MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

CT Scan (Computed Tomography)

Computed tomography is an imaging test that uses a rotating X-ray beam and computer reconstruction to produce cross-sectional images of the body — faster and more versatile than a plain X-ray, but carrying a meaningfully higher radiation dose worth understanding before deciding on the test.

Ultrasound (Sonography)

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves, not radiation, to image organs in real time — it's safe, widely available, and inexpensive, though image quality depends heavily on the operator's experience and the patient's anatomy.

X-Ray (Radiography)

An X-ray is the oldest and still fastest-available medical imaging method — a single, flat projection of X-radiation that can assess bones, lungs, and select chest or abdominal structures within seconds, at a low radiation dose compared with CT.

Creatinine and eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)

Creatinine alone tells you surprisingly little about kidney function — only converting it into eGFR using the CKD-EPI equation reveals how much filtration capacity actually remains.

DEXA scan

The gold standard for measuring bone mineral density and one of the most accurate ways to assess body composition — more precise than popular bioimpedance scales.

VO2 max

The maximum amount of oxygen the body can take up during exercise — one of the strongest, well-documented predictors of lifespan, measurable in a sports diagnostics lab.

Mammography

An X-ray examination of the breast that is the primary method for screening detection of breast cancer at an early, asymptomatic stage — the only imaging test with mortality reduction documented in randomized clinical trials.

Echocardiography (Cardiac Echo)

Echocardiography is a real-time ultrasound test of the heart that — unlike an ECG, which only assesses electrical activity — shows chamber structure, valve function, and the strength of the heart muscle's contraction, with no radiation exposure.

Epilepsy: Symptoms, Seizure Types, and Treatment — a Complete Overview

Epilepsy isn't one disease but a broad spectrum of disorders with different causes, clinical presentations, and prognoses — from single, mild absence seizures to severe, drug-resistant focal epilepsy. In this overview we explain how seizures are classified under the current ILAE criteria, what EEG diagnosis actually involves, how first-line anti-seizure medications are chosen, and how drug-resistant epilepsy differs from difficult-to-control epilepsy — and what that means in practice for the patient.

September 21, 2026

Sciatica: Causes and Evidence-Based Treatment

Sciatica — a burning pain that radiates from the lower back down the leg along the path of the sciatic nerve — is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor, and one of the most frequently mismanaged pain conditions. For decades the standard advice was bed rest; today we know that approach doesn't just fail to help, it can actively hurt recovery. We check what the research actually shows about disc herniation, piriformis syndrome, anti-inflammatory drugs, and surgery — and which symptoms mean sciatica has stopped being a home-care issue and become a medical emergency.

September 13, 2026

Stress Fractures: Causes, Risk Groups, and Prevention

A stress fracture isn't the same problem as shin splints, even though both sit on the same overuse continuum — a stress fracture is its more advanced, more serious point, it can affect many bones (not just the tibia), and it calls for different management. We look at what actually raises stress-fracture risk, why energy deficiency (RED-S) is one of the best-documented risk factors in athletes, which bones warrant more concern than others, and what a safe return to activity looks like.

September 21, 2026

Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome): Causes and Prevention

Shin splints, known in the medical literature as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), are one of the most common overuse injuries among runners and military recruits. Pain along the inner edge of the shin is often mistaken for a stress fracture — and the distinction matters clinically, because a wrong diagnosis means the wrong treatment. We look at what the research says about risk factors, prevention, and when shin pain is something more serious than overuse.

September 16, 2026

Hand Tremor: Causes (Physiological, Essential, Drugs, Thyroid) and When to See a Neurologist

Shaky hands are usually not the start of Parkinson's disease. More often they reflect an enhanced physiological tremor (coffee, stress, lack of sleep, medicines, an overactive thyroid) or essential tremor, the most common action tremor in adults. What decides the diagnosis is not the tremor itself but its pattern: whether it appears at rest or during movement and posture, which side is worse, and whether other symptoms come with it. We explain how to tell these types apart, what the guidelines say about propranolol and primidone, and when to book a neurologist.

November 3, 2026

Numb Face and Tongue: Causes and When It Is an Emergency

Numbness of the face or tongue can be a dangerous symptom, but much more often it is harmless. The line is drawn by timing and accompanying symptoms: sudden numbness of one half of the face or tongue, especially with a drooping corner of the mouth, arm weakness, or problems with speech, vision or balance, is a reason to call emergency services (112 in the EU) even if the symptoms pass within minutes, because it may be a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Gradual onset with migraine, numbness around the mouth after anxiety and fast breathing, numbness after dental treatment, or tingling after a raw fruit in an allergic person usually has a different background. We explain how to tell these situations apart.

November 3, 2026

MRI Scan: Claustrophobia, Gadolinium Contrast and Implants

An MRI scan raises three common worries: the narrow tube, gadolinium contrast and metal in the body, such as a pacemaker, joint replacements or tattoos. We explain what is actually known: how often the scan is interrupted by anxiety and what helps (a randomised trial from 2026), what the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) looks like with newer contrast agents, what gadolinium deposition in tissues means, when a pacemaker is not an obstacle and what to tell the staff before the scan. We also note where the evidence is weak or applies only to some groups.

November 3, 2026

Neck Pain: Causes, Exercises and When Imaging Is Needed

Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints, and in the great majority of cases there is no single cause visible on a scan; doctors call it non-specific neck pain. A Cochrane review of 27 trials indicates that for chronic neck pain the best evidence concerns strengthening exercises, while MRI in people with no symptoms shows disc bulges in more than 87% of cases, so the scan result alone rarely explains the pain. Below we set out what is known about causes, about the role of the phone and sitting posture, about exercise and manual therapy, and about the warning signs (numb hands, gait problems, fever) at which investigation should not wait.

October 29, 2026