Corey Whelan is a health writer and patient advocate based in New York. She contributes regularly to HealthlIne, Verywell Health, and other client sites
Best Mattresses Under $500 of 2024
Best Overall
It can be hard to find a budget-priced firm mattress that’s comfortable to sleep on. The Avenco Zone Hybrid Mattress was chosen as our best overall pick because it combines an affordable price with important features like soft and cooling gel foam, edge support, motion isolation, and pressure-point relief. Many customer reviews of this mattress reference a reduction in back pain.
The upper layer is made from eco-friendly modal, a bio-based, skin-friendly fabric made from spun bee...
Side Effects of Removing Ovaries During or After Menopause
If you’re at high risk for ovarian cancer, you may be thinking about reducing that risk by having your ovaries removed – what’s known as a preventative bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) (which means the removal of both fallopian tubes and ovaries). No matter what your age, this is a highly personal decision.
The benefits and risks of an oophorectomy are certainly not one-size-fits-all. If you’re considering this procedure, either during perimenopause or after menopause, it may help to red...
Insurance and financial assistance for hearing aids
It’s no secret that hearing loss can adversely affect quality of life. If you’re avoiding social situations because you can’t hear well, or find yourself cranking up the TV louder than you used to, it may be time for hearing aids.
Hearing aids are the first line of defense for correcting hearing loss, but can be expensive. For premium hearing aids, the average cost is $2,000-$3,000 per device.
Getting insurance to cover the cost of hearing aids was once an impossible dream, but now, there are...
Medicare coverage and hearing aids
Medicare is a federal health insurance program that covers people who are 65 or older, as well as younger people with disabilities or serious diseases.
However, Medicare does not cover all costs of medical services, which is where the rules get tricky.
There are a number of factors affecting coverage of hearing aids, so it is imperative you take the different kinds of coverage available into consideration.
Understanding Medicare
Medicare (Part A and B), also known as Original Medicare
Medicar...
Will OTC hearing aids help with tinnitus?
Experts say it's possible but professional help is recommended
Tinnitus can be hard to live with. The ringing, hissing, and buzzing sounds caused by this condition can be loud, incessant, and difficult to ignore. For many people, tinnitus adversely affects quality of life by hampering communication, disrupting sleep, and causing isolation and anxiety.
Hearing loss and tinnitus facts
Hearing loss and tinnitus are strong linked. About 90% of people with tinnitus also have hearing loss, accordin...
What is reactive tinnitus?
When external noises trigger or worsen ringing in the ears
Tinnitus (ear ringing) is the perception of phantom sound that doesn’t have an external cause. If you have tinnitus and noises in your environment seem to affect the intensity, you may have what's known as reactive tinnitus.
“Reactive tinnitus is a form of tinnitus that changes in loudness, quality, or pitch, in response to average or even low-level noise,” explains Dr. Brian Taylor, AuD, Senior Director of Audiology at Signia. It can...
What Is Follicular Lymphoma?
Follicular lymphoma is a slow-growing form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Lymphomas are grouped into two categories—Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma starts in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Follicular lymphoma accounts for 20%–30% of all NHL cases.1
Follicular lymphoma is a chronic condition that is not usually curable. This can be scary to hear. However, people can live many years with follicular lymphoma.
This article will discuss symptoms, diagnosis, and prog...
Understanding FDA Regulations and What They Mean for Menopause Dietary Supplements
Menopause may be a natural part of life, but it’s not without uncomfortable symptoms. Dietary supplements designed to address certain menopause symptoms can often help, but many may wonder if the supplements they’re taking are FDA vetted or approved, and what the regulatory process is like for bringing them to market.
It’s important that you trust and feel good about the supplements you choose to take. In order to do that, it may help to understand how the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA...
Supplements for Fibromyalgia
Treatment for fibromyalgia may include medication, lifestyle changes, and holistic approaches. Herbs and supplements may help, but research is generally older, limited, and lacking in long-term results.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder. Symptoms can include fatigue, brain fog, and widespread pain.
People with this condition often have sensitive, painful points in specific areas of their bodies. They also have chronic pain in muscles, ligaments, and joints. This pain comes and goes over time...
How tinnitus apps helped me find my own peace and quiet
What is tinnitus? This personal story offers a roadmap to tinnitus survival when you're first diagnosed.
Comparing Ovarian Cancer Treatment Options
Ovarian cancer starts when cells grow out of control in, on, or near one or both ovaries. The most commonly used treatment for ovarian cancer is surgery.1
Chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted drug therapy are other therapies are used to treat ovarian cancer. These therapies may be combined with each other or with surgical treatment.
This article will discuss the treatments used for ovarian cancer and provide information about their success rates and side effects.
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Types of MEN (Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia) Syndromes
Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes, commonly known as MEN syndromes, are rare, genetic disorders that cause multiple tumors to form within the endocrine system. MEN syndrome tumors may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).1
The endocrine system is comprised of glands, organs, and other structures. It's responsible for producing, regulating, and releasing hormones throughout the body. MEN syndrome tumors can form anywhere within this system.
The major forms of MEN syndromes a...
A Reemergence of Measles: How Does It Affect the Lab?
Measles, an RNA virus, has caused illness and death worldwide for centuries. It was first referenced in the medical literature in Persia, during the ninth century. In 1757, a Scottish physician named Frances Home discovered that measles was caused by a pathogen which could be identified in blood.1
In the U.S. during the early 1900s, thousands of people, mostly children, were sickened and died annually from measles. By 1912, laboratories were required to report all diagnosed cases when it beca...
The EPIDEM Model of Quality Improvement: A Q&A with Yaolin Zhou, MD
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Quality improvement (QI) is necessary for improving laboratory services and ultimately patient outcomes, but existing QI tools can be complicated and confusing to implement in real world settings, such as the clinical laboratory.
Yaolin Zhou, MD, is an Associate Professor of Pathology at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine. Her background in public policy at Duke Universi...
Does Medicare cover cochlear implants? What about bone-anchored hearing aids?
As people age, hearing loss becomes increasingly common. It can also worsen over time. Most people with hearing loss benefit significantly from hearing aids. But sometimes, hearing aids aren’t enough to provide ample hearing ability. In those instances, hearing implant solutions such as cochlear implants or bone-anchored hearing systems (also referred to as bone-anchored hearing aids or BAHA), may help.
Medicare covers hearing implant solutions for recipients who meet specific eligibility cri...