Acne
... Acne is a skin condition marked by pimples, such as white heads, blackheads, or even raised, red ones that hurt. These pimples show up on the face, neck, shoulders, and/or back. Acne mostly strikes t...

Smoking Cessation: A Guide for Primary Care Clinicians
... Smoking kills more than 400,000 persons a year in the United States. Every office visit is an opportunity to promote smoking cessation. This Clinician''s Guide is based on the Clinical Practice Guidel...

Smoking Cessation: Articles Used in Guideline Meta-Analyses
... Listed below are the reference citations used to develop the meta-analyses tables for the Clinical Practice Guideline on Smoking Cessation, Number 18. The references are grouped to correspond to table...

Codependency
... "Codependency" is used to describe the condition where a person becomes the "caretaker" of an addicted or troubled individual. The individual can be addicted to alcohol, drugs, or gambling. Or, he or ...

Detection of Amphetamines in Urine
... For years the immediate precursor in the synthesis of methamphetamine was tightly controlled until a clandestine chemist devised a synthesis of methamphetamine from the easily available precursor; ep...

DHEA: Is It Really the Fountain of Youth?
... DHEA is hot. It is being touted as an anti-aging hormone, effective in preventing and reversing many of the debilitating changes in emotional and physical well-being we associate with aging and chron...

AIDS
... AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is thought to be caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus destroys the body''s immune system, leaving the person unable to ...

HIV/AIDS
... AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is thought to be caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus destroys the body’s immune system, leaving the person unable to fi...

Alcoholism
... Alcoholism is used here to describe alcohol abuse and/or dependence. Alcohol abuse is the repeated use of alcohol that results in daily living problems. Examples include: Failing to fulfill work, scho...

Early Alzheimer''s Disease
... Contents Terms You Need to Know Purpose of this Booklet What is Alzheimer''s Disease? Who Is Affected? Possible Signs of Alzheimer''s Disease Consulting the Doctor Special Tests Getting the Right Care...

Early Alzheimer''s Disease: Recognition and Assessment.
... Background Dementia is a syndrome in which progressive deterioration in intellectual abilities is so severe that it interferes with the person''s usual social and occupational functioning. An estimate...

Alzheimer''s Disease
... Mysterious and frustrating, Alzheimer''s afflicts nearly four million Americans, about 10 percent of the population over age 65, and over 45 percent of those over age of 85. (In rare instances, Alzhei...

Anemia
... Are you tired and weak? Do the linings of your lower eyelids look pale? If so, you could be anemic. But what does that mean? It means that either your red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin (oxyg...

Women''s Health: Anemia
... Are you tired and weak? Does the lining of your lower eyelids look pale? If so, you could be anemic. But what does that mean? It means that either your red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin (oxy...

Angina
... Angina is a common term shortened for the medical term "angina pectoris". The word angina itself means pain; pectoris means chest. Angina is the chest pain or discomfort brought on by decreased circul...

First Aid for Chest Pain
... Chest pain can come from a lot of things. Causes of chest pain that need emergency medical care include: Heart attack Injury such as to the chest wall or lung Collapsed lung Blood clot that has travel...

Women''s Health: Eating Disorders (Anorexia & Bulimia)
... An eating disorder may be defined, in a sense, as self-abuse. It can be just as harmful to your health as substance abuse involving alcohol or drugs. Two of these disorders, anorexia and bulimia, resu...

Anxiety
... Anxiety is a feeling of dread, fear or distress over a real or imagined threat to your mental or physical well-being. Symptoms Symptoms of anxiety are both physical and psychological. They include: Ra...

Panic Attacks
... A panic attack is a brief period of acute anxiety that comes on all of a sudden. It occurs when there is no real danger. It comes without warning. A panic attack lasts only a few minutes, but seems to...

Don''t Worry. Be Happy!
... Are you a worry wart? Do you waste needless time tormenting yourself about what you did or didn''t do right in the past or how your life might not turn out the way you''d like in the future? The numb...

Arthritis
... Arthritis robs some 40 million Americans of their freedom of movement by breaking down the protective cartilage in the joints. By destroying cartilage, arthritis results in pain and decreased movement...

Gout
... Gout is a form of arthritis and is most common in men older than 30. It is less common in women. In women it usually comes after menopause. It is caused by increased blood levels of uric acid, which i...

Intestinal Dysbiosis and the Causes of Disease
... ABSTRACT: With the advent of biochemical and microbial stool analysis panels, an increasing number of physicians are seeking a clearer understanding of the relationship between the ecology of the dige...

Asthma
... About ten million Americans suffer the wheezing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulty that typifies asthma. Doctors call it an episodic disease because in most asthmatics acute attacks alternate ...

Childhood Asthma
... A lot of children get asthma. Most children grow out of it after they are teenagers. Children under 4 years old hardly ever get asthma. These are all symptoms of asthma: Wheezing Tight feeling in the ...

Athlete''s Foot
... It smells bad. It''s itchy. It''s persistent. It''s contagious. And it attacks the skin between the toes (usually the third and fourth). What is it? Fungus of the foot, better known as athlete''s foot...

