HB Mag Health Research Team
Soap does both. It physically lifts bacteria, viruses, and dirt off your skin so water can rinse them away, and the surfactants in soap also break apart the outer membranes of many germs, killing some of them outright. The washing away matters more than most people realize. Handwashing with soap is one of the most … Read more
Menopause is not a single event. It is a transition, and the symptoms most people mean when they say “menopause” usually last about four years from the final menstrual period, though the full span from the first changes to the last period can run closer to seven years or longer. Some people move through it … Read more
A free T4 blood test measures the amount of thyroxine (T4) in your blood that is not attached to proteins. This is the “free” or unbound portion, and it is the form your body can actually use. The test helps show how well your thyroid is working and whether your body has enough usable thyroid … Read more
Losing weight and watching your skin loosen are two things that often happen together. When you lose fat, the skin that was stretched over it has less volume to fill. Whether it tightens back depends mostly on how much weight you lost, how fast you lost it, your age, and your genetics. There is no … Read more
Your feet are the farthest point from your heart, so circulation there depends on a system that has to work against gravity every time you stand. The most effective ways to increase circulation in feet are to keep the calf muscles active, stay physically active overall, avoid sitting or standing still for long stretches, and … Read more
Tasting your own breath is not imaginary. It happens when odor molecules in your mouth reach the back of your throat and travel up to your nasal passages — a short trip that lets you smell your own breath from the inside. Most of the time, the cause is something in the mouth itself. Bacteria … Read more
Yogurt can help your digestive system, but not in the simple way most people assume. The live bacteria in some yogurts can survive the trip through stomach acid and reach your intestines. Whether they change anything once they get there depends on the strain, the dose, and what is already living in your gut. The … Read more
An endometrioma is a cyst that forms when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows inside an ovary and bleeds with each menstrual cycle. The trapped blood turns dark and thick over time, which is why it is sometimes called a chocolate cyst. Symptoms can include pelvic pain, painful periods, and pain during … Read more
A renal function test is a group of blood and urine tests that show how well your kidneys are filtering waste from your blood. The most common version is a blood test that measures creatinine, a waste product your muscles make, and uses it to estimate your glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Your kidneys filter about … Read more
POCD stands for perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder — obsessive-compulsive symptoms that appear or worsen during pregnancy or in the first year after birth. It is not a form of postpartum psychosis, and it does not mean a parent is dangerous. The obsessions usually center on the baby’s safety or on fears of being a bad parent, … Read more