September 8-14, 2010 - Original Health Articles

Medications for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders can be lifesaving for people who need them. However, they come with potential risks and side effects-including weight gain. Unmanaged weight gain can lead to obesity and a slew of serious health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome, a precursor to these (and other) illnesses.

Although having a "nervous stomach" isn't considered a specific diagnosis or a recognized disease, some doctors may use the term to describe a variety of symptoms that may be attributed to stress, tension and anxiety, including indigestion, bloating, gas or a change in bowel habits.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health, as well as phytochemicals and antioxidants that help fight chronic disease. How fresh produce is handled between when it is harvested and when it actually reaches your kitchen, has a great impact on how many of those important nutrients actually end up on your plate.

If you're struggling with chronic pain, the first step to getting help is getting the right diagnosis. For millions of people, the exact locations where they feel pain help doctors define their diagnosis. Tender points are the telltale sign that often leads to a Fibromyalgia diagnosis.

The coast is clearer than ever before. The kids are grown and living on their own, and you no longer have to lock your bedroom door in order to be intimate with your partner. Just one problem: you don't feel as, well, as sexy as you did when you were younger.

Do you love that tart rush you get when you bite into an apple, but find that it's usually followed by an itchy feeling in your mouth or on your tongue? If so, you might suffer from oral allergy syndrome. As many as one third of allergy sufferers experience oral allergy syndrome, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI).

Being married seems so easy at first: everything's new and fresh, from the bone china to the queen-sized comforter to "officially" sharing a last name. But at some point, the honeymoon's clearly over and you both find yourselves marveling at how tough being married can be.

One of the newest focuses for pain management has been around for thousands of years: Meditation. No longer considered a fringe practice, meditation has found its way into science labs and medical practice because of its proven results in reducing pain.

While cracking your knuckles may be irksome to those around you, it probably doesn't raise your risk for developing arthritis, according to limited research on the topic. However, there is some evidence showing that habitual knuckle cracking may cause damage to the ligaments surrounding the joint or dislocation of the tendons (attachments of muscles to bone) in the knuckle, potentially reducing grip strength over time.

Diverticulitis occurs when the diverticula, small pouches lining the digestive tract, become inflamed or infected. The problem usually affects people ages 40 and older. Although most people with diverticulosis don't experience any symptoms, others may have severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.

The perfect after-work snack is light, easy, and takes the edge off your hunger without ruining your appetite for dinner. Here are 10 great ideas. First, decide if you're really hungry. If you haven't eaten since lunchtime, and you're still a couple of hours away from dinner, then a snack is certainly in order.

You may have heard that a hormone called dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, is the key to longevity. Produced naturally by our bodies, it facilities the production of other hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. But some people, looking for the secret to agelessness, are supplementing their bodies' own DHEA with a synthetic version of the hormone, sold in this country in pill form.

Assessing your personal fitness level is a bit like getting a report card that tells you if your hard work is paying off or if you need to do more homework. We've got four ways to measure your personal fitness level and see if you're making the grade.

The latest U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) action to phase out seven popular asthma inhalers may seem daunting. However, keep in mind that alternatives exist that are just as effective. Environmental Damage The seven inhalers discontinued are all metered-dose style and relied on chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants to deliver medication into the patient's lungs.

Seatbelts save more than 13,000 lives every year in this country, but they can do so only if you wear them the right way. In fact, using your seatbelt improperly isn't always better than not using it at all—you may be setting yourself up for serious injury if you wear your seatbelt in any way other than the way it was designed to be worn.

As summer draws to a close, you're probably looking forward to familiar fall pleasures such as apple picking, watching football, and of course, going back to school. But for many people, asthma symptoms worsen in September.  In fact, many hospitals report record-high ER visits in September due to asthma.

The heart is so synonymous with love that when we talk about a broken heart, it's usually an emotional response to a romantic relationship that's gone bad. But, in fact, our hearts are at the center of our physical well-being—literally. The heart, about the size of clenched fist, is a cone-shaped muscle located under the rib cage, between the lungs and behind the sternum (breastbone).

Herpes is a powerful virus that causes everything from annoying cold sores in the mouth to painful genital warts. And while herpes isn't curable, antiviral medications can not only reduce the number of outbreaks, but they can also shorten the length of these outbreaks and reduce the severity of the symptoms.

Post nasal drip is a common condition that happens when mucus from the back of your nose thickens and drips down into your throat. When this occurs, it can make you cough and try to clear your throat. This can sometimes be accompanied by bad breath and sinus pressure.