Athlete''s Foot
... It smells bad. It''s itchy. It''s persistent. It''s contagious. And it attacks the skin between the toes (usually the third and fourth). What is it? Fungus of the foot, better known as athlete''s foot...

Backaches
... Most backaches come from strained muscles in the lower back. Other causes include back injuries such as a slipped or herniated disc, arthritis, osteoporosis, and urinary tract infections. The goals of...

Bed-wetting
... Wetting the bed is not only uncomfortable, it is embarrassing, especially for a child older than 3 years. And that''s not all. Afraid of waking up in a soaked bed, children who wet their beds may avoi...

Breast Cancer & Breast Self-Exam
... Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women, accounting for 30% of cancers women get. Each year, there are approximately 180,000 new cases of breast cancer and 45,000 deaths from it. O...

Women''s Health: Breast Lumps, Cancer & Self-Exam
... Breast Lumps Feeling a lump or lumps in your breast(s) can be scary. For a lot of women, the first thought is cancer. The good news is that most breast lumps, 80-90%, are not cancerous. They are usual...

Broken Bones
... Bones break when stressed. An arm, leg or finger, like a tree limb twisted in the wrong direction, hit too hard or crushed by accident, can splinter and snap. You may think that the body''s 206 bones ...

First Aid for Broken Bones
... There are different kinds of broken bones. Simple or closed fractures: The broken bone is not visible through the skin nor is there a skin wound near the fracture site. An example of this is a greenst...

Broken Or Knocked Out Tooth
... Your teeth are meant to last a lifetime. They can, however, be vulnerable to nicks, chips and strains. To protect your teeth from damage and injury, take these precautions: Don''t chew ice, pens or pe...

Bronchitis
... If you''ve ever had a cough that felt as though it started down in your toes, or if you''ve ever had uncontrollable coughing fits, you may have had bronchitis. Bronchitis can be either acute or chroni...

Childhood Bronchitis
... There are 2 kinds of bronchitis: Acute bronchitis lasts from 3 days to 3 weeks. Chronic bronchitis can last up to 3 months, and come back over and over for 2 years or more. Children usually get acute ...

Burns
... Burns can result from dry heat (fire), moist heat (steam, hot liquids), electricity, chemicals, or from radiation including sunlight. Treatment for burns depends on: The depth of the burn (whether it ...

First Aid for Burns
... Burns can result from dry heat (fire), moist heat (steam, hot liquids), electricity, chemicals, and radiation (i.e., sunlight). Treatment for burns depends on: The depth of the burn (whether it is fir...

Cancer
... Cancer refers to a broad group of diseases in which body cells grow out of control and are or become malignant (harmful). Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (heart diseas...

Lung Cancer
... Today lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in men and women. About 150,000 Americans die from lung cancer each year, and more than 85 percent of them can thank cigarettes for the dise...

Testicular Cancer & Testicular Self-Exam
... Cancer of the testicles, the primary make sex organs, accounts for only about 1 percent of all cancers in men. It is, though, the most common type of cancer in males aged 20 to 40, but can occur anyti...

Nutrition, Immunity, and Cancer
... Poor populations around the world that suffer from malnutrition are more susceptible to infection than those who receive adequate nutrition. Investigators studying the relationship between the immune ...

Risk Factors - An Overview
... You will learn that most of the risk factors for cancer are the same risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Learn about them, modify them, and your risk for both illnesses will be greatly reduced. ...

Vitamin B17
... Vitamin B17, also known as laetrile and amygdalin, is another controversial "vitamin," as its source, the apricot kernel, becomes a focus of increasing interest. As with pangamic acid, B17 was also d...

First Aid - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
... Early CPR is an important link in the chain of survival for a victim of sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest. CPR involves a combination of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing (or other artificial ventila...

Nutritional Program for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
... Cardiovascular Disease Risks Dietary Fats Goals for Decreasing CVD Risks Dietary Suggestions to Reduce CVD Risks Herbs and Supplements Exercise Benefits in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Well, thi...

Cataracts
... A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens or lens capsule of the eye. A cataract blocks or distorts light entering the eye. This causes problems with glare from lamps or the sun. Vision gradually become...

Cervical Cancer
... Cervical cancer accounts for about 4% of all cancers found in women. Each year, about 15,000 women in the United States learn that they have this type of cancer. Cancer of the cervix, the lower, narro...

Chest Pain
... Chest pain can come from a lot of things. These include: A heart attack. Lung problems like pneumonia, bronchitis, or an injury. A hiatal hernia - known in medical terms as gastroesophageal reflux dis...

Women''s Health: Chest Pain
... Chest pain can be a warning sign for many things. It is most often linked to a heart attack, especially in men. Women should be just as concerned though, since heart disease causes more deaths for the...

Chicken Pox
... Chicken pox is a very contagious disease caused by a virus (Varicella/herpes zoster). It is spread from child to child, and sometimes to adults, by sneezing, coughing, contaminated clothing and direct...

Childhood Colic
... Colic is one of the most frustrating conditions parents deal with. Your baby cries for hours on end for no apparent reason, tucking those tiny knees close to the stomach as if in severe pain. Typical...

Childhood Constipation
... Constipation is when you can’t pass solid waste, or stool. (Passing stool is also called “having a bowel movement.”) Constipation is not usually serious. Here are some reasons for constipation: Your c...

