October 22-31, 2011 - Original Health Articles

Jealous of your brother's great job? Envious that your sister's kids are always so beautifully behaved that your parents compliment her constantly? Whether you're the jealous one, always feeling like your sibling has a better job/house/car/kids than you, or you're the sibling that others in your family are jealous of, envy can be stressful and draining.

Patients who experience joint, bone, and muscle pain really know what it means to be "under the weather." Many patients experience increased pain and stiffness during cold weather. So, what's the cause of weather-related symptoms and what can you do about...

Typically when you have muscle pain it's equated to soreness from working out or maybe an injury. But what most don't consider is how muscle pain is often associated with chronic health conditions. Muscle pain tops the symptom list for many illnesses and health conditions from the flu to fibromyalgia.

A recent study in the journal Health Psychology provides more evidence for what most of us know intuitively—getting along with people at work is good for you. The study reports that having a positive relationship with coworkers has long-term mental and physical health benefits.

You know how you feel after a restless or sleepless night—grouchy, stressed out, and just plain awful! The longer you go without a good night's sleep, the worse you feel. Here's what you can do to get your sleep habits—and your mood—back on track.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can help fight cancer, but do you know which ones are best for your bowel? Your gastrointestinal tract is actually one long tube that stretches from your mouth to your rectum, with lots of twists, turns, bulges, and folds in between.

Everyone produces gas while digesting food and, once formed, and that gas has to go somewhere. Throughout the day and night, normal amounts of gas pass through your body unnoticed, but any build-up of excess gas usually makes itself known. If it passes through your mouth, you burp.

It's not considered polite conversation, but constipation is a fact of life for many. For some people, it's an occasional inconvenience, but for others it's a chronic condition. To understand why a person becomes constipated in the first place, it helps to understand how the bowels function.

If you currently rely on an over-the-counter asthma medication to treat your respiratory symptoms, you'll need to find a prescription alternative in a hurry. As of January 1, 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will ban non-prescription epinephrine inhalers because they contain chlorofluorocarbons that harm the ozone layer.

If you drink a bit more coffee or tea than most people you know, scientists say it may be thanks to your DNA. Ah, caffeine. It wakes you up in the morning, helps you get your work done throughout the day and, after a long night, may be the only thing that can get you through the next day.

Taking a hot bath every evening is a natural way to decrease stress and anxiety, and ease yourself into a good night's sleep. Here's how to make this pre-bedtime ritual work for you. Timing is Everything Figure out how much sleep you need and what time you need to go to bed to get that amount.

If antibiotics are making you nauseated, eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can help you feel better. When you take antibiotics to kill the bacteria that are causing an infection, the drug has a "take no prisoners" effect on your body: It wipes out all bacteria, good and bad.

No one knows exactly why we are designed to sleep, but just about everyone knows what happens when we don't. If you are one of the estimated 50 to 70 million Americans who suffer from chronic sleep loss, you are probably feeling the consequences right now.

Is your asthma medication living up to its promise to control your persistent symptoms? If the answer is no, you may be surprised to find out that the problem could be a "relative" thing. Facts About Corticosteroids for Asthma Much variation exists in how well people respond to inhaled corticosteroids, which is a common asthma medication used to treat persistent asthma and reduce airway swelling.

According to new research released in fall 2011, extra fat surrounding the abdominal region could put you at an increased risk for developing asthma. Research on Obesity and Asthma While many researchers have looked at the connection between general obesity and asthma, a study presented at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam is the one of the first attempts to look specifically at the role of waist circumference and its relationship to lung function.

A study included in the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2011 reveals that an experimental drug called lebrikizumab may be the answer for people whose asthma doesn't respond to other, more common, treatment strategies. Getting Personal With This New Drug A group of researchers recently tested lebrikizumab on a group of patients and discovered that it works by addressing one of the receptors that's involved in the respiratory inflammation that often occurs with asthma.

Your body tries to maintain equilibrium at all times. However, sometimes pregnancy, premenstrual side effects, medications, or an underlying medical condition will disrupt the balance of water and chemicals, causing fluid retention. You may also hear this described as water retention, edema, or dropsy.

You've probably seen the proliferation of gluten-free products at your local grocery store and wondered if you should be eating these foods. Gluten is a protein found in certain grains, including wheat, rye, and barley. Approximately one in 20 Americans is sensitive to gluten.

Got a stuffy nose or sinus problems? You may want to turn to hot chili peppers for relief. Scientists from the University of Cincinnati have discovered that an ingredient in hot chili peppers can effectively address certain types of inflamed nasal passages and clogged sinuses.