What does it mean to be non-binary? In recent years, gender diversity has become more widely recognized. Discovering your gender can be a straightforward process, or it can take many years and a lot of experimentation. Society typically presents gender as two clear-cut options: man and woman. The moment you're born, you're labeled as a …

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder although piebaldism is not. Both vitiligo and piebaldism feature distinctive white skin patches caused by a complete lack of melanin in regions where melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, are absent.  Melanocytes are destroyed in vitiligo in early childhood or adult years, but they are absent from birth in piebaldism. 7 key differences between piebaldism and vitiligo …

Generic Name: platelets Drug Class: Blood Components What are platelets, and what are they used for? Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are one of the components of blood, along with red blood cells, white blood cells, and plasma, the fluid component. Platelets are small cell fragments of large bone marrow cells known as megakaryocytes and derive the name from their …

Generic Name: Lactobacillus Brand and Other Names: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacid, Culturelle Drug Class: Herbals What is lactobacillus, and what is it used for? Lactobacillus refers to some of the species of bacteria that live within human digestive and genitourinary tracts and are essential for maintaining good health of these systems. The “good” bacteria including Lactobacillus species help the digestive system break …

Sleep apnea is characterized by frequent breathing pauses that can stress and even harm the cardiovascular system as a whole. A cardiologist orders a sleep study to diagnose sleep apnea syndrome. Often, sleep apnea syndrome is accompanied by obesity, hypertension, a tendency to develop heart arrhythmias, and cardiovascular disease, which are seen and treated by a cardiologist. According to estimates, …

Learn about how menopause affects breast cancer risk Although menopause itself does not increase your risk of breast cancer, advancing age does. Most postmenopausal women are diagnosed with breast cancer due to weakening immune systems and the cumulative amount of exposure to estrogen over the years. How does menopause affect breast cancer risk? Early menopause may lower the risk of breast …

Twelve types of treatment options are available for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Immediate spinal cord injury (SCI) treatment can help avert worse consequences and is usually considered the best treatment option for SCI. Immediate treatment includes: Immobilizing the spine and spinal collar placement Immediate hospital admission Surgery is typically performed to remove vertebral bone fragments and other things …

Learn about the difference between HR and HER2 types of breast cancer HR stands for hormone receptor, and HER2 stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Learn about the difference between these types of breast cancer. What is HR in breast cancer? Breast cells express certain proteins on their surface called hormone receptors (HRs) that act as binding sites to …

PSA levels between 4.0 and 10.0 ng/mL might suggest the possibility of prostate cancer (in about 25 percent of cases) or BPH. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the glandular tissue of the prostate (a walnut-sized gland just below the bladder and in front of the rectum in males). PSA levels can be detected in the blood, urine, …

Sleep apnea and many other sleep problems are diagnosed using in-lab sleep examinations. A sleep study is the study of physiological parameters while a person sleeps. It measures your tissue oxygen levels, heart rate, electroencephalogram, blood pressure, and respiratory pattern. A sleep study is a detailed analysis used to identify sleep abnormalities, commonly known as polysomnography. During the study, a …