Childhood Cough
... Children usually get coughs from an infection in the nose and throat. A baby under 6 months old who coughs may have a lung problem. Older babies cough when things get stuck in their windpipes. Childre...

Childhood Diarrhea
... Diarrhea is when you pass stool many times a day, and it is watery and loose. (Passing stool is called having a “bowel movement.”) Diarrhea is one way your child’s body fights infection. Diarrhea can ...

Childhood Earaches
... An earache is when your ears hurt. Children get earaches a lot. They get them most between 6 months and 2 years old. But earaches can be a problem up to age 10. The pain can be minor or very bad. Eara...

Childhood Flu
... It is hard to tell if your child has a cold or the flu. The flu is a lot like a cold, but worse. A cold usually starts with sniffling and sneezing, but the flu hits hard and fast. Your child is fine o...

Childhood Headaches
... Children often get headaches. Usually, there’s no reason to worry. Headaches like migraines happen on their own. They can also come from tension, tiredness,or stress. A headache can also be a symptom ...

Childhood Hiccups
... Hiccups happen when the diaphragm tightens up. (The diaphragm is a muscle used in breathing. It sits like a cap on top of the stomach.) Babies usually get hiccups because they swallow air when feeding...

Childhood Nosebleeds
... Nosebleeds are usually a childhood problem, a scary but minor bout with broken blood vessels just inside the nose. They''re caused by a cold, frequent nose blowing and picking, allergies, a dry enviro...

Childhood Skin Rashes
... Skin rashes come in all forms and sizes. Some are raised bumps, others are flat red blotches. Some are itchy blisters; others are pathes of rough skin. Most rashes are harmless and clear up on their o...

Childhood Vomiting and Nausea
... Vomiting is when you throw up what is in your stomach. Nausea is when you feel like you’re going to throw up. Here are some common causes of nausea and vomiting: Viruses in the intestines (Your child ...

Children''s Health: Cut''s, Scrapes, & Punctures
... Cuts, scrapes, and punctures make you bleed: Cuts slice the skin open. Close a cut so it won’t get infected. Scrapes hurt only the top part of your skin. They can hurt more than cuts, but they heal qu...

Seizure
... A seizure is like a short-circuit in the brain. Information in nerves in the brain gets mixed up. There are many signs of a seizure. Here are some of them: The neck muscles or all the body muscles get...

Vaccination: A Sacrament of Modern Medicine
... I am honored by your invitation to participate in this Conference, and deeply moved by the fraternal spirit, youthful vitality, and sincere dedication to homeopathy everywhere in evidence here. Homeop...

Chlamydia
... Chlamydia is now the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease in the United States. It affects more men and women than syphilis and gonorrhea combined. In fact, chances are that persons who ...

Choking (First Aid For)
... Determine if victim is able to speak or cough. Rescuer can ask "Are you choking?" Victim may be using the "universal distress signal" of choking: Clutching the neck between thumb and index finger. Abd...

Choking - Heimlich Maneuver
... These emergency procedures for choking, which are based on procedures recommended by the American Heart Association, are reprinted from the Home Organizer for Medical Emergencies. Copyright © 1992 by ...

First Aid for Choking (Heimlich Maneuver)
... These emergency procedures for choking, which are based on procedures recommended by the American Heart Association, are reprinted from the Home Organizer for Medical Emergencies. Copyright © 1992 by ...

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
... Chronic fatigue syndrome has sometimes been called "yuppie flu" because its victims are often well-educated professionals in their twenties, thirties, and forties. Many are women. Until about 1983, do...

Cold Hands and Feet
... Some people wear mittens and heavy socks all year round, even in warm weather, indoors and out. Their hands and feet are always cold. A number of things cause this, such as: Poor circulation due to co...

Common Cold
... About 30 million Americans are coughing, sneezing, and blowing their noses while you read this. What''s wrong with them? They have the most common illness we know, the common cold. The common cold usu...

Flu
... "Oh, it''s just a touch of the flu," some say, as if they had nothing more than a cold. Yet each year, 50,000 people die from pneumonia and other complications of the influenza virus, or flu. Cold and...

Colic
... Colic is one of the most frustrating conditions parents deal with. Your baby cries for hours on end for no apparent reason, tucking those tiny knees close to the stomach as if in severe pain. Typicall...

Pinkeye
... Pinkeye is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the underside of both the upper and lower eyelids and the covering of the white portion of the eye. The medical term for pinkeye is conjunctivitis. Some ...

Constipation
... Constipation is when you have trouble having bowel movements. Abdominal swelling, straining during bowel movements, hard stools and the feeling of continued fullness even after a bowel movement are al...

Corns & Calluses
... All to often, corns and calluses are the price we pay for neglecting our feet. Corns and calluses are very much alike, they just differ in where they occur. Corns show up on the bony area on top of th...

Coughs
... A lot of things can make you cough: An infection. An allergy. Cigarette smoke. Something stuck in your windpipe. Dry air. Coughing can be a sign of many ailments. Your body uses coughing to clear your...

Croup
... What could be more frightening than to awaken during the night to the sound of your child gasping for air and "barking like a seal". Yet these are the classical signs of croup, a respiratory infection...

