Parasitic Diseases

Intestinal worms are parasites that live in the gut and can make you sick. They are some of the world's most common parasites. As a group, these parasitic worms are called helminths . Because they live in the gut, you can sometimes tell you have an infection of intestinal worms by looking at your stool.  Seeing worms or eggs in your poop isn't the only way to tell if you have a parasitic infection. You may also have various digestive and non-digestive symptoms triggered by the worms or your body's reaction to them. This article will review the symptoms of intestinal worms and ways to determine if you have them by examining your stool. It will also cover how intestinal worms are treated.  South_agency / Getty Images Intestinal Worms: How Do You Know You Have Them? Intestinal worms are most common in lower-income countries. The symptoms of intestinal worms may vary based on the worm. Often, people will have no symptom...

Tick bites can cause a small bump. If you experience other symptoms, such as a rash, it can indicate an allergic reaction or infection with a tick-borne disease. Tick bites are often harmless and don't cause any symptoms. However, ticks can cause allergic reactions, and some types can pass diseases on to humans and pets. These diseases can be dangerous or even life threatening when not treated promptly. Ticks are common in the United States. They live outdoors in: grass trees shrubs leaf piles They're attracted to people and pets and can easily move between the two. If you've spent any time outdoors, you've likely encountered ticks at some point. In this article, we help you identify ticks and tick bites, along with the symptoms of tick-borne illnesses, and learn what to do if a tick bites you. What do ticks look like? Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They range in size from as small as a pin's head to as large as a pencil eraser. Ticks have eight legs. They...

Hormone Changes Around Menopause Are Just 1 Factor in Weight Gain Midlife comes with physical, psychological, and social changes that can be related to aging, menopause, or both, says Hurtado. "It can be challenging to discern the effects of aging from the effects of menopause on weight gain in midlife women, as these two life events overlap," she says. The abrupt change in hormone levels that occurs during the menopause transition can predispose women to quicker weight gain, says Rekha Kumar, MD, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. "Although we mostly focus on the decline in estrogen, other hormones are impacted as well, such as progesterone and testosterone," Dr. Kumar explains. "It is not always the absolute level of hormones that might lead to a change in body composition but the balance between certain hormones." External factors can contribute to weight gain, too, says Hurtado. "People...

Getting enough biotin is important—but is it possible to get too much? Originally called vitamin H, biotin has been recognized as a micronutrient since 1927. Since then, the vitamin quickly became a popular dietary supplement. And, usage of the supplement still appears to be on an upward trajectory. According to 2020 research, the prevalence of biotin use increased from 0.1% of the U.S. adult population in 1999–2000 to 2.8% in 2015–2016. Biotin is best known for its beneficial effects on skin, and getting enough of it (30 micrograms per day for adults) supports other areas of health as well. "Meeting biotin needs is important for hair health, hormone health, and metabolism," Vanessa King, MS, RDN, clinical nutrition manager for The Queen's Health System in Honolulu, Hawaii, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Health .  While biotin intake is worth prioritizing, there is the possibilit...

Overview Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death. Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children. Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body. Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus. Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. An estimated 128 000 people died from measles in 2021 – mostly children under the age of five years, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine. Accelerated immunization activities by countries, WHO, the Measl...

Overview Mpox (monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. Anyone can get mpox. It spreads from contact with infected: persons, through touch, kissing, or sex animals, when hunting, skinning, or cooking them materials, such as contaminated sheets, clothes or needles  pregnant persons, who may pass the virus on to their unborn baby.  If you have mpox: Tell anyone you have been close to recently  Stay at home until all scabs fall off and a new layer of skin forms  Cover lesions and wear a well-fitting mask when around other people Avoid physical contact. The disease mpox (formerly monkeypox) is caused by the monkeypox virus (commonly abbreviated as MPXV), an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, which includes variola, cowpox, vaccinia and other viruses. The two genet...