August 1-7, 2009 - Original Health Articles

If you've noticed that your asthma symptoms get worse during bad rainstorms, you're not alone.  Researchers have long recognized the link that exists between asthma and weather, with thunderstorms seeming to a particularly big trigger for this condition.

Whether you're a fitness fanatic or a recovering couch potato, nothing can kill your motivation faster than monotony. What's more, if you do the same old workout for months on end, your body will eventually adapt to it and leave you stuck at a fitness plateau.

The average American family spends $4,300 per year on food, according to the National Grocer's Association (NGA). This may seem like a lot, but don't worry: There are ways to cut down on spending and make healthier choices when grocery shopping. First, you need to be prepared.

If you have a child with asthma whose symptoms aren't well managed, you might want to revisit the treatment strategy to be sure it is in sync with his or her needs. This is because there is growing awareness in the medical community that for some children who are taking inhaled corticosteroids, this medication just isn't doing the trick.

A Recognized Treatment Method Allergy shots, which are also called allergen immunotherapy, are a popular treatment method that many people rely on to help control or event prevent their allergies in the hopes that they won't need to continue taking allergy medication forever.

Imagine this scenario: You're stuck in traffic on the freeway, crawling toward an exit that seems impossibly far away. Suddenly the car in front of you stops and lets a few other vehicles with their blinkers on into your lane. Do you a) shrug and figure that everyone else on the freeway has someplace to be, just as you do, or b) start yelling and cursing the driver in front of you, perhaps leaning on your horn for emphasis? If you answered b, you may have a problem taming your temper.

You may think you're doing all you can to keep your metabolism going strong, but chances are, you're missing a few key steps.  Here, Nicki Anderson, a National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer and president of Reality Fitness Inc.

If you suffer from hay fever, you will be all too familiar with the range of misery that goes with it, including sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes, nose and throat. Some people with hay fever experience only have mild bouts of these symptoms periodically.

Even under the best of circumstances, giving birth and caring for a newborn baby isn't easy. New mothers are dealing with the constant demands of an infant, including feeding, changing, stimulating, and settling. Breastfeeding requires a woman to be available at least every few hours around the clock, leaving her little time for unbroken sleep.

Dealing with depression is never easy, but for sufferers of dysthymia, also known as long-term depression, the emotional pain can seem never ending. According to the American Psychiatric Association, dysthymia is depression that lasts most of the time for at least two years.

When you're diganosed with a disease, one thing you need to know is if it has any long-term effects. According to a recent study, 2/3 of people with GERD do not know if the disease has any long-term risks.[1] This is rather troubling, given that one of GERD's long-term effects can be fatal.

Millions of Americans are affected by migraines, but according to experts, the disease is often underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or simply misunderstood. Read on as we debunk the disorder's biggest myths. Myth: A migraine is just a severe headache. In reality, headaches are just one symptom of migraine disease.

If you tripped and fell and needed to go to the emergency room to have your leg examined, how quickly would you be seen by a doctor? When was the last time you had your cholesterol levels checked? Do you and your neighbors have health insurance? The data for these questions and more helped to reveal how good healthcare is in various locations in this country.

Also known as hip arthroplasty, hip replacement surgery can be beneficial to those with severe hip pain, helping to relieve symptoms and provide greater range of movement. However, the procedure isn't without its risks. Prospective patients should talk to their doctors and do their own research before deciding to proceed.

Most of us know it's coming.  We might feel cranky, crampy and gloomy; maybe a headache and a little water retention.  No big deal—we pick up some tampons and a pint of ice cream and wait for our period to start.  For some women, however, the days and even weeks leading up to their period make them so angry, irritable, or sad that it affects their ability to lead a normal life.

Urinary tract (bladder) infections (UTI) can be very uncomfortable and if you've ever had one, you don't want another.  Most UTIs are easily treated with antibiotics but if infection progresses beyond the bladder, it can affect the kidneys (a much more serious infection).

When the mercury soars, you take longer to fall asleep and your sleep is more intermittent. Although the ideal room temperature for sleeping is 65 degrees Fahrenheit, indoor temperatures during summer can rise to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the country.

Green tea has been hailed as a health hero recently, credited with speeding metabolism and promoting weight loss, warding off colds and flu, and even protecting against tooth decay. But its greatest value, according to doctors and researchers, is its powerful punch against serious diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease.

Nuts, those reliable old standbys for vegetarians and bar patrons, are much en vogue these days. And for good reason. Numerous studies have confirmed that people who eat nuts several times a week enjoy better heart health thanks to nuts' bountiful monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Revered as "holy powder" in India, turmeric is the yellow ingredient used to make many curries. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have used turmeric to treat inflammatory disorders for centuries. Several studies show that the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, also nicknamed "curecumin" can benefit conditions such as arthritis and Alzheimer's.

A rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis can be hard to swallow. This chronic autoimmune disease is characterized by inflammation, pain, stiffness, bone damage, and loss of function or disability. In advanced cases, it can also affect internal organs. While there is no known cure for RA, early diagnosis and treatment can help improve the quality of life for the 1.

Got 10 minutes? Then you've got enough time to get in shape. While 30 minutes of daily exercise is recommended for healthy adults, experts agree that moderate-intensity physical activity accumulated throughout the day in 10-minute bouts can be just as effective as exercising for 30 minutes straight.

The Link More than 22 million Americans suffer from asthma symptoms, and statistics reveal that the rate of people affected is rising faster than any other disease today. If you fall into this group, the quality of the air you breathe may be one of the triggers that make you cough and wheeze.

Want to improve your sex life? Scientists believe they have once again discovered an important factor in a woman reaching her sexual peak. According to a study conducted by the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, emotional intelligence in a woman (or the ability to monitor her own and others' feelings and emotions) appears to increase the number of orgasms she can have.

Your reproductive system is one of the most fragile systems in the body, according to the Office of Women's Health (OWH). Yet, every day women make birth control decisions without all the facts. Your gynecologist is one of your best allies when it comes to choosing contraception.

While experts don't suggest going 100 percent raw, they do acknowledge the amazing health benefits of uncooked and unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Five reasons to include raw foods in your diet include: 1. Raw foods are nutrient-rich.

You don't have to be a wilderness expert to go into the woods, but it is important to have a good understanding of The Great Outdoors so you can be prepared for rough terrain, inclement weather, or any other challenge that comes your way. Here, five tips to follow: 1.

Our taste for salt is an acquired taste and the more you eat, the more you desire.  Conversely, the less you eat, the less you desire.  A high salt diet has been linked with an increased risk for high blood pressure.  There have been many published studies, looking at various populations that have shown that a high salt diet is associated with high blood pressure.

For more than 2,400 years, the herb St. Johns wort, also known as hypericum perforatum, has been used medicinally. While originally people ingested the plant to treat problems such as arthritis pain, menstrual cramps, and gastrointestinal bugs, in more modern times it's been employed as a depression cure.

It seems like there's more bad news about the economy every day. Stock values are plummeting, some people owe more money for their home than it's worth, and big banks are going under. So it's no wonder that almost everyone is worried about their bank...

About 2.1 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis and suffer from symptoms such as pain, swelling and stiffness. Fortunately, most people with rheumatoid arthritis will not develop eye problems, but some will. Rheumatoid arthritis may be more likely to affect your eyes if it isn't under control, or it's at an advanced stage.

Do you have a baby or young toddler who is at risk for allergies? Perhaps your little one is predisposed to the condition because of a family history of allergies that exists. If so, you may be going to great lengths to avoid your child's exposure to a host of allergens, including pets.

If you've ever had a backache, you know how bad the pain can get. It may be severe enough to keep you from going about your daily activities. Perhaps it makes you feel much older than you really are or causes you to groan when you sit or stand. Understanding Back Pain Back pain is a very common injury when dealing with athletes, says Erin K.

Since there's no specific test that can confirm whether a person has fibromyalgia, physicians often must perform a variety of tests in order to rule out hypothyroidism and multiple sclerosis, among other conditions. The following are the top criteria that health-care professionals consider when making a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

At some point in their lives, 12 to 28 percent of people will be experience migraines, according to the European Journal of Neurology. What's more, in any given year, this common neurological disease will affect 6 to 15 percent of adult men, 14 to 35 percent of adult women, and approximately 4 to 5 percent of children under 12.

Q: I've always been taught that lying is wrong. When is it okay, or even beneficial, to lie? A: When we were young, we were taught not to lie.  Yet, as it turns out, there are benefits of lying—and sometimes it's even a necessity. The "white lies" we tell to others serve as the social glue that allows us to sustain and enrich our relationships.

The myths surrounding sex during pregnancy are endless. Sex can hurt the baby. The baby will know what's happening. Sex can cause a miscarriage. What's an expectant mom or dad to believe? Here, we separate fact from fiction. Q. Can you have sex during pregnancy? A.

From solar-powered cars to water conservation to state-wide recycling programs, it appears that America really is beginning to "go green." And as more people learn about the role they can play in saving the planet, many are taking responsibility for their own environmental actions.

To find the fountain of youth is a task that has captivated humans for millennia. Although eternal youth is an impossibility—for now—recent studies seem to point to at least one thing that can turn back the hands of your heart's clock at least: exercise.

A negative body image may be to blame for a lackluster sex life. In a study conducted at Penn State, researchers investigated the connection between how women viewed their own attractiveness and changes they experienced in sexual satisfaction over the past decade and current sexual satisfaction.