Here’s the good news: “Ingrown toenails can be simply solved with a minimum of pain and discomfort,” says Donald Skwor, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Memphis and past president of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Now for the bad news: A simple nail infection, if not treated properly, can swiftly lead to further complications. When a sharp edge of a toenail grows into the skin folds at its edge, it will result in pain and discomfort, especially if the wound gets infected.

Diabetics and people with vascular disease in particular should get immediate medical treatment for ingrown toenails. People without circulatory problems, however, can usually take care of an ingrown toenail themselves, if they follow these tips from the experts.

Go soak your toe. To relieve the soreness, soak your foot in warm, not hot, water. Put a tablespoon or two of Epsom salts in a basin of warm water, suggests Raymond Merkin, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Rockville, Maryland. Soak your toe for five to ten minutes, once or twice a day.

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Just about anything can make you break out in hives: Foods such as peanuts or strawberries, drugs such as penicillin or aspirin, vitamin supplements, heat, cold, sunlight, exercise, fever, stress, and even scratching or rubbing the skin are among some of the possibilities.

Some substances actually cause an allergic reaction that results in hives, while others have absolutely nothing at all to do with allergies. Strawberries, for example, contain a chemical that can cause cells in your body to release histamine, a chemical also produced in allergies, which allows blood plasma to leak into the skin and form the hives, explains Philip C. Anderson, M.D., chairman of dermatology at the University of Missouri—Columbia School of Medicine.

And sometimes only a tiny amount of the culprit is needed to set off a reaction. “You can be sensitive to fish and order something completely different in a restaurant. But it’s cooked in a pan that was previously used to fry fish, and you break out in hives,” explains Larry Borish, M.D., staff physician at National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver.

Don’t confuse hives with other skin eruptions. Hives (or urticaria) occur when blood plasma leaks into the skin, causing “wheals” or swollen areas. They can be as small as a pencil eraser or as large as a dinner plate, and they usually last only a few hours. But new hives may form continuously. And as they form, they often itch.

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A t last count, about 73 million Americans had or being treated for high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). That’s almost one-quarter of our country’s population. Every year, 31,630 of these individuals die as a direct result of the condition, the AHA says. An additional 147,470 deaths every year occur from stroke (a blood clot that travels to the brain), making it the number-one fatality related to high blood pressure. Another 3 million Americans have had a stroke and lived. Many of these people are now severely disabled and unable to care for themselves.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is defined as having blood pressure (the force that is created by the heart as it pumps blood into the arteries and through the circulatory system) equal to or higher than 160 systolic (the top number) over 95 diastolic (the bottom number), according to William P. Castelli, M.D., director of the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, Massachusetts, the oldest and largest heart-disease study in the United States. Between 140 and 159 systolic over 90 to 94 diastolic is considered “borderline” high. Below these numbers is considered normal.

In addition to strokes, high blood pressure can cause blindness, kidney failure, and a swelling of the heart that may lead to heart failure.

Who’s at risk for high blood pressure? People with a family history of the condition, blacks (they have an almost one-third greater chance of having high blood pressure compared to whites), overweight individuals, and aging individuals. Also at risk are women who are pregnant or who are taking oral contraceptives.

The good news is that, together with your doctor, you can control hypertension. It won’t be easy—you’ll have to change the way you think and act. You may have to take medication for the rest of your life. You’ll definitely have to cut out some bad habits and begin some new, more healthful ones. However, your efforts are likely to pay off in a longer, healthier life. Here’s to your health!

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