Remember the 90s cult classic Death Becomes Her where Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn take a magic potion that makes them look and feel younger? Peptides seem to be today’s version of that magic potion — or at least that’s what a growing number of influencers online want you to think. A quick scroll through social media shows people raving about “wellness” peptides with robot names like BPC-157 as the fountain of youth. The injectable concoctions, also known as synthetic peptides, are said to heal injuries, slow aging, boost lean muscle, clear brain fog and more. Of course, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. And hopefully the thought of injecting anything into your body gives you proper pause. But it’s not just social media buzz. Peptides have been in the spotlight recently after an FDA-advisory panel recommended loosening restrictions on six peptides to help treat different health conditions. So what are peptides, anyway? And can they put more pep in your step? Here’s what you need to know. What are peptides? Peptides are short chains of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids in the body that serve as building blocks for proteins. “The sequence of these amino acids — think like letters of an alphabet creating words — determines the peptide’s function in the body,” said Angela DeRosa, D.O., founder and CEO of the Hormonal Health Institute and member of HealthyWomen’s Women’s Health Advisory Council. Your body makes peptides — there are more than 7,000 naturally occurring peptides in the human body — and peptides are also made using amino acids found in dietary proteins like eggs and legumes. Other peptides, like collagen peptides, can be taken orally as a dietary supplement. Peptides can also be synthesized in labs to treat certain health conditions. Well-known commercial synthetic peptides like insulin, semaglutide and tirzepatide are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, most of the synthetic peptides you see on social media, are made in compounding pharmacies or other facilities and are not FDA approved, which means the product isn’t held to the same strict standards for quality, safety and efficacy as FDA-approved products. What do peptides do? Peptides essentially act as messengers in the body to support metabolism, immune health and muscle repair and regulate hormones, among other important body processes. DeRosa said peptides act like a key fitting into a lock. “They bind to a specific receptor on the outside of a given cell in the body and that binding triggers a response inside the cell. The reaction depends on which peptide is used as each peptide has a different target.” For example, oxytocin, a peptide hormone, targets milk duct receptors to allow the breast ducts to let down milk for breastfeeding. Why do people use synthetic peptides? FDA-approved synthetic peptides are prescribed to help treat diseases such as diabetes or obesity. Synthetic peptides can also be prescribed to complement traditional treatments for certain conditions such as insomnia, cognitive decline and hormone problems. “For example, if a patient has severe testosterone deficiency and is extremely fatigued and doesn’t sleep well or has sexual dysfunction, taking a growth hormone peptide or PTP-141 for libido will not work well until the testosterone deficiency has been fixed,” DeRosa said. “Then these peptides become nice layering treatments on top of testosterone.” DeRosa also noted that taking peptides can help optimize cellular function, immunity and mitochondria health and help with physical disorders, such as healing after soft tissue injury, joint issues and musculoskeletal disorders. Do the injectable “wellness” peptides work? We know FDA-approved prescription peptides have the research to back up the benefits of the medications. However, most of the synthetic peptides sold online are not FDA-approved, and many don’t have the data to back up the claims. If you’re curious about taking peptides, DeRosa said to find a clinician who has the proper training and education on peptides. “Influencers are not reputable sources and don’t have the proper education to know who is an appropriate candidate for each peptide, what the medical considerations or interactions are, what labs or screening should be done before taking a peptide or how to properly monitor someone taking peptides,” DeRosa said. “Are they obtaining the products from legal and safe compounding pharmacies versus getting peptides from someone at their gym? A clinician can help guide people to appropriate sources.” An FDA-advisory panel voted to loosen restrictions on six peptides. What does that mean? “This vote is not a green light to prescribe peptides,” DeRosa said. “The pharmacy compounding advisory committee recommended to the FDA that these peptides be reclassified from category 2 — illegal to compound — to category 1, or legal to compound, while under active review by the FDA.” This means that compounded pharmacies would be able create slightly altered versions of the six peptides to sell to consumers. It’s important to note that the panel vote is a recommendation to the FDA — the FDA has the final legal say. And the FDA still has to go through a long