Health Topics A-Z

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

A bulge in the main artery running through the abdomen.

Accessing Your Health Records

Your right under HIPAA to see and get a copy of your medical and billing records.

Acetaminophen Dosing Limits

Staying within the limits of one of the most commonly used medicines in the US.

Acetaminophen Safety

Using acetaminophen (Tylenol) within safe limits, and why the margin is narrower than people assume.

Acid Reflux

Stomach contents moving back into the esophagus, causing heartburn and regurgitation.

Acne

Blocked and inflamed hair follicles producing pimples, most commonly on the face, chest and back.

Acute Kidney Injury

A sudden fall in kidney function over hours or days, usually triggered by another illness.

Added Sugar

Sugars and syrups added to foods and drinks during processing or preparation, including table sugar, honey and corn syrup.

Adult Vaccination

The vaccines recommended for adults, by age and by health condition.

Air Pollution and the AQI

Outdoor air pollution such as ozone, fine particles and wildfire smoke, and the Air Quality Index used to report it.

Air Quality

Outdoor and indoor air pollution, and its effect on lung and heart health.

Alcohol and Mental Health

The two-way relationship between drinking and mood, anxiety and sleep.

Alcohol and the Heart

The relationship between drinking and cardiovascular outcomes, and the current US guidance.

Alcohol Reduction

Keeping within the US dietary guidance on alcohol, and cutting down where you are above it.

Alcohol Use Disorder

A medical condition in which a person has trouble controlling or stopping drinking despite harm to their health, work or relationships.

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

Liver damage caused by sustained alcohol intake, progressing from fatty liver through alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis.

Allergens on Food Labels

The US rules that require packaged foods to declare the major food allergens they contain.

Allergy Testing

Skin prick and blood tests used alongside clinical history to identify allergic triggers.

Altitude Sickness

Illness caused by climbing higher faster than the body can adapt to lower oxygen.

Anaphylaxis

A severe, rapid-onset allergic reaction affecting breathing or circulation.

Anaphylaxis: Emergency Response

A severe, rapid-onset allergic reaction affecting breathing or circulation.

Anemia

Too little hemoglobin to carry oxygen efficiently, from many possible causes.

Annual Reviews

The regular scheduled checks for a long-term condition.

Annual Wellness Visit

A yearly Medicare prevention visit to review your health risks and plan screenings, with similar preventive checkups offered by most other health plans.

Antibiotic Stewardship

Using antibiotics only when they will help, and exactly as prescribed.

Antibiotics

Medicines that kill or inhibit bacteria, and do nothing whatever to viruses.

Anticoagulants

Blood thinners: medicines that reduce the blood's ability to clot, used to prevent and treat clots.

Anxiety

Persistent worry or fear out of proportion to the situation, with physical symptoms alongside.

Appetite and Satiety

The signals that make you feel hungry and full, and what changes them.

Asking for a Second Opinion

Asking a different clinician to review your diagnosis or treatment plan.

Assistive Equipment

Aids that make daily activities possible or safer.

Asthma

A long-term condition in which the airways become inflamed and narrow in response to triggers.

Asthma and Allergy

The overlap between allergic disease and asthma control.

Athlete's Foot

A fungal infection of the skin between and under the toes.

Atrial Fibrillation

An irregular and often fast heart rhythm caused by disorganized electrical activity in the atria.

Back Pain

Pain in the lower back, most often without an identifiable structural cause.

Back Pain at Work

Managing back pain while staying in or returning to work.

Back Pain in Older Adults

Back pain arising later in life, where the range of possible causes is wider.

Bad Breath

Halitosis, usually caused by bacteria on the tongue and between the teeth.

Batch Cooking

Cooking components in quantity and recombining them into different meals through the week.