in the summer of 2018, Robertson…