Your Health Questions
Answered by Professionals

Pelvic floor exercises can be a safe, research-supported way for men over 65 to improve erectile function and urinary control, including with BPH or after prostate cancer treatment, with typical benefits appearing in 8 to 12 weeks. There are several factors to consider, from correct technique and consistency to when to add medications or seek medical evaluation; see below for the full evidence, step by step training, prostate specific tips, and warning signs that could change your next steps.

Pain with bowel movements can come from inflammation, not just strain. There are several factors to consider; see below to understand more. Common causes include anal fissures, hemorrhoids, proctitis, IBD, infections, and perianal abscess or fistula, and warning signs like pain lasting more than a few days, bright red bleeding, discharge, fever, or severe tearing pain should prompt medical care, with diagnosis steps, effective treatments, self-care tips, and urgent action points outlined below.

After 65, erectile difficulties are common because performance anxiety often overlaps with age related vascular, hormonal, nerve, and medication effects, making erections less predictable. The most effective help layers nondrug steps like honest partner communication, mindfulness or CBT, exercise, and pelvic floor training with tailored medical options such as PDE5 medicines, vacuum devices, injections, or testosterone when appropriate; there are several factors to consider, including safety warnings and when to seek care, so see the full guidance below.

Rectal bleeding is not always hemorrhoids; other causes include anal fissures, diverticulosis, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal polyps or cancer, and even upper gastrointestinal bleeding or varices in people with liver disease. There are several factors to consider, like the color and amount of blood and warning signs such as heavy bleeding, black or maroon stools, clots, dizziness, or severe pain that require urgent care; for guidance on home care, when to go to the ER, and which tests and treatments to expect, see below.

Clinicians focus on this symptom pair because it often points to intestinal involvement in the right lower quadrant, raising concern for appendicitis, infectious enterocolitis, or Crohn’s disease, where early diagnosis can be the difference between simple medical therapy and urgent surgery. There are several factors to consider, including red flags, recommended tests, and when to seek urgent care; see below for complete details that could change your next steps.

Seeing things right after waking is usually brief and harmless hypnopompic hallucinations, caused by REM dream imagery spilling into wakefulness and often triggered by sleep loss, irregular schedules, stress, or sleep disorders like narcolepsy. There are several factors to consider, and persistent or distressing episodes or added symptoms can point to other causes such as low sodium or liver-related encephalopathy; red flags, practical sleep steps, and when to see a doctor are detailed below.

Seeing things as you fall asleep or wake up is common and usually benign hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations, typically brief and sometimes linked to poor sleep, stress, irregular schedules, or narcolepsy, and they often improve with better sleep habits. If hallucinations occur during full wakefulness, are frequent or frightening, involve voices or loss of insight, or come with mood changes, confusion, daytime sleepiness or cataplexy, substance use, or neurological symptoms, they may signal a mental health or medical condition and should be evaluated. There are several factors to consider, with key red flags, when to seek care, and the right next steps outlined below.

Sleep apnea in women is common yet often missed, driven by smaller airways, hormonal shifts around menopause, weight and neck fat, and conditions like hypothyroidism or PCOS, and it can lead to fatigue, insomnia, headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes risk, mood changes, and safety concerns. Effective treatments include CPAP, oral appliances, weight loss and side sleeping, limiting alcohol and sedatives, surgical options, and in select postmenopausal cases hormone therapy. There are several factors to consider; see below for symptoms that can look different in women, how testing works, tips to make treatment succeed, and urgent warning signs so you can choose the right next steps.

Men are at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea, and common signs include loud snoring with gasps or witnessed pauses, waking unrefreshed with morning headaches or dry mouth, excessive daytime sleepiness, trouble concentrating or irritability, and lower libido. There are several factors to consider, and untreated sleep apnea can raise the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and accidents. See the complete details below for risk factors after 40, how to screen yourself, when to seek a sleep study, and the treatments that work such as CPAP, oral appliances, positional and lifestyle changes.

Women’s sleep apnea symptoms can be different and subtler than men’s, often showing up as insomnia and fragmented sleep, daytime fatigue and brain fog, mood changes, morning headaches or jaw pain, night sweats, frequent nighttime urination, palpitations, and dry mouth, with risk increasing after menopause. There are several factors to consider that could affect your next steps, from health risks and when to seek urgent care to how to track symptoms and get tested and treated; see below for the complete answer and a quick symptom check.

