HB Mag Health Research Team
Lowering a crib mattress is the standard safety advice as babies grow. But some parents look for ways to raise the mattress slightly for various reasons. The safest approach is to never modify the crib or mattress support system yourself. Instead, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting the mattress height using the pre-drilled holes or … Read more
A mold allergy can look like a never-ending cold that just won’t go away. You might sneeze, have a runny nose, or feel like your eyes are constantly itching and watering. The key difference from a standard cold is timing — these symptoms often last for weeks or months, and they tend to get worse … Read more
Adapalene is a retinoid that works by binding to specific retinoid receptors in your skin cells to normalize how they grow, shed, and turn over. Unlike harsher retinoids, it targets acne at the cellular level by reducing inflammation and preventing the formation of microcomedones — the tiny blockages that turn into pimples. It also helps … Read more
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mono, you have likely heard the same thing from different people: rest, wait, and it will go away. But then you also hear that the virus never truly leaves your body. This is confusing. So here is the direct answer: mono is not curable in … Read more
Every time you take a breath, about 78% of the air filling your lungs is nitrogen gas. Unlike oxygen, which your body actively pulls into the bloodstream, nitrogen largely passes through your lungs unchanged and gets breathed right back out. Your body has no biological machinery to break molecular nitrogen apart or use it directly. … Read more
Stress can directly cause hair loss by pushing hair follicles out of their normal growth cycle. Three specific types of stress-related hair loss exist: telogen effluvium (temporary shedding), alopecia areata (immune system attacks follicles), and trichotillomania (hair pulling). The mechanism involves stress hormones like cortisol disrupting the natural rhythm of hair growth, causing follicles to … Read more
If your doctor ordered a stool test and mentioned pancreatic elastase, you likely have one main question: what does a high number mean? The short answer is that a high pancreatic elastase level — typically above 500 µg/g of stool — is not usually a sign of disease. It simply means your pancreas is producing … Read more
An SGOT (AST) blood test measures the level of aspartate aminotransferase, an enzyme found mainly in your liver and heart. When cells in these organs are damaged, they leak AST into your bloodstream, raising the level. This test is a standard part of a liver panel and helps doctors screen for liver damage, but it … Read more
Putting in contact lenses starts with clean, dry hands. Wash them with soap and water, then dry with a lint-free towel. Place the lens on your fingertip, check it is not inside out, and hold your upper eyelid open. Look up and place the lens on the lower white part of your eye. Gently close … Read more
De novo sequencing is a DNA sequencing method used to read the genetic code of an organism for the first time, without using any existing reference genome as a guide. Unlike resequencing, which compares new DNA data to a known map, de novo sequencing builds that map from scratch by assembling millions of short DNA … Read more