May 15-21, 2009 - Original Health Articles

Thinking of heading outdoors to exercise on a very hot day? If you have asthma, you may want to think again before you step out of your air conditioned place. High temperatures, humidity and pollen counts, coupled with poor air quality, can be a dangerous combination even for people without respiratory problems.

Over 44 million Americans are living with arthritis, which includes over 100 different conditions. The two most common types are osteoarthritis, which affects 27 million people, and rheumatoid arthritis, which about 1.3 million people have. According to the CDC, by 2030 about 67 million people over 18 years old will have arthritis.

Diabetes is a disease that doesn't discriminate—the damage it causes often takes place throughout the body. And one of the things the disease attacks is your nerves. About 60 to 70 percent of diabetics suffer some type of nerve damage, or neuropathy, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Did you know that you can actually give yourself a health boost by pairing up particular foods? Some foods, while okay on their own, become nutritional powerhouses when eaten in combination with other foods. And some foods can actually cancel out others' negative effects.

Stomach ulcers and Crohn's are both diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. However, is there an additional connection? Researchers are beginning to believe there is. Stomach ulcers (also known as peptic ulcers) are open sores inside the lining of the stomach.

Your stomach acid has the same acidity as battery acid. The only reason you survive is because the stomach is built to handle this. But the esophagus isn't, and when stomach acid backs into it, you get that painful burning sensation just below the breastbone.

The Latest Findings Researchers looked at a group of asthma patients who tried different breathing techniques to see the benefits they received. The findings, which were published in a journal called Thorax, revealed that asthmatics who regularly practiced breathing exercises experienced fewer symptoms.

Arthritis in your hands can make joints and muscles achy and stiff. It also weakens your grip and reduces hand function. Soon, simple daily tasks - from opening lids or combing your hair, to carrying heavy objects or lifting your child - can become daily battles.

You can install blackout shades, turn up your white-noise machine, and take a calming bath before bed, but you probably won't get a good night's sleep if your mattress is wrong for you. And with all of the choices out there, it can be hard to know what kind of mattress you need.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in America. It kills more people each year than cancer. Depression, an underrecognized and undertreated disease in the medical population, may be contributing to this worrisome public health threat.  Origins of The Idea In 1628 William Harvey, an English physician, defined the circulatory system as we know it and proposed a link between the heart and the mind as it pertains to health.

If you have eczema, you know how painful the dry skin and bubbly rash that often occurs with this condition can be. It most often appears in the knees and elbow joints, on the back of hands and even on your scalp, and comes with such intense itching that you may just feel desperate for relief.

You're engrossed in your a movie and suddenly have a serious craving for chocolate chip cookies. They're all you can think about and can almost taste it in your mouth. But why do cravings such as these happen to begin with? When talking about cravings, it's first important to differentiate between biological food cravings and emotional food cravings.

We all have the best of intentions when it comes to personal fitness.  But when real life gets in the way, some of us wonder where we can cut corners and still be physically fit.  How much exercise you need varies depending on your workout goals...

If the phrase "raw food diet" conjures images of long hair, Birkenstocks and fringe communities, it may be time for a new picture. The number of people eating only raw food is growing, and followers report significant health improvements when making the switch to this way of eating.

Do you often find yourself feeling ill when you eat certain fruits, vegetables or other foods that have a high acidic content? If so, there could be one of several different culprits to blame. You could have an allergy to citrus or to citric acid, or even to foods that have a high level of acidity.

When you have digestion problems, you may find yourself experiencing painful symptoms. A big part of preventing these problems, though, is to find foods that digest easily. Here's how to get started. 1. Switch everything to whole grains. This includes cereal (granola and oatmeal), rice, and bread, all of which are available wherever you buy groceries.

Your thirties can be a chaotic time. Often this decade is filled with the dueling demands of work and family, with the result that it's tough to make time for good nutrition. Grabbing chicken nuggets from the drive-thru after daycare pickup often seems like the easiest dinner option.

You would think because celebrities have the money to employ personal trainers and chefs and the motivation of keeping their careers afloat as a reason to stay fit, that heart disease would rank among the least of their worries. But given that 80 million Americans, or one in three, have some form of cardiovascular disease, that idea suddenly seems reasonable.

When you're living with arthritis, physical activity isn't optional-it's essential. Exercises help to relieve pain and stiffness, help you avoid joint injury, and stay active for longer. But, maybe you're finding it hard to squeeze in 30-minute sessions every day.