Cuts, Scrapes & Punctures
... Cuts, scrapes, and punctures can all result in bleeding. Cuts slice the skin open. Close a cut so it won''t get infected. Scrapes hurt only the top part of your skin. They can hurt more than cuts, but...

First Aid for Cuts, Scrapes, & Punctures
... Cuts, scrapes, and punctures can all result in bleeding. Cuts slice the skin open. Scrapes hurt only the top part of your skin. They can hurt more than cuts, but they heal quicker. Punctures stab deep...

First Aid for Dental Emergencies
... Things that need emergency dental and/or first aid care include: Broken tooth Knocked-out tooth Fractured jaw Abscess tooth (inflammation and/or infection in the bone and/or the tooth''s canals) Tooth...

Fractured Jaw
... Jaw fractures can result from: Car accidents Sport and other recreational activity injuries Osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease (see page 363) Signs and Symptoms Jaw pain, swelling, or numbness Not...

Periodontal Disease
... Plaque build-up, crooked teeth, illness, poorly fitting dentures, trapped food particles and certain medications can irritate or destroy your gums. With good oral hygiene, however, you can prevent gum...

Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome
... Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome occurs when the muscles, joints and ligaments of the jaw move out of alignment. Resulting symptoms include earaches, headaches, pain in the jaw area radiating to...

Toothaches
... The pain of a toothache can be felt in the tooth itself or in the region around the tooth. Most toothaches are usually the result of either a cavity or an infection beneath or around the gum of a toot...

Oral Hygiene
... The practice of proper oral hygiene is the most important thing you can do for your teeth and gums. In Part One, you learned that brushing alone is not sufficient to care for your teeth. In addition t...

The Jaw and Oral Cavity
... If the eyes are the "windows of the soul," then the mouth is the "doorway to the body. " The oral cavity is situated at the end of the digestive tract and is surrounded by the lips and cheeks external...

Depression
... Life changes, such as the birth of a baby, divorce, death of a loved one, or loss of a job can and do leave people feeling depressed. So can worrying about financial problems or illness. And sometimes...

Women''s Health: Depression
... One-fourth of women have a major bout with depression sometime during their life. They may not even know it as depression, but seek help for other ailments such as insomnia or extreme fatigue. Depress...

Hives
... Hives, or urticaria, are red, raised, itchy welts. They appear, sometimes in clusters, on the face, trunk of the body, and, less often, on the scalp, hands, or feet. Like the Cheshire cat in Alice''s ...

Skin Rashes
... Skin rashes come in all forms and sizes. Some are raised bumps, others are flat red blotches. Some are itchy blisters; other are patches of rough skin. Most rashes are harmless and clear up on their ...

Diabetes
... Diabetes is a condition which results when a person''s body doesn''t make any insulin, or enough insulin, or doesn''t use insulin the right way. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas gland that he...

Diarrhea
... Diarrhea is the frequent passage of watery, loose bowel movements. Almost everyone gets diarrhea once in a while. Usually, it only lasts a day or two, and isn''t serious. Many things can cause diarrhe...

Leaky Gut Syndromes: Breaking the Vicious Cycle
... From the perspective of function, the contents of the gut lumen lie outside the body and contain a toxic/antigenic load from which the body needs to be protected. Protection is supplied by complex mec...

Diverticulosis
... No one is sure why, but sometimes small sac-like pockets protrude from the wall of the colon. This is called diverticulosis. Increased pressure within the intestines seems to be responsible. The pocke...

Drug Dependence & Abuse
... Drug dependence and abuse both involve the misuse of one or more drugs. These can be prescription medicines and/or illicit drugs. Drug dependence is addiction. A person keeps using a drug even though ...

First Aid for Drug Overdose
... Drug overdoses can be accidental or on purpose. The amount of a certain drug needed to cause an overdose varies with the type of drug and the person taking it. Overdoses from prescription or over-the-...

Earaches
... Earaches can be mild or very painful. They are a sign that something is wrong. The most common cause of an earache is plugged eustachian tubes. These tubes go from the back of the throat to your middl...

Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia)
... Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are two kinds of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is a form of self-starvation. Bulimia is eating large amounts of foods (binging) and then forcing oneself to throw up o...

Eczema: Dermatitis
... Superficial inflammation of the skin, characterized by vesicles (when acute), redness, edema, oozing, crusting, scaling and usually itching. The terms eczema and dermatitis are the cause of much confu...

Emphysema
... Over 1 million Americans are forced to lead restricted lives because they have emphysema, a chronic lung condition. With emphysema, the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs are destroyed. The lung loses it...

Endometriosis
... Endometriosis occurs when growth of the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus (endometrium) is found outside of the uterus in other areas of the body. It can only occur after menstruation begins ...

Enlarged Prostate
... The prostate gland is a walnut-shaped organ located below a man''s bladder that makes seminal fluid. It actually surrounds a portion of the bladder and the beginning of the urethra, the tube that carr...

Epilepsy
... Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain. For some reason, with epilepsy there is excessive electrical activity in nerve cells in the brain. Some of the known causes of epilepsy include: Brain damage, eith...

