Winchester Star: Health

When you hear the term “compressions socks,” what comes to mind? If you thought of your grandparents, you’re not alone.We’re here to tell you that today’s compression socks aren’t the ones our grandparents wore to promote blood flow in the legs and ease the pain of varicose veins.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Q: Can someone really become allergic to meat because of an insect bite?A: From an insect bite, no (not to my knowledge). But from an arachnid bite (ticks, like spiders and scorpions, are arachnids), yes.Ticks (there are more than 800 species) sometimes carry certain bacteria, viruses and/or other substances in their saliva.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

What if we told you of a magic pill that when consumed daily could help prevent obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, mental distress and might even help stave off anxiety and Alzheimer’s.This pill would also be guaranteed to help you feel better and make you more alert, energetic, and focused.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Q: I am only 21 but I think I have hemorrhoids. Is that possible?A: Hemorrhoids are normal structures in the anal canal that are made up of connective tissue surrounding the communicating blood vessels between the small rectal arteries and veins.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

As our nation continues to grapple with the opioid addiction crisis, we now have another problem: finding safe, non-addictive ways to treat people with chronic pain.The medical community found out the hard way that the supposed new wave of opioid-based “cures” for pain — drugs such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin — turned out in some cases to be virtual gateways to drug abuse.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Q: My sister developed low calcium levels after having thyroid surgery for thyroid cancer. Does the thyroid gland control calcium levels?A: Although the thyroid gland (which produces thyroid hormone) helps control metabolism, growth and development (and more), it does not control calcium levels.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

There’s a good chance many of us will not climb Mount Everest in our lifetime. But we probably have a good shot at conquering Great Blue Hill outside Boston or Mount Washington in New Hampshire.The same can be said of making steep promises to ourselves in the form of a New Year’s resolution.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Q: My friend, who is a nurse, said she thinks I may have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. What is this?A: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, EDS, is a disease of the connective tissues that are responsible for connecting, binding, supporting, giving elasticity to, and strengthening body and body organ connections.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

While marketed as an alternative to cigarettes, vaping may not be as safe as originally thought.As of Wednesday, Sept. 11, at least six people have died, and many others have been sickened this summer from a "mysterious lung illness" linked to vaping, underscoring what many health officials have believed and warned about for years.More than 450 cases of respiratory illnesses resulting in coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting or fatigue have been [...]

Admit it, guys. We have a hard time talking about stuff that goes on below the belt. That’s why we joked about anatomy when we were teens and shy away from talking about it when we’re at the doctor’s office.As we age, though, it’s more important than ever to speak up when we start to notice problems.One place in particular that men must pay attention to as they age is their prostate.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share