Your own symptoms

Pneumonia and your lungs Most pneumonia occurs when a breakdown in your body's natural defenses allows germs to invade and multiply within your lungs. To destroy the attacking organisms, white blood cells rapidly accumulate. Along with bacteria and fungi, they fill the air sacs within your lungs (alveoli). Breathing may be labored. A classic sign of bacterial pneumonia is a cough that produces thick, blood-tinged or yellowish-greenish sputum with pus. Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia. Symptoms The signs and symptoms of pneumonia vary from mild to severe, depending on factors such as the type of germ causing the infection, and your age and overall health. Mild signs and symptoms often are similar to those of a cold or flu, but they last longer. Signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include: • Chest pain when you breathe or cough • Confusion or changes in mental awareness (in adults age 65 and older) • Cough, which may produce phlegm • Fatigue • Fever, sweating and shaking chills • Lower than normal body temperature (in adults older than age 65 and people with weak immune systems) • Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea • Shortness of breath Newborns and infants may not show any sign of the infection. Or they may vomit, have a fe...

These changes are accompanied by several other symptoms such sleep and appetite changes, being agitated or slowed down, difficult thinking or concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and even thoughts of suicide. If someone has experienced an onslaught of these symptoms over a period of two weeks, this can mean they’re in the midst of a depressive episode. • Lack of • Excessive thoughts of worthlessness or guilt • • Lowered self-esteem • Isolation • Little interest in or poor • Feelings of irritability, annoyance at little things • Impaired decision-making • Difficulties focusing on the task at hand • Agitation, restlessness, and anxiety • Sluggish, slowed cognitive processing • Sleep issues with insomnia, or excessive sleeping • Changes in appetite with under-or overeating How to Get Yourself Out of a Depressive Episode When you are in the throes of a depressive episode, it can be difficult to leave the bed much less actively improve the situation. People often report experiencing these symptoms for weeks, months, or even years before recognizing the symptoms as a form of depression. Regular exercise is good for your body, helping with strength and fitness, but it is also helpful for your brain and nervous system. During acute levels of exercise, your body releases neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamine which help increase your experience of pleasure and sense of wellbeing. Be Intentional About Quality Sleep Sleep quality is an important indicator of well-bein...

Overview Suicide, taking your own life, is a tragic reaction to stressful life situations — and all the more tragic because suicide can be prevented. Whether you're considering suicide or know someone who feels suicidal, learn suicide warning signs and how to reach out for immediate help and professional treatment. You may save a life — your own or someone else's. For immediate help If you're feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of not wanting to live or you're having urges to attempt suicide, get help now. • Call a suicide hotline. • In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the • If you’re a U.S. veteran or service member in crisis, call 988 and then press 1, or text 838255. Or chat using • The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish language phone line at 1-888-628-9454. • Call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number immediately. Symptoms Suicide warning signs or suicidal thoughts include: • Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as "I'm going to kill myself," "I wish I were dead" or "I wish I hadn't been born" • Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or stockpiling pills • Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone • Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next • Being preoccupied with death, dying or violence • Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation • Increasing use of alcohol or drugs • Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping pat...

Self-loathing is constantly feeling hate for yourself, which can lead to severe conditions like What Is Self-Loathing? Self-loathing is a feeling that resembles self-hate, as it constantly pushes the idea that you’re not good enough. As a consequence, you might feel like you don’t deserve love or that bad things happen to you for a reason. Self-loathing manifests itself through consistent negative thoughts which are closely tied to excessive self-criticism. While self-criticism is a healthy aspect of life, it can start to overshadow other thought patterns when you're going through a self-loathing phase. If self-loathing goes on for too long, it can lead to more severe conditions, like depression or substance abuse. Similarly, to a lesser degree, it can lead to violence toward others or feelings of inferiority. What Is Self-Loathing Behavior? There are many patterns that could be classified as self-loathing behavior — but they all start from excessive self-criticism. Identifying these is crucial for getting better, as it will allow you to stop these thought patterns in time the next time they come up. Common self-loathing thought patterns include feeling that you’re a failure, that you can’t do things right, or that you’re not good enough. Similarly, you might apply the same attitude to your well-being, thinking that you’re never going to get better. Self-loathing thoughts can also come regarding specific situations, like overeating or staying up too late. They may even app...

Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which your immune system mistakenly damages healthy cells in your body. Types include rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and some thyroid conditions. Your immune system usually protects you from diseases and infections. When it senses these pathogens, it creates specific cells to target foreign cells. Usually, your immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your cells. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system mistakes parts of your body, such as your joints or skin, as foreign. It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells. Some autoimmune diseases target only one organ. Below we provide an overview of some of the most common autoimmune diseases. Doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to misfire. Yet some people are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than others. Some factors that • Your sex: People assigned female at birth between the age of 15 and 44 are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than people assigned male at birth. • Your family history: You may be more likely to develop autoimmune diseases due to inherited genes, though environmental factors may also contribute. • Environmental factors: Exposure to sunlight, mercury, chemicals like solvents or those used in agriculture, cigarette smoke, or certain bacterial and viral infections, • Ethnicity: Some autoimmune diseases are more common in people in certain groups. For example, White p...