Eye Problems
... Many children get eye problems. There are many kinds of eye problems. Here are some of them: Blocked tear ducts - (Tears come out of the tear ducts. Your child’s tears can’t come out if their tear duc...

Eye Strain from Computers
... Office workers have their share of work-related hazards. People who use video display terminals (VDTs) may often complain of eyestrain, pain, stiffness in their backs and shoulders, and stress. These ...

Fainting
... Just before fainting, you may feel a sense of dread followed by the sense that everything around you is swaying. You may see spots before your eyes. Then you go into a cold sweat, your face turns pale...

First Aid for Fainting
... Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness. Someone who faints may pass out for several seconds or up to ´ hour. There are many reasons people faint. Medical reasons include: Low blood sugar (hypoglyce...

Fatigue
... Fatigue is feeling tired, drained of energy and exhausted. Fatigue makes it hard for you to do normal daily activities. Feelings of inadequacy, low motivation and little desire for sex can also be sym...

Women''s Health: Fatigue
... Fatigue is feeling tired, drained of energy and exhausted. It is a signal that something is wrong somewhere. Your body is slowing down to cope. Fatigue makes it hard for you to do normal daily activit...

Childhood Fever
... Fever is a sign of sickness. Your child may have an infection. Exercise, hot weather, and shots like DTP and MMR can also make your child’s temperature go up. What is a normal temperature for children...

Fever
... Elevated temperature isn''t always a sign that something''s wrong. Although 98.6oF has been considered normal for years, many healthy people walk around with a temperature a degree or so above or bel...

Fibromyalgia
... Fibromyalgia or Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a condition that elicits different responses from various groups. As with many chronic conditions it has a heritage of diagnostic misunderstanding, deba...

Flatulence
... Flatulence may be perfectly natural and something that everyone gets, but if you have more than your share, it''s a major annoyance. Where does all that gas come from, anyway? Often, it comes from swa...

Flu Vaccine
... Influenza is a specific syndrome, provoked by a specific viral agent, the influenza virus. The symptoms may be severe, or even lead to exitus in people with a weakened general condition. Two main fami...

First Aid for Frostbite
... Frostbite looks like a serious heat burn, but it''s actually body tissue that''s frozen and, in severe cases, dead. Most often, frostbite affects the toes, feet, fingers, earlobes, chin, and tip of th...

Frostbite
... Frostbite looks like a serious heat burn, but it''s actually body tissue that''s frozen and, in severe cases, dead. Most often, frostbite affects the toes, fingers, earlobes, chin, and tip of the nose...

Gallstones
... Gallstones are stone deposits of a mixture of cholesterol (the same fatlike substance that clogs arteries), bilirubin, and protein that are found in the gallbladder or bile ducts. These stones can ran...

Heartburn
... Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. Rather, it involves the esophagus (the tube that connects the throat to the stomach), and the stomach itself. The esophagus passes behind the breastbone alo...

Hiccups
... Hiccups are simple enough to explain: Your diaphragm (the major muscle involved in breathing which sits like a cap over the stomach) goes into spasm. Things that promote hiccups are: Eating too fast,...

Peptic Ulcers
... Ulcers located in the stomach (gastric ulcers) and ulcers in the first section of the small intestine (duodenal ulcers), are grouped under the label "peptic ulcers". They afflict men, women and childr...

Ingrown Toenails
... An ingrown toenail is one that digs into surrounding skin (usually on the big toe). It can cause discomfort, pain, tenderness, and redness. Sometimes it gets infected. Causes Possible causes include: ...

Glaucoma
... Glaucoma happens when the pressure of the liquid in the eye gets too high and causes damage. Glaucoma tends to run in families and is one of the most common major eye disorders in people over the age...

Gonorrhea
... Gonorrhea is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Often called "the clap", "dose", or "drip", it is caused by specific bacterium that is transmitted during vaginal, oral or anal se...

Hair Loss
... Most men and women experience hair loss as they get older; indeed, most men have some degree of baldness by age 60. This is quite normal and affects some persons more than others, especially if baldne...

Childhood Hay Fever
... Hay fever affects your nose, sinuses, throat, and lungs. These body parts make up the upper respiratory tract. Your child gets hay fever when he or she is allergic to something in the air. (Things you...

Hay Fever
... Despite its name, hay fever has nothing to do with hay or fever. A nineteenth-century physician called it this because he began to sneeze every time he entered a hay barn. But hay fever is, in fact, a...

Headaches
... There are different kinds of headaches. The most common types are: Tension or Muscular Headaches - You feel a dull ache in your forehead, above your ears, or at the back of your head. You get a tensi...

Women''s Health: Headaches
... The most common type of headaches women get include: Tension or muscular headaches. Unconscious tensing of the face, neck or scalp muscles produces a dull, relentless ache. You feel the pressure in yo...

Hearing Loss
... Do people seem to mumble a lot lately? Do you have trouble hearing in church or theaters? Is it hard to pick up what others say at the dinner table or at family gatherings? Does your family ask you to...

Coronary Heart Disease
... The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. When they became narrowed or blocked (usually by fatty deposits and or blood clots), the heart muscle can be damaged. This is coronary heart dis...

