Health Article description.Guides through decision to take sleeping pills for insomnia. Explains what insomnia is and how sleeping pills can help. Lists reasons for and against taking sleeping pills. Covers risks. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.COVID-19 vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease. Vaccination can help reduce the severity of COVID-19 disease if you get sick. COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 that spreads easily from person to person.

Health Article description.Guides through decision to have a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test for osteoporosis. Explains DXA test. Includes risk factors for osteoporosis you can and cannot change. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.A hypertensive emergency is very high blood pressure that damages the body. A person's blood pressure may be 180/120 or higher. It can cause damage to the brain, heart, eyes, or kidneys. A hypertensive emergency needs immediate care. The symptoms...

Health Article description.Guides you through the decision to have surgery for a torn meniscus. Explains two kinds of surgery. Explains when surgery is done. Lists risks and benefits of surgery for meniscus tear. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Guides you through choosing a test to check for colorectal cancer. Looks at symptoms of colorectal cancer. Covers stool tests, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and virtual colonoscopy. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides through decision to breastfeed. Discusses common concerns and issues related to breastfeeding. Links to personal stories. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides you through decision about which surgery to have for early-stage breast cancer. Lists benefits and risks of both mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides through decision to have bunion surgery. Provides general overview of what bunions are. Looks at types of surgery, possible complications, and effectiveness. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Guides you through the decision to have an amniocentesis test. Explains what amniocentesis is and how it is done. Discusses birth defects. Looks at the risks and benefits of amniocentesis. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides you through the decision to have chorionic villus sampling. Explains what CVS is and how it is done. Discusses birth defects. Looks at the risks and benefits of CVS. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Experts do not agree on whether adults who don't have symptoms of thyroid problems should have a thyroid test. The American Thyroid Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend that testing be considered for those older than age 60. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes no...

Health Article description.Guides you through the decision to use hormone therapy (HT) for menopause symptoms. Explains what menopause is and what to expect. Lists risks and benefits of HT and other treatments to try. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Guides through the decision to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for low back pain. Discusses the problems an MRI can find and why it may not show the source of pain. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides you through decision to take medicines for Alzheimer's disease. Covers medicine choices and their side effects. Lists reasons for and against taking medicines. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides you through decision to get an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Gives information about ICDs and asks questions to help you learn if an ICD is right for you. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Early detection and treatment are the key to preventing HIV infection in newborns. Experts agree that all people should be screened for HIV during pregnancy. If you do have HIV, your baby could also become infected. The virus is usually passed on during labor and childbirth. Sometimes it's passed during pregnancy...

Health Article description.Guides through decision to stop kidney dialysis for kidney failure. Covers key factors in decision. Covers benefits and risks. Discusses what happens after dialysis is stopped. Offers interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides through the decision to have a carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting to prevent stroke if you have not already had a stroke or TIA. Lists pros and cons. Explains risks. Looks at other treatments. Has interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Guides you through decision to treat low-risk basal cell skin cancer with surgery or nonsurgical treatments. Explains types of surgery and types of nonsurgical treatments. Covers benefits and risks of both. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides through decision to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. Explains symptoms that doctor would look for before recommending treatment. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Guides people who are at high risk for lung cancer through the decision on whether to have an annual low-dose CT screening. Discusses the benefits and risks of having screening and the risk for getting lung cancer. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.

Health Article description.Guides you through decision to have an epidural during childbirth. Lists benefits and risks. Lists other ways to control labor pain. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.A hearing (audiometric) test is part of an ear exam that tests how well a person is able to hear. It is done by measuring how well sound can reach the brain. The sounds we hear start as vibrations in the air around us. The vibrations make sound waves, which vibrate at a certain speed (frequency) and have a certain...

Health Article description.The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to avoid keeping guns and firearms in the home or car. If this isn't possible, guns and firearms should be kept away from children. Small children, even some 1-year-olds, are able to pull the trigger on a gun. And older children or adults can mishandle guns or...