public notice and comment process before any official changes can happen. “Until then, these compounds are still not approved to legally compound.” Read: What You Need to Know: Compounded Medications >> Are peptides safe? Peptides that are regulated by the FDA are considered safe and effective. But outside of commercial FDA-approved peptides like insulin, there hasn’t been a lot of research to say if injecting peptides can be beneficial. “Most have favorable safety profiles. However, with that said, the research supporting most of the peptides are limited to pre-clinical laboratory and animal studies,” DeRosa said. The lack of human studies and long-term data also means there could be dangerous side effects that haven’t been documented. And since the synthetic peptides bought online are not regulated by the FDA, you can’t know for sure the quality and effectiveness of what you’re taking. Should you ride the peptide wave? Bottom line: Always talk to your clinician before taking any

September 08, 2026 1 min watch Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: GLP-1 use among adolescents and young adults with obesity has significantly increased since 2022. Metabolic and bariatric surgery has declined during that time. A retrospective analysis of more than 200,000 adolescents and young adults treated for obesity shows a significant increase in GLP-1 receptor agonist use since 2022, with a corresponding drop in metabolic and bariatric surgery. “There’s a lot of really strong evidence-based data showing surgery is the most durable and effective intervention for severe obesity in both adults and adolescents,” Sarah E. Messiah, PhD, MPH, associate dean for research at O’Donnell School of Public Health and professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, told Healio. “Most recently, we’ve had the latest evolution of GLP-1s, and they have taken off like a rocket.” Data derived from Messiah SE, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2026;doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.2828. To investigate treatment trends among adolescents and young adults, Messiah and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 204,148 individuals aged 13 to 25 years (73.5% female; mean age, 21.3 years) treated for obesity between May 2022 and January 2026. They extracted data from Epic Cosmos, an electronic health record database of more than 300 million patients in the U.S. Researchers classified treatments as GLP-1s only, metabolic and bariatric surgery only, or a combination of GLP-1s and surgery. The percentage of adolescents and young adults treated for obesity with only GLP-1s rose from 88.2% in May 2022 to 96.1% in January 2026. Meanwhile, the proportion of patients who underwent only metabolic and bariatric surgery decreased from 11.6% to 3.7%. “We pretty much knew we’d see a decline, but we didn’t realize it would be that steep,” Messiah said. The percentage of patients who received combination therapy remained stable at 0.2%. Healio spoke with Messiah about these shifting trends, considerations for this patient population and the importance of lifestyle interventions. Healio: First, what led you and your team to pursue this research? Messiah: Right now, the estimates are one out of every eight Americans has had some exposure to a second-generation GLP-1 in just the past few years. They were first FDA approved for adults and now we’re in the process of seeing more of these approvals for adolescents. In parallel to that, we are increasingly getting more access to these large datasets. The one we used for this publication is the largest, with over a billion encounters. It’s just absolutely massive. So, this was a really unique opportunity to get in early and see what is going on with all these medications coming into the pediatric obesity space in the real world, not trials or sponsored research programs. We wanted to see what physicians are doing to help their pediatric patients with obesity. Healio: The results are pretty striking. What do you think is causing these shifts in use of GLP-1s vs. surgery? Messiah: We have done analyses in other datasets in adults that showed bariatric surgery utilizations going off a cliff. Clearly, that’s because of the uptake of GLP-1s. It’s a little more complicated in adolescents, because bariatric surgery is covered by insurance in a lot of cases, while GLP-1s are not. It’s still a big access issue, and an affordability one. What we hear in clinic is that there are two camps: One is that a patient just wants to have surgery and be done with it. They don’t want to be on a medication for the rest of their life. On the other hand, some patients are petrified of surgery. Bariatric surgery has one of the lowest complication or mortality rates of any type of surgery, especially now that everything is laparoscopic. But people still have fears of surgery. In another analysis we did, the mean age for bariatric surgery in adolescence was 17.7 years. They’re almost 18. My guess is some of them are saying, ‘I’m almost an adult, where insurance would cover GLP-1s. I want to try that first.’ It may be they’re delaying the decision to have surgery in favor of a GLP-1. Healio: What about the fairly rare use of combination therapy? Messiah: It’s the new frontier. There are zero best-practice guidelines out there for this. The fact that it’s happening is so interesting. Nobody has come out with clinical practice guidelines on when you introduce a GLP-1 to an adolescent before bariatric surgery or what is the optimal window, because we have no data to drive those decisions. The fact that you’re seeing the practice already happening before the data or guidelines are out is really interesting. Healio: How should gastroenterologists counsel adolescents and young adults on when to potentially transition from medical therapy to bariatric surgery? Messiah: It comes down to shared decision-making: what is going to work for the family, as well as long-term health outcomes for the patient. It really is turning into more precision obesity care, which is great because we’re getting more and more of these options online. One thing we’ve learned is that this is not one-solution-for-everybody in this space. Obesity is very complicated and it’s a chronic health condition. It can be driven by mental health just as much as physical health, health history and family history. Parents also come into these conversations with preconceived notions, so a child may have one idea about what they want to do, but the parent has a completely different one. The gastroenterologist has to balance all of that, and we’re always thinking long term, too. You want to age these adolescents into adulthood where they have the best shot at having a healthy adult

By Alina Savulescu “No” is still the word I struggle with the most. Even now, after learning what ignoring my limits costs me, I still feel the discomfort rise when I say that word out loud. I still catch myself over-explaining, softening the refusal, or trying to prove I am not exaggerating. Saying no can bring relief, but it often also leaves behind a small storm of guilt. I recently listened to an episode of “The Moth” podcast where a storyteller reflected on the end of his 30-year marriage. He described looking back at family photos of weddings, graduations, and beach days. All joyful, beautiful moments. Then he said something that stopped me cold: he wished he had photos of the other moments. The fights, the hurting, the quiet trampling of each other’s needs. That struck a deep chord with me, because it is exactly what happens when you live with chronic pain. People see us laughing, traveling, or going out for dinner. They do not see the medication we took before walking through the door, or the anxiety running in the background while we sit and sip coffee. They don’t feel the ache rising when a friend says, “Let’s grab one more drink.” For a long time, I was trapped in a quiet expectation that the people around me would notice when I was reaching my limit. I thought that if they cared and knew I was in pain, they would naturally say, “Go home, rest.” But most of the time, that didn’t happen. And truthfully, no one should have to guess. No one but me can truly feel the effort it takes for me to stay present. Behind that silence was an exhausting internal confusion. Because chronic pain is entirely unpredictable, what is manageable today might be completely impossible tomorrow. So every choice carries its own doubt: Can I really not do a bit more? What if they’ll think that I’m able to, but I just don’t want to? Maybe I should just push through. That friction turns a physical limit into a moral dilemma, until I find myself trying to prove my pain, even to myself. So I kept saying yes while my body screamed no. I became like an image I saw years ago, of a horse whose rope is tied to a flimsy plastic chair. It could have snatched that chair and run free at any second, but it stayed, bound by the belief that it was trapped. Every “yes” I gave that went against my own needs became another invisible rope, tying me unnecessarily to situations that made my symptoms worse. Starting With a Clearer No Learning to set boundaries has shown me that saying no does not have to mean pushing people away. In many ways, boundaries are what keep a relationship honest, allowing me to name my limit before my symptoms make it obvious. Most of the time, that honesty does not need a grand speech. It can be as simple as telling a friend, “I can’t manage dinner tonight, but I’d love to see you for a short coffee next week,” or saying at a gathering, “I may need to leave early if my symptoms flare.” These are not excuses. They are small bridges built on sincerity, ways of keeping a relationship intact without pretending my body can do more than it’s able. Rewriting these deep habits feels overwhelming. There is no straight, clean, heroic way through it. Sometimes, my “no” came late, when I had already gone past my limit. What actually helped were the smaller times I practiced saying no: small favors I did not take on, and plans I changed before they became too much. Those little refusals helped me build the confidence I needed for harder choices later on. Still, no matter how much you practice, the moment after setting a boundary can feel intensely awkward. You might face a disappointed look or a sudden shift in tone, and the temptation to rush in and fix the silence is real. Resist that urge. After a