Most people lose weight after a tonsillectomy, not gain it. The surgery makes swallowing painful for a week or two, and many patients eat less and drop a few pounds. The weight question that actually matters is what happens after you heal. Keeping weight off means returning to normal eating patterns once your throat stops … Read more

Impulse control is the brain’s ability to pause between a urge and an action. When that pause is short or missing, it is not a character flaw. It comes down to how specific brain circuits, brain chemicals, sleep, stress, and environment interact. The prefrontal cortex — the front part of the brain behind your forehead … Read more

Most swollen ankles get better with three things you can do at home: elevate the leg above heart level, apply cold packs for short periods, and keep the ankle gently moving as pain allows. If the swelling came on suddenly after an injury, rest and protect the joint first. If it appeared gradually without injury, … Read more

Rudolf Virchow was a 19th-century German physician and scientist who is called the father of modern pathology because he was the first to argue, systematically and with evidence, that disease arises from changes in individual cells rather than from the body as a whole. His idea, published in the mid-1800s, that every cell comes from … Read more

Yes, rosacea can be itchy. Itching is not the symptom most people associate with rosacea, but it is a real and often frustrating part of the condition for many people who have it. The itch tends to show up alongside redness, flushing, and the stinging or burning that are the hallmarks of rosacea. That said, … Read more

Yes, ovulation can be painful. The medical term is mittelschmerz — German for “middle pain” — and it’s a real, recognized phenomenon that some women feel as a mild twinge and others as a sharper ache on one side of the lower belly. It’s usually harmless and brief. But pain around mid-cycle can also come … Read more