February 15-21, 2010 - Original Health Articles

If you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed at the sheer number of specialists you're suddenly supposed to visit. Besides your primary care physician, you may be told to see an endocrinologist, a certified diabetes educator, a registered dietitian, a podiatrist and an ophthalmologist.

If you're considering a facial rejuvenation procedure, you've likely heard of microdermabrasion, one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to improve your skin's texture and tone. Many doctors and patients rave about how it can shave years off your face; and scientific studies have even proven that it works.

Americans are exposed to about 100,000 chemicals daily, and scientists have linked at least 220 of them to the development of cancer. It's impossible to eliminate our exposure to all potentially harmful substances. However, we can take steps to reduce our risk from common cancer-causing substances.

Did you know that your teenager's weight today could affect her risk of getting multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life? That's the upshot from a study that was conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Scientists looked at women who had MS to understand how their weight as a teenager correlated with developing this disease in adulthood.

Most women who have had a hysterectomy report feeling much healthier, once they recover from operation and the conditions that led to surgery are resolved.  But what lifestyle changes should you expect or plan to make after a hysterectomy?  That depends on your age and if you still have your ovaries.

What if you could use the power of your mind to overcome your biggest asthma symptoms? As implausible as this may sound, some researchers believe that asthma patients can use self-hypnosis to control their condition and help themselves breathe better on a regular basis.

One of the key issues to understanding the cause of pain is whether the pain being experienced is referred pain or point tender pain. The difference lies in whether the tissue that is creating the pain signal is at the point where the pain is being experienced or whether it is located somewhere else.

If your child is suffering from the discomfort of an upset stomach, making him feel better as quickly as possible is your priority. An upset stomach, or indigestion, often occurs when your child eats something that doesn't agree with him. Eating too much, or too fast, can also cause upset stomach symptoms.

In the 1997 movie As Good As it Gets, Jack Nicholson's character displayed numerous quirky habits. He ate at the same table in the same restaurant each day, brought his own plastic utensils, engaged in an elaborate process of locking his front door, and skipped over cracks in the pavement.

While many people may associate inadequate nutrition with third-world countries, it can and does occur in developed countries such as ours. Certain conditions can make eating, along with the absorption of nutrients, difficult. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of those conditions, and people with this disease need to pay particular attention to their diets to avoid becoming malnourished.

If sex unsatisfying, don't rush to point the finger your male partner. In fact, the blame could be put on none other than yourself. All too often, sexual misunderstandings can be cleared up by better communication, experts say. If you want to jump start your sex life, see which of these mistakes you're guilty of, and what you can do to right them.

Are your allergies causing you to lose sleep? If so, then you may find yourself suffering from a bad case of allergy fatigue. As the name implies, this is a form of extreme tiredness that can be linked back to your allergies─and all of the discomforts that go along with them.

Every year, babies and children tragically lose their lives from illness, injuries and accidents. The following list of 10 common causes of death for children will give you the information necessary to help prevent your own youngsters from becoming a statistic.

It can start as that vague aching in your wrist, tingling or numbness in your fingers or hand. Then one day you feel a pain radiating from your wrist up your arm to your shoulder, and your hands feel weak  to the point that you even start dropping things.

Vaccine safety for children has long been a controversial topic. Whether you're worried about vaccines for childhood illnesses like polio, mumps, measles and chicken pox or those used to combat seasonal flu dangers, there's a lot to think about before your child has his next injection.

In an excerpt from her book You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes: How to Fix Them to Get the Health Care You Deserve, Trisha Torrey examines how your doctor may not be telling you all there is to know about the treatment options available to you.

Roll out the mat, and get down on the floor. We've got eight yoga and Pilates-inspired floor exercises to target your arms, legs, abs, glutes, and back. We've even included one for the mind-body connection.  Two variations on the sit-up tone up your six-pack.

Electrosmog is invisible pollution in the form of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) resulting from the use of wireless technology such as cell phones, cordless phones, wireless networks, and mobile/cellular phone masts, towers and transmitters. Just as smog from car exhaust and manufacturing pollution has been shown to cause health problems, recent studies show that electrosmog is hazardous to our health.

The prevalence of obesity in the US has more than doubled over the last 30 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Today 72 million Americans (more than one-third of US adults) are obese, and two-thirds of Americans are reported to be overweight.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of comparing a current relationship to some romantic ideal and feeling dissatisfied if what you have doesn't compare to what you think it should be. With that dissatisfaction you can experience some depression.  However, you should understand that there are different t types of love that match an individual's needs.

According to a new study, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may not be the direct result of acidic digestive juices burning the esophagus (the tube that leads from the back of the mouth to the stomach), as has been long thought. It may actually be the result of  immune system cells causing inflammation in the esophagus.

Do you ever find yourself staring into space for long periods, losing your train of thought, or becoming excessively tired during the day? If so, you may want to check with your doctor. Recent research suggests that these so-called cognitive fluctuations may be more likely to occur in older people who are developing Alzheimer's disease.