Alcohol use disorder (sometimes called alcoholism) is a common medical condition. People with this condition can’t stop drinking, even if their alcohol use upends their lives and the lives of those around them. Alcohol use disorder can be mild, moderate or severe. Treatments may include medication and behavioral therapy. While people with this condition may start drinking again, studies show …

A wheat allergy is one of the most common types of food allergies. Your immune system overreacts to wheat you’ve ingested (eaten or drunk) or inhaled (breathed in). For many people, ingesting wheat is harmless. However, if you have a wheat allergy, your immune system views wheat as a harmful “invader,” like a bacterium or virus. A wheat allergy can be deadly. If …

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It’s a sign of infection or injury to the tissues. Several things can cause hepatitis, including viruses and toxins. Heavy alcohol use is also one of them. Acute alcohol-induced hepatitis (formerly known as alcoholic hepatitis) might only be a temporary response to overindulgence. But when alcohol-induced hepatitis becomes a chronic condition, it threatens to do permanent damage to your …

Most healthy people lose up to 100 strands of hair per day. As part of your hair’s growth cycle, new strands grow and take the place of the ones you shed. When you start to shed more strands — and fewer or none grow back — the condition is considered alopecia (hair loss). There are several types of hair loss, and it …

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a disorder marked by blood vessel inflammation. This inflammation can restrict blood flow to organs and tissues, sometimes permanently damaging them. This condition is also known as eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Adult-onset asthma is the most common sign of Churg-Strauss syndrome. The disorder can also cause other problems, such as nasal allergies, sinus problems, rash, gastrointestinal …

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious and unusual food allergy to red (mammalian) meat. It occurs in people who have been bitten by certain types of ticks, usually if they’ve been bitten more than once. Ticks are mite-like parasites that feed on blood. The saliva of some ticks contains a sugar molecule called alpha-gal (α-Gal). When alpha-gal enters the bloodstream, it can …

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is an allergic reaction to tiny particles in the air called allergens. When you breathe in allergens through your nose or mouth, your body reacts by releasing a natural chemical called histamine. Despite being called hay fever, hay doesn’t cause hay fever and most people don’t get a fever. Symptoms of hay fever include sneezing, nasal congestion and irritation …

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a neurodegenerative condition that affects the nerve cells (neurons) in your brain and spinal cord. It targets your motor neurons. These regulate voluntary muscle movements (like the ones you use to talk, chew and move your arms and legs) and breathing. Your neurons communicate with your muscles to tell them to move. ALS disrupts the communication, like bad phone reception. The …

Allergies are your body’s reaction to a foreign protein. Usually, these proteins (allergens) are harmless. However, if you have an allergy to a particular protein, your body’s defense system (immune system) overreacts to its presence in your body. What is an allergic reaction? An allergic reaction is the way your body responds to an allergen. If you have allergies, the …

Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) can happen after tooth extraction. When your dentist or oral surgeon removes a tooth, a blood clot forms in the socket (a hole in the bone where your tooth was). Dry socket happens when that blood clot dislodges (moves) or doesn’t form at all. Without the clot, your bone and nerves become exposed, leading to pain and slower healing. How common is dry …