An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a disruptive, and sometimes dangerous, condition that affects a person’s ability to breathe regularly and continuously when sleeping. Luckily, once diagnosed, treatment of sleep apnea can be highly effective thanks to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently delivered more bad news to patients already affected by a major recall concerning particular Philips Respironics sleep apnea treatment devices, specifically CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and BiPAP (bi-level positive airway pressure) machines and ventilators. The machines were…
Modern medicine has transformed birth control into a way for women to have power over their own choices. More than a dozen options are available, from a daily pill or patch to a monthly injection to a tiny implant in the upper arm. One of…
It can be irritating when you toss and turn all night trying to get a good night’s sleep – but what if your lack of sleep is threatening your life? Approximately 25 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder that often…
In June 2021, Philips Respironics recalled millions of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and other respiratory devices after receiving complaints of defects and new or worsened illnesses from consumers. The complaints and legal claims that followed were due to the breakdown of the polyurethane (PE-PUR)…
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes people to experience irregular breathing when they sleep, leading many to wake up gasping for breath throughout the night. The possible complications of sleep apnea on the estimated 25 million Americans who suffer from it can be serious:…
The Paragard IUD is well-known as a long-term form of birth control. It’s the only non-hormonal IUD out of the five IUDs available in the U.S., meaning its users won’t experience hormonal-based side effects like headaches or nausea. However, it’s faced plenty of scrutiny over…
Despite the benefits of the IUD, it can also lead to numerous minor and major complications. These can include anemia, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and vaginitis.
Humans have used sutures to close wounds — surgical or otherwise — and hold them together as far back as Ancient Egypt. It wasn’t until 1908 that a Hungarian physician named Hümér Hültl attempted to advance wound closure methods by inventing the first surgical stapler.…
Minor scrapes and cuts can be easily treated with proper cleansing and bandaging. But when they are more serious, such as a laceration, gash or another type of break in the skin, medical intervention may be required. If so, the doctor will likely use staples…