Health

An embolism occurs when a vein or artery is blocked by an embolus. Not to be confused with a thrombus (stationary blood clot), an embolus is a mobile substance confined to the blood vessels. There are several types of embolisms, depending upon the affected part of the body.  The embolus...

Eating disorders are difficult to combat because they incorporate psychological and physical roots. However, they are treatable with the proper guidance and determination. If you suffer from one of the three common types of eating disorder—anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating—and have decided to seek help on your own or as...

Hair loss is a major concern for many men. There have been countless claims of miracle cures that can jump start hair growth immediately. Few of these cures do as they advertise, but there are some solutions that truly improve hair loss. 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors One of the most...

In recent years, as knowledge and awareness of the dangerous repercussions and potentially life-altering effects serious head trauma can have has grown, blood tests are quickly becoming an essential resource for diagnosing an individual’s injuries and monitoring any impact these injuries may have on their mental health further on...

What is Vertigo? Vertigo is far more than just feeling dizzy. It is an extreme perception of the world spinning like a top. It is the world spinning around you as you yourself feel like you are spinning or the ground beneath your feet moving at a different speed...

Leukemia occurs due to development of mutations of DNA in the white blood cells. It’s not yet still clear what causes the mutations to grow. These mutations causes the cells to develop and divide too fast than normal to maintain their life. The most common change in DNA in...

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder affecting many Americans. It is often characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and inappropriate reactions to situations. It is a form of psychosis characterized by symptoms such as disordered thoughts, hallucinations, delusions, and social withdrawal. Schizophrenia alters sufferers’ perception of reality, producing delusions, hallucinations, and...

A migraine headache is more or less defined as a severe headache accompanied by additional symptoms, such as light sensitivity, nausea, sensitivity to sound and strong odors, and sometimes vomiting. The pain can be localized to one side or the other of the head or an allover throbbing pain....

Glaucoma is often thought of as a single disease, but the term actually describes a group of eye conditions that cause optic damage and possible loss of vision. Usually, the damage is caused by abnormally high pressure within the eye, and glaucoma is one of the primary causes of...

Simply put, menopause is a decrease in the production of estrogen and progesterone, the two hormones in a woman’s body that affect everything from the hair and skin to the bones, muscles, and brain. Menopause ultimately affects the reproduction system, during the phase in an aging woman’s life when...

Sometimes we all just get a little dizzy while other times that dizziness could be a condition known as vertigo. Vertigo is a sensation of dizziness makes it feel as if you’re spinning in a circle at an alarming rate. It can be very unsettling and interrupt the most...

The predominant shingles symptom is a painful rash most commonly appearing as a band or stripe on one side of the body. The same virus that causes chickenpox, called varicella-zoster, also causes shingles. Anyone who has had chickenpox is susceptible to shingles, and those who are over 50 years...

Atrial Fibrillation (or AFIB) is an irregular heartbeat, and the most common heart arrhythmia, affecting over 2.7 million Americans. There is an existing connection between AFib and stroke, with 20% of strokes being attributed to atrial fibrillation. Stroke, which is the number four cause of death in the U.S.,...

Wisdom teeth can cause serious pain if they’re not allowed to develop normally. In some cases, there may not be enough room in the jaw for them to fully emerge, which causes parts of them to stay below the gum line and grow at awkward angles that places pressure...

When it comes to acne, there is no simple answer. While one treatment may work for one person it may do nothing for another. Unfortunately that is not an answer so what we’ve done is put together several different treatment options that are available to people who are suffering...

Psoriasis is a chronic condition in which skin cells grow too quickly. The result is large patches of red, raised skin, skin scales, and flakes of dry skin. People with the condition may see symptoms that range from mild to severe. The severity depends on other factors in their environment, such...

Chronic diarrhea refers to loose stools lasting for a minimal period of four weeks. There are various likely causes of chronic diarrhea, and chronic diarrhea treatment aims to correct the causes of diarrhea and any symptoms patients may be suffering from. If you experience diarrhea, and most people do,...

