Diseases and Conditions Encyclopedia
Tap into this interactive encyclopedia for instant access to information on more than 835 diseases and conditions.
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During the dark days of winter, many people develop signs of depression that are tied to the changing amount of daylight.
You can avoid foodborne illness by following these ideas for safe food handling and cooking.
May through August is the most dangerous time of year for children, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. In a recent report, Safe Kids found nearly half of all injury-related childhood deaths occur during the summer.
Using any herb, vitamin, or natural hormone without knowing what you’re getting into—and without a health care provider’s advice—carries a real risk of damaging your health.
Keeping your family safe and sound can be as easy as following simple safety rules consistently. Here's a checklist from the National Safety Council can help you maintain essential safety precautions.
Whether you're heading for the mountain to ski or just taking your sled to the hill, you can enjoy a great day out and get some exercise at the same time.
Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of childhood death in the United States. But when properly installed and used, child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 70 percent for infants and 55 percent for toddlers.
At home or when dining out, here are suggestions on how to add the goodness of greens to your diet.
If your child gets a tooth knocked out, find it if you can and treat it with care. See your dentist as soon as possible.
Every day, injuries send 25,000 children to emergency rooms. Simple precautions could head off most of those trips.
Casseroles are all about efficiency. Making a meal in one pot means you do everything at the same time.
As a word, "cheese" always brings a smile for photographers. As a food, it brings lots of flavor to breakfast omelets, luncheon sandwiches or dinner entrees. It's got plenty of bodybuilding protein and bone-building calcium, as well.
What can you do to avoid scratching and flaking your way through the winter months? Here are some tips to try.
Some kids don't want to try new things in their lunch. But a variety of foods gives children a variety of nutrients and expands their palates.
Experts aren't sure what causes most scoliosis, but if anyone in your family has it, your child has a 20 percent chance of developing it.
If you are a man, you are at risk for prostate cancer. The risk for prostate cancer increases with age. Your risk is also higher if you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that men over age 50 get tested for prostate cancer once a year.
Whether you’re facing major surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, a second opinion can help ensure you’re getting the most targeted, effective treatment for your condition.
Breathing even a little smoke can be harmful, because there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke. The only way to protect yourself and the people you love is to provide a 100 percent smoke-free setting.
When you’re sick, knowing whether you should treat yourself at home or see your doctor can save you time and hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars a year.
Senior centers enrich the lives of older adults with a range of opportunities for socialization, learning, travel, volunteerism, and physical and mental challenges.
You can enjoy cooking classes, even if you've prepared meals most of your life. You can learn techniques that help your health and your budget while you're having fun.
It's tough to enjoy the golden years among bundles of old newspapers, stacks of store receipts and collections of used margarine tubs. You're also at higher risk for falls and fires.
If you try to exercise by yourself, you'll generally come up with any excuse not to do it. With volunteering, you are involved with a group where you have to make a commitment. You're not going to let the group down.
How can you ensure you'll get the medical services you need in the future? Gather what documents you might need to get those services now. It helps to have a record of the names and addresses of your health care providers, the dates of your office visits, and hospitalizations.
Today's salads offer a variety of greens, often with fruits, nuts, cheese, seeds, roasted or grilled vegetables, and beef, chicken or fish.
There are no magic words to make a teen drive like an adult. But by setting rules, parents can make a dramatic difference in preventing crashes.
What's the best time to exercise? There are some surprising pros and cons to exercising at different times.
Although there's no cure for arthritis, the symptoms can be treated effectively in many cases. Here's a look at some proven treatments.
According to researchers at the American Psychological Association, nearly 50 percent of American working women will experience on-the-job sexual harassment at some point in their careers.
Americans consume two to three times more salt or sodium than is healthy.
Regular exercise can improve your health and longevity. But doing too much too soon or not taking proper precautions can cause injury.
Ideally, you should start to prepare your muscles two months before you go skiing or snowboarding. But as little as an hour of training a week for four weeks can get you ready.
The varicella-zoster virus can get you twice. Its painful, long-delayed second strike is known as shingles.
People who are thinking about getting a tattoo should slow down and think twice.
Sometimes medicines can cause side effects and actually make a person feel worse. Side effects are more common as people age, so it's important to understand how to identify and prevent side effects.
Stretching is an easy thing you can do to improve your health, yet it's often the most neglected part of people's fitness regimens. Stretching can reduce your injury risk and help you become more limber, regardless of your age and physical condition.
