Most episodes of typical diarrhea are acute — that is, short-term — and they resolve on their own. Common causes of acute diarrhea are virus infections, like norovirus, and E. coli from contaminated food or water. Persistent diarrhea has many potential causes, including food intolerances, celiac disease, medicine side effects and inflammatory diseases.
The most common recommendation is to consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. While that might be a worthy goal, many people can regularly consume more than that without any harm. However, some people, such as those with heart failure and hard to control blood pressure, will get benefits from even less than 2,300 milligrams per day.
Interestingly, surveys asking this question have resulted in very different lists. The causes of stress that seem to be on most lists are money, family situations, work related issues and health concerns. Other top stressors include worry about the political strife, climate change, and the suffering of many people around the world due to war, famine or contagious diseases.
The most important natural way to lower your cholesterol numbers is to adjust the overall pattern of your diet. Best is a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains. This helps in two ways. First, the more of these healthful foods you eat, the less you generally consume of foods that are high in saturated fat and highly refined carbohydrates, which both damage the cardiovascular system. Second, high-fiber foods help reduce your cholesterol level by making dietary cholesterol harder to absorb from the gut. But to lower the cholesterol fast, a statin or other cholesterol lowering medication is the way to go.
These conditions are quite different. Fibromyalgia is a condition of unknown cause in which widespread body pain, fatigue and cognitive problems are the most common symptoms. Fibromyalgia is not considered an inflammatory condition and there is no evidence of autoimmunity; that is, fibromyalgia is not known to be due the immune system’s attack on the body. Physical examination is generally normal (except for areas of soreness called ‘tender points’) and blood tests are typically normal as well.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (or, just “lupus”), on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease in which there is inflammation throughout the body. Typical features include rashes, joint pain, chest pain and kidney disease, all due to inflammation. Physical examination may reveal a rash on the face and extremities, swollen joints, and an abnormal lung exam (due to inflammation around the lining of the lung). Blood tests may reveal low blood counts while urine testing often reveals red blood cells and protein due to kidney inflammation. Autoantibody testing may demonstrate an array of abnormal results including anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), antibodies to red blood cells, and autoantibodies associated with abnormal blood clotting (called anti-phospholipid antibodies). Of note, people with lupus (or any other autoimmune disease) may also have fibromyalgia.
Treatment also differs. For people with fibromyalgia, treatment is directed at reducing pain, improving sleep and increasing exercise. With lupus, anti-inflammatory and immune suppressing medications are most important.
Finally, in some cases lupus may be life-threatening. While fibromyalgia causes significant suffering, it does not lead to organ damage or premature death.
The primary causes of fatty liver are weight gain, overuse of alcohol, and type 2 diabetes. About 20% of the time, the fat causes the liver to be inflamed, a condition called steatohepatitis. Untreated steatohepatitis can progress to cirrhosis of the liver. Fatty liver, even when there is inflammation, can be reversed or at least slowed with diet, calorie restriction, exercise, and avoiding alcohol.
Erectile dysfunction) often improves through a combination of lifestyle changes, open communication with your sex partner, and medications. Getting more exercise, eating a healthier diet, not smoking, using alcohol in moderation or not at all, and losing weight if necessary can be surprisingly helpful. Engaging your partner and focusing on intimacy rather than erections and orgasms can take the pressure off performing. Doctors commonly prescribe an oral medication known as a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor taken prior to sex or daily. Additional potential treatments include penile inserts and injections, vacuum devices and penile implants.
Nocturia is the medical term that refers to getting out of bed more than once per night to urinate. Treatment depends on the cause. For example, bladder infections get treated with antibiotics and an enlarged prostate in a man may get relief with medication or surgery. A general tip for anyone with nocturia: Avoid drinking fluids several hours before bedtime. Especially stop drinking caffeine at least six hours before bedtime. When other measures have not helped enough, there is a medication that acts on the kidneys to hold water.
These terms are related but are not the same: ‘arthralgia’ is joint pain; ‘arthritis’ is joint inflammation.
Many conditions cause both arthralgia and arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a good example.
However, arthritis doesn’t always cause joint pain. For example, an x-ray can show evidence of arthritis (such as osteoarthritis) despite the absence of pain.
Conversely, arthralgia is not always due to arthritis. Many common causes of arthralgia are not due to arthritis. Examples include injury, bursitis, tendinitis, and fibromyalgia.
Delirium refers to a rapidly developing and severe confusion accompanied by altered consciousness and an inability to focus. It's the most common complication of hospitalization among people ages 65 and over: 20% of those admitted to hospitals, up to 60% of those who have certain surgeries, and almost 80% of those treated in ICUs develop delirium. Illicit and prescription drugs and even certain over-the-counter medications can cause delirium. Delirium can also happen with any severe infection, especially those with high fever or affect the brain. Delirium is also a feature of psychosis and some other mental health disorders.