difficult “no,” I have often felt a new kind of pressure: the need to prove that I really needed the time I protected, as if my rest had to look productive or serious enough to count. But that space does not have to become a performance. It can be as ordinary as staring at the ceiling, reading a few pages, or stepping outside for a short walk. I do not have to keep busy resting to make the boundary real. I only have to let myself have the room I asked for. Making Room for a Stronger Yes A therapist once told me that when you start saying “no” to people who are used to hearing “yes,” it feels like pulling a pin out of a mechanical toy. At first, everything wobbles. The toy moves awkwardly, looking like it might lose balance or break entirely. Relationships often do the same when we change the rules. People might wonder why you used to agree to everything, and now you hesitate. But with time, the mechanism learns to function in a new way. It settles into a rhythm that is different, but far healthier. A moment of discomfort is always better than long-term resentment. When we say yes purely out of guilt, we might buy a few minutes of peace, but the internal cost is high. It shows up later as profound exhaustion, flaring symptoms, and a quiet bitterness toward the people we were trying not to disappoint—and toward ourselves for ignoring our own boundaries. When you say no instead, the sense of having let someone down may still come up; mine certainly does. In those moments, I read the notes my body sends through sensation: pain, fatigue, or the simple relief of having stopped in time. That helps me stand by my choice. It gives me back the feeling of being myself, because nothing settles me more than the moment my mind

September 03, 2026 1 min read Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: The FDA recommends phosphate monitoring for patients at risk for hypophosphatemia or receiving repeat therapy. Fewer than 20% of Injectafer administration episodes had serum phosphate laboratory testing. The FDA added a boxed warning detailing the known risk for symptomatic hypophosphatemia associated with ferric carboxymaltose injection, according to an agency press release. The boxed warning recommends phosphate monitoring for patients at risk for hypophosphatemia and any patients who receive a repeat course of therapy within 3 months of the prior course. Generic ferric carboxymaltose injection products are also expected to update their labels to reflect the added boxed warning, according to the release. Ferric carboxymaltose injection (Injectafer, Daiichi Sankyo/American Regent), a prescription iron replacement medicine given intravenously, is approved by the FDA for patients aged 1 year and older who cannot tolerate or do not fully respond to oral iron. It is also approved for adults with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis with iron deficiency and adults with New York Heart Association class II/III heart failure with iron deficiency to improve exercise capacity. The decision to add the boxed warning stemmed from an assessment of multiple data sources, including the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and literature reports. Multiple cases of symptomatic hypophosphatemia tied to single and multiple infusions of ferric carboxymaltose injection were reported despite previous labeling revisions in 2020 and 2023 emphasizing the risk, according to the FDA release. Additionally, data from the FDA’s Sentinel System show serum phosphate testing occurred in fewer than 20% of ferric carboxymaltose injection administration episodes, according to the release. Hypophosphatemia may manifest differently based on condition severity and duration, with symptoms including muscle weakness or pain, fatigue, tremors, confusion, seizures and cardiac arrhythmias, according to the release. Serious adverse outcomes associated with ferric carboxymaltose injection include hospitalization, a need for prolonged phosphate replacement therapy, osteomalacia and bone fractures. Clinicians should inform patients about the risk for hypophosphatemia associated with ferric carboxymaltose injection, according to the release. Clinicians should also continue to monitor serum phosphate levels for at-risk patients and consider permanent discontinuation for persistent hypophosphatemia or severe chronic hypophosphatemia, according to the release. Published by: Sources/Disclosures Source: Press Release Disclosures: No products or companies that would require financial disclosure are mentioned in this article. Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI’s knowledge base. PubMed, enrolling/recruiting trials, guidelines Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news Healio’s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data Learn more Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Source link

