May 22-31, 2010 - Original Health Articles

The stigma of alcohol and substance abuse is lifting as scientists learn more about the biology behind addiction. Understanding what drives people to become addicted can help you develop strategies for staying sober. What is Addiction? The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes abuse and addiction as a chronic relapsing brain disease that is expressed as a form of compulsive behavior.

If there are rumbling and grumbling sounds coming from your stomach, they may be embarrassing, but most likely they're just the normal cacophony of sounds your gastrointestinal system makes as it processes food. Because the intestines are hollow, bowel sounds can echo throughout the stomach, making similar sounds pipes make as water flows through.

Menopause isn't called the change of life for nothing. Sleep habits change (for the worse), your mood changes (minute to minute), and your hair changes (gets thinner). But perhaps the most unexpected change of all has to do with your sex life. Not only is intercourse downright uncomfortable, but it can actually be painful.

If you're over 40 and still "doing your face" the same way you did 20 years ago, chances are you're making yourself look older. Here's how to turn around some common makeup mistakes and show the world what you've lost in youth you've gained in wisdom.

Roughly 25 million Americans have experienced tinnitus, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Tinnitus, a noise or ringing in the ears, is not a condition itself, but a symptom associated with many forms of hearing loss, an ear injury, particular medications, or some other underlying health issues.

Nosebleeds are common, messy, and sometimes scary-but how serious are they? Fortunately, most of the time a bloody nose is just a nuisance.  Occasionally, however it can signal more serious medical conditions.  The formal medical names for a nosebleed is epistaxis or nasal hemorrhage.

Have you ever wondered how doctors find doctors for themselves and their families? We all could take a tip from physicians when it comes to evaluating other medical professionals. Too many people find a doctor by picking one randomly from a list of practitioners who accept their insurance.

For decades, rheumatoid arthritis numbers were on the decline. But the downward trend that could be seen in this country for roughly forty years leveled off in the '90s, and now researchers have identified an uptick in one particular segment of the population-white women.

Most of my day is spent debunking the myths of the causes of pain patients have been told by various authorities. Every new patient comes in with a litany of findings identified on an x-ray or MRI which is supposedly the cause of their pain. Stenosis, arthritis, bone-on-bone, mensical tear, rotator cuff tear, herniated disc, spondylothesis, and every other possible structural variation from the norm is identified and simply assumed to be the cause of pain.

More than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, millions of Americans suffer with back pain every day. While back pain and injury is prevalent among Americans, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Most of us want to look and feel young for as long as possible. While we can't turn back the clock on our chronological age, a recent study shows that we can make lifestyle choices to prevent ourselves from aging too quickly. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oslo and published in Archives of Internal Medicine, tracked nearly 5,000 British adults over a period of 20 years to look at how physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption were related to mortality.

New research suggests that kicking off your shoes can help strengthen your feet, legs, and lower back, avoid foot problems like hammertoe and bunions, and even minimize the sweaty environment where bacteria and fungi thrive. But walking without shoes has many hidden dangers: stepping on sharp metal or glass; picking up a stray virus like plantar fasciitis, a parasite like hookworm, or a bacteria like pseudomonas; not to mention risking breaking or severing a toe.

A Japanese study has found that dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B6 reduces the risk of dying cardiovascular disease in females and may lower the risk for heart disease in men. The researchers analyzed data from over 23,000 men and over 35,600 women, ages 40 to 79, who answered food frequency questionnaires.

Part dance party, part exercise class, Jazzercise is a dance fitness phenomenon.  If you're tired of the same old aerobics class and looking for something more motivating than the treadmill then Jazzercise might be your perfect solution.  Dance your way to fitness with this heart pumping, fast-paced recipe for fun.

Eating a diet high in animal fats has been linked to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, obesity, and several types of cancer. Now, a new study published in The Journal of Nutrition is adding to a growing body of scientific evidence showing a connection between a diet rich in fat and low in fiber and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.

In 2007, the American Heart Association (AHA) initiated new guidelines to predict which women would develop heart disease.  As part of the AHA's new focus on women and heart health, these new guidelines help doctors evaluate women's risk factors for cardiac disease.

Health-promoting substances in this tiny berry can help manage pain and inflammation, keep your vision clear and protect against the development of chronic diseases. With so much medical potential, it is no wonder cassis is being touted as the next super fruit.