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Do you have tingling or numbness in your hand or fingers? It could be a sign that you have carpal tunnel syndrome. Often, you’ll get pain in your thumb, index, and middle finger. You may find that your hands are clumsy, and it’s harder to grip things. Symptoms of carpal tunnel usually start slowly. Many people first notice the signs overnight because they sleep with their wrists bent. As time…

A recent study found that deaths involving alcohol more than doubled in the U.S. between 1999 and 2017. Alcohol can take a serious toll on your health. Drinking too much can lead to death from an accident or overdose. People can also die from health problems related to drinking. These include certain cancers and liver, heart, and pancreas problems. Researchers analyzed data from U.S. death…

Technology can be especially valuable for people in remote areas or places with few medical professionals. Using portable devices, health care providers can test and treat patients without them coming into the office. This practice is called telehealth. A doctor in a rural area can consult on a patient’s scan with a specialist in another state. Someone with diabetes can monitor their blood sugar…

Get information about conditions that affect your bones, joints, muscles, and skin in several Asian languages. NIH has free, easy-to-read information in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Learn more about topics like arthritis, acne, back pain, and more.

Summer can be a bummer if outdoor fun is interrupted by the irritating buzz of mosquitoes. Their bites not only create itchy red bumps on your skin; they also carry the risk of disease. NIH-funded scientists are working to find better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent mosquito-borne illnesses. And we can all take simple steps to avoid getting bit by those blood-sucking insects. Most mosquito…

Being social and making friends isn’t always easy. Relationships have many subtleties. But people with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, struggle more than most. For them, communicating with others can be very difficult. Autism is called a “spectrum” disorder because it’s not the same for everyone. Generally, people with autism both have difficulties with social communication and engage in…, Early Detection, Diagnosing ASD can be difficult. There are no medical tests. Doctors can only look at a child’s behavior as they age. The symptoms of ASD usually appear around age two. That’s why experts recommend children be screened for autism at their 18- and 24-month well-child visits. “Children with autism don’t look like they have symptoms in the first year of life,” says Dr. Joseph Piven, a child…, Innovative Interventions, Getting treatment as early as possible may help change the way a child develops. “In early infancy, the brain is considered much easier to change and so interventions may have a bigger effect,” Piven says. Current treatments for autism involve behavioral therapy. “One of the most widely used strategies is called applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy,” explains Wall. “This therapy uses tools…, Personalized Treatments, Because autism is different for each person, researchers are searching for ways to identify which treatments will work best for whom. “They’re looking for different markers that are associated with different types of social difficulties,” Gilotty says. “If you can begin to identify those brain differences, then you can develop treatments around them.” People with ASD will face different…

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. There are many types of HPV. Most are fairly harmless. Some can cause genital warts, and others certain cancers. Anyone who is sexually active can get one of these harmful types of HPV. Most people don’t know they have the virus. “Over a lifetime, up to 80% of people will be exposed to this virus,” says Dr.…

A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body’s fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. New melanocytes are made from melanocyte stem cells that live in the hair follicle at the base of your hair strand. As we age, these stem cells gradually disappear…

If you’re a parent, you may wonder how to talk about opioids with your child. By knowing the facts, you can have an open conversation with your child about the risks. You’ll also be better able to spot signs of a problem with opioids. NIH has developed a guide to help you begin the conversation. Opioids include medications like prescription painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin. They work by…

Get the latest information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak all in one place. Learn science-based recommendations on how best to protect you and your family. Find the facts about the situation in the U.S. as it evolves.