September 04, 2026 2 min read Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: Seventeen people have been sickened and six have been hospitalized. The recall is part of a broader investigation of contaminated berries linked to a Chilean supplier. The FDA announced a recall of frozen berries sold at Walmart due to an expanding Escherichia coli outbreak that has sickened 17 people in two states — six of whom have been hospitalized. The recalled product — Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend — has been sold in Walmart stores in 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. Walmart frozen berries have been recalled for possible E. coli. Image: Adobe Stock The product information is as follows: Great Value Organic Triple Berry, 10 oz, with UPC 7874211226, lot code 6040 01-6 and best-by date of Feb. 9, 2028. The recall is part of a broader investigation of frozen berry products sourced from a Chilean supplier. In July, the FDA recalled the supplier’s berries sold at Publix stores in eight states. Those products included GreenWise Organic Frozen Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries. The FDA warns that an E. coli infection can lead to severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and/or vomiting. An announcement by the Chilean supplier, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., noted that the berries were potentially contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O145 — or STEC, a type of E. coli that can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe condition that can lead to kidney failure. HUS can develop in anyone but is most common among young children, according to the CDC. The frozen berries are the latest in what has been a summer full of food recalls, most notably the iceberg lettuce recall linked to an outbreak of Cyclospora that resulted in more than 10,000 illnesses, nearly 500 hospitalizations and two deaths. Other major multistate outbreaks this summer have involved jalapeños and eggs, both sickening hundreds of people with Salmonella. Published by: Sources/Disclosures Source: Website References: Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI’s knowledge base. PubMed, enrolling/recruiting trials, guidelines Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news Healio’s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data Learn more Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Source link

September 04, 2026 2 min read Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: Improvements with tezepelumab vs. placebo in EoE at week 24 were also found at week 52. AstraZeneca and Amgen said they will share trial data with regulatory authorities. Adolescents and adults with eosinophilic esophagitis receiving tezepelumab vs. placebo had improved frequency and severity of dysphagia and more achievement of histologic remission at week 24, according to phase 3 trial topline results. “The positive phase 3 CROSSING trial demonstrates that Tezspire could provide a new approach to treating EoE, helping more patients achieve histologic remission and meaningful symptom relief on an every-4-week dosing schedule,” Evan S. Dellon, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Healio. Tezepelumab (Tezspire; AstraZeneca, Amgen) is already FDA-approved for severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and is being studied in COPD, according to press releases from AstraZeneca and Amgen. In the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3 CROSSING trial, researchers assessed 368 patients aged 12 to 80 years with symptomatic and histologically active EoE on maintenance therapy to determine how receipt of subcutaneous tezepelumab (given as a low or high dose) every 4 weeks impacts histologic remission and dysphagia vs. placebo at week 24. “There remains a significant unmet need in EoE,” Dellon said. “Because nearly half of patients do not achieve adequate disease control with current first-line therapies or dietary restrictions, a second biologic with a first-in-class mechanism of action and every-4-weeks dosing schedule would be a welcome addition to the treatment options for EoE.” The releases highlighted that patients achieved histologic remission if they had a peak esophageal eosinophil count no greater than six eosinophils per high-power field. For dysphagia, researchers compared baseline Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) scores with week 24 scores. For both outcomes, patients receiving tezepelumab had “statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements” vs. those receiving placebo, according to the releases. This result was also found when analyzing endoscopic disease features and histologic severity and extent at week 24. At week 52, researchers continued to find significant and clinically meaningful improvements in these outcomes with tezepelumab vs. placebo. In terms of safety, the releases noted a safety profile “generally consistent with its approved indications.” “Tezspire has the potential to help patients achieve histologic remission and meaningful symptom improvement, bringing a new treatment option to patients whose lives have been significantly altered by EoE,” Dellon told Healio. Clinicians can expect to see full data from the CROSSING trial at an upcoming medical meeting, according to the releases. AstraZeneca and Amgen also said they will share these data with regulatory authorities. For more information: Evan S. Dellon, MD, MPH, can be reached at allergy@healio.com. Sources/Disclosures Source: Press Release Reference: Disclosures: Dellon reports having financial relationships with AbbVie, Adare/Ellodi, Alfasignma, ALK, Allakos, Amgen, Anaptysbio/First Tracks Bio, Apogee, Apollo, Aqilion, Arena/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Bethanamist, BioCryst, Bryn, Calypso, Celgene/Receptos/BMS, Celldex, Cyted, Domain, Dr. Falk Pharma, Eli Lilly, EsoCap, Eupraxia, Ferring, First Tracks Bio, GI Reviewers, GSK, Holoclara, Invea, Johnson & Johnson, Knightpoint, Kymera, LucidDx, Meritage, Miraca, Noa, Nexstone Immunology/Uniquity, Nutricia, Parexel/Calyx, Phathom, Regeneron, Revolo, Robarts/Alimentiv, Roivant, Sanofi, Shire/Takeda, Target RWE, Third Harmonic Bio and Uniquity.. Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI’s knowledge base. PubMed, enrolling/recruiting trials, guidelines Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news Healio’s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data Learn more Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . “ data-action=”subscribe”> Subscribe We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Source link

1 de cada 5 estadounidenses viven en un área rural. Los estadounidenses que viven en áreas rurales enfrentan más problemas de la salud y dificultades para obtener atención médica que personas que viven en ciudades debido a: Poca oferta de profesionales clínicos Cierres de hospitales Distancias largas hasta los hospitales, especialistas y farmacias Escasez de transporte público Estos factores podrían dificultar la vida con EPOC. ¿Qué es la EPOC? La EPOC o la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, es un trastorno pulmonar progresivo que causa la inflamación de las vías respiratorias, lo cual dificulta la respiración. La EPOC es la 5ª causa principal de muertes en EE.UU. La EPOC en áreas rurales 1 de cada 12 personas en áreas rurales tiene EPOC en comparación con 1 de cada 20 en áreas urbanas. En comparación con las personas que viven en ciudades, las personas en áreas rurales son: 2 veces más propensas a tener EPOC. Más propensas a ir al hospital por EPOC. Más propensas a morir de EPOC. Por qué es peor la EPOC en áreas rurales Las personas en áreas rurales: Tienen más posibilidades de fumar Tienen menos programas para dejar de fumar Son más propensas a trabajar en industrias que las exponen a contaminantes Viven con más contaminación en interiores debido a la quema de madera o carbón para calefacción o para cocinar Tienen más problemas médicos que pueden empeorar la EPOC Tienen menos dinero para comprar medicamentos para el tratamiento de la EPOC Son más propensas a no tener un seguro médico Tienen menos acceso a atención médica, incluyendo a especialistas que tratan la EPOC Podrían tener más dificultades para recibir un diagnóstico y tratamiento para la EPOC Cómo controlar la EPOC en áreas rurales de Estados Unidos Monitorea el progreso y los síntomas de esa enfermedad para saber si están empeorando Usa esa información como una alerta temprana y obtén atención Usa telemedicina para: Monitoreo remoto para dar seguimiento a los síntomas, tendencias y desencadenantes Rehabilitación pulmonar digital para aprender estrategias Atención de rutina y oportuna Programa el transporte con antelación El seguro podría cubrir el transporte u organizaciones sin fines de lucro podrían ayudar Se requiere Medicaid para pagar transporte médico que no sea de emergencia Prepara un plan de acción para la EPOC con: Tus medicamentos Cómo saber si es hora de obtener atención Cómo comunicarte con tu profesional clínico Opciones de transporte Toma decisiones de tu estilo de vida que eviten que la EPOC empeore Deja de fumar Haz ejercicio para incrementar tu fuerza y resistencia Come alimentos nutritivos Evita irritantes tales como el polvo y el polen Duerme bien Vacúnate para evitar infecciones que empeoren la EPOC Cuídate y defiende tus derechos Podrías tener que buscar más o viajar más lejos para encontrar un neumólogo. La mayoría de seguros médicos (incluyendo el VA [ Departamento de asuntos de militares jubilados ] y Medicaid) deben ofrecer acceso a especialistas que se encuentren a cierta distancia o tiempo de viaje. Si no lo hacen, podrían hacer una excepción para que tengas consultas con alguien fuera de la red del seguro (pero debes solicitarla). Encuentra atención gratuita o de bajo costo de centros médicos rurales y certificados por el gobierno federal. Recuerda: SIEMPRE tienes derecho a atención de emergencia. Recursos American Lung Association: Mi plan de acción para la EPOC COPD Action Alliance: Militares jubilados y la EPOC COPD Foundation: Mi plan de acción para la EPOC Este recurso educativo se preparó con el apoyo de Chiesi, Sanofi y Regeneron. Source link

