Every day your liver performs more than 400 functions. Chief among them are storing vitamins, iron, glucose and fats so your body can use them later, and metabolizing food into nutrients that are vital for health and life.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 and more than158,000 people died from the disease that year.
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Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body does not use insulin properly. The pancreas releases the hormone insulin into the bloodstream to help convert glucose, which comes from food, into energy. Because the muscles, liver and cells can't use the insulin effectively, glucose builds up in the bloodstream.
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Excess abdominal fat causes more problems than having difficulty fitting into your favorite jeans. There are two types -- visceral, which surrounds your abdominal organs, and subcutaneous, which lies between the abdominal wall and your skin.
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Penicillin was the first antibiotic developed by Alexander Fleming in the early part of the 20th century. It wasn’t until Ernst Chain and Howard Florey made improvements to it that it became a world standard for killing disease-causing bacteria in World War II.
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When body tissue becomes inflamed, it can sometimes trap surrounding nerves. A pinched nerve might only cause you a short pain or twitch. However, in some cases you might experience severe pain. Pinched nerves in weightlifting are relatively common.
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Your optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers located at the back of your eye. These fibers send information to your brain to convert into visual information. Certain conditions will affect the optic nerve, and some may damage these fibers.
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Probiotics are bacterial species that don't cause infection in humans, but instead provide some sort of benefit to the digestive tract or other organ systems.
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Passing a kidney stone can be incredibly painful. Kidney stones are hard, crystal-like masses that typically cause spasms of pain in the lower back, side and groin and blood in the urine. Some kidney stones will pass on their own and some require removal by a doctor.
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When the myelin, or outer sheathing covering the nerves, is degenerated, it results in nerve damage. When this happens, the nerves are unable to function properly in normal communication between the brain and spinal cord. Vitamin deficiency is one cause of nerve damage.
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Intestinal gas is a normal by-product of digestion, but excessive gas can cause loud, smelly flatulence, which can be both uncomfortable and downright embarrassing. Certain foods tend to increase the levels of intestinal gas, but not all of them cause foul-smelling flatulence.
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Herbs and holistic medicines have been used by humans for centuries for many different problems. Triphala is a plant that has numerous benefits. However, there are some herbs that certain groups of people should not use, despite the potential benefits of using such herbs.
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Coffee is a drink you probably rely on to feel awake and alert. Others may easily notice you're a coffee drinker, but it might not be because of your energy level. "Coffee breath" has become infamously associated with America's popular beverage. Different theories exist regarding the cause of that stale, "metallic"
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Some of the causes of excessive ear wax are exclusive from other causes of wax accumulation in the ears. Dr. Timothy Hain, neurologist and professor emeritus at Northwestern University Medical School, suggests that some people are "wax producers," meaning they naturally produce more ear wax.
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Coliform refers to bacteria that are found in the gut of humans and animals, as well as soil and water. These bacteria are also known as Enterobacteria, and are rod-shaped and reside in the digestive tract. When they come in contact with water or soil through fecal contamination, they cause disease.
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Moles are growths caused by skin cell clustering. Melanin, the skin's natural pigment, overproduces in these clusters causing them to become brown in color. According to CareFair.com, moles can be hereditary or a product of overexposure to the sun's harmful UV rays.
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The peroneal tendons originate from the peroneal muscles of the lower leg and run just behind the bone of the outer ankle, or lateral malleolus.
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Eczema is more than just dry skin. The condition is characterized by inflammation of the skin that causes severe itching. According to one study in the journal Acta Dermato Venereologica, eczema is a chronic condition that tends to relapse and flare.
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The whirring sound of a drill, the chair that goes back too far, the white napkin draped around the neck are all symbols of a dentist visit. You may want to avoid these, but toothache and facial pain are two reasons why avoidance might not be an option.
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Women usually experience diarrhea sometime during their pregnancy. Diarrhea is described as loose and watery stools that occur several times a day.
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