A ganglion cyst – usually just called a ganglion - is a harmless fluid-filled sac that can pop up anywhere on the body but is common around the joints and tendons of the hand and wrist. They are three times more common in women than men between the ages of 20 and 40, and 80% of them are found in the wrist. It is thought they are caused by fluid leaking out of a joint, or the tunnel of a tendon, and this causes a swelling below the skin. This is typically synovial fluid – the same substance found in joints to keep them lubricated. The leak may be caused by trauma or arthritis. While lumps and bumps often cause alarm, ganglions pose no risk to your health and people are often more bothered by their appearance than from any symptoms. You may occasionally get discomfort or difficulty with certain movements if the ganglion is around a joint.

Burns can happen in a second, and it’s important to act fast to prevent further injury and reduce the risk of scarring. Minor burns and scalds are fairly common, with hot water from pans, kettles or the bath as top of the list, as well as fireworks when celebrations come around. Burns typically affect the hands, forearms and face, or the lower legs or bottom when young children get in a very hot bath. Sunburn also counts as a burn. Take burns seriously, even if there isn’t much to see initially – it can take some time for the skin to react and deep pain to set in, but the skin has been traumatized and the process of injury continues unless it is cooled and treated. What different types of burn are there? Burns are classified according to the depth and extent of the skin damage, and their treatment depends on how severe they are. There are three main types: First-degree (superficial) burns - The skin is red, painful and very sensitive to touch. The damaged skin may be slightly moist from leakage of the fluid in the deeper layers of the skin; sunburn is a good example of such a burn. Second-degree (partial thickness) burns - Here, the damage is deeper and blisters usually appear on the skin, which is still painful and sensitive. Third-degree (full thickness) burns - The most severe type of burn, and here the tissues in all layers of the skin are dead, so there are typically no blisters on the skin. The burned surface can have several types of appearance, from white to black (charred) or bright red from blood in the bottom of the wound. Because the skin nerves are damaged these burns can be surprisingly painless and lack sensation when touched. Specialist treatment with skin grafts are often required for severely damaged areas, and these types of burn are often life-threatening if enough of the body is burnt.

There is no clear evidence that having a glass or two of alcohol after your vaccine has a negative effect on how well your vaccine works, or makes you feel any worse.

Medicines come with a list of constituents – strange-sounding chemicals that none of us can pronounce – but it's hard to determine whether a particular medicine is compatible with your belief system. You may be practicing Islam or Judaism, therefore anything that is not halal or kosher may not be acceptable, or you may accept non-halal but not any pork-based products. You may exclude certain food groups on ethical or lifestyle grounds, such as vegetarianism or veganism. You may have food allergies or sensitivities, such as gluten, lactose, nut, egg, or shellfish. While every medicine differs, there are some common ingredients to look out for, or ask your pharmacist about. There may be alternatives available. Let's take a look at some common hurdles.

Surgery falls into two broad categories: open surgery and minimally invasive surgery, also called laparoscopic surgery or keyhole surgery. Laparoscopic surgery has become the preferred option for many types of operations in recent decades, as it has some advantages over open surgery, but overall, the outcomes of success for both procedures are similar.

Eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice can interfere with certain medications. In this article, we will look at which medications are affected and explore the mechanism behind these interactions.

Medication interactions are the situation where two or more medications interfere with each other. Interactions range from harmless to extremely dangerous; however, fear not because doctors and pharmacists are here to keep you safe. There are too many combinations of medications to list all potential interactions, but certain groups of medications are known to have lots of interactions. When you are prescribed multiple medications, your doctor and pharmacist will check to ensure it is safe to take them together. It is best to get all your prescriptions dispensed from the same pharmacy. That way your pharmacist will be aware of all your prescribed medications.

Tetanus is a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening condition. The tetanus vaccination is given five times over the course of the routine childhood vaccination program recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A booster is given between the ages of 11 and 18 and another every ten years to protect against tetanus. However, if there is any uncertainty about whether you have completed your vaccination schedule or kept your boosters up-to-date and have injured yourself and broken the skin, you may need to receive another booster dose.

A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that develops in a large vein, usually in the lower leg, and requires treatment to ease symptoms and prevent clots from spreading to other areas in the body. A pulmonary embolism (PE) is the most serious complication, where part of the DVT breaks off and a clot lodges in one of the blood vessels going to the lungs, blocking the blood supply. This can cause difficulty in breathing and collapse – it's a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. It’s believed that around 900,000 people in the US have a DVT or PE every year.

Parkinson's disease is a complex nerve disorder that affects movement. Approximately 1% of the population over 60 years has the condition. Symptoms start slowly, usually in those over 50 years old, and progress over time. It affects both men and women but is very slightly more common in men. The main symptoms are tremors, stiffness, and slowed movement, which can significantly affect their day-to-day activities. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medication can be used to improve symptoms, and most people respond well to it.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism as it’s usually known, is a condition that usually develops in childhood. It covers a wide range of difficulties, typically related to behavior and understanding in social settings, causing difficulty with communication and ability to relate to others. It can affect intellect and language in some, leading to mild, moderate or severe learning disabilities. A minority are unable to verbalize. More research recently has added to understanding of the condition: people with autism see, hear and feel the world differently than others. While the world can be a confusing place, and they are often misunderstood unless certain accommodations are put in place, there is a growing body of evidence that they may have skillsets better suited to certain tasks or ways of thinking than non-autistic people. Asperger’s syndrome used to be a term given to autism in individuals with average or above-average intelligence, but this term is now considered to be outdated, and the term ASD incorporates all types of autism. Some people prefer to keep this term. About 1 in 44 children are diagnosed in the US with ASD, and there are more males than females, ranging from 3:1 to 5:1. It’s thought that women and girls may be under-diagnosed as they can cover up difficulties to better fit in with social expectations and norms.

Autism is a very emotional and difficult topic to discuss, but it is a common condition, affecting around 1 in 44 children in the US. Pediatricians get asked if certain things link to autism, but one topic that seems of particular interest is any possible link between vitamin D and autism. In this article, we will explore any evidence behind this link and the current focus of research on this.