
Abdominal massage is a mild, noninvasive practice that can offer calming and restorative effects for some individuals. Many people turn to abdominal massage to address a range of digestive concerns, particularly issues like poor digestion, constipation, and abdominal bloating. You can perform an abdominal massage on yourself or visit a trained massage therapist for a session. Some may notice benefits after just 5 to 10 minutes of daily massage. Read…

Several issues can lead to abdominal pain when you cough, including inflammation of organs such as the appendix or pancreas. Some of these causes require prompt medical attention. Coughing is your body’s reflex to clear irritants from the throat. A forceful cough can strain your chest and belly. But if you regularly feel stomach pain each time you cough, it could indicate an underlying health problem. The severity of abdominal…

Although both shingles and poison ivy can produce blistering skin eruptions, shingles often brings systemic signs like flu-like symptoms and a burning sensation that poison ivy does not. About 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles during their lifetime, making it a frequent viral condition among older adults. Poison ivy reactions are among the most common skin complaints in the U.S., affecting as many as 50…

Shingles and eczema are both skin disorders that produce inflamed patches. These irritated areas can vary in size and may be itchy or painful. Because they share some visual similarities, one condition can sometimes be confused with the other. However, shingles and eczema are distinct disorders with different root causes and treatment approaches. Because both can lead to complications if not treated appropriately, distinguishing between them is important. Read on…

Disorders such as myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, and various motor neuron conditions can resemble amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) because they produce similar signs. Physicians often rely on multiple investigations to exclude alternative diagnoses. ALS is a degenerative neurological disease marked by the gradual loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and wasting. Yet several illnesses imitate ALS due to symptom overlap, complicating…

When the varicella-zoster virus becomes active again, it moves along a defined nerve route. This explains why a shingles rash often appears in one or more regions supplied by that nerve. That specific skin area along the nerve route is called a dermatome. Shingles, or herpes zoster, occurs from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After an initial chickenpox infection, the virus typically remains…

A dermatome is a patch of skin innervated by a single spinal nerve. Although the human body has 31 pairs of spinal nerves branching from the spinal cord, there are only 30 dermatomes. Your spinal nerves serve to transmit sensory, motor, and autonomic signals between the rest of your body and your central nervous system (CNS). So why do dermatomes matter? How many exist and where are they located? Read…

Sitting on the knees is a posture in which the knees are bent and the legs tucked beneath the body. The tops of the feet face the floor while the buttocks rest atop the heels. This way of sitting is familiar to many people — children often adopt it at school or during play. It’s also part of some cultural practices, such as the Japanese “seiza” position, a formal traditional…

Taopica is a starch sold as flour, flakes, or pearls that’s low in nutritional value. People may use it as a gluten-free wheat alternative. Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava root. It consists of almost pure carbs and contains very little protein, fiber, or other nutrients. Tapioca has recently become popular as a gluten-free alternative to wheat and other grains. However, there’s a lot of controversy about it. Some…

Some clinicians believe combining cannabis and antibiotics is harmless or possibly helpful, while others warn it may be risky. All use of cannabis carries potential downsides to consider. As cannabis — often called weed — becomes legal in more U.S. states, questions about its safety in many situations are increasing. (img by Marijuana Doctor) For example, many people rely on cannabis to ease pain. That leads to a reasonable question:…