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Read our latest stories on the people and scientific innovations making a difference in patients’ lives.
10 Ways to Reduce Medication Errors
Medicines can help you feel better when you’re sick. But if used incorrectly, medicines can also cause harm. Medication errors, such as receiving the wrong therapy or using an incorrect dosage of a drug, can potentially lead to serious outcomes. You may be able to help reduce your risk for medication errors. Here are some tips to consider: Tell your doctor every medicine you’re taking. It’s one way to help prevent drug interactions between your medicines, which can be dangerous. Use this pers...
The Importance of Women and Diversity in Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are key to finding and learning if medical treatments are safe and effective. These treatments include medicines, medical devices, procedures, and lifestyle changes, such as diet. All new medical treatments must go through clinical trials before they can be approved by the FDA. Despite the importance that comes from clinical trials there is a drawback: the people who enroll in trials do not always represent key patient populations like women and minorities. Read on to learn more...
A Personal Take on Living with RA
A young woman with a busy life, Jamie Navarette, has an advanced college degree and a full-time job and spends a lot of her free time serving as a health advocate and educator. Jamie also has rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a painful and disabling disease that affects the joints with pain, swelling and stiffness.A Body’s BetrayalDays before her senior prom, when she was just 18, Jamie experienced flu-like symptoms and achiness. She also noticed swelling and tenderness in her fingers on one hand...
Lupus and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know
There was a time when women were told that pregnancy was impossible if they had lupus. While all lupus pregnancies are still considered high risk, advances in medical technology and in our understanding of the disease have made it possible for women with lupus to have successful pregnancies. But there are a few things to keep in mind. Remember, lupus is an autoimmune disease. When a person has an autoimmune disease, his or her body’s immune system can’t tell the difference between harmful...
Facts About Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis that can occur in about 3 of every 10 people who have psoriasis. It may cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in a person’s joints as well as skin symptoms. The underlying inflammation involved in PsA can affect the entire body. Without treatment, PsA may cause permanent joint and tissue damage. PsA is an autoimmune disease. Normally, our body’s immune system protects us from harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. But...
Understanding Fibromyalgia
Over 5 million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that causes widespread muscle tenderness and fatigue. Still, it is a disorder that’s rarely talked about. In fact, some people with chronic pain or soreness can spend years seeing doctor after doctor before finally being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Part of the problem is that the symptoms of the condition can’t be seen and are difficult to describe. These symptoms also tend to come and go and sometimes are...
Low Back Pain and What You Can Do About It
If there’s one medical condition that many of us might have in common, it’s low back pain. Here are some facts that highlight just how widespread low back pain is: It affects 8 out of every 10 adults at some point in their life. It affects men and women equally. In 2010, it caused more disability globally than any other medical condition. It is the most common cause of job-related disability and one of the main reasons why people miss days of work. In 2013, nearly 3 out of every 10 adults...
Answers to Common Questions About Anesthesia
At some point in our lives, we might undergo some form of medical procedure that requires anesthesia. While you may know that anesthesia is a medical treatment used to prevent people from feeling pain during surgery, you may have questions about the different types of anesthesia, how they work, and their overall safety profile. The information below can answer some of those questions. What are the different types of anesthesia and when are they used? There are 3 main types of anesthesia: local...
Facts About Colorectal Cancer
What is colorectal cancer?Colorectal cancer (CRC) starts in the colon or rectum. It is sometimes called colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where the cancer starts. Generally, if it starts in the last several inches of the large intestine (close to the anus), it is rectal cancer. They are often grouped together because they are similar in terms of how they appear, how they’re monitored by healthcare providers, and how they’re treated.How does CRC develop?Most CRCs start as a growth...
Cold vs Allergies: Which Is It?
You find yourself coughing, sneezing, and with a runny nose. At first you may think it’s a cold, but how do you know it’s not a seasonal allergy? Colds and seasonal allergies are both common, and they share some of the same symptoms. But they are very different conditions. What’s the difference? Colds and seasonal allergies both affect the respiratory system (i.e., nose, throat, lungs), but beyond that they are very different. The common cold is caused by viruses. Most people with a cold...
Family Planning for Women With a Chronic Illness
If you’re among the growing number of women with a chronic illness who want to start a family, you may be worried about how your condition may impact your pregnancy, your baby, and your health. It’s normal to ask yourself questions such as: Will my baby be okay? What will happen to me if my healthcare provider needs to adjust or even stop some of my medicines? Am I strong enough physically to raise a baby? Whether you have a gastrointestinal condition, diabetes, arthritis, or one of a number of...
The Facts About Osteoarthritis
Often called "wear and tear" arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in the U.S. It is caused by aging and wear and tear on a joint, resulting in the breakdown of cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is slippery tissue between the ends of the bones in a joint. It absorbs the shock of movement by preventing the bones from rubbing together. But as the cartilage breaks down, the bones begin to rub against each other. Over time, this can cause permanent damage to the...
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