Rachel Reiff Ellis

You may already know that stress eating—mindlessly downing unhealthy snacks when you're feeling overwhelmed and emotionally spent—isn't great for long-term health. Often these feel-good foods make us anything but: Science shows that fried, fatty, sugary foods increase inflammation in the body.

Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are among the leading causes of disability in the U.S. workplace, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. This isn't a new trend, but two-plus years into the COVID-19 crisis, it’s a worsening one.

Having rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t give you a pass to escape working out. In fact, regular exercise can keep your joints and muscles strong. It can also improve your heart health. That’ll make you better equipped to deal with complications that may crop up.

CoolSculpting is the brand name for a fat-freezing method that aims to get rid of stubborn fat in certain parts of your body. The method is called cryolipolysis. The FDA approved it in 2010.

Listening to music can help heal your heart, according to research. Just 30 minutes a day reduces anxiety and pain. And that lightens the stress load on your ticker.

A booster helps keep your body’s defenses strong, even against variants. So what does that mean for everyday life? Can you go back to your pre-pandemic norms?

Getting your COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot is one of the best ways to protect yourself against the virus. But it’s not a foolproof prevention plan. It’s still possible to get COVID-19 and pass it to others, and that includes when you’re on the job.

If allergic asthma symptoms are constantly disrupting your daily life, even though you use control medications like inhalers, it may be time to add on a biologic.

“Disabled people aren’t often seen as the decision-makers in their care, let alone younger disabled people,” says Derek Schmitz, who has cerebral palsy and spondyloarthritis. “But I’m the one living the experience in my body.”

Not only does MS affect more women than men, but some research says that MS symptoms may also hit women harder than men. One possible reason for this is the hormone changes that happen in women’s bodies throughout their lives.

Your MS diagnosis is an important piece of your health, but it’s not the whole picture. Though you may put a lot of attention on your MS management, you can’t forget about prevention and early detection of other conditions.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are different diseases with some similar features and symptoms. They have some key differences, though. MS is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to attack itself. ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nervous system disorder that wears away nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord.

"I hope my story humanizes the experience of having COVID for people," says disability advocate Tinu Abayomi-Paul, who lives with multiple chronic conditions and cancer. "Those of us at high risk aren’t abstract people you’ve never met. We’re people you know and love, and we might die because you won’t wear a mask."

You can lower your chances of getting or spreading the virus by taking these steps.

Your muscles can spasm at any time, but certain things may set them off or make the problem worse. Once you know what those triggers are, you can learn to avoid them or at least manage them.