There are several factors to consider: even with 7 to 9 hours, poor sleep quality, sleep apnea, mood conditions, medications, nutrient deficits, chronic illnesses, and lifestyle patterns can still leave you exhausted; see below to understand more. The plot twist is that hidden liver problems, including cirrhosis and minimal hepatic encephalopathy, can disrupt your sleep wake cycle and cause brain fog, mood changes, digestive or bleeding signs, and may require specific testing and treatment, so check the important details, next steps, and red flags to act on below.

Sleeping 10 hours and still tired can be a concern if daytime sleepiness lasts for months, you unintentionally doze, or naps do not help; these features suggest hypersomnia and warrant evaluation. Common contributors include sleep apnea, depression or anxiety, thyroid problems, sedating medications, and liver disease, and doctors may use sleep studies, MSLT, and blood or liver tests to find the cause. There are several factors to consider, including red flags like loud snoring or gasping, confusion, or jaundice, plus practical self care and treatment options. See below for the complete answer and step-by-step next moves you can take with your clinician.

Sudden weakness with excitement has three common patterns: cataplexy is emotion triggered limpness with full awareness for seconds, fainting usually starts with lightheadedness or sweating and leads to a brief blackout, and anxiety causes shakiness and generalized weakness without loss of muscle tone or consciousness. There are several factors to consider. See below for key triggers, duration differences, warning signs, when to seek urgent care, and what to track before talking with a doctor.

Many people confuse ulcerative colitis and IBS because their symptoms overlap, start at similar ages, and come and go; however, UC is an inflammatory disease with red flags like bloody stools and high fecal calprotectin, while IBS is a functional disorder with normal tests. There are several factors to consider to get the right diagnosis and next steps, including stool testing and colonoscopy and knowing when to seek care; see the complete details below, which could change what you do next.

Ulcerative colitis is a true inflammatory bowel disease that causes bloody diarrhea, weight loss, systemic symptoms and elevated inflammatory markers, confirmed by colonoscopy and treated with anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medicines, while IBS is a functional condition with non-bloody stool changes, pain often eased by bowel movements, normal tests, and diet and symptom-targeted therapy. There are several factors to consider, including red flag features that need prompt medical evaluation and different long-term risks such as colorectal cancer surveillance in UC but not IBS; see below for the key symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatment options, and next steps.

There are several clues that point to a central hypersomnia: an uncontrollable urge to sleep that persists despite 7 to 9 hours of regular sleep, daily unintended naps or pronounced sleep inertia, and narcolepsy features such as cataplexy, vivid hallucinations, or sleep paralysis; long unrefreshing sleep also supports this. There are several factors to consider, and confirmation typically involves a sleep specialist with sleep logs or actigraphy, an overnight polysomnogram, and a Multiple Sleep Latency Test, with urgent attention if safety is at risk such as drowsy driving; see below for important details that can guide your next steps.

Unrefreshing sleep often means your deep N3 and REM stages are fragmented or shortened, which can point to insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs or periodic limb movements, narcolepsy, parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders, and medical issues like depression, chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, neurologic disease, or liver disease. There are several factors to consider; see below for how it is evaluated (sleep history, diaries, actigraphy, sleep studies), red flags that warrant prompt care, and targeted treatments such as CBT-I, CPAP, iron when ferritin is low, circadian therapies, lifestyle changes, and management of underlying conditions.

Urgent diarrhea occurs when the gut moves contents too fast, pulls extra water into the stool, and the inflamed rectum becomes hypersensitive, creating a sudden, intense urge that overpowers normal sphincter control. There are several factors to consider; see below for key causes, at home steps like hydration and appropriate OTC meds, and the red flags that mean you should seek care now, especially with severe pain, fever, blood, symptoms beyond 48 hours, or if you have chronic illness or lower immunity.

Warning signs include trouble falling or staying asleep, feeling unrefreshed, taking over 30 minutes to fall back asleep, and daytime problems like persistent sleepiness, poor concentration, irritability, headaches, weight or blood pressure changes, and safety risks such as microsleeps or acting out dreams. There are several factors to consider, so see below to understand more, including when symptoms that occur at least three times a week for more than three weeks, reliance on sleep aids, loud snoring with gasping, or severe daytime drowsiness should prompt medical evaluation and guide your next steps in care.

Key tests include stool calprotectin or lactoferrin to detect intestinal inflammation and stool cultures including C. difficile, blood work such as CBC, CRP, and ESR, and, if inflammation is suspected or symptoms persist, colonoscopy with biopsy as the gold standard, with MR or CT enterography to assess small bowel involvement; a normal fecal calprotectin makes IBD very unlikely. There are several factors to consider. See below for important details on alternative causes to rule out like celiac and thyroid disease, when imaging or capsule endoscopy is useful, and red flag symptoms that should prompt urgent care.

