In controlling eczema, perhaps the most important strategy is to help your skin retain its moisture. Moisturizers and creams for eczema work by safeguarding the skin barrier. Eczema patients typically have an ineffective skin barrier, which makes them more susceptible to allergens, pathogens, and irritants. An impaired skin barrier also makes moisture retention more difficult, causing dry skin and worsening eczema symptoms. With that in mind, here are some of the best dermatologist-recommended eczema creams you can try out to improve your condition. Best...

Eczema is an umbrella term that refers to various conditions that lead to inflammation of the skin. Eczema is usually a chronic condition marked by flare-ups and remission periods. In a majority of cases, eczema results in patches of red, dry, and itchy skin. Sometimes, even with fissures and blisters. Eczema most typically targets the hands, scalp, and face. However, it can also affect all parts of the body. Many eczema patients also suffer from allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or asthma. Researchers found a strong link between eczema...

Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the ixekizumab plaque psoriasis treatment. It comes in injection form and is used for treating adult patients who suffer from plaque psoriasis. This is a condition that affects a huge portion of Americans. It’s an itchy and very painful condition especially if it’s on a severe level. So, the approval of this drug is exciting news, since Taltz, the brand name for this ixekizumab injection, is a game-changer in this situation. It is proven that treating plaque psoriasis with...

If you find yourself experiencing uncomfortable symptoms after eating a specific food, then you might be dealing with a food allergy. Foods can trigger immune-system reactions that involve the respiratory tract, the digestive tract, and the skin. Particularly severe cases of food allergies can even involve the cardiovascular system. Between approximately 6 and 8% of children are believed to have food allergies. For adults, the figure is lower, around 3% or less. Many kids’ food allergies seemingly fade away as they mature, but close...

Tennis elbow is an injury that is caused by repetitive stress to the muscles and tendons in the forearm. Fortunately, although painful, the injury should heal on its own with time. However, there are some things you can do to speed up the process. Here is a look at a few common ways to treat tennis elbow.  Prevention You can take preventive measures to reduce your chance of tennis elbow before it occurs. The main way to prevent tennis elbow is to avoid overuse...

If back pain comes on suddenly and lasts less than six weeks, it is classified as acute back pain and usually does not require extensive treatment to improve. However, if your back pain lasts more than three months, it is classified as chronic back pain. This is much less common than acute back pain and can potentially be more difficult to diagnose as well. Back pain is usually a symptom that is an indicator of another problem. Here is a look at some of...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disease that keeps the brain from communicating properly with the body. Myelin, the protective encasement around nerve fibers gets destroyed by the body’s own immune system—and eventually the actual nerves can be destroyed as well. MS can be disabling, causing numbness, vision loss, pain, and dizziness. However, because the information from the nerves doesn’t get sent to the brain like it’s supposed to, it can make it difficult or impossible to walk, talk, coordinate movement, and...

Nausea, or stomach pain, is a common symptom for a variety of conditions and is defined as a feeling of sickness with an inclination to vomit. Often, nausea and vomiting will occur together, but they can occur separately as well. Nausea is not a disease in itself, but rather a non-specific symptom that can be caused by a number of things. Causes of Nausea There are over 700 possible causes for nausea. The most common causes include: Morning sickness: Stomach pain is an early symptom that occurs in...

Dogs can share the same allergies and intolerances as human beings, and one of those intolerances can result from gluten consumption. While gluten intolerance is fairly uncommon in dogs, its not unheard of. Most dry and wet dog foods contain a considerable amount of gluten along with many other potential allergy-inducing ingredients, like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, soy, and dairy, which can make it difficult to determine what is causing your pet’s intolerance/allergy. Symptoms Your pet may be allergic to gluten if he or...

Warning Signs of Pregnancy Distress While most of what occurs during pregnancy is completely natural, it is important to note pregnancy signs of distress. Remember not to take this too seriously. Calmness is the most important thing in a serious situation, that way, it is possible to take the measures necessary to preserve the health of yourself and the baby. Natural Occurrences That Could Become Problematic Headaches are one of many pregnancy signs of distress, but keep an eye on what is experienced during...

Many people are under the assumption that HPV and herpes are the same thing. While they do share some striking similarities in terms of transmission and certain symptoms, they are actually distinct conditions. It’s important to understand the differences between the two, because dealing with them requires radically different approaches. Here’s a quick look at some of the major difference between HPV and herpes, as well as some information about what these diseases share in common. The Differences While both HPV and herpes create...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease for which there is no cure. It affects approximately 2.1 million Americans. Patients who have rheumatoid arthritis foot pain often have pain in the metatarsal heads (balls of the feet). In fact, this is one of the more common modes of onset. Rheumatoid Arthritis Deformities Rheumatoid arthritis can result in multiple deformities including hallux valgus (bunions) and hammer toes (where the toes bend at the calluses and knuckle develop at the tips of the toe)....

Rheumatoid Arthritis foot pain patients know foot and joint pain way too well. Theirs is a condition that causes stiffness around the joints and swelling of the feet, making their movement often excruciating and tough. For relief, many RA sufferers reach out to over-the-counter drugs and pain medications. However, managing RA requires much more than meds. It requires a thorough understanding of the condition, including its causes. Through understanding its causes, patients can learn how they can treat the disease over the long-term. Foot...

When a person is diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, which is considered the deadliest form of cancer in existence, staging will occur immediately after diagnosis. There are 5 stages of this cancer, starting with Stage 0. Stage 0 cancer occurs when some abnormal cells occur on the lining of the pancreas. This is also called carcinoma in situ, which simply means that there are abnormal cells that are centered in one place. Since it doesn’t appear on most imaging tests, very few Pancreatic cancers are...

