Category: Uncategorized

The risks associated with vomiting are related to why a person is vomiting and the consequences of excessive vomiting. There are many reasons for vomiting, some of which could be serious, such as a bowel obstruction, ingestion of a harmful substance, head injury or diabetic ketoacidosis. Excessive vomiting from any cause can lead to dehydration, aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs or a tear in the esophagus.

When sputum contains blood, it raises concern. But people with simple bronchitis can cough up a few specks of blood. Coughing up clots of blood or persistent bloody sputum may indicate a serious problem and requires medical evaluation. People often believe that green sputum means a bacterial infection. That is not a reliable indicator. White cells that are fighting a viral infection can turn sputum green or dark yellow. 

“Brain fog” describes how people feel when their thinking is sluggish, fuzzy, or muddled.  While many people who have had COVID-19 report brain fog, there are other conditions that can cause it.  If you are experiencing brain fog, please consult your physician.  Special tests can help identify which areas of cognition may be involved.  Certain lifestyle changes may improve thinking and memory such as regular exercise, healthy eating, avoiding alcohol and drugs, good sleep, engaging in social activities, and learning new skills.

The best remedy for hip pain depends on the cause. Common causes and their treatments include:

•    Minor injury – rest, heat, over-the-counter pain relievers
•    Bursitis – rest, application of cold, pain reliever or anti-inflammatory medicine, cortisone injection
•    Osteoarthritis – rest balanced with gentle exercises, loss of excess weight, pain reliever or anti-inflammatory medicine, cortisone injection, surgery (joint replacement)
•    Rheumatoid arthritis – anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medicine, exercise

For persistent symptoms, consultation with a physical therapist can be helpful. 

For hip pain accompanied by symptoms that might suggest a serious cause, prompt medical evaluation is warranted. Such symptoms include fever, severe pain after an injury or an inability to walk.

There is no specific antiviral therapy for hepatitis A. Treatment is supportive, meaning you want to get sufficient rest, stay well hydrated, eat a healthy diet, and avoid alcohol and drugs that are potentially toxic to the liver. Nearly everyone who gets hepatitis A will recover completely within a few weeks to months. A very small number of people can get severe disease.

Hydrocephalus is a condition in which there is extra cerebrospinal fluid around the brain and spinal cord. Cerebrospinal fluid acts as a cushion for the brain and spinal cord, supplies nutrients, and takes away waste products. Symptoms vary depending on the age when hydrocephalus develops and how quickly it progresses. Common symptoms include headache, vomiting, lethargy, and difficulty concentrating.

Hypothyroidism refers to an underactive thyroid gland that is producing and secreting less than normal amounts of thyroid hormone. Hyperthyroidism means that there is abnormally high amounts of thyroid in the blood stream. Hyperthyroidism can happen when the thyroid gland either makes or secretes excess thyroid hormone or when people take a higher dose of thyroid pills than they need.

Hyperkalemia is the medical term for a high blood potassium level. Mildly elevated potassium levels won’t have any symptoms. Even high levels might not provide any warning signs until the person goes into cardiac arrest or a blood test is drawn to measure the level. People with acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease are more prone to hyperkalemia.

Pain during or after sexual intercourse is known as dyspareunia. Although this problem can affect men, it is much more common in women. Women with dyspareunia may have pain in the vagina, clitoris or labia. Common causes include vaginal dryness, atrophic vaginitis (a condition causing thinning of the vaginal lining in postmenopausal women), infection, and psychological trauma. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. A woman can ease penetration and sexual intercourse with increased clitoral stimulation before intercourse or lubrication with an over-the-counter lubricant.

Polyuria is the medical term for excessive urination, which can mean needing to urinate frequently with either small or large amounts of urine produced at each bathroom visit. The most common cause of urinary frequency with small urine amounts is an irritated bladder from an infection or interstitial cystitis (inflammation without infection). High urine output can happen just from drinking a lot of fluids or due to a medical problem such as diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar), diabetes insipidus (the kidney can’t concentrate urine, hypercalcemia (a high blood calcium level), or kidney damage.