+ Infographic text About 3 out of 4 women deal with hot flashes related to menopause.  What is a hot flash? As your ovaries produce less estrogen, cells in your hypothalamus, the part of your brain that controls temperature, are thrown off balance. These cells send a false signal that your body is too warm. When your body tries to lower your temperature, blood vessels near your skin widen in an attempt to cool you down.  This causes flushing and sweating, also known as a hot flash. When hot flashes happen when you sleep, they are called night sweats. During a hot flash Skin may turn red, flushed and blotchy  Your face, neck and chest may feel hot and sweaty  Your heart may race or flutter  You may feel anxious You may get the chills or shiver  How long does a hot flash last?   A typical hot flash lasts just a few minutes. Women experience hot flashes for 7 years on average.  Do all women get hot flashes?  Some women don’t get hot flashes at all, or barely notice them. For others, hot flashes are extreme and disrupt normal life.  Putting a damper on hot flashes  There are lifestyle changes and treatments that can help with hot flashes:  Reduce caffeine Avoid spicy food Limit alcohol Don’t smoke Hormone therapy Non-hormonal medicine Cognitive behavioral therapy Talk to your clinician to learn your options.  This educational resource was created with support from Astellas.   Source link

Los cuidadores de personas con EPOC son importantes La EPOC (enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica) es un trastorno progresivo de los pulmones que causa inflamación de las vías respiratorias y dificultad para respirar.  No hay cura para la EPOC, pero ese trastorno y sus síntomas pueden controlarse con eficacia.  Los cuidadores marcan una diferencia enorme. Ellos: Ayudan con los medicamentos Promueven actividades saludables Notan señales de alerta relacionadas con el deterioro de la salud Hacen que obtener la atención requerida sea más fácil. Administrar los medicamentos es crítico Las personas con EPOC podrían tener que hacer malabares con muchos medicamentos. Cada uno podría tener diferentes cronogramas y modalidades de administración. Podrías ayudar: Monitoreando los cronogramas de los medicamentos Administrando las dosis Colaborando con las inhalaciones y las técnicas de los inhaladores Poniendo inyecciones (después de que te capaciten) Promover la rehabilitación La rehabilitación pulmonar es uno de los mejores métodos para mejorar la respiración, la resistencia y la calidad de vida.  Pero los pacientes podrían desmotivarse, olvidarla o no tener acceso a transporte.  Los cuidadores pueden promover la rehabilitación: Programando o proporcionando el transporte Estableciendo sesiones de telerehabilitación Haciendo ejercicios de rehabilitación en casa con sus seres queridos Protección mediante la prevención Para alguien con EPOC, una infección respiratoria es un peligro grave. La prevención es la mejor protección.  Promueve el uso de mascarillas Mantén a personas enfermas lejos Mantén la casa limpia y bien ventilada Asegúrate de que las vacunaciones estén al día (de ti y de la persona que cuidas) Equilibrio de la independencia A veces, apoyar implica alejarse un poco.  Participar en actividades físicas en forma regular es útil para que los pulmones funcionen mejor. Y ser independiente es útil para que las personas se sientan mejor.  Pero demasiado esfuerzo puede ser un problema, así que trata de mantener un equilibrio.  Motiva a tu ser querido a que haga lo que pueda y mantente cerca para ayudarle si no puede hacer algo.  Lidiar con disparidades Para algunas personas, la EPOC es una dificultad incluso mayor.  Las personas de color tienen menos acceso a rehabilitación pulmonar.  La telemedicina no es tan accesible para pacientes de raza negra, latinos, de edad avanzada, mujeres y de bajos ingresos, incluso si desean usarla.  Los cuidadores pueden concientizar, pedir recursos y opciones y defender los derechos de las personas que cuidan para que reciban mejor atención.  Monitorear señales de empeoramiento de la EPOC La primera señal de empeoramiento de la EPOC es un incremento de los síntomas, lo cual se denomina una crisis o acceso.  Las personas con EPOC frecuentemente subestiman su situación y por eso es importante tratar de obtener atención rápidamente.  Parte del cuidado implica mantenerte pendiente de señales de una crisis o acceso de EPOC. Más dificultad para respirar, tos o mucosidad Fatiga inusual Confusión o desorientación  Si ves estas señales, trata de obtener atención inmediatamente.  Procesar las emociones Si cuidas a alguien que tiene dificultad para respirar, eso te afecta. Muchos cuidadores tienen emociones intensas.  Podrías sentir: Impotencia Miedo Incertidumbre Ansiedad Depresión Asegúrate de tener un plan de acción claro para controlar las crisis de EPOC. También necesitas apoyo para que puedas decirle a alguien lo que te pasa.  Evitar el agotamiento Cuidar a alguien con EPOC requiere mucho de ti. El agotamiento es un riesgo real.  Cuidarte no es opcional. Únete a un grupo de apoyo Da prioridad a dormir bien, a hacer ejercicio y a obtener atención médica en forma regular para ti  Pide ayuda Toma descansos Usa recursos que proporcionen alivio porque los cuidadores también necesitan cuidado  Recursos American Lung Association: Mi plan de acción para la EPOC COPD Foundation: Mi plan de acción para la EPOC Este recurso educativo se preparó con el apoyo de Chiesi, Sanofi y Regeneron. Source link

