A shellfish allergy is a type of food allergy. Shellfish are animals that live in the water and have a shell-like exterior. There are two types of shellfish: Crustaceans: shrimp, crayfish, crab, lobster. Mollusks: clams, scallops, oysters, mussels. What fish is shellfish? If you have a shellfish allergy, don’t eat these ingredients and foods: Abalone. Clams (such as cherrystone, littleneck, pismo, quahog). Cockle. …

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 …

Ear barotrauma refers to damage to your ears that can happen if there’s a sudden change in air pressure or water pressure that affects your middle ear. Some people call ear barotrauma “airplane ear” because it often affects people when they fly in an airplane. But people can also develop ear barotrauma riding in an elevator, diving to the bottom of …

Guillain-Barré syndrome (pronounced “ghee-AHN buh-RAY”) is a rare autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks your peripheral nerves. It leads to symptoms like numbness, tingling and muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis. But with treatment, most people fully recover from the condition.

Age spots are small, flat dark areas on the skin. They vary in size and usually appear on areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, hands, shoulders and arms. Age spots are also called sunspots, liver spots and solar lentigines. Age spots are very common in adults older than 50, but younger people can get them if they …

Dry macular degeneration is an eye condition that causes blurred vision or reduced central vision. It is caused by the breakdown of a part of the retina known as the macula (MAK-u-luh). The macula is responsible for central vision. This condition is common among people over 50. Dry macular degeneration may start in one eye then develop in the other …

Wet age-related macular degeneration (WMD) is the advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), a condition that can cause permanent central vision loss. WMD is an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration. It happens when age-related changes in your eyes worsen and cause new blood vessels to grow and leak underneath the retina. When you have WMD, new vessels grow and disrupt existing retinal tissue, causing damage …