The human body can experience distress in the blink of an eye due to many different types of ailments in a variety of ways. High blood pressure, or hypertension, most commonly occurs due to age, lack of activity, poor diet, or genetics. A heightened pressure that exceeds the prehypertension stage can result in a stroke, possibly through a condition known as atrial fibrillation. How do hypertension and an irregular heart rhythm affect the body? We’ll look at the connection between the two, as well as...

Epilepsy is a neurological condition caused by a disruption in the ordinary functioning of neurons. There are many different types of epilepsy. One of the most common symptoms of epilepsy is seizures. A patient usually experiences strange sensations and emotions before a seizure. This is a warning of an epilepsy attack and is called an aura. However, the occurrence of a seizure does not necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy. When a person has had two or more seizures, doctors view it as...

You may have heard about or even followed the Paleo diet; it is a diet that encourages individuals to eat as their ancestors did. Its main concept is that humans evolved on different diets compared to today’s diets. Diets back then ensued that one is leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier; these are the qualities Paleo diet aims at restoring in the lives of any individual who uses it. The Paleo diet has quite an appeal since it has numerous promises, from clearer skin to...

Is there anything better in the world than a moist and delicious chocolate cake? How about one that you’re allowed to have while dieting? Thanks to alternatives that fall under a Paleo diet, the days of being health conscious while not being allowed to partake in your favorite desserts are a thing of the past! This recipe literally lets you have your cake and eat it too! Ingredients Chocolate Cake 1 cup almond flour ½ cup raw cacao powder ¼ cup coconut flour, sifted...

Finally… you can now eat pizza for breakfast without being judged with this exciting recipe for pizza quiches! Best of all it’s completely healthy, part of a paleo diet, and therefore leaves you with zero feelings of guilt. These pizza quiches make a tasty treat for breakfast or a delicious snack to take with you on the go. It’s the best of both worlds, everything you love about pizza combined with all there is to love about quiche. Furthermore, if you don’t manage to...

Triple negative breast cancer, commonly referred to as TNBC, is an aggressive form of breast cancer unique in that it doesn’t utilize progesterone, estrogen, and HER2. While all types of breast cancer are frightening, triple negative breast cancer can be even more terrifying due to its resistance to the standard breast cancer treatment. That being said, it is by no means an automatic death sentence for those who have been diagnosed. Effective breast cancer treatments do exist that can stop triple negative breast cancer from growing. Here...

While a large number of diabetic people may be overweight, there is accumulating evidence that their weight is a symptom of diabetes, not a cause. Of all the potential causes of diabetes, overeating is not only a misconception but is a topic a lot of people falsely speculate about since one out of five people who do not overeat is becoming increasingly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This myth stemmed from the observation that people with type 2 diabetes are often overweight and also...

Coffee and Diabetes Coffee and diabetes generally don’t mix. However, if you have high pre-diabetes, having coffee can actually reduce your risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes. That said, if you drink a lot of coffee and diabetes concerns you, you should exercise caution when drinking it. Coffee and diabetes usually aren’t a good pair as coffee often spikes insulin and glucose levels in the short term. It is also important to note that taking your coffee with sweeteners negates the purpose of...

Epilepsy is a neurological condition of the nervous system that can induce an unreasonable amount of electrical activity to take place inside a person’s brain. This health condition may be due to growths, an infection in the brain, or head trauma. Modern medicine has figured out a lot about epilepsy symptoms. However, despite lots of research, the causes of epilepsy are somewhat a mystery. Epilepsy Symptoms & Causes Chemistry of the Brain In many cases of epilepsy, medical experts find that there is a...

A-fib, aka Atrial Fibrillation, is a medical condition characterized by irregular and fast heart rate. Without early diagnosis and treatment, it can lead to blood clots in the heart, which can lead to a devastating stroke. Thus, cardiologists often advise A-fib patients to take particular blood-thinning medications on a regular basis. Warfarin (Coumadin) has been in use as a reliable blood thinner to help reduce chances of suffering from a stroke significantly. Other medications such as Apixaban and Dabigatran can treat the condition as well. Moreover, while...

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma is a form of breast cancer that originates within the milk-producing glands (lobules) of the breast. Invasive cancer refers to cancer cells that break out of the lobules and can potentially begin to spread to other areas of the body. Invasive lobular carcinoma makes up a small amount of all breast cancer types. Unlike many different types of cancer, invasive lobular carcinoma does not produce a visible and easily noticeable lump. Rather, it creates a change in the breast that causes it...

Breast cancer is usually contained to the breasts. However, in some cases, people develop metastatic breast cancer which simply means that the tumor has spread to other areas like the liver, lungs, or bones. Also known as stage 4 breast cancer, this condition often develops after initial treatment at an earlier stage because cancer cells are likely to survive various treatments and spread to other parts. In understanding this particular form of cancer, it is important to delve a little bit into breast cancer...

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, aka Type 2 Diabetes, is a chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels, a condition known as hyperglycemia. According to the American Diabetes Association, bodies of people with the condition do not react to insulin properly. Furthermore, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the total number of diabetes cases stands at 30 million Americans, accounting for 9.3% of the population. It is also worrying that children and teens are increasingly becoming diabetic. However, obese people are...

Breast cancer is a very serious disease to which many women lose their lives. The earlier the doctors can detect it, the easier it is to treat this malignant and potentially lethal tumor. In fact, the survival rates are heaps and bounds higher with early detection. So, here are some early warning breast cancer signs that you can’t afford to ignore. Don’t overlook these potential breast cancer symptoms and consult with a doctor immediately if you get them. Don’t Just Look for Lumps While...