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1500 questions
12
votes
2 answers
How long should a person keep blood test results?
If someone has no chronic health problems (but a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure), is there a good medical reason for them to keep their old blood test results that doctors have ordered? Or is it perfectly fine to just throw these…
Dan Getz
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How can one protect themselves from toxic substances released from fatty tissue during weight loss?
It is well-known that obesity is associated with many health risks and obese persons are advised to follow a healthy diet and increase physical activity to lose weight and improve their overall health.
However, adipose (fatty) tissue accumulates…
Lucky
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Does the Jewish law forbidding the mixing of milk and meat have health benefits?
Mixing milk and meat is prohibited by an ancient Jewish law. Jews have followed those rules for millennia out of religious belief, not science.
Modern science can probably dig deeper and find actual reasons to follow such rules - is there any such…
Shadow Wizard Love Zelda
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Is it possible to have a smile on the face after death?
A lot of novels state that a person died with a smile on the face, or how relatives/friends notice a smile on the face that remains even after death.
Is such a thing anatomically possible? Will a smile or any other expression be retained by the…
xypha
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3 answers
How is pain measured?
Patients are often asked to rate their level of pain. Usually, I have found that these questions come without instructions as to what constitutes the maximum on this scale (maximum pain you can imagine? maximum pain you ever felt?).
What are ways…
YviDe
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Are there any untoward synergistic effects in taking a combination of acetaminophen plus ibuprofen?
A number of years ago, it became popular to advocate a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen (or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication) at the usual higher doses — e.g., 1,000 mg acetaminophen plus 400 mg ibuprofen [0] — because…
anongoodnurse
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12
votes
1 answer
Why is it a bad idea to re-heat drinking water?
Out of laziness sometimes I re-heat the water in kettle we use to make formula milk for our daughter, but the health visitor said it's a bad practice to re-boil water over and over. Any specific reason for that?
Ulkoma
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Is rest necessary, recommended, or unnecessary in a mild Ménière's episode?
During a full-blown Ménière's episode, the patient can basically do nothing, so the question does not even occur. But what about mild events in a patient with a Ménière's diagnosis?
I am asking about a situation where the patient feels some…
rumtscho
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What does eye power -6 means and how close to blindness is it?
One of my friends went to an eye specialist for checkup and the doctor told him that his eye power changed from -6 from -4.5. He is really very upset and doesn’t want to discuss anything on this. I can understand that -6 means the vision is in very…
Bacteria
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TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) Antibodies - reference range change
A couple years ago (end of 2013) the reference range for TPO antibodies (TPOAb) was <35 IU/ml but now it's <9 IU/ml. That's a huge change (almost 4x). Does anyone know why it changed by so much and if somewhere between 9 and 35 is actually not…
g491
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What are effective lifestyle modifications for people with gastric acid reflux?
As many as 7% of Americans suffer from heartburn every day, and many more suffer it at least weekly. In the "old days", people with heartburn were advised to eat smaller meals, drink less alcohol, smoke less, eat less "spicy foods", avoid chocolate,…
anongoodnurse
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12
votes
1 answer
Does menthol have therapeutic effect on sore or inflamed muscles and tendons?
I use a gel for muscle pain after sport. Its active ingredients are listed as ibuprofen and levomenthol. The amount of menthol is sufficient to feel quite a lot of numbbness/burning for maybe half an hour after application.
The ibuprofen is clear.…
rumtscho
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12
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3 answers
Why does the World Health Organization still treat COVID-19 as a pandemic, when it is now reportedly causing fewer deaths than influenza?
Supposedly the World Health Organization is the top authority worldwide for public health. One would hope that they base their decisions on empirical data and not beliefs. However, from my perspective, they appear to be treating COVID-19 and…
Pablo
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Is there an optimal body fat percentage?
Many digital bathroom scales nowadays include automatic measuring of the (approximate) percentage of body fat.
I am aware of some guidelines for percentage of body fat loss, but are there actually any scientific studies about the recommended body…
Patrick Hoefler
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Why isn't COVID-19 just called SARS-2? Isn't it a second SARS?
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a disease caused by SARS-CoV—the "SARS CoronaVirus".
We now have a second disease caused by a second coronavirus, which we call SARS-CoV-2.
So why is the disease named COVID-19 now, instead of SARS-2 (or…
user541686
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