Hemorrhoids
... Hemorrhoids are veins under the rectum or around the anus that are dilated or swollen. They are caused by repeated pressure in the rectal or anal veins. This pressure usually results from repeated str...

Genital Herpes
... Herpes simplex virus is spread by direct skin to skin contact from the site of infection to the contact site. Once you are infected, the virus remains with you forever. It causes symptoms, though, onl...

Shingles
... Shingles (herpes zoster) is a skin disorder triggered by the chicken pox virus (Varicella zoster) that you first encountered as a child. This virus is thought to lie dormant in the spinal cord until ...

High Blood Pressure
... High blood pressure isn''t like a toothache, a bruise, or constipation. Nothing hurts, looks discolored, or fails to work. Usually, people with high blood pressure experience no discomfort or outward ...

Facts About Blood Pressure
... After the more relaxed pace of summertime living we are now into the faster and busier daily schedule of school, work, and a variety of extracurricular activities. For many of us, the more hectic life...

Toxic shock syndrome
... Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a potentially fatal disease that is caused by bacteria. It is a form of blood poisoning which results when poisons (toxins) are released by the suspect bacteria. It can r...

First Aid for Insect Stings
... Insects that sting include: Bumblebees Honeybees Hornets Wasps Yellow jackets Most often, the symptoms that come from these insect stings include: Quick, sharp pain Swelling Itching Redness at the sti...

Insect Stings
... Warm weather months often include run-ins with bees, wasps, mosquitos, fleas, spiders, etc. As you''d expect, most people who have been stung know it. The most common symptoms are limited areas of pai...

Insomnia
... Do you ever find yourself wide awake long after you go to bed at night? Well, you''re not alone. An estimated 40 million Americans are bothered by insomnia. They either have trouble falling asleep at ...

Women''s Health: Insomnia
... Do you ever find yourself wide awake long after you go to bed at night? Well, you’re not alone. An estimated 40 million Americans are bothered by insomnia. They either have trouble falling asleep at n...

Jock Itch
... Symptoms of jock itch are redness, itching and scaliness in the groin and thigh area. Jock itch is usually caused by a fungus infection. It can also result from a bacterial infection or be a reaction ...

Kidney Stones
... Kidney stones are hard masses of mineral deposits (e.g., calcium) or other organic substances (e.g., uric acid) that form in the kidneys or urinary tract. They can be found in the kidney itself or any...

Laryngitis
... Disc jockeys get laryngitis. So do actors, politicians, and others who talk for hours. But ordinary people who overuse their voices get laryngitis, too. Perhaps you cheer too loudly and too often at a...

Lice
... Head lice are tiny parasites about the size of a sesame seed. These flat, wingless "bugs" survive by sucking human blood. Louse bites cause an intense itching and red spots on the skin that look like...

Cirrhosis
... Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver. It can be caused by any injury, infection, or inflammation of the liver. With cirrhosis, normal, healthy liver cells are replaced with scar tissue. This pr...

Measles
... Measles is a very contagious disease caused by the rubeola virus. Also called red or seven-day measles, it mostly occurs in children, but can affect older persons, too. Persons who receive recommende...

Menopause
... Menopause is when a woman''s menstrual periods stop altogether. It signals the end of fertility. A woman is said to have gone through menopause when her menstrual periods have stopped for an entire ye...

Women''s Health: Menopause
... Menopause is when a woman’s menstrual periods stop altogether. It signals the end of fertility. A woman is said to have gone through menopause when her menstrual periods have stopped for an entire yea...

Facts About Hormonal Replacement Therapy
... When you enter the early stages of menopause, the question of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) arises. The two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone (often in its synthetic version, the progesti...

Menstrual Cramps
... Menstrual cramps are also called dysmenorrhea or painful periods. Most women experience them at some time during their life. They can range from very mild to severe. They may also differ from month to...

Women''s Health: Menstrual Cramps
... Menstrual cramps are also called dysmenorrhea or painful periods. Most women experience them at some time during their life. They can range from very mild to severe. They may also differ from month to...

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
... Four out of ten menstruating women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). A syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that indicate a disorder. There have been as many as 150 symptoms associated wit...

Grief/Bereavement
... Grief is a deep sadness or sorrow that results from a loss. The loss can be from something big or small. It can be from something positive or negative. Causes Examples of things that cause grief inclu...

Multiple Sclerosis
... The nervous system carries messages to and from the rest of your body. Normally, delicate nerves are protected with a covering called myelin. With multiple sclerosis (MS), the myelin becomes inflamed ...

Dislocations
... A dislocation is a separation of the end of a bone and the joint it meets. Bones that touch in the joints sometime separate when they are overstressed. Injuries related to dislocations include damage ...

Vomiting & Nausea
... Vomiting is when you throw up what is in your stomach. Nausea is when you feel like you''re going to throw up. Common causes of nausea and vomiting are: Viruses in the intestines (You can get diarrhea...

Parkinson''s Disease
... Parkinson''s disease is a nervous system disorder. It causes tremors (involuntary shaking in the limbs and head) a shuffling gait, and a gradual, progressive stiffness of muscles. Parkinson''s disease...

First Aid for Nosebleeds
... Most nosebleeds are from broken blood vessels just inside the front of the nose. Causes for these minor nosebleeds include: Frequent or hard nose blowings or coughs Nose picking Common cold Allergies ...