Eating healthy can reduce your risk of illness and lengthen your life. Eating a balanced, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet reduces your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke and other diseases. Follow these tips to help improve your diet.
The safer and more livable you make your home, the longer you can maintain your independence and avoid debilitating injuries.
If you must sit for long periods, get up from your chair several times an hour and move around.
We've all heard warnings, yet many of us keep gaining weight. More than half of American adults are overweight or obese, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Using sunscreen, covering up and wearing sunglasses that block UV rays will help you enjoy the sunshine safely.
Without enough shut-eye, children are more likely to struggle with their school studies, do poorly on the playing field, and suffer depression.
At every stage of life, healthful eating fuels health and fitness.
Certain forms of physical activity are better than others at burning calories while you're exercising.
If you're not eating right, you may be at risk for problems with your teeth and mouth. Bad eating habits can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Everybody knows smoking is bad for your health. Now here's something you may not know: Smoking is bad for your looks. It's true.
One of the major triggers for asthma attacks is cigarette smoke. Cigarette, pipe or cigar smoke is especially harmful to people with asthma because it damages the cells in the lungs that make the protective coating lining the bronchial tubes.
Do you have healthy gums? You may kiss them goodbye if you're a smoker.
When you smoke, toxins are carried by your blood to every organ in your body. At the same time, the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke keeps red blood cells from carrying as much oxygen as normal.
Many nutrition experts say that having a healthy snack midmorning or midafternoon can help you maintain your energy and prevent you from eating too much at lunch or dinner.
Alcohol is considered a drug because it depresses the central nervous system and can disrupt mental and motor skills, as well as damage internal organs when used excessively.
The best way to eliminate sliding injuries is to use bases designed to pop loose when they are struck too hard.
Pediatricians say there are easy and effective ways to get your kids to eat well other than playing the food enforcer. Parents need to avoid the bickering and control games that make meals tense and unappetizing.
Investigators report headway against breast cancer, the disease that worries women more than any other.
Now is the time to share your tried-and-true recipes and kitchen sense with those who will appreciate them the most: your grandchildren.
Sore throats abound in cold, flu, and allergy season. Do you know when you should put up with a sore throat, take a pain reliever, or see a doctor?
Here's one effective remedy: Keep a bottle of moisturizing lotion in the refrigerator. If you suffer a sunburn, rub the cooling lotion on your skin. Repeat as often as needed.
Although many people assume that a sore throat means strep throat, most sore throats are not strep.
Bringing a new life into this world is a big responsibility. Even seemingly simple things—like soaking in a hot tub or being around people who are painting—could affect your baby.
Experts say today's small music players pose a big risk of hearing loss. One reason: The "earbuds" used with iPods and other MP3 players fit into the ears, not over them.
Coughs, those mini-explosions in your throat, are valuable weapons in your body's self-defense arsenal. Their assignment: keep airways clear by quickly expelling intruders from the lower respiratory system -- principally your throat and upper lungs. If dust, fluid, viruses, bacteria or even tumors block any part of this region, your cough reflex takes explosive action.
The top cause of diaper rash is moisture, made worse by chafing or rubbing. That's why it's important to check your baby's diaper often and change it.
Concussions affect many athletes, but these sports injuries are the least understood.
It's not high blood sugar, heart disease, or stroke that most often puts people with diabetes in the hospital. It's their feet.
Organized sports for children offer obvious benefits such as physical fitness and sportsmanship, but did you know that a musical education program has many of the same benefits? Music education and participation in sports are both great ways to prepare your child for future success.
Sports is the leading cause of school-age children's eye injuries, but most of those injuries are preventable.
Sports injuries can be either acute traumatic, which require immediate medical care, or chronic overuse injuries.
Knee injuries account for 25 percent of all sports-related injuries, but proper conditioning can help prevent them.
When you sprain an ankle, one or more ligaments on the outside of your ankle become stretched or torn.
If you've sprained your ankle, you know what pain is. But maybe that "sprain" was a "strain" or possibly even a "break." The amount of pain in each case can be virtually equal.
People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol typically go through predictable stages of abuse. Understanding these stages can help you recognize a problem and seek help before substance use becomes an addiction.
Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, with one foot placed slightly in front of the other. Bend your knees slightly.
When you're behind the wheel, you may believe that you can stop yourself from falling asleep, but you can’t. You may not even know you’ve dozed off.