Lupus is a type of chronic inflammatory disease. When you have this condition, your immune system erroneously harms tissues and cells that are otherwise healthy and normal. Lupus inflammation can have an impact on numerous body systems, including the lungs, joints, heart, blood cells, skin, and brain. Since its...

Eczema causes a skin reaction and has numerous subtypes. The reaction usually appears as plaques of red, bumpy skin with pus-filled sores. When the blisters break open, they may also ooze pus. In cases of chronic eczema, instead of blistering, the skin becomes hardened, bumpy, and scaly. There are over 10...

The cause of HIV is a virus known as the human immunodeficiency virus. This virus can be transmitted via sexual activity, infected blood, or mother-to-child in pregnancy as well as during birth as while breastfeeding. How Does HIV Turn Into AIDS? It is important to understand that HIV and...

(or ) treats several viruses, including shingles in adults. is an antiviral drug, which means it stops the growth of some viruses. It is a treatment option, but it is not a cure. There is no cure for shingles, unfortunately. However, with the use of medications like , the severity...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a severe disease that hits the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system falsely incapacitates the myelin sheath shielding the nerve fibres, leading to impaired nerve signals between the brain and the rest of the body. Ultimately, the nerves...

Assisted living offers services for those seniors who want an independent lifestyle but also need a little assistance for their individual needs. In these assisted living communities, people can enjoy their privacy and freedom and daily needs like bathing and dressing are guaranteed at the same time. There are...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that often leads to blockage of airflow in the lungs. Two main types of it are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Common COPD Symptoms include difficulty in breathing, coughing, mucus production and wheezing, which are always caused by prolonged...

It’s almost everyone’s dream to have strong and shiny hair. Of course, it’s important to keep the scalp healthy to have such beautiful hair, but it’s also critical to pay attention to the diet. Eating a balanced diet with the right nutrients can help promote hair growth, especially in...

Depression is a serious mood disorder. It can cause severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. Just trying to get through the day can be overwhelming. According to a research, depression is one of the most common mental...

Bipolar disorder is not a new concept in the medical field seeing as many people have been diagnosed with the condition. Awareness, as well as acceptance, has substantially increased. However, very little is known about distinguishing the two existing types of bipolar disorder which entail bipolar I and bipolar...

General Crohns disease information shows that Crohns disease can occur in any part of the digestive tract and is a chronic inflammatory disease process. The exact causes aren’t known but there appears to be a genetic component. The original trigger may be a reaction to a virus or bacteria...

Symptoms of bipolar disorder have been found in a greater percentage of people across America of late. Surveys suggest that the number of people getting diagnosed with the disorder increases every year. The signs and symptoms can vary from mild to severe. However, the signs and symptoms of the...

It’s pretty normal for people to experience colds during the year due to severe changes in climate and environment, among other factors. Even those who have received their flu shot aren’t entirely guaranteed protected from getting sick, although getting your shot each season is still highly advisable! For some,...

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that is life threatening. A defective gene is passed from parent to child that causes the secretory glands (those that produce things like mucus, digestive juice, or sweat) to secrete fluids that are thicker than they should be. Instead of lubricating areas, secretions block...

Glaucoma is a family of eye diseases that slowly reduce vision capabilities by damaging the optic nerve that controls sight. The most common form of glaucoma involves a heightened level of pressure on the eye because the fluids in the eye are not draining because ducts have been clogged;...

Prostate cancer is a painful and potentially deadly disease that all men should be aware of. It’s wise to speak with your doctor and learn about your personal risk factors. You can begin to educate yourself on this topic by learning about the following three prostate cancer risk factors....

Although thyroid cancer is not very common in the United States, it is still a potentially dangerous disease, since symptoms are typically not present until the later stages. If you are at a high risk for developing thyroid cancer, the best way to protect yourself is to be as...

