Posted to the preprint server medRxiv on Saturday, the research — which included more than 56,000 veterans with a positive coronavirus test — found that more than 9,000 patients given Paxlovid (a combination of the medications nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) within the first five days of their infection had a 26 percent lower risk of developing 10 of 12 different long COVID conditions. These lingering effects include heart disease, blood disorders, fatigue, liver disease, kidney disease, muscle pain, neurocognitive impairment (such as difficult thinking or “brain fog”), and shortness of breath....

Earlier this year, the user @liemessa made headlines on outlets such as Delish and The Washington Post when her baked feta pasta recipe went viral on TikTok. (The hype also led some people to believe there was a feta shortage in Finland, where the recipe originated. It’s unclear whether that actually happened, though, as Yahoo reports.) RELATED: 10 Healthy and Comforting Pasta Recipes How to Make Those Pesto Eggs From TikTok Recently, another recipe began blowing up on the platform (with 134....

“COVID-19 killed 100,000 Americans in just four months — a devastating tragedy of epic proportions. And, in just the last four months, poor diet has caused an estimated 107,000 U.S. deaths from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and 80,000 new cases of cancer. Half of U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes. It is also a devastating tragedy of epic proportions,” says one of the coauthors, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPh, MPH, a cardiologist and the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston....

Biofeedback is a method of gathering information about physiological functions in the body, so you can learn how to harness those changes to improve health and performance, according to the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. It’s used by doctors, physical therapists, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals to manage and treat various health issues, such as urinary incontinence, anxiety, and chronic pain. “Basically, biofeedback is any feedback that the patient receives about their body in the moment to help them figure out what their body is doing, so they can improve coordination and awareness,” says Nora Arnold, DPT, a physical therapist with the Johns Hopkins Rehabilitation Network who specializes in pelvic health....

I liked my doctors and didn’t want to lose them. My dermatologist, Christie Carroll, MD, takes great care in helping me manage my psoriasis and eczema. I also had good pharmacy benefit coverage for my medications, such as my biologic for psoriasis, Skyrizi. Any time I have an insurance change I’m concerned about whether the new provider will cover my biologic or make me try and fail other medications before I can get it....

Also known as brain fatigue, brain fog is an episode of mental confusion, which often results in lack of focus, reduced mental clarity, and poor memory. There are a number of possible reasons people with psoriatic arthritis may experience brain fog. Psoriatic arthritis symptoms such as fatigue and pain can make it difficult to think clearly. And people with psoriatic arthritis have a greater risk of depression, which can affect memory, concentration, and cognitive function....

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory condition that affects up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When Cynthia Covert feels dehydrated or overheated, her psoriatic arthritis pain and stiffness goes into overdrive. “I feel like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz,” says Covert, who writes the blog Disabled Diva. Covert often uses an electric wheelchair when visiting places that require a lot of walking, such as theme parks....

One reason could be the cold temperatures, which anecdotal reports suggest can trigger psoriatic arthritis flares in some people, says Dee Dee Wu, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Paramus, New Jersey. With a flare, joints affected by psoriatic arthritis become even more tender and stiff than usual. The winter months can also exacerbate skin symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. This is likely due to less exposure to UVB light (known to be an effective treatment for psoriasis) combined with dry weather and forced heat, which can make skin extra dry and itchy, notes the NPF....

When the new year started, she went to training camp and her symptoms began to worsen. “I started getting more and more sore. A lot more sore than usual. I chalked it up to getting older I guess … and I still didn’t think much of it,” says Naeth, who’s now 37 and lives in Boulder, Colorado. But when the pain got progressively worse for Naeth, it began to interfere with her training and she couldn’t ignore it any longer....

The actor Reese Witherspoon revealed in a video to her 27 million followers via Instagram Monday: “I’ve been thinking a lot about habits lately.” Witherspoon elaborated, sharing in the post the daily habits she’s “working toward”: On Witherspoon’s post, Ina Garten, author of the Barefoot Contessa cookbook series and a celebrity chef, commented and detailed her own set of new-year aspirations: “That sounds great but I’m probably not doing any of those things!...

