(NAPSI)—If you or someone you care about is among the 1.6 million Americans with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, there are a few facts you may find it helpful to know. The conditions are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases, or IBD. They affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the area of the body where digestion Read More …

(NAPSI)—Some eye conditions cannot be corrected with eyeglasses—but they can be helped. If you have a cataract, a condition in which the lens in your eye has become cloudy and vision becomes blurry—as if you’re looking through a foggy windshield—you need to see an ophthalmologist. As physicians who specialize in medical and surgical eye care, Read More …

(NAPSI)—Even serious cases of heart valve disease can occur without symptoms or go unnoticed or be mistaken for other conditions because symptoms develop slowly. One Man’s Story Al Ridgely figured his increasing shortness of breath and lagging stamina were symptoms of his emphysema and getting older, until a fainting episode led doctors to discover he Read More …

(NAPSI)—Here’s health news you may be glad to see: A healthy lifestyle may reduce your risk of getting vision diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can damage central vision and currently affects 11 million Americans. If you already have AMD, such a lifestyle may help protect your remaining vision. Here are hints on Read More …

(NAPSI)—Every heart has a built-in pacemaker that ensures it beats regularly. When that natural pacemaker doesn’t do its job, however, a person may experience an irregular heart rhythm, the most common and undertreated of which is atrial fibrillation (AF). This irregular heartbeat isn’t always noticeable at first but can cause chaos over time. Understanding AF Read More …

(NAPSI)—According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 to 85 percent of the population worldwide does not engage in enough activity, making physical inactivity the fourth-leading risk factor for global mortality. With many spending hours commuting and sitting at their desks and moving less, more people are putting their health at risk for weight gain, Read More …

(NAPSI)—Many people don’t know it, but when your kidneys stop working, so do you. Your kidneys are as essential to life as other vital organs, such as your heart. Kidney healthy is also heart healthy, so when you “Heart Your Kidneys,” you also show love for your heart. That’s because the No. 1 cause of Read More …

(NAPSI)—Flu season is upon us and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants patients and families to remember that prescription antiviral drugs, not antibiotics, are the treatment for influenza (flu). Antibiotics do not treat viruses that cause colds and the flu. They are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria. Remember Read More …

(NAPSI)—Being diagnosed with a serious disease can be devastating. That’s how Nick, 72, felt when he discovered he has a rare and severe lung condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. Ginger, 68, said learning she has IPF was the scariest time of her life. Chronic diseases such as IPF—which causes permanent scarring to the Read More …