Lower back pain can be quite a debilitating issue that even young people experience. Lower back pain is not just caused by an injury or just a given. It can be caused by a variety of problems. The spinal muscles are a complex, interconnected network of nerves, bones, discs and tendons in the lumbar spine.
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease and a chronic inflammatory disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. But what about when this happens in children under 17, not at the usual over 40? This persistent joint pain, swelling, and stiffness in children is known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Interestingly, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects about 50,000 children in the United States alone.
Read MoreMacular degeneration is deterioration in the central area of the retina, called the macula. The macula is a part of the eye within the retina which is responsible for giving us sharp, central vision. Because of the central location of the macula, the effects of macular degeneration can be debilitating to those who suffer from it. Moreover, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss for those over 50, effecting over 10 million Americans.
Read MoreRestless leg syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease affects up to 15% of people in America. The disorder can cause itching, burning, and aching in the legs when you are at rest and lead to major issues with your sleep patterns. This sleep-related movement disorder gets its name from the overpowering urges to move the legs while at rest. These urges for movement can cause uncomfortable sensation in the limbs and oftentimes hurt.
Read MoreInsomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by the inability to fall asleep, having extreme difficulty falling asleep, or problems staying asleep. People who suffer from insomnia often wake up and can never get back to sleep or are never able to get to sleep in the first place. As a result, they often feel a lack of energy which can interfere with a person’s daily routine. It can also affect your mood, quality of life, and overall health. It is very important for people to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night. It is estimated that about 30 percent to 50 percent of people in the United States will have insomnia at some point in their life.
Read MoreGERD is also another name for acid reflux. Acid reflux can affect everyday activities. Not everyone’s reflux is triggered by the same foods or drinks. If the items listed above don’t seem to get your acid churning, keep a food journal and note the meals that brought on reflux symptoms. Once you have identified the food that is bringing on acid reflux, you can try to avoid it. If you frequently suffer from acid reflux at night, you may find relief is as simple as avoiding big meals before bed and raising the head of your bed. More prone to reflux when laying down or bending over. When we are standing, gravity lends a helping hand in keeping food down in the stomach. When we lay down, we lose the effect of gravity and will often experience worse acid reflux.
Read MoreMumps is a contagious viral infection that affects the parotid glands. The parotid glands are one of three pairs of salivary glands that are located below and in front of your ears. When a person develops mumps, they will experience painful swelling in one or both of the parotid glands. Mumps may also be known as a parvovirus infection.
Read MoreMenorrhagia is a condition that affects women and is characterized by having very heavy menstrual periods with prolonged bleeding. Menorrhagia is more severe than just having an abnormally heavy period once in a while because with menorrhagia, women experience a heavy loss of blood during every menstrual period. While it is concerning in general for premenopausal women to experience heavy blood loss, most premenopausal women do not experience such a heavy blood loss to be considered menorrhagia. It is estimated that about 10 percent of women in the United States have menorrhagia.
Read MoreLaryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. Your larynx is more commonly known as your voice box. The condition occurs as a result of developing an infection, irritation, or simply overuse of the vocal cords. There vocal cords are found inside the larynx. The vocal cords normally open and close smoothly which produces our normal talking voices. However, when you have laryngitis, the vocal cords become irritated and inflamed. As a result, the vocal cords swell and this produces an abnormal talking voice which sounds hoarse. In severe cases of the condition, you may lose your voice completely.
Read MoreKidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease, is a life-long condition in which the kidney gradually loses function. About 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Millions of others are at an increased risk for developing the disease and are not aware of it. With the progression of kidney disease, wastes build up in your blood. As a result, complications can occur such as high blood pressure, high potassium levels which can impair heart health, central nerve damage, anemia, poor nutritional health, weak bones, and a decreased immune response.
Read MoreH. pylori (also known as Helicobacter pylori) is a common type of bacterial infection that occurs in the stomach and upper intestines. The infection is known to cause peptic ulcers, which are characterized by sores or holes that develop in the lining of the stomach or upper intestine. It is estimated that about 1 in every 50 people has a helicobacter pylori infection.
Read MoreA hydrocele is sac that is filled with fluid which forms on a testicle. It causes inflammation or swelling in the scrotum. They are most common in babies, but can affect males of any age. In adult men, it often affects those that are middle-aged or older. They are not a very serious condition as there are not any severe complications associated with the condition unless they are associated with an infection, tumor, or inguinal hernia. They are also often painless. About 10 percent of males are born with a hydrocele.
Read MoreSimply put, retinoblastoma is a rare malignant tumor of the retina that most commonly affects young children. It is a cancer of the eye that starts in the retina, and although considered an early childhood cancer, it can occur (rarely) in adults as well. This type of eye cancer effects the retina, as mentioned, which is the part of the eye that is responsible for sensing light and sending images of what you see to the brain. The layer of nerve tissue that makes up the retina sends signals of the light it senses through the optic nerve to the brain. It is in the brain that these signals are translated into the images we ultimately see.
Read MoreHirsutism is a condition that occurs in women and is characterized by unwanted body hair in the male-pattern form. The condition causes an excessive amount of body hair that appears in areas on women’s bodies where men usually grow body hair such as the back, chest, and face. It is estimated that about one in twenty women in the United States has hirsutism.
Read MoreHistoplasmosis is a fungal infection that is caused by inhaling fungal spores into your lungs. The spores of a fungus are often found in the fecal matter of birds and bats which is often found in soil. People are most commonly exposed to histoplasmosis when these fungal spores are airborne during cleanup or demolition projects. It is most often found in the mid-Atlantic, southeastern, and central regions of the United States. The illness can either be mild or life-threatening. Histoplasmosis most often affects your lungs. However, if the infection is severe, it can spread throughout the entire body. There are about 250,000 people in the United States who get histoplasmosis each year.
Read MoreHepatitis A is an extremely contagious infection of the liver. It is caused by the hepatitis A virus and causes inflammation of the liver which affects the liver’s ability to function. It is one of three of the most common types of hepatitis viruses: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Hepatitis A is the mildest form of hepatitis. There are about 20,000 people in the United States who get hepatitis A every year.
Read MoreJust the thought of spiders is enough to make most of us queasy, but what about getting bit by one? Is this bite something to be worried about? And if you are bitten, what should you do? Getting bitten by a spider is usually not something to worry about, unless it is a large spider such as a tarantula that may be able to puncture the skins surface, or a spider that produces venom. Venomous spiders include the brown recluse spider, and the infamous black widow spider which we will describe here.
Read MoreAn autoimmune disease is a disorder that arises from an unusual immune response of the body against healthy body tissue. Essentially, it is the body mistakenly attacking and destroying itself. This may be restricted to certain organs or involve a particular tissue. Immunosuppressants, medications that decreases the immune response, are typically the treatment for the more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases. Some examples of autoimmune diseases that may sound familiar are Celiac disease, thyroiditis, fibromyalgia, Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Read MoreChagas disease is a potentially life threatening disease that typically found in parts of Latin America. It is also called American trypanosomiasis named after the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which it is caused by. This parasite and disease is spread through a 6 legged vector, or insect dubbed the “kissing bug” which carries the parasite. You might be asking yourself why the triatomine bug is nicknamed the “kissing bug”, and the reason is not as cute as the name might let on. They are called “kissing bugs” because their favorite place to feed, or suck blood, is the face.
Read MoreWhiplash is a type of neck injury that occurs as a result of fast and vigorous movement of the neck. It is most occurs after a person has been involved in a car accident. However, many people also experience whiplash while playing sports or during some other type of traumatic accident. Whiplash may also know known as a neck sprain or neck strain.
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