Living well with only one kidney

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Living well with only one kidney

Most of us take for granted our kidneys.  Unless we’ve been told otherwise, we assume we have two functioning kidneys about the size of a fist doing their day-to-day job of keeping the composition of our blood stable allowing the body to function.  These bean-shaped organs work hard at preventing buildup of wastes and extra fluid in the body along with stabilizing electrolytes of sodium, potassium, and phosphate among other duties they do. As long as they are performing as they should, we barely think about the fact of “what if I only had one kidney?”

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Peyronie’s disease – when a man’s penis curves

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Peyronie’s disease – when a man’s penis curves

There is probably no other part of the male anatomy that men scrutinize the most than their penis.  If it is not perfectly straight when erect, a man may wonder is this normal or not.  To set the record, uh, straight, a slight curve or tendency to lean to the left or right when erect is considered normal.  But, if the penis has a significant bend that is more noticeable, then it could be a condition called Peyronie’s disease.

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The Hidden Breast Cancer

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The Hidden Breast Cancer

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is a particularly rare and particularly insidious version of breast cancer. Rare, as it affects only 1 in 10 people diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Insidious, as it can spread easily to other parts of your body like other invasive breast cancers, but ILC does all this without ever causing lumps to form. It is even more difficult to find on a mammogram!

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Who Gets Ovarian Cancer?

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Who Gets Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer is the fifth largest killer of women, with a woman having a 1 in 75 chance of contracting it and a 1 in a 100 chance of dying from it. Who contracts it – and who survives – often comes down to who has it diagnosed the earliest.

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8 things every person with diabetes must do to minimize complications

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8 things every person with diabetes must do to minimize complications

A diagnosis of diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2, must be taken seriously.  Approximately 29.1 million people have diabetes and it is now the third leading cause of death in the United States.  Diabetes is a chronic progressive illness primarily due to the many complications that can arise over the course of time.  The complications can range from cardiovascular disease, nerve damage (neuropathy), kidney damage (nephropathy), eye damage (retinopathy), gastroparesis, peripheral artery disease and complications related to the skin

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Causes of a swollen kidney

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Causes of a swollen kidney

Many people may not realize this but our kidneys can swell and when they do it is a condition called hydronephrosis. If urine is unable to drain out from the kidney to the bladder, it can cause the kidneys to swell leading to a build-up of urine.  This condition can occur in either one or both kidneys and happens as the result of a disease.

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Exploring esophageal cancer

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Exploring esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer is a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissues of the esophagus. Even though esophageal cancer is an uncommon cancer, any signs or symptoms of it should not be ignored as only about 20 percent of patients survive at least 5 years after diagnosis.  Knowing what to look for and possible ways to prevent this cancer is a first step in avoiding it to begin with. 

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Causes and treatment of varicose veins

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Causes and treatment of varicose veins

Varicose veins can be an unsightly condition appearing like gnarled, enlarged veins usually found in the legs and feet.  These swollen, twisted veins can be seen just below the skin surface.  They can cause mild to moderate pain, blood clots, skin ulcers (sores), a heavy or aching feeling, a burning sensation or itching above the affected veins.

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Recognizing oral allergy syndrome

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Recognizing oral allergy syndrome

If you are someone who suffers from hay fever also called seasonal allergic rhinitis, you may also have experienced itchiness in your mouth, tongue or throat when eating certain foods such as watermelon, peaches or apples.  You may have determined that you are allergic to these foods when in reality, what you most likely have is oral allergy syndrome (OAS) also known as pollen-food syndrome. 

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What you should know about pancreatitis

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What you should know about pancreatitis

Simply put, pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas.  This large gland lies behind the stomach and is responsible for secreting digestive enzymes that are involved in the digestion of our food.  These digestive enzymes are collectively known as pancreatic juice and they join together with bile from the gallbladder - bile is made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder – to help break down food.  Both pancreatic juice and bile are carried to the small intestine through the pancreatic and common bile ducts.

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6 ways to cut your risk of colorectal cancer in half

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6 ways to cut your risk of colorectal cancer in half

One of the most complex pieces of machinery found in our body is our colon.  More than just an inert tube attached to the tail end of our digestive system (our rectum), our colon dutifully performs what no other organ cares to deal with – our bowel movements.  But in addition to that thankless yet necessary job is the fact our colon also directs the balance of fluid and electrolytes in the body and plays host to a crucial ecosystem of bacteria playing a vital role in our health.  Until something goes wrong with this essential organ, many of us fail to appreciate just what our colon means to our health and well-being.

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Selenium in the Battle Against Alzheimer's

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Selenium in the Battle Against Alzheimer's

This is the space where we usually tell men about some lesser known mineral or D-list vitamin that, if taken regularly, will help them live longer, cure their erectile dysfunction, clear their head, or just make them happier and peppier.

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How Men Can Beat Osteoporosis

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How Men Can Beat Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major public health threat affecting almost 44 million American men and women aged 50 and older. Most of those people are women; mainly because the “brittle bone disease” affects the elderly and women live longer, and men are more likely to have exercised, which builds up bone mass. The most common cause of osteoporosis in men is low testosterone.

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Understanding Bladder Cancer

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Understanding Bladder Cancer

It's the 9th leading cause of cancer overall, but number 4 among men. Although bladder cancer is often regarded as an old man's disease, itcan hit at any age.

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All about atrial fibrillation

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All about atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most commontype of heart rhythm disturbance(arrhythmia) in the United States.  There are approximately 2.6 to 6.1 million people in the U.S. with AFib and that number is expected to rise to 5.6 to 12 million Americans by the year 2050.

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The Biomechanics of Pitcher's Elbow

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The Biomechanics of Pitcher's Elbow

Despite everything we know about and are developing in the area of sports medicine – not to mention the enormous financial investment that the Major League Baseball teams have in their pitchers – the elbow injuries for the horsehair hurlers continue to be on the rise. What is known about the actual variables that cause “pitcher's elbow?”

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To know your liver is to love your liver

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To know your liver is to love your liver

How well do you really know your liver?  This second largest organ and the largest internal organ (our skin is the largest organ of the human body), is a virtual factory performing more than 500 vital functions that have been identified some of which include the following:

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Understanding bladder stones

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Understanding bladder stones

Let’s face it – all of us have heard of kidney stones or maybe have even experienced them.  But bladder stones?  Yes, stones can form in the bladder. They are much more common in men past the age of 50 but are much less common than kidney stones.  If they are small enough they may cause no symptoms passing on out the body on their own without a person even knowing they had any. But, unfortunately, more often than not, they will make their appearance known causing pain or other problems on urination.

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Why kidney stones form and how to prevent them

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Why kidney stones form and how to prevent them

The pain of passing a kidney stone is often described as worse than giving childbirth.  Other descriptive terms range from excruciating, agonizing, miserable and just plain intolerable. 

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Double Jeopardy: IBD and Anxiety

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Double Jeopardy: IBD and Anxiety

If you suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – and you are a woman – you are particularly vulnerable to anxiety disorders.

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