health and living

Wearing a finger splint that prevents the middle knuckle from bending backward allows you to bend and straighten your finger more easily. A properly fitted finger splint keeps the tissues around the joint from overstretching and may help keep the deformity from worsening. Swan neck deformity is a disorder (especially of the middle finger, which …

The recovery rate of anemia may depend on the underlying cause of the disease. For example, if a stomach ulcer causes anemia, the ulcer needs to be treated first to stop the bleeding and treat anemia. However, anemia caused by kidney failure will require long-term monitoring and kidney transplant. Recovery from anemia may depend on many factors, including: Severity of …

Various blood gas values, whether high or low, give a different diagnosis. In contrast to traditional blood tests, arterial blood gases (ABGs) provide the doctor with values of six different components that must be interpreted as a single result. pH 7.5 to 7.45 (a high pH often points to metabolic or respiratory alkalosis). pH value determines the presence of acidosis …

A poor diet is one of the hidden causes of hangnails. Brittle nails and hangnails could indicate a protein deficiency. A few studies have found that a lack of the following essential proteins and vitamins can result in hangnails: Folic acid Vitamin B Vitamin C Keratin Keratin Keratinocytes are the cells that produce keratin, a structural protein that makes up …

A fracture of a bone is an extremely painful injury where part of the bone is broken, and the tissue around may be injured and inflamed. A bone fracture needs medical attention right away to manage the pain and treat it. The fracture may happen anywhere, so it is beneficial to know how to manage a fracture and ease the …

Patients suffering from a broken bone in the emergency room (ER) will be seen by a board-certified ER physician. The ER doctor will quickly assess the site of the break and determine the best course of treatment. Pain control is almost always addressed and treated from the start. The ER doctor will almost certainly take X-rays to further examine the …

What are the symptoms and causes of knee pain? Knee pain can affect people at any age and can result from an injury or some type of medical condition. Things that help knee pain from sitting all day include the right mixture of stretching and strengthening exercises to help by improving joint movement and functioning. Knee pain is very common. …

What causes blood in your urine? Blood in your urine is called hematuria. Drink water if you have blood in your urine, but see your doctor as well. Blood in your urine is called hematuria. It’s not a disease but a symptom of an underlying condition or a side effect of some activities.  Blood you can see in your urine is …

What should normal urine look like? Blood in urine is a condition called hematuria. Conditions that cause blood in urine include kidney problems, use of certain medications, infections, an enlarged prostate and other conditions. Urine is the formal term for the liquid waste that exits the body when you relieve yourself. Urine is mostly water and other materials, including chemicals …

An oblique injury, also called side strain, can feel like sharp pain in the rib cage the first time the oblique muscle gets injured. Over time, you may experience a sense of tightness and pressure on the lower ribs or the front side of the abdomen. The pain gets aggravated when you twist your body from a sitting position or …