Psoriatic arthritis (PSA) is a condition that affects people who have psoriasis, an immune system disorder that appears as reddish or silvery skin lesions. Symptoms of PSA include periodic inflammation of the joints and body tissues, including the heart, eyes, kidneys, lungs, and spine. A person may have symptoms of...

Sweating is a natural body function. It occurs when the sweat glands release liquids from our bodies to keep our bodies cool. Some people sweat more because they either have more sweat glands or because of their lifestyle. Sometimes the mood of a person can also affect the amount...

No matter what causes it, hair loss is hard to handle, especially considering that most of the “treatments” touted in commercials are largely ineffective for most people. While balding, or alopecia, may result from a variety of causes from diet to medication to genetic hormonal problems, knowing what caused...

Cold sores are blisters no one would allow or welcome on his/her face or even anywhere else on the skin. They are not only unappealing aesthetically but also very painful. As we get to some facts about cold sores, they are caused by Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), and they...

Neck pain can be a simple, uninhibited issue with few repercussions once the pain has been managed. Likewise, feeling dizzy can be a result of simply standing up too fast. Neither neck pain or dizziness have to be a big deal, but the two combined can be a sign...

Leukemia is a cancer that causes your white blood cells to grow abnormally. There are different types of leukemia that will produce different symptoms. In fact, some types of leukemia may not cause any symptoms at all, while others may produce very severe ones. Many of the typical symptoms...

Among psychiatric illnesses, Schizophrenia presents the most interesting of diagnosis. Patients with schizophrenia cannot comprehend reality in the same way other people do. Their ability to perceive reality is distracted by repetitive hallucinations, coupled with disorganized thoughts and talk. Also, individuals are incapable of relating to society in conventional...

Asthma in children is commonly associated with wheezing, but symptoms can also include coughing, shortness of breath, and recurrent bronchitis. Diagnosing the exact cause of asthma in children can prove difficult as more than one factor may be present in a child. An allergist will be able to determine...

Sciatica is essentially a symptom that consists of pain, tingling, muscle weakness, or numbness along the sciatic nerve. Inflammation or injury in the gluteal area or lower back of the body can irritate the sciatic nerve leading to various symptoms trailing down the leg in the back or even...

Drinking During Your Pregnancy? Drinking alcohol while pregnant is a risk that may cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) to develop in the unborn child. There is no guarantee that FAS will happen, but it can. The symptoms of FAS can be assessed not only at birth but also at...

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the body’s central nervous system, wreaking havoc with the nerve impulses transmitted to the brain and spinal cord. The most common symptoms and side effects of MS include motor function, pain, weakness in muscles, depression, and severe vertigo. Vertigo makes it...

Shingles (sometimes called herpes zoster) is a viral infection that causes a painful, blistered rash that most commonly appears as a band or stripe on one side of the body. It’s caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, which does not go away after recovery but remains dormant in...

The prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation is set to increase in the coming decades. Thus, physicians are trying to formulate an action plan to circumvent the growing crisis. But what is the root of the condition?While the exact cause of Atrial Fibrillation remains unknown, the disease is more prevalent in...

It is still unknown exactly what causes most cases of pancreatic cancers. However, some risk factors have been linked to an increased chance of being diagnosed with the disease. Recent research has shown that some of these risk factors, such as smoking or heavy drinking, can affect the DNA...

Allergies affect more than twenty percent of people in the United States, which implies that a great many individuals are influenced every year. Allergies can affect people at various times of life, and amid various seasons, contingent upon the source of their allergy. There are various diverse offenders that...

Plaque psoriasis is a painful and potentially embarrassing condition in which the skin produces too many cells. This overproduction leads to patches of thick, scaly skin that flakes and is frequently itchy. It’s possible to regulate the symptoms of plaque psoriasis, but as a chronic condition, it will continue...