Five common symptoms of pneumonia are a persistent cough (wet or dry), fever with chills, shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with deep breaths or coughing, and marked fatigue or malaise. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more, including other possible symptoms, urgent warning signs that need immediate care, and how pneumonia is diagnosed and treated, which could guide your next steps.

There are several foods that commonly worsen symptoms: high FODMAP and insoluble fiber items like raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and seeds; trans fat and ultra-processed foods; red and processed meats; and dairy if you are lactose intolerant. Sugary drinks and sweets, caffeine and alcohol, spicy foods, and certain additives such as sorbitol, mannitol, and MSG can also trigger diarrhea, gas, and cramping, especially during flares. There are several factors to consider; see below for specific examples, safer swaps during flares, tips to find your personal triggers, and when to contact a clinician.

Insomnia in women often results from hormonal changes (menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause), mental health issues (stress, anxiety, depression, trauma), lifestyle patterns (irregular schedules, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, evening screens or late workouts), medical conditions and pain (arthritis, reflux, asthma or sleep apnea, thyroid problems), and side effects from medications or supplements. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more, including how caregiving and work demands influence sleep, which red flags mean you should see a clinician, and the specific steps and treatments like CBT-I and sleep hygiene that can guide your next moves.

Insomnia is usually caused by a combination of medical factors (pain, sleep apnea, hormonal or neurologic conditions, medications and substances), psychological factors (stress, anxiety, depression, trauma), and behavioral or environmental factors (irregular schedules, screen use before bed, stimulating activities late, noise, light, circadian disruption). There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more about specific triggers, risk factors, warning signs, and evidence-based treatments like CBT-I and targeted lifestyle changes, which can influence the right next steps in your healthcare journey.

Most upper respiratory infections are caused by viruses such as rhinovirus, seasonal coronaviruses including COVID-19, influenza, RSV, parainfluenza, and adenovirus, which spread via respiratory droplets, close contact, and contaminated surfaces. Less often, bacteria can cause or follow a viral infection, and factors like colder seasons, young or older age, crowded settings, smoking, air pollution, allergies, chronic conditions, and stress increase risk and may affect next steps; see the complete details below.

Yeast infections occur when Candida albicans, a fungus that normally lives in the vagina, overgrows due to disruptions such as recent antibiotics that lower protective Lactobacillus and raise pH, higher estrogen levels, poorly controlled diabetes, weakened immunity, trapped heat and moisture, douching or scented products, high-sugar diets, and stress. There are several factors to consider; see below for key details that may change your next steps, including specific risk situations, prevention tips, typical symptoms, and when to seek medical care.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which throat muscles relax too much during sleep, repeatedly narrowing or blocking the airway and causing brief breathing pauses that lower oxygen and disrupt restorative sleep. It can cause loud snoring and daytime sleepiness and raises risks for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, but it is diagnosable and treatable with options like lifestyle changes, CPAP, and oral appliances. There are several factors to consider for symptoms, testing, and treatment choice, so see the complete details below to guide your next steps.

There is no instant cure, but the fastest way to feel better is to rest, stay well hydrated, use OTC pain and congestion relief, breathe moist air, and start zinc lozenges within 24 hours to shorten symptoms by about 1 to 2 days, with vitamin C offering a small additional benefit. There are important details about safe dosing, side effects, when to seek medical care, and red flag symptoms that could change your next steps; see the complete guidance below.

Fast, evidence-based overnight relief often comes from combining warm saltwater gargles, 1–2 teaspoons of honey before bed, an NSAID like ibuprofen, soothing lozenges or sprays, warm fluids, humidified air, and solid rest and hydration. There are several factors to consider, including whether the cause is viral or bacterial, safe dosing and who should avoid certain options, and red-flag symptoms; see the complete guidance below to tailor your plan and know when to seek care.

Green tea and chamomile are top choices; green tea’s catechins offer antiviral and anti-inflammatory support, while chamomile gently soothes and can aid sleep. Peppermint and ginger can ease discomfort, slippery elm coats the throat, echinacea may help a bit, and use licorice root sparingly, especially if you have high blood pressure; keep tea warm not hot and consider adding honey, avoiding it in children under 1. There are several factors to consider, including hydration tips and when to seek care for severe or persistent symptoms like high fever, trouble swallowing, or breathing issues; see below for complete guidance that can affect your next steps.