Doctor-Reviewed Health Guides: Conditions, Procedures & Health News

Pelvic exenteration is a major surgery that removes organs in the pelvis to treat advanced or recurrent cancer, most often gynecologic cancers such as cervical cancer. You may need a urostomy or colostomy afterward. Full recovery may take six months to a year. It's usually a last-resort option when cure is still possible.

Digoxin is a heart medicine made from the foxglove plant that helps the heart pump more strongly and slows the heart rate. It treats heart failure, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. The helpful amount is close to the toxic amount, so too much can cause dangerous heart rhythms. Warning signs include nausea, vomiting and yellow, green or blurry vision.

Beta-agonists are medicines that bind to and activate beta-receptors in your body, best known as bronchodilators that relax airway muscles to treat asthma and COPD. Short-acting types work within about 15 minutes during an attack; long-acting types are used daily and, for asthma, always with a corticosteroid. Common side effects include a fast heartbeat and shakiness.

Habit reversal training (HRT) is a behavioral therapy that helps you stop or reduce an unwanted habit by replacing it with a different behavior. It's mainly used for body-focused repetitive behaviors such as nail-biting, skin picking and hair pulling, and for tics. The main steps are awareness training and competing response training with a mental health provider.

Bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) therapy is a type of immunotherapy that uses lab-made antibodies to link cancer-fighting T-cells to cancer cells so the T-cells can kill them. It's used when other treatments haven't worked for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, lung cancer and melanoma. The main risks are cytokine release syndrome and a nervous system reaction called ICANS.

A vampire breast lift (VBL), or PRP breast lift, is a nonsurgical procedure that injects platelet-rich plasma made from your own blood into your breasts. It can't lift sagging breasts, increase cup size or remove excess skin. The visit takes under an hour. Scientists haven't studied how well it works or its long-term safety.

Carotid artery stenting is a minimally invasive procedure that places a small metal mesh tube (stent) in a narrowed carotid artery in the neck to improve blood flow to the brain and lower stroke risk. It takes one to two hours with an overnight stay. Studies show results similar to carotid endarterectomy over 10 years.

Aldosterone antagonists are prescription medicines that block aldosterone, a hormone that makes the kidneys hold on to salt and water, so the body releases extra fluid while keeping potassium. They treat heart failure, hard-to-control high blood pressure and hyperaldosteronism. Common ones are spironolactone, eplerenone and finerenone. The main risk is high potassium.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is an eating plan that removes certain carbohydrates, including all grains, most sugars and high-lactose dairy. It's used to help manage Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It may bring a digestive disease into remission for some people, but it's hard to follow and may cause nutrient gaps.

Biosimilars are medicines that are highly similar to biologics, drugs made from living organisms. They must pass rigorous FDA testing to show the same benefits without added risk. They treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. They usually cost less, and the FDA states they're as safe and effective as the original biologic.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are cancer treatments that combine targeted therapy and chemotherapy in one drug. A monoclonal antibody attaches to cancer cells, then a linker releases a chemotherapy drug inside them, helping spare healthy cells. ADCs treat some blood cancers and tumors such as certain breast, lung and ovarian cancers. They don't cure cancer.

A peripheral IV (peripheral intravenous catheter) is a thin, flexible tube placed into a vein, usually in the back of the hand, inner elbow or foot. It's the most common IV device in healthcare and is used to give fluids, medicines, blood transfusions and liquid nutrition, and to draw blood. It's usually replaced every 72 to 96 hours.

A prosthetic foot replaces part or all of a natural foot after amputation, helping you walk and stay active. The most common reason for foot amputation is diabetes-related foot problems. A prosthetist custom-makes it over several weeks, and getting used to it can take months. Most prosthetic feet last three to five years.

SMILE eye surgery (small incision lenticule extraction) is a minimally invasive laser procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. Unlike LASIK, there's no corneal flap, so it causes less nerve and tissue damage. Surgery takes minutes per eye with no stitches, and most people return to normal routines in one to two days.

A pudendal nerve block is an injection of numbing medicine near the pudendal nerve in the pelvis, which supplies the genital and anal area. It's used to diagnose and treat chronic pelvic pain from pudendal neuralgia and as regional anesthesia for childbirth. Relief can last days to years, though about 20% of blocks don't work.

A sliding genioplasty, also called an osseous genioplasty, is surgery that reshapes the chin by cutting and moving part of the chin bone. It's mostly cosmetic but is also used for reconstruction. The incision is inside the mouth, so there's no visible scar. Most people return to work in 7 to 10 days.

Cervical traction is a treatment for neck pain that gently pulls the head to create space between the bones in the neck, reducing pressure on nerves and easing muscle tension. It's used for pinched nerves, neck sprains, spinal stenosis and degenerative disk disease. It has very few risks, though relief may be temporary.

LED light therapy is a noninvasive skin treatment that uses light-emitting diodes to send different colors of light into the skin. Blue light may kill acne-causing bacteria, while red light may calm inflammation and boost collagen. In-office sessions take about 20 minutes and are painless. Avoid it if you take sun-sensitizing medicines or have a history of skin cancer.

Heliox is a mix of helium and oxygen that helps people who have trouble breathing. Because helium is lighter than nitrogen, heliox flows more easily through narrowed airways, which reduces the work of breathing. It's used for airway blockages, severe asthma attacks and COPD. It doesn't treat the underlying condition; it buys time while other treatments work.

A monsplasty, or pubic lift, is surgery that removes extra skin and fat from the mons pubis, the mound above the pubic bone, to lift, tighten and reshape the area. Extra tissue often comes from aging, pregnancy or major weight loss. Most people go home the same day. Results are usually permanent if your weight stays stable.

Urethroplasty is surgery to repair or rebuild the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body, after scar tissue narrows it (urethral stricture). A urologist removes the scarred section and reconnects the ends or rebuilds it with healthy tissue. Success rates are 85% to 90% for simple repairs and about 80% for complex ones.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty, also called a liquid nose job, uses dermal fillers to temporarily reshape the nose without surgery. It takes 45 minutes or less, and results last about six months. It can't make the nose smaller or fix breathing problems. Choose an experienced licensed professional, since rare complications include tissue death and vision loss.

A glossectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the tongue, mainly to treat tongue cancer. Rarely, it's used for severe obstructive sleep apnea or an enlarged tongue. Larger removals often need reconstruction with tissue from the forearm, thigh or chest. Most people stay in the hospital about a week, and speech therapy helps with speaking and swallowing.

An elemental diet is a short-term medical treatment in which a liquid formula that needs very little digestion replaces food. This lets the gut rest, eases inflammation and starves bacteria of undigested food. It's used for SIBO, Crohn's disease and eosinophilic esophagitis, usually for two to eight weeks. Always follow it with medical supervision.