Daily Health News Blog

Wellness screenings can not only give you peace of mind, they can find potential threats at an early stage when treatment is most successful. * Eye Exams can spot degenerative conditions, and they can give you information about your overall health, says cardiologist Dr. Shyla High. The eyes are a window to your health and should be examined every year or two. * A skin exam by a dermatologist will check any suspicious moles using a special microscope. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Everyone from age 21 on should be tested, say dermatologists at the University of Minnesota. * For heart disease, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that individuals age 20 or older have a fasting lipoprotein profile done every few years. And your blood pressure should be checked periodically from age 18 on. At-home screenings and free drugstore testing machines can help. * Thyroid disease comes on graduall

When you decide to have a beer or a glass of wine, the number of calories involved may not even be on your mind. But those calories can add up fast.  * Men ages 20 to 39 consume the most alcoholic beverage calories, 174 calories a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . * About 20 percent of men and 5 percent of women drink beer on any given day; 4 percent of men and 7 percent of women drink wine.  * Caloric intake from alcoholic beverages was slightly higher in people with the highest income levels.  * According to the University of Rochester, a 1.5-oz. shot of liquor has between 115 and 200 calories, compared to a 4-oz. glass of wine that has between 62 and 160.  A 12-oz. can of light beer, depending on the brand you choose, may have 100 calories or more. Regular beer has between 140 and 200 calories.

Home remedies for toenail fungus, or onychomycosis, abound, but unfortunately none of them actually work. To really treat nail fungus, you have to take a trip to your doctor. Toenail fungus -- characterized by discolored, thick and brittle nails -- is a common condition caused by an infection in the nail bed. The most effective treatments for toenail fungus are oral antifungal medications like itraconazole (Sporanox) and terbinafine (Lamisil), which are available by prescription and taken daily for three months. These medications work by killing the fungus at the nail root. People who have liver problems or congestive heart failure shouldn't take oral antifungal medications. In this case, your doctor may recommend ciclopirox (Penlac), a prescription anti-fungal topical lacquer that you use like nail polish. It's sometimes used for people whose toenail fungus is caught early and hasn't spread to the entire nail. However, topical therapy isn't as effective as or

(BPT) - With football and basketball season in full swing, it's the perfect time to invite family and friends over to root on the home team. Hosting a crowd-pleasing party can be simple with a little preparation. Score big with these simple game day entertaining tips. *Create a game plan. Organize the menu ahead of time so you're not scrambling to finish everything at the last minute. Tackle recipes that can be made prior to the big event, and prep any ingredients so they're ready to cook on the day of the party. *Block extra mess and stress. Finger foods are a great way to reduce utensil and dish use. Look to serve items that can be eaten in one bite, and set out napkins for party guests to use. *Score with decor. Print out team logos and glue or tape to cups. Purchase green or yellow felt fabric - green to evoke a football field, yellow to evoke the hardwood of a basketball court -- from the local craft store to use as a table cloth. Tie team-colored ribbon bows on

A growing number of medical professionals are finding that yoga can provide relief for some low back pain sufferers. Within the past few years, findings from well- designed, peer-reviewed studies have begun to move the practice of yoga beyond the category of alternative therapy. One widely cited study from Annals of Internal Medicine followed three groups of adults (101 people total) with chronic low back pain over a 12-week period, comparing their experiences with yoga, conventional physical therapy or a self-help book. Yoga yielded significantly better results overall, with benefits that included reduced pain and improved back function. Importantly, these benefits lasted at least 14 weeks after the yoga intervention ended. Researchers have not yet determined how yoga helps relieve low back pain. Among the possible hypotheses: Yoga increases muscle strength and flexibility, reduces muscle tension, decreases fear and avoidance of movement and reduces psychological stress. Is

Early diagnosis and immediate, aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are crucial because only a brief window of opportunity exists to prevent permanent disability and lifelong complications. But early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is often difficult because the initial symptoms may mimic those of osteoarthritis, influenza (flu) and other viral illnesses. Also, in the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, joints may not be red or swollen and may appear normal on X-rays. Rheumatologists follow standardized guidelines for evaluating anyone who might have rheumatoid arthritis. No single laboratory test or diagnostic procedure can confirm the diagnosis. Instead, seven diagnostic criteria are used: Morning stiffness Arthritis in three or more joints Arthritis in the hand joints Symmetrical arthritis Rheumatoid nodules Elevated blood level of rheumatoid factor Radiographic (X-ray) changes The diagnosis will be rheumatoid arthritis if the first four criteria have been

Erectile dysfunction can be a sign of elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. The good news: if you seek diagnosis and treatment, and make some lifestyle changes, you may be able to solve both problems at once. A man’s heart is connected to his penis in more than a figurative way—and not surprisingly, since from a physiological point of view, an erection is certainly an affair of the heart. Both erectile dysfunction and impaired heart function can be caused by reduced blood flow, which can happen when blood vessels become less flexible because of smoking or high blood pressure, for instance, or reduced production of nitric oxide. This substance causes vessels in the penis (and elsewhere) to dilate, allowing for increased blood flow and thus an erection. Some drugs for erectile dysfunction boost nitric oxide. Erectile dysfunction shares many risk factors with cardiovascular disease, notably increasing age, smoking, diabetes, depression, obesity, physical inactivity, and high blo