Osteoporosis - What You Eat Affects Your Bones
... The Hippocratic Oath In the practice of medicine one basic principle stands out: What you eat has a major influence on your health. That principle is so simple and so logical that it is surprising the...

Osteoporosis
... Osteoporosis is a major health problem that affects more than 25 million Americans. Persons with osteoporosis suffer from a loss in bone mass and bone strength. Their bones become weak and brittle whi...

Women''s Health: Osteoporosis
... Osteoporosis is a major health problem that affects about one fourth of women over the age of 60. Persons with osteoporosis suffer from a loss in bone mass and bone strength. Their bones become weak a...

Exercise and Osteoporosis: A Primer on Tomorrow''s Therapy
... Perhaps the worst health epidemic in this country is one that few people recognize as an epidemic at all. It will affect more people than heart disease, stroke, or cancer. One in every two women over...

Ovarian Cysts
... The ovaries are two almond-sized organs on either side of the uterus. They produce eggs and female hormones (estrogen, progesterone and others). Growths called cysts can form in, on or near the ovarie...

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
... About one million American women have pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It is an infection that goes up through the uterus to the fallopian tubes. One or more types of bacteria and/or other parasites...

Childhood Sore Throat
... There are 2 kinds of sore throats: Bacterial sore throats usually bring a high fever, headaches, or swollen neck glands. But some-times children with bacterial sore throats have no other problems. Str...

Pneumonia
... Despite medical advances, including the use of antibiotics, pneumonia is still the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Pneumonia can develop when the lungs are infected by either bacter...

First Aid for Poison Ivy
... Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac are the most common plants that cause a skin rash. A sap that comes from these plants causes the rash. The name of this sap, urushiol, causes an allergic reacti...

Poison Ivy
... During a walk through the woods you can see birds, small animals, and beautiful plants. But if you come in contact with poison ivy along the way, you may leave with an itchy rash as a souvenir of your...

First Aid for Poisoning
... Know what to do in case you or someone else is the victim of poisoning. Follow these steps: Remain calm and don''t panic. You need to act quickly. Victims who are unconscious need immediate emergency ...

Exercise and Pregnancy - 5 Easy Pieces
... Today there seems to be an endless array of fitness programs and equipment for persons to use to enhance fitness. However, the emerging component of exercise and fitness program is health enhancement...

Breathing Problems
... Some 44 million Americans suffer from allergies and asthma and have trouble breathing during an attack. Also, there are millions of people who have breathing problems because of cigarette smoke and ai...

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
... CPR Techniques Early CPR is an important link in the chain of survival for a victim of sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest. CPR involves a combination of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing (or other art...

First Aid for Breathing Problems
... Some 44 million Americans suffer from allergies and asthma and have trouble breathing during an attack. What''s more, there are millions of people who have breathing difficulties because of grey, grit...

Snoring
... Snoring is the sound heard when the airway is blocked during sleep. It can result from a number of things: obesity, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, deformities in the nasal passages, etc. Smoking, heav...

First Aid For Seizures
... A seizure is an out-of-control misfire between nerve cells in the brain. Normal brain functions are impaired with a seizure. Things known to cause seizures are: High fevers in children. This kind of s...

SIDS and Seizures
... Crib death was so infrequent in the pre-vaccination era that it was not even mentioned in the statistics, but it started to climb in the 1950s with the spread of mass vaccination against diseases of c...

Sexual Concerns
... Sexual Concerns A lot of people have concerns about their sex life. Common concerns and problems that affect one or both sex partners include: Little or no desire for sexual relations Different levels...

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
... Infections that pass from one person to another during sexual contact are known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sexual contact includes vaginal, anal and oral sex. STDs are second to the comm...

Trichomoniasis
... Unlike most sexually transmitted diseases, trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite rather than by bacteria or a virus. The trichomoniasis parasite can be present in the vagina for years without causing...

Shoulder & Neck Pain
... Shoulder and neck pain is a common condition. Driving a golf ball, cleaning windows or reaching for a jar can strain and injure shoulder muscles and tendons, especially in people who are out of condit...

Sickle Cell Anemia
... If you''re black, you should know about sickle cell anemia. About 1 in 12 black Americans carries the gene for the sickle cell trait (that is, they have the ability to produce children with sickle cel...

Sinus Problems
... Your sinuses are behind your cheekbones and forehead, and around your eyes. Healthy sinuses drain almost a quart of mucus every day. They keep the air you breathe wet. Your sinuses can''t drain right ...

Sore Throat
... Sore throats range from a mere scratch to pain so severe that even swallowing saliva hurts. They can be caused by heavy cigarette smoking and infections of the throat, tonsils or nasal passages from a...

First Aid for Sports Injuries
... "Break a leg" means good luck only in the theater. Take care to avoid injury when exercising. Prevention Common sense can prevent many sports injuries. Some typical injuries and ways to prevent them a...

First Aid for Sprains & Strains
... Common causes for sprains and strains are falls, twisting a limb, sports injuries and over- exertion. A sprain results from overstretching or tearing a ligament (fibrous tissue that connects bones), a...

