September 1-7, 2011 - Original Health Articles

It only takes five seconds to read a text-enough time to veer into a lane of opposing traffic or hit a child chasing a ball with deadly consequences. For teens, especially, texting can be irresistible. It enables them to be constantly connected to their friends and is their main form of communication.

Until now, cancer treatment has been largely a one-size-fits-all affair, although we now know every cancer patient's disease is different. As scientists learn more about cancer, they're working towards personalizing treatment for each patient. How cancer grows and spreads depends on many factors.

A good meal should boost your energy, not leave you feeling sapped. Here's what you can do to avoid post-meal fatigue. 1. Eat light.  Heavy meals, especially those rich in carbohydrates, help boost your levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which is responsible for the "tired but content" feeling that often comes after a holiday dinner, but can occur after any big meal.

If you haven't done it yourself, you've certainly seen it: A group of people at a social gathering who, instead of conversing with each other, are pecking away at their cell phones. While this situation may sound strange, it's actually very common. A recent study in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing found that the typical smartphone user checked their phone an average of 34 times per day.

You follow your doctor's orders to manage asthma, yet your symptoms still persist. Frustrated? You don't have to resign yourself to feeling sick. Learn about the five potential pitfalls that can derail even your best efforts, along with some easy-to-follow tips to help you steer your asthma management plan back on track again.

Does your workplace do a real job on your health? Your place of employment may expose you to substances that can trigger an array of symptoms. Whether you work in the controlled setting like an office, spend your days in a laboratory or manufacturing plant, or are outdoors working with animals or plants, there are many allergens that, with repeated exposure, can make you feel quite sick.

Millions of women suffer from menstrual back cramps every month.  Unlike other types of muscular back pain, which go away and typically don't come back, menstrual back pain can be a frequent, unwelcome visitor. Just like menstrual cramps, most menstrual back pain is caused by contractions of the uterus as it releases menstrual fluid.

We depend on family and friends to fill some of our needs for love, companionship, and security. A healthy dependency is a two-way relationship; both parties contribute to it in positive ways. A codependent relationship, in contrast, is an unhealthy, dysfunctional, perhaps even abusive, one-sided relationship.

You're in a new relationship that's so wonderful it feels as if you'll be happy together forever. Everything's perfect, except for one problem. You have erectile dysfunction (ED), and are wondering when you should tell your partner about it. And if you've decided to share the news with her, you may wonder how best to broach it.

All couples find each other maddening at times, and it's certainly not uncommon to have occasional disagreements and spats. But if you're miserable more than you're not, and you increasingly find yourself wondering if the guy you're sitting across the table from is the same guy you married once upon a time, it may be time to reassess your future with him.

We've all seen it: The little old man or woman hunched over the steering wheel, squinting ahead while doing 20 miles an hour in a 40 mile an hour zone. And it's not uncommon to hear about accidents caused by elderly drivers who step on the gas pedal instead of the brake.

We all have scars, whether they're extremely noticeable or barely visible. Scars can result from simple accidents like getting too close to an iron or from bad habits like picking at pimples. Whether you have a newly developed scar or you're trying to stop a wound from turning into a prominent scar, there are ways you can minimize its appearance.