Reader's Digest » Conditions

Beyond Angelina Jolie: 5 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About the Breast Cancer Gene

The Hollywood actress, humanitarian, and mom of six announced she had a preventive mastectomy to reduce her risk of genetic breast cancer. Here's what you may not know about BRCA genes and what goes into the decisions Jolie and thousands of other women need to make every year.

Amazing Medical Mysteries… Solved!

For most of us, an illness or ache means a trip to the doctor, a diagnosis, and eventual relief. But sometimes symptoms stump even the best physicians. What…

How to Beat Cancer—Twice

What doctors and their patients should be talking about when it comes to cancer awareness.

Are You Allergic to Your Phone?

Many cell phones contain nickel, a metal that can cause allergic dermatitis—an itchy rash—on one side of the face and in the ear in 10 to 20 percent…

Danger! How Grapefruit and Medications Don’t Mix

Forty-three different drugs can have dangerous interactions with grapefruit; here's what you need to know.

3 Self-Exams You Aren’t Doing (But Should Be)

Lymph Node Check
Take the pads of your fingers and gently roll them over your neck, feeling for little nodules. Do the same in your armpits (press a…

Is HIV Home Testing a Game-Changer? Magic Johnson Thinks So

As the first over-the-counter HIV test becomes available nationwide, here's how it will really affect HIV diagnosis and treatment. Plus, an exclusive interview with Magic Johnson on the problem with the state of the HIV/AIDS fight.

Protect Yourself from Alzheimer’s Disease

Worried about Alzheimer's disease? Here, four simple steps that may help stave off dementia and keep your memory strong.

Doctors Confess Their Fatal Mistakes

Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists hold your life in their hands. Here, their shocking stories of what can go wrong—and what has to improve to keep us safe.

The Benefits of Mental Health (or, the Upside of Being a Little Nuts)

Surprise: Certain disorders, and milder so-called subclinical symptoms, are often linked to qualities we value as a society.