As told to Nicole Pajer My periods were painful right from the beginning. When I was a teenager, my mom used to let me skip one day of school every month because the pain was so bad. But when you’re young, you don’t really know how your period compares to anyone else’s. You only know what you experience. So when people said, “Oh, it’s just your period,” I believed them. Every 28 days, the pain would come, and I learned to compartmentalize it. I told myself, I just had to get through it. The really intense pain started after I had my appendix removed when I was 17 weeks pregnant with my first son, Eddie. I also had a difficult C-section when he was born. About a year later, I started telling doctors that something was wrong with my stomach. I couldn’t stretch it. I couldn’t do a cobra pose or lean backward without feeling like my stomach was being pulled apart. Doctors thought it might be a complication from my appendix surgery. An MRI showed a surgical clip in my abdomen and tissue connecting my uterus, bladder and abdominal wall. I had laparoscopic surgery to investigate, but afterward the doctor told me the MRI had been wrong. Nothing was wrong with me. Except I knew something was. I kept going to doctors. Many told me I should have my gallbladder removed. That didn’t make sense to me, so I didn’t do it. Meanwhile, I was living with terrible IBS-like symptoms, bloating and excruciating pain. About two years ago, things got so bad that I ended up in the hospital. My joints were swollen and I felt like my body was shutting down. I went through test after test and saw specialist after specialist, but I still didn’t have an explanation that accounted for everything I was experiencing. This went on for 15 years. The fertility piece of my life was complicated too. Getting pregnant with Eddie had been easy. We decided we wanted a baby, tried once and I was pregnant. Trying for our second child was completely different. It took four years, and during that time, I had a miscarriage. The emotional pain of losing a pregnancy while already dealing with unexplained infertility was incredibly difficult. I had a natural miscarriage before I could schedule a procedure, and going through that at home by myself was scary and intense. Three months later, I became pregnant with my son Max. Years later, I had a second miscarriage. That one sent me into an extremely deep depression because we were done having kids but it awoke a new desire to try to have another baby. Strangely, the physical pain of the miscarriage wasn’t particularly bad compared with the pain I was already accustomed to living with. The mental toll, however, was enormous and completely debilitating. About a year later, when I was 43, my husband and I decided to explore in vitro fertilization (IVF) to see whether having another baby might still be possible. That decision ultimately led me to an answer I’d been searching for for years. During the IVF process, my doctor spotted a cyst on one of my ovaries and told me I needed to get it checked out regardless of what happened with IVF. The IVF didn’t work out, so I went to an OB-GYN to investigate the cyst. An ultrasound appeared to show what’s sometimes called a “chocolate cyst,” or endometrioma, a type of ovarian cyst associated with endometriosis. My doctor said I wasn’t understanding the ultrasound report correctly so I went to get a second opinion. But I still couldn’t get a clear answer. I kept saying, “I have a lot of pain. Pain with intercourse, pain with everything.” I was told it was fine and that I could go on birth control. Finally, I sought another opinion. By that point, I was adamant: I have so much pain. This can’t be normal. This doctor listened. She performed laparoscopic surgery to see what was actually happening inside my body. She removed three cysts, including a large endometrioma, and even found the surgical clip that had shown up on the MRI years earlier. She also found severe endometriosis and adenomyosis. The endometriosis was extensive. My organs weren’t sitting where they were supposed to be. One of my ovaries was fused to a fallopian tube, which was bent backward and fused to my colon. Both ovaries were behind my uterus. There were lesions involving my bowel and bladder. After 15 years of doctors telling me nothing was wrong, I finally had proof that something was. I was so grateful my doctor took pictures during the surgery. I told my husband that without those pictures, I don’t know if I would have believed the diagnosis myself. That’s what years of being dismissed can do to you. When you live with pain for that long, it changes you. Compartmentalizing became my superpower. After the C-section with my second son, I walked out of the hospital after 24 hours thinking, I can do it all. For years, I thought being able to push through anything was a strength. Now I’m not sure it always was. I’m still processing what my diagnosis means for my future. I’m preparing for another surgery that’s expected to include a hysterectomy and more extensive removal of the endometriosis. A year ago, I was sitting in an IVF office wondering whether I could have another baby. Now, I’m preparing to have my reproductive organs removed. Every time a doctor asks, “Are you sure you’re done having kids?” I have to say yes — not necessarily because I want to be done but because I now understand how complicated another pregnancy could be for me. I’m nervous about the surgery but what scares me most isn’t the procedure itself. This will be my sixth abdominal surgery. What scares me is going through all of it and still living with the pain. At the same time,