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If you’re feeling constantly exhausted and sluggish, you might have a condition called anemia. Anemia is a common blood disorder that many people develop at some point in their lives. Many types of anemia are mild and short term. But the condition can become serious if left untreated for a long time. The good news is that anemia often can be prevented and easily corrected by getting enough iron.…

You’re one of a kind. It’s not just your eyes, smile, and personality. Your health, risk for disease, and the ways you respond to medicines are also unique. Medicines that work well for some people may not help you at all. They might even cause problems. Wouldn’t it be nice if treatments and preventive care could be designed just for you? The careful matching of your biology to your medical care…, TPMT, gene test to help doctors choose the right dosage of medicine to prevent toxic side effects. Some HIV-infected patients are severely allergic to treatment drugs, and genetic tests can help identify who can safely take the medicines. “By screening to know who shouldn’t get certain drugs, we can prevent life-threatening side effects,” Long says. Pharmacogenomics is also being used for cancer…

More than half of all sexually active people get a genital infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in their lives, but most never know it. As a result, they might be spreading the virus to others without realizing it. Fortunately, vaccines are available to protect against the most harmful forms of HPV. These vaccines work best if given well before a person becomes sexually…

It can be a labor of love, and sometimes a job of necessity. A total of about 43 million U.S. adults provide unpaid care for someone with a serious health condition each year. These often-unsung heroes provide hours of assistance to others. Yet the stress and strain of caregiving can take a toll on their own health. NIH-funded researchers are working to understand the risks these caregivers face…

About two-thirds of your body weight is water. All your cells need water to work. Water is also the base for all your different body fluids, including saliva, blood, urine, sweat, and joint fluid. No living thing can survive without water. How do you know if you’re drinking enough? Your body loses water when you sweat, go to the bathroom, and even when you just breathe out. So, you need to drink…

Everyone goes through tough times in life. But many things can help you survive—and even thrive—during stressful periods. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Learning healthy ways to cope and how to draw from resources in your community can help you build resilience. “Resilience is the extent to which we can bounce back from adverse events, cope with stress, or succeed in the face of adversity…, Finding Your Strengths, Stress can cause wear and tear on the body and brain. Chronic stress has been linked to an increased risk of many health conditions. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. Many stressful situations can’t easily be changed by one person. And some—such as parenting or a challenging job—can be things you want to do, even if they’re taxing. But resilience isn’t…, Tapping Into Resources, Another part of resilience is about using the resources available to you. More and more, researchers are understanding that resilience doesn’t happen in a vacuum. “The presence of resilience in a person is related to the supports around them,” Burt says. For example, she and her team found that growing up in a very impoverished neighborhood can change the way a child’s brain develops. But when…, Choosing Your Tools, The tools that best help you offset stress can differ from situation to situation, says Bergeman. “Sometimes you have a stressor where you need to take action and solve the problem. But for other types of stressors, maybe you need emotional support,” she says. “A way to think about resilience may be: How do you match what you need with the kinds of tools that you have?” In a way, practice makes…

Pregnancy and childbirth can be a joyous time. But growing and delivering a baby are some of the most challenging things the human body can do. These processes can put so much strain on the body’s systems that they may lead to serious health problems. Most people have healthy pregnancies. Millions of births occur each year in the U.S. But, more than 50,000 people have serious health problems…, Warning Signs, The body goes through many changes during pregnancy. So women may dismiss some potentially concerning symptoms. “But you can catch a significant number of life-threatening conditions just by listening to your body and not ignoring certain things,” says Dr. Luis Pacheco, a pregnancy expert at the University of Texas. “If something doesn’t feel right, talk about it with your care provider,” says Dr…, Addressing Health Problems, There are effective treatments for many pregnancy-related health problems. Some drugs used for diabetes and mental health conditions can be used safely during pregnancy. Your doctor may prescribe aspirin to prevent a dangerous condition called preeclampsia if they find signs that you’re at high risk. Preeclampsia can turn into a deadly condition called eclampsia. NIH-funded researchers are now…, Staying Healthy After Delivery, Health risks from pregnancy don’t end after delivery. Serious health problems can begin up to a year after giving birth. But the weeks right after delivery can be especially important. “The first six weeks after pregnancy is another important time for women to pay attention to their own health. Most deaths happen in that short time after delivery,” Catov explains. “It’s a time when women are very…

Winter brings many opportunities for cold-weather fun. But it can also bring dangerous temperatures. As you venture outdoors this season, take care to keep yourself safe from cold-weather hazards like hypothermia. “Hypothermia is when the body’s core temperature decreases below 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Dr. Basil Eldadah, an NIH aging expert. Hypothermia can happen when you’re exposed to very…

You may have gotten your driver’s license the day you turned 16. By the time you retire, you could have driven daily for more than half a century. But for some people, there comes a time in the aging process when driving becomes dangerous. “On the whole, older drivers are safe,” says Dr. Marian Betz, an expert in healthy aging at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. “They tend to…

Coping with emergencies is challenging in the best of situations. During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us are just trying to get by each day. For people with chronic (long-term) health conditions—like diabetes and chronic kidney disease—the challenges can be even greater. But with planning, you can prepare what you’ll need to make things more manageable. “Thankfully, people with chronic…