Sports Injuries
... Common sports injuries include twisted ankles, painful joints, and stiff, sore muscles. If you continue to exercise when injured further damage can leave you laid up for weeks or months. "Break a leg"...

Sprains & Strains
... Common causes for sprains and strains are falls, twisting a limb, sports injuries, and over-exertion. A sprain results from overstretching or tearing a ligament (fibrous tissue that connects bones), a...

Basic Facts about STDs
... Infections that pass from one person to another during sexual contact are known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sexual contact includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Sexually transmitted disea...

Syphilis
... Syphilis is sometimes called "pox" or "bad blood". Left untreated, syphilis is one of the most serious sexually transmitted diseases, leading to heart failure, blindness, insanity or death. Syphilis c...

Sty
... A sty is a small boil or bacterial infection in a tiny gland of the eyelid.. If the oil-producing glands on the upper or lower rim of the eyelid become infected, they become swollen and painful. A sty...

Stress
... Stress is the way our bodies react both physically and emotionally to any change in the status quo - good, bad, real or even imagined. Some physical symptoms created by stress include an increased hea...

Women''s Health: Stress
... Stress is the way our bodies react both physically and emotionally to any change in the status quo, either good, bad, real or even imagined. Some physical symptoms created by stress include an increas...

Strokes
... Strokes, also called cerebrovascular accidents, are the third leading cause of death in the United States. A stroke can be caused by lack of blood (and therefore lack of oxygen) to the brain, usually ...

First Aid for Sunburn
... You should never get sunburned. It is not healthy and leads to premature aging, wrinkling of the skin and skin cancer. Sunburn is caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. This can be fro...

Sunburn
... You should never get sunburned! It is not healthy. It leads to premature aging, wrinkling of the skin and skin cancer. Sunburn is caused by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. This can be from the...

Swollen Glands
... The lymphatic system runs through your whole body. It is made up of lymph glands and what connects them together. The lymph glands protect the body from infection. They make a white blood cell that ki...

Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)
... Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears) Imagine hearing a ringing noise in your ears or head that doesn''t go away. This maddening noise, called tinnitus, can range in volume from a ring to a roar. It affects ...

Tonsillitis
... The tonsils are masses of tissue at the back of the throat. They act as a filter to help prevent infections in the throat, mouth, and sinuses from spreading to other parts of the body. They also produ...

Sample Bladder Record
... NAME: ____________________________________________ DATE: ____________________________________________ INSTRUCTIONS: Place a check in the appropriate column next to the time you urinated in the toilet...

Urinary Incontinence in Adults: Acute and Chronic Management
... How Your Body Makes, Stores, and Releases Urine When you eat and drink, your body absorbs the liquid. The kidneys filter out waste products from the body fluids and make urine. Urine travels down tub...

Urinary Incontinence
... If you have urinary incontinence, you suffer from a loss of bladder control or your bladder fails to retain urine properly. As a result, you can''t keep from passing urine, even though you may try to ...

Women''s Health: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
... About 1 out of 5 women will get a urinary tract infection (UTI) in her life. Some women get lots of UTIs. Men get UTIs too, but not as often. What is the urinary tract? Your urinary tract is made up o...

Fibroids
... Fibroids are benign (not cancerous) tumors made mostly of muscle tissue. They are found in the wall of the uterus and sometimes on the cervix. They can range in size from as small as a pea to as large...

Vaginal Yeast Infections
... Yeast infections are the most common type of vaginal infections. Other names for this are Monila, Candida or fungus infection. Vaginal yeast infections result from the overgrowth of Candida albicans w...

Yeast Infections
... Yeast infections are the most common type of vaginal infections. Other names for this are Monila, Candida or fungus infection. Vaginal yeast infections result from the overgrowth of Candida albicans w...

Varicose Veins
... Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins that look blue and are close to the surface of the skin. They are unsightly and uncomfortable. Veins bulge, throb, and feel heavy. The legs and feet can sw...

Women''s Health: Varicose veins
... Varicose veins are veins that are swollen, twisted, look blue and are close to the surface of the skin. They are unsightly and uncomfortable. Veins bulge, throb and feel heavy. The legs and feet can s...

First Aid for Eye Injuries
... There are many causes of eye injuries. These include: Physical blow to the eye. Harsh chemicals like lye, bleach and acids can burn eye tissue and permanently damage the eyes. A grain of sand, fleck o...

Wheezing
... Wheezing is a high purring or whistling sound. You hear it more on breathing out than in. Air flowing through swollen or tight breathing tubes usually causes wheezing. Wheezing sounds like other probl...

HealthyLife® Women’s Self-Care Guide
... This book is not intended as a comprehensive guide to health care, nor should you substitute the information it contains for expert medical advice or treatment. The information is designed to help you...

Visiting Your Doctor\Gynecologist Checklist
... First: Be ready to give your doctor information about your health history. Make a list of these things: Health conditions that run in your family (examples: breast or other cancers, diabetes, high blo...

Rehabilitation and Women''s Health: Major Insights on a Major Health Issue
... If you were asked to name the worst medical epidemic in the United States today, you might guess heart disease. It would be a noble guess, but it would be wrong. Today, currently half of all women ove...