We’re seeing a virtual epidemic of bloating these days. The causes range from benign yet bothersome conditions like lactose intolerance to serious diagnoses like cancer. But how do you know whether your bloating is a nuisance or a sign of something more worrisome? You’re seriously bloated when your symptoms are caused by a condition that requires immediate medical attention. It’s important to be familiar with the warning signs and symptoms that might indicate something ominous, as well as the nine diagnoses associated with serious bloating, and what to do about them....

Anyone who’s had chicken pox can get shingles. After you’ve been infected with chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus lies inactive in your body — mostly in spinal or cranial nerves — usually for many decades. If the virus reactivates, it can travel along nerve pathways to your skin and cause a painful rash to erupt. If you’re over 50 or over 18 and immunocompromised, you can get a shingles vaccine to prevent it....

“It’s important to remember that everyone is different, and while most seasonal episodes of depression occur in the winter, up to 30 percent of people will experience summer depression,” says Samar McCutcheon, MD, who is a psychiatrist specializing in depressive, bipolar, and anxiety disorders at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. People with summer-pattern seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — aka “reverse SAD” — typically experience common symptoms of depression for about four or five months each year when the weather is warmer, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)....

Triglycerides are a type of lipid in your bloodstream. Like high cholesterol, which often occurs alongside elevated triglyceride levels, hypertriglyceridemia can play a role in increasing your risk for atherosclerosis, which puts you at risk for heart attack or stroke. And extremely high levels of triglycerides can put you at risk for pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, according to the American College of Cardiology. While the food you eat can have a major impact on your triglyceride levels, lesser-known factors, such as how much you sleep, how much alcohol you drink, and even your stress level, can also affect it....

Some potential triggers, like exercise and tree pollen allergies, are well-established asthma risk factors, and you’re probably familiar with them — even if you can’t always take the steps needed to avoid them. But other possible asthma triggers are less obvious, and you may have overlooked or misunderstood them. Beyond the realm of triggers, it’s also possible that problems with your diagnosis or treatment might be leaving you ineffectively treating your symptoms....

Common symptoms of psoriasis include: Plaques — raised, inflamed patches of skin covered with scale (the buildup of dead skin cells). On white skin, plaques typically appear red with silvery-white scale, while on skin of color plaques may be purple, gray, or dark brownSmall, round, scaly spots (common in children with psoriasis)Dry, cracked skin that may bleedItching, burning, or sorenessThickened, pitted, or ridged nailsSwollen and stiff joints Psoriasis patches can range from a few spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions that cover large areas....

But we’re talking about sensory inputs here, and the kinds of sensory inputs that you enjoy may not fall in line with those preferred by others. So by all means check out the top-drawing channels, but also shop around. Then, if you’re a person who experiences ASMR, tune into whichever videos give you the most satisfying, relaxing, irresistible tingles. Interest in ASMR Booming Researchers at Swansea University in England were among the first to rigorously study ASMR, which was only coined as a name for the brain tingles in 2010....

Though it’s easy to forget to drink water throughout the day, it’s also such an easy thing to fix. That’s especially true when you have the perfect drinking mate: a water bottle that fits your hydration needs and personality to a T! To help you find the perfect water bottle, we’ve put together a list that covers practically every need under the sun, from serious filtration to appearance (if that’s a priority to you)....

This autoimmune disease manifests as scaly, red, itchy, and even painful raised skin patches known as plaques. Plaques most commonly appear on the elbows, legs, and scalp but can show up on other areas as well. Unfortunately, many myths about the condition persist, which can make it difficult for people who have psoriasis to receive the support they need from friends and family. Here’s what people who have psoriasis want you to know about living with the condition....

Being IgnoredOne of the key ways most women judge how important they are to their partner is by how much attention they get from him when expressing concerns and opinions.Women are turned off when men act like other things are more important or more interesting, or when they casually dismiss something that’s important to a woman. And when men show interest in the beginning of a relationship but then switch gears as things progress, a woman’s attraction for him often takes a dive too....