Rates of reported mental health conditions have risen in the United States and many other countries over the past two decades. That rise is real in the data. What the data cannot tell us is whether more people are actually getting sick, or whether more people are willing to say so, seek help, and get … Read more
Spin comes from one thing: the racket face moving across the back of the ball at contact. To hit topspin, brush low to high with a closed face. To hit slice, brush high to low with an open face. More spin comes from faster racket head speed and a cleaner brushing path, not from swinging … Read more
Cold air does not infect you with a virus. It can, however, make you more vulnerable to one and trigger symptoms that feel like illness. The short answer: cold air itself is not contagious, but it can affect your body’s defenses and worsen conditions like asthma. Every winter, the same question comes up. And every … Read more
Collagenous colitis is a type of microscopic colitis. It causes chronic, watery diarrhea, but the colon looks normal on standard imaging — the diagnosis comes from a biopsy showing a thickened band of collagen under the lining of the colon. The short answer to what not to eat: there is no single official “collagenous colitis … Read more
Stretching does not build muscle. It improves flexibility and range of motion, but it does not create the mechanical tension or metabolic stress that triggers muscle growth. If your goal is bigger or stronger muscles, stretching alone will not get you there. That answer surprises people because stretching feels productive. It is productive — just … Read more
A 7-week-old who sleeps a lot is usually doing exactly what a 7-week-old is supposed to do. At this age, babies commonly sleep around 14 to 17 hours across a 24-hour period, and much of that is still split between day and night. The real question is not how many hours your baby logs, but … Read more
“Deep veins” is a term you may have heard during a leg ultrasound or in a conversation about circulation, and it refers to the large blood vessels that run deep inside your limbs, carrying most of the blood back to your heart. They sit beneath the muscle and fascia, far below the surface veins you … Read more
Salmonella Enteritidis is one of the most common types of Salmonella bacteria that cause foodborne illness in people. You get it by eating food contaminated with the bacteria — most often undercooked eggs or poultry — or by touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your hands near your mouth. It is not spread through the … Read more
Vaginal discharge changes color for many reasons, and yellow is one of the most misunderstood. A pale yellow tint can be entirely normal, especially near the end of a menstrual cycle or when discharge dries on underwear. But a bright yellow, greenish-yellow, or foul-smelling discharge is more often a sign of infection that needs medical … Read more
Heat does not make hair grow faster. No well-controlled human study has shown that warming the scalp increases hair growth, and the idea that heat “stimulates” follicles into producing more hair is not supported by clinical evidence. What heat can do is improve how a topical treatment penetrates the skin and make hair easier to … Read more