In vaccinated and boosted people, In December 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its To help you better understand what “counts” as a symptom, Vox spoke to three experts. “No symptoms” means you feel your best In the age of omicron, when symptoms can be almost imperceptible, asymptomatic means absolutely no sniffles, coughs, or aches of any kind. “Asymptomatic means you feel in your best shape ever,” says Because community transmission is so high right now, it’s best to assume you’ve been exposed to someone who has Covid-19 if you’ve been to a public place recently, Salinas says. Everyone should act as though they’ve come in contact with the virus and are potentially infected, and if anything feels off beyond your normal aches and pains (like your chronic lower back pain or regular migraines), you should consider it a symptom. Tolerance for pain or illness varies from person to person — what one person considers a mild cold might feel like a more disruptive flu to another — and a little throat tickle may not ping as “sick” to you in ordinary circumstances. But these aren’t ordinary circumstances. No matter the severity, any cough, sneeze, headache, or body ache should be viewed as a symptom. “What we often find in people who are vaccinated and get Covid is they think they are asymptomatic but when you talk to them, they have had a slight cough they thought was allergies, they had a little bit of a runny nose, they had a little bit of a sore throat...

Having occasional feelings of anxiety is a normal part of life, but people with anxiety disorders experience frequent and excessive anxiety, fear, terror and panic in everyday situations. These feelings are unhealthy if they affect your quality of life and prevent you from functioning normally. Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include: • Feeling nervous • Feeling helpless • A sense of impending panic, danger or doom • Increased heart rate • Hyperventilation • Sweating • Trembling • Obsessively thinking about the panic trigger These feelings of anxiety and panic can interfere with daily activities and be difficult to control. They are out of proportion to the actual danger and can cause you to avoid places or situations. You should see your health care provider if your anxiety is affecting your life and relationships. Your provider can help rule out any underlying physical health issue before seeing a mental health professional. While most people with anxiety disorders need psychotherapy or medications to get anxiety under control, lifestyle changes and coping strategies also can make a difference. Here are 11 tips for coping with an anxiety disorder: • Keep physically active. Develop a routine so that you're physically active most days of the week. Exercise is a powerful stress reducer. It can improve your mood and help you stay healthy. Start out slowly, and gradually increase the amount and intensity of your activities. • Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. These s...

Having occasional feelings of anxiety is a normal part of life, but people with anxiety disorders experience frequent and excessive anxiety, fear, terror and panic in everyday situations. These feelings are unhealthy if they affect your quality of life and prevent you from functioning normally. Common symptoms of anxiety disorders include: • Feeling nervous • Feeling helpless • A sense of impending panic, danger or doom • Increased heart rate • Hyperventilation • Sweating • Trembling • Obsessively thinking about the panic trigger These feelings of anxiety and panic can interfere with daily activities and be difficult to control. They are out of proportion to the actual danger and can cause you to avoid places or situations. You should see your health care provider if your anxiety is affecting your life and relationships. Your provider can help rule out any underlying physical health issue before seeing a mental health professional. While most people with anxiety disorders need psychotherapy or medications to get anxiety under control, lifestyle changes and coping strategies also can make a difference. Here are 11 tips for coping with an anxiety disorder: • Keep physically active. Develop a routine so that you're physically active most days of the week. Exercise is a powerful stress reducer. It can improve your mood and help you stay healthy. Start out slowly, and gradually increase the amount and intensity of your activities. • Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. These s...

These changes are accompanied by several other symptoms such sleep and appetite changes, being agitated or slowed down, difficult thinking or concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and even thoughts of suicide. If someone has experienced an onslaught of these symptoms over a period of two weeks, this can mean they’re in the midst of a depressive episode. • Lack of • Excessive thoughts of worthlessness or guilt • • Lowered self-esteem • Isolation • Little interest in or poor • Feelings of irritability, annoyance at little things • Impaired decision-making • Difficulties focusing on the task at hand • Agitation, restlessness, and anxiety • Sluggish, slowed cognitive processing • Sleep issues with insomnia, or excessive sleeping • Changes in appetite with under-or overeating How to Get Yourself Out of a Depressive Episode When you are in the throes of a depressive episode, it can be difficult to leave the bed much less actively improve the situation. People often report experiencing these symptoms for weeks, months, or even years before recognizing the symptoms as a form of depression. Regular exercise is good for your body, helping with strength and fitness, but it is also helpful for your brain and nervous system. During acute levels of exercise, your body releases neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamine which help increase your experience of pleasure and sense of wellbeing. Be Intentional About Quality Sleep Sleep quality is an important indicator of well-bein...

Overview Suicide, taking your own life, is a tragic reaction to stressful life situations — and all the more tragic because suicide can be prevented. Whether you're considering suicide or know someone who feels suicidal, learn suicide warning signs and how to reach out for immediate help and professional treatment. You may save a life — your own or someone else's. For immediate help If you're feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of not wanting to live or you're having urges to attempt suicide, get help now. • Call a suicide hotline. • In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the • If you’re a U.S. veteran or service member in crisis, call 988 and then press 1, or text 838255. Or chat using • The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish language phone line at 1-888-628-9454. • Call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number immediately. Symptoms Suicide warning signs or suicidal thoughts include: • Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as "I'm going to kill myself," "I wish I were dead" or "I wish I hadn't been born" • Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or stockpiling pills • Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone • Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next • Being preoccupied with death, dying or violence • Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation • Increasing use of alcohol or drugs • Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping pat...