HB Mag Health Research Team
No, it is not safe to elevate a baby while sleeping. Raising the head of a crib mattress, propping a baby on a pillow, or letting an infant sleep in a car seat, swing, or bouncer for routine sleep all increase the risk of breathing problems and accidental suffocation. The safest sleep surface for an … Read more
Thrombocytopenia means a low number of platelets in the blood. On the skin, it most often shows up as small, flat, reddish-purple spots called petechiae, or as larger flat bruises called purpura. These marks do not fade when you press on them, which is the single most useful clue that separates them from a rash. … Read more
Most viral stomach bugs clear up on their own within one to three days, though some people feel off for up to a week or longer. The worst of the vomiting and diarrhea usually passes within 24 to 48 hours. Full recovery — getting your appetite and energy back — often takes a few days … Read more
A low white blood cell count is not a diagnosis on its own. It is a lab finding, and whether it should concern you depends almost entirely on how low the number is, which type of white cell is affected, and what else is happening in your body. Some people walk around with a mildly … Read more
You cannot see, smell, or taste carbon monoxide, so your detector is the only warning you get. The best way to tell if it is working is to press the test button once a month and confirm the alarm sounds, and to replace the unit by the date printed on its label. A detector that … Read more
No, humans cannot digest bones. Our stomach acid is strong enough to soften the surface of a small bone, but it cannot break down bone completely, and the hard mineral structure passes through the digestive tract largely intact. This is true for chicken bones, fish bones, and every other kind. What happens after you swallow … Read more
Headaches that arrive at the same time each day usually follow a pattern set by something in your routine or body clock. Common triggers include sleep timing, caffeine intake, blood sugar swings, eye strain, stress cycles, and the brain’s natural daily rhythms. When the timing is predictable, the cause is often predictable too. That predictability … Read more
You have an MRI on a disc, or a link to a portal, and you want to see what’s on it. Here is the short answer: MRI scans are stored in a medical imaging format called DICOM, and you need a DICOM viewer to open the files. The report that comes with the scan is … Read more
If you want cheese with less fat, the most reliable choices are fresh cheeses made from skim or part-skim milk: fat-free and low-fat cottage cheese, part-skim ricotta, and light mozzarella. These sit at the low end of the fat range for cheese. Hard aged cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan are concentrated sources of fat … Read more
Finding a lump in your breast is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care. A breast nodule is a discrete lump or mass in breast tissue. Most are benign — meaning not cancer — but any new lump deserves a proper evaluation. The causes range from harmless fluid-filled cysts and fibrous tissue … Read more