NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • April 16, 2024

Eric Paslay doesn’t miss a note living with type 1 diabetes

Singer and songwriter Eric Paslay may have chosen a different career path than pediatrics, but he’s still helping kids. Paslay has recorded hit songs and written for other country music stars like Amy Grant and Lady A. He also loves his role as an advocate for people with type 1 diabetes—and sharing his own journey with the disease.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • March 28, 2024

Too loud and too bright!

Every day you are surrounded by sounds from your environment, including the TV, radio, appliances, and traffic. Noise pollution is unwanted or bothersome sound.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • March 26, 2024

Hotter days put human health at risk

Extreme heat and unpredictable weather patterns are big news around the world. But did you know that climate change is not just a concern for scientists? It’s also worrying doctors.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • March 7, 2024

Meet the Director: Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

For 75 years, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has studied many different diseases and conditions that are distinct and can intersect. Under Director Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., NHLBI participates in many efforts to tackle heart disease, address long COVID, and reduce health disparities.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • February 20, 2024

An almost perfect storm

Al Roker is an American television icon who has won 14 Emmy Awards and numerous other honors over his long career. He also speaks openly about his health challenges, including a recent life-threatening bout with blood clots in his lungs and legs.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • February 6, 2024

Help your child through winter ear infections

The start of winter often means the worst part of cold and flu season, and with that, the dreaded ear infection. It happens when the small space between the eardrum and the back of the throat (the eustachian tube) becomes blocked with mucus.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 30, 2024

Eczema and the cold

Winter can make eczema symptoms worse. Eczema makes your skin dry, itchy, and inflamed, causing it to break open more easily. As a result, those who have it may be more likely to get skin infections from bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 23, 2024

Winter viruses

While a cold, flu, or COVID-19 can strike at any time, you’re more likely to pick up a virus in the winter than other times of the year. The cold, dry air in the winter months provides perfect conditions for viruses to spread.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 16, 2024

Hypothermia and frostbite: Easier to develop than you might think

Cold temperatures can cause hypothermia, which occurs when your body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). Hypothermia can lead to health problems like heart attacks, kidney problems, liver damage, or death.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 9, 2024

Meet the Director: Helene M. Langevin, M.D., National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Helene M. Langevin, M.D., was destined for a career in medicine. Not only did she grow up around doctors, but she was always curious about how the body worked. As Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health she looks at how mainstream and nonconventional treatments, when used together, can improve whole person health.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 2, 2024

‘Why can’t I sleep?!’

A good night’s rest does more than energize you—sleep can affect your mood, keep your heart healthy, and help you feel better when you’re sick. But not everyone gets enough sleep every night to feel rested. In fact, about 1 in 3 adults in the United States say they don’t get enough sleep.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • December 19, 2023

Ask an Expert: Marishka K. Brown, Ph.D., Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research

Sleep is second nature. But for biomedical research, sleep is a relatively new field of study. Marishka K. Brown, Ph.D., said sleep health research has exploded in the past decade or so.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • December 12, 2023

Taking on the stigma of ADHD

Penn Holderness and his wife Kim made history last year by becoming the oldest contestants ever to win the long-running hit TV show, The Amazing Race. Holderness, a songwriter, YouTube video producer, and internet personality, attributes this success at least in part to being one of the millions of Americans with ADHD.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 7, 2023

6 findings from the Sister Study you should know

Since 2003, the still ongoing Sister Study has followed more than 50,000 women from all 50 states and Puerto Rico to find causes of breast cancer. The study led to findings about relationships between disease, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Here are six major findings from the Sister Study that may surprise you.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 2, 2023

Voices of the Sister Study

For 20 years, the Sister Study has partnered with more than 50,000 women across the United States to learn about breast cancer risks. The participants are women whose sisters have had breast cancer. Dale Sandler, Ph.D., principal investigator for the Sister Study, said people with a family history of breast cancer are more likely to develop it themselves.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • October 19, 2023

Olivia Culpo is speaking up for others with endometriosis

When Olivia Culpo was on stage after winning both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants in 2012, she was in pain, but she didn’t know why. It wasn’t until years later that the model, actress, and fashion and beauty influencer found the cause of her pain and other symptoms.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • October 17, 2023

INFOGRAPHIC: Who Are the "Sisters"?

The Sister Study is a long-term study of more than 50,000 women whose sisters have had breast cancer. These women are twice as likely to develop the disease compared to women without affected sisters, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Here is a snapshot of who these women were when they enrolled in the study.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 28, 2023

Endometriosis under a microscope

Endometriosis is when cells from the lining of your uterus grow in other areas of your body. Some places they can grow are on or under your ovaries and fallopian tubes. This can be painful or cause heavy bleeding and bleeding between periods. There is no cure for endometriosis, but NIH supports research to find new treatments.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 26, 2023

Endometriosis: What you need to know

For people with a condition called endometriosis, tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places in their body. This can cause inflammation, bleeding, pain or irritation, and other complications like infertility.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 12, 2023

What we know—and still don’t know—about menopause

If you menstruate (have periods), menopause is when your menstrual cycle ends for 12 consecutive months. Aside from the reproductive system, menopause also affects heart and bone health, brain function, sleep patterns, hormones, and more.