Working out when you have a serious illness or health problem can be challenging. But for most people who have health issues, exercising can improve their prognosis and well-being. In fact, exercise can play an important role in helping you cope with or recover from a health challenge or accident.
Now that your treatment is over, you may be tempted to stop going to the doctor for a while. But, it’s more important than ever to have regular checkups.
Being active and involved in care decisions and taking extra precautions to avoid infection when in a hospital can help keep you and your family safe.
Head lice are tiny parasites that live on a person's scalp, neck and behind the ears.
Whether you're a frequent business traveler or heading out on a family vacation, leaving town doesn't have to wreak havoc with your fitness routine.
The major culprit behind the U.S. decline in physical activity may be our own high-tech and increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
Youths see their sports heroes using what seem to be magic potions, and they want to do it, too.
Steroids are important compounds used in medicine, but people often misunderstand what they are.
One way to ensure that you are able to prepare healthful meals is to buy healthful foods. If you have healthful snacks on hand, when the munchies strike, you can reach for fruits and vegetables instead of chips.
Although teen dating violence is worrisome, it's not inevitable. You and your teen can avoid potentially perilous situations and reduce the risk for problems.
Illnesses such as the flu and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. They’re usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Medication to control high blood pressure only works if you take it.
Good posture can enhance your appearance, confidence and self-esteem. It also relieves overcrowding of internal organs caused by slouching.
Here are some common obstacles that you may have encountered and tips for getting beyond them.
The average American gains several pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. This seemingly inevitable weight gain is avoidable; you can fend off added pounds during the holidays without becoming a dietary Scrooge.
Street hockey is popular because it's cheaper than regular hockey and can be played anywhere there is a hard surface.
Walking alone on the street—especially as a woman carrying a purse—can still be a dangerous thing to do. You can take a few easy steps to minimize your risk when walking on the street, whether it’s at night or any other time. Here are some tips.
Getting to the gym for a weight workout isn't always easy. That's why it pays to have weights at home as a backup, or even as a substitute.
Taking time each week to build your strength can help you live a more healthy and independent life. Read on to dispel myths and to get the facts about strength training.
Use this lower back rotation to strengthen your back muscles and improve your spine’s flexibility.
Yoga is more than a stretching regimen. It can help you build stronger muscles, as well as help you relax and focus.
Studies show that long-term stress can damage brain cells, leading to depression. Depression is one of the most dangerous effects of stress in older people.
Mental stress does more than diminish your sense of well-being. It also can increase your risk for heart disease.
Many people hunger for sweets, salty snacks, and other processed foods when they are stressed. One solution: Reach for healthy high-fiber snacks with a bit of the tastes you crave.
Stress is a constant in all stages of life, but the causes—and coping mechanisms—of stress often change as we age.
Stretching can keep your lower legs limber and your joints pain free.
Just 15 minutes of flexibility stretching with controlled breathing are ideal before strolling the links, and can result in a stronger game.
Your health is so central to who you are, so important to how well you function and enjoy life, your doctor can be one of your most valued life partners.
Strokes occur when something interferes with the normal flow of blood to the central nervous system. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.
A stroke can cause problems with speech, vision, memory, balance or coordination. It can leave part of the body weakened or paralyzed, among other physical problems.
Although their symptoms and effects can be similar, strokes and heart attacks are two different medical problems.
Success is the business of trying to improve the things you do. Success is growing and developing. It's accepting bigger and greater challenges.
The majority of dieters regain the weight they lose within five years. But they could avoid doing so by gradually changing their eating and exercise habits. Your approach to weight loss should be to make changes you can keep up for the rest of your life.
Here are suggestions that can help you to enjoy the summer months while protecting your feet.
How you view any situation has a lot to do with how you feel.
Fatigue, stress and bad posture can cause stiffness and soreness in the shoulders, neck, chest and upper back. Doing stretches regularly can help prevent and relieve these conditions.
Parents need to be prepared to focus their energy on soothing, distracting or comforting their child during the flight.
With a few simple substitutions, you can reduce the cholesterol in your meals—and boost your heart health.
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults: seven to nine hours per night, on average.
Sugar fuels the body and every cell in it. The more you eat it, the more you want.
Dance and fitness instructors say swing dancing or swing aerobics can elevate your heart rate quickly.
Deciding when and how to stop taking several popular antidepressants is something you should always discuss with your health care provider.
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