Author: Reyna Baker

C. diff is the name of a common, easily transmittable infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile. The infection causes your colon (bowel) wall to become inflamed, resulting in severe, watery diarrhea. Left untreated, it can cause a serious complication called toxic megacolon.C. diff affects about 250,000 people in the United States every year. Some people get it only once in their lifetime, but if you have a C. diff infection, there is up to a 1 in 4 chance you might relapse (the same infection returns) or get it again within eight weeks. People at the highest risk for…

Kim LedgerwoodHealthyWomen’s Editorial DirectorAs HealthyWomen’s editorial director, Kim oversees the production of all content and ensures that it is aligned with our mission and meets our high editorial standards.Kim is an editor and award-winning copywriter with more than 25 years of experience. She started her career as a copywriter and broadcast producer at the Southeast’s largest full-service advertising agency, The Tombras Group. Since then, she has worked for a wide variety of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to indie authors across multiple industries and topics.She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,…

As told to Nicole Audrey SpectorLast January, I came down with a bad sinus infection, so I went to urgent care. The doctor looked in my ears for approximately two-tenths of a second and told me there was fluid in them. I needed antibiotics. I was relieved. The antibiotics would cure me! But the days that followed were awful. I had a lot of pain in my stomach and was increasingly sensitive to most foods. I’d long had mild symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — though I’ve never been officially diagnosed. Those symptoms — particularly urgency to go…

If you haven’t heard of C. diff before, it’s the common name for a bacterial infection in the colon caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile. C. diff bacterial spores are all around in the environment, including healthcare settings, non-healthcare settings and even on the soles of shoes. Unfortunately, that means it can easily be transferred into your colon through your mouth. If you touch an object that has C. diff on it and you bring your hand to your mouth, you can introduce the bacterium into your gastrointestinal (GI) system. You can also get the bacterium from someone who has…

Medically reviewed by Maria Vazquez Roque, M.D.Stomach viruses tend to strike quickly, cause some serious trouble in the digestive system for a few days and then vanish as quickly as they arrived. But C. diff is a different kind of stomach bug. It’s a bacterial infection that’s different in a few key ways. How? The first hint is in its name:Clostridioides difficile. C.diff can be difficult because it’s the stomach bug that might not leave, even after the party in your colon is over and your symptoms have disappeared. In fact, up to 1 in 4 people who get C.…

Kim LedgerwoodHealthyWomen’s Editorial DirectorAs HealthyWomen’s editorial director, Kim oversees the production of all content and ensures that it is aligned with our mission and meets our high editorial standards.Kim is an editor and award-winning copywriter with more than 25 years of experience. She started her career as a copywriter and broadcast producer at the Southeast’s largest full-service advertising agency, The Tombras Group. Since then, she has worked for a wide variety of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to indie authors across multiple industries and topics.She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,…

Covid might not be a public health emergency anymore — but it’s not over yet. It’s still an ongoing health concern. In fact, there were more than 14,000 hospitalizations from Covid in the U.S. in the first week of November alone. At HealthyWomen, we know women play an important role when it comes to the health of their families. So, we collaborated with Novavax and actor, mother and business owner Nicole Ari Parker to build awareness, educate and encourage women to learn about Covid vaccine options to help protect themselves and their families from the virus. Know your Covid vaccine…

‘Tis the season for fun, festivities … and the flu. We know — whomp, whomp — but the flu is nothing to sneeze at. For some people, the flu can be a serious, life-threatening illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated as many as 670,000 people were hospitalized with the flu between October 2022 and April 2023. And during that time, as many as 98,000 people died from a flu-related illness.Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones during flu season. “Prioritize taking care of you,” said HealthyWomen CEO Beth Battaglino,…

This Thanksgiving, HealthyWomen is grateful to President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and the White House Gender Policy Council for launching the first-ever Initiative on Women’s Health Research.At HealthyWomen, we know women’s health is more than gynecological or reproductive health. It is the head-to-toe health of all women — who represent more than half of the nation’s population.For far too long, women’s health research has been underfunded and women have been underrepresented in clinical trials. We have made progress since the days when little men were used as stand-ins for women in clinical trials, but a lot of work still…

Si vives con obesidad, obtener atención y otro apoyo que mereces puede ser difícil. El seguro podría no cubrir todos los tratamientos más novedosos o programas especiales. Y tus costos podrían sumar altas cantidades si tu plan de seguro no cubre los servicios que necesitas. Los tratamientos para la obesidad podrían incluir: Medicamentos contra la obesidadOrientación nutricional u otra terapiaProgramas de disminución de pesoProductos digitales farmacéuticos con prescripción (PDT, por sus siglas en inglés)Cirugías de disminución de pesoConsultas y atención de especialistas de la obesidadSi tu plan no ofrece estos tratamientos o servicios, puedes pedir a tu departamento de recursos…