In a little over two months, Apple’s App Store will celebrate its tenth birthday, as will Android Market (now Google Play) in October. The number of apps available has gone from the hundreds to the millions, and the healthcare sector has been … Read more
I was quite nervous when, in March, I visited my GP to perform a series of tests to determine whether I am capable of participating in “competitive sporting activities.” The very first test was a blood pressure reading. With the cuff … Read more
When considering the limitations imposed upon her by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), 21-year-old Eilidh MacDonald jokes that she behaves in a more middle-aged manner than her parents. However, standing up to the challenges posed by EDS have also … Read more
You are in physical pain. People stare at you uneasily. Children wonder aloud what is wrong with you. And nothing you try offers any relief. This is why the slogan “the heartbreak of psoriasis” struck a chord with people such as Howard … Read more
Close your eyes for a few seconds and picture a person with arthritis. For many people, the person who comes to mind – real or imaginary – is elderly. Indeed, age is the primary risk factor for osteoarthritis, the most common form of the … Read more
Imagine walking onto the pitch of one of Europe’s largest stadiums, ready to represent your region in one of your country’s most iconic sporting events. In the four stands around you are over 80,000 eager spectators, each of whom will soon be joyous … Read more
On April 11, 1755, a quite extraordinary man named James Parkinson was born in Shoreditch, London. Along with his active involvement in humanitarian work, political matters, palaeontology, and geology, Dr. Parkinson was the first person to identify … Read more
There is an inimitable story that I recently came across on a medical website . It centres on John, a farmer living in rural Uganda. John is HIV-positive, has no education, and lives with five family members in a mud-walled house that has no … Read more
If you were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, would that make you crazy? If a loved one told you they had type 2 diabetes, would you henceforth consider them violent and dangerous? If your neighbor lived with multiple sclerosis, would you suggest … Read more
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). The name is quite self-explanatory, but it is a poorly-understood and little-known risk people with epilepsy live with. It accounts for 15% of all deaths caused by epilepsy , a figure that rises to 50% in … Read more
Google ‘things that are purple’ and the first result is, of course, sea urchins. Other results include crayons, violets, eggplants, and – my personal favorite – grape jelly. However, ‘Purple Day’ focuses on … Read more
It might be hard to believe that a woman’s extraordinary sense of smell could be the foundation for a test to diagnose Parkinson’s disease , or that a drug addict taking a synthetic heroin was the basis for much of what we now know about … Read more
A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes can come as a shock and will likely entail many questions. While your doctor will be on hand to answer many of these, support, advice, and insight is readily available online, largely from those living type 2 diabetes … Read more
This week, chronic kidney disease treatment will cost the US healthcare system almost $1 billion, just as it did last week, and just as it will next week. Treatments such as dialysis and kidney transplants are not only extremely expensive, but a … Read more
Essential hypertension (also known as primary hypertension) is high blood pressure that does not have a known cause. Because it is often symptomless, millions of people living with essential hypertension do not realize it. Unfortunately, the idiom … Read more
When you consider the prevalence of all rare diseases combined, the term becomes something of a misnomer. 1 in 10 Americans – 30 million – live with one of the diseases that fall into the category. That is roughly the number of people … Read more
What do citric fruits such as grapefruits, Seville oranges, and limes have in common with milk, aged cheeses, leafy greens, bananas, yogurt, and licorice? Aside from being delicious, of course, they all contain substances that can affect the way … Read more
Over the last decade, I have seen my grandfather’s role of loving husband gradually transform into that of caregiver, as my grandmother progresses through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It has been immensely difficult for him, my … Read more
On February 4th – World Cancer Day – roughly 4,700 people in the USA will be diagnosed with a form of cancer. In 2030, this figure is estimated to rise to over 6,300, meaning 2.3 million people will be diagnosed over the year. The trend is far from … Read more
“But you don’t look sick,” is a sentence many people living with an invisible illness will often hear when discussing their health. It may be expressed with no malice – or perhaps even be intended as a compliment – but … Read more